[ezchaos]

Here's a question to ponder. I realize that many more important things would be going on in the world if this happened, but if aliens landed on Earth tomorrow and made themselves known to the whole world, what would happen to the sci-fi genre as a whole?

Most science fiction literature is based on real ideas and theories-what do aliens actually look like, is faster than light travel possible, etc. The biggest reason I like reading sci-fi is so I can explore those possibilities. Any aliens that visit us will most likely not resemble anything living on the Earth today and will have far superior technology. Much of what is written in sci-fi will be proven not to be true, but some of it may be right on the money.

What do you think would happen to sci-fi literature?

[Hobbit]

Easy one, ez!

Because SF (and most speculative fiction) is an extrapolation of our own ideas and wishes (or alternatives to that!), then the genre would adapt - as it has been doing over the past 100 years and more, being written before the development of heavier-than-air flight, spacetravel, atomic power (and weapons!), genetic engineering, etc etc. Technological development would suggest other ideas and alternatives for the future. So it would continue to exist. There is also the idea of retro-Sf - which is the recursive SF that we would like, even if we know it will never happen - you know, Buck Rogers stuff! (Some would put time travel here too btw!)

Hobbit

[vortexreader]

SF has always been an extrapolation of what we know now. If alien life is ever proven then the boundary of what we know will shift and some other 'what if' kind of speculation will develop. It's probably impossible to imagine at this point precisely what that development will be because it's beyond our present knowledge. SF would adapt as it always has.

[saintjon]

I think Hobbit and Vortexreader have it right there. There will always be some "what if" question some author will feel needs exploring.

[ironprism]

I think that brings up an interesting point regarding the definition of sf. When a prophecy comes true, is the novel still science fiction? Or should we look at it as merely an adventure story or romance or whatever?

[Penumbra]

SF did not disappear after the submarine was invented, in spite of its being prophecied by Jules Verne and others. If an alien landed and made contact, I think the genre would simply expand and develop new lines of thought. In fact, there are many people who choose to believe that aliens have already landed, perhaps many years ago, and go about their business with a wary but unflinching resolve.

Perhaps a more compelling scenario would be one in which an alien makes itself evident in such a way as to effect life radically on Earth. Even in such a case, I do not think we will see the eradication of fiction or fantasy, though it will undoubtedly be altered.