It annoys me that they referred to the magic drive as a “Lightspeed Drive” when literally everyone is already using faster than light space travel technology or they wouldn’t be able to get around in any sort of practical timeframe, much less at the speeds depicted in the movie.
Quite enjoyed the movie + 90s nostalgia, though. Certainly it did more for me than the little I’ve read of Captain Marvel in the comics. Though it’s hardly alone in that respect. The rights issues mean that nearly the entire MCU is focused on characters I have little if any history with in their original format - I never read Iron Man, Avengers, Thor, etc etc. I’ve gone back since and read a few things but it can be pretty hard to sort the wheat from the extensive fields of chaff in superhero comics. (Did read a fair amount of Brubaker’s run on Captain America and the Civil War miniseries, though!)
This issue has already been addressed. A lightspeed drive is different from their current mode of travel, which is a jump drive. They currently travel between jump points and then have to cover the other distances at sub light speeds. A light speed drive would allow movement around the galaxy without the restrictions of jump points. Its like going from a bicycle to a motorcycle. It would give the race owning it a major advantage.
Sure, being able to go at the speed of light would make the trips between jump points faster, and I could buy that being an advantage. But since it would take literally years at light speed to go between even adjacent systems, I don’t see it obsoleting jump points in any meaningful way or being the degree of advantage that’s suggested. Being able to directly connect two points in space the way the Space Gem apparently can, on the other hand, absolutely an enormous advantage. But way, waaaaay beyond just lightspeed.
The space flight rules for the MCU aren’t super clear. Bruce Banner (as the Hulk) took off in a jet at the end of Avengers 2 from Earth and somehow ended up on a different planet. He presumably had no knowledge of any sort of intergalactic jump gate system so how did that work?
Also it appears that the Bifrost Bridge allows for instantaneous travel, and Heimdal manages to use it from an arbitrary point in space (a ship) to another arbitrary point (NY’s Sanctum).
Yeah, you have to do some serious hand-waving of already established MCU space travel to make the “Lightspeed Engine” work as a logical MacGuffin. It’s dumb. I can live with it, but it’s dumb, and I feel a little exasperated when people try to explain it.
Or it’s just a name, and it doesn’t literally mean it propels a ship at (only) the speed of light.
But my pet (unlikely) theory is that they were throwing “lightspeed” around so much so they can allude to Carol not aging as being due to relativistic effects.
In the comics, he’s betrayed by Reed Richards et al and they programmed in the destination. But then, in the comics, the space part of the continuity has been part of storylines for decades.
This was my takeaway; it was A lightspeed drive, not THE lightspeed drive. So perhaps this was just a super-fast and/or super-efficient variety which made galaxy-to-galaxy travel feasible. But in the end, any thought of actual physics is always going to require handwaving in super hero films.
I think “Tessaract Drive” would have been a totally workable name for it. Somebody in the studio probably did some focus group testing with idiots, however.
Perhaps they use both. A Jump drive to between jump points and then a light speed drive for the rest of the trip. That would cut a substantial amount of travel time and would be a major advantage. It doesn’t have to “obsolete” a Jump drive to be advantageous. Anyway, in a universe where some beings can take the full concentrated force of a sun and survive, this seems like a weird point to get hung up on.
Saw this yesterday. Some of the jokes fell flat. One emotional scene was entirely unearned, and coupled with the swelling music, an actual LOL moment for me. I couldn’t decide if BL isn’t a great actor or if the script is just kinda “meh” in parts.
Also, not that they are supposed to be surprising, but all of the plot turns to me were advertised well in advance. I turned to my sister and muttered in the opening scene, “Are you still an effective team, Jack?” Although I don’t think that ruined my enjoyment.
Additional details: I liked this movie and it was worth it for the kitty.
