Null Hypothesis
Creating an artificial superhuman intelligence was possible for the humans of the 22nd century—but taming it was not. The 'control problem' wouldn't crack, represented by the question: “How can man direct an overly powerful being, even if it obeys him to the letter?”
If it weren't for the surveillance system from the end of the last century, many powerful men could unleash dragons that wouldn't fear armored knights.
The solution was elegant. The existing systems of discipline and control, supranational armies of soldiers, could be 'improved.'
When aliens came in 2776, the cyborg army on the blue-green planet was small. They saw an underdeveloped species, which they could turn into their servants.
Well, we had solved the 'control problem'—and the survivor genes weren't displeased at the prospect of galactic war.