A Mandate for First Contact?

Although the team’s intention in the Sparrow was one of goodwill, I was frankly offended that the Jesuit Society and the team would act unilaterally. Humanity only has one chance to make first contact with a species. From thence on future relationships are greatly affected by this one incident. I believe it was wrong for this one team, which was questionably qualified, to go forth without the consent of the international community at large. If a group is meant to represent humanity as a whole, it should undoubtedly be composed in a way that at least has some sort of limited international consensus and legitimacy. The team seems to know this was the case as it wouldn’t have snuck away without alerting anyone outside of the Jesuit order and Catholic power elite. What right did the group have to take this action, no matter how altruistic its’ intentions?
This creates the question of who has the right to decide who makes first contact with extra-terrestrials. If it were desired to represent humanity at large perhaps international and regional forums such as the UN and the EU could be used. There’s also the option of creating an ad hoc organization open to all nations just for the express purpose of deciding how first contact should be conducted. Whatever organization is used, each nation could bring forth distinguished academics and figures to provide greater insight and advice. The UN would probably be the best institution to utilize as it is widely respected and generally viewed to be a forum on international issues. A UN envoy would also be more likely to provide a more diverse representation of human ideals and mentalities than a purely Catholic centric one. Although the UN envoy in the Sparrow was met with disaster, I believe this can be attributed to the results of the Jesuit team’s actions rather than their own follies.
I would also like to say that I agree with Morgan’s point about the Jana'ata’s society . Cruelty and inhumanity are subjective concepts that are defined differently for each person and society. While you and I might view the Jana'ata with distaste, their society might appear natural to the Vikings who based their livelihood on slaving and raids, or the Mongols whose empire was based on extracting tribute from other peoples. One is allowed to feel outrage at certain acts, but one should also try to step back and examine a phenomenon in context. For this reason, I am hesitant to praise Sofia’s choice to lead the Runa in a riot against the Jana'ata. In issues of culture and mentality, reasoning with and offering alternatives to other groups so that they can make their own decisions is also an option to imposing one’s own morality upon them. Objectively speaking though, Sophie’s choice to intervene is also a valid and legitimate viewpoint. Frankly, if I were in her position I probably would have intervened as well after becoming overwhelmed by emotion. My staunch belief in liberty and the right to life probably would have also overridden any of my attempts to be objective.