All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S06E05.Aliens.in.the.Amazon.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-BATMAN_track3_[eng]

Narrator: FIRST MAN ON THE MOON
NEIL ARMSTRONG

TURNS INDIANA JONES

TO SEARCH FOR BURIED EVIDENCE
OF ANCIENT ALIENS.

WHY WAS NASA'S MOST EMINENT
ASTRONAUT

TURNING HIS GAZE AWAY
FROM THE SKIES

AND TOWARDS THE DEPTHS
OF THE EARTH?

Narrator: COPS ENCOUNTER
SPACE BLOBS IN PHILADELPHIA.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THESE BLOBS
ARE ALIVE,

AND THEY'VE FALLEN TO EARTH
FOR A VERY SPECIFIC REASON?

Narrator:
AND STAR WARS ON TRAPPIST-1.

THIS COULD BE BATTLE
FOR THE PLANETS,

AND WINNER TAKES ALL.

[ RUMBLING ]

♪♪

--Captions by VITAC--
www.vitac.com

Narrator: THESE ARE
"NASA'S UNEXPLAINED FILES."

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

♪♪

Narrator: AUGUST 1976 --

ASTRONAUT NEIL ARMSTRONG

IS EMBARKING
ON A PERILOUS MISSION --

NOT TO THE MOON,
BUT TO THE JUNGLE.

HE IS SEARCHING FOR A SECRET
CAVE SYSTEM IN ECUADOR

KNOWN AS CUEVA DE LOS TAYOS.

♪♪

OVER 100 PEOPLE
ARE GATHERED FOR THIS.

WE'RE TALKING
ECUADORIAN MILITARY,

BRITISH SCIENTISTS FROM AROUND
THE WORLD,

UNIVERSITY INSTITUTIONS.

Narrator: ARMSTRONG IS
NO ORDINARY EXPLORER,

AND THESE ARE NO ORDINARY CAVES.

THERE'S A LEGEND ATTACHED
TO THESE CAVES

WHICH INVOLVES A METAL LIBRARY
MADE OF GOLD.

♪♪

THERE ARE THESE BOOKS
MADE OF METAL INSCRIBED

IN A MYSTERIOUS LANGUAGE
THAT NO ONE UNDERSTANDS,

BUT, PRESUMABLY, THAT CONTAIN...

SOME UNIMAGINABLE STORE
OF KNOWLEDGE

JUST WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED.

[ CROWD CHEERING ]

Narrator: ARMSTRONG IS
TRAVELING WITH STAN HALL,

A SCOTTISH ENGINEER

WHO FIRST ALERTED HIM
TO THE POSSIBLE EXISTENCE

OF AN ANCIENT LIBRARY
HIDDEN UNDERGROUND.

STAN HALL'S DAUGHTER RECOUNTS

THE PAIR'S
EXTRAORDINARY EXPEDITION.

SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT
THE METAL LIBRARY

CONTAINED INFORMATION
FROM A CIVILIZATION

FROM BEYOND THIS PLANET

THAT SHOWED US HOW
TO BUILD THE PYRAMIDS

AND OTHER SUCH FEATURES
IN THE EARTH.

Zimmerman:
THE KNOWLEDGE CONTAINED
IN THIS METAL LIBRARY

COULD TURN WHAT WE THINK
WE KNOW ABOUT OURSELVES

AND OUR WORLD
RIGHT ON ITS HEAD.

SO WHAT AMAZING SECRETS
DOES THE LIBRARY CONTAIN?

Narrator: ACCORDING TO LEGEND,
THE LOST LIBRARY

CONTAINS DETAILS
OF A TECHNOLOGY

THAT ORIGINATED
ON ANOTHER WORLD.

♪♪

BUT WHY IS SUCH A STORY GIVEN
CREDENCE BY SUCH A WELL-KNOWN

AND RESPECTED MAN OF SCIENCE,
THE GREAT NEIL ARMSTRONG?

AND AS SOME ARE ASKING,

WAS HIS INTEREST
IN EXTRATERRESTRIAL SECRETS

SPARKED BY A CLOSE ENCOUNTER
OF HIS OWN?

THIS IS HOUSTON.
WE'RE COPYING.

OVER HALF A BILLION PEOPLE

WATCHED ARMSTRONG LAND
ON THE MOON IN 1969

AS PICTURES WERE
BEAMED BACK TO EARTH.

Armstrong:
THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN,

ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.

BUT SOME CLAIM THAT
THE TRANSMISSION

WAS INTERRUPTED
FOR A FULL TWO MINUTES.

THAT'S UNHEARD OF.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE
TWO MINUTES?

Narrator: NASA VEHEMENTLY DENIES
ANYTHING STRANGE HAPPENED.

OTHERS AREN'T SO SURE.

WHEN NEIL ARMSTRONG
CAME BACK FROM THE MOON,

ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, UH,
STORIES BEGAN TO CIRCULATE.

SUPPOSEDLY, WHILE ON THE MOON,

NEIL ARMSTRONG SWITCHES
HIS COMMUNICATION CHANNEL

TO THE MEDICAL OFFICER
AND HE SAYS SOMETHING.

NEIL, THIS IS HOUSTON.
WE'RE COPYING.

HE SAYS, "THEY'RE ON THE EDGE
OF THE CRATER,

AND THEY'RE WATCHING US."

OKAY, WE CAN VERIFY
THE POSITION THEY'RE IN.

THEY WERE RELATING THAT
THEY WERE SEEING THINGS

ON THE RIM OF THE CRATER --

AND BY "THINGS," I MEAN

EXTRATERRESTRIAL BEINGS
AND VEHICLES.

PEOPLE REPORT THAT HE WAS,
OR WE WERE WARNED OFF THE MOON.

NOW, NONE OF THESE REPORTS
CAN BE SUBSTANTIATED.

♪♪

Narrator:
IT'S A MIND-BOGGLING STORY,

BUT SOME FIND CORROBORATION
IN ARMSTRONG'S BEHAVIOR

ON HIS RETURN TO EARTH.

SOMETHING HAPPENED TO HIM
UP THERE.

HE WAS CHANGED.
HE WAS TOUCHED.

Brandenburg: NEIL ARMSTRONG
RETURNED FROM THE MOON

AND SHOWED WHAT APPEARS
TO ME TO BE SIGNS

OF, UH,
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS.

I THINK THAT HE ENCOUNTERED
THINGS ON THE JOURNEY

TO THE MOON
AND ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

MUCH CLOSER ENCOUNTERS

THAN SIMPLY WATCHING LIGHTS
OUT OF HIS COCKPIT.

[ CROWD CHEERING ]

Narrator:
NASA DENIES THE ASTRONAUT

ENCOUNTERED ANYTHING UNEXPECTED
ON THE MOON.

ARMSTRONG NEVER DISCUSSED
WHAT WAS SAID

IN THE MISSING
TWO MINUTES OF AUDIO.

Wise: HE TURNED INWARD.
HE BECAME A VERY PRIVATE PERSON.

