*sighs* Ma’am, you have not even
seen most of my proof, so I will thank you to keep such comments to yourself until you
have seen it. Not to mention the fact that you don’t even have
real proof – only conjectures.
Okay, on to the actual essay itself:
Let me start out by saying that I think that this is a serious issue, not to be taken lightly or casually. And since the writers didn’t see fit to tell us one way or the other, the matter deserves careful observation of the series. Before I dive into all the observations
I have made, though, let me address some things that I’ve seen that appear to be rather weak arguments:
1. Capital Planet = Earth? A few months ago, I said above that I’d always thought that Capital Planet is indeed Earth. I still think that, and I’ll come back to that point later. HOWEVER. Capital Planet does not HAVE to be Earth for the BLoSC-verse to be the Milky Way – Earth could well be a planet that isn’t necessarily backwater but just doesn’t get a lot of over-attention like Tradeworld, Tangea, etc.
2. No mention Sooo… just because our planet herself is never called by her original name, we have to assume that it’s not our galaxy? Pardon me when I say that that doesn’t make any sense. If Capital Planet
is Earth, why call her by her old name? If Earth is somewhere else, she’s obviously not that important a player in galactic affairs since humans are spread throughout the galaxy – there would be no need to mention the planet herself. However, many, many references are made to her different
nationalities.
3. Humans The issue of humans in different galaxies has
no bearing whatsoever on this topic. The events of Star Wars take place “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” and humans are a populous race there. There is no known conjunction between the Star Wars galaxy and ours (except in fanfiction, which doesn’t count); thus, we must conclude – unless new evidence is presented otherwise – that in the world of science fiction (the world to which BLoSC belongs) humans can indeed exist beyond Earth without having originated here. (Plus, as my brother pointed out, it doesn’t even necessarily mess with our – my family’s – theology, even though we’re a hardcore conservative Christian family… I’m gonna have to do some study on that one, ‘cause it’s an interesting issue.)
4. Were the writers just trying to make us feel comfortable? Oh sweet mother of Venus, I hope not. If they were, then my respect for them really notches down.
Why the world would we need to “feel comfortable with what we know”? Not only is it in the human nature to explore, it’s also healthy. It engages our minds and exercises them. There are a lot of things to learn about the world of BLoSC – there are also quite possibly
as many things that we recognize as being from
our world.
Also, the more a separate galaxy is based upon our own world, the shakier and less believable it is. C’mon,
ten-year-olds know this!
These ideas barely even scratch the surface of the wealth of information that BLoSC has to offer! So without further ado…
There are things in BLoSC which really do not belong anywhere else in the universe:1. Random- ATM code: “The Yukari Imprint”
…Hold the phone, ATM?? As in, that machine that we use at the bank? As in, why the world couldn't that guy just say something like "bank account!" instead if it's a separate galaxy?
- Celsius: “Star Smasher”
…A bazillion degrees is a bazillion degrees, whether it’s Celsius, Fahrenheit, or Kelvin. It’s not even a real number! So why would XR use that particular
Earthling scale?
Younger kids
know that a “bazillion degrees” is too hot to survive.
- Hampton’s Ring: “Tag Team”
…Warp says that he owns “a summer asteroid in the Hampton’s Ring.” Now, if I’m figuring this correctly, the Hampton owns asteroids, now, too… O.o …I’m not exactly
sure, but I think it’s worth mentioning.
- Jeans: “Tag Team,” “Panic on Bathyos” (possibly), “The Lightyear Factor”
...Jeans happen to belong solely to our planet. You will find them in no other galaxy.
- “Oh da-doo-da-day”: “Root of Evil”
…Y’know, the song “Camptown Races”?
- Poker: “The Slayer,” “Large Target”
- Turtleneck: “Opposites Attract”
- Zero-G tennis: “The Lightyear Factor,” “Stress Test”
…*raises eyebrow* They can’t come up with their
own game? It’s not that hard to – really, it isn’t.
