Neil deGrasse Tyson Says Evil Alien Trope Projects Human Behavior Onto Extraterrestrials

What was said

"This trope of evil alien that's been around us since the original OG evil alien story, War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. Um, the evil alien— we don't have evidence that aliens are evil, but you know what we do have evidence of? That humans are evil. Yes, to other humans when there's a mismatch in technology. So it's pretty clear to me, not that I'm a psychologist or anything, But we might be projecting our own behavior on these alien stories."

Neil deGrasse Tyson argued that Hollywood's century-long portrayal of hostile aliens reflects humanity's own documented history of violence when technologically superior groups encounter less advanced ones. Tyson suggested the evil alien narrative is psychological projection rather than evidence-based speculation, pointing to human colonization and warfare as the real template for these stories.