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Another possibility, albeit one not terribly popular with science-fiction writers, is that interstellar travel is just too difficult.  There is no way to travel faster than the speed of light, no wormholes or “jump points”. No ceramotitanumsteel alloys or materials that will hold up to the stresses of journeys of hundreds or thousands of years. Interstellar travel is not something that complex organic beings can survive in a closed system for the amount of time it takes to cross the stars, and artificial intelligences can not handle it either.

In short, interstellar travel is an engineering problem for which there is no solution.

What implications does this have for your fictional world? Has humanity accepted this, or are they still trying? If they are still trying, how? Genetic alterations, bigger and bigger colony ships, heavily-shielded embryo and memory storage? If they have accepted it, what has the end of exploration done to human culture?

While using this explanation for the lack of aliens rules out a lot of traditional space opera and military science fiction type stories, it still leaves a lot of room for hard science fiction, and stories exploring social and political ideas. Here are a few potential conflicts or backgrounds for stories with this explanation.

• Colonies on the moon declare their independence from Earth, putting the planet under a permanent blockade to preserve the resources of the solar system for their own descendants.
• Genetically altered humans bred for and forced to crew almost certainly hopeless interstellar missions.
• A world where mass sterilization has been enforced, and only the fortunate few are allowed to procreate.
• A far, far future world where what is left of humanity ekes out an existence on a resource-drained world.
• An artificial intelligence that has hijacked Earth’s industrial capacity in futile attempts to launch copies of itself to the stars

 

Science fiction fans and writers are usually familiar with the Fermi Paradox, which questions the discrepancy between what appears to be the overwhelming likelihood of the existence and distribution of high-tech civilizations, and the total lack of evidence of their existence. If you are writing a science fiction story, you should know why this situation exists in your fictional universe, even if you are not sharing that with your reader.

It’s even more important if you are writing a story in which humanity has reached the stars, because if we can do it, why hasn’t anyone else? This is the first of a series addressing possible answers to the “Where is everybody?” question.

A classic response to the Fermi Question is that the Earth is being left alone for now because of benevolent non-interference. The stars are populated by technological civilizations, but they are not openly visiting or communicating with us. Because they don’t want to interfere with our development, they are waiting until we reach a point in our technological or moral development to reveal themselves to us. The Prime Directive in Star Trek is probably the most well-known example of this idea.

It’s unrealistic to assume that every star-faring race is just naturally this kind-hearted, so there must be some sort of effective enforcement mechanism. Whether it’s an exceptionally powerful ancient race, a strong local empire or confederation of worlds, a dominant religious or philosophical tenet, or a system of ruinous economic sanctions against violators, something is out there ensuring our isolation. Presumably, the Earth is under at least periodic observation, both to track its progress, and to look for signs of interference.

There is also the question of whether there is interference of which we are not generally aware. Are the aliens content to just watch, or are they secretly attempting to guide our development? Are they walking among us, inserting ideas into our popular culture and academic research? Are there influential politicians, scientists, or cultural figures working with them?

Is there unsanctioned interference taking place? Regardless of potential penalties, there may be those willing to risk it for enough of a reward.

What happens when conditions trigger the revelation of our galactic neighbors? This could either be a moment where humanity safely enters a welcoming interstellar community and achieves its full potential, or it could be the most dangerous time of its existence, as we are declared to be competent to handle our own affairs and are preyed upon by every con man and shakedown artist within 1000 light-years.

So, if this is the answer in your fictional universe, what does this mean for your story?

• If your story is set before the revelation, you should know what the trigger is for the non-interference to end. You should also know if any humans are in contact with the aliens, and whether there is any secret interference from them, either positive or negative.
• If your story is set during or after the revelation, you should have an understanding of the power structure that created the policy. Who enforces it and why? Who are humanity’s natural allies, enemies, and competitors?
• What are humanity’s options after the revelation? If we have interstellar travel capacity, can we use it freely? Are uninhabited systems and worlds fair game, or does this galactic community have restrictions on expansion and travel? Will mankind gain the stars, only to find out that all the prime real estate and energy sources are already taken? Will we have to become vassals to a established race for safety? Forced to choose sides in conflicts we barely understand?

The idea that the Fermi Paradox can be answered by benevolent non-interference provides an unlimited number of possibilities for political and social science fiction, military science fiction and space opera.