Terra Nova (Fox) - News/Discussion/Speculation SPOILERS

[tomstone]

If the two times have contact with each other will there be a constant resupply effort? Can they get more supplies, fuel, ammo or will they have to make their own? Can they get bigger guns because what they have is crap.

How do you think they came to their Stuff they Build their Houses with? Every bet that everything except the wood was sent from the Future. I guess they will have support as long as "Future" Earth is still hanging on.

Traveling to mars past would be counter-productive. They may as well go back in time to earth if they can travel back in time. But having traveled to a different planet similar to earth is quite possible and interesting. At the moment, nothing contradicts that possibility.

On that thought, could the writings be Star calculations? More or less trying to find out where they are in relation to Earth? I dont know what that would help, but still.

[Gollumpus]

Then you guys need to come up with something "novel." Every idea out there now can be traced back to something that's already been done. All I see is people complaining about it and not doing anything. So, if you guys can come up with something new...have at it. Other wise, allow those of us who are enjoying the same old story told in a new way to enjoy it. KTB!

Well, I was unaware that this is a "positive comments only" type of forum, and I'm not sure that any opinions which have been expressed up to your post (#150) were all that critical of this show.

One may express a negative opinion about a show in the hope that it will cause someone (somewhere) to take note of what is not working for a portion of the audience. And if anyone's enjoyment is impaired by negative comments (as tame as these have been), then consider that my enjoyment of the show is impaired by the knowledge that some folks are expressing an opinion that they are perfectly happy with what I see as failings in a show I would otherwise like to be able to enjoy.

I know that I do not have the ear of the creators of Terra Nova, because if I had I would have made my feelings known while this show was still in development. And, I'm pretty sure that it is not up to those of us, who find that this show is lacking in certain areas, to provide improvements with which to gain the right to express an opinion here.

This being said, I'm willing to put forward a few (cliche) modifications which would make this series "better" (imho). This is off the top of my head, spur of the moment kind of thing but I'll see if I can flesh the list out some as each episode comes along.

The show:
1.) Decide to make the thing a more kids friendly show, or make it more adult oriented, one or the other. Having it trying to straddle the fence limits what kind of story lines may be effectively explored. I'd prefer more adult oriented story lines and fewer stories about teenage angst. I'm not saying that teenage angst stories are bad, I'd just prefer that this show didn't deal in them.

2.) Spend a bit more money on CGI. They aren't going to make this a dinosaur-oriented show ($), so they should make a really big splash when they are on screen. From what we saw last night, I was wishing they had just stolen some footage from "Jurassic Park" (1993). If they are going to go cheap on the pilot/premiere then what can we expect in future episodes?

3.) The "Sixers". I wouldn't have started off with them already being splintered off from the main group. I would have them just getting started to stage their revolution. This would allow for easier incorporation of Josh flirting with the idea of joining the Sixers, should that be deemed a desirable story line.

It will be interesting to see just what is the agenda of the Sixers. To get as many people as they did into just one single pilgrimage, suggests that there should be something more going on than just a group of people who all got together to make a better world.

Characters:
1.) Josh Shannon - the character might have been more interesting if they had him feel a certain amount of resentment for both of his parents AND Zoe. He could see all three of them as being equal parts of the reason why the Shannon family had fallen upon hard times, ultimately leading up to them going on the 10th pilgrimage. I might even have had him being drugged by his mother so that he could be led (albeit unwillingly) through the portal with a minimum of fuss. Later in the series, the writers could choose to have Josh go over to "the dark side", or have some sort of cliche story where he protects Zoe from danger which results in the family re-bonding.

2.) Maddy Shannon - typical smart, good-looking "girl". The character's storyline is pretty much going to be a mirror of her parents' relationship. Young, good looking, military guy likes the look of her, and finds her being mortified about babbling on about science stuff to be really cute. He might also be fairly intelligent and the two of them will have lots of kids (in a few years when she's older).

I might have gone with the slightly different cliche of using a less traditionally attractive actor as Maddy. Also, I would have made the character a few years older. I would have the character being even more knowledgeable of (just not experienced in) a number of Terra Nova survival skills. And then, when she and military guy assess one another, from his perspective he's seeing her as a good catch, not because she is cute and smart but rather that, he sees in her someone who is a good catch because of her intelligence, her skills and abilities, and that he thinks she is cute when she babbles a bit when she notices that he has noticed her.

3.) Jim Shannon - I would have waited a few episodes before I made the guy Terra Nova's version of Sheriff Carter.

The process of having him breaking out of, and then in to, those high security facilities was a little too easy. I would have used more family/close friends to facilitate events rather than just bribed strangers. If nothing else, it would provide more of an impression on the audience about concepts of family and the value that their extended family put on at least some of "them" making it out.

regards,
G.

[LtColCarter]

This ended up being quite a bit better than I hoped it would be. I will definitely be tuning in next week. My wife might even be interested in giving it a shot.

I was pleasantly surprised myself.

[Gollumpus]

Re # 3 the Moon- Yeah I thought of that, too, why hadn't they colonized Mars?

I suspect that it was a lot easier/cheaper to send people and all their gear through the time portal than it would be to send the same mass to Mars, and then try and feed/shelter/etc them once they got there. There's already a breathable atmosphere, and lots of fertile ground for growing things on your own planet, albeit 85 million years in its past.

regards,
G.

[Gollumpus]

He who controls the past controls the future.
So possibly one group, be them sixes or the others, are likely making a power play, hoping to control the future by keeping some part of the past from happening

But is Taylor a well meaning idealistic person? Or is he just a zealot confident in his one sense of right and to heck with the rest?

