What scenario would have them crossing it at any point other than Earth if they aim at Earth? (Wormholes and other steering-hampering phenomena notwithstanding.)
The heroes started out somewhere between 12 and 3 on the clock face. They want to reach the midpoint of the clock hand when it points down to 6. What possible meandering would involve first crossing that clock hand before going for the midpoint? Every direct line from points in the pie wedge between 12, 3 and the center goes to Earth without ever crossing that hand. Save for a line from 12 directly to 6, of course, but although our heroes at one point do visit a location reputedly touching that line ("False Profits", the Ferengi getting stranded at most 200 lightyears from the Delta/Gamma border as per "The Price"), they weren't considering sailing through the galactic core.
As for talking about quadrants, it appears no stranger than us speaking about West and East when describing political entities that don't really span hemispheres.
Timo Saloniemi
The heroes started out somewhere between 12 and 3 on the clock face. They want to reach the midpoint of the clock hand when it points down to 6. What possible meandering would involve first crossing that clock hand before going for the midpoint? Every direct line from points in the pie wedge between 12, 3 and the center goes to Earth without ever crossing that hand. Save for a line from 12 directly to 6, of course, but although our heroes at one point do visit a location reputedly touching that line ("False Profits", the Ferengi getting stranded at most 200 lightyears from the Delta/Gamma border as per "The Price"), they weren't considering sailing through the galactic core.
As for talking about quadrants, it appears no stranger than us speaking about West and East when describing political entities that don't really span hemispheres.
Timo Saloniemi
