History Trivia / IndependenceDay

* DevelopmentHell: Two sequels to the film have been planned for several years, and only recently got a release date of July 3rd, 2016.

* ReferencedBy:
** Both ''VideoGame/MetalSlug 2[=/=][[UpdatedReRelease X]]'' and ''VideoGame/SigmaStarSaga'' have alien spaceships taken down by kamikaze attacks to their ventral {{Wave Motion Gun}}s (final and first bosses, respectively).
** The Scrin Mothership in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer3TiberiumWars'' is a flying saucer armed with a matter-conversion cannon that can wipe out whole cities in one shot.
** ''VideoGame/StarFox64''[='=]s Katina stage features the Saucerer, a familiar looking flying saucer that fires a giant WaveMotionGun if you don't beat it fast enough. You fight it in a giant aerial battle with many allied and enemy ships. The official American strategy guide even {{lampshades}} this, saying that the Saucerer's plans might have been stolen from another alien race.

* StarMakingRole: UpToEleven for Creator/WillSmith. His work as [[Music/DJJazzyJeffAndTheFreshPrince The Fresh Prince]] put him on the map as a musician. ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' and ''Film/BadBoys1995'' made him a household name as an actor. ''Film/IndependenceDay'' made him one of the biggest movie stars ''of all time''.

* StarMakingRole: UpToEleven for Creator/WillSmith. His work as [[Music/DJJazzyJeffAndTheFreshPrince The Fresh Prince]] put him on the map as a musician. ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' and ''BadBoys1995'' made him a household name as an actor. ''Film/IndependenceDay'' made him one of the biggest movie stars ''of all time''.

* StarMakingRole: UpToEleven for Creator/WillSmith. His work as [[Music/DJJazzyJeffAndTheFreshPrince The Fresh Prince]] put him on the map as a musician. ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' and ''Film/BadBoys'' made him a household name as an actor. ''Film/IndependenceDay'' made him one of the biggest movie stars ''of all time''.

** There was a scene in the film that would have explained how Levinson's Macbook was compatible with an alien operation system, by showing that Levinson analyzed the computers on board the crashed alien fighter to build the virus. For some reason, the scene was removed from the theatrical cut. It was cut because Emmerich didn't think people would make that big a deal of it.

** Similarily, when Jimmy tries to take down Steve's pursuer, he is shown having three missiles left when he has already fired two.

* BillingDisplacement: Though Mary [=McDonnell=] is higher billed than the fellow female stars, Margaret Colin and Creator/VivicaAFox, her screen time is much less than both of them.

** Creator/EddieMurphy was the first choice for the part of Steven Hiller. Creator/TomCruise, Creator/JohnnyDepp, Creator/KeanuReeves, and Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme were considered for the part.

* BackedByThePentagon: The producers ''tried'' to use this trope, but the Pentagon refused to back a movie whose plot involved {{Area 51}}, (because it doesn't exist!). Tellingly, Emmerich noted in one interview (and in the DVD commentary) that the Pentagon bent over backwards to help him get the technical details right ''until'' they saw Area51 mentioned, at which point they pretty much told him that he was on his own. This is because despite the existence of the facility being an open secret thanks to the Air Force base being clearly visible from the perimeter fence (though what they do or don't there is still unknown), the U.S. government wouldn't publicly admit to its existence [[http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/08/16/212549163/there-it-is-area-51-revealed-in-declassified-cia-report until August 2013]].

* BackedByThePentagon: The producers ''tried'' to use this trope, but the Pentagon refused to back a movie whose plot involved {{Area 51}}, (because it doesn't exist!). Tellingly, Emmerich noted in one interview (and in the DVD commentary) that the Pentagon bent over backwards to help him get the technical details right ''until'' they saw Area 51 mentioned, at which point they pretty much told him that he was on his own.
** HilariousInHindsight thanks to [[http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/08/16/212549163/there-it-is-area-51-revealed-in-declassified-cia-report the reveal]] that Area51 does, in fact, exist.
*** The existence of Area 51, which is Groom Lake Airfield, Nellis Air Force Base, has never been secret. The fact that you can clearly see it from the perimeter fence kind of makes such a denial pointless. What they do or don't do there is another story.

** As mentioned on the main page, despite starting on what should be a sweltering July morning, Connie's USA Today has a weather map that would be more appropriate for mid-winter in the United States.

* DuelingMovies: Against ''Film/MarsAttacks''. In the end, ''Independence Day'' proved to be a box office success and spawned a new franchise.

* DuelingMovies: Against ''Film/MarsAttacks''.

** Creator/WillSmith's "AND WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SMELL?!" line while ranting about having to drag an unconscious alien through the desert in his parachute when he could have had a day off for the Fourth of July was not in the original script: the desert setting that they were filming in was actually the salt flats near Great Salt Lake in Utah. Great Salt Lake is home to brine shrimp. When they die, the bodies sink to the bottom of the lake (which isn't very deep) and decompose. When the wind kicks up just right, the bottom mud is disturbed and the smell of millions of decaying brine shrimp can be very, very bad. Apparently, [[EnforcedMethodActing nobody warned Will]]. (Creator/RolandEmmerich also said that he would have loved to let Smith improvise as much as he could, given how hilarious the scene turned out).

** Production designer Patrick Tatopoulos came up with two completely different designs for the aliens. Roland Emmerich loved both sketches and asked to use them both, leading to the distinct "small alien in an exoskeleton" look.

** Creator/WillSmith's then-girlfriend, Creator/JadaPinkett, was reportedly offered the role of Jasmine, but had already accepted a role in the 1996 remake of ''Film/TheNuttyProfessor1996''.

* RecycledSet: The attack on El Toro scene took place on the "Russian Airfield in Afghanistan" used in ''Film/TheLivingDaylights''. Ironically, unlike said film, the USMC did use the OV-10 Bronco displayed on the ramp.

** The RousingSpeech Whitmore gives to the pilots before the climax was not intended as the final version of the speech. Emmerich and Devlin got caught up in filming they forgot to keep working on it up until Pullman was doing rehearsals on set. But Pullman was just so bombastic that the extras and ''crew'' were applauding, and they left the speech alone. The line "Today we celebrate our Independence Day!" was ad-libbed.

* DeletedRole: Diana Bellamy, Creator/JudithHoag, and Jessica Tuck were all cast in large roles that were ultimately deemed extraneous and not included in the final script.

* DeletedRole: Diana Bellamy, Judith Hoag, and Jessica Tuck were all cast in large roles that were ultimately deemed extraneous and not included in the final script.

** Yet another deleted scene (according to an interview with Judd Hirsch) would have explained that Julius Levinson was a Rabbi who lost his faith after his wife died. This is why David is so shocked by his revelation that he hadn't, "spoken to God" since then. It's also why he takes it upon himself to lead the prayer circle in the FinalBattle.

* BillingDisplacement: Though Mary [=McDonnell=] is higher billed than the fellow female stars, Margaret Colin and Creator/VivicaAFox, her screen time is much lesser than both of them.

* StarMakingRole: Will Smith already had [[Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir a popular sitcom]] and [[Film/BadBoys a successful buddy cop film]] to his name, but ''Independence Day'' sent his film career into the stratosphere.