In the 1996 sci-fi epic Independence Day, Earth faces extinction when a massive alien mothership deploys ships over major cities. Satellite technician David Levinson decodes a hidden countdown in the signals—just before the aliens annihilate global landmarks. President Whitmore, Marine pilot Steven Hiller, and a team of survivors regroup at Area 51, where they uncover the truth: the aliens plan to wipe out humanity and strip the planet for resources.

With time running out, Levinson hatches a plan to upload a computer virus to disable the aliens' defenses. Hiller and Levinson pilot a recovered alien ship into space, deliver the virus, and detonate a nuke inside the mothership. Back on Earth, Russell Casse sacrifices himself in a final strike, and the world fights back. Victory on July 4th marks a new kind of independence—one earned in the face of annihilation.