Terra Nova

[kbilly84]

I really only watched it because I liked Jason O'mara in "Life On Mars" a few years back (Jim Shannon, the father, breaks out of prison). Oddly enough that show had a future/time-travel component to it as well. I really thought it was going to suck big time; the whole Jurassic Park/dinosaurs thing struck me as hokey.

It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought, but I'm holding my final judgement till I've seen a few more episodes. As some have already pointed out, I did not like the rapid-fire introduction of multiple story-lines in the premiere. I just hope they don't go the route of Jericho and intro 5 new plotlines/questions for every one that gets resolved. All-in-all, much better than expected, but I'm waiting for a few more episodes to decide if I will follow it or not.

[yale]

I'm a bit confused by the seperate time lines, the wormhole and the limits of travel/communication. In the pilot episode (Genesis) we saw the probe that was sent through. We are told it had a beacon and that the scientists in the 22nd centuray were unable to find it in thier time. Theis lead them to conclude that the wormhole opened in a separate timeline. OK, so far I'm good with that. The lead guy goes through and is stranded for 180 days alone until the rest of the team comes through. He says that to them it was just minutes but for him it was months. We are also told it's a one way trip through the wormhole to the past. No going back to the 22nd century.
OK, so then my questions start. If the scientist could not find the probe, were they receiving telemetry from it? Radio signals through the wormhole ala Stargate? Otherwise I wonder how they know what is at the other end of the wormhole? I also wondered how they know the people they are sending through on each pilgermage are actually arriving where and when they are supposed to? How did the people in the future know what equipment and supplies to send in each pilgramage as well as waht experts to send. Or were they just making educated guesses about what Terra Nova would need after a given number of years.
In the 3rd episode we learn the female doctor was recruited and and requested by the head of Terra Nova recearch department. So now I get the idea that there is some sort of 2 way communication going on between Terra Nova and the 22nd century. How often is this communication? Only when the wormhole is opened for pilgramages? Or do they have some sort of scheduled checkin and progress report timeframe set up?
As some have already posted, I sure hope that in 100 years from now we develop more capable firearms because the Terra Nova and Sixers sure are running through a lot of ammo and not getting many kills. It's like watching Starship Troopers where they fire hundreds of rounds to bring down one bug. I mean, Damn people. Time to break out the .50 cals. Screw that .223/5.56 stuff. There are dinosaurs for goodness sake. Time to step things up.

[Cactus]

I also wondered how they know the people they are sending through on each pilgermage are actually arriving where and when they are supposed to? How did the people in the future know what equipment and supplies to send in each pilgramage as well as waht experts to send. Or were they just making educated guesses about what Terra Nova would need after a given number of years.
In the 3rd episode we learn the female doctor was recruited and and requested by the head of Terra Nova recearch department. So now I get the idea that there is some sort of 2 way communication going on between Terra Nova and the 22nd century. How often is this communication? Only when the wormhole is opened for pilgramages? Or do they have some sort of scheduled checkin and progress report timeframe set up?

That's what I was wondering - either they have some kind of communication back (so it's not a one way trip after all?), or they're sending people on blind faith and assuming that the entire colony hasn't been eaten by... whatever has happened out there. If they can't communicate back, they'd have no idea what time they were in, or if the first crews survived, so I suppose from that there's some kind of two way comms happening.

[Confucius]

I'm pretty sure they have communication back. In the first episode they said something about not telling the future about the sixers because they weren't sure who sent them.

[kbilly84]

I'm having a lot of these same questions myself. For a brief bit, I was thinking that "forward communication", from Terra Nova to the future, might be done a la "Frequency". (Jim Caviezel movie, dad 30 yrs ago hides something in the house for him to find in the future), but if they couldn't find the beacon, and they really are on separate timelines, that theory goes to shit. What is clear is they are somehow getting word forward; i.e. recruitment, and I highly doubt they'd keep sending people back without knowing they were surviving.

And what's with the sixers, and the drawings on that rock??

[Rugger]

OK, so then my questions start. If the scientist could not find the probe, were they receiving telemetry from it? Radio signals through the wormhole ala Stargate? Otherwise I wonder how they know what is at the other end of the wormhole? I also wondered how they know the people they are sending through on each pilgermage are actually arriving where and when they are supposed to? How did the people in the future know what equipment and supplies to send in each pilgramage as well as waht experts to send. Or were they just making educated guesses about what Terra Nova would need after a given number of years.
In the 3rd episode we learn the female doctor was recruited and and requested by the head of Terra Nova recearch department. So now I get the idea that there is some sort of 2 way communication going on between Terra Nova and the 22nd century. How often is this communication? Only when the wormhole is opened for pilgramages? Or do they have some sort of scheduled checkin and progress report timeframe set up?

