Heya, I hear what you're saying.

Personally I don't limit his alternative vision to just Mars.

For me his alternative vision for humanity is making life multi-planetary - and ultimately exploring the stars - and so in that context, Mars is just the beginning.

If we want to colonize space, we have to begin somewhere, right?

I know it's cliché, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - and Mars is just that first step.