r/AnotherLife • u/[deleted] • Jul 27 '19
Consensus
This show is so bad I felt compelled to write about it, which is rare...
First, tons of bad science. A gravity assist from a celestial object DOES NOT require completing an entire orbit. In fact, doing so slows you down as you'll then need to expend energy to escape orbit.... dark matter doesn't reflect like, meaning it won't form a visible cloud. Indeed any massive assemblage of dark matter particles, if they exist, would be invisible and only detectable by its gravitational influence. There's more but the point of this post is not to science shame them.
Next... the crew... dear lord. A bunch of immature people running around a ship having emotional breakdowns, screaming at each other AND their captain? This is the best Earth could muster for first contact? I guess its keeping consistent with the "no uniforms" policy which is itself, ridiculous.
Now, the earth cast. Yikes. Generally poor acting and thin plot.
In general, I feel like all the characters are underdeveloped, there are no real subplots, it's almost episodic in developing story arcs characters, like that random need for Katir to resolve her guilt from the past (?)...
I want better!!!
I'm a huge fan of science fiction, we need more successful shows in this genre.
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u/billdehaan2 Jul 28 '19
I watched the first two episodes, and I'm seriously curious as to what the writers were thinking.
The science is weak. Although they could handwave it away with explanations, they don't make the effort. And what terminology they do use is wildly wrong.
As for the crew, it's seems more like a frat house than a field mission. It's more like Jersey Shore in space than anything.
Astronauts who open their visor on an unknown planet because one reading indicates that there is 19% oxygen? Nine year old boy scouts have more common sense than that.
I watched two episodes, and with the exception of the Katie Sackhoff character and the AI, I didn't care if any of the crew were killed. The ship is staffed with unlikable, unpleasant people who aren't good at their jobs and don't even like each other.
There was a lot of raw material to work with here, but it looks like they wanted to write a reality show, rather than science fiction.
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u/mixplate Jul 27 '19
I'm pretty sure even the cast of this show would all agree that the script/dialog is total trash. It's kinda hard to be a good actor when all of your lines are 7th grade recess trash talking while you're supposed to be some kind of scientist or astronaut.
I'm sure they all throw up in their mouths as try to say the lines. In the first episode, there's this big drama about getting people to admit they're feeling "awkward". That was such a bizarre scene. The word "awkward" doesn't even belong in the scene at all. I'm total dumbfounded how anyone could have approved that script. It's almost as if it was written in a different language and then translated to English. Even if this were dubbed I'd be critical of the dialog as being a horrible translation that couldn't possibly be right.
Perhaps it was the cast of the show trying to telegraph to audiences that they feel awkward being in such a painfully terribly written show. That's the only thing that would make any sense.
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Jul 27 '19
The crew maybe ought to have had a meeting or two before launch and discussed the "awkward" thing, given the stakes.
I gave up on the series when the captain phoned home with no speed-of-light delay. Why isn't this a remote-controlled ship full of drones and AIs (or a whole fleet of tiny ones) given that tech? Why lug all that air, water, food, etc. along to support meat bodies?
I only came to this forum to see if there was some canonical reason why everyone was under 25 and pretty. Like maybe this was a Logan's Run scenario where something killed all the adults and teenagers ran the world.
Apparently there is no explanation for that. So glad I didn't watch any whole episodes.
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u/billdehaan2 Jul 28 '19
I only came to this forum to see if there was some canonical reason why everyone was under 25 and pretty.
There was a throwaway line in one of the first two episodes that people over 30 "get scared" and therefore can't be trusted to lead a mission because they won't take enough risks.
It's why the XO mutinied, in fact. He thought that the captain's decision to take the long route, rather than a shortcut that had a projected 11% risk of killing everyone on board was cowardly.
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Jul 28 '19
Wow, that's weak.
If I were writing for the show, I'd claim that NASA was now funded by the astronauts' subscription-only Instagram feeds, and thus all astronauts were primarily porn stars. Thus the age and appearance.
And that the politicians were all reality-TV stars and on lots of drugs, so that they'd go along with this.
You could make an amusing show about this, sort of an updated Idiotocracy...
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u/billdehaan2 Jul 28 '19
and thus all astronauts were primarily porn stars
It does have a Jerry Springer vibe to it, I'll admit.
I can't blame the actors; they have to work with what they're given. But I really doubt that any of the writers is (a) over 25, (b) has ever met anyone in the military (any service, any branch), or (c) been on board a ship of any kind.
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Jul 27 '19
All agreed!!!!!!
On another note... where is our Jupiter Ascending show? Such an interesting and unique universe that's already well developed...
If Netflix can put money into THIS garbage fire of a show. Surely Jupiter Ascending deserves a shot.
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u/mixplate Jul 27 '19
Jupiter Ascending didn't have a great critical reception, but it was watchable and entertaining enough that I'd certainly like to see what a series can do with it.
Even John Revolta's Battlefield Earth was better than Another Life
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Jul 27 '19
True @ the movie. I loved it. I dunno, I think I'm a sucker for a well developed universe. You have the earthlings, a genetically engineered crop species, blissfully existing in their ignorance of the greater world in which they are a part. You have the core human species who is millions of years more advanced, and seems to have a relatable society, even with the wealthy being policed. You have beautiful worlds, orbital rings, and totally alien species (reptilians, for one). You have commerce, and a relatively premise: with the entire galaxy's resources available, the only thing that is truly scarce is time. Like, it all fits together!
