The subject of contact and interaction by the human race with
benevolent aliens is a subject of
science fiction.
Works often include an exchage of technology, a military alliance,
or just a general understanding and feeling of goodwill between
humans and aliens. Such works of this sub-genre include the famous
films
The Day the Earth Stood
Still, and
2001: A Space
Odyssey. Also, the movies
Star
Trek: First Contact,
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,
and the
Star Wars
universe contain benevolent aliens. Benevolent aliens sometimes use
the
stereotypical
phrase
we come in peace.
Aliens may also be depicted as
malevolent, such as in
The War of
the Worlds,
Independence Day, or
Mars
Attacks!. Sometimes science fiction stories have aliens
hide their malevolence by seeming to be benevolent such as in the
television
series, V and the
Twilight Zone episode "
To Serve Man." In such
stories, such a revelation is usually a
plot twist.
Benevolence or malevolence
of a group of intelligent extraterrestrial beings can be difficult
to discern. For instance, if an alien race aids humanity by
providing an otherwise incomprehensibly advanced technology capable
of solving human social and physical problems, it may disrupt human
development in such a way that humanity is ultimately disadvantaged
by the seemingly benevolent act. In this case, the ambiguity
regarding the benevolence of the act would be compounded if the
alien race is incommunicative or otherwise difficult or impossible
for humans to understand. Alternately, a malevolent act, such as
violence or invasion, if defeated by humans (as it inevitably is in
most fiction) could result in many benefits to humanity, such as
encouraging peace among human nations or making available new
technologies. A sufficiently advanced and prepared intelligent
alien race may be capable of seeming benevolent or malevolent,
while in reality pursuing opposite goals.
The portrayal of an
alien race as benevolent or malevolent assumes a degree of alien
cultural homogeneity that does not currently exist in
humanity, but may be possible in
the future or in other races as better communication allows for
"better" homogenization of world/species culture.
See
also
ExopoliticsExternal links
The "End of species" hypothesis Does
demographic decline mark the end of humanity's life cycle? May ET
civilizations follow the same path?
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