Aliens have been entertaining movie audiences since the days of silent film when they appeared in what iswidely considered the first sci-fi movie,A Trip to the Moon(1902). In the decades since,silver-screen aliens have attacked us, killed us, enslaved us, loved us, saved us, taught us, terrified us, and inspired us.
Besides the sheer entertainment value they provide, their use in stories has another function: they reflect us back to ourselves, so that we can see our species with fresh eyes. Similar to the way anthropologists have used the metaphor of the Nacirema to flip the mirror on American culture (“Nacirema” is American spelled backward), watching an extra-terrestrial respond to a human being begs the question, “What are we like?” Whether it is through their courage, empathy, or loyalty, these are the best movie aliens that inspired audiences and made them feel a little better about the aliens that humans might someday become.
10Starman (Jeff Bridges)
‘Starman’ (1984)
InJohn Carpenter’sStarman,Jeff Bridgesplays an alien who crash lands on Earth and takes the form of a woman’s dead husband. The woman, Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen) falls in love with him, and he’s able to impregnate her with her dead husband’s sperm (even though she’s infertile) before he gets beamed up onto his home planet just outside of Winslow, Arizona.Bridges’s inquisitive, bird-like performance and the nostalgically bad special effects are reason enough to enjoyStarman, but watching Starman grow increasingly fond of the strange humans he encounters is a delight.
Starman displays great warmth and empathyfor all living beings. He resurrects a deer that was shot by a hunter, and he saves Jenny Hayden’s life when she is shot. When the SETI scientist (Charles Martin Smith) finally catches up with them, Starman says to him, “You are a strange species, not like any other. And you would be surprised how many there are. Intelligent but savage. Shall I tell you what I find beautiful about you? You are at your very best when things are worse.“Starman’s piercing insight tells a beautiful truth about how humans show up for each other in crises.
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9The Iron Giant (Vin Diesel)
‘The Iron Giant’ (1999)
It takes huge effort and mindfulness to stay gentle when you’re 50 feet tall and made of metal.The Iron Giant(voiced byVin Diesel), chooses to spend his time foraging for metal and waiting for the little boy Hogarth (Eli Marienthal) to visit him. The Iron Giant appreciates the beauty of Earth, enjoying strolls in the forest and watching the night sky. He becomes sad when a deer is shot and killed, and falls into a depression over the role he might have played in the deer’s death.
The Iron Giant is lost in a strange land. He relates to a child because he is playful and innocent. Even though audiences get glimpses thatThe Iron Giant was probably built for nefariouspurposes (like when his eyes go red after he sees the gun that killed the deer), he has a good nature that chooses good over evil. He learns about Superman by reading comics with Hogarth, and Hogarth tells him, “You are who you choose to be.” At the movie’s end,The Iron Giant remembers Hogarth’s words and says “Superman"just as he is flying into a nuclear missile to blow it up with his body and thereby save Hogarth and a large chunk of the Eastern Seaboard.
The Iron Giant
8The Brother (Joe Morton)
‘The Brother from Another Planet’ (1984)
The Brother (Joe Morton) is a mute alien whose ship crash lands at Ellis Island Immigration Center in New York City, where everyone assumes he is houseless because of his tattered clothing. The Brother is highly empathic and acutely feels past events whenever he touches objects or people. Directed byJohn Sayles,The Brother from Another Planetis a slow-paced, slice-of-life look at Harlem in the 1980s, peppered with insights into race relations, classism, and immigration.
The Brother’s true history is revealed to be an alien who is seeking freedom. Despite being pursued by two men in black who represent his planet’s slave patrol, The Brother embarks on a side quest to find the person who is supplying drugs to his Earth neighborhood and kills the dealer after finding a young man who had overdosed. He is kind to children and animals; when he sees a dog tied up on the sidewalk he lets it go. Butwhat is most inspiring about him is his deep stillness and presence with everything he encounters.
The Brother from Another Planet
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7Experiment 626, a.k.a. Stitch (Chris Sanders)
‘Lilo & Stitch’ (2002)
In Disney’sLilo & Stitch, Experiment 626 (voiced byChris Sanders) is an illegal genetic experiment from outer space who is exiled to life on a meteor after it’s decided that he’s an uncontrollable menace. The meteor crashes onto Earth, where 626 is hit by a truck and put in an animal shelter. He is then adopted by the orphan Lilo (voiced byDaveigh Chase) and her sister, who think he’s a dog, and Lilo names him Stitch.
Stitch truly is a menace. He bites people, destroys property, steals, and uses Lilo as his human shield. Despite all of that, Lilo loves him and protects him. She demonstrates not just love but unconditional love, a totally foreign concept to Stitch. Even thoughStitch remains a bit of an untamable beast, he becomes Lilo’s best friend and cheerleader.The point of his story is that his adopted family loves him anyway,and he learns that “nobody gets left behind.”
Lilo & Stitch
6Jules (Jade Quon)
‘Jules’ (2023)
JulesstarsBen Kingsleyas Milton, an elderly man whose life in small-town Pennsylvania has become quite small and routine until a UFO lands in his backyard. The alien “Jules” (Jade Quon) is a classic, gray, humanoid alien with deep black eyes and a huge skull. Jules possesses many of the sametraits that other benevolent aliens have: limited speech abilities, deep empathy, an ability to heal, being polite, curious, a good listener, and a love of television.Jules can also blow people’s heads up with their minds,as when Sandy (Harriet Harris) is attacked and Jules murders her assailant.
