History Main / WeComeInPeaceShootToKill

** The Ori in the last several seasons 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 [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly the power your worship will give them]], and if you don't convert, they'll kill you and maybe your entire planet.

** The prologue to "In a Mirror, Darkly" takes the ''[[Film/StarTrekFirstContact First Contact]]'' scene where humanity meets the Vulcans, flips it inside-out and drops it squarely into Type 1 of this trope -- Zefram Cochrane blasts the Vulcans in the face with a shotgun and hijacks their ship. Pretty awesome, in a sadistic sort of way[[labelnote:*]]To be fair, this was the version of Cochrane who had [[Film/StarTrekFirstContact just narrowly escaped being assimilated by the Borg]]. He wasn't an irrational xenophobe; he ''knew damn well'' that there were terrible things out there, and even if these new guys ''weren't'' a threat - which he couldn't be sure of -- he was perfectly willing to kill them in order to get the technology that humanity needed to protect itself.[[/labelnote]].

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E12ArmyOfGhosts "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: ''Because you aren't, which means they're probably dangerous''. There was a great line at the end of that episode.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

-->-- '''Gallaxhar,''' ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens''

** ''New Who'' 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]].)

* Both variations are common in ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963'', ''Series/TheTwilightZone'' and similar anthology shows.
* ''Series/{{V 1983}}'' 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!]] It actually proves a clever tactic, since there aren't actually very many of the Visitors and while their tech is superior it isn't THAT superior, meaning they almost certainly would have been stomped in a direct invasion.
* The 2009 reboot ''Series/{{V 2009}}'' makes it the alien leader's catchphrase: "We are of peace, always." (Major spoiler: [[spoiler: No, they aren't]].)
* ''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. At least if you count all the non-Earthborn humans as aliens like the SGC does. Some of the real aliens fit the trope better.
** The Ori in the last several seasons 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 [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly the power your worship will give them]], and if you don't convert, they'll kill you and maybe your entire planet.
** The Aschen, 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 then make contact with the Aschen again in a later episode and nearly repeat the mistake, until they realize they come from that planet the OminousMessageFromTheFuture told them never to visit.

* Subverted by ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun''. The friendly alien protagonists live in constant [[TheyWouldCutYouUp fear of being experimented on]] by "primitive" Earth scientists and use this as the justification for their {{Masquerade}}. The subversion comes in how paranoid they are about this happening even though none of the human characters even ''suspect'' they're aliens. Well, except for that one psycho played by Kathy Bates, but it turns out she had a habit of killing innocent people she incorrectly suspected of being aliens.

* In the first episode of ''Series/{{ALF}}'', when authorities investigate the crash landing of ALF's ship, they make it clear to the Tanners that if an alien life form is found, it will be taken into custody to be experimented on.

* On ''Series/BabylonFive'', such an incident kicked off the pre-series Earth-Minbari War. [[spoiler:During the first contact between Earth and Minbari starships, the Minbari approach with gunports open, a cultural gesture of respect. The Earth captain overreacts -- the Minbari accidentally jam the Humans' jump drives with their scanners -- and assumes hostile intent. HilarityEnsues.]]

* Chris Elliott did a sketch on some show parodying the "all aliens are friendly" by hugging and promoting one trying to attack him.
* On ''Series/{{Hyperdrive}}'', this trope constitutes most of the Camden Lock's operating procedure for dealing with aliens. Henderson and Teal come in peace, York shoots to kill and either way it bites them in the arse.
* The ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' played with this in an episode titled "First Contact", not to be confused with ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact''. Riker is captured monitoring a planet that's on the verge of becoming warp capable. While the planet's leader is a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, his head of security shoots himself with a phaser to frame Riker for murder, but screws it up. It's playing with both examples of this trope.
* [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries James Kirk]] didn't really say "We come in peace -- shoot to kill", but in "Spectre of the Gun" he told the Melkotians "We come in peace," drew and aimed his phaser and said "But we'll defend ourselves if necessary."
* In ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'', the first part of the trope name is a BerserkButton for T'Kuvma, who believes that the Federation are liars, who claim to come in peace, while aiming to assimilate all cultures they come across, including the Klingons. To him and his followers, claiming to "come in peace", while seeking to undermine what it means to be a Klingon, is a bold-faced lie. He manages to rally most of the Great Houses under his banner, while chanting "Remain Klingon!" Michael Burnham is the only one who thinks that this approach to Klingons is wrong, having been told by her foster father Sarek that Vulcans have learned to open fire on Klingon ships at every encounter in order to initiate a dialog (the so-called "Vulcan hello"). She wants to do the same, against her captain's orders, not realizing that T'Kuvma intends to start a war no matter who fires first.

