This article from MSN.com explores the possibilities that alien lifeforms making contact with Earth will more than likely be at least partially robotic as well as biological, like Six on “Battlestar Galactica.” The idea is put forth, essentially, that other Earth-like planets in the universe could be up to 50,000 years older than Earth itself, thus their indigenous beings will have already fought and lost the war against the machines, which will become the dominant species. Given how much our technology has advanced in the past 100 years, scientists theorize that a culture 50,000 years older than ours will have developed incredibly advanced technology that we have yet to imagine. The implication, which the article does not directly address, is that all those pieces of sci-fi that indicate Earth is some shunned backwater planet to the rest of the universe are right. I always expected as much, but the only thing that gets to me about this article is that they refer to the Cylons as extraterrestrials. All of the characters in “Battlestar Galactica” are extraterrestrials. As not a one of them came from Earth, thus none of the characters fit into the category of “terrestrial.” In any case, it’s a fun read and has lots of cool links to other pieces that talk about the relationship between science and science fiction. Check it out (by clicking the picture).