THE ONE THING THAT HE DID DO,
THOUGH,

IS TO GO ON THIS EXPEDITION
INTO THIS CAVE.

AND WE HAVE TO WONDER,
WHAT WAS HE HOPING TO FIND

IN THIS DARK,
SUBTERRANEAN WORLD?

WHAT DID HE THINK WAS GOING
TO BE DOWN THERE?

♪♪

Narrator:
SOCIAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR
PETRONIO JARAMILLO

CLAIMED TO HAVE SEEN THE
ANCIENT METAL LIBRARY IN 1946,

WHEN HE WAS JUST 17...

FOLLOWING A MAP GIVEN TO HIM
BY HIS UNCLE.

FROM HIS ACCOUNTS, IT SOUNDED
LIKE JARAMILLO

WAS DESCRIBING ALADDIN'S CAVE.

Zimmerman: THE LIBRARY ITSELF
WAS AMAZING TO BEHOLD --

THOUSANDS OF VOLUMES
OF METAL BOOKS,

EACH WEIGHING ABOUT 40 POUNDS.

AND ON THE PAGES ARE IMPRESSED
CHARACTERS AND SYMBOLS.

IF THERE'S ONE IN A MILLION
CHANCE THAT IT'S TRUE,

SHOULDN'T WE GO BACK AND LOOK
FOR THIS GOLDEN LIBRARY?

Narrator:
30 YEARS AFTER JARAMILLO CLAIMED
TO HAVE FOUND THE LIBRARY,

ARMSTRONG SETS OUT TO DISCOVER
IF THE LEGEND IS REAL.

GETTING TO THE ENTRANCE
OF THIS CAVE IS A NIGHTMARE.

YOU'RE TALKING DENSE JUNGLE.

YOU'RE TALKING CRAZY ANIMALS
THAT CAN KILL YOU,

VIRUSES, ALL KINDS OF HAZARDS.

IT'S LITERALLY INDIANA JONES.

♪♪

Narrator:
TO ENTER THIS MYSTERIOUS
UNDERWORLD IS TREACHEROUS.

IT'S LITERALLY THIS BLACK VOID
IN THIS BIG ABYSS.

Narrator:
ONCE INSIDE THE CAVERNS,

ARMSTRONG AND HALL
ARE AWESTRUCK.

THEY MADE THEIR WAY
THROUGH CHAMBER

AFTER CHAMBER
OF CATHEDRAL-SIZED SPACES.

Narrator: IT LOOKS AS IF
THESE CHAMBERS,

SO INACCESSIBLE AND SO FAR
FROM HUMAN CIVILIZATION,

HAVE NOT BEEN FORMED
BY NATURAL PROCESSES.

Lukes:
THE CAVES HAD STRAIGHT WALLS
AND RIGHT-ANGLE TURNS

UNLIKE ANY OTHER
NATURAL FORMATION.

Proctor: THIS MUST BE THOUSANDS
OF YEARS OLD.

SO HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?

♪♪

Narrator:
AS ARMSTRONG PRESSES FURTHER
INTO THE CAVE COMPLEX,

HE MAKE S A MACABRE FIND.

THEY ACTUALLY CAME UPON
A BURIAL CHAMBER.

THERE WAS A SEATED SKELETON
THAT WAS DATED TO 1500 B.C.

Narrator: 1500 B.C.
PREDATES KING TUTANKHAMUN.

IT PREDATES THE SIEGE OF TROY.

AT THIS DISTANT TIME,

ECUADOR WAS ONE OF
THE MOST ADVANCED AREAS

IN ALL OF THE AMERICAS.

Wise: THE TOMB WAS LOCATED
IN SUCH A WAY THAT, UH,

THE RAYS OF SUNLIGHT
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE

WOULD COME THROUGH
THE CAVE ENTRANCE AND --

AND STRIKE THIS TOMB.

SO IT APPEARS TO PERHAPS HAVE
HAD SOME KIND OF COSMOLOGICAL

SIGNIFICANCE THE WAY
IT HAD BEEN PLACED.

Zimmerman: THIS WAS NOT JUST
A TYPICAL BURIAL.

THIS WAS AN IMPORTANT PERSON
IN AN IMPORTANT LOCATION.

Narrator: THE LIGHT,
THE SKULL, THE TOMB.

ARMSTRONG FEELS THAT STRANGE
METAL LIBRARY MUST BE CLOSE.

♪♪

COMING UP, NEIL ARMSTRONG
GETS ONE STEP CLOSER

TO THE STRANGEST LIBRARY
IN THE WORLD.

Zimmerman:
COULD THIS LIBRARY HOLD
THE SECRETS OF THE GALAXY?

IS THAT WHY NEIL ARMSTRONG
WENT ON THIS EXPEDITION?

Narrator: AND PHILADELPHIA COPS
VERSUS A MYSTERY PURPLE BLOB.

THE BLOBS COULD'VE BEEN
OUR FIRST INTERACTION

WITH EXTRATERRESTRIAL
INTELLIGENT LIFE.

♪♪

♪♪

[ CROWD CHEERING ]

Narrator:
FOR THE FIRST MAN ON THE MOON,

A JOURNEY TO THE CENTER
OF THE EARTH

IN SEARCH OF AN ELUSIVE
LEGENDARY METAL LIBRARY.

THE CULTURE THAT PUT IT THERE,

IT WAS MORE ADVANCED THAN --
THAN WE THINK.

Narrator:
ARMSTRONG FINDS WEIRD CHAMBERS

AND A 3,500-YEAR-OLD SKELETON
IN A STRANGELY ILLUMINATED TOMB.

BUT AFTER VENTURING SEVERAL
MILES ALONG DIFFICULT TUNNELS,

THE EXPEDITION IS FORCED
TO TURN BACK.

Hall:
MY FATHER AND NEIL ARMSTRONG
DID NOT FIND THE TREASURE,

BUT THEY MAPPED ABOUT 10 MILES
WORTH OF THE CAVE SYSTEM,

BUT IT'S KNOWN NOW THAT THIS
SYSTEM STRETCHES FAR BEYOND.

WE COULD BE LOOKING AT HUNDREDS
OF MILES WORTH OF CAVE SYSTEMS.

Narrator: ARMSTRONG
RETURNS TO HIS FARM IN OHIO

AND DOESN'T DISCUSS
WHY HE WENT LOOKING

FOR THE LEGENDARY LIBRARY.

WHAT DID HE FEEL WAS
SO IMPORTANT DOWN THERE

IN THAT HOLE

THAT HE WAS WILLING
TO SIGN HIS NAME

ONTO THIS VENTURE?

HE BECAME MORE AND MORE
RECLUSIVE,

ACCORDING TO SOME PEOPLE.

AND HE WAS A VERY PRIVATE MAN
TO BEGIN WITH.

BUT WHATEVER
HIS EXPERIENCES WERE,

I THINK THEY TENDED
TO KIND OF CLOSE HIM OFF.

