<div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; background-color: #ffffff; font: normal normal normal 13px/1.3 Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: left; line-height: normal; padding: 0px; margin: 0px">Some fun stuff and good ideas in that show:<div><br /></div><div>!st up Farting Helium, I love this idea that a race farts helium... option one Dralasites, option two Sathar type species... some other species? Just too funny. The S'sessu would be closest in personality type to the little slug guy, but Drals might be good option.</div><div><br /></div><div>Translator Microbe: "<span style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px" class="Apple-style-span">These micro-biological organisms allow alien races to understand each other's speech. They "colonize at the base of the brain" and allow one to understand alien speech. The microbes can be injected, and go to work almost instantly. ("<a href="http://farscape.wikia.com/wiki/Premiere" style="color: #006cb0; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px" title="Premiere">Premiere</a>")</span></div><span style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px" class="Apple-style-span"><p style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px">Translator microbes seem only to be required by the individual who needs to understand alien languages, not the speaker. In other words, only the listener needs to carry the microbes in order to understand alien speech, but for two-way communication to occur, both parties need the microbes. Translator microbes do not work on writing, but with the speech down, most species have no problem learning how to read in various languages." </p><p style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px">However it is clear from comments in the show children are injected at birth and so it would not be known in the show how many people have them... but they worked on a planet with a species that had no space tech or contact with advanced species... </p><p style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px">"It is notable that there is, potentially, at least one alien species, the <a href="http://farscape.wikia.com/wiki/Kalish" style="color: #006cb0; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px" title="Kalish">Kalish</a>, who cannot tolerate translator microbes. When <a href="http://farscape.wikia.com/wiki/John_Crichton" style="color: #006cb0; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px" title="John Crichton">Crichton</a> first met <a href="http://farscape.wikia.com/wiki/Sikozu_Svala_Shanti_Sugaysi_Shanu" style="color: #006cb0; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px" title="Sikozu Svala Shanti Sugaysi Shanu">Sikozu</a>, who was a Kalish bioloid, had to learn English before she could understand what he was saying. His translator microbes allowed him to understand her.</p><p style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px">While living with the <a href="http://farscape.wikia.com/wiki/Acquaran" style="color: #006cb0; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px" title="Acquaran">Acquaran</a> people, Crichton learned some phrases, in particular a greeting, in the native tongue, even though the translator microbes otherwise facilitated two-way communication without the need for Crichton to completely learn their language. ("<a href="http://farscape.wikia.com/wiki/Jeremiah_Crichton" style="color: #006cb0; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px" title="Jeremiah Crichton">Jeremiah Crichton</a>") With help from John, Aeryn Sun learned English. Chiana and D'argo also learned a few English phrases as well. ("<a href="http://farscape.wikia.com/wiki/Kansas" style="color: #006cb0; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px" title="Kansas">Kansas</a>") How the microbes were bypassed in the case of Chiana and D'argo is unclear, but Aeryn learned English by watching human programming designed to improve child literacy, essentially learning through reading.</p><p style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px">There were certain alien languages that were too complex to be translated by the microbes unless "dumbed down." <a href="http://farscape.wikia.com/wiki/Pilot_(Moya)" style="color: #006cb0; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px" title="Pilot (Moya)">Pilot</a>'s first language as well as the language spoken by <a href="http://farscape.wikia.com/wiki/Diagnosan" style="color: #006cb0; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px" title="Diagnosan">Diagnosans</a> fell into this category. The Pilots' multitasking abilities allowed them to speak in an information dense language where one word could convey numerous ideas. Most other species they might converse with were unable to understand this language without this mental capability.</p><p style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px">NOTE: It's assumed that each character is simply speaking in their own native language, but D'Argo is often heard by the crew of Moya to speak phrases in Luxon, and Z'Haan is often heard praying in Delvian. It is expected that the translator microbes would allow these characters (and us, the viewers) to hear these words and phrases translated. Again, it's unclear how this bypass occurs."</p><p style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-width: 0px; padding: 0px">Obviously in the show this is away of dealing with everyone being able to communicate right away, for SF I suggest all parties must have the microbobes for it to work, the colonies in each individual make the translation possible... perhaps certain psychic mental mutations interfere or can work with the microbes without that PC/NPC having them. There maybe away for a character to tell them not to translate... this would allow actual language learning or privacy, or the microbes could actually help learning language faster as a perk.</p></span><span style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px" class="Apple-style-span">http://farscape.wikia.com/wiki/Translator_microbe</span></div>
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