[Cpl. Kalkwarf]

Originally Posted by Raellus

That's certainly a possibility. It's definitely a creative way to give humanity a fighting chance.

I'm assuming that the aliens have done some homework and have at least been monitoring our transmissions for some time. They would most likely have some intel on us before coming in hot. That being the case, they should know enough not to make any silly mistakes. If they are capable of mounting an inter-solar system invasion, they've probably done something similar before, if perhaps on a smaller scale. Either way, they're going to be ready for most contingencies and employing far superior technology. Our chances, in such a scenario, would be very, very slim.

That said, perhaps we're looking at this backwards. Perhaps it's humanity that will be conquering alien worlds in a few hundred years. I know that a lot of folks- Gene Rodenberry being a prominent example- believe that we will have evolved beyond our pentiant for violent conquest and imperial/colonial ambitions, but I'm not quite as hopeful as that. If any species is capable of proliferating throughout the galaxy and using force to subdue and/or subjugate opposition, it's Homo Sapiens Sapiens.

Since I've been such a downer in this thread, I'll leave you all with the following, somewhat hopeful (depending on your POV) quote from scientist William Harrison:

“Any civilization bent on intensive colonization of other worlds would be driven by an expansive territorial impulse. But such and aggressive nature would be unstable in combination with the immense technical powers required for interstellar travel. Such a civilization would self-destruct long before it could reach the stars.”

Harrison's is one theory put forth to address the Fermi Paradox which posits the question, "If there are so many worlds out there inhabited by intelligent beings, why haven't we been contacted by them yet?"

They are probably sitting on their planet wondering the same thing.