Print

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

[Mister Always]

That's...not quite what "Freudian" means, I think, but I get your point.

Okay, so it knows there's other alien species. Why would it go seek them out and destroy them to lay a bunch of eggs on its planet? What possible purpose could that have? And if it doesn't care about anything but reproducing and becoming stronger, why go do it on a different planet it barely knows anything about?

Think about this from a human perspective. If you wanted to raise a family, and in fact got up to the point of impregnating some female of the species (assuming you're male, if not, just replace that with "and in fact got up to the point of some dude schtupping you and you becoming pregnant"), would you then move to a completely foreign country you've never been to, where you don't speak the language, don't know anybody, and have no idea about the culture and environment?

Of course not. You'd stay where you know it's safe.

[Mister Always]

Anyway, I'm off. It's late here.

[ASCIt]

Anyone ever read Orson Scott Card's Ender series? A species like the "buggers" would present a serious problem to us if we were to meet, similar to that in the books themselves.

Oh yes, and to answer the thread title, no. I actually tend to act entirely on impulse. It makes it...difficult...to make friends/lasting relationships. Except on the internet, where all is fair and acceptable!

[Loud Whispers]

That's...not quite what "Freudian" means, I think, but I get your point.

Okay, so it knows there's other alien species. Why would it go seek them out and destroy them to lay a bunch of eggs on its planet? What possible purpose could that have? And if it doesn't care about anything but reproducing and becoming stronger, why go do it on a different planet it barely knows anything about?

Think about this from a human perspective. If you wanted to raise a family, and in fact got up to the point of impregnating some female of the species (assuming you're male, if not, just replace that with "and in fact got up to the point of some dude schtupping you and you becoming pregnant"), would you then move to a completely foreign country you've never been to, where you don't speak the language, don't know anybody, and have no idea about the culture and environment?

Of course not. You'd stay where you know it's safe.

Think of it in alien terms:

You know there are other planets, you have already steam rolled over the primitive animals there, who were all ill evolved to deal with the WORST case scenario.

Then you pretty much spread across every planet, mostly ending in failure. Then you end up with that few hundred dozen, seeking an evolutionary advantage to their own kindred, and stumble upon Earth, and again, find the largest source of meat, people.
Language? They could speak through body language or guttered snarls for all it matters, the point is, they're not looking for a cosy home, they're looking for a free meal D:

Honestly, I'd be more worried about a Pathogenic alien, I mean humanity can adapt to that sort of thing, but our immune system cannot so easily, and not only could space microbes [lol] survive impact in a comet/meteorite, but it could realistically cause a massive chunk of the world population to die D:

AND AMOEBA'S CAN'T PLAY DF  D: D: D:

[ASCIt]

Then we clearly need to invest quantum computers ASAP.

[dr_random]

Honestly, I'd be more worried about a Pathogenic alien, I mean humanity can adapt to that sort of thing, but our immune system cannot so easily, and not only could space microbes [lol] survive impact in a comet/meteorite, but it could realistically cause a massive chunk of the world population to die D:

AND AMOEBA'S CAN'T PLAY DF  D: D: D:

But it would have to have an effect on human physiology. Many microbes just don't - else we would suffer the same deseases as animals, but we don't. And evolution takes some time even for bacteria.

[ASCIt]

Urist McSpaceAmoeba has infected Urist McHuman!
Urist McSpaceAmoeba attacks Urist McHuman in the nervous system, but the attack glances off!     x100
Urist McSpaceAmoeba gives in to exaustion!

Ad infinitum.

[Andal]

My, my, things exploded in here while I was trying to get some sleep. Serves me right.

I actually am a huge fan of science fiction (though I lean to the older school, of Clarke and Asimov and the like) and really enjoy authors' different takes on first contacts. But what makes good fiction are characters that one can relate to, hence why alien species are portrayed in some way anthropomorphized.

We would send scientists, diplomats, and explorers out to search for intelligent life. It is a very human thing to do. But human, extraterrestrials would not be.

Now of course, saying that they'd run off with our water/metals/radioactive elements/delicious bacon is also anthropomorphizing a bit, as it's what we do whenever we encounter a new place: build, extract, rinse, repeat. And that's a trap we all fall into: thinking aliens would do as we do, and have the same motives (survival/expansion as starters, though those are highly likely to be shared, as that's what life does, and neither bodes well for us).

Ignoring us is probably just as, if not more likely. We may be a minor, uninteresting species for something that can travel interstellar distances. Though, the resource idea is given credence when you think about the most likely form of interstellar travel: not "lightspeed" or any other unlikely, super fast motion, but generational vessels, "self-sustaining" mini-worlds. Which might still need to stock up on basics, and hey, look, that solar system has a nice planet full of readily available liquid water/carbon based squishies. Time to make up some more -Alien food substances- and +Alien entertainment devices+, and convert it over to a lovely colony world, because earth-like planets aren't that common (even just talking surface temperature). Let's face it, if they view us as competitors, we're sunk. And the idea that they'd let us live because "Yay, other "intelligent" life-forms, aren't they cute/precious" is so delightfully human. We like being something that matters.

What makes it so hard to predict an alien's actions is that they would be utterly alien. No similar cultural roots, no common thought patterns, no basis of understanding that is common other than possibly mathematics/chemistry. Which makes saying "we come in peace" or "welcome, please don't eat us" a little difficult. Or "Hey we're an intelligent species too, please believe us. Also, your acid sweat keeps melting our diplomats."

In the end however:

Though it is reasonable to say that there exists life other than us in this particular universe, possibly within our own galaxy, it may not be (and is unlikely to be) complex. Additionally, the likelihood of us bumping into another "us" is tiny given the vast distances of space, even if they do exist.

[Sting_Auer]

What about an Alien species that really doesn't have advanced intelligence, but is able to travel through space?

Imagine a species of insect-like creatures that form hives out of asteroids and habitable planets. They aren't sentient, they just have the physical ability to travel through space on their own.

That would fit the bill of a creature that only travels to other planets to find food.

[vonFaust]

Yes, they would. They'd like it so much that they'd enslave all of us, demanding we grow beards, drink massive amounts of booze, and dig. Dig deep. Too deep.

[ZeroSumHappiness]

Space squid!

[Sting_Auer]

[ZeroSumHappiness]

RAmen, brother!

[Loud Whispers]

Urist McSpaceAmoeba has infected Urist McHuman!
Urist McSpaceAmoeba attacks Urist McHuman in the nervous system, but the attack glances off!     x100
Urist McSpaceAmoeba gives in to exaustion!

Ad infinitum.

Seconded.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Blessed be his noodly amoeba.

[DisgruntledPeasant]

There is a theory missing from this thread.

People have already suggested showing Dwarf Fortress to our new alien buddies/enemies,  what makes you think such an advanced race doesnt have its own, better version of it?

of course it wouldnt be DWARVES, it would be their own mythological creature,  and the simulated world would be much more complex... say simulating a whole planet in 3D with entire ecosystems and realistic physics.  Hell I bet the AI involved would even be self aware, though it would likely not KNOW it was in a virtual world,   if the aliens had a sense of humour they might even give the AI a crude ACII version of the similuated world to play about with just for the reccursion lols.

Now of course,  if that AI ever became aware that it was simply lines of code as part of a large simulated world it would probably go insane... wait a second... 

-Disgruntled Peasant is having a strange mood-