Are Aliens Trying to Save Us from Ourselves?
One of the themes of the new movie Disclosure Day is that aliens are trying to save us from ourselves. While the film’s creator, Steven Spielberg, has long been a proponent of this idea, its roots in Hollywood, and in our common mythology surrounding UFOs, can be traced back to the start of the Cold War.
Historical Context
One of the most enduring ideas in recent UFO mythology isn’t that aliens want to conquer Earth. It’s that they’re worried about us. They’ve been watching humanity for decades, and they’re concerned we might destroy ourselves. However, this idea barely existed in science fiction prior to 1945, and really only gained traction during the Cold War, when nuclear weapons became a global threat.
Prior to the 20th century, the overwhelming tone of science fiction did not view aliens as hostile, but more often as curious, philosophical, or even benevolent. However, in these early stories the aliens were not overly concerned about humanity’s survival and did not try to intervene in our affairs.
However that changed during the first half of the 20th century, when science fiction became dominated by stories of hostile aliens who were intent on conquering Earth. One of the most famous examples of early science fiction that explored this idea is The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.
Another turning point came at the dawn of the atomic age, when for the first time, humanity possessed the ability to destroy itself on a global scale. This shift in the cultural imagination, combined with the Cold War’s nuclear arms race, created a fertile ground for a new kind of science fiction. Since the dawn of the atomic age, countless stories have suggested extraterrestrials are concerned that humanity is on the verge of destroying. Whether these stories are true, symbolic, or simply reflections of our own fears, they’ve become one of the defining themes of modern UFO folklore.
Once atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, humanity suddenly possessed civilization-ending weapons. It’s no coincidence that the modern UFO era began just two years later in 1947. Many writers have argued that the timing of these events helped shape the mythology.
Hollywood embraced the idea
Hollywood repeatedly returned to this question. Perhaps the clearest example is the 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still. Klaatu doesn’t arrive to invade Earth. He arrives with a warning. If humanity continues developing weapons and exporting violence into space, Earth may be destroyed for the safety of other civilizations. This is arguably the blueprint for decades of UFO storytelling.
The UFO cases
Several famous UFO cases have fueled the belief that UFOs are monitoring nuclear weapons.
Malmstrom Air Force Base
An incident at the Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana in 1967 is one of the most famous examples. Former Air Force officer Robert Salas has long maintained that a UFO appeared near a missile site and multiple Minuteman missiles became temporarily inoperable. Supporters argue this demonstrated extraordinary technological capability on the part of the aliens, while skeptics note that available documentation does not conclusively establish a UFO caused the missile shutdowns and point to possible technical explanations.
Rendlesham Forest
A similar incident occurred in Rendlesham Forest in the UK 1980. Because RAF Bentwaters stored nuclear weapons, some researchers have speculated there may be a connection between the reported sightings and nearby nuclear assets. Again, no direct evidence has established such a link.
Soviet missile stories
Former Soviet officers have described incidents involving unexplained aerial phenomena near nuclear installations. Some accounts even claim missiles briefly entered launch-ready status before returning to normal. These reports remain controversial and difficult to independently verify.
Why this theme resonates
Perhaps the most interesting question isn’t whether aliens actually delivered these warnings. It’s why so many people believe they would.
Every generation imagines extraterrestrials reflecting its greatest fears.
- During the 1950s: nuclear war
- During the 1970s: government secrecy
- During the 1990s: environmental collapse
Today, as the rise of artificial intelligence has taken so many people by surprise, it has raised new fears that humanity may be on the verge of creating something that could outsmart us and lead to our destruction. This has led to a new wave of stories that suggest that aliens are monitoring our progress in this area.
As with much of science fiction and UFO mythology, these enduring storylines tell us less about the aliens and more about ourselves. In a world that is increasingly under threat from climate change, nuclear war, artificial intelligence, and other man-made disasters, the idea that aliens are going to save us from ourselves can be a comforting thought. However, it can become a dangerous idea if it leads humanity to become complacent about their own actions. If too many people start to believe that aliens are going to save us from own worse impulses, then we may be less likely to take responsibility for our own actions and take the necessary steps to protect ourselves and our planet.