30 réponses à ce sujet

[TrueHD]

How are they going to explain humans being in the new Mass Effect game? Technically, all of the aliens being humanoid in the original games is already a stretch. Now they're going to have humans in another galaxy?

[Cyonan]

We used space magic to get there.

 

Which actually explains like 90% of the original trilogy, so it's not really a great departure on that front.

[JeffZero]

How are they going to explain humans being in the new Mass Effect game? Technically, all of the aliens being humanoid in the original games is already a stretch. Now they're going to have humans in another galaxy?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Space opera has been doing crazy things in crazy ways since the beginning. Mass Effect is no different, nor is this the beginning of its absurdities. It will be explained, either to one's satisfaction or otherwise.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

How are they going to explain humans being in the new Mass Effect game? Technically, all of the aliens being humanoid in the original games is already a stretch. Now they're going to have humans in another galaxy?

The humans in Andromeda are coming from the Milky Way. 

 

And many scientists actually expect many alien races to look very similar to us since the dominant species should have an efficient form, and the form we humans have is such a form. They also expect alien fish to look like Earth fish, alien birds to look like Earth birds, etc. 

[Indigenous]

How are they going to explain humans being in the new Mass Effect game? Technically, all of the aliens being humanoid in the original games is already a stretch. Now they're going to have humans in another galaxy?

 

It's a game. Don't be weird.

[mickey111]

the aliens were not humanoid. 

[Arcian]

The humans in Andromeda are coming from the Milky Way. 

 

And many scientists actually expect many alien races to look very similar to us since the dominant species should have an efficient form, and the form we humans have is such a form. They also expect alien fish to look like Earth fish, alien birds to look like Earth birds, etc. 

Assuming most habitable planets are at or near 1g and 1 atm, yes, this would be correct.

[Ria Kon]

And many scientists actually expect many alien races to look very similar to us since the dominant species should have an efficient form, and the form we humans have is such a form. They also expect alien fish to look like Earth fish, alien birds to look like Earth birds, etc. 

 

This explanation is also used in the ME trilogy if I remember it correctly.

 

 

Assuming most habitable planets are at or near 1g and 1 atm, yes, this would be correct.

 

 

Those few was kinda represented by aliens like Volus, Elcor, Hannar...

[TheAngryOne]

 

 

 

 

 

Space opera has been doing crazy things in crazy ways since the beginning. Mass Effect is no different, nor is this the beginning of its absurdities. It will be explained, either to one's satisfaction or otherwise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Space opera has been doing crazy things in crazy ways since the beginning. Mass Effect is no different, nor is this the beginning of its absurdities. It will be explained, either to one's satisfaction or otherwise.

Don't forget Andromeda!

[Fredward]

The humans in Andromeda are coming from the Milky Way. 

 

And many scientists actually expect many alien races to look very similar to us since the dominant species should have an efficient form, and the form we humans have is such a form. They also expect alien fish to look like Earth fish, alien birds to look like Earth birds, etc. 

 

What's the benchmark for efficient? Us? How do we know how efficient we are if we have a sample size of one?

[Element Zero]

Of course we are the benchmark. We know nothing else. We have to base our space fantasy upon something, do we not?

[N7Jamaican]

Andromeda is going to Andromeda 1.0

[Element Zero]

I hope Andromeda captures my imagination like the first ME did. There was something about exploring our own celestial backyard, in our own very near future, that immediately drew me into the series.

It's hard to articulate this well. It felt incredibly lonely and alien, being this vast, unexplored frontier; but it also felt very familiar and homey, since many of the names, clusters, nebulae and whatnot were familiar to me. It all felt real and natural. It felt very believable that Shepard would be out there, aboard Normandy, just 170 years from now (allowing that it's SciFi).

Andromeda, though. Wow. I know nothing about a place so far away. They can't build on that real life familiarity, this time. Obviously, the plan is to build off of the appeal of the existing trilogy, and to expand upon that. I hope they succeed. I'm skeptical, but hopeful. The stars of the series, for me, were Shepard, his crew, the Reapers and the Milky Way itself.

With all of those things gone, I guess that leaves Mass Effect technology, biotics, familiar species and familiar organizations. Hopefully, they do so excellent a job with those remaining things that I don't mourn the absence of the others. Shepard and crew's story is told, as is the Reaper saga. So, all things considered, if they nail the ME feel, and tell a good story as to why and how we have now gone intergalactic, I guess a change of venue won't be such a huge deal.

