Terra Nova: Difference between revisions

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Essentially, the premise is more or less a reason to have dinosaurs and humans interacting on a television show. The showrunners have promised that the show will take pains to prevent [[Somewhere a Paleontologist Is Crying|upsetting dinosaur fans]].

 

 

[[I Thought It Meant|Completely unrelated to]] [[Similarly Named Works|the video game]] ''Terra Nova Strike Force Centauri''.

 

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* [[Affably Evil]]: Boylan is more of an Affable [[Jerkass]] than deliberately evil, although he is collaborating with the Sixers. May cross over into [[Jerkass With a Heart of Gold]] territory, as of the finale. He certainly prefers Taylor to {{spoiler|the Phoenix Group, and is one of the very first to welcome him back to Terra Nova}}. And in one episode, it's implied that Boylan and Taylor use to be very good friends but {{spoiler|the murder of their CO/Taylor's mentor at Taylor's hand and the subsequent cover up between the two put a lot of pressure on the relationship. It is suggested that Boylan for his part wanted to be a good soldier and report the incident but Taylor wanted to protect the colony and bribed him to keep quiet. The end result being the current situation between the two.}}

** Of a sort. The first thing the Zoe asks when she sees Terra Nova's sky is "Are those clouds?". The future is so polluted the sky is nothing but smog.

** Due to the moon apparently moving back a centimeter each year, and this being 85 million B.C., the moon is ''very'' close to the sky, but it just adds to the [[Scenery Porn]]. The characters also mention the stars being different (although this is not reflected in the visual since there are no visible stars). Technically the moon shouldn't actually be that close. 85 million years ago the moon would only be 2,007 miles closer (it recedes 38mm per year) meaning that it would be 0.8% closer than it would be in 2149, it wouldn't be significantly different. However, it can appear much larger due to an optical illusion because it's a new perspective for them to see the moon.

* [[Antagonistic Offspring]]: Lucas is this to Taylor

* [[Armies Are Evil]]: The Phoenix Group

** The opening credits show Pangaea, despite the fact that 85 million years ago, apart from some ''minor'' continental shift and rise in sea-level, the planet was almost identical to present day Earth.

** The moon ''was'' [[Truth in Television|closer to Earth]], 85 million years ago, but, unless the portal in time also displaced them in space and put them far nearer to the equator to create an optical effect, the Moon was barely distinguishable from the way it looks now.

* [[Badass Family]]: The first season finale shows that the Shannons definitely are one

* [[Batman Gambit]]: When Taylor {{spoiler|is ambushed by Mira and taken hostage, he runs into a grove of explosive plants. He knows the plants are explosive but he also knows that Mira won't shoot to kill. Anticipating this, the real reason he runs into the plants is to get her to shoot the plants, cause an explosion, and then take one of the plant's thorns as a tool to free himself.}}

* [[Beneficial Disease]]: A cold provides the main character immunity from another infection that wipes the person's memory.

* [[Benevolent Boss]]: Lucas ''thinks'' of himself as one. [[Bad Boss|He's obviously nothing of the sort.]]

** Just when the [[Too Dumb to Live]] teenagers are about to die a ''very'' deserved death from the Slashers, Taylor and Jim's reinforcements arrive and deploy all kinds of advanced weaponry to drive them off.

** Jim saving Maddie from Horton's spider.

* [[Black Market Produce]]: The orange in the first episode.

* [[Book Ends]]: The season begins with the Shannons coming to Terra Nova and ends with them returning to Terra Nova, complete with the same sound track.

* [[Casual Danger Dialog]]: Nate Taylor. [[Justified Trope|Justified]] by being ''that'' [[Badass]]. Averted with the teenagers.

* [[Chekhov MIA]]: Taylor's son went missing a few years back. {{spoiler|He's behind the Sixers, or at least they work for him by proxy.}}

* [[Cut Short]]: Sadly.

* [[Dawson Casting]]: Skye is a "teenager" (actual age unsaid) young enough to be flirty with 17-year-old Josh. Allison Miller was 25 when she filmed the pilot episode.

* [[Department of Redundancy Department]]: "It's an EMP Pulse!" Thank you Maddy.

* [[Earth That Used to Be Better]]: Much better; within the adults' lifetime the sky was completely blotted out by pollution, domes are in use, population control is in effect, masks are needed to breathe, and everything is grimy.

* [[Elite Mooks]]: The Phoenix Group, or as Lucas puts it "The best army money can buy."