Jules doesn’t do very much in the movie - they eat apples, drink water, and work on their spaceship - but Jules puts everything aside to listen to people when they want to talk. Sometimes this gets taken advantage of, like when Joyce (Jane Curtin) finds that Jules will sit and listen to her hilarious life stories for hours on end. Jules’s presence in the lives of the few humans they befriend so inspires them. Joyce is willing to sacrifice her cat so that Jules can repair their spaceship. Jules is truly the quiet friend who is always there to listen and will have their friend’s back in a fight.
5Groot (Vin Diesel)
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)
While there are many memorable and lovable aliens in the MCU, none are so inspiring as the Flora Colossus from Planet X whose only words are “I am Groot.” Groot’s (voiced byVin Diesel) most iconic scene happens toward the end of the firstGuardians of the Galaxymovie when he wraps his limbs around his friends and sacrifices himself to save their lives during a shipwreck. This is the only time in the first two movies that he veers from his “I am Groot” script, and says “We are Groot”.
It’s during Guardians of the Galaxy that Groot’s true nature is revealed. He is kind and literally gives to others, growing and plucking a flower to present to a girl on the street who everyone else walks past. Groot’s only desire is to be with his friends, and he’s happy to accompany them on their quests for revenge or wealth without judgment. At the end ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Groot says"I love you, guys.” DirectorJames Gunnconfirmed a popular fan theory thatGroot is still saying “I am Groot,” but audiences have connected with him so much that they can finally understand what he is actually saying(sniff).
Guardians of the Galaxy
4Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew)
‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ (2018)
Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) is the true BFF. After Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) frees him from his miserable enslavement inSolo: A Star Wars Story,Chewbacca becomes his sidekick and copilot andthus begins one of the best bromances to ever grace the screen.
Chewbacca, called Chewie by his friends,is loyal, brave, and wholehearted. Having been enslaved more than once, he takes every opportunity to free creatures, as when he frees a group of Wookies from the spice mines inSolo. Chewie even has the option to go with the Wookies and possibly find his family again, but he chooses to stay with Han instead. He’s a brilliant pilot, smuggler, mechanic, warrior, and holochess player who chooses to put himself in danger again and again in order to save his friends. When Leia (Carrie Fisher) dies inThe Rise of Skywalker, Chewbacca is left as the last of the original five (not counting the droids). He remains loyal to the rebellion and the Jedi, serving alongside Rey (Daisy Ridley).
Solo: A Star Wars Story
3E.T. (Pat Welsh)
‘E.T. the Extra Terrestrial’ (1982)
Steven Spielberg’sE.T. the Extra-Terrestrialis about an odd little alien who came to Earth as a scientist but was accidentally left behind while gathering plant samples in a forest. Child-like in size and innocence, E.T. (voiced byPat Welsh) is taken in by ten-year-old Elliott (Henry Thomas) who, along with his siblings (Drew Barrymore and Robert MacNaughton), becomes close to the alien and decides to help him get home.
Elliott and E.T. are emotionally connectedand can feel each other’s feelings. When E.T. gets into the beer at home, Elliott becomes intoxicated at school. E.T. can heal living beings, as demonstrated when he revives some dead flowers and heals a cut on Elliott’s finger. He’s highly intelligent, innocent, cares deeply for others, and is overwhelmingly homesick.It is this yearning to be home and among his kind that is so relatable and moving, as well as his choice to be compassionate to the beings he meets along the way.E.T. was extremely popularas soon as it came out, and continues to live on in audiences' hearts.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
2Kal-El, a.k.a. Superman (Christopher Reeve)
‘Superman’ (1978)
It’s easy to forget thatSuperman(Christopher Reeve) was an alien from the planet Krypton, as he has come to symbolize the best sides of humanity. Superman represents all things “good.” Often described as the greatest of all superheroes, he’s famous for his kindness, benevolence, sense of justice, and heroism. He can’t help but rescue people, and even animals, in distress.
Some scholars and critics have described Superman’s story as an allegory for immigrants in the U.S. who have to learn to fit in amidt the pressures of assimilation. Seen in this light,Superman also comes to symbolize the (increasingly outdated) American dream of making your own way and reaching the top, despite being or feeling different. He has appeared in animated and live-action films since the 1940s, but it was the1978 movieSupermanthat marked his major startin movies and continues to be one of the most beloved depictions of the hero. Filmmakers continue to return to Superman, with a James Gunn-directedproduction slated to come out in 2025,starringDavid Corenswetas Superman.
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1Yoda (Frank Oz)
‘Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)
Yoda(voiced and puppeteered byFrank Oz) isthe heart of the Star Wars franchise, embodying the deepest lessons of this modern mythology. Humble and plainly dressed,Yoda is an enlightened being who understands the connectedness of everything. Yoda is also incredibly brave and willingly goes after truly evil and formidable foes,as when he battles Darth Sidious(Ian McDiarmid) inRevenge of the Sith,and Count Dooku (Christoper Lee) inAttack of the Clones.
Yoda has an excellent character arc of his own. In the prequels, he is more military-minded, leading an army into battle and wrestling with his decisions. After Anakin (Hayden Christensen) turns to the dark side, Yoda goes into a period of deep reflection and emerges as the wise pacifist of the original trilogy. Above all, Yoda is a teacher, having trained some of the best Jedi. In the sequel trilogy, Yoda continues to teach in death,speaking to Luke (Mark Hamill)and to Rey. Yoda continues to impact American culture (and beyond) as an oft-quoted and referenced character that embodies the wise teacher archetype.
