This is explored somewhat in District 9, but also in the 1988 movie and TV show “Alien Nation.” IMO, the latter is overdue for a reboot.
At the time, as there is now, a concern within the US around illegal immigration. Alien Nation, with the one-the-nose wordplay in its title, sets out to explore this uncomfortable spot in the US psyche by replacing illegal aliens for space aliens. The writes pour gasoline on this fire by making the aliens superior to humans in nearly every way: reaching maturity faster, stronger, smarter, and with tougher stomachs because why not?
To answer your question, the show above does a good job setting up a plausible narrative around similar subject matter. I think it’s plausible that we would protect aliens were they weaker than us in some way. But in the case where they’re a threat to the status quo, we might do worse on the way to re-envisioning civil rights in light of multiple sapient lifeforms on this planet.
This is explored somewhat in District 9, but also in the 1988 movie and TV show “Alien Nation.” IMO, the latter is overdue for a reboot.
At the time, as there is now, a concern within the US around illegal immigration. Alien Nation, with the one-the-nose wordplay in its title, sets out to explore this uncomfortable spot in the US psyche by replacing illegal aliens for space aliens. The writes pour gasoline on this fire by making the aliens superior to humans in nearly every way: reaching maturity faster, stronger, smarter, and with tougher stomachs because why not?
To answer your question, the show above does a good job setting up a plausible narrative around similar subject matter. I think it’s plausible that we would protect aliens were they weaker than us in some way. But in the case where they’re a threat to the status quo, we might do worse on the way to re-envisioning civil rights in light of multiple sapient lifeforms on this planet.