What really would happen if aliens came to this planet

Stebsis

Cadet
So, there're are probably hundreds, maybe even thousands of sci-fi stories where aliens come to this planet, be they hostile or not. Or that we've already made contact with them. But the big question here is, what would really happen?

This isn't about if the aliens are hostile or not, that doesn't matter right now. One of the questions is, what would humans do when aliens came?

Obviously these aliens would be superior to us in many ways if they can do interstellar travel. They can survive in space, probably can fly their ships at FTL speed and are more intelligent than us. Humans are the supreme force on this planet, we could wipe out all the life on Earth if we wanted to. We are at the top of the food chain. So, what would humans do, when a being superior to us came to this planet?

Humans put animals in zoos, we pay to see them, laugh at them, keep animals at pets, kill them for food. But why is that? Is it because humans are more intelligent? Is it because we just are humans, a superior race to other animals, that we can do what we want? We're obviously also animals, but what makes us better? Is it because we can use tools? Well, so do animals. For example, otters use rocks to open up clams that they keep on their stomach. Beavers can build big dams where they live.

Is it communication? Of course we can't understand them, but neither can they no matter how much you yell at your dog that barks. But, we can learn from each other. If you give your dog a name Jack for example, you repeat that name to him and he starts to understand what you say. So, doesn't this make dogs more intelligent than humans, they can learn what other species is saying. I'd say that is impressive. Also we humans can learn what dogs think, but not what they say. If the dog is whining and seems to want something, you start to understand that now he wants food, now he wants to go out and so on. We learn from each other so the difference between humans and other animals isn't communication either.

What about intelligence? Humans obviously are more intelligent than other animals, we can build things, massive things, we can use tools and so forth. But so do animals like I said before. And(I'm not trying to insult any specific group of humans here, just giving an example) what about disabled people? Some might have some kind of brain damage or some other fault that makes them not be able to all the things majority of us can. Some might not be nearly as intelligent as average people, or some accident might have put people in coma and so forth. Are these people inferior as humans? Does the lower intelligence, or the fact that they can't even think at all, give us the rights to put these people in zoos to laugh at them, or to keep as pets? Of course not, but also, what gives us the right to put animals in cages, keep them as pets etc.?

So, this brings us to the other thing. These aliens are superior to us in intelligence, maybe in power too, they have more weapons than we etc. Does this give them the right to put us in cages and keep as pets? And if they're superior, can we even say no to it? Of course we can resist it, but so are other animals resisting us when we try to kill them for food, but we still kill them. No one wants to die, but if aliens would be superior and almost human like, humans wouldn't survive long. They would control how we breed, what we eat, when we eat, when we're allowed to go to toilet etc. There's too many of us, they shoot some of us. There's too little of us, they give us partners to mate with. They're hungry, they cut us open and eat us. They want some entertainment to their kids, they buy a baby human to keep and raise as pet. This is what humans do to other animals, and this is what aliens might really do if they came.

Now to the question at the beginning, what would humans do? Average human might panic easily, we're scared of many things, we have phobias and some of us fear what future might bring. In the past there was terror of nuclear war. Humans also are made to lead, we are at the top of food chain, we control everything on this planet, even each other. We control what we and animals eat. We are made to control, to lead. Now, this superior species comes to us, and they don't want to be lower than us. They want to decide what they want to do, where they want to live, they have their own laws, own culture, own ways of life, own food. What would we do when we can't control them? They start populating this planet because it's their right as a superior species, humans don't own earth, no one does. We only have bits of land that we own only in name, natural disaster could always happen and wipe your land, everything you own, to dust. But when this superior species wants it, do you say no and risk your life? Maybe, it's up to the people. But at some point, maybe even right at the moment they arrive or we understand that we're no longer at the top of food chain, we start to retaliate. And where does this lead? To our extinction.

Note, I'm not talking about any movie, but what would happen in real life. There are no magical things, no plot important characters that survive anything, no terminators to send in the past to fix the future, no big resistance groups that actually could handle aliens that can travel between stars.

Bottom line, if aliens came to this planet tomorrow, we humans, the way we are now, would destroy ourselves if aliens don't do that first. If there really is life out there, we're screwed big time if we don't become superior to them first, or entirely change the way we handle this world.
 
That was really an interesting question regarding alien. Sometimes, I think about it. I don't think we are ready to meet any aliens from space because this world is way to violent to except beings from another world.
 
