History Main / IComeInPeace

--> '''Giant Holographic Head of Gallaxar:''' [[PunyEarthlings "People of Earth!]] I am Gallaxar. [[BlatantLies You need not fear me; I mean you no harm.]] [[OneMoreThing However, it is important to note that most of you will not survive the next forty-eight hours.]] [[FateWorseThanDeath Those of you who '''do''' survive will be enslaved and experimented on.]] [[LetMeSumUp So, in summary]] - [[ExactWords I come in peace]]; [[HypocriticalHumor mean you no harm]]; [[ApocalypseHow and you all will die]]. Gallaxar out."

** Gallaxar: "Humans of Earth, I come in peace. However, most of you will not survive the next 24 hours."

* In the ''Series/BabylonFive'' TV movie ''In The Beginning'', Captain Jankowski's expedition to covertly investigate the Minbari [[EpicFail stumble across a Minbari fleet carrying their central governing council]]. During the [[FirstContact ensuing encounter]], Jankowski orders that a signal be sent assuring the Minbari that they come in peace. Unfortunately, [[AliensSpeakingEnglish the Minbari can't understand English]] and the situation degrades further from there due to [[NobodyEverComplainedBefore compounding cultural misunderstandings.]]

* In one early {{Dilbert}} strip, Dilbert discovers a microscopic civilization. After saying the line, he decides to adjust the lens of his scope...[[MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds and ends up crushing the tiny world.]] Dogbert's comment on the event? "I loved the part where you said 'I come in peace.'"

* In ''Series/{{Stargate SG-1}}'':

-->-- '''Buzz Lightyear''', ''ToyStory''

[[AC: Film]]

[[AC: Literature]]

[[AC: Live Action Television]]
* In ''{{Stargate SG-1}}'':

[[AC: Video Games]]

[[AC: Western Animation]]

[[AC: Film]]

[[AC:Live Action TV]]

[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''RatchetAndClank: A Crack In Time'' has Dr. Nefarious's robots telling the eponymous characters that they come in peace, and that they might go have some pie or take in a holofilm together. These are robots that tend to be shooting at the characters as they say this.

[[AC: Western Animation]]

* In possibly the oddest straight use ever (and possibly a StealthParody), the player-character in ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}: Cataclysm'' quotes the trope word-for-word... whilst trying to convince the setting's resident SpacePirates to [[StrangeBedfellows help you take on the Cosmic Horror that's clobbered you and them both.]] [[spoiler:It doesn't turn out very well, to say the least.]]

* ''RatchetAndClank: A Crack In Time'' has Dr. Nefarious's robots telling the titular characters that they come in peace, and that they might go have some pie or take in a holofilm together. These are robots that tend to be shooting at the characters as they say this.

Okay, so you've had your [[FirstContact first encounter with an alien race]]. They don't seem hostile, and might even be friendly. So, how do you let them know you don't want to hurt them?

This can happen in reverse, of course, with the alien race indicating their peaceful intentions this way. If a character uses the specific phrase, it can overlap with IAlwaysWantedToSayThat.

* In ''Film/{{Explorers}}'', one of the young heroes greets an alien with "We come in peace", because it seems like the right thing to do. The alien, in turn, replies, "[[Characters/BugsBunny Ehhh, what's up, doc?]]"
* In ''Film/TheAbyss'', Bud Brigman tries a more casual approach when confronted by aliens: "Howdy. Uh... How are you guys doin'?"
* In ''Film/IndependenceDay'', the government sends military choppers displaying greetings in all the languages of the world. It ends badly.

* In the movie ''Film/IComeInPeace'', the main alien says this to the Earthlings almost out of reflex, but in reality he wants to steal their brain fluid for the intergalactic drug trade.

* In the ''IndependenceDay'' example, a rooftop full of people holding up welcoming signs to the 15-mile-wide saucers are the first to be annihilated on-screen. Hilariously, earlier in the movie a news item is shown on TV warning the people of L.A. not to fire their guns at said ships, to avoid accidentally sparking an interstellar war.

--->'''Captain Steven Hiller:''' [punches the alien in the head] Welcome to Earth!

* ''MonstersVsAliens'' subverts it from both sides:
** B.O.B. to the alien probe: "Welcome! We are here to destroy you!"

[[AC:Live Action TV]]

* ''RatchetAndClank: A Crack In Time'' has Dr. Nefarious's robots telling the titular characters that they come in peace, and that they might go have some pie or take in a holofilm together. These are robots that tend to be shooting at the characters as they say this.

