History Main / WeComeInPeaceShootToKill

* ''Series/{{V}}'' was about a hostile, sneaky, [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Nazi-like]] alien race using humanity's credulity against them. Originally conceived as a show about the presidency of a Father Coughlin like American fascist, but [[ScrewedByTheNetwork the network]] demanded Nazis [[RecycledINSPACE IN SPACE!]]

* Subsequently parodied in ''Film/MarsAttacks!'' The Martian ambassador comes up to a podium and speaks into a translation device, translating his words as "We come in peace". Then they whip out the rayguns and incinerate everyone in sight- at first, seemingly in response to a "cultural misunderstanding" where "dove means war", but it quickly turns out they are just doing it ForTheEvulz. Later, during the full-scale genocide, one of the Martians is carrying the translation device, which now broadcasts "Do not run! [[CrowningMomentOfFunny We are your friends]]!" over and over.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'': "Republican Space Rangers" mocks this trope to hell and back as part of the {{Anvilicious}} satire.

* There was an episode of ''{{Thundercats}}'' that had Lion-o attack an innocent alien visitor, then out of embarrassment help the next alien he met, who turned out (of course) to be evil.
** This was also an example of UglyHeroGoodLookingVillain, as Lion-o fired on the first alien because he was ugly and spoke gruffly, while the second was elegant and cultured. [[{{Anvilicious}} So Now You Know]]. AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle.
* The various ''{{Transformers}}'' series have had both, at times: The fiendish Decepticons worming their way into humanity's places of power, and the heroic Autobots being hounded as invaders (often after the Decepticons reveal themselves).

* New ''Series/DoctorWho'' plays this one straight: TheMaster goes to Earth, creates a human identity for himself, and gets elected as Prime Minister. Then he calls in the Toclafane, who come to Earth under the pretense of sharing their technology in exchange for Earth's friendship. Moments after first contact, however, the Master and the Toclafane set their true agenda into motion: take over the world so they can build warships and conquer the rest of the universe. Earth humans are literally (in the Latin sense of the word) decimated.

** The Creator/BigFinish audio drama "Blood of the Daleks" features a beleaguered human colony being contacted by "benevolent aliens". The clue's in the title. (And at the end [[spoiler: they make the same mistake with the Cybermen]].)
** ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS2E12ArmyOfGhosts Army of Ghosts]]'' demonstrates a variation whereby the visitors are not aliens but [[spoiler:{{Killer Robot}}s called Cybermen]] from a ParallelUniverse, being deliberately brought to ours by the Torchwood institute. (In the first act of the episode, the [[spoiler:Cybermen]] take on a "ghostly" appearance and do not speak). During the period where the visitors are assumed to be friendly, humans call them "[[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghosts]]", and many even think they really are the silent spirits of their deceased loved ones. The Doctor says "No one's running, screaming, freaking out", to which Jackie responds "Why should we?" Correct answer, for the GenreSavvy: ''Because you aren't, which means they're probably dangerous''.
*** There was a great line at the end of that episode.
---> '''Yvonne:''' They're invading the whole planet.
---> '''The Doctor:''' It's not an invasion, it's too late for that. It's a victory.
* Both variations are common in ''Series/TheOuterLimits'', ''TheTwilightZone'' and similar anthology shows.

* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "[[Recap/FuturamaS3E19RoswellThatEndsWell Roswell That Ends Well]]", when [[HarryTruman Harry S Truman]] greets Zoidberg with "If you come in peace, surrender or be destroyed. If you're here to make war, we surrender."

* Subsequently parodied in ''MarsAttacks!'' The Martian ambassador comes up to a podium and speaks into a translation device, translating his words as "We come in peace". Then they whip out the rayguns and incinerate everyone in sight- at first, seemingly in response to a "cultural misunderstanding" where "dove means war", but it quickly turns out they are just doing it ForTheEvulz. Later, during the full-scale genocide, one of the Martians is carrying the translation device, which now broadcasts "Do not run! [[CrowningMomentOfFunny We are your friends]]!" over and over.

* ''TheIronGiant'': Everyone initially assumes the Giant is hostile despite lack of evidence that it's hurt anyone; Kent Mansley in particular refuses to be convinced to the end. [[spoiler:In a twist, he'd probably be right if it weren't for the damage to the Giant's programming; all the weaponry it carries combined with the [[IdentityAmnesia dent in its head]] fixing itself just before its RoaringRampageOfRevenge suggests its original purpose was less than friendly.]]

