Aliens & Society

Introduction

Aliens have long been a beloved aspect of science fiction, captivating our imaginations and allowing us to wonder at the mysteries of the universe. At first, I thought my passion for these stories stemmed from a desire to escape reality. However, I've since developed a deeper connection and interest in the evolution of the portrayal of extraterrestrial beings throughout the years. From the thrilling destruction brought by the Martians in H.G. Wells's *The War of the Worlds* to the profound sense of connection found in Andy Weir's *Project Hail Mary*, it's evident that our use of aliens in stories has transformed significantly. This evolution is, in my view, a reflection of the changes in broader societal attitudes over time.

In this post, I am excited to explore how the portrayal of aliens in science fiction reflects the general sentiments of different eras. I will highlight four key sources that expertly show this intriguing trend. While there are many other remarkable books, films, and TV shows to discuss, I have chosen these specific works because each offers heartfelt stories and unique perspectives. I invite you to join me in examining these sources, and I will do my best not to give away too much of the plot details in these fantastic texts.

1898 | The War of The Worlds, H.G. Wells

*The War of the Worlds* follows a journalist who recounts the harrowing days when the Martians began their invasion of Britain. The Martians are depicted as dark, leathery creatures with tentacles and advanced technology, enabling them to create nearly indestructible, three-legged fighting machines equipped with heat rays. Unfortunately, nothing the journalist or any of the other humans attempted could stop the destruction caused by the Martians.

It's interesting to note that many people think the Martians are not described at all in this book. This belief stems from the fact that just a chapter after their arrival, the Martians occupy fighting machines, which give H.G. Wells a faceless structure for readers to focus on rather than depicting a creature that one could empathize with. This choice enhances the horror the characters experience during the invasion.

This story has been adapted many times, including a notable adaptation in 1938 by Orson Welles [1], who turned it into a radio play. This broadcast caused quite a stir in America, as many listeners mistook it for a real news report about the ongoing situation in Britain.

In an interview with Jeff Wayne, the composer of The War of The Worlds Musical, he stated:

"And when I read it, I discovered this very dark Victorian tale, which, albeit, is the genre of science fiction. It was really a story about, on the grand scale, invasion. And HG created his Martians to be invaders, including the British Empire, which at that point in time, around 1897, the British Empire was at its peak, and he felt invasion of any nation is wrong." 

From Overnights: Interview Special - Jeff Wayne: ‘The War of The Worlds’ \& Beyond! | 6 Feb 2025 [2]

This highlights something I had not noticed before: H.G. Wells was careful in his description of the Martian invasion. He does not draw obvious parallels to the British Empire; rather, the only connection is the horror and destruction caused by the Martians. There is a quote from him that clearly expresses his disdain for a ruling empire, "No race is fit to have the upper hand over any other race; the possession of the upper hand leads, at best, to inconsiderate self-righteousness and, at worst, to extreme contempt and cruelty” [3].

This social criticism is prevalent throughout all of Wells's works and reaches a climax in his final book, *Mind at the End of Its Tether*. This book imagines a future in which humanity is supplanted by a greater species; it is important to note that it was written in 1945, prior to the development of the atomic bomb.

During this time period, there was a significant amount of discontent. Some tragic events occurred in 1890, including the death of Vincent van Gogh and the first execution by electric chair. As the century was approaching its end, H.G. Wells was preparing to publish three of his most famous works: *The Time Machine*, *The Invisible Man*, and *The War of the Worlds*. All three of these books show a unique perspective and were heavily influenced by geopolitical events at the time.

1966 | Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry

Beloved by many, *Star Trek* is a classic episodic journey. The crew of the Starship Enterprise is on a mission to "explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no one has gone before." Each episode, or a series of episodes, features a self-contained story that often contains allegorical themes related to moral issues. This relevance significantly contributed to its popularity. People tuned in for the aliens, but they stayed for the stories.

In the show, the aliens have a 'universal' design. Many resemble humans but have different skin colours and pointed ears. These 'aliens', however, are not truly alien; they are caricatures representing different countries and specific individuals. In an interview, Gene Roddenberry mentioned that:

"Although Star Trek had to entertain or go off the air, we believed our format was unique enough to allow us to challenge and stimulate the audience. Unless it also "said something" and we challenged our viewers to think and react, then it wasn’t worth all we had to put into the show." 

