Ancient astronaut theory

The Ancient Astronaut Theory is a fringe theory that claims that the emergence of early human civilization was influenced by extraterrestrial interaction based around a few vague images in ancient sites. This theory is not considered valid by the vast majority of the academic community.

The Ancient Astronaut Theory in science fiction

• The Stargate Franchise is based around this idea.
• In TNG "The Chase", the abundance of humanoid species in the galaxy is shown to be the result of "seeding" by ancient astronauts.