♪♪

Narrator: BUT THEN, IN 1994,
AT THE WHITE HOUSE,

20 YEARS AFTER HIS QUEST TO FIND
THE ANCIENT METAL LIBRARY,

ARMSTRONG GIVES
A STRANGELY WORDED SPEECH.

WE HAVE ONLY COMPLETED
THE BEGINNING.

WE LEAVE YOU MUCH
THAT IS UNDONE.

THERE ARE GREAT IDEAS
UNDISCOVERED,

BREAKTHROUGHS AVAILABLE
TO THOSE WHO CAN REMOVE

ONE OF THE TRUTH'S
PROTECTIVE LAYERS.

THAT'S A VERY TANTALIZING
QUOTE FROM NEIL ARMSTRONG.

ALMOST MYSTICAL IN ITS NATURE,

HOW HE TALKS ABOUT
UNCOVERING THE LAYERS

TO SOME HIDDEN TRUTHS.

WHAT DID HE MEAN BY THAT?

COULD THIS LIBRARY HOLD
THE SECRETS OF THE GALAXY?

IS THAT WHY NEIL ARMSTRONG
WENT ON THIS EXPEDITION?

♪♪

FINDING THIS LIBRARY
COULD PROVE A POSSIBLE LINK

BETWEEN OUR ANCIENT CULTURES
AND EXTRATERRESTRIAL ONES.

Narrator:
EILEEN HALL WANTS TO RESUME

HER FATHER'S
AND NEIL ARMSTRONG'S QUEST

BY LEADING EXPEDITIONS
INTO THE CAVES.

Hall: IF WE FIND THIS TREASURE
AND FIND THAT THEY HAVE A LINK

TO ANY EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE,

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS
AN ENDLESS POOL OF QUESTIONS.

TO THE BELIEVERS,
THE MYSTERY STILL ENDURES.

THE CAVERN IS STILL THERE.

THOSE METAL BOOKS ARE STILL
OUT THERE

SOMEWHERE IN THE JUNGLE,
UNDISCOVERED.

♪♪

[ SIRENS WAILING ]

Narrator: SEPTEMBER 26, 1950,
PHILADELPHIA.

IT'S 10:00 P.M.

CITY COPS JOHN COLLINS
AND JOSEPH KEENAN

PATROL THE STREETS.

AS THEY DRIVE DOWN A DARK ROAD,

THEY SEE A STRANGE OBJECT
FALL FROM THE SKY.

THIS OBJECT RESEMBLES
A PARACHUTE,

AND IT SEEMS TO BE DRIFTING
DOWN INTO A NEARBY FIELD.

Lukes: AS THEY GET CLOSER,
THEY QUICKLY REALIZE

THAT THIS ISN'T A PARACHUTE.

THIS IS SOMETHING
ALTOGETHER UNUSUAL,

IF NOT OTHERWORLDLY.

THEY FIND A LARGE PURPLE MASS
ABOUT 6 FEET ACROSS.

Marden:
IT SEEMED TO GLOW.

IT SEEMED INTERNALLY
LUMINESCENT.

AND, UH, IT SPARKLED
IN THE DARK.

Narrator: BUT THEN, SEEMINGLY
AWARE OF THE COPS,

THE WEIRD SUBSTANCE
STARTS TO MOVE.

Teitel:
THE STRANGEST THING ABOUT THIS
MASS IS THAT EYEWITNESSES SWEAR

THEY SAW IT CLIMB UP A LAMPPOST

BEFORE EVAPORATING
INTO THIN AIR.

Narrator: THE OFFICERS
REPORT THE ENCOUNTER,

WHICH MAKES HEADLINE NEWS.

AND IT INSPIRES WHAT WILL BECOME
ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS

ALIEN HORROR MOVIES
OF ALL TIME, "THE BLOB."

♪♪

THE CULT CLASSIC MOVIE
"THE BLOB"

FEATURES A GELATINOUS MASS
THAT FALLS FROM THE SKY

AND STARTS DEVOURING
EVERYONE IT TOUCHES.

[ ONLOOKERS SHOUTING ]

Narrator: THE ORIGINAL EVENT
IS FORGOTTEN,

AND THE FILM IS TAKEN AS NOTHING
MORE THAN HARMLESS FICTION...

UNTIL 30 YEARS LATER
WHEN THE BLOB RETURNS.

♪♪

AUGUST 10, 1979,
FRISCO, TEXAS --

LOCAL RESIDENTS WATCH
THE SPECTACLE

OF THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER,

SO CALLED BECAUSE THESE SPACE
ROCKS EMANATE FROM THE DIRECTION

OF THE CONSTELLATION OF PERSEUS.

THE NEXT MORNING,
SYBIL CHRISTIAN IS SURPRISED

TO SEE THREE UNEXPECTED VISITORS
IN HER FRONT YARD.

TO HER ASTONISHMENT, THERE ARE
THREE PURPLE PLUM-COLORED BLOBS.

THESE OBJECTS ARE THE SIZE
OF DESK TELEPHONE,

AND THEY HAVE A TEXTURE
LIKE WHIPPED CREAM.

Narrator:
JUST LIKE THE BLOB DISCOVERED
BY THE PHILADELPHIA COPS

30 YEARS EARLIER.

AS SYBIL STARES IN AMAZEMENT,
ONE OF THEM SUDDENLY VANISHES.

GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES,
THAT THEY SEEM TO HAVE FALLEN

DURING
THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER,

YOU'D HAVE TO WONDER
IF IT ISN'T SOMETHING

THAT MIGHT'VE COME FROM SPACE.

Narrator:
LOCAL AUTHORITIES ALERT NASA,

WHOSE SCIENTISTS CONDUCT TESTS
ON ONE OF THE BLOBS

AND MAKE AN INCREDIBLE
ANNOUNCEMENT.

♪♪

INITIALLY, EVERYONE IS
ASTONISHED

BECAUSE NASA ANNOUNCED
THESE ACTUALLY COULD BE

OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL ORIGIN.

[ SIREN WAILING ]

BUT AS NEWS SPREADS,

THE AUTHORITIES MOVE
TO QUELL PUBLIC ALARM.

AND NASA MAKES
A SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT.

THE NEXT DAY, THEY CHANGED
THEIR MINDS

AND THOUGHT THAT IT MIGHT BE
CAUSTIC SODA

FROM A NEARBY BATTERY FACTORY.

Teitel: THE THEORY IS
A FACTORY TRUCK PICKED UP

THE CAUSTIC BLOBS
AS IT WAS DRIVING,

AND THEY HAPPENED TO DISLODGE
AND LAND IN SYBIL'S YARD.

Narrator: BUT WHICH OD NASA'S
TWO STATEMENTS IS CORRECT?

THIS IS ACTUALLY KIND OF
SUSPICIOUS.

WHY WOULD YOU GO AND ANNOUNCE
THIS COULD BE EXTRATERRESTRIAL

IF YOU WEREN'T PRETTY SURE
OF IT BEING THAT?

