Ancient Aliens

All right, I'll admit, I'm kinda hooked on this History Channel show. While watching I noticed a lot of it was pieced together from other shows they've done on the same topic, but have gone back in and expanded to make longer and more episodes. That's fine. It still stimulates the imagination. (Yeah, as if my imagination needs any more stimulation!)




On one episode (the series opener) they took these artifacts they found in the tombs of Egyptian Pharohs that look kind of like the space shuttle and enlarged them to scale to see if they would fly. How cool, to see these scientists out in a field flying these reproduction (made of a light weight wood) and flying them like model airplanes.

Is my inner geek showing?


Good, I don't mind a bit. It's rather fun. It all brings back points I've been pondering for months while watching other programs like, Life After People and reading books by Jack McDavitt (Eternity Road). It makes me think of how a distant civilization comes to earth long after we're gone and finds our ruins. How they sift through our garbage to discover the meaning of our world. What do you think they would say? How would they interpret our belongings and assign meaning to them? Much the way we do when we sift through monuments left behind by the Incas and the Mayans? We think we know the meaning or their pictograms, but do we really? Would the answers they extrapolate from the refuse be correct? Or would they filter it through a lens of their own understanding and get the entire thing wrong? Would we even be able to answer the question of the meaning of our civilization? - I know, it's deep thinking, but these are the thoughts that run through my head when I see programs of this nature. I can't seem to help myself.



And while I'm on the topic these very same concepts were explored on SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis and now Stargate: Universe. I have to admit for having a soft spot forming for Universe. I didn't know if I'd like it at first, it seemed too Battlestar Galactica rehash for my liking, but I've stuck with the show and am glad I did. It seems in this second season to be coming into its own a bit. I like it because it starts to pose--even if subconsciously--these same questions of ancient aliens and fallen civilizations on other planets.




The soil is fertile for storylines of this type. Where you go and what you do with them is totally up to you.

-Kat

www.mystickat.com