Author Topic: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?  (Read 8696 times)

Lakonthegreat

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Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« on: June 11, 2009, 11:47:28 am »
These time periods indicate that Christ was involved on the Earth in the Chronoverse, however there is no mention of him whatsoever in the entire game. I suppose the Cathedral in 600 AD was dedicated to him, but not really because they were worshipping Magus there. So what about it people? Should they have used different terms to mark their time periods?

FaustWolf

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Re: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2009, 11:57:55 am »
AD literally means Anno Domini, "In the year of our/the Lord" if I'm not mistaken (someone with Latin knowledge help us out here).

I think Cedric Guardia is badass enough to put the Domini in Anno Domini. That explains that as far as I'm concerned (er, assuming CE is as close to a canonical sequel as we're ever likely to see).

But I've always personally preferred AG ("Anno Guardia") and BG ("Before Guardia"). However, using a fictional timescale may have been seen as hindering the accessibility of Chrono Trigger's story to the audience. On the other hand, I would argue that it only added confusion, since the AD timescale of Chrono Trigger and Cross progresses far different in terms of technology than our own history. In 1000AD everybody's got refrigerators and plumbing in Chrono Trigger, not to mention biplanes in the alpha.

Acacia Sgt

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Re: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2009, 12:07:06 pm »
Yeah, they were faster than us.

However, looking at our history in the last 100 years, we may have reached their speed in terms of progress, though still behind considering how 1,999 AD (CT's) looked.

Thought

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Re: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2009, 12:06:36 pm »
But I've always personally preferred AG ("Anno Guardia") and BG ("Before Guardia"). However, using a fictional timescale may have been seen as hindering the accessibility of Chrono Trigger's story to the audience. On the other hand, I would argue that it only added confusion, since the AD timescale of Chrono Trigger and Cross progresses far different in terms of technology than our own history. In 1000AD everybody's got refrigerators and plumbing in Chrono Trigger, not to mention biplanes in the alpha.

1000 AD might have originally been envisioned as 1999 AD (for the reasons you stated, they seem quasi-modern, and the earthquakes make me think of Lavos awakening).

They could have used CE and BCE, but most people aren't aware of those terms and would have just been confusing. While inaccurate, BC and AD are just simple.

Mr Bekkler

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Re: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« Reply #4 on: June 12, 2009, 12:56:02 pm »
Wait a second. Is that why the Crimson Echoes team named the first Guardia Cedrick?

Anno Domini can also translate to Kingdom Year, Year of the King, Year of the Lord, etc. And it's called Kingdom Year at some point. That's my favorite.

But you sneaky sneaky CE peeps, you guys set it as Before Cedrick on purpose, didn't you?   :) 

If it was not on purpose, then "Hey everybody look what I figured out"  :lol:

Lakonthegreat

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Re: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« Reply #5 on: June 13, 2009, 12:09:52 am »
Yeah, they were faster than us.

However, looking at our history in the last 100 years, we may have reached their speed in terms of progress, though still behind considering how 1,999 AD (CT's) looked.

This again is an interesting point. While they had fridges and stuff, and basically lived like in our 1940's or 50's, why did it take almost 1000 more years to develop advanced computer systems and robotics when we're dealing with things like that only 50 years later than the supposed era? Was there some kind of crash in technology, perhaps a large depression at some point between 1000 AD and 1999 AD?

Daniel Krispin

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Re: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« Reply #6 on: June 13, 2009, 01:00:25 am »
This topic was brought up before, and though we may try to rationalize out another 'domini', there's one problem that remained back when it was talked about before, and still remains: that it's in Latin. That's indisputable, and Latin comes up several times in the series, whether Miguel's 'res nullius' or the badly translated 'angelus errare.' The point is, Latin exists. And if Latin exists, barring that we assume it's just being used for 'interest's' sake, Rome had to have existed. One way of rationalizing it, which I did long ago when I wrote a fanfic, was that Rome and all that did indeed exist, but that the Chronoverse rests along a seperate time-line in which the Mystics arose, hence altering things entirely. After all, apart from that, the next oldest thing we have is Zeal, in 10,000 BC... that does not technically conflict with history, or does not do so neccessarially, especially as Zeal is considered to only be a legend even in the Chronoverse.

Of course, CE, in using Cedric, probably makes more use of the Latin being merely for interest's sake, and therefore we can take AD and BC as the same. We can't in that case say they are supposed to technically mean anything, more than they figuratively stand for something.

