Within E T
In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the most important alien encounter is not the arrival of a spacecraft or the display of supernatural powers. It is the creation of a shared inner life between a lonely child and a stranded visitor. Spielberg presents Elliott and E.T.’s connection not as a metaphorical friendship alone but as a genuine psychic bond.
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Introduction
Within Spielberg’s broader fascination with UFOs and alien contact, this is a striking shift. Earlier films imagined contact as seeing the unknown. E.T. imagines contact as feeling it.
Beer, television, and the shared nervous system
The film’s strongest evidence for a real psychic connection arrives in scenes that would make little sense if Elliott and E.T. were merely friends.
While Elliott is at school, E.T. remains at home exploring human culture through television. When E.T. drinks beer, Elliott suddenly becomes intoxicated in class despite being nowhere near him. As E.T. watches a romantic scene from The Quiet Man, Elliott is overwhelmed by the same emotional impulse and unexpectedly kisses a girl at school. The film presents these events as simultaneous and causally linked rather than coincidental. The plot summary itself identifies this as a consequence of the pair beginning to share thoughts and emotions. [Wikipedia]WikipediaE.T. the Extra-TerrestrialE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
The sequence matters because it moves beyond sympathy. Elliott is not simply guessing what E.T. feels. He experiences the effects directly. The editing cross-cuts between locations to show one consciousness influencing another across distance. Viewers are invited to understand the relationship as an actual mechanism operating within the story world rather than a symbolic representation of friendship. [Wikipedia]WikipediaE.T. the Extra-TerrestrialE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
The connection continues throughout the film:
- Elliott reacts physically to E.T.’s experiences.
- He senses E.T.’s desires before they are spoken.
- He understands E.T.’s longing for home.
- As E.T. weakens, Elliott becomes ill as well. [Cinema Axis]cinemaaxis.comCinema Axis80's Library: E.Tthe Extra-Terrestrial - Cinema AxisAugust 8, 2012 — 8 Aug 2012 — E.T. possesses telepathic and telekinetic powers and communicates with E…
The bond functions almost like a shared nervous system stretched between two separate bodies.
Why Spielberg makes the link visible
Spielberg rarely explains the phenomenon scientifically. Instead, he demonstrates it through behaviour.
A conventional science-fiction film might have introduced technology, diagrams or expert explanations. E.T. does the opposite. The audience learns about the connection in the same way Elliott does: through lived experience. One moment he is an ordinary child; the next he is feeling emotions and impulses that are not entirely his own.
This approach keeps the psychic bond intimate. It never becomes a laboratory mystery. It remains a relationship.
Why E.T. is not just Elliott’s pet
Many stories about children and extraordinary creatures rely on affection, loyalty or companionship. Spielberg goes further. The psychic bond prevents E.T. from becoming a magical pet or imaginary friend.
The evidence is that the relationship changes both participants.
Film critics and commentators have often noted that Elliott becomes more spontaneous and emotionally expressive after the connection develops. Pauline Kael famously argued that the telepathic link loosens Elliott’s cautious personality and allows buried feelings to surface. The film itself repeatedly associates the bond with emotional transformation rather than simple companionship. [Wikipedia]WikipediaE.T. the Extra-TerrestrialE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. also changes through the relationship. He learns human language, humour and affection while absorbing the emotional atmosphere of Elliott’s family. The connection works in both directions. It is not ownership but mutual influence.
The distinction becomes especially important when government scientists enter the story. The adults want evidence, classification and control. Elliott already possesses something they cannot measure: direct experiential knowledge of another intelligence. He does not believe E.T. is alive and feeling because he has studied him. He knows because he feels those emotions himself. Roger Ebert highlighted this aspect of the film, noting that Elliott can sense E.T.’s condition when the alien is dying. [Roger Ebert]rogerebert.comRoger EbertE.T. The Extra-Terrestrial movie reviewElliott and E.T. are linked mentally, so Elliott can sense that E.T. is dying. Elliott…
For Spielberg, this becomes a radical definition of first contact. True understanding comes not from observation but from shared experience.
When one life begins to fade
The most dramatic test of the bond arrives during E.T.’s illness.
As E.T. deteriorates, Elliott begins to weaken as well. The film repeatedly links their physical conditions. Elliott even tells his mother, “We’re sick. I think we’re dying.” The language is revealing. He does not describe two separate illnesses. He speaks as though they are part of the same living system. [Save the Cat!®]savethecat.comSave the Cat!®E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Beat SheetThe family is questioned, and Elliott feels E.T.'s fear. Soon, his health begins to im…
The emotional consequences are even more significant.
When E.T. appears to die, Elliott experiences a profound emptiness. In story analyses and critical readings of the scene, the loss is portrayed as more than grief. Elliott feels the disappearance of a presence that had existed inside his own consciousness. The separation is experienced almost as an amputation of feeling. [Save the Cat!®]savethecat.comSave the Cat!®E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Beat SheetThe family is questioned, and Elliott feels E.T.'s fear. Soon, his health begins to im…
This is why the death sequence remains so powerful. Spielberg is not asking the audience to mourn a friendly alien. He is asking them to imagine what it would mean to lose someone whose thoughts and emotions had become intertwined with their own.
Love as the film’s real language
The psychic bond ultimately reveals what Spielberg believes alien contact should mean.
Throughout the film, language remains limited. E.T. learns English slowly. Human authorities never truly communicate with him. Yet the central relationship succeeds long before either side can explain itself in words.
The connection is emotional rather than verbal.
