Original subtitles

NARRATOR: A mysterious Egyptian pharaoh

who altered the religion of an entire empire.

Extraordinary engineers who lived in the sea.

And a cosmic visitor

who worked for the United States military.

Throughout history, humankind has received guidance

from otherworldly beings.

Now, Ancient Aliens examines ten of the most

intriguing influencers in history.

Teachers that just might have been

visitors from another world.

♪ ♪

There is a major misconception

that the ancient astronaut theory

credits all the accomplishments

of our ancestors entirely to extraterrestrials.

But this is not the case.

What it suggests is that our ancestors had teachers.

We can find countless examples throughout history

of beings who came from the sky and imparted knowledge

that led to the building of incredible structures,

or changed the course of history.

And one of the most compelling accounts

describes no less than 200 otherworldly teachers

who had an impact of biblical proportions.

At number ten on our countdown of

the top ten alien influencers: the Watchers.

NARRATOR: Qumran, Israel, 1949.

A team of archaeologists unearth hundreds of ancient

scrolls that are more than 2,000 years old.

Known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, these documents contain

the oldest versions of the Bible ever discovered,

as well as a controversial text called The Book of Enoch,

which tells the tale of a group of otherworldly

influencers known as the Watchers.

WILLIAM HENRY: The Watchers are a group of these 200 angels.

The Book of Enoch says they came from God's throne.

They're the highest order of angels who were sent to Earth,

to give humanity knowledge.

The Watchers are a group of angels who are dispatched

to watch humans and to help humans.

Now, the Watchers are very interesting because

they are angels who interact with humans.

NARRATOR: The Book of Enoch is a firsthand account of

the biblical patriarch's encounter with the Watchers.

Enoch was taken into the heavens

aboard a fiery chariot, where he is given

powerful universal knowledge by angelic beings.

They taught advanced knowledge of metalworking, of astronomy.

But the most amazing thing is that the Watchers taught Enoch

the secrets of heaven.

NARRATOR: When Enoch returned to Earth,

he shared this knowledge with his fellow humans.

And as far as ancient astronaut theorists are concerned,

the account of Enoch and the Watchers

is a compelling example of an otherworldly influence

on human development.

The Book of Enoch is very clear

that the Watchers are celestial beings.

We call them extraterrestrials.

There's no question they didn't come from this planet.

However they got here, the stories are clear.

It's that they were here to assist humanity

in scaling the evolutionary ladder.

Our next alien influencers are celestial beings

who number not in the hundreds, but in the thousands.

And they are believed to visit Japan to this very day.

At number nine: the kami.

NARRATOR: Ise, Japan.

In the center of this remote coastal city is a massive

complex of 125 individual Shinto shrines.

They are dedicated to the worship of

otherworldly beings known as the kami.

The kami are these celestial beings that are

able to inhabit basically anything, from a human being,

to an animal, and even inanimate objects.

So on the one hand, they're these multidimensional beings,

but then, they also describe them

as having come down from their celestial

palace in the sky, which is called Takamagahara.

There are over eight million kamis, according to

the Shinto tradition, and each one of them respond to certain

offerings that they like, in particular.

They also will respond more negatively

if they are disregarded or forgotten.

So, all of them have distinct individualities,

and certain likes and dislikes as well.

NARRATOR: According to ancient astronaut theorists,

the kami are not only otherworldly beings,

but have had a major influence on Japanese civilization.

Evidence of which can be found at the Ise Grand Shrine,

which according to Japanese tradition,

is the home of the supreme kami, the goddess Amaterasu.

Amaterasu is the principal goddess

and principal god of Shinto.

All emperors in the history of Japan

have claimed descent from Amaterasu as well.

All of them trace their lineage back to the kami,

all the way down to Emperor Jimmu,

the first emperor to unify Japan.

NARRATOR: According to Japan's oldest text, the "Kojiki,"

Emperor Jimmu united the islands of Japan

in the sixth century BC.

