“Time and Again” S1 Ep4
They Speak English? More Evidence of Hodgkin’s Law of Parallel Planetary Development
The Universal Translator is wonderful piece of Technology that allows Starship crews (and us in the audience) to hear alien languages as colloquial English. It’s a handy device. It also somehow holographically restructures mouth movements so they match the English sounds. It keeps everything from looking like a badly dubbed 1970s Kung Fu movie. By the 24th century the technology is hardwired into the communicator badges and we don’t question it 99 times out 100.
Alas, in the fourth episode of Voyager, the crew find an unnamed planet that has been devasted by a polaric energy disruption. Captain Janeway and Tom Paris are pulled into the planet’s recent history. Once there, their COMM badges are confiscated. Lo and behold, Janeway and Paris can still understand these aliens. They’re still speaking English. It’s one of the most glaring examples of Hodgkin’s Law of Parallel Planetary Development since the inhabitants of Omega IV flew American flags and worshipped the Constitution.
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