It hasn't been made clear exactly how communication is taking place, but it obviously is. I was thinking they were sending people and supplies on a predetermined schedule as well, up until the sixer conversation. The main chief dude made the comment that he hasn't notified anybody back in 20whatever about the 6th pilgramage group all going rogue. He said he hadn't because there is obviously some sort of faction working against them and that they somehow stacked the deck with the 6th group that came through.

And what's with the sixers, and the drawings on that rock??

They mentioned that the sixers were in control of the iron quarrie and that there is someone/some group that has plans of their own back on doomed earth.

As far as the rock drawings go..... the alluded to the fact that it was done by the chief's lost son and that he knows something that the sixers do too. I still say he was picked up by the aliens that seeded earth with life and is chilling with them. But for real, he has to be getting some kind of help to survive I'd think, and it's not from his papa or the sixers. Who knows.

[mr_slappy75]

Phone Booth. There aren't that many Deloreans floating around.

Or a TARDIS perhaps?

Oh TARDIS definetely, for one it is bigger on the inside and it has a pool. That and she'll take you where you need to be if not where you want to go.

[kbilly84]

Here's another one. My understanding of their reason to go back was to fix the future so that it's not such desolate wasteland. Avoiding the paradoxical "but if they go back to fix it, they won't need to back to fix it, so they won't, but then they'll need to" migraine-inducing discussion, what are they hoping for by going back as far as they did? Especially with vehicles and such to pollute earth. It seems almost counter-productive that way. Is the end-game to eventually catch with modern-ish civilization and warn them about pollution? With that kind of tech that far back in time, what would they have in the present (2140 or whatever it is in the show)? etc. etc. etc.

I think they need to answer some of these more fundamental questions before getting into the episodic issues (i.e. the pterosaur migration)

[Confucius]

It was my understanding they are just going back to get out of that shithole. It's in a different timeline so whatever they do isn't going to affect the future in the old timeline.

[kbilly84]

It was my understanding they are just going back to get out of that shithole. It's in a different timeline so whatever they do isn't going to affect the future in the old timeline.

Solid point. I think what threw me off was Jason O'Mara (Jim Shannon) was on our local radio morning show the day it premiered, and I got the impression that they were trying to fix things. That aside, it would certainly seem it you are correct.

[Rugger]

Here's another one. My understanding of their reason to go back was to fix the future so that it's not such desolate wasteland. Avoiding the paradoxical "but if they go back to fix it, they won't need to back to fix it, so they won't, but then they'll need to" migraine-inducing discussion, what are they hoping for by going back as far as they did? Especially with vehicles and such to pollute earth. It seems almost counter-productive that way. Is the end-game to eventually catch with modern-ish civilization and warn them about pollution? With that kind of tech that far back in time, what would they have in the present (2140 or whatever it is in the show)? etc. etc. etc.

I think they need to answer some of these more fundamental questions before getting into the episodic issues (i.e. the pterosaur migration)

They are in a totally different timeline. No warning their great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather about the dangers of aerosol cans and not recycling. That was the reason for sending the probe back and looking for it in the current doomed earth time. But I can still see them not finding the probe (either intentionally or because it was destroyed) even though it's really there. This neatly ties up plot issues like paradoxes and future events. They can feasibly skip out on the whole asteroid hitting earth and killing everything off thingy. Basically it's a blank slate for the writers.

Now if the probe is really on doomed earth and wasn't found, for whatever reason, there is still a neat little bow they can still potentially wrap around that plot issue. The asteroid. Ok, now the migraine is starting to set in.

[kbilly84]

I really shouldn't ask this, because I don't have enough aspirin on hand, but if they are on a different timeline, HOW ARE THEY COMMUNICATING?? I can see this being a big issue over this first season. I just hope they explain it before the season finale.

[Str8Shooter]

Now if the probe is really on doomed earth and wasn't found, for whatever reason, there is still a neat little bow they can still potentially wrap around that plot issue. The asteroid. Ok, now the migraine is starting to set in.

It's the same timeline and the reason they didn't recover/find the probe was back in the 1800's during the gold rush some dumb-ass miners, who couldn't read the inscriptions on it, chipped it up and sold it as souvenirs. That's a piece hanging on the sons necklace that he got from his 'left behind' girlfriend. lol

[kbilly84]

Now if the probe is really on doomed earth and wasn't found, for whatever reason, there is still a neat little bow they can still potentially wrap around that plot issue. The asteroid. Ok, now the migraine is starting to set in.

