Stargonian

The Stargonians are a race of aliens from the planet Stargon that appear in the 1977 film, The Glitterball.

In terms of their appearance, Stargonians individually resemble a silver pinball but are shown as having a variety of different powers, including converting matter into energy and interfacing with electronic equipment. It isn't specified whether or not the species are fully or partially robotic.

One member of their race - referred to as the "Glitterball" as no name is given - was forced to make an emergency landing in the UK on Earth, due to its ship having engine troubles while on a journey to another galaxy. Befriending a pair of human boys, the group worked together to help the Glitterball gain enough energy to signal his people to collect him - all the while trying to avoid George "Filthy" Potter; a petty thief who learns of the Glitterball and seeks to use its remarkable powers for his own benefit.

Story
Out in space, a Stargonian ship - the size of a football - begins to experience engine problems whilst travelling to another galaxy and is forced to head towards the nearby planet of Earth; heading towards the United Kingdom. The approach of the ship was detected by the Royal Air Force, who were unable to communicate with the vessel despite their hailing attempts and so scramble two fighter jets to intercept what is believed to be a potential hostile. Despite the attempt, the pilots don't see anything and the ship disappears from radar - crash landing into a nearby shed, with the RAF initially passing off the radar blip as the result of a malfunction.

Inside the shed, the Glitteball leaves its ship and heads inside a nearby house - entering through the letterbox - before looking around for anything that can be converted into energy so it can signal a distress call. It begins to eat food left in a brown bag on the kitchen table, but is forced to hide when the house's new occupants - a boy called Max Fielding and his Mum - arrive back home. When Max tries to make a jam sandwich, he discovers the inside of the bread has been eaten out and leads him and his mum to believe that their new home may have mice.

Appearances
The Glitterball - 1977