Re: "traffic cone theory"
The morse signal feedback of the UA's needs to be looked at a bit more closely- through a filter of "first contact" protocols, and possibly even "lab rat" protocols.
With no common basis of language or mathematics, or even sensory wavelength fundamental differences we cannot even postulate, the more advanced of the two sides of the interaction has to do all of the work, to make the interaction comprehensible to the lesser side. So, the makers of the UA's had to figure US out, our communications methods, and establish some sort of "common ground" using one of our own codes. They figured out, and put to use Morse code, with which to "speak" to us.
They may be so utterly more advanced than us that Morse signals to our ships was akin to us sending chemical signals to bacteria- to illicit desired behaviors. In any even, they figured it out, and can talk to us... sorta. With no common ground on which to converse (hey, how about that *dance* in the *heavy* *smooth* dimension... and the *smells*!! am I right?!"), what is there for them to say to us- that we would have any way of even comprehending?
Its important to realize that the morse signal of the system name is the system name as WE named it... And the ship dimension points are based in a way that WE plot 3d graph coordinates. It could/should come off that this is an exhaustive effort of Them to "dumb themselves down enough" to have some common ground to converse- sure the context is a bit weird of what to chose to talk about, but They are an alien mind. Maybe They are unaware of Humanity, per se- and think only our ships are the alien life. [ this could be an alien life so far integrated technologically (like the Bentusi of Homeworld), that they literally ARE their ships, and have been so for millions of years, so...]
When we target an unknown contact, part of the sensor scan is used to generate the hologram on our target display- maybe that is how They think we converse... so- it makes sense to say "hi!" with a ship representation presented back to us.
And their frame of reference may be so different from ours that a supernova is not that big of a deal- hence the lack of a "Danger!" warning anywhere in the discussion. Maybe its a "ooh! watch THIS!" cone.
another little aspect that shoehorns in nicely tot he mere traffic cone theory is that MB has been quoted to saying "I read that discussion with amusement".... quite possibly amusing because of all the wrong turns we are making, and such a big fuss we are making over... traffic cones.
. My guess is that the planet is the thing it's clinging to.