It's the same timeline and the reason they didn't recover/find the probe was back in the 1800's during the gold rush some dumb-ass miners, who couldn't read the inscriptions on it, chipped it up and sold it as souvenirs. That's a piece hanging on the sons necklace that he got from his 'left behind' girlfriend. lol

???????? Did I miss something? Or is that just sarcasm? I don't recall anything about that....

[silversnake]

It was my understanding they are just going back to get out of that shithole. It's in a different timeline so whatever they do isn't going to affect the future in the old timeline.

Solid point. I think what threw me off was Jason O'Mara (Jim Shannon) was on our local radio morning show the day it premiered, and I got the impression that they were trying to fix things. That aside, it would certainly seem it you are correct.

Yeah, I think he just meant "fix things" in terms of "we can start fresh and not make all the mistakes that got us into the shithole situation we left in the other timeline".

I've only seen the 2-hour premier thus far, so I'll give it a couple more episodes, but it looks a lot like Falling Skies with dinosaurs to me right now. The character stereotypes are about the same and there are just as many logic holes in the plot. In addition to the ones listed above already, I'll add:

1. If there was such a time difference between the old guy arriving and the rest of his team, how come the same didn't happen with the subsequent migrations? If it does happen, you'd think that would be a major plot point to consider and bring out early.

2. How the hell do you build a place that big (and erect wind turbines) if that jungle is as dangerous and full of large predators as it appears to be? You'd need an army to keep the beasts away that are attracted to the sound of construction and the cutting of trees.

3. Anyone else annoyed by the biology of the place? I'm thinking of the "Slashers" specifically. We're told their tail barb is a trait of the males of the species. If something is such a major sexual dimorphic trait, it's very unlikely that it would be used in hunting/attack as shown in the episode rather than as a mating/dominance thing. In fact, I'm having a hard time thinking of predator animal that has something like that.


OK, I'm done griping now.

[Str8Shooter]

Now if the probe is really on doomed earth and wasn't found, for whatever reason, there is still a neat little bow they can still potentially wrap around that plot issue. The asteroid. Ok, now the migraine is starting to set in.

It's the same timeline and the reason they didn't recover/find the probe was back in the 1800's during the gold rush some dumb-ass miners, who couldn't read the inscriptions on it, chipped it up and sold it as souvenirs. That's a piece hanging on the sons necklace that he got from his 'left behind' girlfriend. lol

???????? Did I miss something? Or is that just sarcasm? I don't recall anything about that....

You didn't miss anything, just my interpretation and reading between the lines (with a little sarcasm).

[silversnake]

Now if the probe is really on doomed earth and wasn't found, for whatever reason, there is still a neat little bow they can still potentially wrap around that plot issue. The asteroid. Ok, now the migraine is starting to set in.

It's the same timeline and the reason they didn't recover/find the probe was back in the 1800's during the gold rush some dumb-ass miners, who couldn't read the inscriptions on it, chipped it up and sold it as souvenirs. That's a piece hanging on the sons necklace that he got from his 'left behind' girlfriend. lol

???????? Did I miss something? Or is that just sarcasm? I don't recall anything about that....

You didn't miss anything, just my interpretation and reading between the lines (with a little sarcasm).

You're giving them a lot of credit thinking it's a plot line set-up. My wife and I saw the probe on the first episode and came to the same conclusion - ham-handed attempt by the writers to quickly get out of having to deal with all the time paradox questions/issues without having to go into too much science for too long. I'll be pleasantly surprised if they do make something of that angle, but it would take a bit to convince me they'd planned it from the beginning like that.

[Rugger]

You're giving them a lot of credit thinking it's a plot line set-up. My wife and I saw the probe on the first episode and came to the same conclusion - ham-handed attempt by the writers to quickly get out of having to deal with all the time paradox questions/issues without having to go into too much science for too long. I'll be pleasantly surprised if they do make something of that angle, but it would take a bit to convince me they'd planned it from the beginning like that.

I think it's kind of a clever, neat, and simple way to keep all of us overthinkers from poking all kinds of holes in their story. Now that I think about this a bit, I can see this taking a really interesting turn. Of course the following is all guessing and conjecture.

