# Who would be the ambassadors of Earth to the Intergalactic Council? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 15, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327 "2012-07-15T18:50:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/1 "2012-07-15T18:50:59Z")
At some point in the distant future, we’ve discovered that not only is there intelligent life on other planets, but they’re already set up an intergalactic government. They’ve cordially invited Earth to send two delegates to represent Earth’s interest in intergalactic matters. How would we go about electing these representatives? It seems like it might incite a civil/world war just fighting over who to send. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/2 "2012-07-15T18:57:36Z")
Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. Just to get them off the planet. Seriously, I doubt there could be any means of deciding. ---
**Author:** ![greenslime1951](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@greenslime1951](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenslime1951)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/3 "2012-07-15T19:11:59Z")
Due to a spectacular mixup, we send Michele Bachmann and Rush Limbaugh. The extermination fleet is dispatched to Earth immediately afterward. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/4 "2012-07-15T19:29:57Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > How would we go about electing these representatives? It seems like it might incite a civil/world war just fighting over who to send. Exactly their point IMO. If the newly contacted world is civilized and organized enough so that selecting such a delegation is handled calmly and efficiently, then it’s worth starting the negotiations. Otherwise let them render themselves harmless by internal fighting. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/5 "2012-07-15T19:38:55Z")
Whichever country initiated contact first would obviously get to send one. And then probably the U.N. could just vote on another. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/6 "2012-07-15T20:36:18Z")
I’m thinking there would probably be a lukewarm Christian (from the Americas or Western Europe, probably from the USA) and either a lip service Moslem or progressive Chinese person making the cut. They’d probably be well known politicians (there’d be a glory factor, at least at first) and have advisors representing the major nations of the Earth. No political group wants deals being brokered without their knowledge. If Obama is no longer president, he’d be a leading candidate. If there’s an appropriate female candidate (famous, lukewarm religion, highly competent) she’d probably make the Christian cut. Hillary is probably too old. A lot would depend on what the potential benefits and dangers of belonging to the Council are. The selections might be made through the UN with much wrangling, promises and indirect money involved. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/7 "2012-07-15T20:45:10Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Whichever country initiated contact first would obviously get to send one. Even if that’s not America?:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/8 "2012-07-15T21:54:15Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Even if that’s not America?:dubious: Cool. The initial discovery was made by Canada. We’re sending Gordon Pinsent or Jean Chrétien. Actually, we’d need one male and one female, preferably representing wide swathes of humanity. I’ll nominate: Sally Ride (female, scientist, North American, Astronaut) and Vikram Seth (male, South Asian, novelist and poet ). ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/9 "2012-07-15T22:39:08Z")
“We need representatives of all beings on the planet. Not just one country, all humans need to agree. And chimps, dolphins, elephants, dogs and termites. And mermaids, yeti and three other species you don’t have names for. Then we will consider your application.” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/10 "2012-07-15T23:35:31Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > “We need representatives of all beings on the planet. Not just one country, all humans need to agree. And chimps, dolphins, elephants, dogs and termites. And mermaids, yeti and three other species you don’t have names for. Then we will consider your application.” Good point. I’m not sure they’d want human representatives at all. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/11 "2012-07-16T00:33:44Z")
Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith. Yes, I left out Colin Baker, because I’m assuming we don’t want the aliens to hate us. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/12 "2012-07-16T00:40:46Z")
Chuck Norris and R. Lee Ermey. The rest of the galaxy won’t fuck with us. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/13 "2012-07-16T01:10:47Z")
Distant future? I suppose the elephants will send one, the porpoises won’t care, and the hominid remnant will freak out that they weren’t consulted and declare war on the elephants. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/14 "2012-07-16T03:12:23Z")
Jimmy Carter and George Clooney ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/15 "2012-07-16T11:47:57Z")
Yes, probably ought to be a man and a woman, just like on the Pioneer plaque: [File:Pioneer plaque.svg - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pioneer_plaque.svg) If it’s in the distant future, it probably won’t be anyone alive today. Each national or regional government (if we have still them) will nominate one man and one woman, and then the Republic of Humanity’s legislature will vote. Any nominee should be, I think, a smart, experienced, calm, honest and skilled diplomat. If First Contact was tomorrow, I would nominate Madeline Albright and Nelson Mandela. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@FlyingRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRat)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/16 "2012-07-16T15:11:44Z")
Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/17 "2012-07-16T17:08:59Z")
Just to be on the safe side, they should be sent naked. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/18 "2012-07-16T17:17:34Z")
I’m not trying to start any trouble, but if it’s the distant future like the OP states, who alive today is going to be around then? ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/19 "2012-07-16T18:03:23Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > I’m not trying to start any trouble, but if it’s the distant future like the OP states, who alive today is going to be around then? Dracula ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327/20 "2012-07-16T18:09:26Z")
> [@MegaBee](#): > > Dracula Good pick. Used to confined places, knows humanity, cool with the dark interstellar reaches. Might be trouble on the trip. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-be-the-ambassadors-of-earth-to-the-intergalactic-council/628327.md?page=2)