Many analyses of the film note that Elliott and E.T. primarily share feelings rather than detailed thoughts. Their relationship is built on empathy, loneliness, fear, joy and affection. The bond allows each character to experience the other’s inner world directly. [Ploominate]ploominator19.wordpress.comPloominate The Emotional Connection in E.Tthe Extra-Terrestrial15 Apr 2022 — Elliot and E.T. feel each other's feelings.” E.T. points to his heart, implying that leaving Elliot is…
The farewell scene completes this idea. By the end, neither character needs lengthy explanations. Their understanding already exists. E.T.’s promise that he will remain present is meaningful because the film has spent two hours demonstrating that emotional connection can transcend physical distance. The bond has taught both characters that contact is not merely proximity. It is remembrance, empathy and shared feeling. [Ploominate]ploominator19.wordpress.comPloominate The Emotional Connection in E.Tthe Extra-Terrestrial15 Apr 2022 — Elliot and E.T. feel each other's feelings.” E.T. points to his heart, implying that leaving Elliot is…
Within Spielberg’s UFO imagination, this may be the most intimate vision of alien encounter he ever created. The extraordinary discovery is not that humanity is not alone. It is that two completely different beings can know each other so deeply that the boundary between “your feelings” and “mine” begins to disappear.
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Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Elliott Et Psychic B 0 Cbea 6. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The UFO Experience
Hynek created the close-encounter framework that inspired Spielberg's film title and served as an adviser on the movie.
Passport to Magonia
One of the most influential books on UFO culture and the mystery-oriented approach echoed in Spielberg's work.
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Endnotes
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.T._the_Extra-Terrestrial -
Source: cinemaaxis.com
Title: Cinema Axis80’s Library: E.T
Link: https://cinemaaxis.com/2012/08/08/the-80s-movie-library-[e-tSource snippet
the Extra-Terrestrial - Cinema AxisAugust 8, 2012 — 8 Aug 2012 — E.T. possesses telepathic and telekinetic powers and communicates with E...
Published: August 8, 2012
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Source: savethecat.com
Link: https://savethecat.com/beat-sheets/e-t-the-extra-terrestrial-beat-sheetSource snippet
Save the Cat!®E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Beat SheetThe family is questioned, and Elliott feels E.T.'s fear. Soon, his health begins to im...
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Source: rogerebert.com
Link: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-et-the-extra-terrestrial-1982Source snippet
Roger EbertE.T. The Extra-Terrestrial movie reviewElliott and E.T. are linked mentally, so Elliott can sense that E.T. is dying. Elliott...
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Source: ploominator19.wordpress.com
Title: Ploominate The Emotional Connection in E.T
Link: https://ploominator19.wordpress.com/2022/04/15/the-emotional-connection-in-e-t-the-extra-terrestrial/Source snippet
the Extra-Terrestrial15 Apr 2022 — Elliot and E.T. feel each other's feelings.” E.T. points to his heart, implying that leaving Elliot is...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial: Saving the frogs HD CLIP
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn7iqDIBzScSource snippet
THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL - Steven Spielberg on E.T...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiqLxSuXBzISource snippet
Steven Spielberg Reflects on Creating E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial | Bonus Feature...
Additional References
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Source: scribd.com
Link: https://www.scribd.com/document/292386528/Film-Treatment-for-E-TSource snippet
E.T. Film Treatment Analysis | PDF | NatureElliott pushes aside some stalks and shines the light into the face of E.T.... He opens the c...
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Source: medium.com
Link: https://medium.com/%40greim/the-resurrection-of-e-t-explained-bf13ed714880Source snippet
The Resurrection of E.T. Explained | by Greg ReimerET is a member of a hive mind species who share consciousness via a communal telepathi...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tcmfansite/posts/2209765729465028/ -
Source: exhibits.usu.edu
Title: Digital Exhibits ET the Extra Terrestrial: Elliott’s Relationship with ETE.T
Link: https://exhibits.usu.edu/exhibits/show/ettheextraterrestrial/elliottsrelationshipwithetSource snippet
is connected to reality; he requires normal skills and an understanding of this reality in order to achieve his goal. Elliot is connected...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/17omjys/famed_critic_roger_ebert_wrote_a_review_for_et/Source snippet
gle important shot is seen either as ET would see it, or as Elliott would...Read more...
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Source: movies.stackexchange.com
Title: how does elliott start feeling behaving like e t
Link: https://movies.stackexchange.com/questions/37126/how-does-elliott-start-feeling-behaving-like-e-tSource snippet
when Elliott is at school and E.T. is alone at home with the dog, strange things start happening. When E.T. drinks beer, Elliott starts f...
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Source: screenrant.com
Title: et extra terrestrial movie ending explained
Link: https://screenrant.com/et-extra-terrestrial-movie-ending-explained/Source snippet
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Ending Explained8 Dec 2020 — This explains why their fates seem so inexplicably intertwined, such as when Elli...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/4cqpg5/serious_can_someone_logically_explain_the_pivotal/Source snippet
s. He gets sick after spending a night outside and is found...
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Source: letsschmooze.blogspot.com
Title: et analysis part 10 act three
Link: https://letsschmooze.blogspot.com/2010/01/et-analysis-part-10-act-three.htmlSource snippet
Analysis Part 10 – Act Three13 Jan 2010 — E.T.'s heart light comes on when he comes back to life. The heart light was planted in the open...
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Source: ukessays.com
Title: critical analysis of monster theory in e t
Link: https://www.ukessays.com/essays/film-studies/critical-analysis-of-monster-theory-in-e-t.phpSource snippet
the Extra-Terrestrial is love and relationships. The two main characters, Elliott and E.T., share the...Read more...
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