[ SQUISHING ]

ARE THEY TRYING TO COVER
SOMETHING UP?

OR DID THEY JUST SIMPLY
GET IT WRONG?

Narrator: SYBIL CHRISTIAN,
WHO SAW THE BLOBS UP CLOSE,

DECIDES TO INSPECT
THE CAUSTIC SODA FOR HERSELF.

Zimmerman:
THE FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN
OF THIS THEORY, I BELIEVE,

IS WHEN SYBIL GOES TO LOOK AT
THE ACTUAL WASTE AT THE FACTORY,

AND SHE SAID, "THIS IS NOTHING
LIKE WHAT FELL INTO MY GARDEN."

[ SQUISHING ]

Marden: THESE BLOBS HAD THE
CONSISTENCY OF WHIPPED CREAM,

YET THE INDUSTRIAL WASTE
FROM THIS BATTERY FACTORY,

UH, WAS VERY,
VERY SOLID AND HEAVY.

IF THERE ARE NOT TERRESTRIAL
EXPLANATIONS FOR THESE MASSES,

WHAT PROCESSES ARE GOING ON
IN SPACE

THAT COULD CREATE THESE BLOBS?

♪♪

Narrator: COMING UP, A SHOCKING
DISCOVERY IN 2018

SUGGESTS THE DEADLY ALIEN BLOBS

MIGHT BE HEADING FOR EARTH
AGAIN...SOON.

SOME SCIENTISTS THINK
THE APPEARANCE OF THE BLOBS

COULD FORESHADOW
SOME SORT OF VIRUS FROM SPACE.

Narrator:
AND IT APPEARS THE ONE OF NASA'S
SUPER-INTELLIGENT ROBOTS

HAS GAINED CONSCIOUSNESS.

WE CAN'T RULE OUT
THE POSSIBILITY

OF A SUPER-INTELLIGENT BEING
SAYING TO ITSELF,

"I'M GOING TO END MYSELF
AND ANYTHING ELSE I WANT."

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: JUNE 2018 --

40 YEARS AFTER
MYSTERY PURPLE BLOBS FALL

OVER A SMALL TEXAS TOWN,

SCIENTISTS LOOKING FOR
LIVING ORGANISMS IN THE GALAXY

MAKE A SHOCKING DISCOVERY.

INTERSTELLAR SPACE IS TEEMING
WITH BLOB-LIKE GREASE.

Teitel:
WE TYPICALLY THINK OF SPACE
AS BEING THIS GIANT VOID,

BUT WE'VE RECENTLY LEARNED

THAT IT'S ACTUALLY FULL
OF THIS GREASY GOO.

IT'S WEIRD TO THINK OF PARTS
OF SPACE AS BEING GREASY,

BUT I MEAN, IF YOU CAN GET
ENOUGH OF THESE,

LIKE, HYDRO-COVERED
MOLECULES TOGETHER,

YOU CAN PROBABLY GET, LIKE,
A LITTLE GREASY BALL GOING.

Narrator: BUT THAT'S NOT ALL.

DISTURBINGLY, IN THIS
COSMIC BLOB-LIKE MATTER,

THERE COULD BE SIGNS OF LIFE.

IT'S A LIVING PROCESS
THAT CREATES THIS MATERIAL,

THAT FORMS THIS MATERIAL
CONTINUOUSLY

AND JUST FLINGS IT OUT
INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN STARS.

SO WHAT WE ARE SEEING
IN THE FORM OF THIS GREASE-LIKE

MATERIAL, ORGANIC MATERIAL,
IN SUCH MASS QUANTITY

IS THE RESULT OF MICROBIOLOGY

OPERATING ON
A HUGE COSMIC SCALE.

THE TOTAL MASS OF THIS MATERIAL
IS HUGE

AND MAKES UP ABOUT ONE HUNDREDTH

OF THE ENTIRE MASS
OF THE GALAXY.

Lukes:
SPACE COULD BE OOZING WITH LIFE,

FILLING THE DARK VOID
BETWEEN THE STARS.

♪♪

Narrator:
SOME SCIENTISTS BELIEVE ALIEN
LIFE FORMS FLOATING IN SPACE

MAY USE RETINAL PIGMENTS
TO CAPTURE ENERGY FROM STARS.

CREATURES KNOWN TO DO THIS HAVE
A DISTINCT COLOR --

PURPLE.

Teitel: COULD THIS ORGANIC
SPACE MATERIAL

BE RELATED
TO PHENOMENA ON EARTH?

WHAT KIND OF DISEASES
MIGHT THEY BRING?

HOW TOXIC ARE THEY?

Narrator: THE OLD SCI-FI MOVIE
MAY SEEM LIKE HARMLESS FUN,

BUT THE EVENTS THAT INSPIRED IT
COULD BE REAL.

IT SEEMS THERE COULD WELL BE
BLOBS FLOATING IN OUTER SPACE.

THEY MIGHT BE PURPLE, AND THEY
MIGHT KNOW WHERE WE LIVE.

IT IS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING TO
THINK SOME ALIEN FORMS OF LIFE

ARE GOING TO BE FALLING
THROUGH OUR ATMOSPHERE.

WE ABSOLUTELY NEED TO GET
TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS.

♪♪

Narrator: APRIL 15, 2005 --

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE
IN CALIFORNIA.

NASA PREPARES TO LAUNCH
A NEW KIND OF SPACECRAFT,

PILOTED BY
A SUPER-INTELLIGENT ROBOT.

THE SPACESHIP, IN EFFECT,
HAS ITS OWN BRAIN.

IT IS CALLED "DART."

DART, WHICH STANDS
FOR DEMONSTRATION

OF AUTONOMOUS
RENDEZVOUS TECHNOLOGY.

THIS WAS $100 MILLION SPACECRAFT
DESIGNED TO PROVE

THAT YOU COULD DO
AUTOMATIC DOCKING

WITHOUT ANY HUMAN INTERVENTION.

Narrator: NASA WANTS THIS
ARTIFICIALLY INTELLIGENT CRAFT

TO RENDEZVOUS WITH
AN ORBITING SATELLITE

AND MANEUVER AROUND IT.

Major: DART WAS A FULLY
AUTONOMOUS SPACECRAFT.

AFTER LAUNCH, THERE WAS NO WAY
FOR IT TO RECEIVE

ANY NEW COMMANDS
FROM THE GROUND.

THEY DELIBERATELY DID NOT PUT
ANY KIND OF MANUAL OVERRIDE IN.

Hempsell: IT WAS GOING TO
SORT OF DO IT ALL BY ITSELF.

A BIT LIKE A HUMAN DOES.

Narrator: AT 1:25 P.M.,

NASA LAUNCHES THE DART
SPACECRAFT FROM AN AIRPLANE.

Kowal: DART TAKES OFF
WITHOUT A HITCH,

PERFORMS THE INITIAL MANEUVERS,

AND BEGINS TO APPROACH
THE SATELLITE FOR RENDEZVOUS.

