Does anyone else find Fox's new Terra Nova insulting and just generally stupid?

[darthmocha]

Based on the synopsis of Terra Nova on Fox's website and the advertising blitz they threw at us I did not have high hopes for the series to begin with. The whole idea of sending people back in time 85 million years to save the species had a huge number of plot holes, as is basic with any time travel story anyway, but the way they went about it was just plain dumb for a variety of reasons. I could argue the bad CGI, kinda bad acting, poor and lazy writing forever. When looking at Terra Nova I don't see these thing I see basic ignorance and glaring stupidity advertised for all to see.

First, when we first encounter the time tunnel thing or whatever they state that in dialogue its a one way trip only and that this is the 10th such mission to that time. So basically they can't communicate with the people they already sent if everything is one way? I mean radio waves, even laser communications exist within reality and the way they describe it you are completely cut off. So as a 'pilgrim' you could just be generally being sent to your death none the wiser. I mean there could be a pile of corpses dead on the other side and no one would have any clue.

Second, sending people back 85 million years is basically just suicide. None of the plants or animals may be edible since our bodes are adapted to the post-Pliocene world, more specifically the Pleistocene and our current Holocene. We are completely unadapted to the Cretaceous world. Not only the food, plant life would be drastically different since flowering plants were just starting to appear. Even the atmosphere could be deadly with differing oxygen levels and microbes we are completely unadapted for. It also works vice versa where a simple bacteria in our bodies could devastate the planet of that time period.

Lastly, is the ethnocentric way humanity is being saved. Apparently mankind encompasses Anglo-Saxon traditional white Americans. Now one can argue that some minorities are there, but they are still minorities. I mean it makes no sense whatsoever. So as long as American culture survives the rest of the world be damned? Last I checked America was on the downward slope of world power and I highly doubt would be able to enforce committing the rest of the world to death.

I could go on and on how bad this show is and what a retarded bunch of chimps the writers are for ignoring obvious things. Overall, is just an amazing cascade of failure and I hope I am not the only one who just hopes it goes away very fast.

 

[emeraldrafael]

Um... scifi?

But lets try and address this on a case by case (though I havent seen a full episode yet so Im just going off the adverts and what you could do in reality).

First, when we first encounter the time tunnel thing or whatever they state that in dialogue its a one way trip only and that this is the 10th such mission to that time. So basically they can't communicate with the people they already sent if everything is one way? I mean radio waves, even laser communications exist within reality and the way they describe it you are completely cut off. So as a 'pilgrim' you could just be generally being sent to your death none the wiser. I mean there could be a pile of corpses dead on the other side and no one would have any clue.

...

Actually if you set somthing up and studied the history of the world, you could take back tech from today and leave a time capsule at a specified location, learning from each failed attempt. Just look at the dead sea scrolls. Find a historically steady place, leave a reliable message (maybe a stone carving contained in a... well, container or something).

...

Second, sending people back 85 million years is basically just suicide. None of the plants or animals may be edible since our bodes are adapted to the post-Pliocene world, more specifically the Pleistocene and our current Holocene. We are completely unadapted to the Cretaceous world. Not only the food, plant life would be drastically different since flowering plants were just starting to appear. Even the atmosphere could be deadly with differing oxygen levels and microbes we are completely unadapted for. It also works vice versa where a simple bacteria in our bodies could devastate the planet of that time period.

...

I beleive we have history again, where we've studied what hte earth was like. So we would know, or at least have an idea of what plants we as humans could eat. As to different bacteria, find the extinct, reverse engineer it and get the vaccine before you go back (dont say it cant happen, we have fucking time travel, I dont want to hear we cant do something).

...

Lastly, is the ethnocentric way humanity is being saved. Apparently mankind encompasses Anglo-Saxon traditional white Americans. Now one can argue that some minorities are there, but they are still minorities. I mean it makes no sense whatsoever. So as long as American culture survives the rest of the world be damned? Last I checked America was on the downward slope of world power and I highly doubt would be able to enforce committing the rest of the world to death.

...

