How should humans deal with space travel and alien contact if the time ever comes?

[Not G. Ivingname]

I was just reading the article hear about how Steven Hawking thinks we need to last the 200 years or so it would take to develope space travel, and colonize other planets to prevent humanities destruction. If we last that long and leave Earth, how should it be taken care of? And if we find aliens, be them more advanced or not, how should we handle first contact.

I think the best example on how to treat planatary colonization is to follow Star Trek. In the series, the United Federation of planets (a group of united planets which includes humans, vulcans, Klingons post Next Generation, and a whole lot of species) has a policy called "The Great Directive" which says that no direct contact with alien species till they reached Warp technology (I.E. the ablity to travel the galaxy) silently observing the species developement. They let the species decide how much or how little help or contact into space they need. Peace is always the goal, never any kind of conquest.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

I vote for: The Warhammer 40.000 way. Because hatred and intolerance is just sooo cool in an interstellar setting. XD

 

[Serioli]

The ideal would be pretty much as you've described. Explore and 'live and let live' with peaceful aliens.
Sadly the reality will probably be to expand, conquer, terraform and attempt to own every single resource we come across. (As per 'hegemonising civilisations' described in some of Iain M Banks novels)

 

[the_dancy_vagrant]

The question assumes that the aliens that we come in contact with will be enough like us for interaction to be possible and/or desirable. If the first species we ever come into contact with prefers an environment with 10 Gs and an ammonia/nitrogen atmosphere, I think the first contact would be more along the lines of both species doing the equivalent of waving at each other followed by both sides shrugging their shoulders and then waving goodbye.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

The ideal would be pretty much as you've described. Explore and 'live and let live' with peaceful aliens.
Sadly the reality will probably be to expand, conquer, terraform and attempt to own every single resource we come across. (As per 'hegemonising civilisations' described in some of Iain M Banks novels)

Yeah, holding back ever starship's command greed will be an issue. I suggest some really strict laws regarding the habbitation of planets.

 

[Terminate421]

Not attack, if they strike first, call in the nukes.
Conventional weapons won't work on shields, but radiation and split atoms sure will.

 

[Godavari]

I vote for Halo-ing the shit out of them, except we're the Covenant and there were never any Forerunners or Flood.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

*waves a history book* This thing here says whatever we run into out there is gonna regret it eventually.

 

[bloodshed113094]

They should act with peace and invite them kindly to the planet earth. Knowing humans, it will go like District 9, and if their stereotypical aliens, every space game sense doom

 

[viranimus]

I say come in peace, then trade them blankets filled with H1N1

Then offer to buy the interstellar space bridge for 240 Euros

Then march the aliens off of each of their colony worlds, then permit them to open casinos on the space stations.

What? It worked last time.

 

[409]

How to deal with alien contact?
Same way you deal with it in Mass Effect.

ROMANCE THEM.

 

[MP3zilla]

I think we should go into a first contact, armed to the teeth, but still coming in peace. No need to look like a push over, but then again, we shouldn't provoke a potentially more advanced race into a war. Or any race of ppls we know nothing about for that matter.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

I say come in peace, then trade them blankets filled with H1N1

We'd have to research if H1N1 could even effect their physiology first. Could take years of research.

More efficient to engineer an incident and use it as an excuse to commit xenocide.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

How to deal with alien contact?
Same way you deal with it in Mass Effect.

ROMANCE THEM.

Thank you, Captain Kirk.

 

[Midnight Crossroads]

Cautiously. If communication is even possible, acquire as much information about them as possible while giving out as little about ourselves as possible.

 

[Pariah87]

I think if we discover an alien species the best course of action would be to nuke the site from orbit.

It's the only way to be sure.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

I think if we discover an alien species the best course of action would be to nuke the site from orbit.

It's the only way to be sure.

Feh. Nukes-shcmukes... KEWs all the way. I mean, if we're in space it's not like it'll be hard to nudge a few asteroids along at a fair clip to smash into their planets. "Fucken Bang."

 

[Korten12]

I vote for: The Warhammer 40.000 way. Because hatred and intolerance is just sooo cool in an interstellar setting. XD

I second this. xD