liked the movie, I liked the action, characters, the animation and the story-line.
Whether it was original doesn't matter, because according to friends there are only 42 stories in our culture. Boy meets girl, boy falls for girl...etc. etc & etc.
I'm hoping we haven't made any space enemies
and that any aliens that have discovered faster that light transportation, will have evolved to a more benign and thoughtful nature. But this was entertainment and I think it succeded very well.
Say, I know your young and you may not know much about history, but Christianity never ruled the world. Western nations ruled most of the world from 1492 to 1945, but Christianity was just an afterthought. Most people and government were interested in profits, then the list of reasons goes from there. Christianity did rule most of Europe from the Middle Ages to the Age of Discovery. But I think Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and others would argue that Christianity did not rule them, until Western Europe exploded onto the world scene in 1492. Up until then they could hold their own against us and our co-equal technology.
Since you are into sci-fi, think of 1492, as first contact and the Europeans as the space aliens, they came with several advantages that helped them conquer the Americas, which helped fuel the conquest of most of the world. These advantages are: technology, diseases, strategies, greed, nationalism and a worldview that was eurocentric. Tecnology; ships, guns, cannon, steel against stone-age cultures. Diseases; measles, smallpox and malaria decimated whole populations, then starvation, slavery and war got the rest. Strategies: the crusades, Spain and Portugal's war of liberation, the English-French wars for supremacy, the Italian city-states intercesant wars, the struggles against the Ottoman Empire. All helped breed awesome war machines, trained and ready to fight, negotiate treaties and alliances and look for any weaknesses.
Greed; Gold, silver, jewels, land, titles, objects and trade. All yours for the taking. Manhatten Island traded for $24 in beads, I understand that several years ago only one treaty remained that had not been broken, and New York was ready to to take land from the Iroquis for a dam.
Nationalism; Well if your French, all you do is as a French man. When you're in trouble, theres more French at the fort. Same goes for English, Spanish, etc. By the time Indians united, it was too late. Little Big Horn came 400 hundred years too late to help the Indians.
Worldview; Europeans had the view that every thing was made for them and revolved around them. Look at the maps of the world, the names, the layout. They discovered the new world? Well I guess that was news to the Indians, which I guess would like to be called 'People', since that is supposed to be the translation of most of their names.
Anyway, read more, listen, learn, discuss, argue, try to be your best. Sorry, for the lecture but I like history, culture, and since I am an end product of 1492 (most Chicanos/Mexicans are the end result of this clash of civilizations), I like to keep up on this subject.
[This message has been edited by Randolfo (edited June 24, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Randolfo (edited June 24, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by dexter (edited August 04, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by dexter (edited August 04, 2000).]
