Aliens science fiction

Science fiction has been a part of our history through history with antecedents back to mythology. In literature we see science fiction in the 2nd century’ Lucian’s True History and The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter in the 10th century, Frankenstein in the 18th century, with many works continuing through the years to give us a rich literary history of science fiction. The first work detailing aliens in science fiction is attributed to H.G Wells with 1898 War of the Worlds. Since this time, aliens have been a part of science fiction and today we can find horrible, loveable and even god-like aliens in movies, books, comics and television.

Aliens in science fiction books often are deeply developed and more unique than those in TV or films. For example, one literary science fiction series Strange Forces portrays aliens in a cosmic cacophony of strangeness. A popular book that has been made into film is The Time Machine that transports a man far into the future and depicts a strange alien form that is a metaphor for human society and where we may be heading as a human race. Books are a wonderful genre for science fiction aliens due to the endless possibilities for length, depiction and without any limit other than our own imagination.

Aliens in science fiction films and on TV bring our imagination to life; however, limits exist. Aliens in television were made popular and legendary in the TV series Star Trek. These aliens were at least somewhat humanoid being bi-symmetrical, approximately the same height as human as well as the same basic human shape. The TV series X-Files can largely be credited for de-humanizing aliens in television. Science fiction films through the years have given us the aliens we fall in love with as well as the aliens that can truly scare. We have seen alien forms that begin as a single cell and then develop through stages to an alien form that threatens to take over the planet. We have seen aliens portrayed as giant insects, and aliens with super powers as well as aliens that are cute and cuddly until we interfere turning them into monsters.

Science fiction aliens have mirrored us, connected with us, entertained us and threatened to take over our lives and our planet. They have been depicted as gods and as what we can hope for or fear for the future and aliens in science fiction are going to continue to entertain us. Today’s aliens can teach us much about human nature and the lessons we must learn.