First contact (science fiction)

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This article is about a fictional meeting between extraterrestrial and human civilization. For a real-world perspective on the results of extraterrestrial contact, see Potential cultural impact of extraterrestrial contact. For other uses, see First contact (disambiguation).

A scene of a first contact between aliens and humans.

First contact is a common

science fiction theme about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient species' first encounter with another one, given they are from different planets or natural satellites. The theme commonly explores topics including xenophobia, transcendentalism, and basic linguistics by adapting the anthropological idea of first contact to extraterrestrial cultures. [citation needed
]

History

Murray Leinster's 1945 novelette "First Contact" established the term first contact in science fiction,[1] although the term first appeared in Leinster's 1935 story "Proxima Centauri".[2]

The conceptual idea of humans encountering an extraterrestrial intelligence for the first time dates back to the second century AD, where it is presented in the novel

royal feet (38.9 km) tall, first arrives at Saturn, where he befriends a Saturnian. They both eventually reach the Earth, where using a magnifying glass, they discern humans, and eventually engage in philosophical disputes with them. While superficially it may be classified as an early example of science fiction, the aliens are used only as a technique to involve outsiders to comment on Western civilization, a trope popular at the times.[citation needed
]

The first notable example of intelligent aliens invading the Earth is The War of the Worlds (1897) by H. G. Wells, in which Martians mount a global invasion of Earth.[4]

Throughout the 1950s, stories involving first contact were common in the United States, and typically involved conflict. Professor of Communication

near annihilation or the end of the Earth.[5]

The 1951 film

nuclear war.[7][8] Based on the 1954 serialized novel, the 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers depicts an alien infiltration, with the titular Body Snatchers overtaking the fiction town of Santa Mira. Similarly to The Day the Earth Stood Still, Invasion of the Body Snatchers reflects contemporary fears in the United States, particularly the fear of communist infiltration and takeover.[9]

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke depicts a combination of positive and negative effects from first contact: while utopia is achieved across the planet, humanity becomes stagnant, with Earth under the constant oversight of the Overlords.[10] Stanisław Lem's 1961 novel Solaris depicts communication with an extraterrestrial intelligence as a futile endeavor,[11] a common theme in Lem's works.[12]

The original pilot episode for

Return of the Archons", introduced the Prime Directive, created by producer and screenwriter Gene L. Coon.[14] Since its creation, the Prime Directive has become a stable of Star Trek,[15] and the concept of a non-interference directive has become common throughout science fiction.[16]

The 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind depicts first contact as a long and laborious process, with communication only being achieved at the end of the film.[17] In contrast, the characters in Rendezvous with Rama never manage to communicate with the titular spacecraft.

In 1985, Carl Sagan published the novel Contact. The book deals primarily with the challenges inherent to determining first contact, as well as the potential responses to the discovery of an extraterrestrial intelligence.[18] In 1997, the book was made into a movie.

The 1996 novel The Sparrow starts with the discovery of an artificial radio signal, though it deals mainly with the issues of faith and actions taken following the discovery of an extraterrestrial intelligence. The Arrival (1996), Independence Day, and Star Trek: First Contact were released in 1996. The Arrival portrays both an indirect first contact through the discovery of a radio signal, as well as an alien infiltration similar to that of Invasion of the Body Snatchers;[19] Independence Day portrays an alien invasion similar in theme and tone to The War of the Worlds;[20] and Star Trek: First Contact portrays first contact as a beneficial and peaceful event that ultimately led to the creation of the United Federation of Planets.[21]

The 1994 video game

XCOM: UFO Defense is a strategy game that depicts an alien invasion, although first contact technically occurs prior to the game's start.[22] The Halo and Mass Effect franchises both have novels that detail first contact events. Mass Effect: Andromeda has multiple first contacts, as it takes place in the Andromeda Galaxy.[23]

The Chinese novel The Three-Body Problem, first published in 2006 and translated into English in 2014,[24] presents first contact as being achieved through the reception of a radio signal. The Dark Forest, published in 2008, introduced the dark forest hypothesis based on Thomas Hobbes' description of the "natural condition of mankind",[25] although the underlying concept dates back to "First Contact".[26]

The 2016 film Arrival, based on the 1998 short story "Story of Your Life", depicts a global first contact, with 12 "pods" establishing themselves at various locations on Earth. With regard to first contact, the film focuses primarily on the linguistic challenges inherent in first contact, and the film's plot is driven by the concept of linguistic relativity and the various responses of the governments.[27]

Types

Due to the broad definition of first contact, there are many variations of the methods that result in first contact and the nature of the subsequent interaction.[28] As a plot device, first contact is frequently used to explore a variety of themes.[1]

Notable examples

An early example of the theme, H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds

1890s

1900s

1940s

1950s

  • 1950s: A classic series of stories using this theme is the "interstellar trader" series by Andre Norton.
  • 1951 film "
    The Day The Earth Stood Still
    "

