Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Scoops Novel]

I'll say this now, I'd love their to be a game based around this throughout past and potential ages, but that's not the meat of this post. Firstly, let me say what i mean by first contact. I mean contact between one intelligent species and another, and by this i include all the way from contact between different species of primate, species of the genus homo and fellow animals such as dolphins and elephants, to the usual meaning of that between too different cultures and humans discovering aliens, including simply alien life.

Secondly, I'd like to say that this is about discussing both what has happened, the possibilities of how it could happen, the best and worst case scenarios, and the ramifications to all, in any of those forms. Everything from finally broaching the language barrier with dolphins, to discovering proof of life in some shape and form on mars, to how our early ancestors handled our evolution, to how groups of apes interact with never before seen apes, to how first contact happens today, such as with recently discovered pygmy tribes in Brazil. When talking about intelligent aliens, this should range from far more advanced, to a prehistory technological level, to equally advanced.

Thirdly, postulation is good and interesting, but I'd like to know how it would affect you, and hows it affects you now.

Derails aren't exactly going to be difficult here, and in fact, consider them encouraged, but let's keep them faintly related to the topic, which i trust you shall Bay12 .

Thank you for your time.

[sluissa]

Let's just get this one out of the way...

Captain Kirk school of first contact - Have sex with them.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Best Case Scenario: We uncover a civilization of relatively similar technological capability and values, allowing us to become galaxy buddies.

Worst Case Scenario: We are uncovered by a hyper-expansionist civilization with a cultural-religious mandate to destroy all other sentient life and a level of technology far beyond our own. So the Covenant, more or less.

Alternate Worst Case Scenario: We uncover a civilization far beneath us in technology and use them for food and slave labor.

Any first contact communication would be facilitated through math, since our respective actual languages would be completely unrelated to one another. Mathematics are constant and unrelated to anything but the actual physical nature of the universe.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

That isn't exactly accurate. Modern Humans and Neanderthals coexisted for thousands of years, but at the end of the Ice Age we were the ones making technological advances and they weren't.

[Scoops Novel]

Let's go into a bit more depth. Metalslimehunt, tell us more about what you know on intereaction within the genus homo. Someone call lordbucket over (me), he'll love this.

[Loud Whispers]

Both civilizations end up trading their own version of space flu causing galaxy wide endemic and species destruction.

[RedKing]

I think we've had this discussion before, and it basically broke into three camps:

1. First contact would wind up going bad because Humans are Bastards.

2. We're not bastards, and any race sufficiently advanced to be capable of interstellar travel must have evolved socially and psychologically to not be bastards either.

3. THEY RAPIN' ERRYBODY UP IN HERE



For my part, I don't think technological advancement is necessarily accompanied by peace, hugs and rainbows. Just look at the 19th century, or the early part of the 20th. But I don't think conflict is inevitable, either. I can't imagine anything we have that would be worth the expense of sending an invasion force all this way.

[Siquo]

Still, most historians agree: we did have sex with them.

If we'd meet someone higher up the ladder, they'd probably catch a few of us and teach us how to jump through hoops, kick balls around, and call us "flipper".

[Loud Whispers]

If we'd meet someone higher up the ladder, they'd probably catch a few of us and teach us how to jump through hoops, kick balls around, and call us "flipper".

And then we'd have sex with them.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Still, most historians agree: we did have sex with them.

Not even historians, the vast majority of humans carry Neanderthal genetics.

[Scoops Novel]

By the way, please at the end of any scenario you pick tell us how you would react. Greatorder, how do you think Governments would react? In my opinion, if here was the merest hint that they were more advanced then us, and we hadn't had direct communication as of yet telling us their motives etc, and they intended to contact us, the paranoia dials would go well beyond 9 qua... insert the biggest know number short of infinity here. Anyone who even in the faintest said anything that could be taken offensively would at best be imprisoned and at worst executed along with the rest of their family. Nukes would be decommissioned across the planet and making humanity look their best and shiniest, including eliminating anyone who wasn't, would be priority number 1 regardless of the consequences.

[MorleyDev]

Well prejudices against non-heteronormative sexualities and those of slightly different melanin count and places of origin on this planet are slowly vanishing. Even judgements based on sexual organs is slowly fading away (not fast enough for my liking but that's another story for another time). Overall people are less predujiced compared to 100 years ago and presumably that trend will continue globally until prejudice vanishes. Given enough time all will hopefully be considered by things other than quirks of their genetics. At least all on Earth by those on Earth, and it only seems fitting we'd encounter something else to be prejudiced about.

My daughter ain't marrying no Zorplaxian!

[Scoops Novel]

To be honest, I'd be happiest if they had FTL so that there'd be the minimum amount of time for the world to explode.

Question; would we go district 9 if we had very limited evidence suggesting a "primitive" level of technology? Or would the simple fact that we'd discovered aliens, it was cursory evidence, others might be watching, and that we know barely anything about what they could throw at us stave us off? I imagine governments would go for a similar response as to an advanced society just to be on the safe side, but it would be much harder to keep all the hotheads cool.

[Scoops Novel]

Good point greatorder. I was imagining a scenario where it was impossible to prevent the masses from knowing.

[Scoops Novel]

Alright, ancient human history buffs, how many species of humans were there? Also, how far is andromedra? And what are the thoughts on developed terrestrial contact between our species and another intelligent one. Say we got to the point where you could have a conversation with an orangutan.