MovieChat Forums > The Orville (2017) Discussion > Thoughtless dialogue makes no sense

Thoughtless dialogue makes no sense


They create SUPER-elaborate make-up for 'aliens', amazing sets, lots of green screen computer graphics effects, but the dialogue betrays it all.

Is it really TOO WILD for someone from another galaxy to say 'One thousand two hundred', or WHY do they, more than once, say the very americanized version, 'twelve hundred'?

I mean, if someone is going to be 'alien', why does their terminology and dialogue CONFORM SO TIGHTLY to the american idioms and expressions? I have always hated the 'hundred' system, when americans really talk about thousands. It makes no sense to say 'something hundred', when you should be using the word 'thousand' at some point.

Another thing is the mad acronyms. Why would you use the acronym, when in fact, it would be just as short or shorter to use the 'long term'? For example, 'world wide web' vs. 'double u double u double u' and in this show, 'Pee Oh double u' when they could just say 'Prisoners of War'?

It makes NO SENSE to always use the 'pre-determined american terms', when with a LITTLE bit of imagination, they could make the dialogue sound more 'alien' by REFRAINING from this really bad writers' habit.

Just put a LITTLE bit of thought into the dialogue, think of how an european would say something to make the 'aliens' even a tiny bit less 'typically american'. I mean, if you are going to make their APPEARANCE as 'alien' as possible, why not DIVERT from the oh-so-common american language usage in dialogue, too?

Don't talk about 'fourteen hundred hours', say 'fourteen o'clock'.

Don't say 'pee oh double u', say 'Prisoner of war'. Don't say 'twelve hundred' when you mean 'a thousand two hundred'! Make the same effort in dialogue you made in everything else!

Don't these people realize that by letting dialogue be AS STOCK american as possible, they RUIN _ALL_ the magnificent work so painstakingly and beautifully created by ALL the other departments and destroy the immersion of what could feel like a truly 'alien' character, setting, environment, culture or world?

I don't get why the dialogue is so thoughtless when so many other things in this show is so well, meticulously and painstakingly crafted.

WHAT A LET-DOWN!

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thats the universal translater converting to regional american for the yokels flying the ship

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Just to add another sidenotelike point about the 'alien languages'..

..WHY do they always, ALWAYS sound so 'american-pronouncable'?

There are PLENTY of europan and asian languages american tongue would struggle to pronounce correctly. Chinese, german, russian, swedish, korean, japanese... why can't any 'alien' language sound AS UNPRONUNCABLE to americans as those languages seem to be? Wouldn't it be cool to listen to 'alien' language that ACTUALLY sounds better than just some 'americanized klingon'?

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Yeah, I thought of that 'universal translator'-explanation, but does it HAVE to translate to 'americanese' instead of 'at least slightly weird english' sometimes? Couldn't we have them speak at least a LITTLE bit of quirky and more interesting english than following american systems to a tee-shirt?

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SURE...BUT YOU DIDN'T WRITE THE SHOW.

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Oh good, another "doesn't make sense" mindless humorless rant from avortac4. My day is made.

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Fourteen hundred hours is a very British military thing to say since it is naval time.Nobody says fourteen o'clock because there isn't one.
In standard English that would be 2 pm

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