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Post by Jep Gambardella on Nov 29, 2018 16:06:04 GMT
One of my pet peeves when it comes to science fiction is when screenwriters set their stories in different galaxies, without any consideration for how enormous the distance between neighbouring galaxies is. Before the current season, I don't think I've ever noticed 'Doctor Who' making this mistake, so to speak (*). I could be wrong, but in previous series (mind you, I am only referring to 21st century episodes, as I've never watched any of the earlier ones) I think there was never any mention of the story taking place in a different galaxy, whereas in the current series I have the impression that at least some of the non-Earth episodes are supposed to be in a different galaxy than ours.
Am I imagining things? Was it always like this and I just never noticed? Or are the new writers unaware that this galaxy right here is a pretty big place and there is no need to bring other galaxies into the equation?
(*)Yes, I am aware that the Tardis is not like a Star Trek ship in the way that it travels through space, so don't bother pointing it out.
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Post by Catman on Nov 29, 2018 17:41:18 GMT
New Earth (visited by the 10th Doctor) is in Galaxy M87.
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Post by Catman on Nov 29, 2018 17:54:30 GMT
Other galaxies (from Wikipedia):
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Post by Jep Gambardella on Nov 29, 2018 18:50:03 GMT
Other galaxies (from Wikipedia):
OK, well, I withdraw my complaint then!
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Post by stargazer1682 on Nov 30, 2018 22:20:15 GMT
You say "Yes, I am aware that the Tardis is not like a Star Trek ship in the way that it travels through space, so don't bother pointing it out.," but it bears pointing out; because therein lies the crux of your criticism and why it doesn't apply here.
When your means of transport can travel not just through conventional three dimensions, but the fourth (time) as well, and who knows how many others (plus the relative dimensional difference between the inside and the outside of the TARDIS) the concept of "distance" between two points becomes meaningless. They can travel from anyone galaxy and arrive on the opposite end of the universe a century before they left.
For that matter, virtually any work of fiction set in space, set beyond Earth, typically involves some conceit that would allow the characters involved to circumvent conventional concepts of space travel; because just traveling between two stars without such methods and speeds would presently prove impractically long to undertake.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2018 0:36:57 GMT
I've often wondered about the speed of the Tardis, through both space and time. It seems to vary widely - in The End of the World, they travelled 5 billion years into the future in under a minute. And they can travel to other galaxies, apparently very quickly. Yet we often see scenes set in the Tardis as it travels around, apparently for hours on end. Seems like they must cover some seriously impressive distances in the Tardis!
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Post by Jep Gambardella on Dec 3, 2018 15:44:42 GMT
You say " Yes, I am aware that the Tardis is not like a Star Trek ship in the way that it travels through space, so don't bother pointing it out.," but it bears pointing out; because therein lies the crux of your criticism and why it doesn't apply here. Well, in the specific case of Doctor Who my objection is not so much that the technology wouldn't allow for intergalactic travel (although I realise I didn't make that clear in my OP), it is more about the scale of things. I am willing to suspend my disbelief and accept that the Doctor, having lived for who knows how long, might have knowledge of hundreds or even thousands of different races across the entire galaxy and across millennia - but if the Doctor's "jurisdiction", so to speak, is the entire bloody universe, then no matter how much knowledge s/he accumulated during a lifetime of adventures, it won't ever be more than a drop in the ocean. |
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Post by stargazer1682 on Dec 3, 2018 15:59:12 GMT
You say " Yes, I am aware that the Tardis is not like a Star Trek ship in the way that it travels through space, so don't bother pointing it out.," but it bears pointing out; because therein lies the crux of your criticism and why it doesn't apply here. Well, in the specific case of Doctor Who my objection is not so much that the technology wouldn't allow for intergalactic travel (although I realise I didn't make that clear in my OP), it is more about the scale of things. I am willing to suspend my disbelief and accept that the Doctor, having lived for who knows how long, might have knowledge of hundreds or even thousands of different races across the entire galaxy and across millennia - but if the Doctor's "jurisdiction", so to speak, is the entire bloody universe, then no matter how much knowledge s/he accumulated during a lifetime of adventures, it won't ever be more than a drop in the ocean. Which is invariably why the Doctor keeps traveling. He/She never assumes to know every detail of minute piece of history in every corner of the galaxy; their knowledge is vast, far more extensive than any ordinary human, but the Doctor isn't omniscient. That's arguably the reason to keep traveling, to learn, to bear witness and wherever and whenever possible, to help. |
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Post by stargazer1682 on Dec 3, 2018 16:03:46 GMT
I've often wondered about the speed of the Tardis, through both space and time. It seems to vary widely - in The End of the World, they travelled 5 billion years into the future in under a minute. And they can travel to other galaxies, apparently very quickly. Yet we often see scenes set in the Tardis as it travels around, apparently for hours on end. Seems like they must cover some seriously impressive distances in the Tardis! There again, speed is a relative thing when you're traveling between and around dimensions, as opposed as through them the long way around. It's not exactly going to be a straight line inside an inter-dimensional vortex, is it? Not when there is no true up or down, back or forward, now or then; it's a relative perception inside a little pocket of conventional space-time being buffeted about inside a realm this both nothing and everything, trying to pin down a very specific bit of the finite that is both a place and a time. |
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Post by pk9 on Jun 26, 2019 22:40:39 GMT
One of my pet peeves when it comes to science fiction is when screenwriters set their stories in different galaxies, without any consideration for how enormous the distance between neighbouring galaxies is. Before the current season, I don't think I've ever noticed 'Doctor Who' making this mistake, so to speak (*). I could be wrong, but in previous series (mind you, I am only referring to 21st century episodes, as I've never watched any of the earlier ones) I think there was never any mention of the story taking place in a different galaxy, whereas in the current series I have the impression that at least some of the non-Earth episodes are supposed to be in a different galaxy than ours. Am I imagining things? Was it always like this and I just never noticed? Or are the new writers unaware that this galaxy right here is a pretty big place and there is no need to bring other galaxies into the equation? (*)Yes, I am aware that the Tardis is not like a Star Trek ship in the way that it travels through space, so don't bother pointing it out. “So… all of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will – where do you want to start?”. I think that was pretty unambiguous.
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