Ah, first off, there's alot of people in "America". "America" encompasses two continents and the Caribbean Islands totaling 35 countries. It also comprises an estimated 42,549,000 km2 area of land (28.4% of earth's land mass), and 900+ Million people (13.5% of the earth's population). There's also a lot of cultures and traditions in the US itself after its melting pot birth.

Also, this is centralized to the US, so someone doesnt understand how hollywood works. Im sure in other regions, if this type of show existed, they would have their country build one. I cant imagine that in the future the US just said "no yeah, we found the secret to time travel. what share? fuck off, USA all the way!" without a war breaking out and the US just smacking everyone else down or a global unified earth al a Futurama.

Also, last I checked, the world is pretty much fucked in the terms of the EU on potential economic collapse, russia's turning into a third world country once again with all these accidents and their economy, and china is putting up a false foreign bravado while its domestic suffers. there's a reason its always so interested in trade. So no one's exactly in a good position to condemn anyone to death (Aside from australia), with the US looking the strongest to be on the verge of a successful recovery.

...

I could go on and on how bad this show is and what a retarded bunch of chimps the writers are for ignoring obvious things. Overall, is just an amazing cascade of failure and I hope I am not the only one who just hopes it goes away very fast.

Because the show is just shouting that its a groundbreaking scifiction documentary of what the world would do and not trying to cash in on a second Jurassic Park craze. Im not exactly a fan of the show after only catching the first twenty minutes and the last five, but im sure there are people who like the show, so Im not going to suggest they be robbed of their enjoyment and ahve the show be cancelled quickly.

And tahts what it comes down to. You have an opinion. thats great, but dont watch the show if you dont like it. youre making it out to be something it never intended on being and suggesting it go away for your self pleasure just so what, Fox can through up more shit to fill the space?

 

[InsanityRequiem]

For me, the most glaring thing about the show? It is as close to a creationist's wet dream as it can be. Not something I'll watch though, not my type of thing really.

 

[tendaji]

snip

Well actually it turns out that they end up on a separate time line and not one that is the same as their home, which helps free up the time paradox effect.

I personally think the show is pretty interesting and will continue to watch the show until it becomes too much like Lost and gets too confusing to follow.

 

[Furioso]

...It's a tv show, I'm not looking for a damned documentary on why it would be a bad idea, I want to see dinosaurs eat people, and that's what I got, its far from being the best show I have ever seen, but I enjoyed it, the second episode I found boring, but insulting? You might want to stop watching tv right now or your head will explode from all the other unrealistic shows out there

 

[emeraldrafael]

snip

Well actually it turns out that they end up on a separate time line and not one that is the same as their home, which helps free up the time paradox effect.

I personally think the show is pretty interesting and will continue to watch the show until it becomes too much like Lost and gets too confusing to follow.

Oka. I only caught the first twenty and last five minutes, and I really dont remember a lot of it cause I wasnt entirely focused on the show itself.

 

[Atticus89]

I'm kinda reminded of Dino Crisis 2.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Second, sending people back 85 million years is basically just suicide. None of the plants or animals may be edible since our bodes are adapted to the post-Pliocene world, more specifically the Pleistocene and our current Holocene. We are completely unadapted to the Cretaceous world. Not only the food, plant life would be drastically different since flowering plants were just starting to appear. Even the atmosphere could be deadly with differing oxygen levels and microbes we are completely unadapted for. It also works vice versa where a simple bacteria in our bodies could devastate the planet of that time period.

Not true, many plants and animals from that period survive to this day, and are just as edible as anything else around. Differing oxygen levels are an issue, but not an insurmountable one, people experience similar issues here and now when dealing with altitude.

Microbes aren't going to be that much of an issue, beyond noxious weeds. There are any number of objectably really nasty plagues around today that nobody much cares about because they only affect things that aren't human.

Lastly, is the ethnocentric way humanity is being saved. Apparently mankind encompasses Anglo-Saxon traditional white Americans. Now one can argue that some minorities are there, but they are still minorities. I mean it makes no sense whatsoever. So as long as American culture survives the rest of the world be damned?

