This episode investigates claims that humanity may have originated from the Pleiades star cluster, located 400 light-years from Earth, pointing to the 2017 discovery of 'Oumuamua—an interstellar object detected by the University of Hawaii's Haleakala Observatory that traveled through our solar system at over 195,000 miles per hour. Ancient alien theorists including Giorgio Tsoukalos and Bruce Fenton suggest the cigar-shaped object's unusual acceleration pattern near the Sun, combined with its apparent origin from the Pleiades region, represents a "calling card" from extraterrestrials. Harvard astronomer Dr. Avi Loeb's speculation that 'Oumuamua might employ solar sail propulsion technology is presented alongside indigenous traditions, such as those shared by Leonard Kapahulehua, describing ancestors who "came from the stars," specifically the Pleiades.
Mainstream astronomers, including researcher Karen Meech who studied 'Oumuamua, classify it as the first confirmed interstellar object—a natural phenomenon from another star system passing through our own, initially thought to be an asteroid before being reclassified based on its unusual movement. While Loeb's solar sail hypothesis generated significant attention, most scientists attribute 'Oumuamua's properties to outgassing or other natural processes not yet fully understood. The episode remains compelling for its documentation of a genuinely historic astronomical event—the first confirmed visitor from beyond our solar system—and the legitimate scientific debate about what exactly 'Oumuamua is, even as the "alien spacecraft" interpretation represents a fringe position within that discussion.
Denisova Cave, Altai Mountains
Russia · Cro-Magnon / Upper Paleolithic
Ancient astronaut theorists argue that the Denisovans' geographic isolation in the remote Altai Mountains supports the idea that extraterrestrials used separated environments as distinct experimental incubation sites for different human prototypes. Mainstream scientists identify the Denisovans as a distinct archaic human population based on ancient DNA extracted from a finger bone and tooth, noting genetic evidence of interbreeding with both Neanderthals and modern humans.
Devil's Tower
United States · Native American
Theorists cite the Kiowa legend that seven maidens were raised skyward at Devil's Tower to escape a great bear, becoming the Pleiades, as evidence that diverse cultures worldwide share an identical historical memory of Pleiadian beings fleeing an extraterrestrial conflict. Mainstream ethnographers regard the story as a sacred origin legend of the Kiowa and other Plains tribes that explains the geological formation of Devil's Tower and the origin of the Pleiades constellation.
Lake near Bogota (Enrique Castillo Rincón contact site), Colombia
Colombia · South America
Theorists cite engineer Enrique Castillo Rincón's claimed 1973 encounter at a Colombian lake, where he was allegedly taken aboard a Pleiadian spacecraft, as evidence of ongoing extraterrestrial contact, further substantiated by alleged CIA documentation of his debriefing. No mainstream scientific or archaeological investigation of this site is presented in the episode.
MARGO Observatory, Crimea
Ukraine · Modern
Theorists suggest that the Borisov comet, discovered at the MARGO Observatory in August 2019, may be a second intelligently directed interstellar probe, potentially sent by a different extraterrestrial civilization than the one that sent 'Oumuamua. Mainstream astronomers classify Comet Borisov as the second confirmed interstellar object, notable for its clearly cometary characteristics and interstellar trajectory.
Three Sisters Rock Formations, Blue Mountains
Australia · Australia / Oceania
Theorists claim that the Blue Mountains, including the Three Sisters formation, are an active site of contact between indigenous Australians and Pleiadian extraterrestrials, with elders reporting encounters with 'tall blue beings' and the area being a UFO hot spot since the 1950s. Mainstream researchers regard the Three Sisters as a natural sandstone formation of cultural significance to the Gundungurra and Darug peoples, whose legends explain the formation's origin.
Walinynga (Cave Hill), Amata
Australia · Australia / Oceania
Theorists argue that the rock art at Walinynga, dating back over 20,000 years and containing the oldest known depictions of the Pleiades, records a real cosmic conflict in which beings associated with Orion pursued the Pleiadian Seven Sisters, and that the near-identical story found in Greece and among the Kiowa confirms a shared historical memory of extraterrestrial events. Mainstream researchers regard the site as a major sacred location of the Anangu people, with the Seven Sisters Dreaming story representing one of the most widespread and significant narratives in Aboriginal Australian culture.