If you were the "God" of a newly discovered planet...

So this is an interesting idea... and I would love to hear what you would do in this situation.

Okay, so let's say sometime in the future, we finally master space flight and exploration. We have high tech ships that can fly to far away places at high speeds.

You are an astronaut of a one man ship. You are sent to go do some space exploration. This is a one way trip... Your ship is stocked to the brim with food, water, oxygen, energy, solar panels, fuel, and lots of high tech devices.

So anyway, you take off of Earth... your ship cruises around space for a bit, past the solar system, past the Milky Way galaxy, past other galaxies at very high speeds... You yawn and get bored and fall asleep...

OH NOEZ! Your ship gets hit by a meteor! You hurtle towards a planet and crash land. Thankfully with the high tech armor of your ship, it survives the impact and all your electronic equipment and devices still work. But the engine is busted thus you are stuck on the planet...

You check for air quality levels on this planet... They are eerily similar to Earth's...

You decide to step outside and take a look...

You open the hatch and you look outside to see a group of creatures gathered around your ship...

Upon closer inspection... they look human. Only they look more like cavemen than modern day man... You look around some more and see they do in fact live in caves... Very primitive indeed...

They look at you in wonder and amazement... It almost looks like they want you to lead them...



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The story is set... What would you do next?

Got Milk?

Create the Internet and call myself Al Gore the Great!

I would tell them that their fire causes all the bad things that happen to them because fire heats up their world.
I would charge them 7 gold per fire and 20 gold per bonfire.

Muahahahahaha

Pull out my lighter and astound them all with my magic!

First, I would find out if they had invented cheese by then. If so, I would eat said cheese. Then I would set them on fire. All of them. The invention of fire is a marvelous thing, my friends, I'm sure they could benefit from it.

Finally, I would become Lady Gaga.

Seriously, I would probably just go and sleep in the caves with them.

One possible way I would go about doing it is...

Go live with them.

Oh btw the planet is ultra lush and not all yucky and polluted.

Oh and the women are really attractive... they dont look like cavemen, they are just at that level of primitiveness... They aren't dumb, just very simple. But smart in their own way.

I would lock my spaceship definitely. cant be having that technology get into the wrong hands.

I would set up a tribal way of life... living off the land, very spiritual...etc etc.

I would teach them basic things like writing, dancing, speaking, etc etc.

If the tribes decided to war against each other, I would go back to my ship and regulate with my high tech devices. MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

Demand that they build me a space ship.

Tell them I can see them when they're sleeping and know if they're bad or good.

I'd do just what I do here. Watch and learn. If a problem or question came up that I could help with, I would. Teach if I could. Best not to assume their humanity. ATS is full of people who believe aliens can pass for humans. Again, watch and learn are the absolute keys. Pray hard to avoid the tempetation to badly use the people. I'd have no slaves, worshipping, that sort of thing.

I know this is rambling. The OP desreves a more thoughtful and organized response than this but, oh well.

They are cavemen,
but they want a leader!??????

They do not flee but are attracted?


I would suspect that I am not the first
space traveller on this planet and someone
has been here before me.

I would learn everything I could from them
with an eye on determining what previous event,
or idea in their thoughts, have cause the opposite of xenophobia
to be the norm.

Maybe they are the equivalent of the Essenes,
living in the desert outside of a Jerusalem
and they expect me to lead an army.


David Grouchy

i would observe them a while and set up my living space/camp somewhere as in any survival situation, either at the ship or perhaps move it somewhere with said technology (tractor beam?) or cover with dirt maybe?
perform small feats with technology in sight but not to the benefit or harm of creatures and allow them to make their own judgments

if they see me as a god, so be it
maybe then it will be time to shape them to my will, id suspect the impulse to be very strong hahahaha

but yes, learning from our own past etc, perhaps a more spiritual direction

You dont specify what high tech devices I have, but unless I had an unlimited power source for them then I imagine most of my time would be spent learning how I am supposed to survive from the natives.