Yes. Haven't you seen half of every TV show the US comes up with?

EDIT: On, has anyone seen the 3rd Doctor story "Invasion of the Dinosaurs"? Doesn't set a good precedent for this sort of thing.

 

[Tselis]

It's Fox, are you really that surprised?

 

[chaosyoshimage]

Meh, it's about the only new Sci-Fi show on this season, so I'm watching. It's kind of cheesy, but nearly everything on Network TV is. I'm just waiting for my shows to come back this month (The Walking Dead and Chuck).

 

[Deimateos]

It's Hollywood, are you really that surprised?

Fixed

 

[Tselis]

It's Hollywood, are you really that surprised?

Fixed

I cede to your logic good sir.

 

[Kinguendo]

Wait, that doesnt make sense... if you are CHOOSING who to send back why make the people who are minorities still be minorities? And why only send Americans? Its bloody madness!

 

[Mikeyfell]

Based on the synopsis of Terra Nova on Fox's website and the advertising blitz they threw at us I did not have high hopes for the series to begin with. The whole idea of sending people back in time 85 million years to save the species had a huge number of plot holes, as is basic with any time travel story anyway, but the way they went about it was just plain dumb for a variety of reasons. I could argue the bad CGI, kinda bad acting, poor and lazy writing forever. When looking at Terra Nova I don't see these thing I see basic ignorance and glaring stupidity advertised for all to see.

First, when we first encounter the time tunnel thing or whatever they state that in dialogue its a one way trip only and that this is the 10th such mission to that time. So basically they can't communicate with the people they already sent if everything is one way? I mean radio waves, even laser communications exist within reality and the way they describe it you are completely cut off. So as a 'pilgrim' you could just be generally being sent to your death none the wiser. I mean there could be a pile of corpses dead on the other side and no one would have any clue.

Second, sending people back 85 million years is basically just suicide. None of the plants or animals may be edible since our bodes are adapted to the post-Pliocene world, more specifically the Pleistocene and our current Holocene. We are completely unadapted to the Cretaceous world. Not only the food, plant life would be drastically different since flowering plants were just starting to appear. Even the atmosphere could be deadly with differing oxygen levels and microbes we are completely unadapted for. It also works vice versa where a simple bacteria in our bodies could devastate the planet of that time period.

Lastly, is the ethnocentric way humanity is being saved. Apparently mankind encompasses Anglo-Saxon traditional white Americans. Now one can argue that some minorities are there, but they are still minorities. I mean it makes no sense whatsoever. So as long as American culture survives the rest of the world be damned? Last I checked America was on the downward slope of world power and I highly doubt would be able to enforce committing the rest of the world to death.

I could go on and on how bad this show is and what a retarded bunch of chimps the writers are for ignoring obvious things. Overall, is just an amazing cascade of failure and I hope I am not the only one who just hopes it goes away very fast.

That is some insightful shit right there.
PS. You totally beat me to posting this thread.

I wasn't excited for Terra Nova in the slightest, but I was going to give it a chance. Mostly because it's in between Big Bang Theory and House and I don't want to find something else to watch during the 8:00 time slot.

Within the first 20 minutes all the important characters are introduced, several years pass, and there's a drastic change in setting. It all happens way to fast for any of it to sink in or to even matter. It was immediately clear that the writers, directors and producers, (and possibly even the actors) don't know what pacing is, nor do they care to learn. Through the rest of the pilot plot points and exposition came and went so fast it almost gave me whiplash.

By failing to ever establish a personality or back-story for the main character then wiping his slate clean twice before a half hour is up, they effectively left me with no emotional connection to him or anyone who cares about him.

I'm of the strong opinion that the pilot episode was originally 2 seasons of content that was cut, presumably because an executive was distracted by something shiny.


Then I watched the second episode. And I lost all faith in humanity. Even myself for having sat through it all.

