“They say lightning doesn't strike twice. Well, actually the term is ‘it doesn't strike twice in the same
place,’ so you kind of get where I’m going with this. But let’s face it, we all jumped the gun on this
one. Anyway, looking back in hindsight, the outcome was, it seems, obvious.”
“So obvious that you didn't see it coming.”
“Yes, me and everyone else involved in the mission hadn't expected these results. But sitting here,
now, talking to you, in this television studio, it all now makes perfect sense.”
“Ok, ok, so you've safely landed your module on this far off planet, after what has been a twelve
year mission, spent God knows how much taxpayer's money, and you try to defend the outcome?”
“Look, everyone knew we were going into this blind. Yes, we had found a distant planet, which was
later found to have an eco system similar to our own. So it was only right that as we had already
found the means to travel huge distances within a ‘reasonable’ time, that we should actually make
the attempt to go to there. The outcome could not be predicted. But now, like you have already said
on numerous occasions, we may have seen this one coming if we had analysed every eventuality.“
“Well it’s obvious to me, and everyone watching, that the outcome could have been predicted.
What is it now? Five planets you have sent missions to, all with the same end result. Now I
understand that risks have to be taken, but come on, you didn’t need to be a genius to
predict the likely outcome having seen what has happened on the other four occasions. I mean
how many more times are you going to send our people into space just to get the same results?”
The guest was naturally feeling anxious by the interviewing techniques of the show’s host.
But this he was expecting. The interviewer had a reputation for being tough, and wasn’t one for
letting up, especially once he had you on the ropes. The guest, however, was used to this media
style harassment, and wasn't going to go down without a fight.
“So what would you have done? Well? If it was your call to visit this planet, or forever lose a
possible opportunity to make First Contact with another intelligent species, would you have just
looked at what we had so far found, and then have thrown your cards on the table, and said no
more? No. The truth is I, we, did what had to be done, we sent a mission to see what was actually
out there. It’s because of these missions, and countless others which have gone before, that we,
mankind, are finding answers to some of the questions we never thought we would ever find an
answer to. Its because by taking these risks that one day we will be able to sit in this same studio
and talk about how we have found a planet with life forms like ourselves. Life forms that we will be
able to communicate with, and learn from.”
The interviewer had expected his guest to fight back with an emotional speech. He was only
a short sentence away from putting his hand over his heart, whilst singing the national anthem. But
he was ready for whatever his guest might throw at him. He had an unbeatable trump card which he
was dying to use, but he wanted to make his guest suffer some more before playing it. The guest
knew what what the host had in store, and he knew it was only a matter of time before it was going
to be thrown at him. In fact the whole watching public knew what was about to unfold, but the host
wanted to play and tease with them first, a little like how a cat plays with a mouse, before putting it
out of it’s misery.
“Hmm. So I ask again, how many more of these ‘missions’ are you planning to throw money at, all
in the name of discovering so-called ‘new’ life?”
The audience knew full well what he was implying, and gave out a spattering of laughter in response.
“We have another three possible missions lined up, and are obviously hoping for better results with
these.” The guest was starting to go a little red-faced now with the level of intimidation.
“Hmm, obviously.” The host was almost licking his lips in anticipation of the words which he was
fighting not to utter. Not wanting to speak them just yet.
“So what happens if you get the same old results? What is Einstein’s definition of insanity? Yes,
that’s right. It’s doing the same thing, again, and again, whilst expecting different results.”
The audience this time burst into a wild burst of laughter, letting escape some of the tense, built up
anticipation, of what was inevitably coming.
“Yes, but like I said, we do not know for certain what we will find on these living planets until we
actually go there for ourselves. Despite what has gone before, on different missions, we need to set
down and investigate these new worlds, otherwise we will have a ‘Schroedinger's Cat’ situation. We
must go there, and see for ourselves to be certain.”
“Hmm, I see.” The host was allowing his guest a little more rope, before he pulled it tight. His
producer had indicated that he had only a couple of more minutes left, before he needed to close the
show, but it was just enough time to string out the torture for a little while longer.
“So I see. So without mentioning the obvious elephant in the room, what have you actually learnt from
these missions?”
The guest wasn't ready for this question. It was almost as if the host had let him off the hook. He
had backed him further, and further into a corner, and now he was backing off, allowing a possible
route of escape.
“Well you see we have, erm, learnt a great deal...about our world as much as anything. You see
these missions have provided us with an unexpected window into our distant past. We, like
everyone else I suppose, had presumed that any life bearing planet which we might find, would
contain life more advanced than our own. Or at the very least, civilisations which were more or less
on a par with our own. But no, these presumptions were far from the truth, and as we now know,
these new worlds which we discovered, journeyed to, and explored, have given us information
about things which we just did not expect, but all the same, are of value to us.”
The guest for a split second thought that he might have dodged a bullet. But as the producer
indicated for the host to ‘roll things up’ the guest saw the look on the host’s face turn to utter
glee. He knew that finally the host was going to say the words that would ensure that the guest would
leave the show totally ridiculed. The host waited for a couple of seconds more, milking
the moment for all that he could get, before he at last spoke,
“Value did you say? Theses unexpected findings have been of ‘value’ to men of science like
yourself. So tell me, up until these missions discovered these ‘new’ lifeforms, as you so called them,
had you never heard of the term ‘dinosaur’?”