Aliens: Whatever's on the Menu

[Col. Tartleton]

Lets talk about extraterrestrials.

As a prompt:

Why haven't they made contact yet?

We can go from there.

[Gordon Freynman]

There's a number of possibilities:

1) They don't exist. (hypothetical odds are seemingly against this)

2) FTL travel and the proposed loopholes around the cosmic speed limit are impossible, and even the most advanced civilizations are limited to their immediate stellar neighborhood (that would be a major buzzkill)

3) They haven't found us yet. It's a big universe out there, although I'd assume a civilization capable of interstellar travel would easily be able to find habitable planets like ours

4) They've found us, but are just observing for now.

5) They have contacted us but the government is covering it up.

If aliens ever do contact us or try to, I'm more worried about how some people might respond to them rather than what the alien's intentions are.

[Gromovnik]

If aliens ever do contact us or try to, I'm more worried about how some people might respond to them rather than what the alien's intentions are.

I'd be more worried about what's on their menu...

[Manco]

There's a number of possibilities:

1) They don't exist. (odds are overwhelmingly against this)

2) FTL travel and the proposed loopholes around the cosmic speed limit are impossible, and even the most advanced civilizations are limited to their immediate stellar neighborhood (that would be a major buzzkill)

3) They haven't found us yet. It's a big universe out there, although I'd assume a civilization capable of interstellar travel would easily be able to find habitable planets like ours

4) They've found us, but are just observing for now.

5) They have contacted us but the government is covering it up.

If aliens ever do contact us or try to, I'm more worried about how some people might respond to them rather than what the alien's intentions are.

6) They exist, but we're actually the most advanced beings out there. Someone has to be.

[Biggreenfellow]

There's a number of possibilities:

1) They don't exist. (odds are overwhelmingly against this)

2) FTL travel and the proposed loopholes around the cosmic speed limit are impossible, and even the most advanced civilizations are limited to their immediate stellar neighborhood (that would be a major buzzkill)

3) They haven't found us yet. It's a big universe out there, although I'd assume a civilization capable of interstellar travel would easily be able to find habitable planets like ours

4) They've found us, but are just observing for now.

5) They have contacted us but the government is covering it up.

If aliens ever do contact us or try to, I'm more worried about how some people might respond to them rather than what the alien's intentions are.

6) They exist, but we're actually the most advanced beings out there. Someone has to be.

7) They exist, and know we are here, but have no interest whatsoever to make contact with us. I mean, what could we possibly offer them to make it worthwhile?

[Lord of Lost Socks]

2) FTL travel and the proposed loopholes around the cosmic speed limit are impossible, and even the most advanced civilizations are limited to their immediate stellar neighborhood (that would be a major buzzkill)

One of my biggest fears.
To think that humanity is stuck on this corner of the world and not be able to explore the wonders of the universe.. The thought discourages me, it's super depressing.

Gotta go watch some sci-fi to calm me down.(I realize I'll never see FTL myself, but I hope some day humanity will.)

[★Bandiera Rossa☭]

If aliens ever do contact us or try to, I'm more worried about how some people might respond to them rather than what the alien's intentions are.

Especially in America. Americans freak out when they see aliens from Mexico or the Middle East, how can we expect them to react well to extraterrestrials?

[Visna]

I dont think an advanced alien race will make clicking sounds. There language would be too limited. Being able to produce a very large variety of different sounds like humans has to be a requirement for advancement. It's beleived Neanderthals died out because they had limited communication and they were supposedly more intelligent than humans.

Human clicking sounds and the associated language that can arise from them are only limited by our anatomy. There's no telling how the anatomy of alien lifeforms have evolved. But theoretically you can still construct an advanced human language on clicking sounds, the words would just get longer. Some tribes in Africa have languages made up of clicking sounds and a few consonants.

[John I Tzimisces]

Human clicking sounds and the associated language that can arise from them are only limited by our anatomy. There's no telling how the anatomy of alien lifeforms have evolved. But theoretically you can still construct an advanced human language on clicking sounds, the words would just get longer. Some tribes in Africa have languages made up of clicking sounds and a few consonants.

Well, lets also not forget various forms of sign language (which does constitute separate languages) are there too, and other animals rely upon gesticulation (various vertebrates, insects), and transmitting chemical signals.

I think that about covers everything

You got...auditory, visual, and olfactory/taste based systems of communication. I guess if we can sorta kinda figure out what bees are "saying" we can figure out what the hell aliens are saying.

[cenkiss]

There's a number of possibilities:

1) They don't exist. (odds are overwhelmingly against this)

2) FTL travel and the proposed loopholes around the cosmic speed limit are impossible, and even the most advanced civilizations are limited to their immediate stellar neighborhood (that would be a major buzzkill)

3) They haven't found us yet. It's a big universe out there, although I'd assume a civilization capable of interstellar travel would easily be able to find habitable planets like ours

4) They've found us, but are just observing for now.

5) They have contacted us but the government is covering it up.

If aliens ever do contact us or try to, I'm more worried about how some people might respond to them rather than what the alien's intentions are.

