Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: notesfiles Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!mtuxo!mtunh!mtung!mtunf!ariel!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!hp-pcd!orstcs!richardt From: richardt@orstcs.UUCP (richardt) Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Re: what the Visitors came for Message-ID: <7800020@orstcs.UUCP> Date: Mon, 8-Jul-85 03:50:00 EDT Article-I.D.: orstcs.7800020 Posted: Mon Jul 8 03:50:00 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jul-85 10:14:59 EDT Organization: Oregon State University - Corvallis, OR Lines: 59 Nf-ID: #N:orstcs:7800020:000:3630 Nf-From: orstcs!richardt Jul 7 21:50:00 1985 The Idea that an advanced alien race would come to Earth (or anyhere else for that matter) is not as preposterous as it sounds. Isaac Asimov wrote a book in which the plot traced an expedition from Mars to Jupiter to acquire water. This was no small task for the Martians. For the "Visitors" it would be quite a bit easier. It has also been suggested that Jupiter would make a nice fuel stop for interstellar ships leaving or entering the Solar system. Why Jupiter? It would be easier to go and get hydrogen/ water from Jupiter than to lift it off Earth. Now, extrapolate a little. The "Visitors" did not EXPECT that Earth would present any difficulties. Compared to Visitor technology, Earth is still in the dark ages (by about fifty years.) Thus, it would be easier to come to Earth and lift the water out of the gravity well than to synthesize mass quantities of it from Jupiter or another gas giant. First, the Oxygen would have to be shipped to Jupiter. Then it would be combined with the refined hydrogen raked of the atmosphere of Jupiter. Then we ship the whole mess out of Jupiter's gravity well, all several hundred G's of it, and send it to 'The Home Planet.' It would be easier just to lift it out of Earth's gravity well on gravitic jets, which the Visitors use regularly. Especially if we assume that the natives are not going to put up any resistance. After they did, the series turned into a grudge match between Dianna and the Resistance. An intelligent commander would have cut her losses and left, either to get reinforcements and do the invasion right, or to go on to greener pastures. Then there is the matter of food. The Visitors ... Look, they were supposed to come from Rigel. From now on, they're Rigellians... The Rigellians are a carnivorous race. Not omnivorous like Man, but Carnivorous. Vegetable matter is not digested well and they avoid it because it tastes lousy. Similar to the arguments against soyburgers. Now, since the Rigellians 1) expect Earthies to have brains on the order of cattle, 2) like red meat for dinner, 3) have a fresh water problem, 4) assume Earth technology to be just hitting the Bronze Age, and 5) have a relatively unlimited power (gravitic) drive, why won't they come to an alien planet for food and drink? This brings us to the moral issues. First, who are we to assume that slavery is a natural stage in a races development. Relatively few species on Earth have social heirarchies similar to slavery, and very few have any past the mother feeding her young stage. Most of the non-mammals ignore they're young, and only pay attention to other members of their kind when the other member poses a direct threat. So we should not assume that slavery will even occur to them. Two, the Rigellians have conquered other planets before. They may have slaves coming out they're ears on the home planet! Three, the Rigellian society is spartan and militaristic in nature. The thought of having a personal servant could be an insult to their honor. Four, living, intelligent beings use up food, air, space (both in shipment and while working,) and WATER. Now, I think we can discount using un-intelligent animals as slaves. Having slaves would take up valuble natural resources which are already in short supply. The one thing that is surprising about "V" is that the rulers on Rigel left Dianna in charge for so long, and that the NBC producers left it on the air so long. With good scripts, the show could have been excellent. As it is, it should be put out of our misery. orstcs/richardt "If I'm human, what are *YOU*?"