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Concept
First contact (science fiction)
Summary
First contact is a common science fiction theme about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient species' first encounter with another one, given they are from different planets or natural satellites. The theme allows writers to explore such topics such as xenophobia, transcendentalism, and basic linguistics by adapting the anthropological topic of first contact to extraterrestrial cultures.
Murray Leinster's 1945 novelette "First Contact" established the term "first contact" in science fiction, although the theme had appeared earlier.
Of many variations of the trope, one may recognize the subclasses of the actual interstellar meeting of two civilizations and the "message from space" one.
1890s:
1897: The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
1900s:
1901: The First Men in the Moon H. G. Wells
1940s:
1940s: In Fredric Brown's Puppet Show, an obvious and self-proclaimed alien negotiating with humans is actually something else entirely.
1945: "First Contact" by Murray Leinster
1950s:
1950s: A classic series of stories using this theme is the "interstellar trader" series by Andre Norton.
1951 film "The Day The Earth Stood Still"
1960s:
1960s: A for Andromeda
1960s: The god-like Firstborn from Arthur C. Clarke's Time Odyssey series.
1960s: The Star Trek television franchise explored the theme in depth and introduced the concept of the Federation's Prime Directive a law forbidding first contact (or covert interference) with any races not sufficiently advanced for such an encounter, using capability for faster-than-light travel as the basic benchmark for first contact. The movie Star Trek: First Contact depicts humanity's first contact with an alien culture, the Vulcan race, in Bozeman, Montana on 5 April 2063, after the passing Vulcans' attention is attracted by the detection of the energy signature from scientist Zefram Cochrane launching humanity's first warp flight.
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