2. Culture- “Amazing Grace”: “The Lightyear Factor”
…Listen for it. That’s what XR is playing.
- Bagpipes: “The Lightyear Factor”
…Umm, quintessentially
Scottish much?
- (Atomic) hibachi: “Sunquakes”
…A small (mechanical) grill based on a Japanese (non-mechanical) grill, and the word itself is Japanese!
- “I think he’s a church deacon”: “The Return of XL
…Aliens don’t have churches or deacons. Other galaxies don’t have churches or deacons. Aliens and other galaxies have
temples and
priests – in NO sci-fi do you EVER find churches or deacons outside of Earthling humanity. Both terms are
strictly reserved for Christianity and Christian-affiliated cults,
only.
- “Noel”: “Holiday Time”
…It’s one thing to have Christmas in a supposedly separate galaxy – Narnia does it, and C. S. Lewis more or less explains that Santa
does visit other universes. It’s another thing for
the French word for Christmas to be used in a Christmas light display (the scene is the fight scene).
- Sinclair: Booster’s middle name, as evidenced in “Root of Evil” and “First Missions”
…A quintessentially Scottish name!
3. FoodNote: I’ve left out fruits, veggies, and chocolate since there’s a chance that they can be found elsewhere in the universe. However, BLoSC already has a few made-up foods and fruits, like bunzel, grabba fruit (sp?), melnar loaf, and fried megatoney (what in the universe IS that stuff, anyway? Lol). Why didn’t they continue in that vein? Instead, they have at least 10 different foods that are specifically Earthling!
(Pizza, they can get away with, if only slightly. Pizza is everywhere, typically as a gag – though I question its use as a serious food.)
- Burgers: “Gravitina,” “The Lightyear Factor”
…No cracks on this one, or I’ll be forced to atomize you.
- Cajun seasoning: “Dirty Work”
…(My eyes
popped when I first heard Cosmo say it.) Cajun seasoning is SPECIFICALLY from Louisiana! Just using the word “Cajun” is a cultural reference!
- Chili (
cosmic chili, but chili nonetheless): “Dirty Work,” “At Large on a Small Planet,” “Rescue Mission”
- Fries: “Gravitina,” “At Large on a Small Planet”
- Java/Joe: “Dirty Work,” “Conspiracy,” “Ancient Evil”
…Coffee is one thing. But why call it by an
American slang that originated with the
type produced on the island of Java??
- Hot sauce: “The Lightyear Factor”
…I have yet to see another galaxy/world use burgers, hot sauce, and fries. *shrugs*
- Sherbet: “First Missions”
…Granted, I think that XR was making that story up, but he wasn’t making up the food itself.
- Meatloaf: TAB
- Popcorn shrimp: “The Torque Armada,” “Mira Nova, Super Ranger”
- Pot-pie: “Dirty Work”
- Potato chips: “Opposites Attract”
…Never seen ‘em anywhere but Earth.
- Tacquitos (I’m sure I’m spelling it wrong, but oh well): “Dirty Work”
…O.O Specifically MEXICAN, ‘nuff said.
4. America, AmericaNote: I think there’s more, but I can’t remember at the moment.
- “One small step for Booster, one giant leap for Garganta!”: “At Large on a Small Planet”
- “Operation dessert storm”: “The Slayer”
…If it’s a separate galaxy, why use such a blatant pun on recent (for us) history?? If it was a separate galaxy, XR WOULD NOT KNOW!!
5. LanguageNote: They’ve created different alphabets, and Epoch speaks a different language entirely. So why use
Earthling languages?
- French: "Little Secrets," “The Return of XL,” “Speedtrap,” “Holiday Time”
- German: “The Return of XL”
- Hawaiian: “Head Case”
- Italian: “Bunzel Fever”…
…I think that there’s at least one other occasion, but I can’t – for the life of me – recall, unfortunately.
