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LITR 4632: Literature of
the Future
University of Houston-Clear Lake
Student Presentation, 2003
Corrie Lawrence
Aliens Among Us:
Alien Contact in The Abyss
Objective
2: To identify,
describe, and criticize several typical visions
or scenarios of the future...
d. off-planet and/or alien
contact – exploring and being explored.
James Cameron’s The
Abyss (1989) is a movie set in modern day, presenting a scenario of peaceful
alien contact. The crew of a
submerged oil exploration rig is dragged into a military exploit and discover
themselves on the cusp of much more than expected. As opposed to having to
catapult away from the earth to meet with the anticipated unknown, the
unsuspecting crew discovers the cause of an investigated sub crash to be the
mysterious presence of an alien vessel.
<VIDEO>
From
The Abyss 1988 Screenplay:
Lindsay: “Not us. Not human. Get it?
Something non-human, but intelligent...
A non-terrestrial intelligence.”
Hippy:
”Non-Terrestrial
Intelligence. NTIs.
Yeah, I
like
that better than UFOs. Although
that works too... Underwater Flying Objects.”
Question:
- This
extraterrestrial contact scenario is different from most in that it is never
made clear whether or not these intelligent alien beings originate on
another planet or if they have always lived in the depths of our waters,
silent and undetected.
Does this
ambiguity lend credence to the idea of alien contact as a present-day
possibility?
- What
is the specific appeal of the idea of alien contact to us?
Do you think that it is a realistic likelihood, or rather a model for
examining human behavior (how we act in the face of discovery/other
societies/change or culture shock)?
- What
would our society’s reaction to an apparently altruistic species of
creature living among us likely be – positive/negative?
Rejection/coexistence?
Class
Discussion
Q1:
This extraterrestrial contact scenario is different from most in that it is
never made clear whether or not these intelligent alien beings originate on
another planet or if they have always lived in the depths of our waters, silent
and undetected.
Does this ambiguity lend credence to the
idea of alien contact as a present-day possibility?
Susie –
My dad’s into unusual stuff. We’ve
wondered if it’s related to the Bermuda Triangle… is it an alien force
field?
Kate
– If we’ve encountered something like this, people would probably believe
it’s a new species, not alien.
Jonathan
– People accept the intelligence of the dolphins…
Sandy
– We have the mythical idea of the lost City of Atlantis.
Dr. White
– A darker version of this would be like giant squids.
Sandy
– It is plausible that there is something in the depths of the ocean.
Dr. White
– Yeah, they’ve found interesting, unique life forms in the depths.
Kate
– They have found unique creatures off the coasts of Japan by fishermen.
Susie
– Maybe it’s a different kind of civilization maybe not exactly human
Corrie –
What would happen if we did meet extraterrestrial beings?
How would we respond?
Sandy
– I think that how people respond to things now depends on their perspective
and that shows how they would respond to aliens.
For example – the military would use them for themselves (like the
dolphins). In this scenario, the contact was our decision.
Kate
– The alien object here also chose to be examined and examine.
Q2:
What is the specific appeal of the idea of alien contact to us? Do you think that it is a realistic likelihood, or rather a
model for examining human behavior (how we act in the face of discovery/other
societies/change or culture shock)?
Dr. White
– It’s hard to find texts about us being observed.
For example, The Day the Earth Stood Still is not how it is
usually portrayed – it’s almost always aggressive examples.
If aliens are a mirror of ourselves, it exposes our aggressiveness.
Kate
– It reveals our dominance.
Susie –
Really we’re not dominant, because they are the ones that can move between
both worlds.
Kate
– We always want to conquer.
Jonathan
– Probably the reason people are leery of alien contact is because of the fear
of being conquered, or not being in control.
Sara B.
– The History Channel said that maybe these angels in the Bible were possible
aliens.
Sandy
– Yeah, I’ve heard the ‘WE’ in “Let’s create man in our image”
represents aliens as well as God.
Q3:
What would our society’s reaction to an apparently altruistic species of
creature living among us likely be – positive/negative? Rejection/coexistence?
Kate –
We would probably distrust aliens if they showed up.
Susie
– If they showed up the government would probably cuff them, but eventually
they might just become another form of immigrant group.
Dr. White
– The angels the shepherds saw might be described as UFO’s today.
Kate
– People talk about Heaven as an actual place above us, which then ties Heaven
and space together. It’s a natural comparison.
Dr. White
– Some people may think you’re crazy if you have a powerful contact to a
mystic example. This also reminds
me of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Corrie
– From our perspective is it possible or is it part of collective
consciousness… if so, what can we do with it?
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