THE EXPANSE --it's premise, plot and socio-political implications

[Bluce Ree]

And a second plea to keep it on the topic of the show?

Sorry, dude.

 

[Joelist]

No worries!

Side note, I saw another SyFy premiere called "The Magicians". Little did I suspect it would have something in common with The Expanse....

It also has a couple having sex floating in midair....in the exact same positions no less...

 

[shavedape]

It's an interesting show so far and I really like the realism of living in space that they show. But I don't know if I will get hooked on it or not. I find the numerous use of fake words and languages to be annoying. I get it, the story takes place in the future and different cultures now inhabit the solar system, blah blah blah. Truthfully I'm willing to suspend my disbelief if they were to simply use good old 21st century English to describe things.

 

[YJ02]

All of that is true, yes. But also true is that what we have been seeing consistently since 2002 is the shrinking Far Right xenophobic/racist segment. They are literally dying off and they are not being replaced nearly as quickly. I think it is a safe bet that there will NEVER be another Republican president in the White House again. GW Bush was the last. The politics of the far right are so out of touch with the American voting masses that they might as well be the Amish Party or the Flat Earth Party. Like you said, they will gerrymander, and they will come up with clever strategies to try and manipulate the votes, but as Mitt Romney saw in 2012, all of that and a bag of expensive chips is still not going to cut it. Spending billions in political advertising and lobbying is not going to make turd souffle any more appealing.

rated "creative" as in quite creative in somehow trying to fit this into the topic of the sci fi show THE EXPANSE

how about you just get rid of all these pesky topics and threads and just merge everything into one giant, digital mosh pit of randomness?

 

[YJ02]

It's an interesting show so far and I really like the realism of living in space that they show. But I don't know if I will get hooked on it or not. I find the numerous use of fake words and languages to be annoying. I get it, the story takes place in the future and different cultures now inhabit the solar system, blah blah blah. Truthfully I'm willing to suspend my disbelief if they were to simply use good old 21st century English to describe things.

so what is the science of why a native born belter gets crushed in earth's gravity (the UN prisoner) but an earther like the cops on Ceres, can seemingly go back to earth and not be crushed?

i am sure the answer is simple, and I have a few ideas, but just save me the search engine time and spill the spiel

 

[YJ02]

so i watched all 4 eps (now how long do i have to wait to get ep 5? mistake to watch ep 3 and 4 ?)

i think i will like this show,

ep 4 pretty much put it into the 'worthy of watching' category

it does get a little wonky with the way they chose to edit the scenes; like the way scenes in earth, space and on ceres are intermixed. I know this is standard practice, just the way it is done here seems just a little clumsy, but I can deal with it

the space scenes a very reminiscent of the sfx in BSG, particularly the battle in ep 4

diff weapons mostly (rail guns here instead of batteries of 155 howitzers), but they even use the same sound effect for the chain guns.

if they drag out the Cant survivors trip to Mars into an Odyssey instead, that would probably be a bad thing. having the same group of people suffer a lack of oxygen crisis just 2 eps apart wasn't cool, I hope that it doesn't become an in-series tropish thing

 

[YJ02]

So, is SYFY on its way back to what it once was?

this show, childhood's end-though a mini- and some of the others they have had on-is the network getting back to being anything of what once was?

 

[ecgordon]

so i watched all 4 eps (now how long do i have to wait to get ep 5? mistake to watch ep 3 and 4 ?)

Episode 5 will be on Jan. 5.

if they drag out the Cant survivors trip to Mars into an Odyssey instead, that would probably be a bad thing. having the same group of people suffer a lack of oxygen crisis just 2 eps apart wasn't cool, I hope that it doesn't become an in-series tropish thing

The aren't going to Mars. I could tell you the various other places they end up (from the first book), but not only would that contain spoilers, I also don't know how much of the story they'll be able to get to this season.

 

[YJ02]

Episode 5 will be on Jan. 5.


The aren't going to Mars. I could tell you the various other places they end up (from the first book), but not only would that contain spoilers, I also don't know how much of the story they'll be able to get to this season.

thats what i mean--dragging it out into a space odyssey.

that could get old

-----
know if they will be making the next 4 eps downloadable and when?

 

[ecgordon]

Well, the stories have already been written, and if the show follows the books, then yes, they will go on various "odysseys" throughout the course of however many seasons we are lucky to get. If you don't want to go along for the ride, then don't.

 

[YJ02]

Well, the stories have already been written, and if the show follows the books, then yes, they will go on various "odysseys" throughout the course of however many seasons we are lucky to get. If you don't want to go along for the ride, then don't.

No, I'll just keep watching and complaining because it is my God given, 'Murican, tremendous and fantastic right to do so!!!!



seriously though--the Ulysses like travels are ok, so long as they don't keep having the same scenarios--like the thing with the depleting oxygen crises nearly 2 eps in a row

I see the mars ship they are in has quite a bit of weaponry, and Lopez gave full access to all systems for everyone on board-so I am assuming they may be involved in more shootouts

I also like the way the story has mass-organized religion in it as well. in the way that it intersects with space travel-here it is the Mormons prepping to go on a 100 yr trip to a new planet in a diff solar system. Not that I approve of organized religions (for myself), but they do help to make a story more interesting. Religions like the LDS or Scientology are nearly nation-states in their own right, so their inclusion brings another lay of dynamic-political, socio-economical and even perhaps, military.

and

in the books-why is (and is it in the books) "Medina" used for the common area/market area of Ceres? And, there seem to be women in hijab--it is quite colorful hijab, but hijab none-the-less. Women in the "slingshot club" place were wearing them.

there are only 2 very specific meanings for "medina"; the city in Saudi or, as the arab quarter of a North African town (because north africans are not technically arabs)

so what is up with that?

