Need help writing a Superhero/Sci-Fi story

[Zmeoaice]

So I am creating my Superhero Universe, and am currently working on developing several different storylines and heroes.

I am planning on creating a superhero who is either an illegal immigrant in the States, or someone who has been naturalized but helps illegal immigrants by volunteering to go to the desert and give them food and water. By some luck, she manages to become a member of an intergalactic peacekeeping organization like the Green Lanterns or Nova Corps, and has to deal with Earth going into the public sphere of the galaxy and the problems of actual space aliens, both good and bad, coming there and trying to make it their new home as well as anti-alien protesters who want nothing of it.

So I'd like some resources to get an accurate representation of this subject. Any movies, documentaries or episodes of TV shows, that are both watchable and accurate would be appreciated as well. If anyone of you have experience writing, I'd appreciate ideas to be incorporated into this series, such as drawing parallels between real world issues and fantasy (similar to what X-Men does), or just writing an awesome sci-fi adventure in general.

Because there is political connotation to this topic, if you feel like you'd say something that is rule-break-y, PM me.

[Vinyadan]

Call her "the Green Card".:smallcool:

From a writing perspective, I advice you to be careful not to turn the stranded clandestine into just some expedient. Try fleshing them out. Also be aware that helping illegal immigration can easily spillover into human trafficking territory, which your character will try firsthand, unless her idealism stuffs her eyes and ears.

[Lethologica]

Keep an eye out for coyotes (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/arizona-immigration-smuggled-coyotes-search-life/story?id=10759682). The aliens need a believable reason to want to make a home in this galactic backwater--in general, I'd expect more tourists than immigrants. And--have we colonized and/or staked a claim on Mars? What happens if the aliens decide they prefer open real estate to the home planet of a primitive civilization?

Broader note: you don't need and maybe don't want to put both the alien allegory and the real-life situation being examined by the allegory in the same story. Consider focusing on one or the other.

[Zmeoaice]

Keep an eye out for coyotes (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/arizona-immigration-smuggled-coyotes-search-life/story?id=10759682). The aliens need a believable reason to want to make a home in this galactic backwater--in general, I'd expect more tourists than immigrants. And--have we colonized and/or staked a claim on Mars? What happens if the aliens decide they prefer open real estate to the home planet of a primitive civilization?


Well Earth seems more habitable than Mars, since we have plenty of water. They might also prefer the gravity and atmosphere of Earth.

And while their civilizations might be more advanced than ours, that doesn't mean the Aliens are necessarily more intelligent. They might depend on wormholes as much as we rely on cell phones, but how many people can describe how a cell phone work?



Broader note: you don't need and maybe don't want to put both the alien allegory and the real-life situation being examined by the allegory in the same story. Consider focusing on one or the other.

Well I think it allows the main character to empathize with the aliens, similar to how Magneto was a holocaust victim.

[Lethologica]

The case of Magneto is somewhat dissimilar, in that its point is to encourage the audience to sympathize with him despite him being a villain. For what you're planning, I would draw a more direct comparison to District Nine. (Not that the allegorical subject in that case isn't also abundantly present, by virtue of the setting if nothing else.) Also, Magneto's backstory is at a remove from the plot itself.

The alien individuals may or may not be more intelligent--but it sounds like our civilization is less advanced, and that may influence alien attitudes towards Earth even if they aren't capable of settling on Mars. If that's the case, then it's interesting to think about what portion of the alien population (the people that would immigrate here) either doesn't share that sentiment or has overriding concerns. If it's not the case, exploring why not should lead to equally interesting implications.

Documentaries and such on Cesar Chavez would be relevant, even if immigration was frequently tangential to his work. A good review of those resources is here (http://nonfics.com/doc-option-cesar-chavez/). This (Illegal) American Life (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx4C_jP5GOk) is more directly related to your subject matter. So is Who Is Dayani Cristal? (http://whoisdayanicristal.com/)

[Vinyadan]

You shouldn't think of aliens as a monolithic society. Those who were to travel to Earth as immigrants would be the hopeless and the persecuted (and a few adventurers). They probably would have no other choice than leaving, because even a backwater planet would be better than starving or being arbitrarily imprisoned.

In theory there could be those looking for better economic perspectives, but, given that they're fleeing a planet with space travel, their economy is probably better than ours.

[Lethologica]

You shouldn't think of aliens as a monolithic society.
Who was? But thank you for fleshing out some of those possibilities.