Writing Forum

Hey All,

I am reading (listening to) Joe Haldeman's "Star Bound." In it an Israeli spook general evaluates Earth's reaction to discovering a higher technology neighbor that appears to have attempted to destroy humanity. He thinks Earth's reaction (building a defense fleet) is like gnats attacking an elephant. He thought that the resources would be better spent to scatter genetically stable colonies throughout the solar system.

In Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card makes an ansible led fleet an effective strategy against an enemy with higher technology.

So what do you think about this SciFi standard? Humanity is threatened. Would you desperately build a defense or rapidly cobble together as many space arcs as you can? Is there another option you'd favor? Battle Star Galactica? Nibiru?

If I may be so bold, this isn't really as far-fetched as it may seem. E.L.E.(s) are a topic of conversation in science and on late night radio. Space aliens may not be the most likely source of our destruction, coronal mass ejections, meteors, and polution might be more likely, but with these we don't necessarily have the same options. Or perhaps we do, fight or flight has been on the existential threat option list for a very long time. What's on your E.T.O.L.?

LSO