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| “ | I've got one that can see... | „ |
| ~ The alien woman talking to other aliens after realizing that Nada can see through their disguises. |
"They", or more commonly known as The Aliens are the main antagonists of the 1988 sci-fi action film, They Live, the short story, Eight O'Clock in the Morning and the comic book adaption, Nada. They are a race of aliens who control everyone on Earth through media, along with disguising themselves as humans.
Appearance[]
In the short story, the aliens are described as being grotesque green reptilian-like and yellow eyed creatures and in the comic, they are shown as being disgusting pink slop-like creatures with sharp teeth, various appendages and several yellow eyes. In the film, the aliens are humanoid creatures with blue skin, visible red veins, large showing teeth and red-grayish eyes.
Biography[]
Eight O'Clock in the Morning[]
After going to a hypnotist show, George Nada and various other subjects are told to "wake up" where Nada then realizes that several people in the crowd have become hideous aliens who, as George now understands, are controlling the entire world and it's people. After George leaves the theater, he notices various posters saying "Work eight hours. Play eight hours. Sleep eight hours" and "Marry and reproduce", along with TV stations telling people to "Obey" and "Work".
The next day, Nada gets a phone call from an alien claiming to be Chief of Police Robinson, who informs Nada that tomorrow night at 8 o'clock, George's heart will stop. Nada is extremely confused and realized he must wake up the world. Nada goes out and kills an alien disguised as a homeless drunk. George visits his girlfriend, Lil and yells at her to wake up. Nada then kills Lil's neighbors, who are also aliens. Nada calls Robinson, informing him that he has now woke everyone up. Nada then proceeds to kill more aliens at a TV station, to which he then puts a dead alien corpse in front of the TV, doing an alien voiced telling people to "wake up", which actually works until Nada then dies of a heart attack at 8 o'clock.
They Live[]
In Los Angeles, a drifter going by the name "Nada" looks for a job. He eventually finds a job as a construction worker who resides in a shanty town owned by a man named Gilbert with the help of Nada's co-worker, Frank. Nada notices Gilbert working with a blind preacher and a man hacking through TV stations. The shanty town is then torn down by police officers, to which Nada retrieves a box of sunglasses that Gilbert had in his lab.
After Nada's disappointment, he wears a pair of sunglasses in which he realizes the posters on buildings saying "Work eight hours. Play eight hours. Sleep eight hours", "Obey", "Work", "Marry and Reproduce", "Consume", etc. Nada is soon discovered by various aliens and cops, where he eventually holds a TV producer named, Holly Thompson, who betrays Nada by throwing him out of her window. Nada reunites with Frank, who is forced to wear the sunglasses by Nada, to which they partner up.
The two reunite with Gilbert who introduces them to his team of freedom fighters, including Holly. Soon after, the police raid the hide out, killing everyone except Nada, Frank and Holly. Nada and Frank escape through an alien teleporting wrist watch, which transports them to an alien meeting. A drifter who lived at the shanty town is revealed to be a human collaborator of the alien's. Nada and Frank are then teleported to a TV station where the reunite with Holly and go on an alien killing spree. Holly kills Frank and is revealed to be a human collaborator. Nada kills Holly and destroys the alien transmitter, dying in the process. In the end, Nada saves the day by opening the world's eyes to the aliens amongst them.
The Alien's Advertisements[]
The aliens use propaganda disguised as advertisements depicting money, power, and sex to control humans.
Money Advertisements[]
- Buy
- Consume
- This Is Your God (printed on the dollar bills)
Power Advertisements[]
- Do Not Question Authority
- Submit
- Conform
- Stay Asleep
- Watch TV
- No Independent Thought (or just No Thought)
- No Imagination
- No Ideas
- Doubt Humanity
- Honor Apathy
- Work 8 Hours, Play 8 Hours, Sleep 8 Hours
- Surrend
- Follow
- Obey Authority
- Cooperate
Sex Advertisements[]
- Marry and Reproduce
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- John Carpenter states that the Blue Aliens are meant to reflect his pessimistic views on the consumerist nature and Trickle Down component of Reagonomics and nothing more than that. Carpenter stresses that They Live is not meant to spread fear and paranoia over literal aliens from space invading earth and subjugating the human race. Carpenter denounced neo-Nazis who misinterpret They Live as sympathetic to their ideologies of ethnocentrism and anti-Semitism.
- In the source material short story Eight O'Clock in the Morning and its comic book adaptation Nada (which They Live was based on), the Blue Aliens are called the "Fascinators".