gillbrooks opened this issue on Jun 22, 2006 · 65 posts
XENOPHONZ posted Mon, 26 June 2006 at 3:59 AM
Ya know -- I'd be willing to suspend my disbelief on the universal translator concept a bit more if they would have done it in a fashion similar to the scene in the first Dune movie. The scene where the Guild representative is clearly speaking into a translation device: his own voice saying what he's saying in his own language -- and the translated statements coming out of the device.
He wasn't simply speaking English on his own -- like all of the Star Trek characters clearly are.
Also -- the idea that the UT device could instantly begin translating a language that's never been encountered before -- with all of the nuance & subtle expression of interpersonal communication thrown in -- is a bit beyond my gullibility factor.
And another thing -- why would the Vulcans name both themselves and their world after a mythological Roman deity? A name taken from ancient human history? Perhaps they've explained that one at some point, too......but I missed it.
Of course, I've seen all of the classic Trek episodes. Many times (more times than I care to remember): although it's been years since I last sat through one. I've seen maybe 5-to-7 TNG episodes. Perhaps 2 or 3 DS9's -- perhaps. And I saw about 20 minutes of the 1st Voyager pilot episode. It was SO self-consciously politically correct that I lost interest immediately. And pretty much abandoned the Star Trek mythos as a source of interest/entertainment after that. Although I'm more-or-less familiar with most of the characters & concepts involved. Such knowledge is sort of absorbed through simply paying a small amount of attention to popular culture.
Oh, well........when one probes too deeply into fictional tales -- any fiction (be it Science fiction or otherwise) -- then you'll eventually figure out that it isn't real.
Whatever it is that's going to happen in 500 years -- I can predict with 100% accuracy that it won't look a thing like Star Trek.
A man living in 14th century Europe -- and speculating about what things were going to be like in the 21st century -- such a man would have been just about as accurate as Star Trek.
Men in any given era always like to pride themselves in being far, far smarter than their ignorant ancestors were.
Welcome to the future.