Public opinion and reporting around UFO/UAP sightings changed with the pentagon’s release, early in the pandemic, of three videos of Navy pilots encountering UFOs. Navy pilots and high ranking military officials have since gone on the record to recount ongoing encounters with aircraft that defied the laws of physics. There was finally a congressional hearing about UAPs earlier this year, with several navy pilots testifying and the existence of UAPs described as an open secret among commercial pilots.

There are so many stories of everyday UFO sightings and abductions and there are plenty of shows chronicling them. Some of them seem far fetched, Ancient Aliens has a whiff of truth until it veers into wild speculation almost every time. Some, like Unsolved Mysteries, both the original 90s series and the revival, are convincing. I’ve watched plenty and Encounters, a new docuseries on Netflix, has to be my favorite. I’ve only seen the first two episodes. So far I’m sold though and so many other people feel the same. USA today and Dexerto have a good overview and I’m including quotes from both.

Directed by Yon Motskin, each episode of the series produced by Stephen Spielberg’s Amblin Television, Boardwalk Pictures and Vice Studios explores a separate report of a mass sighting in a different part of the world.

Billed in Netflix press materials as a “detective story,” “Encounters” relies on both firsthand accounts and also the testimony of various scientists and military officials to delve into reports of suspected extraterrestrial phenomena. The four episodes feature accounts of strange lights in the sky in 2008 over small-town Texas; Cold War-era submersible crafts lurking near a coastal Welsh village; a non-human intelligence reportedly interfering in 2011 with the operations of a nuclear power plant in Japan; and an alien encounter in 1994 experienced by schoolchildren in Zimbabwe. – USA Today

The stories, which span from mysterious sightings in Texas to an alien interference with a Japanese nuclear power plant, are cut between revelations from military whistleblowers and investigative experts.

With thousands of Netflix fans tuning in, many have shared their praises for the docu-series.

Reaction to Encounters has been strong, with one viewer writing on X/Twitter: “Encounters on Netflix is excellent. Prob the best UFO doco series I’ve seen.”

“Watch a four part documentary called Encounters. Just out on Netflix and directed by Steven Spielberg [sic]. Brilliantly done,” said another, while a third added: “This show Encounters on Netflix is tight.” – Dexerto

[From USA Today and Dexerto]

Just to clarify the last tweet in the quote above, the show is produced in part by Steven Spielberg’s production company. It’s directed by Yon Motskin, who says he believes in UFOs now but did not before making this series. So far I’ve watched the episodes about the 1994 Zimbabwe sighting and the 2008 Texas UFO sightings. Both were witnessed by handfuls of people, many of whom were interviewed both right after the events and for this show. The eyewitnesses are so convincing and you feel for them as they faced ridicule after going public. I’m excited to see the other two episodes!

Other shows that have really changed my opinion on UFOs and aliens are Unsolved Mysteries the revival (Volume 3, episode 2 “Something in the Sky,” Netflix), and Unsolved Mysteries the original (season 4, episode 1, on FreeVee/Amazon Prime and YouTube). The documentary Moment of Contact is also incredible (Tubi). I’m a little more skeptical about the abduction stories but the shows Alien Abduction: Travis Walton (Discovery Plus) and Alien Abduction: Barney and Betty Hill (Discovery Plus) are also very good.






Photos credit: Netflix