The Day the Earth Stood Still story
A humanoid alien visitor named Klaatu comes to Earth, accompanied by a powerful eight-foot tall robot, Gort, to deliver an important message that will affect the entire human race.
12 total · 7 major · 5 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| attack from outer space by a genocidal enemy | major | Klaatu was sent to Earth by an interstellar federation with an ultimatum that Earth would be destroyed, unless their governments proliferated nuclear weapons into outer space. |
| extraterrestrial being | major | The humanoid alien Klaatu was dispatched to Earth to render judgement on humanity. |
| first contact | major | Klaatu was sent on a mission to make first contact with Earth, because nuclear power had been discovered, and the interstellar federation he represented would not permit Earthlings to send nuclear weapons into space. |
| humanoid robot | major | A novelty of the film was an eight-foot-tall robot, named Gort, defending the flying saucer landed in Washington D.C.. |
| nuclear proliferation | major | Klaatu was sent to Earth by an interstellar federation with an ultimatum that Earth would be destroyed, unless their governments proliferated nuclear weapons into outer space. |
| security vs. freedom | major | Klaatu represented an interstellar organization that lived in peace because they had entrusted their security to a race of robots. |
| transnational institution for peace | major | Klaatu represented an interstellar organization that created a race of robots that they completely entrusted with the complete elimination of aggression among all planets. |
| boyfriend and girlfriend | minor | Helen Benson and Tom Stevens. |
| flying saucer | minor | A flying saucer landed in Washington, D.C., causing a sensation around the world. |
| flying saucer theory of UFOs | minor | A flying saucer landed in Washington, D.C., causing a sensation around the world. |