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* ''Franchise/{{Gamera}}'':

* ''ComicBook/UltimateGalactusTrilogy'': Vision came to earth to warn humanity about Galactus. The Russians stored her in a bunker, and tried to create super soldiers by removing parts from her and implanting them into people. All those experiments have GoneHorriblyWrong.

--> '''Alien (Burns):''' I bring you ''love!''
--> '''Lenny:''' It's bringing love! Don't let it get away!
--> '''Carl:''' Break its legs!

-->Do not panic, you will all die.
-->Surrender and I will destroy you peacefully.

* 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.

** The prologue to "In a Mirror, Darkly" takes the [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming beautiful]] ''[[Film/StarTrekFirstContact First Contact]]'' scene where humanity meets the Vulcans, flips it inside-out and drops it squarely into Type 1 of this trope -- Zefram Cochrane blasts the Vulcans in the face with a shotgun and hijacks their ship. Pretty awesome, in a sadistic sort of way[[labelnote:*]]To be fair, this was the version of Cochrane who had [[Film/StarTrekFirstContact just narrowly escaped being assimilated by the Borg]]. He wasn't an irrational xenophobe; he ''knew damn well'' that there were terrible things out there, and even if these new guys ''weren't'' a threat - which he couldn't be sure of -- he was perfectly willing to kill them in order to get the technology that humanity needed to protect itself.[[/labelnote]].

-->'''Brutus's Companions: (whispering to each other): "Get ready to shoot to kill!"

* In [[Franchise/ArchieComics Archie's]] ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehog'', humans dissecting the occupant of a downed Xorda spacecraft caused the entire race to launch genetic bombs at the Earth, thus killing off most humans and causing evolutionary mutation that led to our furry friends, the Mobians, becoming a dominant species along with the human-like Overlanders.

# [[InnocentAliens Peaceful aliens]] will be met with fear and greed, as humans try to kidnap, interrogate, dissect them, etc. They'll usually think the aliens want to attack. Said aliens may gain one or two human friends (the main characters) but most of the human race is shown to be primitive fools. HumansAreMorons and HumansKillWantonly. It is a {{Subtrope}} of MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold with its own flavor. Incidentally, this trope is a staple element of at least some parts of ufology, among those who believe in it.

# [[InnocentAliens Peaceful aliens]] will be met with fear and greed, as humans try to kidnap, interrogate, dissect them, etc. They'll usually think the aliens want to attack. Said aliens may gain one or two human friends (the main characters) but most of the human race is shown to be primitive fools. HumansKillWantonly. It is a {{Subtrope}} of MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold with its own flavor. Incidentally, this trope is a staple element of at least some parts of ufology, among those who believe in it.

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E12ArmyOfGhosts "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.

* In the cartoon ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'', some aliens landed saying "we come in peace," and Garfield observed that any aliens who say that are actually evil invaders. [[GenreSavvy His prediction was correct.]]

A subversion of IComeInPeace. Aliens who try this should read HowToInvadeAnAlienPlanet.

* [[spoiler:A deleted scene confirms this: A nightmare the Giant has, stemming from his damaged programming, reveals he is only one of an entire ''fleet'' of giants, built by an unknown alien race ostensibly for the purpose of being the vanguard to invasion.]]

* In the ''Literature/ConfederationOfValor'' series, the Others began attacking the Confederation centuries ago. The Confederation sent diplomats to point out that SpaceIsBig and there was plenty of room for both situations; the Others sent back the dead diplomats with a bomb. [[spoiler:Actually, the Others, who call themselves the Primacy, had the exact same experience with the Confederation. Both sides were being manipulated, and peace efforts sabotaged, by a HigherTechSpecies as a giant sociology experiment. Once this is discovered by protagonist Torin Kerr and other inmates of an alien POWCamp in book four, they bury the hatchet with the Primacy.]]

* In the backstory of the ''Literature/KrisLongknife'' series, the humans and Iteeche first encountered each other when the Iteeche attacked outlying colonies without warning. After a bloody border conflict the two species agreed to ignore each other and established [[TheNeutralZone a demilitarized zone that neither was allowed to fly through]]. That's the official story on both sides anyway: [[spoiler:What ''really'' happened was that the attacks went in both directions, having been committed by ''Iteeche and human SpacePirates''. These pirates then lied to their respective governments when reaction forces moved in to defend the colonies. After figuring out what was really going on, Ray Longknife and Roth'sum'We'sum'Quin managed to make contact with each other and negotiate TheNeutralZone, and the two species went their separate ways, [[NotSoDifferent all the while with both their respective publics convinced that the other side had intended their extermination and they had survived by the skin of their teeth]].]]