Narrator: BUT 11 HOURS IN,
DART STARTS BEHAVING IN WAYS

NASA HAD NOT PREDICTED.

FOR REASONS THAT ARE UNCLEAR,
DART BEGINS FIRING ROCKETS

THAT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO FIRE
AT THIS STAGE.

IT'S UP THERE.
IT'S DOING ITS THING.

AND IT JUST GOES HAYWIRE.

Narrator:
BUT RATHER THAN CAREFULLY
MANEUVERING AROUND IT,

DART INSTEAD DECIDES
TO FIRE ITSELF AT THE SATELLITE.

I SUPPOSE THERE WAS A MOMENT
WHEN THEY REALIZED

THAT THEY'D
ACTUALLY HIT THE SATELLITE.

Major: THIS IS A HIGH-PROFILE
AND VERY EXPENSIVE MISSION.

IT BEGS THE QUESTION,
"WHAT HAPPENED

TO THE SUPPOSEDLY
HYPER-INTELLIGENT SPACECRAFT?"

♪♪

Narrator: COMING UP,
IS DART'S REBELLION

THE FIRST SIGN
OF ROBOT REVOLUTION?

WHEN ROBOTS BECOME SELF-AWARE,
THEY MAY HAVE AN AGENDA

COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
FROM OUR AGENDA.

Narrator: AND TOP-SECRET FOOTAGE
PROVES RUSSIA COVERED UP

THE WORLD'S
BIGGEST-EVER SPACE DISASTER.

WITH RUSSIA,
THE IRON CURTAIN IS DOWN,

BUT THE SECRECY STILL REMAINS.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator:
NASA'S MOST ADVANCED

SUPER-INTELLIGENT
ROBOT SPACECRAFT

SEEMS TO GO CRAZY AND DECIDES TO
DAMAGE A SATELLITE AND ITSELF.

Major:
MISSION CONTROL IS POWERLESS.

THEY HAVE NO IDEA
WHAT'S GOING ON,

AND THERE'S NO WAY
THEY CAN POSSIBLY

RETAKE CONTROL
OF THE VEHICLE.

Narrator: NASA IS BAFFLED
AS TO WHY THE CRAFT

DECIDED TO BEHAVE
IN THIS DESTRUCTIVE WAY.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT
THE SPACECRAFT WAS SABOTAGED?

Kowal:
THE THEORIES ON WHAT HAPPENED
RANGE FROM CHINESE HACKERS

TO OTHER FOREIGN POWERS
GETTING IN THERE

TO TRY TO MAKE
AMERICA LOOK BAD.

Narrator:
BUT THIS ROBOT IS AUTONOMOUS.

HACKERS CAN'T MEDDLE WITH
THE INSTRUCTIONS IT'S RECEIVING,

BECAUSE THERE AREN'T ANY.

EVEN NASA CAN'T INFLUENCE DART.
IT'S CREATED TO BE AUTONOMOUS.

SO THE POSSIBILITY
OF ANOTHER NATION

BEING ABLE TO HACK IT
SIMPLY ISN'T VIABLE.

[ BEEPS ][ RUMBLING ]

Narrator: EXPERTS COME TO
AN ASTONISHING CONCLUSION.

DART DECIDED BY ITSELF
TO FIRE ITS ROCKETS

AND CRASH INTO THE SATELLITE.

HAS IT GONE THE SAME WAY
AS HAL,

THE ROGUE SUPER COMPUTER
IN "2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY"?

Orzel: IF WE HAVE A MACHINE
THAT BECOMES CONSCIOUS,

BECOMES SELF-AWARE,
WHAT IS THAT GOING TO DO?

IS THAT A MACHINE THAT'S GOING
TO GO ON STRIKE,

SIMPLY REFUSE TO WORK?

Narrator: IS IT POSSIBLE
THAT THE DART SPACECRAFT

ACTED AS IT DID
AFTER IT DEVELOPED

SOME CRUDE
FORM OF CONSCIOUSNESS?

Wise: IMAGINE
THAT YOU'RE A SPACECRAFT.

YOU BECOME CONSCIOUS.
YOU EXIST.

YOU ARE AWARE OF YOUR EXISTENCE.

AND THEN YOU RECOGNIZE
IN THE IMMEDIATE INSTANT

AFTER THAT
THAT YOU'RE A NASA SPACECRAFT

AND YOUR SOLE PURPOSE IS TO DOCK
WITH THIS OTHER SPACECRAFT,

AND THEN, LIKE, THAT'S IT.

Vakoch: IN THE FUTURE, WE CAN'T
RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY

OF A SUPER-INTELLIGENT
BEING SAYING TO ITSELF,

"THERE IS NO REASON TO LIVE.

I'M GOING TO TAKE ACTIONS
TO END MYSELF

AND ANYTHING ELSE I WANT."

[ BURSTING, RUMBLING ]

EITHER WHAT YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT

IS A NORMAL
KIND OF FAILURE OF --

OF THINGS THAT BREAK
AND BLOW UP,

OR MAYBE IT DIDN'T JUST BREAK.

MAYBE IT WAS TOO GOOD.

MAYBE IT JUST STARTED
MAKING DECISIONS FOR ITSELF.

Narrator:
AND DART IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

TERRIFYINGLY, ADVANCED
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

MIGHT SOON PLAY A MAJOR ROLE
IN MILITARY TECHNOLOGY ON EARTH.

WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO BUILD
AUTONOMOUS MILITARY WEAPONRY

THAT CAN GO ONTO A BATTLEFIELD
AND CAN EXECUTE A PERSON.

BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE CAPABILITY
TO PROGRAM IN

THE MORAL
AND LEGAL FRAMEWORKS

THAT ARE WITHIN OUR SOCIETY
AS RULES OF ENGAGEMENT.

SO WE CAN MAKE VERY
DANGEROUS MACHINES

RIGHT NOW
THAT HAVE NO MORAL CODE.

[ TRILLING ]

THE IDEA OF MACHINES,
UH, MAKING DECISIONS --

WHICH CAN MAKE DECISIONS
MUCH MORE QUICKLY

THAN HUMAN BEINGS CAN --
IN THE MILITARY...

THIS IS, UM, DISTURBING.

Kaku: WHEN ROBOTS
BECOME SELF-AWARE,

THEY MAY HAVE AN AGENDA

COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
FROM OUR AGENDA.

Wise:
THERE ARE SYSTEMS RIGHT NOW

THAT YOU TURN THEM ON,
SET THEM OFF,

AND THEY WILL SHOOT AND KILL
HUMAN BEINGS IF THEY DECIDE TO.

SO WE'RE THERE.

WE'RE ALREADY IN THAT WORLD.

NOW, HAVE WE BUILT AN A.I.

THAT'S SOPHISTICATED ENOUGH

THAT IT MIGHT WANT
TO ACTUALLY DESTROY US?

I DON'T THINK SO.

BUT I DON'T KNOW.

