The Gang of Five
The Land Before Time => General Land Before Time => Topic started by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on February 04, 2008, 01:45:38 AM
-
The term "Starday" has been universally accepted to mean birthday, since it's mentioning in the similarly named TV episode. However, there was a refrence to birthdays much earlier in the franchise.
In LBT5, when the gang was walking to the Mysterious Island over the land bridge, Cera griped, "Its like waiting for your hatch day, it never seems to get any closer!"
To be honest, the first time I heard this line, I thought she meant the actual day that one hatches out of their egg, (for example, mine would be December 8 1988, as opposed to just December 8). For the next few minutes untill the giant wave blasted it's way on screen and drove all else from my mind, I was sitting thinking about the implications of this statement (does that mean unborn dinosaurs are in their egg, already awake and thinking before they hatch? What would it be like to be trapped in an egg like that for so long? Would they really think of their hatch day in relation to 'closer,' not knowing what hatching is yet?) Soon after, some slightly more logical part of my brain took over, and I realized she might have just meant every generic birthday, and immediately dropped all the intriguing thoughts about being trapped in an egg, waiting for days on end for the Hatch Day to arrive.
However, then the TV Series came along, and this new episode established very clearly and indisputably that a birthday is known as a Starday, not a Hatch Day.
Does this mean that a Hatch Day could really refer to just the day of hatching, and only the day of hatching? Would that mean Cera's statement shows that, in the LBT universe, unborn dinosaurs are still awake and aware of their surroundings while still in their egg? I know the producers probably were not meaning to imply this, but it's a really interesting idea all the same.
-
Starday is not used by everyone since as I recall Ruby had to explain what she meant by Starday. Hatchday makes more sense though I doubt dinos keep track of dates and such.
As for being aware I"m sure they have some awareness before they hatch. They likely hear their parent's voices and other sounds, though if they remember any of this may be impossible to say. It depends on how developed their brains are when they hatch. Human infants brains are not fully developed from what I recall of what I've heard and has to develop after they are born.
Though since LBT is fantasy and animated lots of science and biology may not apply.
-
I always understood hatchday to be a general term for birthday rather than "the" day of hatching in general. In earlier discussions (discussions which took place years ago) it was also discussed how the dinosaurs would know it is their birthday at all. The observing of stars and their position towards landmarks in the Great Valley was given as a reason. It makes me wonder if the makers of "The starday celebration" (one of the six episodes I watched so far) read those discussions. I consider it more likely than not that some of those involved with the production of LBT are reading messages here but don't post (possibly fearing that they might end up being flooded with fanmail). It would be quite nice to have someone who could give us some firsthand account on how the plots are drafted respectively how they are realized and if there are discussions among the production team about some of the topics debated here as well.
Anyway, I am getting of topic.
Another point that suggests such extreme degree of memory among the LBT dinosaurs is that in LBT 5 Cera knows that she is the oldest in the group (though what we see in the original movie may suggest this as a claim rather than a fact). I still don't suppose a memory beyond the eggshell to be likely. Are there any cases where LBT dinosaurs don't remember anything (anything more recent than their hatching)?
The Germany translation of Cera's LBT 5 quote (probably not to be considered canon, but still interesting) would read: "This is like waiting for hatching." Hatching in general rather than the own hatching. The image that springs to mind when hearing the translation is that of the Gang impatiently waiting for Chomper too hatch in LBT 2.
-
Could it be that one means Hatchday, if one had been borned on a day when it isn¥t dark and Starday, if it¥s night?
-
In the english version Cera may have meant it figuratively rather then meaning she remembers being in her egg waiting till the day she was going to hatch. For example, "I can't wait till I hatch 15 bright times from now. Will that day never come?"
-
I think the starday was when the egg was laid and a hatch day is when the egg hatches. :p
-
Starday is not used by everyone since as I recall Ruby had to explain what she meant by Starday.
Oh, I haven't seen that episode yet. What was her definition of a Starday?
-
I don't have her dialog exact but it's pretty close.
Ruby: "A starday is the day you hatch. My mom said that same star was in the sky in the same place when I hatched."
-
Lately in the TV series, mr. Clubtail(I'm not sure, if i wrote this name correctly) were saying about a star day too. So, maybe it's a celebration for someone, who was born under a special star? That sounds like a roots of astrology and Zodiac signs. :)
-
That or it could be a custom some dinosaurs follow and some do not.