Syfy's Dark Matter(Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie)

[Overmind One]

You saw a similar thing in Killjoys, which even had Amanda Tapping in it.

Did you watch the season? A rewatch of it is what made me comment on this again. It's actually good. I'm looking forward to this next season.

 

[YJ02]

Sorry guys but the whole "waking up with no memory on a ship in space" is Pandorum.

Pandorum. Pandorum. Pandorum.

The entire opening sequence of the show looked as if it had been taken from the movie. To claim that this isn't the case is laughable. As I said before, to call this show "derivative" would be a kindness.

i agree

but

isn't temporary memory loss-or rather-a temp lack of the ability to recall memories,a lag-a hypothesized side effect of artificial hibernation/stasis?
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just started watching this on NF

seemed like a good candidate for a back-to back viewing

are we sure they tore down the set for SGU?!

the ship interior looks quite a lot like the destiny form sgu

maybe a couple extra walls put up,ceilings lowered. the bridge looks like the "found" command bridge on the destiny

even the bedrooms,weren't they sunken entry doors on the destiny as well?

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it seems like a very cheap made show, using the empty warehouses of vancouver and the small sets that could be set up in any soundstage (the space station scenes in ep 4 is it?)

like syfy or whomever bankrolled it wasn't quite sure about it and kept it on a low budget

i've noticed that several of the actors-1 to 6-are currently employed in other shows as well--the "hedge"

i am betting that more money was put into S2--we'll see

I'll watch it-its not the worst thing syfy has put on!

 

[YJ02]

He is acting his part exactly as written, is my guess. The sword and martial arts thing is Mallozzi all the way. I do not mind the dynastic thing either, when we are in that type of universe. But in a Corporate Federation? I do not see where they could allow a monarchy (or socialism) to proliferate. Monarchies do not create revenue, they only absorb it. I don't get why the sword is his PRIMARY weapon. Even Worf knew better than to do his Security Officer thing with only his bat'leth. There was a scene in Episode 11 where he comes at the corporate mercenaries in a corridor and they all have hand weapons, and he has that sword. They stand there why he spins around with that sword slicing them to shreds. Just LOL! The guy furthest back could have taken him out with one shot.

bolded= well, do not want anyone to accuse me of trying to derail a thread by saying something about contemporary affairs

but!

this guy is supposedly "japanese" yes?

in today's japan and south korea, with the massive corporate "blobs" that dominate the scene (like companies that make everything from shrimp cracker snacks to heavy oil tanker ships) like samsung, hyundai,daewoo, sony, mitsubishi,etc--the growing trend is to refer to the owning or controlling families as "royalty"

they do not wear a crown or hold the office of course, but in the public view-due to their wealth and the power it brings, they are spoken of in the same terms and titles as royalty would be

for example-the sons and daughters of Korean CEO's are referred to-in all seriousness by the public, using the same nouns as were used for royal princes and princesses

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so again (or before hand ) another show that is using possible socio-politico-economic projections and trajectories from today's world

thats why having a "corporate prince" is plausible

weren't the royalty in DUNE only considered so because of their corporate wealth? asking-not sure

 

[Joelist]

The Dune royalty were royalty in the traditional sense, complete with dukes, great houses et al.

 

[Overmind One]

bolded= well, do not want anyone to accuse me of trying to derail a thread by saying something about contemporary affairs

but!

this guy is supposedly "japanese" yes?

in today's japan and south korea, with the massive corporate "blobs" that dominate the scene (like companies that make everything from shrimp cracker snacks to heavy oil tanker ships) like samsung, hyundai,daewoo, sony, mitsubishi,etc--the growing trend is to refer to the owning or controlling families as "royalty"

That is not the same. Americans refer to celebrities in that fashion as well, even calling them Hollywood Royalty. I am talking about Empresses, Princes and Kings and Queens, having those actual titles and belonging to some sort of bloodline-based royal structure. Queen Latifah is not royalty.