♪♪

1960 -- RUSSIA AND AMERICA
ARE FIGHTING HARD

TO BE THE FIRST
TO PUT A MAN IN SPACE.

THE PRIDE OF BOTH NATIONS
IS AT STAKE.

Moran: IN RUSSIA, NATIONAL PRIDE
COMES BEFORE INDIVIDUAL SAFETY,

AND EVEN IN SOME CASES, LIFE.

[ CHEERING ]

Narrator:
MORE THAN PRIDE, THIS IS
A BATTLE OF IDEOLOGIES --

AUTHORITARIAN STATE SOCIALISM
VERSUS FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY.

ICH BIN EIN BERLINER.[ CHEERING ]

THE PRESSURE IS ON,
BECAUSE SUDDENLY

THE AMERICANS ARE THE ONES
LEADING THE RACE.

T-MINUS 5 SECONDS.

[ RUMBLING ]

THE SOVIETS,
TO BOOST THEIR CHANCES,

HAVE GOTTEN MULTIPLE TEAMS
WORKING ON ROCKET PROGRAMS

TO TRY AND BEAT
THE UNITED STATES.

Narrator: LEADING ONE TEAM,
ROCKET PIONEER SERGEI KOROLEV,

THE MAN WHO LAUNCHED SPUTNIK,

THE WORLD'S FIRST-EVER
SATELLITE.

THE OTHER TEAM IS LED
BY KOROLEV'S DEADLY RIVAL,

CHIEF MARSHAL
MITROFAN NEDELIN --

A WAR HERO
WHO FOUGHT FASCISTS IN SPAIN

BEFORE HELPING TO DEFEAT
THE NAZI INVASION OF RUSSIA.

Pickens: THEY'RE IN
COMPETITION TO BE THE FIRST

TO BUILD A ROCKET.

BIG KUDOS TO THE ONE

WHO ACTUALLY FLEW
SUCCESSFUL COSMONAUTS,

SO IT'S A BIG DEAL.

[ MAN SPEAKING RUSSIAN ]

Narrator:
THE COMPETITION SEEMS TO WORK.

ON APRIL 12, 1961,

YURI GAGARIN IS LAUNCHED
INTO ORBIT

ON ONE OF KOROLEV'S
R-7 ROCKETS.

[ MEN SPEAKING RUSSIAN ]

KOROLEV'S TEAM ARE PARADED
THROUGH MOSCOW IN TRIUMPH.

BUT THE RIVAL TEAM,
LEAD BY NEDELIN,

MEETS A VERY DIFFERENT
GRISLY FATE.

THE KREMLIN REPORTS THAT NEDELIN
AND MOST OF HIS TEAM

ARE KILLED
IN A TRAGIC AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT.

[ RUMBLING ]

[ EXPLOSION ]

THE PROBLEM IS THERE'S
NO EVIDENCE OF A PLANE CRASH.

PEOPLE START TO WONDER,
YOU KNOW,

DO THEY BELIEVE THE NEWS?

IT DEFINITELY HAS ALL
THE HALLMARKS

OF SOME SORT OF COVER-UP.

Narrator: THE UNTIMELY DEATH
OR DISAPPEARANCE

OF HIGH-PROFILE FIGURES

IS NOT RARE
IN THIS TOTALITARIAN REGIME.

Moran: COULD KHRUSCHCHEV
HAVE MURDERED

THE SENIOR AIR MARSHALL
AND HIS ENTIRE TEAM

SIMPLY BECAUSE
THEY FAILED TO DELIVER

THE ROCKET LAUNCH
THAT HE WANTED?

Narrator: THE KREMLIN,
IN TRUE SOVIET STYLE,

REFUSES TO REVEAL DETAILS
OF THE AIR CRASH.

IF NEDELIN AND HIS TEAM
DIDN'T DIE IN A PLANE CRASH,

THEN WHAT DID THEY DIE OF?

[ CHEERING ]

Narrator:
THREE DECADES LATER, 1989,

THE SOVIET UNION IS COLLAPSING,

WITH IT, ITS IRON GRIP
ON NEWS AND INFORMATION.

AN ARTICLE APPEARS IN A MAGAZINE

WRITTEN BY A YOUNG OFFICER
AT THE BAIKONUR COSMODROME.

Zak: MY FAMILY WAS SUBSCRIBING
TO THIS MAGAZINE.

AND I OPENED THIS UP,
AND I SEE THE STORY.

AND I LITERALLY CANNOT
BELIEVE MY EYES.

♪♪

Narrator: COMING UP,
THE HORRIFIC FILM

THAT'S PROOF OF
A ROCKET DISASTER

THE RUSSIANS TRIED TO HIDE.

UNFORTUNATELY, THE TRUTH
COULD BE WORSE

THAN ANYONE COULD IMAGINE.

Narrator:
AND SEVEN DEADLY SISTERS.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SEVEN PLANETS

LAY CLAIM TO THE SAME
GALACTIC REAL ESTATE?

WILL THESE NEIGHBORS BE
GOOD FRIENDS OR MORTAL ENEMIES?

[ EXPLOSION ]

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: OCTOBER 1960 --

AT A TOP-SECRET
SOVIET COSMODROME,

CHIEF MARSHAL MITROFAN NEDELIN
IS TAKING CHARGE OF DEVELOPING

THE 6-16 ROCKET PROGRAM.

IT'S PART OF KHRUSCHCHEV'S PLAN
TO CONQUER SPACE.

Robert Zimmerman:
THERE'S GREAT COMPETITION
TO GET IT DONE ON TIME.

NEDELIN WOULD'VE BEEN
UNDER PRESSURE

FROM KHRUSCHCHEV TO DELIVER.

Zak: ALL THE PREPARATIONS,
ALL THE TESTING,

EVERYTHING WHICH WAS GOING ON
WAS UNDER HUGE PRESSURE.

IT'S HUGE RUSH.

IT'S -- EVERYTHING WAS FASTER,
FASTER, FASTER.

Narrator:
NEDELIN WANTS THE ROCKET READY
FOR THE ANNIVERSARY

OF THE BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION
ON NOVEMBER THE 7th.

A TEST LAUNCH IS SET FOR
THE 24th OF OCTOBER,

WAY AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.

AS ZERO HOUR APPROACHES,
THE LAUNCH AREA IS THRONGING

WITH TECHNICIANS
PREPARING THE ROCKET.

ALSO PRESENT ARE SCORES
OF CIVILIANS

AND OTHER
NON-ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL

EAGER TO WITNESS
A ROCKET LAUNCH.

NEDELIN IS USING A FUEL

THAT HAS NEVER BEEN ALLOWED
TO POWER ROCKETS IN THE WEST.

THE R-16 USED SOME
REALLY NASTY PROPELLANTS --

NITRIC ACID,
THAT WAS THE OXIDIZER,

AND THE FUEL WAS HYDRAZINE.

Narrator:
NICKNAMED "THE DEVIL'S VENOM"
BY ROCKET SCIENTISTS,

THIS COMBINATION
IS HIGHLY VOLATILE.

