This is mostly some ramblings and background notes for a fanfiction, and should not be taken seriously as a real-world argument, except insofar as I would hope it could become good enough to be a real-world argument if I were smart enough and worked on it enough and got the right feedback. I would love to hear criticism on any or all of it, and your ideas on where or how else the story of Macross/Robotech has interesting ideas to explore. Beyond the Machine's Eye: Power, Choice, and the Crisis of Human Agency Imagine teaching a computer to play chess. You give it clear rules about what makes a "good" move - capturing pieces, controlling the center, protecting the king. The computer gets incredibly good at following these rules. But here's the thing: it can never ask whether chess is worth playing. This might seem like a silly example, but it points to something crucial about the challenges we face as machine intelligence becomes increasingly powerful. Systems optimized for specific goals - whether winning chess games or maximizing "engagement" - can't step outside their programming to question whether those goals are worthwhile. To understand these challenges better, let's look at a story about space warriors called the Zentradi from the anime "Macross" (also known as, in a sense, "Robotech"), and how they optimized themselves into extinction. Part I: How to Optimize Your Civilization Away Imagine you're part of an advanced spacefaring civilization called the Protoculture. You face genuine existential threats - hostile aliens, cosmic disasters, internal conflicts. You decide you need a military force to survive. The reasonable decision: Create an elite warrior force, the Zentradi, genetically engineered for combat effectiveness. Give them their own ships and resources so they can operate independently, without endangering civilian lives. Seems sensible. What could go wrong? Your warrior force is effective but has p