they do not wear a crown or hold the office of course, but in the public view-due to their wealth and the power it brings, they are spoken of in the same terms and titles as royalty would be

for example-the sons and daughters of Korean CEO's are referred to-in all seriousness by the public, using the same nouns as were used for royal princes and princesses

Perhaps, but they are still not royalty. This guy in the show comes from a royal BLOODLINE which strikes out any mere associates or businesspeople. I do not have nearly as much issue with that as I do his use of a sword as his primary weapon, and the fact that he seems to spend most of his time playing with it.

so again (or before hand ) another show that is using possible socio-politico-economic projections and trajectories from today's world

thats why having a "corporate prince" is plausible

weren't the royalty in DUNE only considered so because of their corporate wealth? asking-not sure

Interesting concept, but I still think that is a stretch. Corporations, at their heart are still people. They come to power because of doing work for the corporation, not because they were related to a former CEO or executive, except in nepotism (which can destroy a corporation).

 

[Overmind One]

The Dune royalty were royalty in the traditional sense, complete with dukes, great houses et al.

Yes, they most definitely were.

 

[YJ02]

That is not the same. Americans refer to celebrities in that fashion as well, even calling them Hollywood Royalty. I am talking about Empresses, Princes and Kings and Queens, having those actual titles and belonging to some sort of bloodline-based royal structure. Queen Latifah is not royalty.



Perhaps, but they are still not royalty. This guy in the show comes from a royal BLOODLINE which strikes out any mere associates or businesspeople. I do not have nearly as much issue with that as I do his use of a sword as his primary weapon, and the fact that he seems to spend most of his time playing with it.



Interesting concept, but I still think that is a stretch. Corporations, at their heart are still people. They come to power because of doing work for the corporation, not because they were related to a former CEO or executive, except in nepotism (which can destroy a corporation).

never mind--you do not get it

you got to know the language

when someone in english says "Queen Latifah"-well we already know she is in entertainment and given she is african american, "queen" is also a given name for girls in that sub culture-though it is not QL's--there can be ambiguation

in korean, there is no ambiguity- for example wangjangnim simply means "royal prince"--not "prince of business" or some other thing

and when used in a description, ppl already know they are speaking of the Samsung (or other company) ceo's family

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admittedly-didn't get there yet, but how can this guy be actual royalty?

he is japanese-is he descended from the current japanese royal line?

if not, then it is just some other baseless off world royalty (founded on money or the elite of some settlement planet) that just happens to be japanese and just more muck driven fantasy from Mallozi
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yes the sword is dumb--thought that from the moment they 'discovered' his practice room

 

[Overmind One]

never mind--you do not get it

you got to know the language

when someone in english says "Queen Latifah"-well we already know she is in entertainment and given she is african american, "queen" is also a given name for girls in that sub culture-though it is not QL's--there can be ambiguation

I totally get it. The Empress of Japan is royalty. The president of Toyota is not. The members of the House of Jeonju Yi in Korea are royalty. The CEO of Samsung is not. There is not much to get. Royalty is irrelevant, but what it is based in is bloodlines, not business titles, as you were trying to posit.

in korean, there is no ambiguity- for example wangjangnim simply means "royal prince"--not "prince of business" or some other thing

and when used in a description, ppl already know they are speaking of the Samsung (or other company) ceo's family

The second example is calling people royalty who are not royalty. Much like we referred to the Jackson family as US royalty when they never were. The Kardashians fall into that category. For precision's sake, when "royalty" is mentioned in this thread about Dark Matter, we are talking about Sword Boy and his family.

admittedly-didn't get there yet, but how can this guy be actual royalty?

he is japanese-is he descended from the current japanese royal line?

Exactly the question that should be asked. Why even bother with the whole royal thing. I find it annoying in this show.

if not, then it is just some other baseless off world royalty (founded on money or the elite of some settlement planet) that just happens to be japanese and just more muck driven fantasy from Mallozi
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yes the sword is dumb--thought that from the moment they 'discovered' his practice room

That room is Sword Boy's domain, He is always in there ALWAYS. Playing with that dumbass sword and battling invisible sparring partners. They need to give this character more dimensions.

