The Saucer Makers are an unnamed sapient species from an unknown world.
Biology[]
Nothing is known of the biology of the Saucer Makers, but their method of communication may be telepathy.
Culture and society[]
Almost nothing is known of Saucer Maker society, only that they appear to know of other inhabited worlds, and are willing to send messages to much less advanced species. Their language is unknown, but can be understood and roughly translated by Human minds via a form of telepathy, and their form of "writing" is holding telepathic messages in energy orbs.
Technology[]
An alien saucer
Saucer Makers have access to highly advanced spacefaring technology, capable of creating presumably automated drones shaped like flying saucers, small enough for a Human to wrap their arms around, and capable of seeking out specific targets. The metal that makes the shell of the saucers is of an unknown material not found on Earth, and they presumably use a reactionless drive to fly, as they have no visible engines. However, when cut open, they are completely hollow, possibly indicating that their fuel source and inner workings evaporate after being used up. When in flight, they glow orange. While presumably able to hold cargo, the saucers can also hold message-carrying energy orbs, which can be bestowed onto targets, and may also power the drones.
History[]
At an unknown point in the past, an especially lonely member of this species sought to send a message to another lonely lifeform on another world, a message of encouragement and hope, that there is an end to their loneliness and others like them who they could find companionship with. The saucer maker inscribed their message onto an energy orb, and loaded it into a saucer drone, which was sent out through unknown depths of space, whether interplanetary or intergalactic, eventually reaching Earth, seeking out a lonely Human. It soon detected one, a middle-aged woman named Margaret, coming down in clear view of a crowd of people and chasing Margaret through them. Eventually, Margaret let the saucer get close, where it beamed the alien's message to her, infusing the orb to her body, before shutting down. The saucer was then taken into custody by the US government, but when they cut it open, they discovered that the drone was just an empty shell.
The alien's message, considered private by Margaret, was kept secret by her while she was pursued by press and spiritualists, but she managed to translate the message as best she could, writing it on papers that she stuffed in bottles and sent out to sea. After going into isolation to avoid the crowds who only wanted to know the saucer's message, Margaret attempted suicide by drowning in the ocean on the same coastline where the saucer first appeared, but is stopped by a man who had received one of her messages, revealing that he knew the meaning behind the bottles came from the saucer's message. Margaret then showed the man the orb holding the original message, letting him touch it and hear it himself, before the two walked off together, finding an end to their loneliness. It is unknown if the alien who sent the saucer is alive or dead, the last member of their species, marooned somewhere far from their home, or otherwise.
Appearances[]
- "A Saucer of Loneliness", by Theodore Sturgeon (1953)
- The Twilight Zone, s02e01c, "A Saucer of Loneliness" (1986)
Notes[]
- Margaret sharing the saucer's message orb with the man who received her bottles is exclusive to the episode. In the original short story, the saucer's original message did not linger after it was beamed down.