Episode Guide

Mysterious Places

This episode explores whether certain "hot spots" around the globe—marked by unexplained phenomena, disappearances, and ancient structures—might have attracted extraterrestrial visitors in antiquity. The Bermuda Triangle anchors the discussion: theorists Philip Coppens and Jason Martell note that compass malfunctions and strange lights have been reported since Columbus's 1492 voyage, culminating in the famous 1945 disappearance of Flight 19, when five Navy torpedo bombers and a rescue plane vanished without trace. Pilot Bruce Gernon recounts flying through a tunnel-shaped cloud vortex in 1970, suggesting the region harbors unusual atmospheric or electromagnetic properties. The episode also examines Mexico's Zone of Silence, where magnetic anomalies allegedly pull meteorites from the sky and draw missiles off course, and Peru's Puerta de Hayu Marka, a carved rock "doorway" some claim serves as a portal to other worlds.

Gods & Aliens

This episode explores whether the gods of ancient mythology were actually extraterrestrial visitors misinterpreted by our ancestors. The argument centers on the global prevalence of strikingly similar divine narratives—deities descending from the sky with fire, smoke, and thunder, wielding powerful weapons like Zeus's thunderbolts or Thor's hammer. Ancient astronaut theorists point to sites like the ruins of Troy, where Heinrich Schliemann's 1868 discovery proved Homer's "mythical" Iliad described a real city, raising the question: if Troy was real, what about the gods Homer described? The Sumerian Annunaki, described as "those who from heaven come to earth" as early as 3800 BC, are presented as potential evidence of ancient contact. Erich von Däniken and other proponents argue that worldwide mythologies represent eyewitness accounts of advanced beings our ancestors could only conceptualize as divine.

Underwater Worlds

This episode explores whether submerged structures around the world might preserve evidence of advanced ancient civilizations—or even extraterrestrial contact. Ancient astronaut theorists point to sites like the stepped stone formation off Japan's coast, which some claim could predate the Egyptian pyramids, and recently discovered temple ruins beneath Peru's Lake Titicaca, which local legends associate with an underwater UFO base. Giorgio Tsoukalos and David Childress argue that more than 200 sunken cities in the Mediterranean alone suggest sophisticated urban centers existed when mainstream archaeology says no such cities should exist. The episode presents Plato's account of Atlantis as potentially describing an alien metropolis founded by the god Poseidon, interpreted here as an extraterrestrial being, while ancient Indian Sangam texts are cited as describing sunken cities where humans and aliens once intermingled.

Underground Aliens

This episode explores whether ancient underground structures worldwide could provide evidence of extraterrestrial contact, focusing on three primary sites: the massive subterranean city of Derinkuyu in Turkey, discovered in 1963 when a homeowner broke through a cave wall during renovations; a cave in Ecuador rumored to contain metallic books inscribed with alien technology; and Dulce Base in New Mexico, where rumors persist of U.S. military collaboration with extraterrestrials inside a mesa. Ancient astronaut theorists, examining Derinkuyu's 13-story depth, ventilation systems serving 20,000 people, and engineering sophistication in the soft volcanic rock, suggest the city may be far older than conventional dating and required technological assistance beyond ancient human capabilities. They point to connections with Zoroastrian texts mentioning the creator god Ahura Mazda and interpret Native American legends of inner-Earth beings as potential evidence of a hidden extraterrestrial presence.

Aliens and the Third Reich

This episode investigates claims that Nazi Germany's technological advances during World War II—including jet aircraft, V-2 rockets, and alleged flying saucers like the "Hanebu"—may have been developed with assistance from ancient alien technology. Ancient astronaut theorists, including author Jan van Helsing, point to an alleged 1936 crash of a disc-shaped craft in Germany's Black Forest near Freiburg, which they claim was recovered by SS troops and taken to Wewelsburg Castle for reverse-engineering. The episode also explores reports that Nazi scientists consulted ancient Indian texts for advanced propulsion concepts and that psychics claimed to receive spacecraft blueprints from extraterrestrial beings, raising questions about whether Hitler's confidence in world domination stemmed from access to otherworldly knowledge.