 

[YJ02]

I totally get it. The Empress of Japan is royalty. The president of Toyota is not. The members of the House of Jeonju Yi in Korea are royalty. The CEO of Samsung is not. There is not much to get. Royalty is irrelevant, but what it is based in is bloodlines, not business titles, as you were trying to posit.



The second example is calling people royalty who are not royalty. Much like we referred to the Jackson family as US royalty when they never were. The Kardashians fall into that category. For precision's sake, when "royalty" is mentioned in this thread about Dark Matter, we are talking about Sword Boy and his family.



Exactly the question that should be asked. Why even bother with the whole royal thing. I find it annoying in this show.



That room is Sword Boy's domain, He is always in there ALWAYS. Playing with that dumbass sword and battling invisible sparring partners. They need to give this character more dimensions.

in america,when we say the Jackson 5 are royalty or some other celeb,everyone knows it is not "official"

in Korea and partially in Japan (where they actually still have reigning royals) when one says that the son of the Samsung ceo is royalty,they mean it.

the cultural perspective is CREATING a new, low, standard for creating neo-royals. ppl "worship" them because of their power and wealth as were kings in the past. not a "fan worship" like it is in the US with the Kardashians, but an actual in awe worship. men have killed themselves or become hermits in the mtns at the mere slight slip up around these neo-royals

it is why everyone in korea though that the korean air ceo's daughter--the one with the "nut rage" incident--would get away with what she did. a brave korean prosecutor thought otherwise

the "celeb-royalty" that we have in the US is mimicked in korea by kpop. they are called "idols" and not "royalty" (those korean kids singing a capella that you put up? they are aspiring to idol status)

anyhow

I said I was just dropping a comment and not trying to derail (don't want to get ppl mad ) the thread--I shall say no more

 

[shavedape]

Mmm, Japan.

 

[YJ02]

So watched the whole 'house of ishida' arc and found it to be entirely ridiculous--even for a fantasy/sci fi show

this whole "world" of the show is set in OUR future,right?

So, I do not see any mention that the Ishida are descended from today's royal Japanese family.

So, my initial statement of what their power is based on stands.

Their power is not hereditary from today's royalty, so, in line with all the other govt type entities in the show--all corporations, I am going with the Ishida's imperial power being based on a corporate foundation.

And the whole thing of them being japanese and adhering to japanese ideals is jut not correct. Ryo doesn't even use a katana! He is using a double edged straight sword. Something used by the Chinese and of course Europeans. So, NOT traditional.

Also, the house's standard has a lion on it--also not traditional japanese

and to see --well to see anyone in the future wearing samurai armour is damned silly--white guys in japanese armour is kind of funny. what, the producers couldn't find enough asian men to be extras? Are they not filming in Vancouver!!

----------------------
So, I am thinking that the only reason we have this whole Ryo as Japanese Prince and samurai warrior thing is because the actor is some kind of martial artist and his contract included the requirement for a certain amount of air time showcasing his "skills"

oh wait--the guy isn't even Japanese (or at least NE Asian), he is a Pinoy

from imdb:


Born in the Philippines and raised in Scarborough, Canada Alex Mallari Jr quickly learned the meaning of hard work and dedication. Having had national success in both Tae Kwon Do and competitive basketball, it was evident that his determination would always carry him to great heights no matter what journey he decided to embark on.

When his basketball career came to a halt in his last year of high school due to an injury, Alex decided to attend the Criminology program at the University of Toronto with the intentions of one day becoming an attorney but that journey was shortly lived. It was during his time in university when he decided to take an attempt at his childhood dream: to become an "action star.



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Japanese royalty and sword fighting aside-the show isn't that bad, just hope they tweak it and clean it up for S2

 

[shavedape]

So watched the whole 'house of ishida' arc and found it to be entirely ridiculous--even for a fantasy/sci fi show

this whole "world" of the show is set in OUR future,right?

So, I do not see any mention that the Ishida are descended from today's royal Japanese family.

So, my initial statement of what their power is based on stands.

Their power is not hereditary from today's royalty, so, in line with all the other govt type entities in the show--all corporations, I am going with the Ishida's imperial power being based on a corporate foundation.

