Have you heard of World UFO Day? No? Well don't feel bad, neither had I. It's usually celebrated either June 24th (the first UFO sighting in the US) or July 2nd (the Roswell crash). We're a little late on one, but you still have a second chance! Just don your tinfoil hat and check out some of these awesome alien books and DVDs. Sure you know about Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Star Wars, but here are some titles/franchises you may not know about. Get ready for some 90s nostalgia, because there's also going to be a lot of that in this post, so maybe put on a flannel shirt to go with your tinfoil hat.
So to preface - I was in high school in the mid/late 90s. X Files was all the rage, and I ate it up. I had posters, a sweatshirt, books, and soundtrack (mainly because adults knew I liked it and were grasping at straws when getting gifts). Oh yeah - and I had a huge crush on Fox Mulder/David Duchovny. It's been forever since I've watched the old episodes, but the new ones? Still on point. Some of the best episodes are the funny ones, because you forget how good and goofy they can be amid the ones that are super serious. With the resurgence of 90s nostalgia and the X Files, there have been YA books written recently about Scully and Mulder's backstories (Agent of Chaos by Kami Garcia and Devil's Advocate by Jonathan Maberry), there are graphic novels, and DVDs of course.
Another blast from the past is Tom DeLonge. He was part of Blink-182 (who are putting out new albums apparently), then formed another band called Angels & Airwaves. He is also a *major* alien enthusiast. Fun fact: when Hillary Clinton's emails were leaked before the 2016 election, some of those emails leaked were from Tom DeLonge asking her about aliens. Seriously. In fact, recently, the Navy published 3 videos, confirming videos that DeLonge had previously posted in his effort to get the government to confirm the existence of aliens. He's even the co-founder of the To The Stars Academy, which is dedicated to studying "unidentified aerial phenomena".
Other 90s nostalgia alien films/TV:
The Fifth Element - This was THE iconic alien movie of the 90s. How do you know? Millennial and Gen X nerds are *still* quoting the movie and making memes of it online. Come on - surely you've seen a "Multipass" meme. While she acted some when she was younger, this was the big break for Milla Jovovich (if you've seen literally any Resident Evil movie, she was in it). It's a classic, and one you should definitely check out.
Men In Black - How could I not mention this? Especially since MIB: International just came out! Riding high off the popularity of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will Smith cornered the market in comedy/action alien movies (he was in Independence Day too). There's a talking pug, a giant bug, and you've got to love a movie that touts Weekly World News as the "real news".
Galaxy Quest - long before The Orville, there was Galaxy Quest. For fans of Star Trek, this little movie poked fun at the genre, the fandom, and the actors. The twist is (it's towards the beginning, so this really isn't a spoiler) they wind up meeting real aliens (who think they're the real deal and not just actors) and get aboard a real spaceship.
Space Jam - Looney Tunes + Aliens + Basketball = PURE MOVIE MAGIC. Back in the 90s there was a Warner Brothers store and you couldn't throw a pog without hitting someone wearing Tweety, Taz, or Marvin the Martian. Pair that with basketball god on earth Michael Jordan, add in the "Best of Jock Jamz" soundtrack, and I'm sure the makers were swimming in money like Scrooge McDuck.
And because I can't go into detail on *all* of them, here are a bunch of other titles from the 80s and 90s: Power Rangers Independence Day Signs Flight of the Navigator Earth Girls Are Easy ET The Last Starfighter Starman
If you'd rather read about aliens, here are some fiction books that might interest you:
Alien: Echo by Mira Grant - On the run from terrifying aliens, Olivia's knowledge of xenobiology and determination to protect her sister are her only weapons as the colony collapses into chaos.
The Assault by Brian Falkner - In the year 2030, six teens who have been modified to look like the aliens who are battling for control of Earth go behind enemy lines and discover a shocking, secret alien project.
Dark Energy by Robison E. Wells - A UFO crashes in the Midwest, not far from the boarding school attended by Alice, whose father is the director of special projects at NASA.
Last Pick by Jason Walz - In a world where aliens have taken over Earth, abducted every human they deemed useful, and abandoned the rest, twins Sam and Wyatt struggle to start a revolution of the unwanteds.
We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson - Abducted by aliens periodically throughout his youth, Henry Denton is informed by his erstwhile captors that they will end the world in 144 days unless he stops them by deciding that humanity is worth saving.
And here are some non-fiction:
Aliens: the world's leading scientists on the search for extraterrestrial life
Contactees: a History of Human-Alien Interaction by Nicholas Redfern
They Are Already Here: UFO culture and Why We See Saucers by Sarah Scoles
Originally Posted by StephanieT on June 30, 2020