* The 2012 sci-fi parody film IronSky uses this as one of its tag lines. The film is about [[RecycledInSpace Space]] [[StupidJetpackHitler Nazis]] invading the Earth.

* Subsequently parodied in ''MarsAttacks!'' The Martian ambassador comes up to a podium and speaks into a translation device, translating his words as "We come in peace". Then they whip out the rayguns and incinerate everyone in sight- at first, seemingly in response to a "cultural misunderstanding" where "dove means war", but it quickly turns out they are just doing it ForTheEvulz. Later, during the full-scale genocide, one of the Martians is carrying the translation device, which now broadcasts "Do not run! We are your friends!" over and over.

** The BigFinish audio drama "Blood of the Daleks" features a beleaguered human colony being contacted by "benevolent aliens". The clue's in the title. (And at the end [[spoiler: they make the same mistake with the Cybermen]].)

* The same is pretty much the case in FredSaberhagen's ''Literature/{{Berserker}}'' stories; the Carmpan, an inherently peaceful race unable to directly fight the titular killing machines, gives humanity just enough help to become expert Berserker-killers.

* Francisco de Solís led the Spanish expedition to the Americas that discovered the Río de la Plata. he saw natives at the oriental coast (modern Uruguay) and landed for a first contact. He was killed on sight by a wave of arrows. Only a few survivors managed to return to the ship and go back to Europe. [[/folder]]

* Displayed quite nicely in ''Film/IndependenceDay'', in which a [[StrawmanPolitical horde of GenreBlind people]] has assembled atop a skyscraper waving "hello and welcome to Earth" placards as the alien spaceship positions itself directly over them... and then fires its massive "[[AppliedPhlebotinum frission]]" cannon, destroying the building and most of the city. Earlier, the government sent a helicopter rigged with [[CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKind a grid of flashing lights]] to try and communicate: the aliens promptly blew it out of the sky.
** This is not only a darkly funny TakeThat to ''CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKind'', but a ShoutOut to ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds''. A group of astronomers tried to use semaphore flags to communicate their good will to a pit containing the Martian ship and a half-constructed tripod. [[HilarityEnsues Heat Ray-ity Ensues]].

* ''Series/StargateSG1'' is often an exception. The aliens they make first contact with are rarely evil, and it's even more rare for the protagonists to try to do them any harm. They're just incredibly unlucky.
** Only if you count all the non-Earthborn humans as aliens like the SGC does. The few real aliens fit the trope much better.
*** Not sure which aliens you mean... the Goa'uld and Wraith, obviously, but the Asgard are clearly helpful (though some of them are occasionally pompous), the Tok'ra are generally helpful all around (with occasional exceptions), the Nox are isolationist pacifists, the Unas are primitive, but eventually helpful, and the Serrakin are at first set up to be evil, but it turns out to be some humans that the Serrakin captain was with that are the bad guys. If you count the Jaffa as aliens (which, due to genetic modification, I'd say they are), their development from cannon fodder minions to a free people is at the heart of the show. Can't think of any more aliens off the top of my head, except the Furlings, but we've never seen them outside of the joke in Episode 200.
** The Ori in the last several seasons would fit rather well. They attempt to spread the religion of Origin throughout the Milky Way, having their priors say that it's enlightenment, the Ori are gods, and that they'd teach ascension. Really, they just want the power your worship will give them, and if you don't convert, they'll kill you and maybe your entire planet.
** There is a good example of the manipulative version in the Aschen, who, after giving mankind a crapton of AppliedPhlebotinum, including a serum which doubles their lifespan, are discovered to be [[spoiler: sterilizing the human population, so that they will eventually die out, and the Aschen can take over the planet.]] They are of course found out, but too late, requiring a TimeTravel [[CosmicRetcon Retcon]]. SG-1 has a lot of those.
*** Around five. That might be plenty for a normal show, but this thing went on for ten seasons.
** Ba'al in ''Film/StargateContinuum'' does a textbook example of this, even phoning the President to tell him that he comes in peace, knowing that a direct attack would make things much harder. It would have worked if there hadn't been a time traveling LaResistance waiting for his arrival.
*** Baal actually averts this, as he was being genuine, believing that preserving Earth as it is would make it the crown-jewel in his empire. It was his subordinates that wanted to attack Earth, and only do so when he is betrayed and murdered by his lover.