* [[Enemy Mine]]: Taylor and Mira end up working together to fend off a pair of territorial slashers. After some personal backstory, they recognize it's a [[Worthy Opponent]] relationship between them. In fact, they also reason that they're much more the same than different - both ultimately want to protect their family and loved ones in the only way they know how. For Mira, that's her daughter back in the future. For Taylor, that's the colony.

** The Sixers sure sound a whole awful lot like [[Lost|The Others]].

** And the Slashers are essentially ''[[Jurassic Park]]'' Velociraptors, except they look different.

** The Shannon family has been likened to [[The Simpsons]].

* [[Females Are More Innocent]]: It turns out that the female sixer leader Mira is working for {{spoiler|associates of Lucas Taylor, and has more or less been coerced into the role}} in much the same way as another female "villain", {{spoiler|sixer spy Skye Tate}}. {{spoiler|Lucas Taylor}}, on the other hand, causes trouble for the colony largely out of a sense of [[Disproportionate Retribution]] for {{spoiler|his father's decision years earlier that led to his mother's death}}, and the associates are doing it out of {{spoiler|pure greed.}}

* [[Fingerless Gloves]]: Taylor, mostly, though Wash and Guzman also wear 'em. All the better to be [[Badass|badasses]] with, my dear...

* [[Future Food Is Artificial]]: To the point where the [[Black Market Produce|black market orange]] Jim brings home is regarded as a rare, exciting treat.

** Jim and Elizabeth both note that Josh's rebellious nature and his relationship with Skye mirrors their relationship when they were younger.

** Some very specific examples:

*** Elizabeth is a brainy doctor who fell in love with a policeman. Maddy is a brainy medical student who fell in love with a security officer.

*** Jim broke the law to get his family through the time portal. Josh broke the law in an effort to get his girlfriend through the time portal.

** Tasha, who thought it was a good idea to run for it rather than wait in the heavily armored vehicle waiting for confirmed backup for rescue. {{spoiler|She survives -- if badly injured.}} In all fairness, she was clearly in a state of extreme panic and not thinking rationally. And she took a machine gun with her. On top of that, the slashers do eventually punch a hole through the ATV, forcing the other teens to abandon it.

* [[Grey and Gray Morality]]: Is increasingly this.

** Averted when Weaver takes down a brachiosaur with one shot.

* [[Hand Wave]]: The show at times seems to be made of it:

** Mira's employers in 2149 are holding her daughter to ensure her cooperation.

** Mira, in turn, was holding a young girl's brother hostage to coerce the girl into retrieving a key artifact for Lucas' work. She does, however, [[Pet the Dog|let both kids return to Terra Nova]] when the situation is resolved.

** The Sixers have been holding {{spoiler|Skye's ill mother}} for ''three years'' to effectively blackmail {{spoiler|Skye}} into acting as [[The Mole|their spy in the colony]]. They even threaten to {{spoiler|withhold medical treatment or outright harm her}} if {{spoiler|Skye}} does not cooperate. Eventually, {{spoiler|[[The Atoner|Curran]] breaks her out and returns her to Terra Nova.}}

** Used again in the 1st season finale, where they send one into 2149.

* [[In the Back]]: Lucas does this to his father. But seriously, you didn't have to be [[Genre Savvy]] to spot that coming a mile away.

* [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy]]: Skye helping Josh to possibly get his girlfriend onto the next pilgrimage to Terra Nova. {{spoiler|Unfortunately, the guy who can help is working with the Sixers, who plan to use Josh against Terra Nova. That fact eventually turns her against the idea. And then later, we find out that Skye is the true spy for the Sixers...}}

** Boylan, [[Affably Evil|but he's just so charming...]]

** Lucas and Weaver are less charming

* [[Just Shoot Him]]: {{spoiler|Skye to Lucas. Seriously who didn't scream "FINALLY!" when she did it?}}

* [[Desert Punk|Jungle Punk]]: Especially the Sixers.

** {{spoiler|Just in case you've forgotten that we're not supposed to be rooting for the [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]], he coldly guns down a Brachiosaur for basically no reason. They were going to burn down the entire area anyway, which surely would have killed it. Even ''Lucas'' seemed put off by it.}}

** {{spoiler|The Phoenix group disables the anchor for the portal on Terra Nova's end by strapping a bomb to one of the new colonists (definitely without his consent) and sending him through to explode.}}

* [[Kill and Replace]]: {{spoiler|Horton's assistant killed him and took his place}}.