And the whole thing of them being japanese and adhering to japanese ideals is jut not correct. Ryo doesn't even use a katana! He is using a double edged straight sword. Something used by the Chinese and of course Europeans. So, NOT traditional.

Also, the house's standard has a lion on it--also not traditional japanese

and to see --well to see anyone in the future wearing samurai armour is damned silly--white guys in japanese armour is kind of funny. what, the producers couldn't find enough asian men to be extras? Are they not filming in Vancouver!!

----------------------
So, I am thinking that the only reason we have this whole Ryo as Japanese Prince and samurai warrior thing is because the actor is some kind of martial artist and his contract included the requirement for a certain amount of air time showcasing his "skills"

oh wait--the guy isn't even Japanese (or at least NE Asian), he is a Pinoy

from imdb:


Born in the Philippines and raised in Scarborough, Canada Alex Mallari Jr quickly learned the meaning of hard work and dedication. Having had national success in both Tae Kwon Do and competitive basketball, it was evident that his determination would always carry him to great heights no matter what journey he decided to embark on.

When his basketball career came to a halt in his last year of high school due to an injury, Alex decided to attend the Criminology program at the University of Toronto with the intentions of one day becoming an attorney but that journey was shortly lived. It was during his time in university when he decided to take an attempt at his childhood dream: to become an "action star.



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Japanese royalty and sword fighting aside-the show isn't that bad, just hope they tweak it and clean it up for S2

You're waaaaayyyyyyy overthinking this show. It's not that deep or specific.

And stop busting on the hottie.

 

[YJ02]

You're waaaaayyyyyyy overthinking this show. It's not that deep or specific.

And stop busting on the hottie.

like i said before--i demand clarity in fantasy!!

 

[Overmind One]

So watched the whole 'house of ishida' arc and found it to be entirely ridiculous--even for a fantasy/sci fi show

this whole "world" of the show is set in OUR future,right?

So, I do not see any mention that the Ishida are descended from today's royal Japanese family.

So, my initial statement of what their power is based on stands.

Their power is not hereditary from today's royalty, so, in line with all the other govt type entities in the show--all corporations, I am going with the Ishida's imperial power being based on a corporate foundation.

The very definition of "corporate" precludes any sort of "royal" structure. And you and I both know that they were trying to create a royal bloodline out of thin air just to facilitate the need for Sword Boy to use that thing regularly and be sparring with invisible assassins in Sword Boy Room on the ship. NOTE TO APE: Not dissing on your cake there, just not liking the character he plays! I mean, really? On the very same ship is One's weapon which can probably bring down a nice sized spaceship with a single shot. A sword? Yet, somehow when he is attacked, his opponents only have swords too. Whaaat?

And the whole thing of them being japanese and adhering to japanese ideals is jut not correct. Ryo doesn't even use a katana! He is using a double edged straight sword. Something used by the Chinese and of course Europeans. So, NOT traditional.

Also, the house's standard has a lion on it--also not traditional japanese

and to see --well to see anyone in the future wearing samurai armour is damned silly--white guys in japanese armour is kind of funny. what, the producers couldn't find enough asian men to be extras? Are they not filming in Vancouver!!

Totally agree.

So, I am thinking that the only reason we have this whole Ryo as Japanese Prince and samurai warrior thing is because the actor is some kind of martial artist and his contract included the requirement for a certain amount of air time showcasing his "skills"

oh wait--the guy isn't even Japanese (or at least NE Asian), he is a Pinoy

from imdb:


Born in the Philippines and raised in Scarborough, Canada Alex Mallari Jr quickly learned the meaning of hard work and dedication. Having had national success in both Tae Kwon Do and competitive basketball, it was evident that his determination would always carry him to great heights no matter what journey he decided to embark on.

When his basketball career came to a halt in his last year of high school due to an injury, Alex decided to attend the Criminology program at the University of Toronto with the intentions of one day becoming an attorney but that journey was shortly lived. It was during his time in university when he decided to take an attempt at his childhood dream: to become an "action star.

