Modern era Columbus

Question

In my world the people live on a habitable moon of a gas giant, they are around 200-300 years more advanced in technology, but their culture is reminiscent of the Victorian era. Recently they discovered a planet closer to the sun around 30 AU away (or 2788674218.19 miles) it was covered in vegetation and appeared to have no sapient life, after decades of work and travel they arrived only to find an indigenous population of aliens. The original people from the moon dealt with indigenous people of a different species on their own world (similar to Columbus) and they now have to deal with it again, how would they deal with the indigenous population?

The advanced culture:

• Their culture is similar to 1930 New York at this time.
• The leader of the primary superpower of their world has been the leader for 20 years.
• Unlike humans the people of this world evolved to have an attraction to the unknown and another world of nature is the ultimate unknown their religion is also focus on new experiences.
• The Earthen equivalent of cost is 20 million plus 1000 for every 100 pounds, the reason it is so cheap is because in their government system the people provide the government with a high level of discount in exchange for a lack of taxes.
• The interests of the expedition are mainly scientific and slightly political.
• The people of this world will do almost anything to learn new information.
• Their end goal would be to learn everything of the new world that they can.
• They will start by avoiding a fight, but when war does break out, they will be merciless.

The indigenous culture:

• Their culture consists of local family group and tribes that are in an unstable peace.
• The leaders of these tribes vary too much to accurately describe them.
• The tribes would react with fear and avoid the new people.
• After the initial fear wears off, they would act similar to the Aztecs.

Answer 1

There are really only three options: extermination, assimilation, or preservation.

Preservation

If there is a prevalent culture of peace and respect (particularly toward different species and cultures), your people might decide to leave the indigenous inhabitants alone and not make any claim on their planet. Trade and communication might occur between these new neighbors or you might decide to simply watch them undisturbed.

Assimilation

If preservation is not the course of action, assimilation is the next “most peaceful” option. Your people might decide for any number of reasons (valuable resources, moral duty, etc) to take control of the planet but not slaughter the inhabitants. You then attempt to absorb them into your culture, educate them, and become a multi-species culture. Realistically, this is still likely to cause violence (maybe even a lot of it) since you are invading their land.

Extermination

If you intend to occupy the planet and the indigenous population is unwilling to join you or too culturally barbaric to tolerate, then you exterminate them. Unless your society is a very intolerant or xenophobic one, this will have serious repercussions if learned about. It would be best to do it in secret if it is an intentional act. It is also possible to accidentally exterminate them through disease even if you have peaceful intentions.

Looking at human history all three have been used (sometimes in combination). It may be hopeful to imagine an advanced species taking a peaceful approach, but historically humans have not shown much respect for creatures considered a “lesser species”.

Answer 2

This is an extension of the idea of trading with the native people, but rather then leave them be give them agricultural techniques or technologies not yet developed by the native people - at a tax. Therefore you don't have to transfer the population of the planet across the galaxy but you take advantage of the planet (and the locals get to live and get new technology). The problem with this is how do you transport 25% (or whatever number you choose) of this planet's stuff to your home planet. I think that is a bit off topic though but let me know if you want me to write it.

Answer 3

@Lord of Eden,

I'll bite on your answer. You have described the advanced society as being willing to do almost anything to learn new information, and the indigenous culture as being heterogeneous and living under an unstable peace. Further, you said it is the policy of the advanced culture to pursue peaceful relations but once conflict is begun they will be ruthless, while the indigenous will behave like the Aztecs.

These things together tell me that when the incredible technological and military power of the advanced culture becomes evident to the natives, given their widely differing cultures and weak peace agreements, they will begin making alliances in the hopes of securing the technology/weapons and turning the new explorers against their enemies. This happened when Cortez landed in Mexico in 1520 or so, the Triple Alliance's enemies sided with the Spaniards and helped them advance toward Tenochtitlan.

The advanced culture you've created seems to highly value peace, but also the gaining of knowledge. Whichever one they value more at the time of the story (perhaps depending on the slight political slant the expedition has) will determine if they shed blood where the natives interfere with their science, or remain ignorant of the planet they came to study in the first place.

Cheers!

edit: My mind is focused on this topic now, and I just realized something. The advanced culture is intent on learning everything it can about the planet, and this would naturally include the cultural and social systems of the indigenous population. In fact, in order to minimize the chances of open conflict, which would preclude or hamper the undertaking of many sciences not directly related to the natives, the advanced culture would not only send biologists and geologists and planetary ecologists, but also a healthy contingent of linguists, religious scholars and crisis negotiators. Of course, they'd have ample military forces travelling with them, too.

Answer 4

In order to accurately evaluate this question I need to gather a few, logical assumptions.

1. The advanced peoples can not spread disease to the indigenous peoples, having evolved separately and all.
2. The advanced peoples follow scientific procedure (at least on the foreign planet) constantly.
3. The advanced peoples have some degree of self-preservation.

Thus the end result is many deaths, but a balancing and learning which will eventually result in mutual peace. This is because there will be a strong reaction by the natives to the advanced people, which will lessen over time as the natives adjust to having technologically superior overlords and all, similar to the Native Americans in the real world. So long as their is no colonization, and possibly gifts of technology, both species will make along together.