* [[Killed Off for Real]]: {{spoiler|Kara and Washington.}}

** The Slashers themselves, as well. At one point, Josh puts something like five assault rifle rounds into one. It retreats, but it ought to be ''dead.'' The ''Carnotaurus'' are even tougher -- one of them takes several dozen rounds to the face from a jeep-mounted [[BFG]], falls over, and gets up again without an apparent scratch. Taylor doesn't even bother to shoot at it with his rifle during his distraction, even as it charges him.

** {{spoiler|Lucas gets shot twice, center of mass, and manages to get away unnoticed. He was no more than a meter away from Taylor and Skye at the time. No word on how far he got, but he shouldn't have been able to walk straight, much less escape so quickly and quietly.}}

** Maddy and her explanation on dinosaur digestion to the young soldier.

** Josh and Skye meeting in the marketplace.

** {{spoiler|Taken to inanimate and in-universe [[Tear Jerker]] status in the season finale. It's now his one tangible reminder of her.}}

* [[The Metric System Is Here to Stay]]: Feet and Yards still get a mention occasionally, though.

** {{spoiler|Skye, while her mother was effectively held hostage by the Sixers.}}

** Jim has his son Josh become this when the Phoenix Group takes over.

** Maddy has a habit of killing the mood at any given time by explaining in ''great detail'' the science behind whatever way cool thing everyone else is looking at.

** Episode Three's pterosaurs, meanwhile, raise it to an art form.

** Skye does it to herself when... {{spoiler|coiling up the parasite in Hunter's stomach. He's talking about how his feelings when the parasite breaks and slides back inside.}}

** Lucas too. It appears that his father as finally gotten through to him, and they share a warm hug. That is until Lucas literally stabbed his father [[In the Back]].

* [[Negative Space Wedgie]]: Harnessed by 22nd-century technology in order to send the "pilgrimages" back in time to Terra Nova.

* [[Never Found the Body]]: [[Invoked Trope|Invoked]] as the reason why 22nd-century scientists determined Terra Nova was in a different "[[Alternate Universe|timestream]]", after they sent a mechanical probe through the [[Negative Space Wedgie]] and it never showed up in the present era. The probe, for its part, currently rests on a monument in the middle of the Terra Nova settlement.

** {{spoiler|Until it got blown up in the Phoenix Group's attack. The [[Stable Time Loop]] may still be in play.}}

* [[Obfuscating Disability]]: Jim Shannon pretends that an explosion has made him deaf, mentally inhibited with partial amnesia, and left him with a limp. He blows his cover when he beats the shit out of {{spoiler|Lucas and a few Phoenix soldiers}} with his crutch to defend his son.

** Shannon and Taylor return from luring the pterosaurs to their new mating ground sporting numerous wounds and gushing about how awesome it was. Too bad the budget couldn't handle showing it.

** On the villainous side, {{spoiler|the Phoenix Group pretty much rolled over Terra Nova while Jim was in the hospital}}.

** Averted with Lucas. Malcolm states that despite Lucas being a brilliant physicist, he is no engineer.

** Malcolm, however, plays this trope significantly straighter, as he seems to be both a biologist and an engineer. He is head of the Science Department, after all.

* [[Overprotective Dad]]: Jim has shown signs of this towards his daughter's dating life. It should be noted that Jim is likely just messing with Mark [[It Amused Me|for his own amusement]]. He doesn't seem to mind the relationship.

** And then again when he became temporary CO:

'''Mark''': "Permission to neither confirm nor deny, sir." }}

** He also half-heartedly pulls this routine regarding Josh; when Jim is questioning Skye in "Within" about her whereabouts, she comes up with the cover story that she was with Josh at her house:

'''Jim''': Anything you say [[Irony|can and will be used against you]]. }}

* [[Planet Looters]]: {{spoiler|Turns out to be the true purpose behind Terra Nova, rather than the advertised "new beginning". Once Taylor's son, Lucas, can make the portal two-way, future Earth will strip mine alternate past Earth for its own benefit.}}

* [[Poison and Cure Gambit]]: Elizabeth does this to get Jim out of prison in the season finale. {{spoiler|She was bluffing. The "cure" she injected was a sedative.}}

* [[Population Control]]: In the future, families are limited to two children each.

