Outer Space Clichés

[MikeandRaph87]

Often in pop culture in outer space settings we tend to see planets where often all species are the same no races or different languages among them. If there are such as in Star Wars there is little difficulties in communication. One thing in particular Star Wars is guilty of is a single environment for a particular planet. Our own being habitual has several environments. Often we see a rocky planet, a snow covered planet, a desert planet, a planet that is just a giant casino. Does the idea of planets not having various nations, languages, species, and environments bug anyone else? I am sure it all boils down to plot convinces, like the lack of alien language barriers or breathable air as the most common examples, but I was wondering why it is not often if at all depicted in Sci-Fi. Those such traits would reflect more of what we know from our own planet.

[CyberCubed]

Star Trek solved this problem by having a universal translator. Each alien is actually speaking their own language, it's just that we hear it in english since its been translated in real-time.

Now for stuff like DC and Marvel aliens, it makes less sense. Why does Darkseid speak english? Or Brainiac? Or Planet Krypton? Or any of the characters in Guardians of the Galaxy and other Marvel aliens?

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Now for stuff like DC and Marvel aliens, it makes less sense. Why does Darkseid speak english? Or Brainiac? Or Planet Krypton? Or any of the characters in Guardians of the Galaxy and other Marvel aliens?

Darkseid and Brainiac are Multiversal beings and as such should have no problem whatsoever in communicating in any language. Darkseid transcends space/time and Brainiac literally exists to absorb all the information in the universe, which naturally would include all known languages.

Also, Kryptonians don't speak English, or any decipherable Earth language, they speak Kryptonese and require a translation device in order to communicate with Earthlings, until which point that they bother to learn English or any other terrestrial languages. You'd know that if you read comics. Kryptonians only speak "English" in the movies and cartoons because American audiences have no patience for subtitles.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Star Trek solved this problem by having a universal translator. Each alien is actually speaking their own language, it's just that we hear it in english since its been translated in real-time.

How the heck does that work if Earth has never interacted with them before? It also happens in TMNT when Algernon jumps out of his spacecraft right after it crashes onto Earth. Algernon just activiates the translator machine, and Donatello hears English. Who programmed it to interact with English, or any Earth languages, if Algernon's planet never interacted with Earth before?

[Coola Yagami]

Nowadays it's different due to more expensive costumes and CGI but back in the old days we had a lot of aliens that were pretty much hot sexy women that just so happened to have green or blue skin, but for all intents and purposes they looked just like Earth women. Fully functional Earth women as Capt. Kirk can attest to.

[TigerClaw]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Star Trek solved this problem by having a universal translator. Each alien is actually speaking their own language, it's just that we hear it in english since its been translated in real-time.

Now for stuff like DC and Marvel aliens, it makes less sense. Why does Darkseid speak english? Or Brainiac? Or Planet Krypton? Or any of the characters in Guardians of the Galaxy and other Marvel aliens?

It still doesn't explain why the language being translated is still there voices.

If you have a universal translator on you, You're hearing a translation of somebody else speech, But it sounds like that person is speaking English to you rather then the device just translating what is being spoken to you.

So its kind of weird how some alien speaking a different language, and its there own voice sounding in English through a translator?

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

It still doesn't explain why the language being translated is still there voices.

If you have a universal translator on you, You're hearing a translation of somebody else speech, But it sounds like that person is speaking English to you rather then the device just translating what is being spoken to you.

So its kind of weird how some alien speaking a different language, and its there own voice sounding in English through a translator?

I mean, they have devices capable of interstellar travel, I'm sure they can creating translating devices that only translate but don't sound like Siri.