Funny / On the Shoulders of Giants

• First contact between humanity and the Europans may well have been the least serious meeting of its kind in history, since it consisted of a human probe drilling though the ice to find a group of sapient squids floating around waiting for it to get through, with said squids then sending the following message in plain English text; ‘Greetings from Europa. We hope you come in peace. And don't fall to pieces.’
  • Speaking of the Europans, one of the questions they asked one of the human diplomats was 'Who shot J.R.?'
  • Word of God has it that two Europan diplomats have worn bowties and fez.
• The Edani treat everyone who is obviously intelligent the same. There is a rumour that they are treating human politicians like especially intelligent pets.
• The Edani who emigrated to a human-built space colony named 'O'Neill' didn't really understand the concept of a 'political party' and actually threw parties for the various new politicians.
• The God Emperor of Jerat is proclaimed to be capable of taking full responsibility of his role, and invites Karen Shepard, who years before drunkenly declared herself "God Empress of Mars", to the Citadel. Karen Shepard's answer includes several curses in fifteen different languages.