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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*?"