Humanity has some real problems if their best and brightest can't see the FUCKING problem with building a settlement ON TOP OF A FUCKING DINOSAUR BREADING GROUND! It wasn't even an accident they picked that spot BECAUSE dinosaurs lay eggs there. And these are the idiots that in charge of saving humanity?

So I'm with you 100% Terra Nova is the stupidest show I've seen in a long time. I hope it gets cancelled soon.

 

[twistedmic]

Humanity has some real problems if their best and brightest can't see the FUCKING problem with building a settlement ON TOP OF A FUCKING DINOSAUR BREADING GROUND! It wasn't even an accident they picked that spot BECAUSE dinosaurs lay eggs there. And these are the idiots that in charge of saving humanity?

They though that the breeding ground had been abandoned. They found the shells ten feet underground ova on the breeding ground.

 

[drosalion]

Based on the synopsis of Terra Nova on Fox's website and the advertising blitz they threw at us I did not have high hopes for the series to begin with. The whole idea of sending people back in time 85 million years to save the species had a huge number of plot holes, as is basic with any time travel story anyway, but the way they went about it was just plain dumb for a variety of reasons. I could argue the bad CGI, kinda bad acting, poor and lazy writing forever. When looking at Terra Nova I don't see these thing I see basic ignorance and glaring stupidity advertised for all to see.

Firstly they're not sending people back in time to save the species (well in the sense that the future people are doomed no matter what) but to give humanity another chance with a fresh start. I agree with some average acting though, especially with the teen cast (havent had any problems with the adult cast)

First, when we first encounter the time tunnel thing or whatever they state that in dialogue its a one way trip only and that this is the 10th such mission to that time. So basically they can't communicate with the people they already sent if everything is one way? I mean radio waves, even laser communications exist within reality and the way they describe it you are completely cut off. So as a 'pilgrim' you could just be generally being sent to your death none the wiser. I mean there could be a pile of corpses dead on the other side and no one would have any clue.

I completely agree with this, but to me it seems like there are hints that they're able to receive communications or something as they're always aware when new groups of people come over and stuff. I think this will have something to do with the 6ers aswell (if anything does happen, if not i completely agree with you on this point). But even if it is a risk and they could be walking into certain death - staying at their time period is gauranteed death / crappy living, they can barely breath the air, they eat fake food, etc. You could say its worth the risk.

Second, sending people back 85 million years is basically just suicide. None of the plants or animals may be edible since our bodes are adapted to the post-Pliocene world, more specifically the Pleistocene and our current Holocene. We are completely unadapted to the Cretaceous world. Not only the food, plant life would be drastically different since flowering plants were just starting to appear. Even the atmosphere could be deadly with differing oxygen levels and microbes we are completely unadapted for. It also works vice versa where a simple bacteria in our bodies could devastate the planet of that time period.

They're growing numerous crops, its highly likely they're sending not only people and huge amounts of equipment/technology (as should be obvious) but things like seeds and stuff to help them with food that they can eat. Agreed with the potential problems with the atmosphere, but they're potential not gauranteed. At worst they move from the future where they cant breath the air, to the past where they cant breath the air..

Lastly, is the ethnocentric way humanity is being saved. Apparently mankind encompasses Anglo-Saxon traditional white Americans. Now one can argue that some minorities are there, but they are still minorities. I mean it makes no sense whatsoever. So as long as American culture survives the rest of the world be damned? Last I checked America was on the downward slope of world power and I highly doubt would be able to enforce committing the rest of the world to death.

I dno what episode you were watching but i saw numerous 'minorities' all throughout the whole episode. I was actually suprised how many there were as i thought it would actually be highly-american, so i completely disagree with you here.

I could go on and on how bad this show is and what a retarded bunch of chimps the writers are for ignoring obvious things. Overall, is just an amazing cascade of failure and I hope I am not the only one who just hopes it goes away very fast.

If you dont enjoy the show thats fine its completely your opinion. If you were able to suspend your disbelief for just a little i think you'd realise it seems like it could be a very good and entertaining show. If you're unnable or unwilling to do this then i guess its only ur loss. This is a sci-fi tv show, not some documentary.