The aliens were real, all right. Really stupid.
"Hey, Torg."
"Yeah, Gruntag?"
"This water stuff is really bad, right? It, like, kills us, doesn't it? Torg?"
"Yes, Gruntag. Water is probably the nastiest stuff in all the universe as far as we're concerned."
"OK, Torg. So how come we're going to a planet mostly covered in the stuff and making the people there mad at us? Why are we doing this? Is tagging the plants in yet another hood worth anything compared to our very lives?"
"Shut up, Gruntag. The boss says go, we go."