We come in Peace! (Well, do they?): Human Communicative Fears in Films of an Extra-terrestrial Nature

Abstract

Extra-terrestrial beings always have the potential to alter ‘the world as we know it.’ Whenever they appear in film or television, there is a debate about the possibility that we have, as human beings, to communicate with them. Linguistics and semiotics become keyelements in our attempt to bridge the cultural gap. Be it through mathematics, music or technological gadgets, these films only mimic the uncertainty that arises from all types of intercultural contact. The fear is always the misinterpretation that can turn a ‘We come in peace’ into a fully-fledged war. This article starts from a general review of 138 films from the decade 2007-2017 to recognize the main points present in their narrative, which shows that hostile conflict remains the main theme. Then it provides an interpretive analysis of the films to describe the type of communication fears that exist in contemporary films, taking a special look at Avatar (Cameron, 2009), Arrival (Villeneuve, 2016) and District 9 (Blomkamp, 2009) as the main representations of our current understanding of communication difficulties. The humanization of extra-terrestrial beings to establish communication with them becomes an inverse representation of the dehumanization of the other, the enemy, as depicted by certain sectors of society and a few recently elected governments, with whom it is difficult to establish mechanisms of communication and dialogue.

Keywords

• communication
• extra-terrestrial films
• otherness
• aliens
• sci-fi films