It is written that his victory was ensured

not only by Amaterasu, but also by a kami that took

the form of a large three-legged crow.

This so-called "crow" guided him on his journey

and advised him in military matters to ensure his success.

And when you look at ancient depictions of this crow,

it is often depicted inside some kind of an orb,

this circular disc.

So if you look at that, you have to ask,

what, exactly, were the ancient Japanese talking about here?

Because this, to me, sounds more like he was being guided

by some kind of a flying craft than an actual crow.

NARRATOR: Could Japan's first Emperor, Jimmu,

and the imperial family today, be direct descendants

of extraterrestrial beings known as the kami?

And might the three-legged crow really have been an alien craft?

Ancient astronaut theorists say yes,

and as far as followers of Shinto are concerned,

the kami still influence earthly events to this very day.

Many Japanese actually have Shinto shrines

in their homes,

so there's a daily interaction with the kami.

And they will do daily prayers or daily rituals

devoted to the kami, and this benefits them

directly through long life and health and prosperity.

The Japanese archipelago is dotted with over

81,000 shrines that are devoted to the kami gods.

The Japanese people will visit the shrines

of the kami with the belief that they are actually praying

to an extraterrestrial being who can fulfill their blessings.

On the opposite side of the world,

in the American Southwest,

you will find similar legends of mysterious teachers

who descended from the heavens.

The native Hopi people depict them as strange

humanoid figures with various animal features.

Number eight on our countdown

of alien influencers: the kachinas.

NARRATOR: Black Mesa. Northeastern Arizona.

The Native American Hopi tribe has considered these peaks

sacred for more than 1,000 years.

According to their mythology, this is where they were

visited by sky beings known as the kachina.

The kachinas, in Hopi tradition,

are related to the star people.

All Native American tribes have these traditional

oral histories that people came from the stars to visit them.

It's universal, all across the United States,

that these gods, as we call them today, came to Earth

and visited to provide knowledge.

TSOUKALOS: The translation for the word kachina is very simple.

It means "teacher."

The Hopi refer to the kachinas

arriving in these flying shields.

Orange, glowing shields, as they're sometimes referred to.

They would touch down on Earth, spend time with human beings,

teach them, give them knowledge, and then they would use the same

quote-unquote shields to fly back into the sky.

And that's interesting that the Hopi are very clear in

relaying that the kachinas were not part of the ethereal realm,

but that they happened to be part of our physical world.

NARRATOR: According to Hopi mythology, the kachina arrived to share

knowledge about agriculture, astronomy and medicine.

To this day, the Hopi celebrate the influence of the kachina

with rituals to connect them with the sky beings.

Central to these are sacred objects

that are believed to be a likeness of the kachina.

CLIFFORD MAHOOTY: The kachina is a representation

of the actual gods that used to come

into the villages eons ago.

Some of them are warriors.

Most of them are priesthood-type kachinas,

and they come from different parts of the universe.

TSOUKALOS: The Hopi are very clear in suggesting

that the kachinas were celestial beings

that imparted knowledge.

And if you compare that to the ancient astronaut theory,

that's exactly what it talks about, that the knowledge was

imparted by beings who visited us.

on our list er

descended from the heavens.

Sometimes, they emerged from the sea.

Like a group of mysterious beings

who taught the ancient Greeks metallurgy,

and were described as humanoid entities

with fish-like features.

At number seven on our countdown

of the top ten alien influencers:

the Telchines.

NARRATOR: The Aegean Sea.

On the eastern edge of the Greek archipelago

lies the picturesque island of Rhodes.

Today, it is home to more than 115,000 people.

But according to Greek mythology,

it was once inhabited by a mysterious group

of advanced beings known as the Telchines.

The Telchines are an interesting aspect

of this early Greek mythology.

They are, in some cases,

described as having dog heads and fish-web hands.

RADER: The Telchines were known

for that reason as "fish people."

