I’ve written about this before, but I’m fascinated by our relationship with aliens. In particular, there’s a whole sect of pseudoscientists who try to explain every phenomenon as caused by aliens, and these people fascinate me.
The pyramids? Aliens.
Stonehenge? Aliens.
The Bubonic Plague? Aliens.
Velcro? Aliens.
I love this school of thought because its proponents are clearly so uncomfortable with the idea that (A) ancient humans may have just been smarter than us modern types, and (B) there are some things in this world which simply don’t have knowable explanations. Of course, for this post, we’re not so much looking at ancient benefactors as something a little more sinister. What of the extraterrestrials who aren’t so much interested in shepherding humanity as conquering it?

The invade!
The abduct!
Perhaps they walk among us in disguise already!
ALIENS!

Alien invaders frighten us because, similar to sea monsters last week, they embody the unknown. Unlike sea monsters though, conquering alien civilizations don’t have the same chaotic association. Rather, they remind us of our shortcomings by comparison to whatever else may be “out there.” Despite the efforts of our most eccentric billionaires, humanity is still very new to space travel. As such, it seems logical that any extraterrestrial species with sufficient technology to travel to earth would be more scientifically advanced than we are. And if they’re so much more advanced, what will we really have to offer them? Why would they even make contact with a neolithic species like us unless it’s for something nefarious?

Our alien encounter stories all reflect this theme. Whether it’s The Twilight Zone, comic books, summer blockbusters, or UFO stories, alien stories always involve humanity discovering that we’re part of a much larger intergalactic food chain than we imagined, and we’re fairly close to the bottom. Alien stories tend to feature humans not as predators, but as prey. We’re always scientific guinea pigs, slave labor, or part of a balanced breakfast. Alien stories humble us. They remind us that we’re not nearly as advanced or enlightened or intelligent as we think we are. As Agent Kay put it in Men in Black:

“People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you’ll know tomorrow.”

There’s so much we don’t know.
There must be a smarter species out there somewhere among the stars.
Heaven help us if they don’t have our best interests at heart.

And that’s why aliens are scary.