NASA Announcement: In Which Alien Category Does It Belong?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, don’t have access to the internet, or have been immersed in a 24 hour marathon session of World of Warcraft, then you should be fully aware of the NASA announcement stating that they discovered a new (alien) life form living in a lake bed in California. Well not really “alien” but that’s what some are calling it – since it’s so completely different than any existing life form.

Here is the official quote from NASA Research Fellow Felisa Wolfe-Simon if you haven’t had the chance to read it yet:

“We know that some microbes can breathe arsenic, but what we’ve found is a microbe doing something new — building parts of itself out of arsenic. If something here on Earth can do something so unexpected, what else can life do that we haven’t seen yet?”

NASA scientists have found a new bacteria with DNA built from arsenic – not phosphorus like normal terrestrial beings.

That news should shake you to your very core! Some websites are reporting the findings as if the discovery doesn’t represent some sort of alien bacteria hell bent on destroying the world – and are merely stating that NASA has simply discovered a new form of Earth life – but you and I both know better.

No, I say this is just the first step in an alien invasion – hostile or otherwise – that is surely on Earth’s doorstep. So just what type of alien lifeforms should we lowly and primitive humans expect to see in the next few years, swarming our precious planet?

We’ve put together a list of possible alien lifeforms as told through the stories of Hollywood – some good, some bad, and some dangerous. Grab your tinfoil hat, arm yourself with a glass of water, and prepare to sneeze on the invading alien horde as we discuss the NASA Announcement: In Which Alien Category Does It Belong?

1. Bacteria

As is true of NASA’s discovery, alien bacteria would seem to be the most likely extraterrestrial form we would encounter. I can hear your disbelieving scoffs now, “Why should we fear alien bacteria? We can just pour some bleach on it and wear a surgical mask for protection.” Bleach and masks might be fine for typical Earth-borne bacteria but those remedies would provide little protection from the alien organisms in these movies:

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The Blob

NASA Announcement: In Which Alien Category Does It Belong?

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Slither

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The Thing

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2. Passive

Not all alien lifeforms are aggressive and hostile in nature; some are just refugees fleeing their home world for various reasons – be it exile or the impending destruction of their planet. With the exception of obvious physical traits, these types of aliens are not all that different from us because they just want a safe place to live – where they can raise their families in peace. The following movies give an example of these passive type of aliens:

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Coneheads

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Alien Nation

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District 9

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3. Explorers

Like humans, some of these alien lifeforms are just intrepid explorers who happen to have the ability to soar throughout the universe instead of being stuck on just one planet. These are the aliens that come to our planet looking to collect data on humans, much like scientists, and mean us no harm – just like mall cops, they are only here to observe. These Christopher Columbus/Jane Goodall alien hybrids can been found in these movies:

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E.T. : The Extra-Terrestrial

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Earth Girls are Easy

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Howard the Duck

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4. Invaders

These are the real hardcore mothers that every conspiracy theorist goes crazy trying to prove exist and swear are on their way to destroy the Earth. These aliens are here for one purpose and one purpose only – the destruction and decimation of the Earth and its entire human population. Alien invaders usually have weaponry and technology so vastly superior to our own that we barely stand a chance of surviving the invasion – yet somehow I’m sure we will. Great examples of this type of invading alien can be found in these movies:

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Independence Day

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War of the Worlds

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Skyline

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5. Violent

This type of alien usually visits Earth alone to wreck havoc on a small part of the human population. Whether they are hunting for food, sport, or they just exist as pure evil, these types of alien are not to be messed with mano-a-mano because they are always stronger than the average human – unless your name is Arnold, Dolph or Chuck. The most violent and heinous of this alien type can be found in these movies:

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Alien

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Predator

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I Come in Peace

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6. Blenders

Our second to last type of alien is the sneaky type who uses subterfuge to enter the human population undetected most often with a hidden agenda – usually to take over the world and turn the humans into slaves. These types of aliens look no different than you or I on the outside but on the inside they are an alien being that would like nothing better than to have us serve them. These movies are great examples of aliens blending in to dominate us:

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Stargate

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Species

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers

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7. Heroes

Hero aliens are the best type of aliens in existence but they are hard to find in the cinematic universe. Aliens like Klaatu (The Day the Earth Stood Still) don’t fit the mold as protector because he was only here to warn us of our impending doom – not actually DO anything to help save us or our planet. To be a hero, an alien must put himself above everyone else on Earth, and must sometimes be willing to sacrifice their own lives in order to save ours. Following that rule, the aliens in these movies best represent heroes.

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Superman

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Transformers

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These films are just a few examples of the different alien types that NASA could possibly uncover in the coming years. What other types of alien lifeforms do you think could exist and what movies best describe them?