Zork Recalled, Earth Mission Aborted

Special Statement from the Intergalactic Expeditionary Council, Galactic Date 143009.6388:

The previous transmission from Agent Zork Zynt was the last the Council received, except for an automated distress message shortly afterward.  The Emergency Extraction protocol was initiated, and Agent Zynt was transported to the nearest galactic base.  His poor neurological condition prompted the Council to consign him to the Rehabilitation Facility on Xyborg 6, where he has made excellent progress toward a recovery, but still has a long way to go.

When he became more coherent he was able to report more fully on the cultural conditions of planet Xv406.98, known locally as "Earth."  It seems the cultural maturity of humans had been significantly overestimated by earlier reconnaissance assessments. According to Zynt, the true situation at this time is an unacceptable level of planet-wide violence, authoritarian tendencies, tribalism, intolerance, and extremism. These characteristics make human progress in science and technology quite dangerous, and have subsequently led Council analysts to estimate the odds of the species surviving an existential crisis over the next 500 solar cycles at roughly 50/50. However, Zynt suggested that there may be some hope that human capacity for compassion, altruism, and social responsibility will yet prevail in the future.

All agents from the planet have been recalled and a No Contact proclamation has been issued for the next 3,000 solar cycles.  Periodic brief observational missions will be conducted as remote monitoring seems to warrant. Agent Zynt has bravely volunteered for those missions, but he must recover more fully and be cleared by the medical unit before being assigned to such a stressful experience.  His lack of a full recovery at this time is suggested by his muttering during regenerative cycles about the merits of something called "Krispy Kremes."