Alien ship headed for us?

[Maxmars]

I’m unsure on the mass panic thing.

...

I agree with your general idea, yes, there would be at least some panic... if only because some of our cultures and communities will practically demand it.  And that will be amplified by the establishment/media cabal.... (that's what they do.)  However, their main public posture has been to portray such panic as anarchy, mass rioting, murderous rampages and self-destruction and all manner of uncivilized behavior...  When they 'claim' panic, this is what they are talking about... The only thing panic-worthy will be the loss of their control over the narrative - in reality, they've actually been projecting how "they" would panic.

You have asked, "Isn’t it kind of negligent of us as a species to have not created space-based defense systems?"  

I have to wonder, isn't that what the profit-taking world would consider 'an externality?'  I mean, how much money can they make doing it?  Does it compare with the amount that can be achieved in endless ideological conflicts?  Our government, and most others, do NOTHING (at all) unless there are riches to be made... just look at the bank accounts... it tells us everything we need to know.

Also, space-based defenses would be 'whose property?'  Who will they fleece for profit?  And even if it was "our side," does that mean 'any' other side wouldn't be protected?   It's kind of difficult to see that working (for them) as things are in the 'bloodstream' of business.  Of course, once there is a single governmental authority taxing people for global "virtue," all reason goes out the window.

Idealistically, the first thing we must do as a "civilization" is remove these constraints of profit - which have deprived us of too many advances...  We have technological advances that we can't access - simply because there isn't enough 'money' in it, or it threatens sacred cash-cow ventures and entrenched profit schemes.

You make good points all around.