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Originally Posted by KenWittlief

If our species had a violent history on our previous planet, we might have decided to break the link between the colonies - to keep one from turning against the other

Wait a minute. Homo sapiens didn't arrive here from another planet. They evolved here beginning with single celled organisms (or so we think). Or maybe I misunderstood you. Are you saying that perhaps homo sapiens perhaps evolved somewhere else and then that "somewhere else" started life in it's most basic forms here on Earth and then it evolved into us? How would we even know about a link to break with our "planters" if we think that we started here by evolving from single celled organisms? Also, it seems reasonable that humans did not learn about space and planets and whatnot until very recently in the history of our species.

EDIT: Also, I just wanted to comment that it seems there is a large amount of people thinking that if there is other intelligent life out there that is looks like us. Due to different conditions even such as different amounts of gravity, it could look totally different. People think intelligent life in the universe would be a lot like humans which probably most likely it would not be. It would be just like thinking everyone in the world speaks English, which most certainly isn't the case.

If intelligent life it found, it will probably be so mind boggling strange that we can't comprehend it.

Finally, I believe that possibly by the end of my lifetime scientists will be able to create life from non-living matter. It is simply a problem of making the most complex (metaphorical) photocopier ever.