From Star Trek: The Illustrated Oral History: The Original Cast | Book. [4], [5]

It’s no surprise that space was an effective way to address current social issues for the public, especially in 1966 when the first series was released. NASA was set to land a man on the moon in just three years, and the world was captivated by space exploration. *Star Trek* capitalized on this fascination, utilising the 'infallible' Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock as the moral and logical centres of the crew.

There were numerous challenges in getting this show on the air. As mentioned earlier, Roddenberry was informed that the show needed to "entertain or go off the air." Roddenberry and his team of writers, producers, and actors managed to achieve this, allowing the series to become one of the most famous sci-fi shows.

The episodes that stand out to me, such as *Let That Be Your Last Battlefield* and *Day of the Dove*, tackle important issues like racism and offer anti-war commentary, respectively. These episodes are memorable for fans of the series, and for good reason. A compelling story can stay with you for a while, but a story that encourages the exploration of moral arguments resonates even more deeply.

A quote by acclaimed author Brandon Sanderson encapsulates this idea well: "The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon." This approach was clearly at the forefront of Roddenberry's vision when creating the series. He aimed not just to tell any story but to tell a story that truly mattered.

The theme of using science fiction as a backdrop for more profound and compelling stories is nearly universal among writers. Notable authors such as Isaac Asimov, Pierre Boulle, George Orwell, and Philip K. Dick exemplify this trend. Asimov’s *Foundation* series reflects the gradual decline of empires, while he also introduced the famous three laws of robotics in his story *I, Robot*. Orwell examined the contemporary state of the world and projected a few years into the future to explore potential outcomes in *1984*. Meanwhile, Dick delved into questions about the essence of humanity in *Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?*, the nature of crime and punishment in *Minority Report*, and issues surrounding mental illness in *Martian Time-Slip*.

2008 | The Three-Body Problem, Liu Cixin

*The Three-Body Problem* is the first book in a trilogy titled *The Remembrance of Earth's Past* by Liu Cixin. The trilogy explores humanity's first contact with aliens and how we prepare for their invasion, which is expected to occur in 250 years.

The Trisolarans, also known as the San-Ti, are not physically described in the series, but some details about their capabilities are known. The Trisolaran home world is chaotic due to its three suns, which create an unstable and unpredictable orbit, leading to the term "three-body problem", which actually is the problem that inspired Liu to make the series. To survive the harsh weather conditions, the San-Ti have developed the ability to dehydrate their bodies. Additionally, they can communicate through electromagnetic emissions, effectively reading each other's thoughts. This portrayal of the San-Ti embodies our innate fears and is unique to each reader, making them seem more ominous than a physical description would allow.

This image of aliens starkly contrasts with depictions seen in previous decades. The author wants readers to grasp the conflicting feelings of each of the characters, particularly the character Ye Wenjie, who is the person who invites the Trisolarans to Earth with the belief that humanity cannot solve its own problems without the intervention of a more powerful force. The event that led Ye Wenjie to deem humanity unworthy of freedom was the Chinese Cultural Revolution, which occurred between 1966 and 1974. This topic is divisive among those who remember it and created a rift among readers of Liu's book. When asked in an interview, "Why did you emphasize the Cultural Revolution in your book?" Liu responded:

"It was necessary to mention the event to develop the story. The plot required a scenario where a modern Chinese person becomes completely disillusioned with humanity, and no other event in modern Chinese history seemed appropriate except the Cultural Revolution. It is disappointing that most participants of the Cultural Revolution did not repent, and the reason behind it is unclear." 

The Chosun Daily | Interview: The Three-Body Problem author Liu Cixin "My novel is not a metaphor for US-China tensions" [6]

Liu saw first-hand what the Cultural Revolution had done; born in 1963, many of his years growing up were tainted by this event. Interestingly, it doesn't seem that Liu wrote about the Revolution with hatred but described it as it was; he loves where he's from and notices its flaws as well as its beauty.