They had their special semidivine powers,

technologically advanced beings

who are greater than humans.

They were bigger, they're stronger, they're smarter.

TSOUKALOS: It's very interesting that the Greeks

were very, very clear in describing

what they looked like.

The Telchines are amphibious.

During the day, they would walk on land,

but at night, they would go into the water

and then reemerge the following day.

NARRATOR: According to legend,

the Telchines were highly skilled metallurgists.

They were said to have created Poseidon's magical trident,

and to have cast the first bronze statues

of the gods of Olympus.

The Telchines were known for their, uh, ability

in metalsmithing, in various magical

or highly technological developments.

And they came up with new stuff all the time.

So, they were represented as a somewhat advanced race,

if you will.

NARRATOR: According to mythology,

the Telchines shared the secrets of their advanced smithcraft

with the ancient Greeks.

TSOUKALOS: The Telchines are the ones

who taught the local population

about metallurgy, how to make swords

and how to forge them in fire, and things like that.

You have to remember that, at some point,

these things were not invented,

so all of a sudden, these new things are there,

and when you look at the ancient accounts--

how or why our ancestors came up with this--

our ancestors are telling us,

"And then we were taught by," in this case,

"the Telchines how to make iron, how to make metal."

The reason why this ties into the ancient astronaut theory

is because the entire Greek pantheon of gods

is based on an extraterrestrial idea

that the ancient gods of Greece were

visiting extraterrestrials.

NARRATOR: While the idea that the Greeks

could have been influenced by amphibious metalsmiths

may sound like science fiction, there is historical evidence

that a group called the Telchines truly did exist.

RADER: We do actually have evidence of these beings.

They were actual ancient Greeks

who had specific tasks and trades like,

uh, metallurgy, like smithing, and so on.

And so, the Telchines could, in fact, not just be

these mythological beings but actual people.

HENRY: And if that is the case, then that opens up the question

of whether or not extraterrestrials

lived in the sea.

This is a-a common theme that we find around the world,

of great civilizer gods that emerged from the sea,

and from time to time, they will come to the surface

as influencers of humankind,

or as instruments of advancement for humanity.

Curiously, in West Africa,

there are also accounts of mysterious teachers

who had a fish-like appearance.

And according to the Dogon tribe,

these alien influencers didn't come out of the sea

but traveled to Earth from an invisible star.

At number six on our countdown: the Nommo.

NARRATOR: Mali, Africa, 1931.

French anthropologist Marcel Griaule

treks through the forbidden desert

in search of the mysterious Dogon tribe.

When he finds them, he becomes fascinated

by their culture and traditions,

including the tale of mysterious teachers called the Nommo.

According to Dogon mythology, the Nommo came from the sky,

had a fish-like appearance and aided

in the development of humankind.

They described these Nommos as being

very, like, mermaid or merman-like,

but bequeathing lots of knowledge of astronomy,

math and science to this ancient race.

The Dogon actually said, "Well,

"this was our creator god Nommo,

"who descended from the sky in a loud whirlwind

of a storm of thunder, smoke and lightning."

And their knowledge of everything

was given to them by that being.

NARRATOR: According to the Dogon,

the Nommo not only taught them about agriculture,

math and medicine, but shared

advanced astronomical information.

The Dogon priests said that the Nommo

were coming from the star system of Sirius,

but they said that their star

was a different, smaller star in Sirius,

and the Nommo planet went around this secondary star.

Well, the French anthropologists were amazed at that,

and were confused as well.

Because that companion star to Sirius

had not really been officially discovered at that time.

HENRY: How is it possible that they have this knowledge

unless that knowledge was given to them

by beings who came from that star system?

But you have to ask, did the Nomo

come from the stars?

Were they extraterrestrial beings that came to Earth

as great teachers, as influencers of human culture?

g

to ancient astronaut theorists, is the country of Australia,

because for thousands of years, the Aboriginal people

have been passing down stories

of their celestial ancestors.

