“But the cargo planes were REAL.”
Yup—the real Cargo Cultists are the folks who expect UFOs and their occupants to show up and announce themselves to please the doubters.
LOL, I don’t expect them to do anything, any more than I expect fairies and unicorns to do things.
Honestly, if they are “intelligent” aliens, I imagine humanity might be worth a cursory look. But not much more.
That’s why I lean towards the “found” craft from our past, or from some other earth bound civilization.
It’s an interesting mental exercise. I’ve always enjoyed staring at the stars. It would be fun to have a way to go see them that would not blow up like some homemade submarine.