[Killroy]

What's the benchmark for efficient? Us? How do we know how efficient we are if we have a sample size of one?

We're the result of billions of years of evolution. Do you think cockroaches evolved the way they did without becoming more efficient? Or sharks? Or birds? Of course we're exceptionally efficient for our surroundings.
 

How are they going to explain humans being in the new Mass Effect game? Technically, all of the aliens being humanoid in the original games is already a stretch. Now they're going to have humans in another galaxy?

Did you seriously think that humans just exist in Andromeda and we're going to play as those humans? The thought of space travel never crossed your mind? 

[Fredward]

We're the result of billions of years of evolution. Do you think cockroaches evolved the way they did without becoming more efficient? Or sharks? Or birds? Of course we're exceptionally efficient for our surroundings.

 

Sure, in comparison to a planet of things that aren't on our level. If we had several other planets with several other dominant species who've evolved over a similar amount of time we could actually measure how efficient we are. Instead it's like: "You're incredibly smart Jimmy!" The teacher told Jimmy, beaming proudly. Jimmy made a gurgling noise and shoved more paste into his left nostril. Jimmy had an IQ of 65. But his classmates were cats.

 

Not saying we're badly evolved or whatever just that it doesn't make sense to say we're 'efficiently' evolved and that all other dominant alien species MUST be similar to us because we don't know  what efficient is. We only know what it is compared to cats.

[AlanC9]

We're the result of billions of years of evolution. Do you think cockroaches evolved the way they did without becoming more efficient? Or sharks? Or birds? Of course we're exceptionally efficient for our surroundings.

The question is whether there are other efficient ways to be an intelligent creature besides being humanoid.

Somewhere there are intelligent spiders speculating on whether an intelligent creature could get by with fewer than eight limbs.

[KaiserShep]

Did you seriously think that humans just exist in Andromeda and we're going to play as those humans? The thought of space travel never crossed your mind? 

 

And they have their own N7. All [evolutionary] roads lead to it.

[Killroy]

Sure, in comparison to a planet of things that aren't on our level. If we had several other planets with several other dominant species who've evolved over a similar amount of time we could actually measure how efficient we are. Instead it's like: "You're incredibly smart Jimmy!" The teacher told Jimmy, beaming proudly. Jimmy made a gurgling noise and shoved more paste into his left nostril. Jimmy had an IQ of 65. But his classmates were cats.
 
Not saying we're badly evolved or whatever just that it doesn't make sense to say we're 'efficiently' evolved and that all other dominant alien species MUST be similar to us because we don't know  what efficient is. We only know what it is compared to cats.

We do know what efficiency looks like. We have hundreds of thousand of examples of exceptionally efficient lifeforms that evolved on this planet. We know that crocodiles are exceptionally efficient for what they do/how the live. We know that roaches are exceptionally efficient for what they do/how the live. We know that felines are exceptionally efficient for what they do/how the live. etc
Evolution is the path to efficiency and excellence. Our ancestors needed to leave the trees and travel, so they grew taller and more erect to see above the tall grasses. Our ancestors needed to eat more meat to get more protein and calorie-dense meals to fuel the growth of their brains, so they became hunters. etc
Evolution is not a crapshoot.

The question is whether there are other efficient ways to be an intelligent creature besides being humanoid.
Somewhere there are intelligent spiders speculating on whether an intelligent creature could get by with fewer than eight limbs.

Those would have to be a some crazy-ass spiders. Their brains would have to be huge to accommodate such intellect, so their bodies would have to be proportionally large. Then their legs would have to be proportionally larger, but the longer a spider's legs are the less capable they are supporting the spider's weight(hence why only tiny spiders have long legs). So you're talking about intelligent giant spiders that are too large to move around efficiently. That species would die off. Unless they evolved to a form that would more efficiently contain their highly evolved brains. Something like 4 powerful limbs instead of 8 spindly ones, hands with fingers and thumbs to accommodate use of tools instead of tactile-deficient spider feet, and no more fangs since attacking things with your face puts your brain in danger. Starting to sound downright humanoid.

Intelligent, dominant species that use tools and build things having a humanoid form is entirely logical.

[LinksOcarina]

 

 

 

 

 

Space opera has been doing crazy things in crazy ways since the beginning. Mass Effect is no different, nor is this the beginning of its absurdities. It will be explained, either to one's satisfaction or otherwise.

 

Lets be honest, its very unlikely anyone will be satisfied.

