We detect an alien drone heading into our solar system

[WelshBloke]

Let it in.

The distances involved would mean who ever launched it has either forgotten about it or have died out.

It's not like it's going to send a message home instantly anyway. What's the turnaround time to its home planet for communication then travel time for the horde of blood crazed xenomorphs?

 

[FerrelGeek]

How do you know they use radio? How do you know they even talk? Even if they're just rubber forehead aliens from Star Trek, why would you assume a probe has the equipment to analyze all the things that could be communication and then reply intelligently? Learning a language from your own planet is hard enough, imagine trying to figure out one that evolved from a completely different biology.

There's also no reason to make any assumptions about how their thought process would go. They may have no concept of logic as we know it, they may respond purely on culture and instinct. Maybe them opening their weapons ports is a sign of respect, like a salute? You don't know.

Baahhhtt? Baht baht baht. Bahtbahtbaht baht....


BAAHHHTTT!!!!!!

BZAAPPP!

 

[SlitheryDee]

Baahhhtt? Baht baht baht. Bahtbahtbaht baht....


BAAHHHTTT!!!!!!

BZAAPPP!

Damn hippies and their doves.

 

[DrPizza]

Really? We've launched probes out into the galaxy, do we have the technology to do jack shit if they happen to pass a planet more advanced than ours and get shot down or captured? While we might be able to shoot down or capture an alien probe if given enough time and warning, it's highly unlikely we would have either. It's probable that we wouldn't notice it until it was too close for us to do anything except hope it was friendly.

You're ignoring time. Voyager 1 was launched in 1977. It just left the solar system in 2013. Well, sort of, but not really, since it hasn't passed the heliosheath yet. Voyager 1 isn't even 1/1000th of the way to the next star. By the time it got there (if it was heading in that direction), our technology will likely have advanced quite significantly. That is to say, some of the lesser advanced nations on Earth at this point in time, if they took all of their current weapons and technology back in time, could seriously kick ass less than 100 years ago during WWI. Heck, look at how long it took the US and other countries to finally be victorious in WWII. Now, take today's technology only 70 years later and apply it to WWII - the US could be victorious against Germany, Italy, and Japan, within a couple of weeks, without the need for nukes.

 

[ultimatebob]

Does the space probe have a flute in it? Because we know from Star Trek: TNG that all of the really cool space probes come with a flute.

 

[Hugo Drax]

Look what happened to the Indians in North America when a group of people with superior technology invaded. It started with the one ship then now look what happened to them.

Same shit with aliens, we would end up like Native Americans (if we are lucky)

 

[GagHalfrunt]

You're ignoring time. Voyager 1 was launched in 1977. It just left the solar system in 2013. Well, sort of, but not really, since it hasn't passed the heliosheath yet. Voyager 1 isn't even 1/1000th of the way to the next star. By the time it got there (if it was heading in that direction), our technology will likely have advanced quite significantly. That is to say, some of the lesser advanced nations on Earth at this point in time, if they took all of their current weapons and technology back in time, could seriously kick ass less than 100 years ago during WWI. Heck, look at how long it took the US and other countries to finally be victorious in WWII. Now, take today's technology only 70 years later and apply it to WWII - the US could be victorious against Germany, Italy, and Japan, within a couple of weeks, without the need for nukes.

You're ignoring time too and so is the other pie-eyed optimist here who is foolishly believing that any society has no other way to go except to evolve into some Star Trek like utopia where we have the time, money and brainpower to master faster than light travel IF it's even possible. A society that launched s simple probe a million years ago could have disappeared entirely, it could have devolved into warfare and is at nothing more than a collection of hunter/gatherer tribes and maybe they never figured out how to travel at warp factor 20. Why are you assuming that by the time our probe reaches anywhere that could have the technology to even understand it let alone destroy it or capture it that we're going to be able to leap across the galaxy to defend our property? Hell, how will we even be able to tell what happens to it when it's that far away? We're a hell of a lot more likely to get hit by an asteroid or to self-destroy than we are to become omnipotent lords of interstellar travel and so is any society that launched a simple probe in our direction. Millions of years is a long time and even intelligent societies can run into trouble in that time. Ask the Minoans. Oh wait, you can't.