Anything these folks do cannot have an effect upon the world/time which they have left. To have a significant portion of one pilgrimage (with other folks likely planted before and after) suggests that there was/is a plan to take control of Terra Nova once all of the heavy lifting has been done.

My thought would be that there is some power elite who intend to come through the portal and shut the door behind them. This way they can run the world how they see fit, and there is no fear of anyone from the original future coming back to help the folks of Terra Nova. Sounds a bit like Outcasts.

regards,
G.

[Gollumpus]

In my understanding, they didn't travel to a parallel universe, they create one (a new parallel universe) by traveling to the future. From now on everything, that happens on earth that will be influenced by their presence will change (like if they step on some prehistoric butterfly), but event not alterable by the human presence in prehistoric time will still happens. For example, if a meteorite was supposed to hit earth or if the Sun was suppose to go nova. Unless the humans find a technology to blow up the giant meteorite in the space (or refuel the sun) until that time.

Although the way they set up the probe disappearance on the show open the door for the fact they the probe may actually not have been lost and that they are in fact in the same universe that what they came from (so there's only one timeline). Able to influence the future of where they come from like in Back to the Future.


Doesn't solve the resources problem. If they have hard time coming up with fresh water and good agricultural land on earth imagine on the moon or mars.


It would be the lamest stuff ever. It would make them some frivolous graffiti on some rocks. Hopefully, the identity of the one who wrote them and their purpose are more interesting.

+1 if I could. IOU.

regards,
G.

[Gollumpus]

I guess those Equasions are in order to prepare for a way home. I could make a guess why all this is done, but its just as good as any. They dont plan to make a new start, rather they want to take everything they need from that Planet and bring it back to their Time. They would have a whole Planet in order to grow Food without a need to leave their own world. Maybe its even possible to transfer some of the Athmosphere.

Interesting....

regards,
G.

[retiredat44]

i agree, don't make the 'teenage rebellion brat fests' part of the show. Just gets tiring.

.............

you have that right!

[Coco Pops]

And howcome in 2149 sex is banned? I don't get that.. I just don't... Humans can have sex just for pleasure and not procreate........ What lameness

[tomstone]

And howcome in 2149 sex is banned? I don't get that.. I just don't... Humans can have sex just for pleasure and not procreate........ What lameness

Are you serious? To be honest I am afraid that our World is going the same way. With the numbers of Humans on Earth continuingly increasing, everything is going to fall short faster and faster. At some point there really wont be enough vegetation to clean all that air and feed everyone at the same time. It wont happen soon, but it will happen.

So enforcing Population control was the only way to reduce the inevitable.

[Coco Pops]

Are you serious? To be honest I am afraid that our World is going the same way. With the numbers of Humans on Earth continuingly increasing, everything is going to fall short faster and faster. At some point there really wont be enough vegetation to clean all that air and feed everyone at the same time. It wont happen soon, but it will happen.

So enforcing Population control was the only way to reduce the inevitable.

But you don't have to ban sex....... That's just wrong.

[Gollumpus]

i'm willing to bet that part of the mission of the sixes was to destroy the probe, thus supporting the 'parallel timeline' theory. That they're not really in a parallel universe, they're in their own and effecting their own future.

It is an interesting idea, which raises the questions: If their plan is/was to destroy the probe, what would they have to do to achieve the probe's destruction? In what way is destroyed sufficient to their goal(s)?

Does it have to be merely blown up, in which case you would only need one or two guys, each of whom has a bunch of C-4 in their luggage. Considering that the Shannons smuggled in a 5 year old child, and got an adult male with a gun through the portal suggests that a bit of explosives to Terra Nova would be easy. Once in the past it's not like the probe is under any kind of security.

Perhaps the probe must be cast into the fires of Mt. Doom (or the Terra Nova equivalent ), or somehow forced into the rift which brought them all into the past. It's possible that the pictographs they found are related to that concept.

I've been assuming that they are in the same place, but in a different time, kind of like the explanation in "The Time Machine" (1960 film version, about the 4 minute mark):

With continental drift and the like they could still be in the same area and not be underwater:



regards,
G.

[tomstone]

But you don't have to ban sex....... That's just wrong.

Its not banned, your just not allowed to have children. I think that would be perfect to most man and even some Women.

Just to say something about the Family in the Series. I bet the Boy is from her, one girl from the Father and the youngest is from both. That way they were basically just bending the rules. "A Family is Four" They made 4 together, but only because they each had 1 kid. They should have 2 spare if they would have stayed with their partners before.

At this point we are all just guessing, but its fun to have a new Series to riddle about.

[Gollumpus]

Just to say something about the Family in the Series. I bet the Boy is from her, one girl from the Father and the youngest is from both. That way they were basically just bending the rules. "A Family is Four" They made 4 together, but only because they each had 1 kid. They should have 2 spare if they would have stayed with their partners before.

I was under the impression that the Shannons are a single family unit and the three kids are all the progeny of Jim and Elisabeth. Did I miss something somewhere (wouldn't be the first time )?

regards,
G.

[tomstone]

I was under the impression that the Shannons are a single family unit and the three kids are all the progeny of Jim and Elisabeth. Did I miss something somewhere (wouldn't be the first time )?

regards,
G.

It was just an impression that I had. He is a Police officer and wouldn´t break the rules unless there is a good reason. The Girl when they left didnt want to leave without her Dad, the Boy was just pissed because his Girlfriend had to stay and didnt want to go without her. Then there was this Scene where they first entered the House and the Father was asking the little one if she still rememberd him, that is sure his daughter.

To the Son of the Family, I am bugged as to why he resents his Father this much. He was in Jail for 1 Year, because he tried to protect his Family. I have been through alot and never seen this kind of hate unless it is someone I didnt want in the first place. The only way I can think of is simply a patchwork Family.