I have been rewatching DS9 lately (I just finished S4's "Accession"). I adore "Emissary" because I think it does an excellent job of not only creating aliens that ARE very different from what we've come to know but they also manage to use the conceptual difference i.e. their non-linear existence as a means of telling Sisko's story and letting him move on.
Now, in any case, it's incredibly hard to deal with entities that do not exist the way we do since, essentially, we cannot even begin to imagine what that must be like. The fact that there's always a beginning and an ending and that we are always moving forward through time IS one of the most fundamental characteristics of our existence.
I think the writers re. creators found that one element that can at least give us an idea of what the Prophets' existence might be like: Our memories. That's the one place where time will sometimes seem to stand still, and it affects our entire life.
Now, I'm digressing a bit because there's a somewhat more mundane question I want to get to. For the most part, I really like the way DS9 handled the Prophets - the way they were visualized, the way they acted, the effect they had on other etc.
However, there is one thing I keep thinking I would have liked. I think it would have been great if they'd always spoken in present tense.
I imagine this would have made it hard at times to understand what they were saying. But I think that even if Sisko helped them grasp the meaning of linear existence, for their own existence everything should always 'BE', not 'have been' or 'will be', for example.
So, to get down to it: Do you think the Prophets should have always used the present tense when speaking? Are there other things that could have been done differently in your opinion to further underline the fundamental differences in their existence?
Now, in any case, it's incredibly hard to deal with entities that do not exist the way we do since, essentially, we cannot even begin to imagine what that must be like. The fact that there's always a beginning and an ending and that we are always moving forward through time IS one of the most fundamental characteristics of our existence.
I think the writers re. creators found that one element that can at least give us an idea of what the Prophets' existence might be like: Our memories. That's the one place where time will sometimes seem to stand still, and it affects our entire life.
Now, I'm digressing a bit because there's a somewhat more mundane question I want to get to. For the most part, I really like the way DS9 handled the Prophets - the way they were visualized, the way they acted, the effect they had on other etc.
However, there is one thing I keep thinking I would have liked. I think it would have been great if they'd always spoken in present tense.
I imagine this would have made it hard at times to understand what they were saying. But I think that even if Sisko helped them grasp the meaning of linear existence, for their own existence everything should always 'BE', not 'have been' or 'will be', for example.
So, to get down to it: Do you think the Prophets should have always used the present tense when speaking? Are there other things that could have been done differently in your opinion to further underline the fundamental differences in their existence?
