Retro Brit : Why Hope for Aliens? (Science Fiction)

Why Hope for Aliens?

Why do we hope and prey that there is extra terrestrial life? It is something that fascinates us in our on going quest to understand ourselves. We gobble up any little bit of information that might suggest life. Is it because of a divine creator or scientific mathematical probability? After all, in eternity every mathematical consequence must occur once. Or does it? Where do we begin? We search for anything that will give us an opening into a more enlightening universe. Then we discover there are more questions. It is in our instinct to pursue and explore all. And does it help if we fantasise and make up stories? Sometimes such tales motivate us to search. Even if it is to pour ridicule and scorn on such yarns at a later date.

During the middle ages there were all sorts of trials pertaining to an act of God that could get a person freed or executed. An accused could be tried by walking ten paces holding a hot iron then having their hands bandaged for a set amount of days before being removed at an appointed time. If the blister burns remained or were subdued; would depend on judgement of a person’s guilt or innocence.

Are we only just beyond this and do some of our learned people of today feed us theories as outrages as the trial by ordeals of yesterday? Today we do not believe such things because they have been disproved, but many of our academic and most learned people of the middle-ages believed such was true. Today we like to indulge ourselves that we are more enlightened, and I think we are. However, many of the scientific theories we are given, continuously get disproved or challenged by equally well educated people with new ideas.

It seems that anything is possible and for most of us laymen who enjoy being fascinated by such things, it gives us a chance to fantasise and enjoy science fiction stories that we can model to our own needs. We all hear the theories of light speed being the fastest of all things. Nothing can exceed it, so we fantasise about ways of getting around such miserable constraints.

In the story of Dune, humans get around light speed and vast distances by consuming a spice from a planet called Arrakis – a desert planet where giant worms secrete and protect this strange substance. It allows humans to enhance their conscience and fold space. They theoretically put a ship outside of space, fold the universe and bring the designated space towards them and place their ship within the target area. Through folding back into shape, the ship is at the other end of the fold – travelling the vast distance without moving. What a wonderful theory for a science fiction/fantasy novel.

Of course in Star Trek they go into warp and just blow the whole (Nothing can exceed light speed theory) out of the water. Some stories cryogenic ally freeze people for long distance space travel or, on other tales, go through black holes. If we can imagine these things then surely it is our destiny to find such ways around these obstacles.

We believe it is possible to get past these gigantic hurdles so surely, somewhere, there must me other beings. If there are, would they not come to us? Have they come to us? Ooh, more fantasy to enjoy – whether they have or not?

Martians! What about Martians? Our first aliens from our own star system and neighbouring planet Mars. We all wanted Martians to be real, even if they were very un-neighbourly like the ones in War of the Worlds or Quatermass and the Pit. We fantasise about them being brutal and subjugating – a formidable hurdle that we must transpire to overcome. Sometimes they are more benevolent and we are aggressive and they point out our short comings. Either way we want extra terrestrial life to be real. The thought of us being the only ones is too terrible to behold. We just don’t want them to be better then us because if they are so high and mighty we may not worthy of their attention or affection. These are all traits in ourselves, but we don’t want our aliens to have them. We want them to be impressed, but not patronising. Do we still want to be top dog, even among extra-terrestrials? I think secretly we do, because we are still tribal.

Are we a disease that wants nothing more then to colonise and expect outsiders to be grateful to us for it? Do we want to meet others because we want them to be impressed by us? Are we at the tip of our galaxies spiral arm because we are a quarantined life force? Are we on the fringe because nature is giving us a fighting chance before meeting something more terrible in the centre of the galaxy, where the stars are closely clustered and more interesting, leaving us un-noticed, for the time being? Perhaps uninteresting? Are we being left to mature for something unearthly and terrible? Something diabolical of intention and we await such attention at a later date and what might that be?