what if we meet intelligent alien life out there but the novelty eventually wears off and we’re back to “i wonder if we’re alone in the universe or if there’s more than just humans and galorphasians”

This is the case in Jack McDevitt’s Alex Benedict series. It’s 9000 years in the future and we’ve explored a lot of the galaxy and found one living alien race: the mutes (they’re telepathic, so they don’t need to and thus can’t talk out loud). There was some friction and skirmishes with them but there’s an uneasy peace and they spend a lot of the nine books going “I wonder if there’s aliens out there… You know know, besides the mutes”.

“you should be at the club” Brother I should literally be sent to the seaside for my health

Need minimum 12 hours a day of do my own thang time

we all have that one homie who volunteers to take first watch that they might contemplate the heavens in solitude