Some aspects of extraterrestrial life in science fiction

The purpose of the article is to trace how science fiction deals with the theme of otherness in terms of the interaction between the concepts of aliens and earthlings, resulting in the perception of earthlings as aliens. Until now, this approach has not been used. The research was conducted on a wide range of science fiction authors, including S. de Bergerac, F. Godwin, H. Wells, H. P. Lovecraft, I. Yefremov, R. Heinlein, R. Bradbury, J. Corey, S. Lem, the Strugatsky brothers, N. Stephenson, P. Watts. Comparative motif analysis was used. The article notes that the concept of aliens in science fiction can develop in two directions. They can be seen as creatures similar to earthlings in physical and psychological aspects (a type of neighbor /inhabitant of another village), contact with them is possible and beneficial. Alternatively, they can be portrayed as completely different and terrifying creatures (a type of monster), contact with them is deadly or impossible. In science fiction, earthlings who have undergone some kind of mutation may be considered as “the different others”, even aliens. A characteristic feature of homo alius in science fiction is their language, which is presented as equally mutated through hybridization. The way that homo alius is perceived in relation to normal human beings in science fiction is always ambiguous, leading to a variety of relationships between the concepts within the semantic field of “friend or foe”.