Sadly, you both make a good point. We would be scared and vulnerable like any trapped animal. Today, I believe our "fight-or-flight" instincts would have control of the larger portion of the earth’s population. Assuming we are not already traveling the stars, the only “flight” would be to scatter across the earth. Like lifting up an old log in the woods and watching the little insects run in every direction. Honestly, I would rather that as opposed to the "fight" instinct. I am very protective and would wish to push back on any "invader" into my home or our world in this case. However it might be simply dumb to pick a fight with a more advanced species before learning more. I have heard mixed reviews of punching a shark in the nose and if it actually works?
Of course many authors have explored both outcomes. Either way, in the end it may simply be a roll of the dice. Do we survive our first encounter with another intelligent species or not? I think that today, considering the culture that I am familiar with, we would freak out and bring about the extinction of our entire race.
 
I'd invite them in for a lovely cup of tea. ^__^

I'd like to think we'd be reasonably welcoming. Though many would probably just be scared they were over here to take our jerbs!

People tend to think of aliens coming over here bringing fleets or motherships and planet-blasting laser cannons, but I mean there's every chance it could be something not so dissimilar to our own manned spacecraft, with the exception of being able to travel so far. I mean if you have the chance to visit another planet with life, there's no real guarantee you're going to have a massive war faring laser totting battleship if it's your very first contact, surely? Until there's a need for that sort of thing, why would you bother investing your resources into it?

If the aliens intended to come here, I'm guessing we'd see a probe or some kind of sign of communication first. There'd be some way to communicate rranged before they starting sending their people to our planet I think. If aliens came here out of the blue then something would have gone wrong, similar to the Roswell crash or District 9. In which case we'd deal with it in a similar manner probably!
 
This is something that intrigued me enough to write about it in quite a lot of detail in Rise of The Lost. I spent a lot of time thinking about human reaction and human interaction. I also avoid the 'interstellar travellers must always be superior' cliche. :smiley:

Rjslingshot has the fundamentals as I see them, but human nature being what it is and what it's becoming, I decided that there was a little more to explore.
 
You can actually use world history to help construct theories as to how this would play out. Just look at how the Aztec empire was defeated by spain; spain was so technologically advanced comparatively that they may have well been "aliens".

Yeah, it'd be ugly... but hey, it makes for good movie material ;)
 
I have just written a novel about teenagers from a parallel world arriving on Earth due to an accident. All they want to do is return home! As they are trying to do that, they make friends and, of course, there are the other humans who want to use them. But, as they come from a different dimenssion, no trans-dimensional spaceship for easy travel, the 'Big Fear' element is not there.
 
Well, it depends...

If evolution is all about biological programing for survival then it would come down to whether or not the aliens have overcome their biological drive to domintate their envoronment and become something more than animals with toys...

We need to get off this rock.
 
Well, it depends...

If evolution is all about biological programing for survival then it would come down to whether or not the aliens have overcome their biological drive to domintate their envoronment and become something more than animals with toys...

We need to get off this rock.

you might be right i don't know :smiley:
 
We don't even deal well with people we consider different on our own planet. I don't think aliens would go over well.
 
You can actually use world history to help construct theories as to how this would play out. Just look at how the Aztec empire was defeated by spain; spain was so technologically advanced comparatively that they may have well been "aliens".

Yeah, it'd be ugly... but hey, it makes for good movie material ;)

I agree entirely. I'm watching Andrew Marr's History of the World (BBC1 Sundays) and it's very clear that most colonising/empire building powers tend to crush the natives. Why would aliens be any different?

Hopefully the sheer size of the universe and the immense technological issues with travel will mean that there's no one out there heading our way!
 
:cool: I think they are already HERE! That is why some people want "FULL DISCLOSURE".
I would think that some people would accept ETs calmly. For example, some cultures have TRADITIONS of people coming from space. (The Hopi and Navajo have kachinas, etc.)
Some people might be very upset and want to kill them. Some people would want to worship them. In other words, the EXTREMES of kill, worship or just acceptance of fact.
Our "international relations" would become "interplanetary relations".
We are living in the SPACE AGE. I think we can accept the fact that there are ETs. The United Nations has a person in charge of "space affairs". :cool::cool:
 
If the first contact is made here on Earth, it won't b pleasant for us. If they have good intentions, they wouldn't hide. If they have good intentions, they would only hide, if we are far inferior to their technology, which could be the case. The ideal option for meeting aliens for us is to meet them, when we develop interstellar travel technology. Who would like to make contact with primitive non-spacefaring apes like us anyways?
 
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