Warning: This article contains spoilers for Arrival.

In the 2016 movie Arrival, a ship of extraterrestrial beings lands on Earth with a unique purpose that is far different from what audiences might typically expect. Arrival originated in 1998 as a novella called “Story of Your Life,” by Ted Chiang. It follows Louise Banks, a linguist who is enlisted by the U.S. military to help figure out the obscure language of the aliens. Notably, Arrival takes place over two different timelines organized in a non-linear fashion, leading to an explosive and eye-opening ending.

A huge part of what makes Arrival so compelling is its alien characters. When audiences imagine aliens, they usually picture gray creatures with long heads and big eyes, or monstrous figures like those in Ridley Scott’s Alien. However, in Arrival, the “heptapods” stand out from the get-go because of their unlikely appearance and the strange way that they communicate. Hidden behind a wall of glᴀss, they are mᴀssive creatures made up of seven long tentacles, and they speak using circles made of dark ink that, eventually, Louise translates. Yet, this isn’t the only surprising part of the aliens’ characters.

The Aliens Came To Earth To Help Humans Evolve In Arrival

What The Aliens Offer To The Humans In Arrival

Another way that Arrival subverts expectations of typical alien stories is by making the heptapods helpers rather than invaders. Initially, the arrival of various spacecraft sends Arrival’s human characters into a panic, as they ᴀssume the heptapods are there with nefarious intents. However, as Louise and her partner Ian uncover the heptapods’ language, they realize that the aliens are not there for violence, but to aid humans. One of the first phrases Louise is able to translate is “offer weapon.” As it turns out, this “weapon” is actually the heptapods’ language.

As tensions build and the humans plan to retaliate against the heptapods, Louise enters their spacecraft alone and discovers that the heptapods want the humans to work together to figure out their language. This is because understanding the alien tongue grants users the ability to see time in a non-linear fashion. The heptapods believe this is a tool that the humans can use to their benefit. This revelation explains why Louise has been having visions of a daughter she hasn’t actually had yet, and who is destined to die of a mysterious illness.

The Aliens Would Need Help From Humans In 3000 Years

Arrival Could Get A Sequel (But It Shouldn’t)

The hepatpods do not offer humans their language out of the kindness of their hearts, but because they will need humans’ help 3000 years in the future. Arrival never fully explains what the heptapods will need help with, or how this future event will go, but the information helps make the aliens’ arrival make more sense. The heptapods want to offer humans help now to ensure that humans reciprocate in the future. At the end of the film, Louise is able to convince her human peers to stand down, leading to unity and the evacuation of the heptapods.

One final interesting element of Arrival’s story is that it opens the door to an obvious sequel: seeing what the heptapods will need help with in 3000 years. While the humans characters would certainly be different, the heptapods could make their return, and more of the livelihoods could be revealed. Then again, it is probably better for Arrival to remain as a standalone. The magic of the story isn’t the aliens, but the way they affect Louise and the remainder of her life. More than anything, Arrival is a personal story rather than an apocalyptic one.