Boo the Gentleman Caller

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Re: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« Reply #7 on: June 13, 2009, 11:54:00 am »
Going with the C.S. Lewis concept of "if God is real, then every world would have to have a redemptive figure", perhaps there was a Christ figure in the Chronoverse?  I know it's a long shot, just throwing it out there.  Personally I believe it was just for simplicity (aka "gameplay mechanics").

Chrono'99

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Re: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« Reply #8 on: June 13, 2009, 12:07:07 pm »
How is that a long shot?

Mr Bekkler

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Re: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« Reply #9 on: June 13, 2009, 12:16:10 pm »
How is that a long shot?

I think he means it's a long shot to assume that they have a religion parallel to Christianity, with the whole "Jesus dying for your sins and everybody making a big deal out of it".

The Chronoverse has been compared to the Bible before, and I don't think that's what Boo's talking about.

It's a long shot because not a single person mentions religion, except maybe the cannibalistic nuns in the cathedral. Not a real, widespread, actual religion that most of the people on the planet believe in. There is the entity, but it's just that, an entity who doesn't show up or talk to anyone or physically demonstrate where they're supposed to go or what they're supposed to do.

So the chances of a Christ analog are slim, but it would help explain the BC.

I'm still sticking with my interpretation of Anno Domini, Kingdom Year. Cause Lord doesn't have to mean god. Especially in CE terms.

Personally I think there's no real meaning, other than a figurative one, like Krispy was saying. But I think that goes for a lot of things in the games people debate about.

Chrono'99

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Re: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« Reply #10 on: June 13, 2009, 12:35:59 pm »
Nobody except Toma speaks of the Cathedral/Abbey negatively, and there's a Nun in San Dorino (and "san" means "saint" in Spanish and Italian). AD and BC were clearly chosen for simplicity's sake, but it's inaccurate to say that there's absolutely no sign of an organized Christian-like religion in the series:



Quote
Viper:
   Hmm...
   Good Lord!
   Is there nothing more
   to life than destroying
   and defeating one
   another after all...?

Quote
Viper:
   Come see me should you
   ever need anything!
   You will make a fine
   dragoon, young man.
   God be with you!

There are also mentions of angels (Angelus Errare) and a "Saints" summon Element (which may or may not be summoning real angels, but the name is still indicative of something some people in the Chronoverse might believe in).
« Last Edit: June 13, 2009, 12:42:23 pm by Chrono'99 »

maggiekarp

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Re: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« Reply #11 on: June 16, 2009, 04:42:30 pm »
Crosses themselves don't necessarily mean JESUS WAS HERE, it could be used as cardinal points or to symbolize the four elements. They'll put stuff in that makes us feel familiar with the world, but we shouldn't assume our histories are exactly the same. Or we could think of it as a translation of sorts, obviously no one would speak French with no France.


But I guess it's worth noting that people use words like "jeez" or "sheesh" in this series.


IAmSerge

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Re: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« Reply #12 on: June 16, 2009, 04:47:38 pm »
Look, the way I see it, some spectacular event happened that caused the world to start a new record of time, which coincidently used the abbreviations BC and AD.

I was about to make a very VERY lude unrealistic speculation about what caused this and what BC and AD meant, but I decided it was against my better knowledge to do so...

Thought

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Re: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« Reply #13 on: June 16, 2009, 05:14:17 pm »
Hmm.. BC/AD was never used by a character in game, correct? It only appears in the epoch time travel screen, message windows with the pillars, and on the overworld maps, right?

Which indicates that this is a useful tool for the players, not the characters. We may be able to no more draw meaning from AD/BC than we could from the fact that the text in game uses a sans serif font, or that the menu colors are blue.

Zephira

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Re: Should AD and BC have been used in the Chrono series?
« Reply #14 on: June 16, 2009, 05:30:14 pm »
Look, the way I see it, some spectacular event happened that caused the world to start a new record of time, which coincidently used the abbreviations BC and AD.

I'm assuming this spectacular event was either the founding of Guardia, or the time that Guardia established itself as the most powerful existing kingdom/nation. The Millennial Fair is supposed to be the celebration of the thousandth year since the founding of Guardia. AD/BC don't really make sense with that other than being something familiar for the players, but that does seem to be the event that the calendar is based on.