What science fiction gets wrong about alien invasions
Science fiction films and TV shows have long captivated audiences with tales of extraterrestrial invasions, pitting humanity against the unknown perils of the universe. However, these narratives often reflect a profound misunderstanding of the tactical and technological advancements such beings would likely possess. Shows like “Falling Skies,” “Invasion,” and “Defiance,” along with movies such as “Independence Day,” “Edge of Tomorrow,” and “The Tomorrow War,” typically portray alien invaders using anachronistic, twentieth-century military tactics reminiscent of human warfare. This portrayal not only underestimates the potential of alien technology but also oversimplifies the complexity of interstellar conflict.
One of the fundamental flaws in these depictions lies in the assumption that extraterrestrial beings capable of traversing the vast distances between stars would resort to direct, physical aggression using aircraft, ground-based vehicles, and infantry forces. Given the technological capabilities such beings would possess to achieve interstellar travel, this approach is remarkably backward, resource-intensive, and inefficient. It is akin to advanced twenty-first-century military forces resorting to horse-mounted cavalry and catapults and betrays a lack of understanding of more effective methods of achieving dominance.
While technologically awe-inspiring and narratively engaging, the Ironman and Avengers films often embrace a curiously anachronistic and somewhat simplistic approach to conflict resolution with invading alien forces. Iron Man’s suits of armor are marvels of futuristic (and sometimes completely magical) technology — featuring advanced propulsion systems, robust AI, and a suite of futuristic weaponry. Despite these capabilities, resolving conflicts frequently boils down to primitive hand-to-hand combat. This juxtaposition is stark: nanotechnology and sophisticated artificial intelligence exist alongside and yet are often sidelined by, the spectacle of superheroes engaging in old-fashioned brawls. While visually dramatic, this choice underscores a reliance on traditional, physical confrontations that feel paradoxical against the films’ otherwise cutting-edge backdrop. Despite all that fantastic tech, our heroes often resort to punching their nemeses in the face.
Another common trope is humans defeating advanaced aliens with inferior technoloy. In the film Indepenence Day, humans fight the aliens with twentieth century fighter jets and a computer virus launched from a Windows laptop computer. This is akin to stone-age fighters with spears and clubs defeating a modern army with firearms, tanks, and aircraft, a patently absurd idea. There are countless stories of explorers, colonizers, and conquerors encountering less technologically advanced people, and the results are rarely good for the latter.
There are, of course, exceptions. The Zulu defeated the British at the Battle of Isandlwana on January 22, 1879 through superior tactics and overwhelming numbers, exploiting weaknesses in the British formation. Lakota Sioux, along with Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors, defeated Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25–26, 1876 by using the terrain to their advantage and coordinating a strategic ambush that overwhelmed Custer’s forces. While victories like those of the Zulu against the British and the Native Americans against Custer are celebrated exceptions, history generally demonstrates that technologically superior forces tend to prevail in conflicts.
If aliens wanted to invade and take over Earth, how might they do it? More plausible scenarios involve tactics that leverage aliens’ advanced technologies in simple, subtle, and devastatingly effective ways.
Chucking space rocks
Approximately 65 million years ago, an asteroid or comet, believed to be around 10 kilometers in diameter, collided with the Gulf of Mexico, catalyzing a mass extinction event that resulted in the demise of the large dinosaurs and significant ecological changes worldwide.
Imagine an advanced alien civilization choosing to target Earth by subtly altering the trajectory of an asteroid or comet so that it collides with our planet. This kind of attack could lead to devastating consequences for Earth without the aliens having to engage in typical warfare methods like bombs and missiles. They could unleash a series of catastrophic events by simply nudging an asteroid or comet in the direction of Earth.
When an asteroid or comet of sufficient size hits Earth, it can create a massive explosion, sending dust and debris into the atmosphere. The impact would send debris into the atmosphere that blocks sunlight from reaching the surface, drastically lowering temperatures in what is known as a “nuclear winter.” Agriculture would collapse as growing conditions deteriorate, leading to widespread famine. The initial impact would also cause enormous destruction depending on where the asteroid lands — cities could be destroyed, and regions could become uninhabitable due to the resulting shockwaves and fires.
This strategy is not just brutal but also efficient from an energy standpoint. The energy required to change an asteroid’s course slightly is minimal compared to the energy needed to build and deploy traditional weapons of war. Furthermore, this method is likely less risky from the alien’s perspective. They would not need to come close to Earth, where they might face retaliation or enter into direct conflict. Instead, they could cause immense damage remotely and with relatively little effort. This hypothetical scenario highlights a form of warfare that is both terrifying in its simplicity and devastating in its potential impact.
In the sci-fi books and TV series “The Expanse,” a faction known as the Belters, residing in the asteroid belt, employ a devastating tactic by hurling asteroids towards Earth, resulting in widespread destruction and catastrophic consequences for the planet’s inhabitants. Chucking space rocks at a planet proves far more efficient than mounting a conventional invasion, as it leverages the immense kinetic energy of asteroids to inflict widespread devastation without the need for complex military logistics or risking troops.
GMO Warfare
Another potential method for an alien civilization to conquer Earth without engaging in traditional warfare is genetic engineering to create a virus or fungus specifically designed to target humans. This biotechnological approach could effectively bypass all conventional military defenses, as these are primarily designed to counteract physical attacks rather than biological threats. The aliens could engineer these pathogens to be highly contagious and selectively lethal, rapidly spreading among the population before any effective countermeasures could be deployed. This tactic is both stealthy and terrifyingly efficient, as it could incapacitate a significant portion of the human population within a short time frame.