[[AC:Real Life]]

'''Cale:''' NO harm! You mean him NO harm!\

* ''{{V}}'' (2009 version): "We are of peace, always".
* ''RatchetAndClank: A Crack In Time'' has Dr. Nefarious's robots telling the titular characters that they come in peace, and that they might go have some pie or take in a holofilm together. These are robots that tend to be shooting at the characters as they say this.
** "Mr. Zurkon", a floating robot that defends the player (and is a weapon in his own right) perhaps lampshades this by proclaiming that "[[ThirdPersonPerson Mr. Zurkon]] does not come in peace."

* In ''TheAbyss'', Bud Brigman tries a more casual approach when confronted by aliens: "Howdy. Uh... How are you guys doin'?"
* In ''IndependenceDay'', the government sends military choppers displaying greetings in all the languages of the world. It ends badly.

* ''StarTrekFirstContact'' has the Vulcans greeting humanity with their customary "Live long and prosper".
* In ''{{Predator}} 2'', a young boy encounters the cloaked Predator and is nearly shot before it recognizes that his plastic machine gun is only a toy. The kid's response? "Want some candy?"

* In the 2009 version of {{V}}, the Visitors' catchphrase is "We are of peace, always." Guess what? [[{{Understatement}} They aren't]].

->"My name is [[WrongGenreSavvy Buzz Lightyear]], I come in peace."

* ThePenguinsOfMadagascar greet a cat when they think they've landed on the moon this way: "We come in peace. For now."

--> '''Cale:''' "Explain our noble intentions!"
--> '''Richard:''' "Will do. I mean you harm."
--> '''Cale:''' "NO harm! You mean him NO harm!"
--> '''Richard:''' [[HeroicSociopath "That doesn't sound like me."]]

* The 1980s/90s UK prank show ''Beadles About'' had a famous and very elaborate hoax involving dozens of actors and extensive special effects to convince a women that an alien had landed in her back yard. On finally seeing the alien emerge from the saucer, her first words to what she genuinely believed to be an alien were, brilliantly, "do you want a cup of tea?"

----
<<|AlienTropes|>>
<<|SpeculativeFictionTropes|>>
<<|StockPhrases|>>

* In possibly the oddest straight use ever (and possibly a StealthParody), the player-character in ''{{Homeworld}}: Cataclysm'' quotes the trope word-for-word... whilst trying to convince the setting's resident SpacePirates to [[StrangeBedfellows help you take on the Cosmic Horror that's clobbered you and them both.]] [[spoiler:It doesn't turn out very well, to say the least.]]

<<|StockPhrases|>>

* In ''Game/AnotherWorld'', the protagonist tries to greet the aliens with a smile and an open palm. This didn't end well - he got zapped and put into a cage. One can assume he unwittingly [[NonverbalMiscommunication flipped the aliens off]].

* In ''{{Explorers}}'', one of the young heroes greets an alien with "We come in peace", because it seems like the right thing to do. The alien, in turn, replies, "[[Characters/BugsBunny Ehhh, what's up, doc?]]"

* The Martians in {{Mars Attacks!}} say this...promptly before melting everything in the near vicinity.

* One common way this is subverted, as in the ''IndependenceDay'' example, is to have the peaceful party being then obliterated by the other team, who prefers that they come [[IncrediblyLamePun in pieces]].
** Also, a rooftop full of people holding up welcoming signs to the 15-mile-wide saucers are the first to be annihilated on-screen. Hilariously, earlier in the movie a news item is shown on TV warning the people of L.A. not to fire their guns at said ships, to avoid accidentally sparking an interstellar war.

* In ''{{The Explorers}}'', one of the young heroes greets an alien with "We come in peace", because it seems like the right thing to do. The alien, in turn, replies, "[[Characters/BugsBunny Ehhh, what's up, doc?]]"

* In the remake of ''TheDayTheEarthStoodStill'', [[KeanuReeves Klaatu]] steps out of his ship in the presence of roughly half the U.S. military, who are already a bit jumpy on account of the aforementioned spaceship. He wordlessly offers something to the welcoming party, and somebody twitches and shoots him. [[spoiler:He gets better. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't.]]

Okay, so you've had your first encounter with an alien race. They don't seem hostile, and might even be friendly. So, how do you let them know you don't want to hurt them?

WeComeInPeaceShootToKill is another name for aversions of this trope. Compare TakeMeToYourLeader. This is an important part of HowToInvadeAnAlienPlanet.

* The first Vahnatai you meet in {{Avernum}} 2 (in the flesh, at least) uses this line nearly word-for-word--however, she's not quite fluent in English, and it comes out as "peaceness" instead.