[Fredward]

We do know what efficiency looks like. We have hundreds of thousand of examples of exceptionally efficient lifeforms that evolved on this planet. We know that crocodiles are exceptionally efficient for what they do/how the live. We know that roaches are exceptionally efficient for what they do/how the live. We know that felines are exceptionally efficient for what they do/how the live. etc
Evolution is the path to efficiency and excellence. Our ancestors needed to leave the trees and travel, so they grew taller and more erect to see above the tall grasses. Our ancestors needed to eat more meat to get more protein and calorie-dense meals to fuel the growth of their brains, so they became hunters. etc
Evolution is not a crapshoot.

Those would have to be a some crazy-ass spiders. Their brains would have to be huge to accommodate such intellect, so their bodies would have to be proportionally large. Then their legs would have to be proportionally larger, but the longer a spider's legs are the less capable they are supporting the spider's weight(hence why only tiny spiders have long legs). So you're talking about intelligent giant spiders that are too large to move around efficiently. That species would die off. Unless they evolved to a form that would more efficiently contain their highly evolved brains. Something like 4 powerful limbs instead of 8 spindly ones, hands with fingers and thumbs to accommodate use of tools instead of tactile-deficient spider feet, and no more fangs since attacking things with your face puts your brain in danger. Starting to sound downright humanoid.

Intelligent, dominant species that use tools and build things having a humanoid form is entirely logical.

 

I don't really have a problem with any of this, just the assumption that intelligent, tool using life has to look similar to us. What if there's some places with a really intelligent fungus that releases spores that take over people's brains? We already have that but they only take over ants (for now, dun dun dun [seriously though, anyone read The Girl With All the Gifts?]). We have species that use tools that don't look anything like us like ravens, elephants, dolphins and octopi. If we left them to their own devices for a few million years would they be more likely to grow hands to accommodate tools use or find some way to adapt tools to work for them? What about planets with really weak gravity? Or planets with hot suns where the majority of life lives underground? Mole people!

 

If you take the smallest thing away from our environment our appearance would probably be different, right? If trees were more rare would we need hands designed for gripping like we have now? If grass died easier would we have needed to grow more erect? So on a planet with substantially different ecology wouldn't it follow that the dominant species would be supremely adapted for THAT specific planet and not ours? They'd look and think and be different because of it?

 

The one commonality I can get behind with a dominant space faring species is that they have to be intelligent, adaptable tool users but that's about it.

[They call me a SpaceCowboy]

the aliens were not humanoid. 

 

Exactly. They were kroganoid.

 

[Broganisity]

Yeah, pretty much. *Crosses arms all smug like*

[They call me a SpaceCowboy]

Aliens in most fiction are like humans for the following reasons:

 

Familiar to the audience. Not only in looks but in behaviour. Turians are Space Romans. etc.

 

In live action they are played by humans..

 

In games they use the same skeletal model as humans. case in point, large creatures and large robots in SWTOR have the same 3 legged shape. Smaller ones, aliens and protocol droids etc use the human model. Obviously they have exceptions, like the R2D2 droids, but these roll around and don't need to perform actions like a more active model.

[Gothfather]

How are they going to explain humans being in the new Mass Effect game? Technically, all of the aliens being humanoid in the original games is already a stretch. Now they're going to have humans in another galaxy?

It is not a strech. It is a story telling technique.

 

There is a reason why aliens or fantasy races are always just humans in suits with exaggerated human traits. A truly alien creature would be entirely unrelatable to us because we would have few frames of reference. We would have no idea what its vocalizations would mean in terms of conveying emotions. it s body language would mean nothing to us either. Its biological motivations might also be completely foreign. 

 

This is why almost all aliens in literature and movie/TV are nothing but humans in suits, because a human is utterly relatable. We can tell stories that we can relate to , with guys in suits vs true aliens. The stories told are richer for it because we can instantly understand non verbal cues and know what is said without words. We can understand the aliens' position because it is essentially a human with exaggerated aspects.

[mickey111]

Is Startrek: TNG a lot better than TOS? I've found it's taken me over 10 episodes, but I'm only beginning to enjoy TOS as I get to know what the people and aliens are about. I find it rather difficult to enjoy the clean cut and highly regulated style of the enterprise crew who seem to do their best to suppress their adrenaline and emotion on a regular basis. its rather off putting coming from shows like Lexx with its small crew of informal and unprofessional fugitives, and Farscape which had a a bit of a the former but mostly the latter. I know TNG is the more viewed series today, but I want to know a bit about the universe before jumping in.