Why is it....

[Gawdzilla Sama]

...so many scifi stories and movies have the aliens (and our own ships for that matter) coming at Earth along the plain of the elliptic?

[klr]

...so many scifi stories and movies have the aliens (and our own ships for that matter) coming at Earth along the plain of the elliptic?

... or landing in US of A? Why not China, or Botswana?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

...so many scifi stories and movies have the aliens (and our own ships for that matter) coming at Earth along the plain of the elliptic?

... or landing in US of A? Why not China, or Botswana?

The line from "Monsters vs. Aliens" was funny. "An alien space craft has landed in the US! (Apparently the only country where they do so.)"

[Schneibster]

Ecliptic.

Because writers aren't strategists. And because space is boring.

ETA: As far as where they show up, CE3K had them in the Gobi Desert and India at the same time as here, and Independence Day had them over Paris, London, New York, Moscow, Peking, New Delhi, and Tokyo and so forth.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Ecliptic.

Because writers aren't strategists. And because space is boring.

I think part of it is because of the landmark. You can say "The alien space craft was now 888,188,000 miles from the Sun." Or you can say, "The Alien Space Craft was passing Saturn at that point.

(Anyone else feel outraged when Galactus screwed up the rings when he passed Saturn? )

[Schneibster]

For insystem moves, it's the way to go. You get free boost from orbital velocity and fuel's always expensive, and you can slingshot. There's nothing to slingshot around out of the ecliptic.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

For insystem moves, it's the way to go. You get free boost from orbital velocity and fuel's always expensive, and you can slingshot. There's nothing to slingshot around out of the ecliptic.

What if you start with a 10 degree incline/decline, then adjust your trajectory later?

[Xamonas Chegwé]

It is well known that, due to relativistic, gravitational stresses, space craft simply can't safely align themselves into an Earth orbit in any other way than along the ecliptic plain - it's known as the... ecliptic fit.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

It is well known that, due to relativistic, gravitational stresses, space craft simply can't safely align themselves into an Earth orbit in any other way than along the ecliptic plain - it's known as the... ecliptic fit.

One of the ways to play on that was to have the aliens approach Earth from "well out of the plane of the ecliptic" because nobody looks there. Which is horse-hockey, of course.

[Mysturji]

Because otherwise they'd fall right through the solar system.
If they come in flat, their brakes can get traction.

[klr]

Ecliptic.

Because writers aren't strategists. And because space is boring.

ETA: As far as where they show up, CE3K had them in the Gobi Desert and India at the same time as here, and Independence Day had them over Paris, London, New York, Moscow, Peking, New Delhi, and Tokyo and so forth.

CE3K is the honourable exception that proves the rule. But Independence Day forfeits any brownie points gained for this, because of its many crimes against humanity movies.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

]

Ecliptic.

Because writers aren't strategists. And because space is boring.

ETA: As far as where they show up, CE3K had them in the Gobi Desert and India at the same time as here, and Independence Day had them over Paris, London, New York, Moscow, Peking, New Delhi, and Tokyo and so forth.

Um, they got there after the events started. The investigators were drawn to India because the people were doing that mass chanting.