Such a pathogen could also be designed to be manipulative rather than outright lethal, thus enslaving humanity while leaving the infrastructure and resources intact. By altering human behavior or capabilities, the pathogen could force humans to comply with the invaders’ demands without causing large-scale destruction. This could be particularly advantageous for the invaders if they prefer that Earth’s physical infrastructure and natural resources remain intact. This approach would preserve the assets that might be destroyed in conventional warfare, enabling the alien civilization to exploit these resources while maintaining total control over the human population. This sinister strategy highlights a form of biological warfare that is not only profoundly disruptive but also chillingly calculated to achieve domination with minimal physical damage.
Electromagnetic weapons
Electromagnetic assaults present yet another dimension of advanced warfare that an alien civilization intent on crippling humanity could employ. One such method is deploying a massive electromagnetic pulse (EMP). An EMP can instantly render all electronic devices and electrical systems inoperative over a wide area. Such an attack would be devastating in today’s digital and highly interconnected world. It would destroy communication networks, disable transportation systems, and bring down critical infrastructure like power grids and water supplies. The sudden loss of technology, which underpins almost every aspect of modern life, would plunge human society into chaos. This rapid disintegration of societal order and functionality would leave humanity extremely vulnerable, unable to coordinate a defense or maintain essential societal functions.
Another catastrophic technological strategy might involve the use of a directed gamma-ray burst. Gamma-ray bursts are intense energy discharges that can cause immense damage at a cellular level, capable of annihilating life forms over vast distances. If targeted toward Earth, even a brief burst could have catastrophic effects on the planet’s biosphere, leading to mass extinctions and severe disruptions in ecological systems. The direct impact on human life, coupled with the resultant ecological damage, would dramatically reduce the human population and disrupt the food chain, leading to long-term consequences for any survivors. Such a gamma-ray assault would effectively end any potential conflict before it could even begin, as humanity would be too decimated to mount any meaningful resistance, securing a swift and brutal victory for the attackers.
Nanotech
The deployment of self-replicating nano-robots epitomizes an advanced strategy that blends subtlety with potential devastation in warfare. These tiny machines, designed to operate at the molecular or even atomic level, could be released quietly and unnoticed into the environment or directly into infrastructure systems. Once deployed, they would begin their programmed tasks of replication and assembly, using available materials to create more of themselves, thus exponentially increasing their numbers. This capability allows them to infiltrate defenses efficiently, moving stealthily through materials and circuits. Their small size and autonomous nature enable them to evade traditional detection methods and access areas that are typically secure and shielded from conventional attacks. As they spread, these nano-robots could methodically dismantle or assume control of critical systems and structures, such as communications networks, transportation hubs, and energy facilities, without visible presence or detection.
This strategy represents a pinnacle of technological warfare and positions such nano-robots as formidable tools for achieving dominance in ways that humanity might find difficult to comprehend or counter. By the time their presence is detected, if at all, significant damage could already be underway, with essential systems compromised or entirely hijacked. The potential for these machines to manipulate, disrupt, or destroy from within — without any need for overt aggression or battlefield engagement — illustrates a sophisticated form of warfare that leverages cutting-edge technology. This approach would allow an aggressor to undermine and potentially collapse targeted societies from the inside, silently and effectively, with minimal risk and resource expenditure. The terrifying aspect of such technology lies not only in its lethal efficiency but also in the strategic paralysis it could inflict upon human populations, leaving them vulnerable and unable to fight back against an unseen and pervasive enemy.
Aliens will not think like us
The portrayal of extraterrestrial invaders in popular media often overlooks a profound potential reality about their perspective on humanity. An advanced alien civilization, capable of interstellar travel and endowed with technologies and wisdom far beyond our comprehension, might view humans similarly to how we regard other species on our planet. To such beings, humans could be subjects of curiosity and objects of scientific interest rather than peers or adversaries. The disparity in capabilities and understanding would be akin to how we separate humans from other animals like whales, chimpanzees, or octopi — creatures we study and observe as being highly intelligent but never engaging as equals. We have even taught chimpanzees and gorillas sign language so that we can talk to them, but they are still viewed as being less intelligent, less advanced, and generally inferior to humans. We wouldn’t go to war with these animals in the same way that we wage war against other humans. This perspective fundamentally shifts the context in which we might expect extraterrestrials to interact with us. It suggests that their motivations and actions would likely be driven by objectives that differ drastically from human-like conquest or territorial disputes.
This alien view of humanity implies that conventional warfare might be irrelevant in any encounter with such beings as humans understand and prepare for it. If extraterrestrials do not see us as equals, nor even as worthy adversaries, their strategies could bypass traditional military engagement entirely, favoring far more subtle or overwhelmingly more powerful methods. Moreover, assuming that these advanced beings are interested in waging war or initiating conflict with us could be a projection of human-centric fears and motivations, which might not align with a civilization’s intentions or thought processes that traverse galaxies. Such beings might interact with us in ways that are as unfathomable to us as human politics are to a bonobo. This disparity not only puts our chances of victory or meaningful resistance into perspective — should a conflict arise — but also highlights the possible naivety in assuming any extraterrestrial contact would conform to human-like patterns of aggression and conquest.
In essence, science fiction’s depiction of extraterrestrial invasions often mirrors our limitations and fears rather than offering a realistic portrayal of interstellar conflict. By projecting human tactics and emotions onto alien invaders, these narratives fail to explore the genuinely alien aspects of such encounters. The real challenge lies in imagining how beings, unbound by our technological and philosophical constraints, might approach the concept of conquest. It is a task that demands a radical rethinking of warfare, technology, and, ultimately, the nature of life itself. However, it’s important to avoid assuming that extraterrestrial beings would necessarily be hostile or warlike; similarly, we shouldn’t presume they would have any interest in humans. This approach fosters a more open and unbiased perspective as we contemplate the potential diversity of life in the universe.