1960s

1970s

  • 1972: The novel The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov explores simultaneously the potential unity of all races, and the possibility of conflict inherent in all first contacts: even as members of different races understand each other, their disparate ways may endanger both their worlds, even the fabric of their respective universes. This gap between individuals and their respective societies is characteristic of the First Contact plot of E.T. Other explorations of the theme in popular culture include encounters with predatory or semi-sentient races as in Alien and Independence Day.
  • 1974: Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's The Mote in God's Eye was written to be, in Niven's words, "the epitome of first contact novels". Here it is humanity that plays the role of visiting aliens, as the religious, technological, political, psychological, military, cultural, and biological implications of first contact are explored.
  • 1978: Life on Another Planet
  • 1977: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    • The theme of first contact, ranging from friendly collaboration to menace or conflict, has been visualized a number of films and television series. Among the more famous are Steven Spielberg's film Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the television series V.
  • 1979: Alien

1980s

1990s

2000s

  • 2006: Blindsight by Peter Watts
  • 2007: Halo: Contact Harvest
    • In the novel Halo: Contact Harvest, humanity's first contact with aliens is on a human agricultural colony, where an initially peaceful meeting (although preceded by aliens walking into an anti-insurgent trap set up human military) with an alien alliance known as the Covenant turns violent, eventually resulting in a 27-year war.
  • 2007: Mass Effect
    • The backstory of
      Mass Effect
       features the First Contact War, caused by an alien military patrol observing a human ship, which was unknowingly breaching galaxy-wide conventions, attacking it and occupying a seemingly poorly defended colony, only to learn of humanity's military prowess in a swift counterattack. The conflict was quickly smothered by the galactic community, but the reputation and bitterness persist until the events of the games.
  • 2008: The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, a Chinese science fiction novel (first serialised 2006)

2010s

2020s

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Clute, John (14 March 2022). "First Contact". In Langford, David (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  2. ^ Leinster, Murray (21 March 1935). "Proxima Centauri". Astounding Stories. Street & Smith. p. 21. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  3. ISBN 0-8398-2444-0. Retrieved 21 April 2024 – via DePauw University
    .
  4. ISBN 978-0-976-94000-5
    . Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  5. ^ Victoria O'Donnell, Science Fiction Films and Cold War Anxiety
  6. ^ Etherden, Matthew (2005). ""The Day the Earth Stood Still": 1950's Sci-Fi, Religion and the Alien Messiah" (PDF). Journal of Religion and Film. 9 (2). University of Nebraska Omaha. Abstract. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  7. doi:10.3390/h10040107
    .
  8. doi:10.15353/kinema.vi.1284
    . Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  9. ISBN 978-0-306-81096-1
    . Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  10. ^ Du Bois, William (27 August 1953). "Childhood's End". The New York Times.
  11. ^ Sterling, Bruce. "Alien encounters". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  12. ^ Hosch, William L. (23 March 2024). "Stanisław Lem". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  13. ^ Goldberg, Reid (14 November 2023). "This Rejected Star Trek Pilot Still Ended Up in the Show". [[Collider (website)|]]. What Is "The Cage" About?. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  14. ^ Collura, Scott (21 August 2017). "Shatner: Creator Gene Roddenberry 'Had Little to Do with Star Trek' After First 13 Episodes". Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  15. ^ Norman, Dalton (5 January 2023). "Star Trek: The Prime Directive Explained". Screen Rant.
  16. ^ Vaux, Robert (7 October 2023). "10 Best Sci-Fi Tropes Star Trek Popularized". Comic Book Resources. The Alien Non-Interference Clause. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  17. Time Magazine
    . Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  18. ^ Hall, Esme Floyd. "Contact". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  19. ^ Ebert, Roger (31 May 1996). "The Arrival". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  20. ^ Byrge, Duane (1 July 2016). "'Independence Day': THR's 1996 Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Origin Of First Contact Day Explained". startrek.com. 4 April 2023. What is the Significance of First Contact Day?. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  22. ^ Lemon, Marshall (30 January 2016). "X-COM: UFO Defense – The World's Best Alien Invasion Game?". The Escapist. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  23. ^ Scott-Jones, Richard (6 March 2017). "Mass Effect: Andromeda story guide – premise, plot, bad guys and the Cerberus theory". PCGames. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  24. ^ Yeung, Jessie (2 September 2020). "Game of Thrones producers to adapt Chinese sci-fi 'The Three-Body Problem' for Netflix". CNN. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  25. Bibcode:2015JBIS...68..142Y
    . Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  26. ^ Stanway, Elizabeth (3 June 2023). "The Dark Forest". University of Warwick. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  27. ^ Wilkinson, Alissa (24 November 2016). "Arrival is a stunning science fiction movie with deep implications for today". Newsgroup: Vox. Retrieved 24 April 2024. {{cite newsgroup}}: Check |newsgroup= value (help)
  28. ^ Science Fiction After 1900: From the Steam Man to the Stars, by Brooks Landon, p. 81
  29. JSTOR 4240332
    ."Lem's critique of colonialism, as he broadly defines it,9 is articulated by Snow, one of the other scientists on the space station, who says in the book's most frequently quoted passage: We are humanitarian and chivalrous; we don't want to enslave other races, we simply want to bequeath them our values and take over their heritage in exchange. We think of ourselves as the Knights of the Holy Contact. This is another lie. We are only seeking Man. We have no need of other worlds. We need mirrors. (§6:72)"
  30. ISBN 8324007989
    , p. 54.
  31. ^ Resnick, Mike. "Introduction from The White Papers". sectorgeneral.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2002. Retrieved 1 June 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

External links

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