2021 | Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir

*Project Hail Mary* offers a fascinating exploration of the theories surrounding the formation of extraterrestrial life. The story revolves around Ryland Grace, a high school science teacher. It begins with him waking up in a hospital bed, having lost all his memories. As the narrative unfolds, he gradually starts to recall the events that led him to that moment and what he needs to do next.

In the book, we are introduced to three alien species, two of which can be described as space algae, while the third takes the form of a rock spider named Rocky. Our first encounter is with a space algae called Astrophage, which is responsible for the reduction of the Sun’s energy output. Grace has been sent aboard the spaceship Hail Mary to the Talsetti star system, where astronomers have observed that this Astrophage does not affect the brightness of the star. It is in this system that we meet the other alien species.

This book is fascinating and presents many intriguing hypotheticals regarding the origins of life. It primarily centres around the Panspermia theory [7], which suggests that the seeds of life are distributed throughout the Universe and that these seeds can travel between planets. According to this theory, if we were to discover extraterrestrial life, it would likely share a similar base composition to life on Earth. The book offers compelling reasoning to support this idea. However, while both the theory and its sci-fi implications are captivating, they appear more far-fetched compared to many other theories that explore the origins of life.

What I find most fascinating about the depiction of aliens in this book and our interactions with them is that the aliens, especially Rocky, are peaceful and just do what they need to to survive. Grace and Rocky form an understanding of each other's language and become close friends, being able to help each other.

What makes this relationship more interesting is when the book was written. This book was released in 2021, the height of the Covid pandemic. The scientists in this book were all, without exception, working for the safety of humanity. Grace started alone, isolated, in his spaceship until he made a friend in Rocky. However, their atmospheres can't mix, so they have to be separated by transparent panels, locking each other off from contact.

I have no doubt that COVID-19 influenced the writing of this book, but it's worth noting the parallels with Andy Weir's debut novel, *The Martian*, which also features a scientist isolated from humanity. The similarities are apparent, yet the contrasting missions of the two protagonists are particularly interesting.

In *The Martian*, Mark Watney is stranded on Mars after a dust storm, and the story focuses on his ability to apply his scientific expertise to find a way back home. In contrast, the main character in *Project Hail Mary*, Ryland Grace, is a high school teacher who unexpectedly becomes humanity's last hope for survival. Although he possesses some scientific knowledge, he is far from the ideal candidate for this mission. This key difference shapes the narrative and influences how other characters, especially the aliens, are portrayed.

Conclusions

In this article, I have shown how portrayals of extraterrestrials reflect the society in which they were created. A quote from Mark Twain comes to mind: "Write about what you know." While this advice shouldn't be taken too literally, its essence often influences writings about life as we "do not" know it since we can only speculate about what life might be like; the only evidence that life could exist elsewhere in the universe is our own presence here on Earth. These writers, remarkable in their own right, whether intentionally or unintentionally, mirror the world around them, incorporating those reflections into their work. If an idea troubles them, why not depict it as an alien force sent to Earth for our destruction?

Interestingly, this notion of "write what you know" also pertains to the field of astrobiology, where we must acknowledge that our own life experiences influence our perspectives on how aliens might appear. One notable example is the classification of "extremophiles". This term refers to organisms that inhabit the most inhospitable places on Earth, which, from our perspective, they do | living in thermal vents at 120°C without sunlight. [8]

However, they are considered extreme only from our viewpoint. If they were brought to the surface, they would likely perish quickly, just as we would if we ventured into the thermal vents where they thrive and have adapted to their unique circumstances.

I believe this sentiment has begun to emerge, rather predictably, in more recent literature. In *The Three-Body Problem*, the Trisolarans can dehydrate themselves to survive the turbulent weather patterns on their planet and are initially surprised to learn that humans cannot do the same, as it seems so natural to them. In *Project Hail Mary*, we encounter life that can survive on the surface of the sun and life that thrives in environments dominated by ammonia.

The potential discoveries that await us are truly exciting! It's captivating how a writer's view of society shapes their alien characters while science intricately informs their design and traits. This interplay of creativity and scientific insight opens up a world of endless possibilities.