re: #161 Belafon

The problem with that theory is that civilizations start broadcasting their technological advancements long before they would consider the potential for more advanced societies to go after them. And, if I were leading a malevolent advanced society, I would crush them as soon as I heard from them. Why give them the chance to get better?

They only broadcast for a short time — maybe about 100 years. Communications are still limited by speed of light. The question would be the overlap between the arrival of the broadcast signals, when the malevolent society hears them (assuming the signals haven’t arrived centuries earlier), and how long it takes to reach the source.