The question of whether life exists on other planets has long been a source of fascination and speculation, with the worlds of science and technology continuing the search and thinkers and philosophers examining what it means for us denizens of Earth. And of course, that makes it a great area for science-fiction to explore, from tales of first contact to darker invasion storylines to far-flung future tales of aliens and humans mixing freely in a wider intergalactic society. But how do you develop convincing and well-realised aliens to feature within your story? In this piece, we’ll take a look at the extraterrestrial question from its many angles.
First contact
Even if your story is set far beyond the time humans and aliens first came into contact, there’s a lot to be said for considering what the initial encounter would be like. You may wish to consider it a sort of ‘future history’, where that first meeting sets the tone for what comes afterwards. Of course society on Earth may be awithin your story, but even if you don’t it will enrich the story regardless.