WHEN THESE TWO MEET,
THEY AUTO-IGNITE.

YOU DON'T NEED A SPARK SOURCE.
SO IT'S PRETTY BAD STUFF.

♪♪

Narrator: AT THE 11th HOUR,
A DANGEROUS LEAK IS DISCOVERED.

Gerovitch: WHAT THE SOVIETS
COULD DO IN THIS SITUATION

IS THEY COULD
EITHER DE-FUEL THE ROCKET

AND POSTPONE THE LAUNCH
FOR A MONTH,

OR THEY COULD TRY TO FIX
THE TIMING MECHANISM.

Narrator: NEDELIN COULD'VE
EVACUATED THE AREA,

BUT HE ORDERS THE ENGINEERS
TO CONTINUE THEIR WORK.

NEDELIN, HE DECIDED THAT
HE WOULD DO THE REPAIR

WITH THE ROCKET
STILL FUELED.

NEDELIN GOES DOWN
TO THE LAUNCH PAD

TO OVERSEE THE FIX AND ACTUALLY
SETS UP A CHAIR, UM,

JUST ABOUT 30 YARDS FROM
WHERE THE ACTUAL ROCKET IS

SO THAT HE CAN SUPERVISE
THE TEAM

OF ENGINEERS
AND TECHNICIANS.

IT'S NOT ONLY NEDELIN,

BUT HIS ENTIRE ENTOURAGE
OF PEOPLE

WHO WERE ABSOLUTELY NOT SUPPOSED
TO BE ANYWHERE NEAR ROCKET.

♪♪

Narrator: T-MINUS 30 MINUTES.

THE TEAM HAD BEEN WORKING
FOR 72 HOURS STRAIGHT,

AND THE LAUNCH PAD IS STILL
SWARMING WITH TECHNICIANS

REPAIRING
LAST-MINUTE GLITCHES.

AT 18:45,
THE UNTHINKABLE OCCURS.

THE R-16'S SECOND STAGE ROCKET
ACCIDENTALLY FIRES

WHILE IT'S STILL
ON THE GROUND.

CLASSIFIED FILM THAT ONLY
EMERGED IN THE 1990s

GIVES YOU A GLIMPSE
AT THE UNFOLDING HORROR.

JUST A WAVE OF FLAME TORE OUT
ACROSS THE ENTIRE PAD AREA.

Narrator:
A 3,000 DEGREE WALL OF FIRE
ENGULFS THE LAUNCH PAD

AND THE PEOPLE WORKING ON IT.

THE SCALE WAS HORRENDOUS --
INCREDIBLE FIREBALL.

IT WAS LIKE A NUCLEAR BOMB
GOING OFF.

Narrator:
THE CLOSEST ROCKET CREW,
INCLUDING NEDELIN IN HIS CHAIR,

ARE INSTANTLY INCINERATED.

THEY ARE THE LUCKY ONES.

Robert Zimmerman:
SOME PEOPLE RUN AND GET
CAUGHT ON MELTING TAR,

AND THEY CAN'T RUN, AND THEN
THE BLAST WAVE COMES ACROSS.

PEOPLE GET TO FENCES,

AND THE FENCES ARE LOCKED
AND THE GATES ARE LOCKED.

THEY CAN'T GET PAST THEM.

PEOPLE HIT BARBED WIRE.

Zak:
AND OF COURSE, AT THE SAME TIME,
YOU HAVE THESE DANGEROUS FUMES.

WITH A SINGLE BREATH,
YOU BECOME PARALYZED.

SO A LOT OF PEOPLE GOT POISONED.

AND IT WAS JUST AN INFERNO OF
AGONY FOR ANYONE WHO WAS THERE.

IT WAS JUST HORRIFIC.

Narrator: 100 CIVILIAN
AND MILITARY PERSONNEL

HAD BEEN WORKING
ON THE R-16.

AN ADDITIONAL 150 SPECTATORS
HAD COME TO WATCH

THE MOMENTOUS
EVENT FROM UP CLOSE.

ALMOST HALF OF THEM DIED
THAT DAY.

IN THE HISTORY OF SPACE
EXPLORATION,

AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME,
THIS --

THIS REMAINS THE WORST
DISASTER OF ALL TIME.

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATION ]

Narrator: THE RUSSIAN LEADERSHIP
ARE ADAMANT

THAT THE DETAILS
MUST BE KEPT UNDER WRAPS.

AMERICA CAN NEVER KNOW
OF A DISASTER ON THIS SCALE.

♪♪

THE COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT
OF THE SOVIET UNION,

AS THEY DID WITH MANY THINGS,
IMMEDIATELY, UH,

COVERED UP THE DISASTER.

Pickens: THE NEDELIN EXPLOSION
IS A PRIME EXAMPLE

OF HOW RUSSIA COVERS THINGS UP.

EVEN TODAY, THEY'RE PROBABLY
DOING THE SAME THING.

WHO'S TO SAY THEY'RE NOT?

[ EXPLOSION ]

♪♪

Narrator: 2016 --

UNDER CLEAR SKIES
IN THE CHILEAN ANDES,

THE CUTTING-EDGE LA SILLA
OBSERVATORY'S GIANT TELESCOPE

TARGETS A DISTANT STAR,

TRAPPIST-1.

♪♪

Seager: TRAPPIST-1 IS
A FASCINATING STAR.

IT'S SO SMALL AND SO COLD --
ANY SMALLER AND COLDER,

IT WOULDN'T BE A STAR.

Narrator: ASTRONOMERS ARE
LOOKING FOR THE TELLTALE SIGN

OF AN ORBITING PLANET --

A FAINT DIP IN LIGHT CAUSED BY
A LARGE OBJECT PASSING BY.

WHEN THEY LOOK CAREFULLY
AT TWO YEARS OF RESULTS,

THE SCIENTISTS REALIZE
THEY'VE HIT THE MOTHER LODE.

AND THEY FIND NOT ONE,
NOT TWO DIPS, BUT SEVEN DIPS.

[ RUMBLING ]

Narrator:
SEVEN DIPS MEANS SEVEN PLANETS.

THE SIZE AND MASS
AND, THEREFORE,

THE DENSITY OF THESE PLANETS

ARE VERY SIMILAR
TO THOSE OF EARTH AND MARS.

♪♪

Kaku:
THINK ABOUT IT, SEVEN --

COUNT THEM, SEVEN --

EARTH-SIZED PLANETS
GOING AROUND A STAR.

THAT WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN,
BUT THERE IT IS.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THERE'S LIFE
ON THESE PLANETS

IN THE TRAPPIST SYSTEM?

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: IT'S 2017.

ASTRONOMERS FIND SEVEN PLANETS

ORBITING A STAR
CALLED TRAPPIST-1.

