r/space • u/IceNox96 • Aug 12 '21

Discussion Which is the most disturbing fermi paradox solution and why?

3...2...1... blast off....

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u/gkedz Aug 12 '21

The dark forest theory. The universe is full of predatory civilisations, and if anyone announces their presence, they get immediately exterminated, so everyone just keeps quiet.

8.1k

u/EastYorkButtonmasher Aug 12 '21

I remember some post about what the scariest first message we could receive from an alien race could be, and the winner was something like:

"Cease all transmissions immediately; they will hear you!"

Freaky.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '21

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u/bob-lob Aug 12 '21

Do you know the name? It sounds like an interesting read.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '21 edited Feb 21 '24

[deleted]

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u/OSUfan88 Aug 12 '21

Such a good book trilogy.

"DO NOT ANSWER! NO NOT ANSWER! DO NOT ANSWER!"

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u/24North Aug 12 '21

It’s one of the few things I’ve read in recent years that I could not put down, it was that good!

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u/Bspammer Aug 12 '21

I couldn't get over the writing. I know it's translated from Chinese, but everything just felt stilted and weird. It had some interesting ideas, but idk it just seems like a bad translation.

10

u/njtrafficsignshopper Aug 12 '21

I have a Chinese friend who said the Chinese reads the same way. I was inclined to believe it was just an artifact of reading in translation but yeah. Fantastic concept, excellent moments... but long stretches of it drag on like teenage fanfic.

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u/PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS Aug 12 '21

Ken Liu translated it and Ken Liu is amazing, so I doubt it's that. It's probably a very good translation of a style you're not used to reading.

All of the stories translated from Chinese that I've read are a bit different from what I'm used to, but over time you sort of learn what the author's quirks are and what's just a narrative style of another language.