Public opinion and reporting around UFO/UAP sightings changed with the pentagon’s release, early in the pandemic, of three videos of Navy pilots encountering UFOs. Navy pilots and high ranking military officials have since gone on the record to recount ongoing encounters with aircraft that defied the laws of physics. There was finally a congressional hearing about UAPs earlier this year, with several navy pilots testifying and the existence of UAPs described as an open secret among commercial pilots.
There are so many stories of everyday UFO sightings and abductions and there are plenty of shows chronicling them. Some of them seem far fetched, Ancient Aliens has a whiff of truth until it veers into wild speculation almost every time. Some, like Unsolved Mysteries, both the original 90s series and the revival, are convincing. I’ve watched plenty and Encounters, a new docuseries on Netflix, has to be my favorite. I’ve only seen the first two episodes. So far I’m sold though and so many other people feel the same. USA today and Dexerto have a good overview and I’m including quotes from both.
Directed by Yon Motskin, each episode of the series produced by Stephen Spielberg’s Amblin Television, Boardwalk Pictures and Vice Studios explores a separate report of a mass sighting in a different part of the world.
Billed in Netflix press materials as a “detective story,” “Encounters” relies on both firsthand accounts and also the testimony of various scientists and military officials to delve into reports of suspected extraterrestrial phenomena. The four episodes feature accounts of strange lights in the sky in 2008 over small-town Texas; Cold War-era submersible crafts lurking near a coastal Welsh village; a non-human intelligence reportedly interfering in 2011 with the operations of a nuclear power plant in Japan; and an alien encounter in 1994 experienced by schoolchildren in Zimbabwe. – USA Today
The stories, which span from mysterious sightings in Texas to an alien interference with a Japanese nuclear power plant, are cut between revelations from military whistleblowers and investigative experts.
With thousands of Netflix fans tuning in, many have shared their praises for the docu-series.
Reaction to Encounters has been strong, with one viewer writing on X/Twitter: “Encounters on Netflix is excellent. Prob the best UFO doco series I’ve seen.”
“Watch a four part documentary called Encounters. Just out on Netflix and directed by Steven Spielberg [sic]. Brilliantly done,” said another, while a third added: “This show Encounters on Netflix is tight.” – Dexerto
Just to clarify the last tweet in the quote above, the show is produced in part by Steven Spielberg’s production company. It’s directed by Yon Motskin, who says he believes in UFOs now but did not before making this series. So far I’ve watched the episodes about the 1994 Zimbabwe sighting and the 2008 Texas UFO sightings. Both were witnessed by handfuls of people, many of whom were interviewed both right after the events and for this show. The eyewitnesses are so convincing and you feel for them as they faced ridicule after going public. I’m excited to see the other two episodes!
Other shows that have really changed my opinion on UFOs and aliens are Unsolved Mysteries the revival (Volume 3, episode 2 “Something in the Sky,” Netflix), and Unsolved Mysteries the original (season 4, episode 1, on FreeVee/Amazon Prime and YouTube). The documentary Moment of Contact is also incredible (Tubi). I’m a little more skeptical about the abduction stories but the shows Alien Abduction: Travis Walton (Discovery Plus) and Alien Abduction: Barney and Betty Hill (Discovery Plus) are also very good.
In 1994, over 60 children at a Zimbabwe school claimed to have seen aliens. Years later, witnesses maintain their accounts. Hear their stories and more from around the world in Encounters — now streaming. pic.twitter.com/Av77jXj2ke
— Netflix (@netflix) September 30, 2023
Photos credit: Netflix
Watched this series and it was even more convincing. For years Ancient Aliens has been pushing that Aliens have been here for awhile. I have never seen anything myself but it is talked about more and more so I do believe that we are not alone.
there’s a UK scientist who says they are probably here already but, by virtue of having got here, they are of vastly superior ability; they’re unseen and operating at a level of physical reality we can’t fathom as yet. so, no need for space ships etc, they’ve got here undetected and live amongst us. slightly mind blowing. wish they’d help out with the washing and tumble when my back’s turned!
My favorite response to the news
https://youtu.be/Ud29Loj8r9g?si=iHc5ByL_i6qPw25j
A lot of this sounds like the plot to Marvel’s Eternals.
Why are they here? Why are they hiding? What is their endgame? Why haven’t they helped us? Or are they just waiting for us to go extinct so they can sell Earth for parts?