And one of the most compelling tales

involves a mysterious teacher

who descended from the heavens in a flying canoe.

Number five on our countdown

of the top ten alien influencers:

a visitor known as Baiame.

NARRATOR: The Aboriginal people have lived here

for more than 60,000 years,

making them the most ancient continuous culture in the world.

For tens of thousands of years,

they have preserved the sacred knowledge

of their earliest ancestors,

passed down through art and detailed oral histories.

And there is one figure who is said

to have had a greater influence on Aboriginal traditions

than any other:

a mysterious teacher named Baiame.

Baiame is our god creator, who came from the Morning Star.

And Baiame arrived here to Mother Earth a long time ago.

We say our ways of life that are passed down

from generation after generation have been given to us by Baiame.

TSOUKALOS: Baiame is a deity

that helped the local population,

gave knowledge and showed people,

in various scientific disciplines.

Essentially, it was a teacher.

Oh, wow.

NARRATOR: In 2016,

ancient astronaut theorist Giorgio Tsoukalos

traveled to the Brisbane Water National Park in Australia.

There he met with Aboriginal Elder Kevin Gavi Duncan,

and was eager to learn more about Baiame

and the story of his otherworldly origins.

So, what are we looking at here?

So, this image is an actual image of Baiame.

-That's what our people believe. -Okay.

DUNCAN: This site is considered around 8,000 to 10,000 years old.

TSOUKALOS: Wow.

Baiame came from what-- a place

that we call the Morning Star, within the Mirrabooka,

-Mm-hmm. -"Mirra" means "stars" and "booka" means river.

It is the Milky Way that flows across the,

-the night sky. -No kidding. Okay.

TSOUKALOS: And so, he is one of those sky heroes

that has descended from the Milky Way?

DUNCAN: Yes, he's a sky hero.

And this is the canoe.

This was his vessel

that he sailed through the Milky Way.

When he landed, they said the fire

came from his feet and it burnt the top of the mountain

and all around it every time he landed.

-TSOUKALOS: This is incredible. -People interpret that

as a spaceship of some kind, as coming and going.

This is the way we simply interpret Baiame's spaceship.

-Right, but it's because the vocabulary... -Right, yeah.

...didn't exist at the time.

Yes.

NARRATOR: According to the oral traditions,

when Baiame arrived, he created the Earth for humans

and then showed them how to survive.

Teachings that continue to influence Aboriginal society.

We believe, as Aboriginal people,

that Baiame walked across the Earth

and basically, the land was prepared for us

before life was started here.

We say, "Baiame, teach us how we should

"equally have this balance of life

between us as human beings and the Earth."

The Aboriginals have all kinds of ancient stories

of sky gods who manipulated the continent

and created the rivers and mountains

and then they left.

These are probably some of the oldest stories

of extraterrestrial intervention

that we have on planet Earth.

Our people had much

ancient knowledge of the star system,

and the constellation of the stars.

The wisdom and knowledge that have been given to us by Baiame.

NARRATOR: It's said that Baiame

taught the ancient Aboriginal people

astronomy, medicine and various skills

to survive off the land,

including how to make Australia's

most iconic hunting tool.

DUNCAN: Baiame had given us the spirit of technology.

We invented the boomerang, which is aerodynamics.

It's something that's, you know, influenced the technology

of today like airplanes and helicopters, and other things.

And, we say that knowledge

of how to create these things was given by Baiame.

NARRATOR: Was Baiame an otherworldly visitor

who bequeathed knowledge that continues to influence

Aboriginal people to this day?

For elders like Gary Simon Jagamarra

and many who share the traditional beliefs

of their ancestors,

the answer is a resounding "yes."

JAGAMARRA: We all have stories of people in crafts

coming from the stars, going to the stars, and so on.

In order to keep them, pass them down

to next generation, we carved them,

we painted them, we sang them.

We danced them in stories

to guarantee that they passed down.

