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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mystaros" data-source="post: 1939197" data-attributes="member: 3921">In the various reviews I've given CoR here and there, that is the major point that knocks it down a star for me: lack of thorough establishment of background and story. Gamers, science-fiction fans, epic fantasy fans, and so forth could easily fill in those blanks. The guys I saw it with were discussing just that as we left the theater when we originally saw it! The Director's Cut helps a lot, but still adds more questions than it answers. Who is Shirah? How does Riddick gain the power to blast the Necromongers? Etc.The various extras on the Director's Cut edition help a little, too. There are descriptions of the various scenes, planets, and people, as well as "Toombs' Chase Log," which tells his tale for about three months before the beginning of the movie... giving some insights into other systems, planets, and merc life.There is a novelization for Pitch Black, and I would probably have it in my greedly little hands right now were it not for the ice storms we've been having. Hopefully tomorrow I can go into town and pick it up...A couple minor things I've picked up on on "systems" and where the movie takes place:In the movie, Riddick says that Crematoria is "in the system," when it actually is not. Crematoria is in the Igneon system, whereas Helion Prime is in the Helion system. In the book, he describes the other two triple-max slams as being "in the borderlands other side of the Arm." Very revealing, that. By "in system" it's layman speak for being "in this Galactic Arm." After all, most movie-going joes wouldn't know a galaxy from a solar system (lazy, but necesary film making).So Crematoria is within the same Galactic Arm as Helion. Note also that before they got to Helion, the Necromongers went through Coalsack and Aquilia. The Coalsack Nebula is about 2,000 light years away from Earth. It is visible from Earth in the southern hemisphere, in the Southern Cross:<a href="http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/coalsack.html" target="_blank">http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/coalsack.html</a>I've still not been able to merge that somehow with the nearby "Aquilian" system also mentioned, as there are several stars that could be "Aquilia," as "Aquilia" is actually a constellation, not a single star in and of itself (and the major stars that make up the constellation are all within 100 ly of Earth, though many of the star clusters of the constellation are at a proper distance, though I'm still not sure if they are even in the same direction in the Galaxy as Coalsack).Either way, it seems that the star systems mentioned are from the equator to the southern hemisphere... visible from New Zealand, not here in the States...Here's a very general map of the galaxy...<a href="http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/milkyway.html" target="_blank">http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/milkyway.html</a><a href="http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/5000lys.html" target="_blank">http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/5000lys.html</a>I *think* the Coalsack Nebula is on the verge of the Sagitarrius Arm of the Galaxy, which puts it closer to the Galactic Center from Earth, which is in the Orion Arm. If so, I would say there are more stars, closer together, making travel times shorter.Note that in the book it is mentioned that the crew of the Necromonger vessel that hunts the mercs and Riddick all go into cryosleep on shifts, so their vessel isn't necessarily any faster than that of the mercs. Supralight drive is still not that fast when you are dealing with light years.When Riddick has the vision of Shirah while en route to Helion Prime, he is 27 or so days out... but as the readout lists "Furya" in the "Furyan" system with no data (all "unknown") there is no way to know where exactly Furya actually is...The system of U.V. 6 is the Frigido system...Just more random thoughts...Oh, and here's a web site I just found... looks like it might be useful!<a href="http://pitcherblacker.com/" target="_blank">http://pitcherblacker.com/</a></blockquote>

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