For snuffles – that was really funny, thank you for the link. These theories send your mind into overdrive – perhaps a future, more advanced, version of us is out there on other planets already… etc etc. Reminds me of the time one of my kids came home after a “Space” lesson and couldn’t sleep because he thought Earth was on the edge of a blackhole. Told him to concentrate on working out what he wanted for his birthday the following month.
Why come all this way and not make themselves known? It makes no sense to me.
Totally adding all of these to the list. They look so good. Just the videos that were released last year of the Air Force pilots reactions to what they were seeing were already so persuasive.
i wasn’t totally convinced; some of it, some of it not. several of the witnesses seemed totally convincing, until they started talking about other encounters in their lives, or the phenomena spilled over from a core group into the wider community, after which the reported experiences of those more removed from the key event became fanciful. waiting on netflix unsolved mysteries series 4.
As a former hardcore fan of the X-Files, I will definitely look into this.
Like you Celebitchy, I watch all this stuff but I do try to keep a critical eye open. This series is incredible and knowing that in other countries the thought about UAPs or intelligent life on other planets is so different than here in the USA, has really brought home to how much we’ve fallen behind the rest of the world in so many ways and how our government has done so much harm to those who have had actual experiences.
I’ll be watching this if it’s available on Netflix France (so many things aren’t unfortunately).
I’ve been an almost lifelong believer, after seeing with my own eyes two objects that could be far from explained when myself and 2 pals were just hanging about before going home. We stood watching these two star sized objects chase each other in the night sky for 15 or so mins before we said well that’s weird and all went home.
I can see how this type of conspiracy thrived in the 20th century (and even into the 21st), but there are cameras literally everywhere: in everyone’s hand, inside people’s home’s, on front porches, businesses, streets, nature cams, etc. etc. 25 people all have the same video of someone losing their shit at a Starbucks, but there’s not one video that provides anything close to irrefutable proof that alien life visits Earth.
There’s just no way that aliens that would have the capability of faster-than-light travel and can avoid any terrestrial or stellar detection for thousands of years are randomly visiting people in Ohio.
Yeah, and thousands upon thousands of people think it’s the Berenstein not Berenstain Bears, and that Mandela died years ago. I think it’s all just a version of the Mandela effect.
Nice summary, Kirsten! Some of the stories i’d heard before. Prepared to believe to just so far, and then things got too silly. Elements of group think and hysteria crept in quite quickly. Also some of the witnesses were revealed to have strange ideas full stop. Regarding filmed events etc. There’s a theory that governments release video to see how it’s absorbed and debated by the armchair expert forums and therefore how far ahead of the govt they could be. Loop back stuff.
I watched and what I liked best was that it was a spotlight on different places all over the world. We normally only hear about Roswell, so it was nice to see a broader experience from different countries.
i really liked that aspect, as well.
I started watching Encounters but was trying to multitask at the same time so couldn’t pay that close of attention to it. I’ll watch it when I have time to actually pay attention.
I saw a UFO (odd lights) a few weeks ago and got photos. It was a warm night (around 9pm) and there were a lot of people walking dogs, or taking their evening strolls. I looked up and saw a line of round lights. Like maybe 20 lights all in a straight row. I whipped out my phone and got photos but because it was dark it took a few seconds for the camera to click so the photos aren’t the clearest. There was no sound from it at all and it seemed to be traveling in my direction very slowly. While switching my camera to video the lights went out one by one. Not in any order, just randomly going out.
I started asking the people walking around if they had seen the lights but everyone was so involved with their phones they never looked up to notice. They were looking at me like I was crazy. And nothing in the news or Nextdoor. Apparently I’m the only one who saw it in the whole city. But at least I have proof. LOL
The line of lights is Starlink.
Oooohhhh! I googled photos and that’s exactly what it looked like. I’m glad to know what it is!
I saw a disc-shaped thing hovering in the sky in Western Michigan in the early 90’s. It shot straight up, hovered, and then shot off. I was around 10 or 11. I’ll always believe that it was an alien craft.
I had my own UFO encounter as a kid in the late 90s on a dark country road in Australia. I’ve believed since then and have always hoped we would get some answers in my lifetime. I always got scared watching x-files and alien shows but the Zimbabwe school story has really reengaged my interest.