This is true. If you're placeholder name is "Bob" or "Sam," you're just asking for trouble.
In which case, instead of of doing a global search-and-replace, you should probably take the time to do the s&r thing case by case . . ..
How do you name alien characters/species?
- Thread starter Laura Cynthia Chambers
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This is true. If you're placeholder name is "Bob" or "Sam," you're just asking for trouble.
In which case, instead of of doing a global search-and-replace, you should probably take the time to do the s&r thing case by case . . ..
That's why it makes sense to use a triple string of letters, such as LLL or QQQ, for your placeholder. Unless you made a typo elsewhere, it's unlikely to find text you didn't want replaced.
^^or you could go the Memory Alpha way and use something like ~Person/TOS/1x23/3.. . . Might just be a little annoying to type.
Was it ever explained how, in Stargate, every other human species in both our and the Pegasus galaxy speak English?
Well, since the stuff is being written for a human audience, aren't some concessions useful for the sake of the story, like identifying with the characters?
Case in point, I think it that some cheats, like female names having "a"s at the end, makes it seem more "real," even if it's unrealistic (if that makes any sense). Also, the more "alien" names can be hard to pronounce and read, which is a peeve of mine.
I guess that, if having more "realistic" names distances me from the characters and makes for a rougher read, then I'd vote against it (all subjective, of course).
The way to solve this is to give the character a pronounceable nickname or title/rank, which can be used in many instances in lieu of the name.
There's a tie-in novel, set near the start of SG-1, that explains that the Stargates somehow affect travelers' minds so that they can understand each other's languages. It didn't kick in until after the series pilot because Earth's Stargate had been off the network for so long, or because it wasn't using a DHD, and so it didn't have the right software yet.
The show itself completely ignored the issue, though. Although it did implicitly have something to do with the Stargate network and the Ancients, because the nonhumanoid alien races they encountered in Stargate Universe -- set in distant galaxies outside the Ancients' sphere of influence -- didn't speak English.
Humans are an incredibly diverse species. There are thousands of different cultures, languages, customs, moral codes, etc. right here on Earth, and any "alien" culture in science fiction is just going to be based on ideas or practices that can already be found somewhere on Earth. Appealing to a human audience means being cosmopolitan and embracing diversity of thought. Indeed, I'd expect that the fans of a science fiction series about exploring alien worlds would tend to be people who are inquisitive about other cultures and ways of thinking, willing to broaden and challenge their minds by contemplating new perspectives.
No, I don't think it does.
Again, by whose standards? There are lots of different human languages and naming customs, some of whose pronunciations are difficult for people who speak other languages. I'm sure there are plenty of people in the world who would find the phonetics of your name difficult to read or pronounce.
Wait, there are Stargate novels? I never consiously thought about that... *leaves virtual room to order some on amazon*
Hmm.
Humanity is incredibly diverse, culturally. Not so much so genetically. There is an interpretive piece in the California Academy of Sciences (Golden Gate Park, San Francisco), in the south end of Africa Hall (the end closest to the main entrance, opposite end from the penguins), part of the "Human Odyssey" permanent exhibition, that points out that some 70 thousand years ago, some catastrophic event reduced our species to only ten thousand mating pairs, leaving us all 99.9% genetically identical to each other. (If you follow the link, you'll find the interpretive piece to which I refer right in the middle of the big picture on top: the panel with the colored lights. My immediate reaction when seeing that exhibit was that it explained why so many cultures that have little else in common, and no contact with Judeo-Christian cultures prior to the past century or two, have some variation on the "Noah's Ark" story.)
The matter of other species, even other Humanoid species, finding our names difficult to pronounce was lampshaded in "The Gamesters of Triskelion," when Chekov's drill thrall kept pronouncing his name "chee-koof," no matter how much he tried to correct her.
Humanity is incredibly diverse, culturally. Not so much so genetically. There is an interpretive piece in the California Academy of Sciences (Golden Gate Park, San Francisco), in the south end of Africa Hall (the end closest to the main entrance, opposite end from the penguins), part of the "Human Odyssey" permanent exhibition, that points out that some 70 thousand years ago, some catastrophic event reduced our species to only ten thousand mating pairs, leaving us all 99.9% genetically identical to each other. (If you follow the link, you'll find the interpretive piece to which I refer right in the middle of the big picture on top: the panel with the colored lights. My immediate reaction when seeing that exhibit was that it explained why so many cultures that have little else in common, and no contact with Judeo-Christian cultures prior to the past century or two, have some variation on the "Noah's Ark" story.)
The matter of other species, even other Humanoid species, finding our names difficult to pronounce was lampshaded in "The Gamesters of Triskelion," when Chekov's drill thrall kept pronouncing his name "chee-koof," no matter how much he tried to correct her.
Or it could be because - gasp! -all of Humanity can trace its origins to Noah and his family, and Adam and Eve before that.
I always have to chuckle when I see those ancestry.com commercials where people ooh and awe about their unknown roots. I'm like, "Adam and Eve. Done." (I know, I know, it's interesting to fill in the missing gaps between the Garden of Eden and me, here, now.)Never seen that episode, but LOL. Interesting that for once, Chekov is the victim of someone else's inability to pronounce things correctly.
On the other hand, I once tried to be "clever" and establish that the aliens in the singular were "Zoku" and in the plural were "Zoki" (or something like that) and it turned out to be an ongoing pain in the butt when it came to copyediting, proofreading, etc. I think we were still struggling to keep the proper nouns straight all the way up to the final page proofs!
I think I went back to "ians" the next book just to make life a little easier.
I've read that theory, although if I remember correctly, the population was reduced to 11 thousand total which is why there is a "genetic bottle neck" way back then and not that much genetic diversity now.
Or it could be because - gasp! -all of Humanity can trace its origins to Noah and his family, and Adam and Eve before that.
Not sure if serious.
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I'm entirely serious. I am a Christian.
Which flavour?
I wouldn't say I subscribe to a denomination, per se. That is, I'm conflicted/undecided about some things. But I trust God with the details. https://www.facebook.com/logoschristianfamilychurch
I wonder if any race uses ___ (empty spaces) in their names. Like "Sa___Tolong" (pronounced "Sa (wait four beats) Tolong".
https://www.facebook.com/logoschristianfamilychurchI wonder if any race uses ___ (empty spaces) in their names. Like "Sa___Tolong" (pronounced "Sa (wait four beats) Tolong".
I'd say that's more likely because most early agrarian civilizations were in river valleys or deltas that were prone to flooding.
I wouldn't say I subscribe to a denomination, per se. That is, I'm conflicted/undecided about some things. But I trust God with the details.
Ah, ok. I guess he does move in mysterious ways and everything, the good and especially the bad things are at the will of God.
I imagine that if they did, it would stem from a culture that values patience. Imagine those pesky Humans interrupting in the middle of a name.
Of two different varieties, so make sure you're getting SG-1 novels.
There are a ton of novels based on SG-1, but then there were also novels done by Bill McCay that were sequels to just the movie; they started before SG-1 came out, but they continued for a couple books after it started while ignoring the show continuity entirely, which I'm sure confused at least some people.
Those Bill McKay books are a fascinating read, supposedly based on Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin's original concepts for the Stargate universe (which were thrown out for SG-1.) I'm curious how many of those concepts will be revisited should that new big-screen Stargate materialise.
Considering that Emmerich and Devlin hated SG-1, I'd assume a good number of them.