 

[Jeff7]

How do you know they use radio? How do you know they even talk? Even if they're just rubber forehead aliens from Star Trek, why would you assume a probe has the equipment to analyze all the things that could be communication and then reply intelligently? Learning a language from your own planet is hard enough, imagine trying to figure out one that evolved from a completely different biology.

There's also no reason to make any assumptions about how their thought process would go. They may have no concept of logic as we know it, they may respond purely on culture and instinct. Maybe them opening their weapons ports is a sign of respect, like a salute? You don't know.

Yeah, communication of any kind would be pretty tough. There are still some ancient human languages that we can't translate, and that's with the benefit of having the context of knowing what it's like to be a human living on Earth.


Blowing up the thing would be communication, though it would certainly be open to interpretation.
Hostility? A warning? Paranoia? No idea.
I don't feel like losing another probe drone though. Ignore that system for now.

Would be ironic if we captured it only to find it about as technologically advanced as one of the deep space probes we launched in the 1970s.

Already the plot of a book.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Not_Taken_(short_story)

I do like that story.
Bust down the door of a retirement home expecting an easy day of looting, only to find that it's a hiding place for a heavily-armed family of murderous sociopaths.
It's too late to run at that point.

Did anyone point out yet, that us detecting it entering the solar system, is a "Yeah right, as if!" probability?

And why does everyone always have the Klingons discovering us before the Vulcans? The way we always deal with more primitive cultures is a poor indication of how off world species handle it.

Basing everything on how life evolved here, is too small a sample size to base a conclusion on.

Surviving the adolescent destroy yourselves phase, may result in mature civilizations that guide and nurture, instead of loot and pillage.

Sometimes idiot teenagers figure out how to do something crazy though.
Maybe that White-Juday interferometer thing will run across something that's like The Road Not Taken, an "Oh god we're so stupid!" moment and we figure out how to equip things with warp drive in under a century. Assuming we survive the phase of warp-capable nuclear bombs, maybe we'll go loot and pillage other worlds at ludicrous speed.

 

[dawp]

Already the plot of a book.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Not_Taken_(short_story))

for those interested, here's a link to a pdf of the story

http://www.eyeofmidas.com/scifi/Turtledove_RoadNotTaken.pdf

 

[brainhulk]

Look what happened to the Indians in North America when a group of people with superior technology invaded. It started with the one ship then now look what happened to them.

Same shit with aliens, we would end up like Native Americans (if we are lucky)

So it will be like natives throwing spears at an aircraft carrier

Therefore deception would probably be our best play

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Sometimes idiot teenagers figure out how to do something crazy though.
Maybe that White-Juday interferometer thing will run across something that's like The Road Not Taken, an "Oh god we're so stupid!" moment and we figure out how to equip things with warp drive in under a century. Assuming we survive the phase of warp-capable nuclear bombs, maybe we'll go loot and pillage other worlds at ludicrous speed.

Anything is possible. And I have trouble with envisioning us as ever being a mature civilization that will guide and nurture. We are far more likely to be the Ferengi. And if you doubt me, just look at what the people in FS/FT want for their used crap. It has turned into ebay, even though there are no final sales fees to compensate for. greedy rules of acquisition following bastages!

 

[dighn]

why would you nuke it? might not even work.

 

[FerrelGeek]

So it will be like natives throwing spears at an aircraft carrier

Therefore deception would probably be our best play

Hey! Look what the ewoks did to the elite stormtroopers!

 

[FerrelGeek]

Damn hippies and their doves.

lol, ikr!

 

[HeXen]

If they wanted to destroy us...and there is no reason to. They would just hurl an asteroid at us with enough size and speed to wipe us out before we have a chance to react. As far as aliens wanting our resources...well the universe is packed with lifeless planets full of precious metals and such.

You guys watch too much TV.

 

[werepossum]

3 words: Trump Space Wall

lol!

I demand a poll option for "Wave our naked junk at it." That's the universal language.

 

[BUTCH1]

Let them converse with Mayne as our representative. They will scurry away in fear...