So, when the visitors left, we didn't forget about them

and we never forget about the things

that they passed down to us and the knowledge they passed down.

s

to investigate is Egypt.

Its mythology is a treasure trove of evidence

for the ancient astronaut theory,

including accounts of UFOs, advanced technology

and the story of a mysterious man

who received his knowledge from the stars.

Number four on our list of the top ten alien influencers:

Imhotep.

NARRATOR: Saqqara, Egypt.

Located just 15 miles south of the Giza Plateau

stands what mainstream archaeologists suggest

is the oldest pyramid in Egypt:

the Step Pyramid of King Djoser.

Constructed in the 27th century BC,

this monument was designed

by a mysterious figure named Imhotep.

ROMANY: Imhotep was a commoner,

but he became the high engineer, the main architect.

And he came out of nowhere.

We don't know his history, we know that he

came into power,

ascended the ranks,

and became the closest man to the king.

And he came up with the idea of a pyramid.

YOUNG: It was a step pyramid. And if you look at it,

it's sometimes described as "stairway to the gods,"

these enormous steps up into the sky.

And it was the first time a stone ceiling was suspended.

It is an amazing breakthrough pioneer architectural moment,

and the beginning of the making of pyramids in Egypt.

NARRATOR: Imhotep designed the Djoser Pyramid

to be the most impressive monument in Egypt.

The six-tier, four-sided structure

originally stood 205 feet tall,

with a base measuring 358 feet

by 397 feet.

It was an engineering achievement so extraordinary

that it enshrined Imhotep in the annals of Egyptian history.

Remarkably, the iconic structure was not

Imhotep's sole accomplishment.

Imhotep was a high priest. He also was a high physician

and the most ancient medical document

ever found in the world

was a papyrus written by Imhotep

that explains how to treat trauma.

NARRATOR: But of greater interest to ancient astronaut theorists

is what influenced Imhotep's incredible accomplishments.

ROMANY: You go to look back at Imhotep

and how he gained that knowledge.

And what's written is puzzling

because it says Imhotep received

the book that fell from the sky.

NARRATOR: Did Imhotep really gain his knowledge

from an otherworldly source?

Or, is it possible, as ancient astronaut theorists suggest,

that there is a more profound explanation?

There are great mysteries about who Imhotep was,

where he came from.

This is interesting because later on, Imhotep is deified.

And what's fascinating is the depictions of him.

He looks like he's got this oversize head.

He's got strange-looking hands. He almost looks nonhuman.

what we appear to be dealing with here

is possibly an extraterrestrial being

who took on a human existence.

The story of Imhotep is fascinating,

but he wasn't the only alien influencer in ancient Egypt.

One of the most intriguing was a controversial pharaoh

who worshipped a mysterious disc-shaped deity

and was depicted with an elongated skull.

At number three: Akhenaten.

NARRATOR: Of the many pharaohs of ancient Egypt,

none are more mysterious and controversial

than Akhenaten.

He ruled from 1353 BC

until his death 17 years later.

His reign was dominated by controversy

when he abandoned the pantheon of old Egyptian gods

and instead demanded that his subjects

worship a single deity: the sun god Aten.

Akhenaten was the most unique king

in all of ancient Egypt.

At a time where Egypt was most prosperous,

he decided to change everything.

To change Egypt's most strongest beliefs.

To change religion.

YOUNG: Akhenaten announces there will be one god,

they will be a monotheistic people.

Aten, the sun god,

would be the one divinity they all worshipped.

The image is the sun disc.

It shook the empire in really terrible ways.

NARRATOR: Unlike the pantheon of anthropomorphic gods

that had been worshipped for centuries,

the god Aten was simply represented

by a disc-shaped object.

The Egyptian aristocracy

was so confused and angered by Akhenaten's installation

of this abstract deity,

that after his death,

they went to extreme lengths to obliterate his legacy.

HENRY: The ancient Egyptians did not want us to know

anything about Akhenaten. You can only wonder,

was it in fact to protect an even darker secret?

