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Re: Dream Terminal Thoughts
Posted By: Tycho7enDate: 1/13/02 7:43 a.m.

In Response To: Dream Terminal Thoughts (SiliconDream =PN=)

: Shoulda done this for my earlier posts, but I'd like to make this post a bit
: more comprehensible by labeling the various timelines. I haven't seen any
: commonly-used system of terminology so forth, so I'll just number them.
:
: --Timeline 0: The timeline of the Infinity manual intro. (It may be identical
: with Timeline 2, since there's no explicit conflicting info. But so many
: important events and characters are unmentioned in Tfear's recap that I
: think this is most likely a distinct timeline. This is the Pfhor
: "best case scenario," with Durandal being comparatively easily
: defeated before he has a chance to do much of anything.)

: --Timeline 1: Contains all of Marathon 2 and Ne Cede Malis.

: --Timeline 2: Contains Acme Station through Thing What Kicks..., and Carroll
: Street Station.

: --Timeline 3: Contains Rise Robot Rise through Confound Delivery, and Aie Mak
: Sicur.

: --Timeline 4: Contains Rise Robot Rise, possibly Poor Yorick, Naw Man He's
: Close through Hang Brain, and You're Wormfood, Dude.

: --Timeline 5: Contains Rise Robot Rise, possibly poor Yorick, Naw Man He's
: Close, Foe Hammer, and By Committee through Aye Mak Sicur and the final
: screen.

Personally, I don't like the "timelines" idea. When I looked at the Infinity universe, I saw the Marathon Universe in chaos, conflicting and contradicting itself. The future changing the past. The past being the future...

I think that Infinity isn't linked by "timelines". What's happening to the marine is that he is being warped (by Jjaro implants, I assume) back and forth in time, with events and history itself being altered as you go. It's not a completely different universe... rather, it's ONE universe following the W'r monster's rules.

"It was as if the universe had forgotten its own rules."

:
: Note that (with the exception of Timeline 0, whose historical progression is
: little-known), the timelines are ordered according to when they split off
: from one another.

Let's put it this way, the W'r monster's unleashed... little things start changing. After M2, we takes out the 723rd Aggressor Squadron. Then, Durandal evades the Trih'xeem and we're home free. But wait... in the manual, Battle Group Seven TRAPS Durandal in an undetected station (the Jjaro oupost in Ne Cede Malis?) and deploys the Trih'xeem, and Durandal's warning the Pfhor of an "ancient chaotic being being trapped deep in the Lh'owon sun". And in Ne Cede Malis, Durandal is acting out of character, tells the player that he slaughtered the naval garrison and the western arm of Battle Group Seven... and he thought that the Trih'xeem was retired. According to Durandal, Tycho hesitated to use the Trih'xeem. What's more, Tycho is still alive. When we get to Rise Robot Rise Durandal never kidnapped you, your weapons have been taken by the Pfhor for their own research (my only guess), and you are now Tycho's servant.

I believe that this is the theme of Infinity. It's not an alternate universe plot, but one universe in chaos, ever changing, now a never-ending dream. A dream that always ends as a nightmare... unless the player can do something about it.

: Timelines 1 and 2 diverge from Timelines 3, 4, and 5 just after the end of
: Marathon, according to whether Durandal takes you with him or leaves you
: behind for Tycho to abduct later.

: Timeline 1 diverges from Timeline 2 at least a few years before Durandal
: reaches Lh'owon. The first evidence of the split is that, in Timeline 2
: (as well as 3, 4 and 5), Tycho starts shadowing Durandal in his own
: scoutship. Tycho doesn't get near Durandal until much later in Timeline 1.

: Timeline 3 diverges from Timelines 4 and 5 during or just before Poor Yorick.
: Thoth's full activation and Tycho's attack on Durandal both occur earlier
: in Timeline 3 than in the other two timelines.

: Timeline 4 diverges from Timeline 5 just before Hang Brain. In Timeline 4,
: Durandal's postmortem trap is most likely successful, and the humans and
: S'pht manage to complete Thoth's activation. In Timeline 5, the trap is
: unsuccessful, and Thoth is left for you to activate and merge with
: Durandal.
:
There is a line of continuity though this chaos, but it's hard to make out because the small details seem to be the first casualty...

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Replies:

Dream Terminal ThoughtsSiliconDream =PN= 1/13/02 1:53 a.m.
     Good grief!Hamish Sinclair 1/13/02 5:44 a.m.
           Holy Doctoral Thesis Batman! *NT* *NM*Ernie 1/15/02 3:27 p.m.
     Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsMark Levin 1/13/02 6:46 a.m.
           Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsTycho7en 1/13/02 8:20 a.m.
                 Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsCpt. Sqweky 1/14/02 8:32 p.m.
           Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsSiliconDream =PN= 1/13/02 3:47 p.m.
                 Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsAndrew Nagy 1/14/02 7:00 a.m.
                       Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsSiliconDream =PN= 1/14/02 1:54 p.m.
                       Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsSiliconDream =PN= 1/14/02 2:59 p.m.
                             Duplicate post, sorry *NM*SiliconDream =PN= 1/14/02 3:04 p.m.
                             Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsAndrew Nagy 1/18/02 7:24 a.m.
                                   Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsTru7h 1/18/02 9:11 a.m.
                                   Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsSiliconDream =PN= 1/18/02 1:10 p.m.
           Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsAndrew Nagy 1/14/02 7:00 a.m.
     Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsTycho7en 1/13/02 7:43 a.m.
           Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsSiliconDream =PN= 1/13/02 1:22 p.m.
                 Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsTycho7en 1/13/02 3:06 p.m.
                       Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsSiliconDream =PN= 1/13/02 11:31 p.m.
                             Wow, it all makes sense now!Jonah 1/15/02 12:37 a.m.
                             Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsTycho7en 1/15/02 4:04 p.m.
     Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsRincewind MoG 1/13/02 1:23 p.m.
     Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsTru7h 1/13/02 1:49 p.m.
           Re: Dream Terminal ThoughtsSiliconDream =PN= 1/13/02 3:59 p.m.
                 Oh, and...SiliconDream =PN= 1/13/02 4:01 p.m.
                       Re: Oh, and...Smasher 1/13/02 7:29 p.m.
                             Re: Oh, and...SiliconDream =PN= 1/13/02 10:55 p.m.



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