The violence cycle

Imagine a SciFi story in 3 parts:

1: Story starts on Earth. Humans discover a rare resource on another planet—one they need for a specific reason, whether for long-term survival, profit, or something else. However, an alien civilization—more or less advanced—already inhabits the planet. The story could introduce protagonists such as generals who favor intervention and peace-oriented scientists who oppose it. It follows a style somewhat similar to *Avatar* so far, but with an emphasis on the fact that this civilization’s technological level, while comparable to humanity's, is nonetheless inferior—or at least, that is the main argument humans use to justify the invasion.

2: Next, we would shift perspectives to that of the alien civilization. We could introduce, for instance, a military officer or a renowned scientist. We would need to emphasize that they either loathe war due to their past or are a pacifist, despite the brilliance of their scientific discoveries. We could then include a brief glimpse into their daily life—with family or otherwise—to help the audience bond with them. Then, suddenly, the invasion fleet would arrive. A shot—or perhaps a surprise bombardment—would reveal the sudden violence of the humans, who are aiming for a lightning victory. We would witness orbital strikes and urban warfare, seeing the humans gain the upper hand—at least initially—while showing little regard for these "mere aliens." The turning point would come when the alien protagonist loses their family. They might then have a breakthrough—recalling a hidden asset or capability—and crush the humans using a specific strategy or concealed technology. We would see the shift: from peaceful to violent and cynical, with no further concern for the lives of the invading "humans." The humans would be driven off the planet, concluding Act 2.

3: The final act would shift to the human perspective on Earth, likely focusing on the human protagonists who had opposed the invasion from the start. We would witness the alien counter-attack through their eyes or thoughts. Although the humans had won a battle earlier in the story, they had underestimated the aliens' capacity to retaliate; the aliens had reverse-engineered human weaponry and ships to launch a revenge strike on Earth. It would be the reverse of Act 2: we would see the alien fleet suddenly drop out of hyperspace above Earth years later. It would be a total bloodbath for humanity. We would see innocent people being slaughtered, without necessarily focusing on the generals and leaders who put them in that situation in the first place. From the alien perspective, we would see our protagonist again—driven by a thirst for vengeance—leading the retaliatory fleet. Act 3 would conclude with humanity's total defeat, punished for its greed. The viewer would be constantly led to switch sides throughout the story, sparking various moral debates. My idea is a bit like imagining a graphic depiction of an alien counter-attack on human cities in future *Avatar* movies. I’m pretty sure many of you would change your perspective and find yourselves rooting for "Team Human" again, despite their atrocities.

THANKS FOR READING; THIS WAS JUST AN IDEA I HAD WHILE PLAYING *STELLARIS*. I'M BY NO MEANS A WRITER, AND I'M FRENCH, SO APOLOGIES FOR ANY SPELLING MISTAKES. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!