Bad Astronomy review of "Superman Returns"

"Bill Steele" wrote in message
...

[re the first Reeve movie]

... I don't believe it was ever specified that Krypton was
outside our own [galaxy]...

Phantom Stranger has since posted some more direct
evidence of Krypton being in another galaxy (Jor-El
dialogue), and I'm still very vaguely remembering a
reference by Superman to Lois, perhaps in the rooftop
interview scene with them. At the beginning of Smallville
season 5, Clark also tells Chloe Sullivan that Krypton is
in another galaxy, though he has no personal knowledge
of that. With the series ongoing it could be retconned
that he didn't know the exact story (see a possibility later).
In any case the first Reeve movie does seems to have
started the intergalactic ball rolling in Superman, and not
in a good way IMO.

Adding to your point about our ability to detect planets,
I also recall reading that NASA has plans for a large
space telescope to be placed further out in our solar
system, which would have the ability to visually detect
Earth-size planets circling close enough stars. In any
event that's why I wrote "the idea that astronomers
would detect much of anything in terms of planetary
debris becomes *even_more* ludicrous". "Even more"
in the sense that, as you noted, the existing ability in
this area is limited even for close systems in our own
galaxy, without taking it to another. It's at least plausible
though, in a near-future context, to detect major debris
from a rocky planet breakup around a closer star.

*My* nitpick is that if Krypton posesses the knowledge
of many galaxies it means interstellar travel is common-
place to them...

There are nitpicks like that, but they don't get so much
to the science as the technology part of it. Perhaps
Krypton was just xenophobic for example, and very
tightly controlled technology and space travel before
the end came. Then Jor-El was the only one who could
get his son out in time.

There was another poster who responded on ramcf to
your post, saying the many-Kryptonian-space-travelers
premise in your nitpick was part of Smallville. To expand
on that for those not familiar with the series (and I'll bring
it back to the astronomy theme as well), there are no
organic Kryptonian survivors except for Clark. There
have been technology-based "transferences" of sorts
where people have been possessed or embodied, and
artificial intelligence avatars, and the Phantom Zone has
also been introduced. There are also legends and some
evidence of Kryptonian visits to Earth prior to Krypton's
demise.

Slowly getting back to the astronomy angle, and in light of
the intergalactic element that's unnecessary, I'm not at all
opposed to different incarnations of the story doing their
own versions of this. One way of looking at the premise of
Smallville -- and I think it's an element that helps give it a
potential for greatness -- is that everything is condensed
("Small" -- get it?). Lex Luthor is there from day 1, and
Metropolis is just over yonder from Smallville, and the
various threats and future threats that Clark faces, in terms
of his Kryptonian heritage and other villains, show up
before he reaches his teens. (The three main younger
characters, Clark, Lana and Chloe all only turn 20 in this
upcoming season 6). There's also the twist of Chloe
Sullivan having been there from episode 1 and now
being the Daily Planet reporter character. She's already
had a front page byline at the age of 19, and used her
cousin Lois Lane as a pen name for a Planet story she
handed in in season 3, while her cousin played by Erica
Durance (who showed up in season 4) has yet to show
an interest in journalism.

How to continue the "everything condensed" theme?
During that "Krypton is a comet" discussion, it occurred
to me that all the things the show has hinted at could be
explained by Krypton literally being local. This can be
made plausible if it were a large rocky planet with an
atmosphere between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter,
where the asteroid belt is now. Yes, it would have been
cold but there's the Ice Planet nature of Krypton that's
already been established in the Reeve series (and has
also had a Chloe quip about that in episode 5 "Cool").

Advanced technology could have provided a power
source from the planet's core. Things go awry, planet
breaks up, and this could be written to have happened
far enough back to address the "Chinese astronomers
should have detected or recorded it" nitpick. Then add
the already-established-in-the-Superman-mythos long
trajectory and suspended animation to explain why Clark
didn't arrive until later, along with a meteor shower that
is tougher to make work on an intergalactic scale (you
have to have the meteors caught in the ship's warp
field and taken along for the ride).

It would explain why Earth was always of interest to
Kryptonians, including archaeological evidence around
the world that is part of Smallville canon. I'll also assert
(until someone proves me wrong!) that it's impenetrable
in terms of nitpicks as I've described it. I think it'd be
an interesting and very suitable twist on the story that
perfectly fits the "Small"-ville premise.

(Interesting anecdote that I ran across within the past
week or two, from an interview that was done with the
Superman Returns actor Brandon Routh. It was done
at the time they'd started shooting but presumably part
of the deal was not to publish many of those interviews
until the movie's release. Anyway, he may have been
told not mention it after that because the presence of
Smallville has always been a bit of a minefield for the
movie and vice versa. It turns out Routh auditioned for
the Clark Kent role in Smallville and received a callback,
before it ultimately went to Welling. I think it worked out
for the best and Smallville at least retains a shot at Best
Incarnation Ever at this point, including perhaps its own
movie series after the TV run).