
Originally Posted by
Doc
I don't know where the discussion of acclimation left off back then but I seem to recall there were two main theories put forward. The first theory was that acclimation in general and Serpo specifically was to advance the Core Story, "They've been here, we've been there, we have some of their technology". As Serpo started to falter, Rick Doty criticized the notion of Serpo as acclimation along the lines of if it was acclimation, it was poorly designed and he would do it differently with a bigger budget, etc.
This led to a more general discussion of various techniques of acclimation to include disinformation, surrounding the truth with a group of half-truths and lies and all the other techniques used to get an idea out there. Theory 2 would involve a very subtle, long term acclimation plan that would get idea of an exchange program out there, discussed for a couple of years and then called a hoax. The point was to get the idea discussed as a possibility beyond the fiction of Close Encounters.