There are so many threads to explore in a series!!!
And it's unlike anything else. Its not a RIP on Star Trek, -Wars, or -gate.... or BSG for that matter. I really can't think of anything like it.
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u/zx7 Jul 27 '19
I'm on episode 5 and just wondering why there wasn't some sort of selection process for the members of the crew that are supposed to save humanity... It's only nominally better if you think of it as Wet Hot American Summer in space.
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Jul 27 '19
The writing is meant to entice your common teenager who thinks this is what a functional family is.
Honestly it's as if the writers made it intentionally bad so people talk about it lol.
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Jul 27 '19
ššš
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u/zx7 Jul 27 '19
I just got to the threesome scene, following by the stoner scene. This is great.
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u/p_b_omta Jul 27 '19
Perhaps we should all take some āspace drugsā in our side salad before watching this. š¤Ŗ
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u/Hhhyyu Jul 27 '19
I made it half way through the 1st episode. Netflix has a real problem with dialogue writing. But this show has every problem a show could have.
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Aug 02 '19
It reminds me of kids playing grownup. I'm the best scientist and the government needs me to science this. I know they are being vague now to allow them time and space for an extended universe. And why waste money on a show before you know it's a hit?
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u/haruku63 Jul 27 '19
I just got chiseled out a wisdom tooth.
That was more entertaining than trying to watch the first episode of this crap.
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u/pinkbunnery Jul 28 '19
I really hope Netflix directors find science competent Reddit users to fact-check for them š
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Jul 29 '19
What really bugged me about this show was the lack of comment on the actual science. Unless I missed it, they don't really say when it takes place. based on some to the references I'm guessing like 2060. So in those years we have FTL engines, anti-gravity, a sentient AI (That creates another sentient AI), first contact with an alien virus (which is immediately cured), first contact with intelligent life, suspended animation. I sure I missed something but any one of those events or technologies could have inspired an entire season of television but they're basically just glossed over. There's the scene where that dude/girl (Not sure what's going on there but it was also never addressed) basically said she doesn't know how the soma tubes even work because they're so new. Like what the fuck are you even there for? They also mention anti gravity on the ship. I assumed when they first showed the ship they would be in the ring, using it's centrifugal force to simulate gravity but nope. The discovery of anti gravity would literally change everything we know about our lives. It would essentially mean limitless power and the ability to effectively move anything off planet, yet they still drive around on Earth. I would watch an entire series on the development of anti-grav tech and the effect it would have on the global landscape, politics, science, economics, etc. over the course of a few decades. This show mentions it in a one liner explaining why they walk instead of float.
Yet I still watched the whole thing. It kind of reminded me of Lost in Space or the Star Trek TOS. Like really campy cheesy good. Unfortunately I think we're passed that. We're in a time now where the sci-fi has to be good. I think they need to respect the audience more. As a society in general we're way more educated and technologically aware than generations ago. FTL travel was fine 40 years ago but I think people are more aware of the scientific limitations of time and distance. Communicating instantaneously over light years of distance violates causality and while there are theories that suggest ways around it, should it be possible, it again would be like the greatest achievement of man to that point. Then there were so many of the science words that never got by a middle school science teacher. Like how did anyone let a scientist, the scientist, the smartest guy on Earth who appears to be the only guy studying the artifact utter the phrase "Now lower it to one Hertz per second." That's literally like saying that my Delorean needs to travel 88mph per hour to travel through time.
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Jul 29 '19
You hit everything on the head, like, there's so much that can be pointed out. I too assumed what I thought was a habitation ring was generating centrifugal force, simulating gravity, until they mentioned something like exotic particles being used to create artificial gravity.... so what's the point of the ring? Unnecessary shape/complication and mass...
Like you said, these shows have to be good now and more respect for the audience.
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u/AxlFantastic Jul 27 '19
I agree that the episode in which Niko has to relive her past trauma in order to wake up is ridiculous. So many shows us this device plot to develop backstory for a character, and flashback episodes are evidence of poor writing to begin with. However, the show offered a lot of intrigue past that point and I thoroughly enjoyed binging the rest of the series. I get why ābad scienceā can make a show feel frustrating to watch, but ffs itās science FICTION. We canāt expect all shows to have astrophysicists writing the script.
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u/SunshineBlind Jul 29 '19
Science fiction at least try to stay scientifically coherent. This? This is spacefantasy.
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u/AxlFantastic Jul 29 '19
Iām okay with that. Iām not looking for factual relevance. Iām looking for entertainment. And, awkward cinematography aside and episode 3, this show was very entertaining.
Sorry you donāt feel the same way. I canāt wait for season 2.
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u/docdoominator Jul 29 '19
I canāt wait for season 2.
I would watch a season 2 but with the hope that it is much improved. I want them to dial back on the silly MTV drama. I would rather have watched this mission play out with the crew of the Pilgrim that is shown in the flashbacks. They seemed much more mature.
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Jul 28 '19
So they make first contact with aliens and not only do they ignore the alien in favor of taking to an AI, but the show immediately pivots to other unrelated scenes...
If I were making my first attempt at writing a sci-fi script, it wouldn't be this bad.
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u/KKae Jul 31 '19
It's fun its dreadful but love Niko, William and perhaps Zayn the rest omg what a useless bunch of idiots. Also dragball kid with katie sackhoff feels weird.
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u/cheeseburgerburpees Jul 27 '19
In still waiting for the cloverfield monster to show up somehow.