I can't think of much that I could teach them that would be useful apart from "Wash your hands and cook meat properly people!"

There is a chapter in one of the hitchikers guide books where Arthur Dent is in a very similar situation and he imagines all of the wonderful modern technologies he could introduce, until he realises that he doesn't actually have a clue how most of them work apart from in a very general way, so he sets up shop as a sandwich maker (the local inhabitants have never heard of sandwiches) and becomes revered throughout the planet.

So maybe I would go that way

reply to post by davespanners


You have leverage in how this story plays out...

So if I am vague in which high tech devices are in your arsenal, you decide which devices you have.

You know what I mean?

You are allowed to make it your own story with your own rules, okay?

So yeah everyone, remember, you create the story.

I mentioned how you have solar panels on your ship, so assume you can recharge your devices for the time being.

Regarding the OP of this thread... It is a philosophical question. Do you rule with an iron fist? or are you peaceful? Do you put yourself above them, or do you live among them?

I really want to hear people's opinions on this.

This is a very good idea. I would teach them metalurgy. And have a garden made of gold like the Aztecs had. I would try to bring them all to my level. But I would most deffinately teach them peace and spiritual existence.

And idk about anyone else but we'd have to set up a pop eyes chicken franchise.

reply to post by SolarE-Souljah
That is a great scenario!
First I would let them know that I am not God, but can help them live a wonderful life of love, compassion, and unity if they work together towards a common goal. Then I would explain to them that they have the freedom of choice. And with good and bad choices come their consequences and that no being is superior to the other. I would then teach them how to explore and create inventions that will benefit all and how to share them. Of course with time and sophistication will come problems and issues, but it will be up to them to resolve them. Hopefully with a positive outcome. One team one goal.

Well, we're assuming you have enough to live in your space-ship, right? So you can just sort of stay there? I think I'd hole up in a place where nobody could get at me. I would attempt contact with the locals, maybe bring them some meat or carcasses or whatever to gain trust, and I'd try to learn as much of their language as I could and communicate. My general attitude would be one of detachment and occasional benign contact rather than any kind of "rulership" scenario.

I think if, after a while, you established better communication, you would be duty-bound to try to use what you know and have to help these people to some extent. Medicinal knowledge, basic technology, and so forth. Perhaps even more importantly, you could warn them of the excesses and follies of modern man, where we went wrong, deviated from a more natural life. You could help them to think on their own about what kinds of social organizations adn long-term structures would be best for mankind, as well as behaviors, ways of communication, etc. Who knows, you might be able to save humanity a lot of the immeasurable suffering that has come with more advanced civilization.

Originally posted by SolarE-Souljah
One possible way I would go about doing it is...

Go live with them.

Oh btw the planet is ultra lush and not all yucky and polluted.

Oh and the women are really attractive... they dont look like cavemen, they are just at that level of primitiveness... They aren't dumb, just very simple. But smart in their own way.

I would lock my spaceship definitely. cant be having that technology get into the wrong hands.

I would set up a tribal way of life... living off the land, very spiritual...etc etc.

I would teach them basic things like writing, dancing, speaking, etc etc.

If the tribes decided to war against each other, I would go back to my ship and regulate with my high tech devices. MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

edit on 8-3-2011 by SolarE-Souljah because: (no reason given)

First, how do I communicate with them (it's good that they aren't dumb, which means mute - I assume you mean they're not stupid?
I don't care if the women are attractive, what about the men? (Given that I am a woman.)
Given also, that they out-number me, I don't get to set up any way of life for them, but I would teach them what I could, although I suspect they'd be teaching me to start with - about predators etc...

reply to post by Vicky32


They are all really beautiful people.

They are smart, just need a nudge to get them started. Imagine them as blank slates... you decide what they become. Think of them as your kids...

The question is, corrupt or love them? or both?