Video Review Guide

UFOs: The First Encounters

1996, 50 minutes, color, A&E Ancient Mysteries

Summary

Narrated by Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock of Star Trek fame), the video looks at documentation of the first encounters of humans with UFOs. Five segments of the video explore a range of questions. After an initial segment of "back and forth" between scholars who support or reject UFOs as extraterrestrials who contacted humans in ancient times, the video shifts to the Bible, looking at accounts like that of the pillar of fire that led the Israelites in the desert or Elijah's ascent (abduction) to heaven. A third segment looks at the idea of ancient astronauts who intervened in human affairs millennia ago. Commonly used sites like the pyramids of Egypt, Nazca and Tiahuanaco are examined. The next segment looks at Asian accounts, especially from India, that appear to support a UFO "battle." Finally, the video examines the possibility/probability of alien contact.

The role of the skeptic in the video is played by Thomas McDonough of the Planetary Society who is opposed by people such as Graham Hancock and Richard Thompson who are the major current proponents of "unexplained" mysteries. Important points are made about the nature of good evidence and its acceptance.

This video is vastly more sophisticated than the In Search of Ancient Astronauts video from the mid 1970s. Pay careful attention to the devices used in the video.

Questions

  1. How does the choice of narrator affect the viewer? Why choose Nimoy?
  2. In what ways does this video differ from In Search of Ancient Astronauts in structure and the use of evidence?
  3. Are leading questions used?
  4. Both videos use our human venture into space as a form of evidence. Is this reasonable? Why use an astronaut as a speaker?
  5. Why do you suppose that certain sites/evidence always seem to show up in these videos?
  6. Graham Hancock says that "we are a species with amnesia." Are we?
  7. What kind of proof do you think would be required for evidence of extraterrestrial intervention?

 

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larry-zimmerman@uiowa.edu
University of Iowa Anthropology
08/18/98