5. The Futility Of Searching For Extra-Terrestrial Life - The Tommyknockers
Not to be a Luddite or anything but is there a real reason why this is being done? If aliens are visiting Earth, then why would they seek to communicate with anyone via radio? If they're out there and they've got technology sufficient enough to travel vast interstellar distances, then surely they could talk to us with something a little more dynamism than short-wave? The alien ship in The Tommyknockers gives the inhabitants of Haven miraculous new abilities, making them more like its creators. They get their intellects boosted, new toys and all sorts of other nifty gifts. It just takes their creativity, sense of wonder, individuality, uh, pretty much everything else that makes them human. Oh, and in the end, their lives. What was the freaking point? This brings me back to the search for Extra-Terrestrial life. If Stephen King's Tommyknockers demonstrates that aliens won't really benefit humanity, aka the inhabitants of Haven, then what is the point of searching for them? I respect science and I think it would be pretty cool if there was some sort of sentient life elsewhere in the universe. I just don't think that science should satisfy my conception, or anybody else's concept of what qualifies as cool. Which, let's face it, is the category what looking for intelligent life in the galaxy falls under. Other than that though, it really wouldn't accomplish anything else. So, let's stop doing it. If they're there, they'll find us.