That was one of the things that interested me about the character. He doesn't want to be a hero, and has no real desire to save the earth or discover aliens. He's sniffing around looking to see what will fall in his lap.
“One of the deepest functions of a living organisms is to look ahead... to produce future.”
“Every life is narrow. Our only escape is not to run away, but to learn to love the people we are and the world in which we find ourselves.”