# Why would aliens come to earth? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 6, 2011, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379 "2011-02-06T09:11:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379/21 "2011-02-06T19:06:54Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Why? > > Because Earth girls are easy. Win. ---
**Author:** ![Gil-Martin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Gil-Martin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gil-Martin)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379/22 "2011-02-06T20:11:10Z")
I suppose humanity has the potential to become a threat, or at least a nuissance, to other planets someday. The proactive thing to do might be to visit and put the planet in check somehow. Also, we might have some rare resource, but I don’t know what we have that wouldn’t be easily had by somebody with the resources who can travel across the galaxy. It could be that Earth is interesting from an academic perspective. Or we could in some way be cute or amusing. Mostly, though, I like the idea of us being a threat to the interstellar community, kind of like a rodent colony might be a threat to my backyard. Let’s just get rid of them before they become a gigantic pain in the neck. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379/23 "2011-02-06T20:24:21Z")
They might just think Earth is pretty. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379/24 "2011-02-06T20:54:32Z")
To serve us. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379/25 "2011-02-06T21:06:08Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > This is a subplot in Iain Banks’ novel _Transition_. A character theorizes that the one thing aliens would find interesting on earth is the neat fit of our moon over the sun from the viewpoint of the earth, and that you should look for alien tourists at eclipses. So you’ve been at least partially scooped. > > Unless you’re Iain Banks, in which case, well done. Connie Willis did this too, in her short story “And Come From Miles Around”. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379/26 "2011-02-06T22:03:11Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > To serve us. It’s a cookbook! It’s a cookbook! ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379/27 "2011-02-06T23:22:38Z")
For the Reece’s Pieces. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379/28 "2011-02-07T00:07:49Z")
If they are travelling, then their minds are likely at least a little like ours, and they might be curious about us and our culture. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379/29 "2011-02-07T04:04:02Z")
If they are really alien aliens we probably wouldn’t be able to understand their reasons. If they are more like us but still very different, their reason may seem stupid to us. Suppose, for example, their version of the Bible said they should make it their goal to visit a specific star and it happened to be ours? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379/30 "2011-02-07T04:53:48Z")
Earth’s such a tourist trap. ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379/31 "2011-02-07T06:09:24Z")
To spread the divine and Holy Truth of G’Narrrr-Pwutq! The two legged infidels of the small blue planet must be converted to the one and only truth! Or they shall be put to the Zh-aazaat-bucher! ---
**Author:** ![Eriond\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ad7895/32.png) [@Eriond\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eriond_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379/32 "2011-02-07T07:10:14Z")
They’re probably already here on this planet, esp. LA & NYC. They go out at night, eatin’ cars – Cadillacs, Lincolns too, Mercurys and Subarus. And they don’t stop… ---
**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:** [February 7, 2011, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379/33 "2011-02-07T11:53:03Z")
> [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](#): > > To spread the divine and Holy Truth of G’Narrrr-Pwutq! The two legged infidels of the small blue planet must be converted to the one and only truth! Or they shall be put to the Zh-aazaat-bucher! All hail G’Narrrr-Pwutq! (what can I say, I’m an early adopter) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379/34 "2011-02-07T13:09:23Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > If they are really alien aliens we probably wouldn’t be able to understand their reasons. Dunno. If they’re sentient and tool using (i.e. they’re not visiting as spores or seeds or some such), then I’d say there’s a reasonable chance we’d have some motives in common, what with the general principle of natural selection, and (I presume) the visitors having had to climb to a position of planetary dominance back home. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-aliens-come-to-earth/570379.md?page=1)