Talk:Britannian planetary system

Solar system model

So, I'm fairly certain that Britannia's solar system does not follow traditional laws of physics as we know them - or at the very least, the people of Britannia see them differently. I can't say for certain if it is actually mentioned in any of the games - though I seem to recall that it might be - but the orrery clearly shows the other planets orbiting Britannia, not the sun. Hey, for all we know, Britannia doesn't orbit the sun at all! There's of course the possibility that the orrery is inaccurate, but it seems doubtful as it is able to accurately predict the planetary conjunction, after all. I think this article needs a rewrite, but I admit I'm not entirely sure where to start. Maybe someone could do a quick usecode search? --Warder Dragon 00:02, June 1, 2010 (UTC)

The sun orbiting Britannia would create so many problems, that it isn't even funny. I looked at the real-world problems this would cause, and the strnage effects. Sorry, but we have to chalk the orrery up to ignorance, as none of these strange effects can be observed, everything works exactly like on Earth.

Just remember that this is the same Britannia that thought that the planet is flat in Ultima VI, so you can't take sophisticated knowledge about it as a given. Realying on observation is more helpful. As for the orrery, I can speculate that it is more meant to show the positions of the planets relative to Britannia, thus looking as if they circle around it.--Tribun 00:13, June 1, 2010 (UTC)

I disagree. It is not up to us to rationalize away parts of the setting because we do not like them. Our task is to report the facts of the game as they are presented, and this is clearly something worthy of mention. As for your Ultima VI example, the planet WAS flat in Ultima VI. One side was Britannia and the other was the gargoyle homeworld. You can see the edge of the world if you head out far enough in a boat. This isn't speculation or a limitation of the game engine, this was a conscious decision by the designers. Why? I don't know. Does it make sense? Absolutely not. Should we still write it as presented? Most definitely.

See, I think what it boils down to is that it doesn't have to make sense. Britannia is a world of magic where simple cantrips can change the weather and where even time itself flows at a different pace. Who are we to say that Britannian cosmology cannot work because it does not adhere to our own preconceived notions? But the truly beautiful thing is that we don't have to say a thing. We didn't create the setting, we aren't responsible for it, we don't have to explain ourselves. Our time is far better spent providing a subjective report and let the readers decide for themselves.

So I still say that this article needs changing, and the only question is whether we should report the differences in Britannian cosmology as fact or as theory - depending on what we find in usecode, transcripts and manuals, of course.

--Warder Dragon 00:29, June 1, 2010 (UTC)

I also agree that the universe should be presented as in game. Does it make any sense that the world is flat in Ultima VI, yet there is still an orbiting sun and moons? NO! But that's what it is. (Dungy 01:39, June 1, 2010 (UTC))

I did change the text to remove all reference to where htey circle around. I added something in the trivia about the contraidicting clues on this matter int he games.--Tribun 08:12, June 1, 2010 (UTC)

From U9 Nitpicks: As we know from former times (e.g. from Ultima V’s Book of Lore), Britannia is one of 9 planets that circle the sun of the Britannian system. However, if you look at the maps of the solar system in Ultima IX, then you will only find 2 planets next to Britannia and its moons.

Where is this at in Ultima IX? - Iceblade

Where does it say Britannia is solar?

Britannia isn't solar. Is "solar" used anywhere in connection to Britannia's astral location? The Ultra-Mind (talk) 19:35, 9 March 2020 (UTC)

Isn't that general used for a star system?--Tribun (talk) 19:40, 9 March 2020 (UTC)

Don't think so. If I Google things like "what's a solar system" the hits I get never seem to imply that any other star system can be "solar"--only the one centred around "Sol". The Ultra-Mind (talk) 19:46, 9 March 2020 (UTC)

So should this and the Terran one should bestter be called star systems? I guess the confusion comes for me, since in German there is no difference made between the terms.--Tribun (talk) 19:55, 9 March 2020 (UTC)

I agree with Ultra-Mind. Let us be precise:

• The Solar system is the system with the Sun (capitalized) and its planets.
• A planetary system is any system with planets orbiting around a star (their own sun, not capitalized).
• A star system is a system of more stars bound together.

Can I put this on both talk pages? --Abacos (talk) 20:08, 9 March 2020 (UTC)

Let's not and say we did: Talk:Terran Solar System#Isn.27t_.22Terran.22_a_redundancy.3F. The Ultra-Mind (talk) 16:18, 12 March 2020 (UTC)