No matter how many times the U.S. government tells us there’s nothing good to see in the sky, we can’t seem to shake this feeling: something Watching from outside.
Even after the Department of Defense’s recent attempts to debunk UFOs (sorry, unmanned action plan — gotta keep it modern), pop culture’s love affair with aliens shows no signs of slowing down.
Television and movies, especially, literally implore us to believe that we are not alone.
Whether it’s little green men or sleek, mysterious spaceships, alien invasions come to life in entertainment.
The X-Files may have laid the foundation for the modern UFO obsession, giving us a classic mix of government intrigue and otherworldly mysteries, but it’s far from the only show keeping the flame alive.
Even now, with Unsolved Mysteries back on the topic of UFOs (and receiving some criticism for it), new episodes focusing on alien encounters remind us that these mysteries are still fascinating.
Meanwhile, Trackers recently delves into the mysterious world of government black sites and aliens with its episode “Ontology Shock.”
This episode is a double whammy of conspiracy fun, with Jensen Ackles (aka Supernatural‘s Dean Winchester, himself no stranger to alien mysteries) jumping straight into the action.
And it doesn’t stop there.
Even years after The X-Files retired from the airwaves, a growing number of new UFO and alien-themed shows are keeping the fire burning.
TMZ’s “UFO Revolution” and Netflix’s “Encounter” and “Manhattan Alien Abduction” blend real-life stories with suspenseful storylines.
MGM+ also has “Beyond: UFO” and “Uncharted,” as well as a host of other true-crime-meets-sci-fi films that sometimes blur the line between fiction and reality.
They all have a common goal: to keep the audience hooked on the question “What if?”
Our fascination with UFOs has been around for centuries, but it reached fever pitch in the 1950s, fueled by Cold War paranoia and growing fears of alien invasion.
Movies like Invasion of the Body Snatchers tapped into the anxieties of the time, using aliens as stand-ins for conformity and larger fears of the unknown.
Let’s not forget the huge impact of The War of the Worlds – whether it was HG Wells’ novel or Orson Welles’ infamous 1938 radio show, which tricked listeners into thinking there was a real alien invasion. happening.
So why do we continue to watch these shows and movies that feed the UFO narrative despite officials debunking the sighting and claiming it was just a weather balloon (again!)? It’s simple: it’s more fun to believe.
For one, TV and movies make it look like cool. Science fiction has always been about expanding our horizons, and let’s face it—humans love mystery.
We are part of something bigger, and the idea that our little blue planet might show up on someone’s galactic radar is exciting.
Personally, I have always been fascinated by the possibility that we are not alone. Hollywood clearly knows how to package this excitement.
Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind set the standard for such stories, showing us that contact with alien life can be both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
The tradition continues with films like “E.T.,” which gave us a heartwarming connection, and “Independence Day,” which showed us the devastation of a massive alien invasion. sexual potential.
The bottom line is, let’s be honest: We just don’t trust the government to tell us the whole truth. Every time they release a new report saying, “No, there are no aliens here,” it feels like they are hiding something.
Television shows like Blue Book feed this paranoia, reminding us that the truth may be out there, but we’re definitely not going to get it from Uncle Sam.
It’s also a perfect escape. Aliens, UFOs, and interstellar mysteries allow us to transcend the daily grind and wonder “what if?”
What if those lights in the sky really don’t come from Earth? if we yes Being monitored? What if, maybe, Mulder was right all along?
But what about you? you believe? Or, like Mulder, you just think Do you believe it?
