This week, I thought I would try to assemble some of the thoughts that abound around the internet regarding aliens. No, not the political debate that is raging in the Mexico-US border states, but aliens that could potentially exist outside the planet Earth. There are a couple of different angles that I’ll cover in this article, but you can expect that I’ll look at what some of the leading scientists think about the probability of life developing outside the planet, the popular culture assumptions about extra terrestrials, and the theories that are far out there in the ether and take a little more faith to believe in.

To begin, let’s look at what scientist think about life that exists outside our own planet. There are several qualifiers that should be pointed out before embarking upon a discussion of this nature. There are two major avenues of thought that are concerned with the existence of life on other planets: scientific and religious. Both of these studies have the most to contribute to this conversation. The question should not really be read as, “Is there life on other planets?” So much as, “Is there intelligent life on other planets that we can communicate with?” Here is an interesting video that gives you an idea of the scale of the Universe as we know if it now; here is the millennium simulation:

So how do we go about searching for other lifeforms in all that space and matter? The first place to look would be to hunt for a planet that is like our own. The only difficulty in pursuing this train of thought is that it is incredibly difficult to find out if a star even contains planets. Up until 1995, no one was really sure that there were other planets outside of our own solar system. Michael Mayor and Didier Queloz discovered the first extrasolar planet circling a like-sized star. This was really one of the first true advancements for the advancement of a legitimate possibility of intelligent life on other planets. The math works something like this: every planet exerts a pull on the star that is orbiting. Scientists are able to calculate the residual blue and red shifts that occur in the object relative to our position to determine whether or not the star contains planets. As you can imagine, this is a very difficult process that requires a lot of patience and a super-computer.  In 2009, MSNBC ran a story in their Science section by author Clara Moskowitz that entertains the possibility of life on other planets. This particular argument is aimed at looking at different arcs of time in which life could develop on other planets. On a more theoretical side, the man who invented the  Drake equation is another believer that intelligent life must exist on other planets. If you’re unfamiliar with the Drake equation then click on this link. This theory gets to the core of the mathematical possibilities that would need to be true in order for their to be life on other planets. Part of the problem with this model is that many of these variables are unknown. Some scientists are even beginning to make claims that the origins of life on this planet are from extraterrestrial sources. Here is one such article that depicts an origin of life on this planet that is from above. From a religious standpoint, there are a few different trains of thoughts on aliens. Here is a website that depicts a Catholic priest’s opinion about the existence of other life as a possibility in religion. Here, by contrast, is another link that shows the possibilities of aliens as the manifestation of an evil force. There are a lot of intelligent arguments out there that are able to answer questions about the origins of humans and the impact that the possibility of extra-terrestrials would have on those beliefs. Stephen Hawking  offers an interesting perspective in this article. Essentially, he is arguing that humans should do their best to avoid contact with extra-terrestrials. His reasoning for doing so has to do with the resources available on the planet along with the aliens superior technology in their ability to travel toward us. He believes that they would not acknowledge our culture and civilization as anything that would be worth preserving. What do you think?

As far as popular culture goes, aliens seem to run the gambit between hostile, friendly, devious, helpful, and everything else in between. Films like Star Wars show aliens operating on both sides of the war, and the value of an alien is judged through their actions. By contrast, the aliens that are encountered in Battlestar Galactica are bent on the destruction of human civilization at all costs. Star Trek probably had the widest array of alien-human interactions and possibilities. Though often metaphorical as the racial equivalent of our planet, these relations may one day become truth. Will we oppress aliens like the ones from District 9 or the show Alien Nation? Or will we work together with aliens to form our own federations and inter-stellar connections?

The final consideration that I will leave you with today is about the theories that are on the fringe. Next week, I will cover some of these theories in more detail, but consider these questions: if aliens existed, what would their goal be with humans? What kinds of communities would aliens arrange themselves in? Would aliens try to use human DNA in any way? Would aliens even care about us? Or are we the aliens, long descended from another place of existence?