 

[ecgordon]

It's an intermingling of cultures, traditions and languages. I like that they didn't resort to subtitles when they're speaking "Belter Creole." We have to surmise what they might be talking about in context. That and the hand gestures used by Belters, which came about from a lot of them working in space suits. No one could see facial expressions, and even a shrug might not have been possible in a suit. The use of Medina is no more unusual than the market square on Babylon 5 being the Zocalo, which is the central market of Mexico City.

Keep nit-picking, I'll try to fill you in on what's happening.

 

[YJ02]

No, I'll just keep watching and complaining because it is my God given, 'Murican, tremendous and fantastic right to do so!!!!



seriously though--the Ulysses like travels are ok, so long as they don't keep having the same scenarios--like the thing with the depleting oxygen crises nearly 2 eps in a row

I see the mars ship they are in has quite a bit of weaponry, and Lopez gave full access to all systems for everyone on board-so I am assuming they may be involved in more shootouts

I also like the way the story has mass-organized religion in it as well. in the way that it intersects with space travel-here it is the Mormons prepping to go on a 100 yr trip to a new planet in a diff solar system. Not that I approve of organized religions (for myself), but they do help to make a story more interesting. Religions like the LDS or Scientology are nearly nation-states in their own right, so their inclusion brings another lay of dynamic-political, socio-economical and even perhaps, military.

and

in the books-why is (and is it in the books) "Medina" used for the common area/market area of Ceres? And, there seem to be women in hijab--it is quite colorful hijab, but hijab none-the-less. Women in the "slingshot club" place were wearing them.

there are only 2 very specific meanings for "medina"; the city in Saudi or, as the arab quarter of a North African town (because north africans are not technically arabs)

so what is up with that?

what was funny?

 

[YJ02]

It's an intermingling of cultures, traditions and languages. I like that they didn't resort to subtitles when they're speaking "Belter Creole." We have to surmise what they might be talking about in context. That and the hand gestures used by Belters, which came about from a lot of them working in space suits. No one could see facial expressions, and even a shrug might not have been possible in a suit. The use of Medina is no more unusual than the market square on Babylon 5 being the Zocalo, which is the central market of Mexico City.

Keep nit-picking, I'll try to fill you in on what's happening.

I LIKE THE SHOW overall!! Especially if what I have read in comments elsewhere that we may see some "gate like" travel coming up? That could be very entertaining.

but one cannot ignore the fact that real world current events can sometimes drive what turns up in fiction

So, let me re-iterate my question; was the use of Medina in the book? If yes, remind me of how long ago the book was written? If post 9/11, then using Medina an Arab word and the name of one of Islam's most holy places--OFFLIMITS to non-muslims

there are many,many other non Arab,non Muslim place names that could have been used in place of "the Medina"

by using these Islamic names and visuals (the hijab'd up women) it is no more then 'muzzie love hug' in our sci fi, another method of infiltration to our western culture

we had this in Chronicles of Riddick with 'New Mecca' as a planet that was presumably filled with muslims

I would hope that by the time we do reach out into the solar system to stay, that Islam would have been dealt with.

 

[YJ02]

Hijab at the 1 oclock position from play button. On "CQB" at 12:33

I be pensa over muzzies in my sci fi

 

[Joelist]

They're being PC, an unfortunate infection.

 

[YJ02]

They're being PC, an unfortunate infection.

yup

their taking a play from the "exposure = acceptance" plan

 

[ecgordon]

About the "gate like" travel, that won't happen this season. That begins in the third book, carries over into the fourth, and I assume later, but I haven't gotten to the fifth book yet.

I can't recall from the books if they used the term Medina for any place on Ceres. It is used in the fourth book, but as the name of a space station. Do you realize that it is not only the name of a market in Arab communities, the word itself is Arabic for "city" or "town"? It is also the name of two towns and one county in Texas, as well as a county in Ohio, and probably many others.

So, now I not only have to tell you about what's going on in the show and how it relates to the books, I also have to do google searches for you.

 

[shavedape]

About the "gate like" travel, that won't happen this season. That begins in the third book, carries over into the fourth, and I assume later, but I haven't gotten to the fifth book yet.

I can't recall from the books if they used the term Medina for any place on Ceres. It is used in the fourth book, but as the name of a space station. Do you realize that it is not only the name of a market in Arab communities, the word itself is Arabic for "city" or "town"? It is also the name of two towns and one county in Texas, as well as a county in Ohio, and probably many others.

So, now I not only have to tell you about what's going on in the show and how it relates to the books, I also have to do google searches for you.

You also have to clean the GateFans employee lounge. Be warned, we just had our Christmas party in there and the place is a mess. (Our Australian contingent tends to get a bit out of hand, being unable to hold their liquor and all. )

 

[YJ02]

I can't recall from the books if they used the term Medina for any place on Ceres. It is used in the fourth book, but as the name of a space station. Do you realize that it is not only the name of a market in Arab communities, the word itself is Arabic for "city" or "town"? It is also the name of two towns and one county in Texas, as well as a county in Ohio, and probably many others.

Yes, I know. And the ppl of those towns should petition for a name change!

But say "Medina" to most ppl (those who would have a clue at least) and their first answer, in all likelihood, is not going to be "a marketplace" or "the arab quarter of a North African town"

Medina is one of the pair of Holiest of Holy sites in Saudi for Islam-Mecca and Medina are both required to visist for the devout to complete the Hajj.

So holy, no non Muslim ppl can enter it or it's surrounds.

But if you think that the show/book has it in reference to a place in Ohio, then ok. So long as you don't think that Islam and radical or Muslim and terror are words that have nothing to do with one another.

I'll leave this little tiff for the GF's 'line judge' to adjudicate; OM1, just where are you anyhow?