* Francisco de Solís led the Spanish expedition to the Americas that discovered the Río de la Plata. he saw natives at the oriental coast (modern Uruguay) and landed for a first contact. He was killed on sight by a wave of arrows. Only a few survivors managed to return to the ship and go back to Europe.

* Played with in Harry Turtledove's short story "The Road Not Taken". When aliens land, humans send out peaceful processions to greet them, which are quickly massacred by the landing party. However, the humans also very reasonably have military units nearby, just in case. The twist is that, other than their space travel capabilities, the aliens are ''ridiculously'' out of their league, technologically ([[SchizoTech attacking with flintlock rifles and powder cannons]]). The invasion is routed almost immediately.

* ''{{V}}: The Series'' (itself a followup to two miniseries) was about a hostile, sneaky, [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Nazi-like]] alien race using humanity's credulity against them.
** Originally conceived as a show about the presidency of a Father Coughlin like American fascist, but [[ScrewedByTheNetwork the network]] demanded Nazis [[RecycledINSPACE IN SPACE!]]
** The 2009 reboot makes it the alien leader's catchphrase: "We are of peace, always." (Major spoiler: [[spoiler: No, they aren't]].)

It's a SchrodingersGun; mankind is either an aggressive oppressor or clueless victim, and never in the beneficial combination. The trope name comes from the signature line of "Captain Kirk" in the song "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCARADb9asE Star Trekkin]]'" by The Firm.

* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "Roswell That Ends Well", when [[HarryTruman Harry S Truman]] greets Zoidberg with "If you come in peace, surrender or be destroyed. If you're here to make war, we surrender."

* In ''TheSimpsons'' episode "The Springfield Files", the trope is parodied when an alien (which later turns out to be Mr. Burns, made to look like an alien [[ItMakesSenseInContext through various circumstances]]) greets the people of Springfield:

* First contact in ''MassEffect'' for humans came in the form of the turians discovering human explorers activating inactive mass relays whenever they found them. This is a ''big'' no-no by turian reckoning, and their response was to shoot first and not bother asking questions until the other Citadel species got involved.

** Ba'al in StargateContinuum does a textbook example of this, even phoning the President to tell him that he comes in peace, knowing that a direct attack would make things much harder. It would have worked if there hadn't been a time traveling LaResistance waiting for his arrival.

* ''FinalFantasyIV'''s Lunarians. The majority are peaceful, kept in stasis until the humans below have evolved far enough to accept the aliens' intergration onto their world. One Lunarian, however, rejected this plan and opted to invade ''now''. This plot was more or less recycled in ''FinalFantasyIX'', with a single-minded android in place of the rogue alien.
* ''FinalFantasyVII'''s Jenova. Originally thought to be a mummy from an ancient, magic-wielding civilization, it was later exposed as an alien who was entombed by said magic-users. Jenova's MO is to imitate someone's appearance and voice, then - using their absorbed memories - approach that person's friends and loved ones under the guise of the victim. Her spawn have this ability, too, so it's a good thing Jenova was stopped dead in her tracks before she could escape the artic.

* Happens with the Pitar in AlanDeanFoster's books set in the HumanxCommonwealth. They were so human in their appearance and character, so charming and affable, that Humanity went head over heels about them. Any suspicions were either ignored in this wave of enthusiasm, or quietly swept under the rug. Until the news got out (complete with gory footage) about a peaceful and unarmed colony utterly obliterated by the Pitar invasion fleet. Humans were ''not'' amused.

* ''FinalFantasyIV'''s Lunarians. The majority are peaceful, kept in stasis until the humans below have evolved far enough to accept the aliens' intergration onto their world. One Lunarian, however, rejected this plan and opted to invade ''now''. This plot was more or less recycled in ''FinalFantasyIX'', with a single-minded android in place of the rogue alien.
* ''FinalFantasyVII'''s Jenova. Originally thought to be a mummy from an ancient, magic-wielding civilization, it was
later exposed as an alien who was entombed by said magic-users. Jenova's MO is to imitate someone's appearance and voice, then - using their absorbed memories - approach that person's friends and loved ones under the guise of the victim. Her spawn have this ability, too, so it's a good thing Jenova was stopped dead in her tracks before she could escape the artic.