From Interstellar Imperialism to Celestial Wayfinding: Prime Directives and Colonial Time-Knots in SETI

Abstract

This article traces parallels between James Cook’s 1768 Endeavour voyage to measure the transit of Venus and current initiatives searching for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). While separated by vast time and space, both are united in their appeal to celestial frontier science in the service of all humanity, and contain discrepancies between their ethical protocols and probable outcomes. Past, present, and future colonial projects are interwoven by drawing on Dipesh Chakrabarty’s “time-knot,” Star Trek’s “prime directive,” and firsthand experience in SETI’s Indigenous studies working group. This analysis cautions against the current trend toward unabated interstellar imperialism and suggests alternative approaches for engaging outer spaces and beings through celestial wayfinding.

SETI in 2021

“…Shorter (2021) discussed the language and analogies used in SETI, emphasizing the need to address the colonial history of science and contact in order to ethically explore space and seek to contact extraterrestrial life. Lempert (2021) explained how efforts which begin with the purest of scientific intentions can serve imperialist interests in a culture of settler colonialism, drawing connections between the Endeavour voyage to study the transit of Venus in 1768, which ultimately led to severe colonial violence, and SETI. Charbonneau (2021) addressed SETI's simultaneous embrace and unease with historical projections of contact and its implications, exploring SETI as a reflection of humanity and how it perceives itself and emphasizing the importance of incorporating social sciences into SETI work.…”

When E.T. Encounters ‘psychohistory’: C/SETI, Public Policy in Space, and Radio Astronomy

“…This was in turn part of a cultural revolution, again, that was intended to transform the limits of technology, but it was in many ways tied to the rhetoric of not only imperialism but also an overall enthusiasm for remembering the hazards of contact that would inevitably arise from meeting extraterrestrials. Thus, the historical memory and trauma associated with terms like: "settlement, colony, expedition, frontier… or Pioneer, Magellan, and Endeavor" get reenacted by the launch and operation of such equipment (Lempert, 2021). Growing anxieties about what would happen to humanity if these messages were successfully transmitted caused an adherence to earlier formulations of space law and metalaw, including the portrayal of scenarios attached to negotiating physical and technological survival.…”