- Japanese: Torque
...Again, I can't recall the episode. Apologies.
- Spanish: TAB, “XL,” “The Return of XL,” “Mira Nova, Super Ranger,” “Enemy without a Face”…
…The list goes on and on. I’d have to watch the whole series to give you a complete list.
…Okay, so we’ve got different random stuff that belongs solely to Earth. We’ve got cultural stuff. We’ve got food. Languages.
From many different episodes.
That in itself is enough to at least
start making BLoSC an unrealistic separate galaxy. However, it probably isn’t enough to actually convince you that BLoSC is Milky Way, right? Okay, let’s take a little tour of the galaxy. What’s the most important thing in real estate?
Location, location, location.
1. Alpha Centauri: “Wirewolf” …Ty Parsec wants to transfer there. Alpha Centauri is the closest star (actually triple-star) to our own sun.
2. Jupiter: TAB, “Gravitina” …No, I don’t mean “Jumpin’ Jupiter.”
In TAB, on Buzz’s commendations roster (his profile at the very beginning): “[something – the mouse icon blocks out the word on my digital copy and I can’t just pop the VHS into the VCR to check] Belt of Jupiter.”
In “Gravitina,” XR uses Jupiter as a LOCATION: “Where are you from – Jupiter?”
3. Orion Beltway: “A Zoo out There” …“Of
course! That guy that cut me off on the Orion Beltway this morning – I
knew he looked evil!” ;D The Orion Belt IS within our galaxy.
4. Pleiadean Cluster: TAB …Again, Buzz’s commendations roster.
5. Van Allen belts: “Mira Nova, Super Ranger”… I think
…I remember hearing XR mention something called the Van Allen belts, and I remember thinking “what’s that?” I’m pretty sure that “Supernova” is the episode – however… call me lazy, but I didn’t want to have to watch the whole episode to find it. If it’s not this episode, it’s
somewhere in the series, and I’m sorry that I can’t recall for certain.
So! What ARE the Van Allen belts? Well, I looked them up on Wikipedia AND a DK space encyclopedia. Come to find out, there are regions of radiation around planets, where the planets’ magnetic fields trap particles from solar wind. These are called radiation belts. So where do the Van Allen belts fit into all this?
The Van Allen belts are SPECIFICALLY the radiation belts around EARTH. No other planet’s belts are called that. None.
…I would say that last one really clinches it, wouldn’t you? Interpretation is fine, and you’re welcome to do what you want with your fanfics. Freedom of speech, after all.
But canon facts are canon facts.
Five episodes
and the movie, regarding specific Milky Way locations. *shrugs*
…For several years, I went back and forth on the issue, technically. As an 11-year-old, I questioned the use of the word “amigo” if it
isn’t our galaxy. I also always thought that Capital Planet looked too much like Earth – and to date, I have never seen a planet that looked so much like Earth without actually LOOKING like it. ;D But more on the Capital Planet issue in a minute.
As I finally saw more episodes starting
last November (thanks to YouTube), I started thinking more and more, “Okay, this is really waaay TOO much like our world to be another galaxy.” About half a year ago, that belief was challenged, so I started digging into the episodes to figure it out. Of course, you can’t actually prove that it’s a different galaxy if Earth is never mentioned, and… never mind. That line of reasoning was circular and confusing. Anyway, Earth itself doesn’t
have to be mentioned for it to be our galaxy. So I did my homework, and for once (in regards to such matters, not school, tx), I did it pretty thoroughly if I do say so myself.
Now for the Capital Planet/Earth issue. As I said above, CP does NOT have to be Earth, HOWEVER. There are some things you should consider before you say that it’s impossible.
1. The continents It’s true that those continents don’t look much like the ones we have today. However, the tectonic plates
do move. Between earthquakes here and the ocean eating away at the land there and even catastrophic wars over
there, the face of our planet
could become drastically different.
