"Will All Alien Planets We Visit Look Like Canada?" Topic

I seriously doubt it, but I might be wrong. :)

The Stargate franchise series, Dark Matter, and so many other shows these days would have me believe it were so.

QUESTION:
So, do you resist the urge to reflect that on the gaming table, or do you depict all your Alien civilizations looking like they live in Canada or the US Pacific Northwest?

Dan

That is something I always noticed about SG-1. Even thought I liked the series very much. Only on occasion did they go to a planet that didn't look like Canada …

Of course since it was generally filmed in Canada, it is not too surprising !

Actually most used to look like a quarry in Surrey

Not too shocking. Production costs are much lower across the board in Canada than in the USA. Plus the architecture, scenery and speech are largely indistinguishable from many parts of the USA, so Canadian locals and locales make good stand-ins.

Syndicated "American" TV -- and most sci-fi is syndicated -- is often filmed in Canada. Heck, even the green-screen sci-fi tends to be produced there now, as production $$ goes so much further up north.

Maybe the producers of those SF shows will get a visit like this one day.

Dan

Only if all fantasy worlds look like New Zealand.

Lol. But at least they showed us different terrains of NZ. It didn't all look the same.

With most of today's SF shows we only get northern forests as the terrain, and those only come in two styles, green or fall colors.

Dan

Same reason most post apoc cities look like parts of Detroit!

Considering that Star Trek was filmed on the same Desilu back lots (the rocks look eerily familiar) as the Lone Ranger, Canada is truly an alien planet.

Canadian trees. Doing jobs that American trees won't do.

If they would get away from the west coast Canada has some perfect "alien planet" locales.

SG-1 and SG:A included jokes about this from time to time, usually a crack by Jack or John, or part of one of Rodney's whines. In one episode Daniel "hung a lampshade on it" by stating that the Ancients obviously built most of the Stargates to reach habitable worlds, and probably seeded those worlds (including Earth) with compatible plants.

The writers and producers had no problems poking fun at their own budget and shooting limitations, or even the fact that the shows were aired on cable channels with far more limited audiences than network TV (back then, at least).
But I did get tired of seeing the exact same quarry appear as either a slave work area, refugee site, or base camp.
And then there were the continual "bad RenFaire" costumes for "primitive cultures," and that Epcot-light "village" that I suspect is a local theme park of some sort in Vancouver. SG:A used that site over and over and over. I kept expecting a seedy version of Mickey Mouse to jump out and terrify Rodney.

Actually, I suspect that shirtsleeves-habitable planets will end up rather similar. I mean, look at sharks and dolphins. completely different animals, but they look very similar.

Though I would like to see some greater variety in filming locations for scifi shows, there are a LOT of really freaking alien places on Earth.

All alien planets are Furry Creek, no exceptions.

Bronson Canyon was a yuuuge location for low budget movies or TV. Batman, Adam West version, Robot Monster , STOS … link
That was before far away, exotic locations like Canada became hip

The "epcot-light village is Science World, btw.

Canada is really nice – maybe the aliens geo-engineer their worlds especially to achieve that look ?

Who wouldn't want every habitable planet NOT to be the wet coast of BC? Dream land.

I just realised Star Trek: Discovery is filmed in Canada -- but the alien worlds on the show look nothing like Canada.

Clearly the producers didn't get the memo (or meme).

"It's a class-M planet, Captain -- resembling Southern California in every way except for air quality and traffic."

The alien worlds of 1960s tv were much drier and sunnier than in contemporary tv.

Utah had a lot of filming in the '90's when I was there. Again, cheaper than filming in Southern California, and a variety of architecture so you could make it look like almost any place in the US. "Touched by an Angel" regularly filmed in the Salt Lake Valley. Some years earlier, but "Gunsmoke" filmed in the south, hence the mountains you'll see in the background when Matt Dillon is away from Dodge City chasing a villain--nothing like that in Kansas (trust me, I grew up there).
Locals (including me) were happy to help out as extras. As Stephen King pointed out while filming "The Stand," Utahns make such good dead bodies.

Grelber

I am always suprised the European theater in WWII looked alot like California so there you go.

No. I was astounded, when on my 1st teleportation to Zamazonia, Zama Star System, after feasting on pizza w/xtra mushrooms, to find out that the jungles of the Z-Planet looked just like Woodland Scenic model trees. I was instantly relieved of my stress and worry. And began my many adventures in a land which in many ways was much like Possum Corners, Kenntucky. Even the beer and pizza reminded me of evenings spent at Mable's Diner.

Well … at least Pizza was involved !

Z

I love it. I could stand to read much more.

Same as back home in Kentucky, or Canada, but with more than one moon in the sky, right? :)

Dan
PS. Here's a screenshot of "Outer Limits", from a 1998 episode called "Relativity Theory":
link

Well all places look like Toronto according to Nikita. All of eastern united states look like 50 mile radius of LA according to: Bones, NCIS, JAG etc. etc.

Lol. Well those "tv dama" shows are supposed to be set on Earth.

Dan

Correctamundo, CC! The two moons of Zamazonia are Pamba Moon and Spyder Moon (Home of the Blue Spider Lady, who between gigs works the bar and sings the Blues at Asteroid Mary's Bar and Grill).

Lol. Well those "tv dama" shows are supposed to be set on Earth.

The chances that an alien world able to support humans life, has trees is infenantly bigger then Istanbul looking anything like Toronto.

Lol

Dan

Only the really weird ones….

So, can one assume the aliens drink Molson?

So is this along the same lines as all good US comics are really Canadians?

Maybe the question should be do aliens think Canada looks like an alien planet ?

And how many Star Trek episodes were here?

Russ,

Curse you. Now I can't get that ST fighting music out of my head! :)

Dan

You know the one I mean. It goes …

Ta ta ta, ta ta, ta ta ta ta ta. :)

Dan

Actually, we have been to planets that look like Stockton, NSW and Coober Pedy, SA.

Now if we can only figure why every settlement in Australia outside Sydney looks like Birdsville or Croydon…