EXACTLY. He seems like a marketable actor doing Sword Boy, but you don't just throw him in a futuristic scifi show as some sort of faux royal prince with that sword where he makes no sense.

Japanese royalty and sword fighting aside-the show isn't that bad, just hope they tweak it and clean it up for S2

I like the show a whole lot. It has the same sort of feel I used to get from watching seasons 1-4 of SG-1 with the team feel and slowly unfolding story arcs. It's sorta cool so far.

 

[YJ02]

Sword boy character is like the Ronnon character on a heavy dose of meth--but at least Ronnon made a bit more sense given his homeworld and background

 

[YJ02]

The very definition of "corporate" precludes any sort of "royal" structure. And you and I both know that they were trying to create a royal bloodline out of thin air just to facilitate the need for Sword Boy to use that thing regularly and be sparring with invisible assassins in Sword Boy Room on the ship. NOTE TO APE: Not dissing on your cake there, just not liking the character he plays! I mean, really? On the very same ship is One's weapon which can probably bring down a nice sized spaceship with a single shot. A sword? Yet, somehow when he is attacked, his opponents only have swords too. Whaaat?



Totally agree.



EXACTLY. He seems like a marketable actor doing Sword Boy, but you don't just throw him in a futuristic scifi show as some sort of faux royal prince with that sword where he makes no sense.



I like the show a whole lot. It has the same sort of feel I used to get from watching seasons 1-4 of SG-1 with the team feel and slowly unfolding story arcs. It's sorta cool so far.

sorry about diving into geekdom, but it kind of gets me going when ppl blatantly use cultural stuff for their own purposes and then just get it wrong.
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all royalty in history have relied on the control of or the direct possession of the economy or the creation or flow of wealth. whether that was grain and water, or gold and iron ore,etc. No one has ever just pulled out of thin air "we are royalty--serve us"

 

[Gatefan1976]

I guess I need to put the link in again:

 

[Overmind One]

I guess I need to put the link in again:

By the way, I mean Three who has the weapon. Sword Boy is Four, the leader chick is Two, the spacey chick is Five and One is the guy who has an alternate appearance. Six is Roger Cross (the black guy).

 

[YJ02]

I guess I need to put the link in again:

And?

 

[Overmind One]

And?

From that wiki:

Despite the absence of an actual sweeping change to the existence of large industrial conglomerates in Japan, the zaibatsu's previous vertically integrated chain of command, ending with a single family, has now widely been displaced by the horizontal relationships of association and coordination characteristic of keiretsu (系列?). Keiretsu, meaning "series" or "subsidiary", could be interpreted as being suggestive of this difference.

Translation: That "Corporation as Royalty" ain't happenin' no mo'.

In the first picture below, note that rack full of ancient weapons. WHY?

 

[Gatefan1976]

From that wiki:

Despite the absence of an actual sweeping change to the existence of large industrial conglomerates in Japan, the zaibatsu's previous vertically integrated chain of command, ending with a single family, has now widely been displaced by the horizontal relationships of association and coordination characteristic of keiretsu (系列?). Keiretsu, meaning "series" or "subsidiary", could be interpreted as being suggestive of this difference.

This means nothing in terms of the show. The Zaibatsu's are/were the corporate families of Japan. They have layered the Korean idea of treating them like royalty on top. This is not unique to the show!!
Families passing power, money and influence down through time -AND BLOOD- is not a foreign concept, in fact, it's as about as monarchical as you can get
Perhaps if the Kennedy's had held power for a few hundred years rather than a few decades, this concept might not be so foreign to Americans.

Translation: That "Corporation as Royalty" ain't happenin' no mo'.

Yeah, it will within the context of pre "post WW2" destruction of them. Why do you think that the Americans were so hell bent on dismantling the Zaibatsu structure?

In the first picture below, note that rack full of ancient weapons. WHY?

Tradition.
Training
Focus
Discipline.

Martial weapons require far, far more than the hand-eye co-ordination of firearms. Any mook can pick up a gun and shoot "well", not so with a sword.