Doesn't SE Know The Difference Between Planets and Stars?

I assume they don't because otherwise it seems totally pointless to call planets 'stars'.

Has the story ever explained this?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pintsized

I assume they don't because otherwise it seems totally pointless to call planets 'stars'.

Has the story ever explained this?

---

I think in Ultima Thule there is a reference to the "planet" in quotes. It made me giggle. It seemed to be a self-aware joke.

There is nothing to explain, it's just an old fashioned way of referring to basically everything in the night sky that the game uses to add an extra dash of fantasy flavour.

Pretty sure it's just supposed to sound poetic. 90% of people probably don't even think about it, and from the remaining 10% half will simply chuckle when it hits them. Not saying you are wrong, but pretty sure it's best just not think about that one too much.

Same reason why the grammar is "wrong" (using 'to be' instead of 'have' in past participle sentences)

I'm pretty sure the reason is threefold:

1. It sounds cool.
2. It fits the 'old english' style of speak that the game goes for.
3. In Japanese, the kanji for 'planet' (惑星) contains the kanji for 'star' (星), so there's a tiny chance it could be a translation thing that they just went with because of the previous reasons.

Also fun fact relating to that last one, if you Google Translate 'planet' from English to Japanese, you get 星. That same kanji translated Japanese to English gives 'Star'. Thanks, Google!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NegativeS

I'm pretty sure the reason is threefold:

1. It sounds cool.
2. It fits the 'old english' style of speak that the game goes for.
3. In Japanese, the kanji for 'planet' (惑星) contains the kanji for 'star' (星), so there's a tiny chance it could be a translation thing that they just went with because of the previous reasons.

Also fun fact relating to that last one, if you Google Translate 'planet' from English to Japanese, you get 星. That same kanji translated Japanese to English gives 'Star'. Thanks, Google!

---

As far as I know it's 星 in the JP version.

The translation team knows English / olde English more than anyone on these forums, I'm sure. Their creative writing is incredible and captivating given that you're not doing side quests. Calling a a planet a star is poetic and part of the game's language. It's like calling someone ser instead of sir, ser was never used in olde English but yet Game of Thrones started doing it and others followed this trend because it's creative. I don't question it, I just roll with it. xD

Like many things in FFXIV, its likely a reference to things from Greek history (Elpis, Metion, entelechy, dynamis, Pandaemonium, the names of the Ascians etc....are all references to Greek history/mythology). The earliest known references of the word planet come from Ancient Greek which was aster plenetes meaning "wandering stars."

NegativeS reasons could also play a part in it, but given all the references in the games story, I think it's more related to the former.

Stars used to refer to all visible objects in the night sky.
Planets referred to the stars that moved, and included the Sun and Moon.

Let's pretend the IAU doesn't exist which SE is doing with their game and as a fan of astronomy, I'm ok with that.

They sometimes say planet too which kinda throws me off.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pintsized

I assume they don't because otherwise it seems totally pointless to call planets 'stars'.

Has the story ever explained this?

---

Planets sorta look like stars from far, far away.

I find it annoying and have mentally replaced the word star for planet/world as I'm reading. It's pretty easy since I use the JP dub.

I'm also assuming that they've intentionally conflated "universe" with "galaxy".
So that it can make sense for "the universe" to have an edge at all, let alone one that can be reached quickly.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jennah

I'm also assuming that they've intentionally conflated "universe" with "galaxy".
So that it can make sense for "the universe" to have an edge at all, let alone one that can be reached quickly.

---

im assuming this is in regards to Ultima Thule.
where ultima thule is beyond the borders of the known world aka beyond the borders of the known universe in ff14

This has been discussed before, and the general consensus is that they do it because it's technically correct in antiquated usage, and since a lot of how people in the game speak is antiquated it's what they've gone with. Which is all well and good, but as a modern speaker who knows the difference between a planet and a star it still gets on my nerves like ten thousand nails on ten thousand chalkboards every time they do it. It just FEELS wrong. And while it's true that they do use other 'old' terms (like 'prithee' and 'pray tell') there's a difference because those terms still mean the same thing today that they've always meant. I've gotten pretty worked up about this before, honestly, and I'm trying not to now, but it does still bother me somewhat.

Yeah, that's also how I chose to interpret "Universe".
Until about 100 years ago, it was thought that the Milky Way galaxy contained all objects in the universe.
Ultima Thule is probably sitting beyond the nearest galactic edge.
The scope is really just inconsistent with other in game descriptions of the Expanse if it's more than that.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ransu

Like many things in FFXIV, its likely a reference to things from Greek history

---

And Babylonian/Mesopotamian