Extraterrestrial (TV program)

Extraterrestrial
Also known as
  • Alien Worlds
  • Extraterrestrial – Alien Worlds
GenreAstrobiology documentary
Directed byNick Stringer
Presented byArmand Leroi (UK)
Starring
Narrated by
ComposerThe Fratelli Brothers
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes2
Production
Executive producerSarah Cunliffe
ProducerNick Stringer
Running time
  • 2 hours with commercials
  • 100 minutes without commercials
Production companyBig Wave Productions Ltd.
Original release
Network
Release
  • January 2005 (2005-01) (UK)
  • May 30, 2005 (2005-05-30) (U.S.)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Extraterrestrial (also Alien Worlds in the UK) is a British-American two-part television documentary miniseries, aired in 2005 in the UK by Channel 4, by the National Geographic Channel (as Extraterrestrial) in the US on Monday, May 30, 2005[1] and produced by Big Wave Productions Ltd. The program focuses on the hypothetical and scientifically feasible evolution of alien life on extrasolar planets, providing model examples of two different fictional worlds, one in each of the series's two episodes.[2][3]

The documentary is based on speculative collaboration of a group of American and British scientists, who were collectively commissioned by National Geographic. For the purposes of the documentary, the team of scientists divides two hypothetical examples of realistic worlds on which extraterrestrial life could evolve: A tidally locked planet (dubbed "Aurelia") orbiting a red dwarf star and a large moon (dubbed "Blue Moon") orbiting a gas giant in a binary star system. The scientific team of the series used a combination of accretion theory, climatology, and xenobiology to imagine the most likely locations for extraterrestrial life and most probable evolutionary path such life would take.[4]

The "Aurelia" and "Blue Moon" concepts seen in the series were also featured in the touring exhibition The Science of Aliens.

  1. ^ Lovgran, Stefan (3 June 2005). "Flying Whales, Other Aliens Theorized by Scientists". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on 26 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  2. ^ "TV Review - National Geographic's 'Extraterrestrial'". www.space.com. 27 May 2005. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Sky Whales & Pagoda Forests - Scientists Study Possible Course of Evolution on Planets Beyond Our Solar System". www.dailygalaxy.com. March 2008. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Make Contact with Alien Creatures in National Geographic Channel Special 'Extraterrestrial'". www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/. prnewswire.com. 20 May 2005. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.