Ever heard of the one-continent theory? Evolutionists
and creationists (myself included) think it’s possible that all the world’s landmass could once have been one super-continent. In fact, the Bible even seems to support this idea. So if we really
did have one continent 5,000-odd years ago, why couldn’t the face of our Earth change again?
2. The Moon It occurs to me that we rarely ever see CP’s night side. Every time we see the planet, the Moon could possibly be on the other side. …Yes, I know, it’s kinda convenient. But it’s possible.
Also, I guess another possibility that’s never occurred to people is that the Moon could have perhaps been
destroyed? Somehow, I kind of think that if Earth were ever to encounter an interplanetary alliance, it wouldn’t be the smoothest transition… I really think that there would be war. The Moon
could be a casualty.
3. Asteroid belt Naughty me forgets what the real-life belt is called, but observe that there is an asteroid belt not too far from CP – you see it in “The Torque Armada” and “Star Smasher.” In real-life, the belt lies between Mars and Jupiter, I believe.
4. Not alone CP isn’t the
only planet in its system. If you pay attention to TAB, you find that that ringed planet where Buzz catches Mira is not that far from CP. It’s a reddish planet, and its ring is composed of dust. That sounds like Jupiter to me.
5. Where are the rest?? It should be noted that the “camera” is never in the position to see the planets beyond Jupiter (if that ringed planet really is Jupiter), anyway. That being said, where are Mars, Venus, and Mercury? Welp, I don’t remember much about the planetary orbits in the Solar System,
but is it possible that we see CP when her orbit takes her away from the other small planets.
Or, again, like the Moon, it’s possible that one, two, or all three of these planets could have been destroyed.
HOWEVER, the tail end of "The Return of XL." Unlike about 75+% of the show, this episode is animated by the same people who did the movie, right? Okay, at the very end, you see Star Command. You see Capital Planet. You see four other heavenly bodies in the background. The larger sphere is dusty yellow - sound familiar? The next largest sphere is dusty red - seemingly "banded," but dusty red. Sound familiar?
Could it be that the animators were using this moment to prove something?
6. Center of the galaxy? It’s true that Earth isn’t in the geographical center of the galaxy. However, you wouldn’t want to be anywhere near that center, because there’s a huge black hole there – not to mention tons of dust and tons of stars that would be emitting a LOT of radiation for a habitable planet to handle. And the sky would probably be unbearably bright for human eyes.
And in a sense, Earth IS in the center of the galaxy: we’re on one of the spiral arms, BETWEEN branches of the arm. Here, we’re away from the danger of the center. From here, we are in the
best position to see the rest of the galaxy, and beyond. There’s no dust, no myriads of local stars to obscure our view and brighten our sky like there would be in the arms themselves, or near the center. That would be a high
advantage for a capital planet.
(
The Privileged Planet is a
fantastic documentary about all the things that come together to make Earth a habitable and observant planet. I highly recommend it for an engaging look at our incredible homeworld.)
Anyway, you probably wouldn’t want the galactic capital to be in or near the center. A position on one of the spiral arms would arguably be the best choice for a capital.
…So don’t forget – there are options. Options and options and options. And I’ll say it one last time.
CAPITAL PLANET DOES NOT HAVE TO BE EARTH.
(On the flip side, though, Capital Planet does not not have to be Earth.) ;D
…And, phew! I’m done. Sweet mother of Venus. Six months of studying and compiling data, and it’s finally done. I feel like giving myself a pat on the back.
I even lost the file that I had been working on that had a lot of this stuff on it. I can’t believe it wasn’t backed up… When I found that out, I could have had a
heart-attack. Fortunately, I remembered most of it – definitely the important stuff, the locations.
Guys, don’t think that I’m trying to shoot anyone down, or anything. I’m not. Like a good jury, I just want to see justice done.
And in light of the evidence, I must cast my vote with the Milky Way, because I really can’t see that it could be anywhere
else now.
BG FTW!!
XDDDDDD No comment, folks
;