Dragomir:
WHAT'S EVEN MORE INTERESTING
ABOUT THESE SEVEN PLANETS

IS THAT THE ONES IN THE MIDDLE,
PLANETS FOUR, FIVE, AND SIX,

ARE IN THE HABITABLE ZONE
OF THE TRAPPIST-1 STAR,

WHICH MEANS THAT THEY HAVE
THE POTENTIAL

TO HAVE LIQUID WATER
ON THEIR SURFACE.

Brensberger: THIS SHOWS THAT
IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE

THAT LIFE MAY EXIST ON MORE
THAN ONE OF THOSE PLANETS.

Dragomir:
THAT'S ASTONISHING.

THAT'S -- THAT'S BASICALLY
ASTRONOMER'S PAYDAY.

Narrator: THESE PLANETS AREN'T
JUST HABITABLE.

THEY'RE CLOSE TO EACH OTHER,
VERY CLOSE.

JUST IMAGINE THE VIEW
STANDING ON ONE OF THOSE PLANETS

AND SEEING ANOTHER HUGE PLANET
JUST LOOMING IN THE SKY.

THE FACT THAT THESE PLANETS
ARE SO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER

INCREASES THE CHANCE
THAT IF YOU HAVE LIFE

STARTING ON ONE OF THEM,

IT COULD SPREAD TO THE OTHERS,
AS WELL.

♪♪

THE, UH -- THE ROCKS AND DEBRIS,
UH, CREATED BY ASTEROID STRIKES

THAT WOULD LEAVE ONE PLANET
AND TRAVEL TO ANOTHER,

THERE'S VERY GOOD LIKELIHOOD
THAT, UH,

EACH ONE COULD HAVE THE
ORGANIC MATERIAL FROM THE OTHER.

Narrator: HOW MIGHT LIFE HAVE
EVOLVED HERE?

THREE SETS OF ALIENS,
EFFECTIVELY NEIGHBORS.

THERE MAY BE SIMILAR LIFE FORMS
WITH SIMILAR FEATURES

THAT WE HAVE PHYSICALLY --
UM, EYES, EARS, PERHAPS, UM,

SOMETHING TO MANIPULATE
THE ENVIRONMENT WITH.

UH, ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT, UH,
YOU COULD HAVE SPECIES

THAT EXIST THAT
ARE NOT TOO UNLIKE OURSELVES.

Narrator: LOOKING FOR CLUES,

SCIENTISTS STUDY THE TRAPPIST-1
SYSTEM MORE CLOSELY.

SOME OF THE HABITABLE PLANETS
COULD HOLD 250 TIMES

MORE WATER
THAN THE EARTH'S OCEANS,

SUGGESTING LIFE THERE
MIGHT BE AMPHIBIOUS.

[ GROWLING ]

HIGH LEVELS OF RADIATION SUGGEST
LIFE FORMS

ROAMING THE TRAPPIST PLANETS
WILL HAVE THICK,

PROTECTIVE SKIN.

THESE CREATURES WILL HAVE
EVOLVED TO MAKE THE BEST

OF THEIR PLANETARY ENVIRONMENT.

♪♪

Narrator: AND STRANGELY,
UNLIKE ISOLATED EARTH BEINGS,

THESE LIFE FORMS MIGHT BE ABLE

TO SEE NEIGHBORING ALIENS
AROUND THEM.

THE PLANETS ARE SO CLOSE TO EACH
OTHER THAT WITH A TELESCOPE,

YOU'D BE ABLE
TO SEE CITY LIGHTS.

Narrator: POTENTIALLY THREE SETS
OF BEINGS, ALIEN TO ONE ANOTHER,

AWARE OF ONE ANOTHER,

AND POSSIBLY
ABLE TO MAKE CONTACT.

♪♪

WILL THESE NEIGHBORS BE
GOOD FRIENDS OR MORTAL ENEMIES?

LIVING IN THE SHADOW
OF A NEARBY PLANET,

YOU WONDER WHAT'S OUT THERE.

AND THEN YOU WONDER,
"ARE THEY LOOKING BACK AT YOU?"

[ TRILLING ]

Narrator:
HUMANS HAVE LONG WONDERED ABOUT

AND FEARED INTERACTION WITH

ALIEN LIFE FORMS
AND CIVILIZATIONS.

HERE, WITHIN SIGHT OF EARTH'S
MOST POWERFUL TELESCOPES,

IS A POSSIBLE TEST CASE.

WILL THEY THINK THEY'RE LOOKING
AT GODS OR ANTS TO BE SQUASHED?

Narrator: IF THESE CREATURES
COULD LEARN TO LIVE IN HARMONY,

THE ADVANCES THAT THREE PLANETS
COULD MAKE TOGETHER

MIGHT BE INCREDIBLE.

♪♪

THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO
PHYSICALLY VISIT EACH OTHER

UNTIL THEY DEVELOP
MUCH MORE POWERFUL ROCKETS.

WHEN THAT HAPPENS, WATCH OUT,

BECAUSE ONE OF THE LAWS
OF EVOLUTION

IS SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.[ SWORDS CLANGING ]

Narrator:
WHEN THE TECHNOLOGICALLY
SUPERIOR EUROPEANS

MET THE PRE-COLUMBIAN
INHABITANTS OF AMERICA,

THE OUTCOME WAS CONQUEST
AND GENOCIDE.

THE GREAT AZTEC CIVILIZATION,
WHICH TOOK THOUSANDS OF YEARS

TO RISE FROM THE FOREST,
THEY WERE DESTROYED.

THE CIVILIZATION WAS DESTROYED
IN A MATTER OF MONTHS

BY A BUNCH OF CONQUISTADORS,
BLOODTHIRSTY CONQUERORS.

WHAT WAS THE MISTAKE?

THE MISTAKE WAS THAT MONTEZUMA
AND THE AZTECS

THOUGHT THAT CORTES WAS A GOD.

BIG MISTAKE.

THERE WOULD PROBABLY BE QUITE
A LOT OF CONFLICT AND ARGUMENTS

HAPPENING BETWEEN
THESE PLANETS.

A LOT OF FIGHTING, MAYBE ARMS
WAR OR SPACE RACES GOING ON.

Narrator: IN THIS SPACE RACE,

THE FIRST PLANET
TO DEVELOP ROCKETS

AND INTERPLANETARY TRAVEL

COULD HAVE
AN ENORMOUS OPPORTUNITY

TO DOMINATE THE SYSTEM.

THIS COULD BE BATTLE FOR THE
PLANETS, AND WINNER TAKES ALL.

Narrator: WHAT'S MORE,

AFTER GENERATIONS
OF INTERPLANETARY WAR,

THE DOMINANT SPECIES OF
THE TRAPPIST SYSTEM MAY DEVELOP

AND INSATIABLE APPETITE
FOR CONQUEST.

Hovland: NOW, IF THEY WERE
TO COME TO EARTH,

WHERE THEY'VE BEEN FIGHTING
FOR THEIR LIVES,

THEY'VE GROWN STRONGER.

COMPARED TO EARTHLINGS,

THAT COULD BE QUITE
THE SOCIAL UPSET.

WHO KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT?

[ RUMBLING ]