It will never cease to amaze me that Firefly was cancelled before even a single full season aired, but Ancient Aliens has been rehashing the same tripe successfully for 13 seasons now. When they aren't building a narrative based on objectively false historical analysis, they're presenting hysterical hare-brained conspiracy theories as "fact."

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![Ancient Aliens](https://resizing.flixster.com/Re6oLEO-Gksi15Ykxf_pVomckV0=/206x305/v1.dDsyODM2MDE7ajsxNzY4ODsxMjAwOzE2MDA7MjQwMA)
Image credit: [Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/ancient_aliens/s13/)

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Season 13, Episode 1, *The UFO Conspiracy,* is out now, and I am finally getting around to watching it. As usual, every question asked by the narrator or guest "experts" can safely be answered with a simple "no." Speculation about and subjective interpretation of strange occurrences doesn't mean anything in and of itself. The fact that government agencies have covered up secrets and conspired to hide evidence about various other matters does not prove that any accusations of conspiracy are automatically true.

An Unidentified Flying Object  (UFO) is just what it says on the tin: a flying object that has not been identified. Even if some can't be explained by other means, and they usually can, it does not mean that it proves extraterrestrial visitation.

Is it possible that extraterrestrial life exists? Maybe. I can't prove it does not. Is it possible that extraterrestrial life has visited Earth? If it exists, than it is also possible that one or more species has achieved space travel and could have discovered us, but extraordinary claims that this has actually happened require extraordinary evidence. 13 seasons. No evidence. Just speculation and bullshit.

Is it possible that aliens have been secretly in contact with governments? Someone would have leaked serious evidence of something that explosive long ago, especially in our age of espionage and Wikileaks. Government agents often lie, but this does not prove that their denial of alien contact proves that alien contact happened.

If I am feeling uncharitably cynical, I am inclined to believe the UFO phenomenon is a conspiracy, but only one to explain away government boondoggles. What better way to distract inquisitive people than by offering a juicy story invented out of whole cloth to lure the credulous, and then branding anyone who gets close to a real secret scheme as a kook like the UFO nuts?

Stay skeptical. Remember, if there were a real alien conspiracy and coverup, it wouldn't be on The History Channel for 13 seasons.