ReadyAndWilling
Fleet Captain
is this why most of the Trekkers on here look down on the SG universe as something that's 'low brow' or not 'real' science fiction? that's the feeling i get anyway when i browse the DS9 forum.
Was it ever explained how all the aliens spoke english?
- Thread starter ReadyAndWilling
- Start date
There's no in-story explanation. They just didn't want to spend half of each episode having Daniel figure out a new language. On the official site years ago it said something like 'between Daniel and Teal'c all of the languages the team encounter can be translated' which doesn't really explain how the rest of the team understand, Mallozzi on the other hand says that in his head the gate implants you with translator nanites, but other than that - we do not speak of it. I can't speak for Trekkies though, I'm a Stargate fan first and a Trek fan second.
It made sense in universe that most of the worlds would speak the same language, but there's no plausible reason why that would be English. I'd expect them to either speak Goa'uld or Ancient.
And the show would suck if they spent half the episode learning the language instead of having a storyline. And unfortunately Stargate didn't have a magical universal translator.
And the show would suck if they spent half the episode learning the language instead of having a storyline. And unfortunately Stargate didn't have a magical universal translator.
But they could have had one, look at all the other technology they got. It wouldn't have been that hard to let them find some language translating artifact on Abydos or in the first episode after the pilot.
They could have done that, but it would scream Star Trek to throw a universal translator device in there imo.
ReadyAndWilling
Fleet Captain
This and only this.
The only languages spoken in the series are English, Goa'uld, and Ancient. All of which Daniel Jackson understands perfectly.
Honestly I have never had a problem with it.
That is what they should have explained in the first place except that it doesn't work that way in the movie, and some of the aliens Daniel; has a hard time talking to.
Neither did Star Trek in the original series -- except for a single episode, “Metamorphosis.” The ubiquitous universal translators were a later idea that was retconned into Trek TOS by fans.
They speak English because it would be pretty damn dull and boring if they didn't. For proof, watch SGU.
^Whaddaya mean? I thought 'hiss raaaahhhhaa' was pretty clear. And that Sombreroid accent was pretty well done.
One of the novels explained it.
I haven't seen that much of TOS, so I guess I mistook the retcon as fact there. So I guess the original series had the same problem Stargate had. But the universal translator was still brought in before SG-1.
And that nanites idea is silly. The SGC would have surely detected anything like that in episode.
Yeah. Once they put a UT in there, next thing you know there'll be hyperdrives, or humans flying around in starships, or beaming technology...
Yeah. Once they put a UT in there, next thing you know there'll be hyperdrives, or humans flying around in starships, or beaming technology...
I'm surprised it took someone this long to call that one. I guess it was inevitable
Although the earlier seasons borrowed less from Trek, as they established their own mythology. If they'd started with beaming technology and warp ships and universal translators from the start, it would have been too much. Not quite as bad when you bring it in gradually over 10 seasons.
But still bad enough.
Well spaceships and faster than light travel aren't exclusive to Trek. It's mostly the beaming that sticks out. The rest is common to a lot of space sci-fi, even if Trek made it popular.
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