Alien Tech

This episode explores whether advanced technologies like sonic weapons, rockets, and lasers might have ancient precedents rather than being purely modern inventions. Ancient astronaut theorists point to the biblical account of Jericho's walls collapsing after Joshua and the Israelites marched around the city blowing rams' horns while carrying the Ark of the Covenant, suggesting this could describe a sophisticated sonic weapon comparable to today's Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD). Proponents like David Childress and Jonathan Young argue that multiple ancient cultures depict what appears to be modern technology in use thousands of years ago, raising questions about whether such knowledge came from extraterrestrial visitors or represents lost human achievements.

Angels and Aliens

This episode explores whether angels described across religious texts—from the Hebrew Bible's Genesis to the Book of Enoch found among the Dead Sea Scrolls in the late 1940s—might actually represent extraterrestrial visitors rather than supernatural beings. Giorgio Tsoukalos argues that "angel" is a mistranslation of the Hebrew word "malach," which means "messenger," suggesting these figures were intermediaries bringing information from off-world sources. The episode focuses particularly on the Book of Enoch's account of fallen angels descending to Mount Hermon, which theorists like Bill Birnes interpret as a "mutiny story" involving rival factions of extraterrestrials. Jason Martell proposes that wings depicted in ancient art didn't represent literal anatomy but symbolized the power of flight, while the episode draws parallels between angelic accounts in Biblical, Islamic, and Indian texts.

Unexplained Structures

This episode examines monumental ancient structures around the world—from the standing stones of Carnac, France to the Incan temples of South America—but focuses most intently on Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey, a site discovered in 1994 that carbon dating places at nearly 12,000 years old. Ancient astronaut theorists, including Giorgio Tsoukalos and Graham Hancock, argue that the precision stonework, massive scale, and unexpected sophistication of these sites suggest intervention by a technologically advanced civilization or extraterrestrial visitors. They point to Göbekli Tepe's finely-chiseled 19-foot pillars and perfect stone circles as evidence that challenges conventional timelines, predating Mesopotamia's "cradle of civilization" by 7,000 years and appearing "fully formed" without precedent in the archaeological record. The theorists question how people "one step removed from cavemen" could quarry and transport stones weighing up to 350 tons, and suggest structures like Carnac may have served as navigation systems for ancient flying machines.

Alien Devastations

This episode examines whether extraterrestrial visitors orchestrated or manipulated catastrophic events throughout human history, from ancient flood myths to apocalyptic prophecies. Ancient astronaut theorists point to Monument 6 at Tortuguero, Mexico, where deciphered Maya inscriptions reference the creator god Bolon Yokte descending on December 21, 2012—the end date of the Maya Long Count calendar. Giorgio Tsoukalos and others argue the calendar's 3114 BC start date, predating the Maya civilization itself, suggests extraterrestrial influence, citing the Chilam Balam's description of gods arriving from the sky. The episode connects this to broader apocalyptic traditions, including the Book of Revelation's visions of catastrophic divine judgment and the Dead Sea Scrolls' prophecies, proposing these may be warnings or plans left by alien visitors who controlled humanity's fate through disasters.

Alien Contacts

This episode examines whether divine encounters throughout history might actually represent contact with extraterrestrial beings communicating messages to humanity. Ancient astronaut theorists point to figures like Joan of Arc, who claimed saints instructed her in military strategy that defeated the English, and Srinivasa Ramanujan, an Indian mathematician who attributed his advanced formulas to visions of the Hindu goddess Namagiri. The episode's centerpiece is the 1980 Rendlesham Forest incident, where U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant James Penniston claims he touched a triangular craft covered in hieroglyph-like symbols and received a vivid mental transmission of binary code—ones and zeros he didn't record until decades later. Theorists suggest these encounters, from biblical prophets to modern servicemen, follow a pattern of otherworldly beings selecting humans to deliver important information.