Rush's Timeline

[Cecil Brax]

I like that a lot, but it just doesn't quite work.

You're right on most points, except that we know the ship moves faster than the speed of light--which as relativity tells us, is an impossibility.

Well, I have kind of avoided this thread cause I've debated this same topic like 3 other times in three other threads so far and I didn't want to do it again. I'll make some notes here though after some more recent replies.

Right now, what kind of drive the ship uses can only be an assumption. We know its not Hyperdrive but there are many different kinds of FTL (Faster then Light) travel. I believe someone mentioned a type drive that is similar to warp drive which involves bending space. There is also folding space, tearing space, jump drives (More of the Wing Commander kind then the BSG kind), and the list goes on and on. Who knows what they use just yet or what the energy field is that surrounds the ship when it is in FTL. Its probably similar to warp drive which would allow for the alien shuttle to break the FTL Field and fly away like it did in Air Part 3.

As for the Timeline .... If you take things 'characters' in the show say literally and as instant fact, you will always be disappointed. Too many times in too many shows what a character says at one point ends up being wrong. Humans misspeak, make mistakes, and draw conclusions without all the proper information.

The fact so many people are taking what Rush said completely literally is going to lead them to disappointment down the road. If you take him literally, when he is corrected or when he does eventually revise what he said (Maybe another character on the show will point it out and he'll go "It was a figure of speech!!" - I added the exclamation points cause that's how Rush would probably sounds. hehe) then the people who take him literally will cry foul, and come on here and make a ton more threads about how much the show sucks cause the writers got it wrong, etc etc.

Honestly, I think they did this on purpose as a tool to get people to watch longer to see if there is a correct answer given. If this was the reason, I have one thing to say to the writers ... well played sirs.

- CB

[Phenom]

Had to create an account, so this will be my first post...

Look up Einstein's theory of Relativity.

Without getting into detail,

A ship moving through normal space at the speed of light will experience time differently relative to our experience of time. = Destiny
As one approaches the speed of light, time moves at a different rate relative to those of us not moving that fast.

Thus, the ship could have left Earth 50 million years ago, but the relative age / time passed on the ship itself could be 10's of 1000's of years.

Example: If you left Earth at the speed of light for 6 months. Stopped, and returned at the speed of light for another 6 months.
A year has passed for you. However on earth, 100 years may have passed. Time / Space / Speed are relative, not fixed.

No need to look it up, I already am well aware of the basics of it.

I have no idea how faster than light travel would affect the time issue given that faster than light travel is supposedly impossible.

However I still feel that the age issues on SGU thus far are either lazy writing or an as yet unfulfilled plot that will be explained in later episodes. Quoting Einstein as the reason for Rush's timeline is just a bit of luck on the writers behalf I believe.

[TwiceBorn]

I thought Rush said the ship left milky way thousands of year ago at one point. Didn't he? I don't think the writers are really concerned with getting it right. They don't rely on mythology to get viewers anymore anyways.

[Control_Chair]

I wonder what the writers are really like. You would kind of expect them to know every detail of Stargate canon verbatim, given that they would have written most of it. Yet I would think in reality they probably don't know much more than the average fan.

The writers remember less then the average fan. Its just a job to them. But many fans have a emotional attachment to it. Some have too much attachment

In that case they should employ us to do it for them.

[nnrd79a]

In that case they should employ us to do it for them.

Exactly!