NARRATOR: What secret could have inspired Akhenaten

to make such drastic changes

during a time of tremendous prosperity?

Ancient astronaut theorists suggest

there may have been an otherworldly influence,

and as evidence,

point not only to the disc-shaped god he worshipped,

but also to the way he and his wife, Nefertiti,

were depicted by artists of the time.

CHILDRESS: He, and Nefertiti and their children

all had elongated heads

as we see all around the world

and is often associated with extraterrestrials.

Akhenaten has been suggested as possibly

being an extraterrestrial or part extraterrestrial.

TSOUKALOS: One has to wonder if Akhenaten may have been

some type of an extraterrestrial hybrid.

And perhaps that sun-disc Aten

that Akhenaten prayed to

wasn't a sun in the sky at all,

but it could have been an extraterrestrial

that instructed Akhenaten.

of otherworldly guidance unt

occurred in the distant past.

In fact, one alien influencer

allegedly crash-landed on Earth in the 1950s

and then shared the secrets of his technology

with members of the U.S. military.

Number two on our countdown of the top ten

alien influencers: J-Rod.

NARRATOR: Groom Lake, Nevada.

Hidden within a ring of mountains,

this dry lakebed is the location of Area 51,

the nation's most infamous military installation.

For decades rumors have swirled that this

top secret facility is hiding

not only extraterrestrial technology,

but a living alien being known as "J-Rod."

J-Rod is an alien

who allegedly worked at Area 51

over a period of years to help reverse engineer

extraterrestrial technology.

NARRATOR: A number of government whistleblowers

have come forward with the story that J-Rod

was first discovered inside the cockpit

of a downed alien craft.

According to their accounts,

on May 21, 1953,

government officials secretly gathered a team of scientists

to investigate the crash of an unidentified flying object

on the outskirts of Kingman, Arizona.

There were 40 engineers that boarded a bus,

and they took a long three and a half hour ride

from Phoenix to Kingman.

When they got there, it was nighttime.

There were MPs on all corners of the craft.

It's about a 40-foot diameter disc-shaped craft

that was perfectly intact, there wasn't a scratch on it.

There were four beings associated with this craft.

And they shipped it to Groom Lake.

DOLAN: Groom Lake is the Area 51 region in Nevada.

When Area 51 was just bare bones,

they took the craft and the aliens

out to that location in the middle of the Nevada desert,

because it was so remote,

and around that, they built Area 51.

This is where the story of J-Rod originates.

J-Rod survived and worked directly

with our own government.

What's very interesting here is here we have

an extraterrestrial in government custody,

and he could certainly have

all kinds of information to reveal,

and what they are apparently talking about is technology

and the reverse engineering of extraterrestrial technology.

NARRATOR: One man who claimed to have worked with J-Rod

is Captain Bill Uhouse, a former Air Force test pilot,

who was assigned to Area 51 in the mid-1960s.

We had a long period of introduction

into meeting,

you know, an alien.

And I called him J-Rod.

That's the name that the linguists gave him.

And he talked, he would talk,

but he'd sound just like,

if you spoke, he'd sound like you.

You know, he's like one of these, uh,

a parrot. (chuckles)

But he'd try and answer your question, you know?

Basically, it was only

engineering advice or science advice.

DENNET: Bill Uhouse said he met this being

at least ten times over a period of years,

and he learned it was J-Rod's mission

to help reverse engineer

technology that was

apparently from the 1953 Kingman UFO crash.

NARRATOR: While the sensational account

of Captain Bill Uhouse strikes many as outlandish,

shortly after he came forward,

a microbiologist named Dan Burisch

confirmed the claim.

There's another whistleblower by the name of Dan Burisch.

And Dan Burisch said that he was hired

as a microbiologist to, basically, care for J-Rod,

ensuring that he remained healthy.

And, uh, this went on for years and years and years.

