As the final Thargoid Titan looms over Sol, the galaxy unites in one last desperate push to end the Thargoid War. But as its defenses crumble, a strange and unexpected message emerges—a signal that some interpret as a call for peace. For the first time, we’re confronted with a chilling possibility: have we misunderstood our enemy all along?
This moment feels eerily reminiscent of the climax of Ender's Game. In that story, Ender Wiggin unknowingly annihilates the Formic species, only to later discover that the war was a tragic misunderstanding. The Formics, a hive mind, had no concept of individuality. They saw humanity not as billions of sentient beings, but as a singular, faceless collective—like their own drones. Ender, wracked with guilt, laments that if he’d known, he would have made a different choice.
But here’s the twist: Ender didn’t have that choice in the heat of battle. We do.
The Thargoids have been our greatest threat, their invasions devastating systems and displacing millions. Yet now, at the edge of victory, we’re left to wonder: have we been fighting an enemy we never truly understood? Could their actions, like the Formics', stem from a fundamental misalignment of perception—alien communication misinterpreted as hostility?
This isn’t the first time Elite commanders have faced such a choice. In an earlier chapter of the franchise’s history, we were given the option to deploy the mycoid virus—a biological weapon that triggered what many saw as an act of genocide against the Thargoids. At the time, the choice was clear for most: survival at any cost. But decades later, we look back on that decision with discomfort, even shame. Did our predecessors understand the consequences of their actions? And if they had, would they have chosen differently?
Now, we stand at another pivotal moment. To press forward is to secure humanity’s survival—but at what moral cost? To stay our hand is to risk our safety in pursuit of understanding and coexistence.
We have the same choice again. The question is, are we better than our predecessors? Have we grown as a species—or will history judge us as it did Ender Wiggin?
So I ask you, commanders: if Ender could choose to do it all again, would he? And more importantly, should we?
This moment feels eerily reminiscent of the climax of Ender's Game. In that story, Ender Wiggin unknowingly annihilates the Formic species, only to later discover that the war was a tragic misunderstanding. The Formics, a hive mind, had no concept of individuality. They saw humanity not as billions of sentient beings, but as a singular, faceless collective—like their own drones. Ender, wracked with guilt, laments that if he’d known, he would have made a different choice.
But here’s the twist: Ender didn’t have that choice in the heat of battle. We do.
The Thargoids have been our greatest threat, their invasions devastating systems and displacing millions. Yet now, at the edge of victory, we’re left to wonder: have we been fighting an enemy we never truly understood? Could their actions, like the Formics', stem from a fundamental misalignment of perception—alien communication misinterpreted as hostility?
This isn’t the first time Elite commanders have faced such a choice. In an earlier chapter of the franchise’s history, we were given the option to deploy the mycoid virus—a biological weapon that triggered what many saw as an act of genocide against the Thargoids. At the time, the choice was clear for most: survival at any cost. But decades later, we look back on that decision with discomfort, even shame. Did our predecessors understand the consequences of their actions? And if they had, would they have chosen differently?
Now, we stand at another pivotal moment. To press forward is to secure humanity’s survival—but at what moral cost? To stay our hand is to risk our safety in pursuit of understanding and coexistence.
We have the same choice again. The question is, are we better than our predecessors? Have we grown as a species—or will history judge us as it did Ender Wiggin?
So I ask you, commanders: if Ender could choose to do it all again, would he? And more importantly, should we?
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