The doomed earth people find out it isn't a different time line after all. Things start changing in doomed earth time in some dramatic way, and not for the better. "Oh crap, those terra nova people are F'ing it up for us." The doomed earth people cut off the supplies and whatnot to the new earth people, in hopes that they will all die off from the dinos and whatever else can kill them back then. The new earth people try to survive, while at the same time save the future by moving to an isolated continent and thereby lessening their influence on the world. There's lots and lots of trees there and it reminds them of their favorite city with lots of trees, Atlanta. They concentrate on building cool technology to be shared with the entire world once the major civilizations start to pop up. Little do they know though, there's this really big volcano under them............

[Ableto]

The reason why they think they are in a separate timeline is because they sent a probe in the past to send a signal out that could be read or picked up in the past, like a beacon. But whos to say that the probe was destroyed or crushed or melted later down the line. It might be the lost son and the sixers know its the same time line that they left and all the rock scratchings are computations saying they are not on a separate timeline or that the big meteorite is on its way and could wipe out Terranova and the dinos. Who knows, but all we can do is find out by watching future episodes.

[dukman]

It was said that the son is drawing on the rocks to spite his dad... I am guessing that back in the future the dad had seen heiroglyphs there and at one time showed them to his son and talked a lot about how advanced their civilization was. The kid recognized one of the artworks as his own creation and now that the kid is back in the past he is drawing on the rocks because he knows they are in the same parallel Earth. As for the beacon? Big Brother found it, and knows the truth, they are just keeping it a secret. I am guess they want to create a store of some rare-earth mineral that they need to survive in the future in a place they would know to look because after all, the pilgrims are all going to die when the asteroid hits. I kind of like the Atlantis idea tho...

[yale]

It was said that the son is drawing on the rocks to spite his dad... I am guessing that back in the future the dad had seen heiroglyphs there and at one time showed them to his son and talked a lot about how advanced their civilization was. The kid recognized one of the artworks as his own creation and now that the kid is back in the past he is drawing on the rocks because he knows they are in the same parallel Earth. As for the beacon? Big Brother found it, and knows the truth, they are just keeping it a secret.

I don't think so and here's why. The possibility of finding the heiroglyphs in the 22nd cetury is such a remote possibility due to the extreme time inolved. We are talking milions of years. Continantal drift alone would radically change the look fo the earth and the location or condition of any thing the Terra Nova people carve on any rocks in thier time. Back 22 million years ago the earth looked radically different in terms of where the land masses were. I doubt that they found any of the hieroglyphs in the future. I'm not sure what to make of the son and the hieroglyphs yet. Maybe he found a way to travel back and forth between times and is doing so for some yet unknown reason.

I really shouldn't ask this, because I don't have enough aspirin on hand, but if they are on a different timeline, HOW ARE THEY COMMUNICATING?? I can see this being a big issue over this first season. I just hope they explain it before the season finale.

That was my initial question. I figured that it was all one way communitication with Terra Nova. Like the 22nd century guys would open the wormhole and start sending in supplies and people on a regular schedule and along with a message about the next time they open the worm hole. Sort of, "Here's the latest batch of people and supplies. By the way, next time we plan on sending an additional 100 people on top of the scheduled number. Hope that's not a prob." But with the female doctor actually being a request from one of the Tera Nova guys we know they have some type of 2 way comms. They may not be able to travel back through the wormhole to the 22nd centure but they may be able to transmit radio data or some type of burst transmissions. Also, as mentioned earlier, the Tera Nova guys have stated that they haven't told the mission team in the 22nd century about the Sixers yet.

[Kevin108]

His son is a sleestak!

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[Quick Shot xMLx]

I don't see what's so hard about the concept of communicating. Have you never watched any other kind of sci-fi show? Look at the wormhole as a one-way stargate. They can only travel from the 22nd century to that past but they can still transmit radio signals through the wormhole just like they did on Stargate.

Obviously they're on the same timeline or there wouldn't be all that shady shit in the background. I didn't buy that probe story at all(VERY easy to retrieve and hide it).

As for why the captain got there before the rest of the team. It's fare to assume that the wormhole exists but it needs some kind of machine to accelerate it in order for it to open. Their calculations were probably off considering it's the first time they ever used it and fucked up. If not before it was discovered people would be walking down the street and then oh damn look at the dinosaurs.

I liked the Obama $1000. Kind of ironic they would put him on any money when this totalitarian future is one of his fantasies but that's for another thread.

[kbilly84]

I liked the Obama $1000. Kind of ironic they would put him on any money when this totalitarian future is one of his fantasies but that's for another thread.

Actually, it's not for any thread. No political discussions...

http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=19895