3)Maybe there is not just one civilization,there are billions of different civilizations.And why should we treat earth as something perfect for them?Think about some aliens talking like 'oxygen?how do these beasts live with oxygen?It is dangerous.We are very unimportant in universe and we do not have to be found.

2)Wormholes are a imagination for now.Maybe they always are.And thinking about the distances between stars,it can be just impossible to travel unharmed.

[★Bandiera Rossa☭]

3)Maybe there is not just one civilization,there are billions of different civilizations.And why should we treat earth as something perfect for them?Think about some aliens talking like 'oxygen?how do these beasts live with oxygen?It is dangerous.We are very unimportant in universe and we do not have to be found.

Very true, there is a lot of evidence that the earliest forms of life didn't use Oxygen at all.

[cfmonkey45]

Very true, there is a lot of evidence that the earliest forms of life didn't use Oxygen at all.

Yes, but there is a reason, after all, as to why virtually all complex life that we know of on Earth is oxygen based. The basic physics of these chemicals makes them ideal for life and development, so if its probable here, its probable elsewhere.

[★Bandiera Rossa☭]

Yes, but there is a reason, after all, as to why virtually all complex life that we know of on Earth is oxygen based. The basic physics of these chemicals makes them ideal for life and development, so if its probable here, its probable elsewhere.

Well...it depends, we don't know the exact circumstances on other planets, and even if that is true it obviously doesn't mean that it is the only possible chemical for life to be based on.

[cfmonkey45]

There's a number of possibilities:

1) They don't exist. (odds are overwhelmingly against this)

2) FTL travel and the proposed loopholes around the cosmic speed limit are impossible, and even the most advanced civilizations are limited to their immediate stellar neighborhood (that would be a major buzzkill)

3) They haven't found us yet. It's a big universe out there, although I'd assume a civilization capable of interstellar travel would easily be able to find habitable planets like ours

4) They've found us, but are just observing for now.

5) They have contacted us but the government is covering it up.

If aliens ever do contact us or try to, I'm more worried about how some people might respond to them rather than what the alien's intentions are.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Manco
6) They exist, but we're actually the most advanced beings out there. Someone has to be.

7) They exist, and know we are here, but have no interest whatsoever to make contact with us. I mean, what could we possibly offer them to make it worthwhile?
8) They exist and we are immigrants from outer space, hundreds of thousand years ago, thus making all the worlds religions.

9) We exist as the result of overpopulation of an 80 trillion year old galactic entity whose supreme leader decided to exile us to Earth, using ships reminiscent of DC-10s, and dropped us into volcanoes which were then bombed with nuclear weapons to release our souls, called Thetans, which were then brainwashed with religious beliefs and our true realization of ourselves can only be revealed through stress tests.

TEACH THE CONTROVERSY!

[nasher168]

There's a number of possibilities:

1) They don't exist. (odds are overwhelmingly against this)

2) FTL travel and the proposed loopholes around the cosmic speed limit are impossible, and even the most advanced civilizations are limited to their immediate stellar neighborhood (that would be a major buzzkill)

3) They haven't found us yet. It's a big universe out there, although I'd assume a civilization capable of interstellar travel would easily be able to find habitable planets like ours

4) They've found us, but are just observing for now.

5) They have contacted us but the government is covering it up.

If aliens ever do contact us or try to, I'm more worried about how some people might respond to them rather than what the alien's intentions are.

6) They exist, but we're actually the most advanced beings out there. Someone has to be.

7) They exist, and know we are here, but have no interest whatsoever to make contact with us. I mean, what could we possibly offer them to make it worthwhile?
8) They exist and we are immigrants from outer space, hundreds of thousand years ago, thus making all the worlds religions.

9) We exist as the result of overpopulation of an 80 trillion year old galactic entity whose supreme leader decided to exile us to Earth, using ships reminiscent of DC-10s, and dropped us into volcanoes which were then bombed with nuclear weapons to release our souls, called Thetans, which were then brainwashed with religious beliefs and our true realization of ourselves can only be revealed through stress tests.

TEACH THE CONTROVERSY!

10) They exist and have tried to contact us, but use some FTL technology more advanced than our primitive radio transmissions.
11) They exist, but are so utterly different to us, they wouldn't recognise us as life if they saw us. (maybe a living interstellar dust cloud or balloon-like organisms from within a gas giant)
12) They exist, but have become transcendent and more powerful than what we would call gods. They care little if at all for us primitive material species

The possibilities are almost endless. It is unreasonable for us to label our speculations with any certainties. We don't think well with our gut and would be unwise to try.

[Exarch]

xenos are fit only for hunting

[hellheaven1987]

Compassion is reserved for servants of the Emperor; aliens deserve only our scorn.
~ Inquisitor Czevak, Teachings on the Unholy

[Jaketh]

xenos are fit only for hunting

grab a smartgun and lets go

[Angrychris]

they test their drugs on us but keep it strictly professional.

[Exarch]

well now, ungrateful basterd isnt he
after the eldar saved his arse and let him into their precious precious forbidden library