Do we need different units? I mean, if they’re speaking english (or we can understand them as though they were), why would units and measurements be different? I’m sure if their word for space translates to space for us, the same applies to measurements, right?
Though i guess that it’s a bit less fun that way.
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Kind of spitballing here, but this takes place in the Milky Way? If so, the whole of the galaxy in which space opera will be set is rotating.
We base our years and days off of rotation, so why not apply the same for the whole galaxy concerning passage of time? You could perhaps use degrees or somesuch and then break units of time down from there.
This way, all of the galaxy would be unified without any particular bias (assuming other species measure rotation the same way, of course).
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Even if they’re all speaking the same language, the units themselves might be different sizes. Like, inches vs centimeters, different cultures come up with different measurements, language barriers or no
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Frogs
104
They might not be speaking English though. It might be some alien language and the game is just translated to English. In most fantasy games the real language people speak isn’t English either and it’s just translated so the players could understand it
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That’s more or less what I meant. If we understand everything they say game wise as english, why would units and measurements be different?
That’s actually a really good point that I hadn’t considered. I was thinking more semantically and didn’t really consider the mathematical aspect. If 1 zorp is equal to 1.2 meters, then I suppose you can’t really use them interchangeably without confusion. That was something I totally honestly had failed to consider. In that case I think you’re right, you would have to use new measurements.
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Mewsly
106
There could be a universally accepted measurement system that each species has its own terms for.
Character A: We need to go 1000 Glaps to the right.
Character B: What the heck is a Glap??
A: Oh, duh, you humans call it a meter!
B: Ohhhhh!
That doesn’t mean every race uses it, though.
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Numex
107
I’d say just use earth units to not make it confusing, preferably the metric system lol
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Adam_K
108
Why not the traditional universal translator? Everything that is spoken is automatically translated, no matter if humans use kilometers, miles or minutes aliens will understand in their language with values already converted. Fish and Mass Effect.
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Nazara
109
First of all, apologies for the length.
I would suggest that the fact there is an event with a variety of dignitaries indicates that there is a either standardised unit system or a magical all-encompassing translation system. If the former, maybe a throw away comment on how confusing it was to convert between things prior to standardisation.
Unless you’re planning on making this hard sci-fi, which I didn’t get the impression of, you could probably get away with using a Earth units. I would suggest this route if measurements like pressure or temperature are likely to crop up.
As @Bored4Eternity suggested, rotation is fairly standard way to measure time. Is there a particular ‘governing’ or ‘lead’ race who’s rotation/ atmosphere pressure etc. could be used to make it less Earth-centric? Alternately, use the mc’s planetary info. Planetary info in mass effect is given as x earth-years, y earth-atmospheres. Presumably on other species’ ships this is given with their home planet as the base unit.
If you do choose to create your own unit systems, I would suggest that conversions are relatively simple e.g. 1 alien distance measurement = 2 metres, instead of the conversion being something like -32x5/9 to get you back to earth units.
The tall and short of it is that by using Earth units or a single system with easily calculated conversions, you’ll accomodate both the people who skip over the numbers and those likely to pause to calculate if it breaks suspension of disbelief.
(Whistles inconspicuously)
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Good stuff from you fine folks.
I’m leaning toward a “it’s confusing at first, but the crew sits down and works it out, and begrudgingly goes with Earth measurements for most things, because Earth is a fairly dominant center of power and influence, but one or two more “exotic” measurements remain in place to accommodate the diversity of the crew.”
That accomplishes a couple of things:
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Introduces a little “alien” terminology to make it more exotic, but limits the confusion to the reader. Let’s say we use Earth meters for size measurement, and earth time, etc., but maybe we use Florgs for distance (or perhaps the pilot/navigator insists upon it).
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By making Earth dominant, I can keep things from getting TOO advanced (as someone said, there’s no reason Earth can’t be one of the more advanced civs). Also, by making Earth dominant, it makes more sense that your alien character might think/view things somewhat similarly to how a Terran might view things, with some notable differences. This makes it MUCH easier for me to write, because I won’t have to “translate” from the MC’s view all the time. It will be akin to differences between people from different countries might be in real life; a common basic frame of reference, but with cultural differences.
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Frogs
111
Yeah I agree with that. Making other measurements could unnecessarily complicate things and confuse people
I’d rather like to have the setting’s “humans” be from somewhere other then Earth, so we can possibly encounter our Earth as a backward planet that even the setting’s humans “forgot” along the uncivilized and barely explored edges of the galaxy. 
As for the system of measurements if most or all of the humanoid races here descended from a single galaxy spanning precursor empire, maybe we could fall back on their units of measurement, particularly if the systems of the individual races are just evolutions of that one anyway.
Whatever you do if you use an Earth system please consider using metric.
There’s no reason for not making it a backwater the crew might get to visit out on the edges of the galaxy either. You can still make the Humans fairly dominant without making Earth the center of their civilization.
Maybe in this universe Atlantis and the myths of “ancient astronauts” we’re supposedly all descendants of is real.
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Will definitely use Metric if I use Terran systems…
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I did understand that some humans may originate somewhere other than Earth (since it’s the future and they might’ve migrated), although I believe it would be reasonable that they use the unit system from a place they originate from. Although, it’s not totally outlandish if they don’t anymore. Still, if this story still has Earth existing (and by exist, I mean not abandoned), then it could still be viable.
Also if my Engrish is funky here, I’m having a stomach ache
Today’s broadcast brought to you by the Imperial system, making things harder than they had to be since the 19th century.
I do have to say, as a group of low level bureaucrats, the Imperial system would play into the trope about inneficient bureaucracy.
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You should make the ship you escape on ends up being a top secret earth vessel with an AI in control of it. (like the Normandy sr2 in mass effect)
But then make it so the AI speaks like a British Butler who insists on English terms and when the crew try to argue it threatens to jettison crucial parts of the ship.
That could be hilarious.
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2xs
117
While an interesting idea, it take the galaxy 230 million Earth years to rotate once.
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Yeah, that’s true. You’d have to end up using partial degrees of rotation to mark time, which would complicate matters. Unless you just wanted to play it off for laughs — like that scene from Men in Black that holds a galactic standard week to be the equivalent of one hour on Earth.
Well it might have been suitable once, if there really was a more or less galaxy spanning precursor empire all the humanoid races descend from. It would also be easy to understand why the post-fall surviving races would have moved away from it.
This isn’t a horror story right, hopefully? Please no incomprehensible imperial system gibberish. 
Although it might be fun if the feet stand not for human feet but those of the revered (and absolutely crazy) emperor Rygel MCMLXXXII. 
Though if the different systems feature at all it should probably be for comedy in the first episode and maybe the occasional throwaway reference later on. But the crew should probably settle on some sort of system comprehensible to us readers with one, maybe two of the measurements (which would need to be explained in a codex for handy viewer reference) as exceptions.
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Character creation, coded and done.
Stats page, coded and done.
Story summaries of first four episodes, done.
Outline of Episode 1, partially done.
Will jump into the meat of Episode 1 this weekend when I finally get some peace. 
I anticipate getting a demo out this month.
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