** Averted with the giant centipede, which doesn't attack Jim; he just freaks out when it crawls over his hand.

** When Taylor and Mira are forced to team up against a pair of slashers the justification for the pursuit is that the dinosaurs are claiming new territory and see them as threats to be chased away, not just food.

** {{spoiler|Mira is only working for the bad guys because they have her daughter, and the only way they'll ever be reunited is if Lucas can get the portal to work both ways.}}

** {{spoiler|Skye is only [[The Mole]] because Mira is treating her mother for a disease that Terra Nova doesn't even know is curable.}}

* [[Rags to Riches]]: Sort of. Jim goes from being an escape convict in the first episode to pretty much Taylor's right hand man and at one point temporary Commanding Officer of Terra Nova.

* [[Reality Is Unrealistic]]: The Brachiosaurus have fleshy nostrils on top of their heads, just like their counterparts in that [[Jurassic Park|other mass media work showing dinosaurs]]. However, in the two decades since that movie came out [[Science Marches On|Science Has Marched On]], with the most likely position of the nostrils being on the snout.

** Commander Taylor. Yes, he's keeping a few secrets, but mostly he's just interested in making sure the colony survives. Noted in the third episode, where he immediately takes measures (with three deaths to deal with) to ensure that people are kept as safe as possible until the threat is resolved.

** Lucas claims himself to be one, right before he has two mercs hold Josh so he could beat him.

* [[Sadistic Choice]]: Taylor was made to choice between saving his wife or his son.

* [[Scenery Porn]]: Frequently.

* [[Set Right What Once Went Wrong]]: The basic plot. {{spoiler|Until Nate Taylor reveals that it's a lot different than so.}}

* [[The Slow Path]]: Taylor was first through the portal, with the next person right behind him... but that next person didn't arrive for 118 days from Taylor's perspective.

* [[Summon Bigger Fish]]: {{spoiler|When Jim infiltrates Hope Plaza, he brings a carnotaur with him to even the odds.}}

** The Slashers are ''really'' determined to get into that jeep. The carnotaurs, however, realistically freak out and retreat as soon as the sonic pulse guns start firing.

** In the next episode, the pterasaurs are really determined to get to their hatching ground aka {{spoiler|the Terra Nova base}}.

* [[Sympathetic Murder Backstory]]: Commander Taylor {{spoiler|killed his commanding officer when he arrived in alternate past earth to relieve him of command of the Terra Nova colony shortly after he learned the truth about the project. That those behind Terra Nova are trying to find out how to make the portal go both ways so they can exploit the resources on the Terra Nova side.}}

** The Sixer who gets snatched out of his ATV and eaten by a Carnotaur. [[Famous Last Words]]: "We're all clear!"

** "Don't worry, slashers hunt mostly at night!" Guess what happens about five minutes later.

* [[Thunderbolt Iron]]: Meteoric iron is mentioned as a vital resource for Terra Nova, presumably for construction and repairs. Shame the Sixers control the quarry. Also {{spoiler|the resource that the guys in the future are most interested in.}}

* [[Too Kinky to Torture]]: Skye considers trying to beat the ignition code for a vehicle out of Lucas, but believes he would enjoy it.

** Jim Shannon also later discovers {{spoiler|Taylor may not be such a clean person, having murdered his mentor. But then Taylor himself reveals that the entire reason for the Terra Nova colony wasn't a second chance, but a way to obtain more resources for the future.}}

** The season finale reveals that the Badlands, a supposedly empty area far from the portal, {{spoiler|holds artifacts from Earth's history. As soon as they're cut off from the future, the Phoenix group heads there without delay.}}

* [[Trash the Set]]: Used in the first season finale to show the Terra Nova settlement in the aftermath of the Phoenix Group's [[Curb Stomp Battle|curbstomping]] of the defense forces.

* [[Trojan Horse]]: In the first season finale, Taylor and Jim replace a cargo container being shipped to 2149 with one containing a {{spoiler|carnotaur}}.

* [[Ungrateful Bastard]]: The Sixers. In the first episode Terra Nova accepts them in to save them from a dinosaur attack. The moment the dinosaur leaves, they come out of their vehicle with guns armed. In their defense, the two forces are extremely bitter enemies.

* [[Villainous Incest]]: Lucas toward Skye. They're not actually related (Taylor is a father figure to her rather than her actual father), but he refers to her as a sister nonetheless. This doesn't stop him from constantly touching her affectionately flirting with her.

[[Category:Science Fiction Series]]

[[Category:Terra Nova]]