NARRATOR: According to Dan Burisch and Bill Uhouse,

J-Rod was housed in a special underground chamber

at Area 51.

And J-Rod was not the only extraterrestrial

believed to be working with the United States government.

ROJAS: There's a lot of stories

that we've worked with aliens at Area 51,

and that they worked at the White House

uh, and the Pentagon as advisors,

helping us to better our world,

and they have been sharing information

for us to enhance our technologies.

TSOUKALOS: This idea that actual, physical extraterrestrials

could potentially be influencing

the course of the world

is a possibility.

I am sure there's envoys out there

that do the same thing,

not just on a planet,

but in entire planetary systems.

We're just moments away

from revealing the top alien influencer on our countdown,

and we've saved the best for last

because this one has had an impact

across the whole world.

end n

of the top ten alien influencers,

and this last one has led to

a seismic shift in beliefs and attitudes

towards the possibility

that extraterrestrials are visiting Earth.

At number one on our countdown:

Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.

NARRATOR: The New York Times releases

three videos that were recorded by U.S. fighter jets.

The footage, which appears to show encounters between

U.S. Navy aircraft and unidentified flying objects,

was brought to them by government whistleblower

Luis Elizondo.

DOLAN: Luis Elizondo is a former intelligence officer

in the Department of Defense.

From everything that we can see,

he had a very stellar career, very fine career.

And, in 2007, he was selected to run the AATIP program.

So that's the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program,

the UFO program.

NARRATOR: The release of the videos not only sparked

a wave of interest about UFOs across the country,

but forced lawmakers on Capitol Hill to take notice.

CHILDRESS: This was a real turning point

in the United States because The New York Times

basically said that, yeah, there are UFOs out there.

The government's looking at them.

It's actually an important investigation.

This really shows that

UFOs and the study of UFOs

and the investigation has entered the mainstream.

NARRATOR: The influence of the videos

released by Elizondo emboldened other whistleblowers

to come forward with evidence of UFOs.

Including Navy pilot David Fravor

and former Area 51 engineer Bob Lazar.

And in June, 2023,

former intelligence officer David Grusch

testified before Congress about a covert military program

that has craft of non-human origin.

I was informed in the course of my official duties

of a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval

and reverse engineering program.

NARRATOR: The impact of the testimony of these whistleblowers

has brought the idea of

extraterrestrials visiting Earth

into mainstream conversation.

But, as far as ancient astronaut theorists are concerned,

this is no accident.

They suggest that the dramatic influence the whistleblowers

have had on the public is part of a plan

by extraterrestrials.

TSOUKALOS: What's really fascinating is that in the 1960s,

Erich Von Däniken proposed in Chariots of the Gods?

that aliens would show up when Earth civilization

would reach a certain level of technology.

And with everything that's going on right now,

this may be the time when we will make contact.

ERICH VON DÄNIKEN: Some thousands of years ago,

the extraterrestrials promised to return

in a faraway future.

And we have good reasons to believe that now they are back.

More and more of these proven UFO cases

appear to the public.

Before, it was never shown to the public.

We know we are not alone.

We are under observation,

and it must be extraterrestrials

because they show a technology which we do not have.

NARRATOR: For the first time in history,

members of Congress, senators,

and the U.S. military

are openly talking about the possibility of

an extraterrestrial presence on Earth.

TSOUKALOS: All of a sudden, since 2017,

these stories have become front-page news.

And it clearly shows that there was

a type of a paradigm shift

that's happened over the past 25 years.

And, for someone like me, it's-it's incredible.

The idea that extraterrestrials

are deliberately revealing themselves to us

is truly thrilling.

But what's clear to ancient astronaut theorists

is that we've had contact with alien influencers

for thousands of years.

From heavenly beings described in the Bible

to strange amphibious creatures

and even mysterious visitors

seen in our skies today.

Perhaps the next alien influencer

will finally reveal the truth

about humankind's extraterrestrial past.

CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS