Abstract
Through the theme of alien encounters science fiction has interrogated the limits of identity and the nature of differences. From H.G. Wells to Star Trek, ‘Alien encounters’ examines the theme of contact between humans and aliens and how this reflected the varying political and social background of the period. Alien invasion, sympathetic aliens, and communicating with aliens provide different perspectives in which ideas around ethnicity and gender and the changing perceptions of race and species are reflected in novels and film.
