This week in the magazine, Laura Miller writes about the first fictional depictions of space aliens. As Darwin’s theory of evolution became accepted in the nineteenth century, writers began to imagine what life might be like if shaped by environments different from Earth. The earliest space aliens prefigure, to a remarkable degree, the creatures that have slithered, scurried, and snaked through books, film, and television ever since. Here Miller discusses some of the most memorable cinematic depictions of extraterrestrial life forms.
Video: The First Aliens
