The fan is alien. Perhaps this illuminates why fans are so fixed on science fiction. The fans identify with the aliens. The aliens represent not only the other, but the interpretive practices of the other. The free form, associative nature of reading in a postmodern, electronic culture is the very breeding ground of conspiracy.
Every episode displays the mystery and underlying conspiracy of the alien body.
For me this is exactly what Scarry alludes to in terms of projecting yourself onto cultural artifacts and then having to interpret those objects in ways that reflect back your own identity. The two go hand in hand. Our voices, our texts are artifacts too. They are our imaginations made real, extensions of our selves projected on the Web. We are if normalities are determined by consensus.