Sgt. Angle reporting for duty! Short and sweet this week, as I’m on deadline for resting mine eyes.

I’ve just been pontificating what’s in store for all you heavy readers and viewers out there in the upcoming MYTHOI: BIRTH issue to be released soon, and words cannot describe what only pictures can. See for yourself.

Then again, words cannot describe all that music has to offer. Music has that uncanny ability to actually represent more than the lyrics tell you. Thanks to contrasting melodies, choral harmonies, and dizzying sound engineering, music can be known to make our hearts beat faster, or stop them all together. Which brings us to Michael Jackson (Effing Segues). THIS IS IT is the documentary revolving around MJ’s rehearsals for his final “curtain call” tour of London. As of today, “…It” has earned over $34 Million at the US BO. I haven’t offered money to the Jackson Family Fund seen the film yet, but I hope that you do, sirs and madams, and that you tell us about it. However, I do know that Jackson’s dance steps will live forever, just like Keanu Reeves is immortal, and was AKA King Charlemagne. Or a vampire.

Until you get the chance to watch the source of Neverland Ranch dressing King of Pop in his final dance moments, you can think long and hard about how to spend the next five years of your life building on the moves and creations of others.

For instance, you can join the recent Hollywood trend of remaking character-driven foreign films to fit the American filmmaking mold.

I don’t have a large axe to grind with remakes. The Departed was a fine film. So was 3:10 to Yuma. What I have a problem with is the idea that American audiences “on a wide scale” cannot already see “Let the Right One In” as it was intended to be seen, in the glorious Scandinavian snow quality. Why remake it at all? Why not plop down a huge chunk of change if you love the movie so much and blast it out into theaters across the country, tell the audience “you should see this,” instead of allowing the director of “Cloverfield” to lay his handheld fingers on it? Just screen the original. If you screen it, they will come.

I want that to be your mantra as you also think about the movie reboot of Battlestar Galactica. This is a property that has been a cult favorite ever since the original TV series in the 70s, and has already had a spectacular “reboot” which began in 2004, thanks to the creative, adaptive vision of Ronald D. Moore.

The Moore reboot added layers of philosophy and religion, of humanity in every one of the characters, and developed an entire universe that is similar yet unique from our own. What will Bryan Singer bring to the table, and why now? Could he be capitalizing on the recent success of Moore’s series and the title in question?

A type of reboot I can usually get behind is the movie-to-TV launch of a popular film, or at least, a film worthy of deeper exploration. Think of Friday Night Lights, and I’ll take you there. What Peter Berg was able to lift out of the book for the film, he made fly for the TV series. Now entering its’ fourth season, FNL is more than football, more than teenage drama. It’s about heart. It’s about hope. And it’s about a coach who still stands for integrity and decency despite his losses, because in life, it’s not about losing, it’s about how you deal with the loss. Have clear eyes (a clear vision for your future) full hearts (pumping blood through your veins and hope through your mind) and you can’t lose (you will always emerge victorious). This is a show that began as a true story, was written in a book by H.G. Bissinger and adapted into a film starring Billy Bob Thornton. The characters beat through the heart of America, and their weekly lives have become a dramatic mirror of clarity for millions of viewers.

I can think of reboots that work (Star Trek, Casino Royale, even) and remakes that are terrible and unnecessary (the wood block of Keanu Reeves gave only stiffness to The Day the Earth Stood Still, and is Leo DiCaprio seriously thinking of tackling The Third Man? Orson Welles shall roll over in his grave!). Can you? Perhaps venture into foreign lands and discover the French films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet before he jumped over to the Alien franchise (again, another reboot) to see how original movies from other lands can be. Broaden your horizon over the ocean once in a while, please.

But back to the subject at hand: This Is It. Michael Jackson. Did he have a heart worth beating for another 50 years, or did it just give up because he thought he’d lost everything? Dance your words into our comment section, and tell us: Is This It?

So Say We All.

Sgt. Angle