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The new trailer for Disclosure Day has arrived, and it’s already sending shivers down viewers’ spines.
In the clip, Emily Blunt plays a newsreader who is overtaken by an alien force, breaking into a series of strange clicks and chirps that seem utterly otherworldly.
But how realistic is this portrayal of extraterrestrial communication?
Could Aliens Really Sound Like This?
Leading scientists say that while Emily Blunt’s clicks might seem bizarre, they aren’t entirely implausible.
Life on Earth has taught us that communication evolves according to environmental pressures, and alien life could follow similar principles.
If a species develops on an Earth-like planet, they might use sound to convey meaning—perhaps in ways reminiscent of birds, crickets, or even elephants.
Dr Douglas Vakoch, chair of METI (Messaging to Extra–Terrestrial Intelligence) International, explained: “To guess how aliens will communicate, we need to understand how they interact face-to-face.
If they live in environments where sound is advantageous, they may develop speech-like patterns that vary over time, just like on Earth.”
Sound Isn’t the Only Option
Of course, aliens might not rely on sound at all.
Some could communicate using light, chemical signals, or other means entirely unfamiliar to us.
Mia Belle Parkinson, a PhD candidate at the UK Centre for Astrobiology, pointed out: “It’s easy to imagine intelligent beings that look and sound like us, but evolution can take wildly different paths.
Life on a planet unlike Earth could communicate in ways we haven’t even imagined.”
Even the clicks in the trailer aren’t totally alien to us—they resemble the sounds used in the Khoisan languages of West Africa.
So while the trailer exaggerates for cinematic effect, the concept isn’t pure fantasy.
First Contact Might Be Less Dramatic Than Movies Suggest
Astrobiologists caution that movies like Disclosure Day get one key thing wrong: aliens probably won’t be popping out of the shadows to have a chat.
Dr Sheri Wells-Jensen from Bowling Green State University said, “Our first contact will likely be far less cinematic. They’ll email us rather than crawl out from under our beds.”
Because of the vast distances involved, any real communication will probably happen via remote signals—radio waves, laser pulses, or other detectable patterns designed to prove intelligence exists.
Dr John Elliott, Chair of the UK SETI Research Network, notes: “Communication is more likely to involve repeated patterns or images rather than spoken language.”
The Fermi Paradox and the Silence of the Cosmos
The trailer’s premise touches on a question scientists have pondered for decades: if intelligent life is out there, why haven’t we heard from them? The Fermi Paradox asks why, given billions of stars and planets, no signs of alien life have yet been detected.
Several theories attempt to explain the silence.
Perhaps alien civilizations lack the technology to reach us, or maybe the distances are so vast that one or both civilizations would vanish before communication occurs.
Some suggest intelligent life intentionally avoids Earth, letting us evolve naturally—the so-called “Zoo Hypothesis.”
Professor Brian Cox offers a different angle, arguing that the very advances needed to explore the stars could lead to a civilization’s self-destruction.
“The growth of science and engineering might outpace political wisdom, leading to disaster,” he says.
What Disclosure Day Gets Right
Despite its sensationalism, the trailer taps into some scientifically plausible ideas.
Extraterrestrials could indeed communicate through patterns and sounds, and first contact is more likely to be indirect, through signals rather than physical appearances.
While Emily Blunt’s chilling clicks make for great cinema, they might not be too far off the mark if aliens evolved on a planet similar to our own.
The Takeaway
Whether it’s clicks, chirps, chemical signals, or flashing lights, alien communication remains one of humanity’s most fascinating mysteries.
While movies like Disclosure Day dramatize first contact, scientists remind us that the reality may be subtler, slower, and perhaps even stranger than fiction.
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