Alien invasion

The alien invasion is a common theme in science fiction stories and film, in which an extraterrestrial society invades Earth with the intent to exterminate and replace human life (Independence Day), enslave it under a colonial system (Invader Zim), to harvest humans for food (To Serve Man, Signs), or sometimes to destroy the earth altogether (Titan A.E.). The invasion scenario has been used as an allegory for a protest against military hegemony a... more

The alien invasion is a common theme in science fiction stories and film, in which an extraterrestrial society invades Earth with the intent to exterminate and replace human life (Independence Day), enslave it under a colonial system (Invader Zim), to harvest humans for food (To Serve Man, Signs), or sometimes to destroy the earth altogether (Titan A.E.). The invasion scenario has been used as an allegory for a protest against military hegemony and the societal ills of the time. Wells' The War of the Worlds is often viewed as an indictment of European colonialism and its "gunboat diplomacy" —setting a common theme for some politically motivated future alien invasion stories. Prospects of invasion tended to vary with the state of current affairs, and current perceptions of threat. Alien invasion was a common metaphor in US science fiction during the Cold War, illustrating the fears of foreign (e.g. Soviet Union) occupation and nuclear devastation of the American people. Examples of... less