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fringe - Is there an in universe explanation as to why the alternate universe is more advanced than ours?



In Fringe, it's revealed that there's an alternate universe that is almost identical to ours only they are more technologically advanced.


Is there an explanation as to why the alternate universe is about 30 years ahead of ours? As in where did the timeline diverge from our own?



Answer



It's not flat-out more advanced than "our" universe (which I'll refer to as "Over Here"). The other universe ("Over There") simply is a bit different. So some scientific and technological advances that happened Over Here didn't occur, and instead some other ones did. This resulted in some technology Over There being more advanced, and some being less advanced. Notably, Over Here had the science and technology that allowed Walter to build the portal to get Peter. However, Over There was missing some advancement that allowed Walternate to get Peter back by simply building an identical portal.


Another example is the cure to Peter's disease. Over There, Walternate managed to find one in time. Over Here, Walter was unable to. Walter was able to discover the parallel universe, and build the technology needed to view events happening Over There. And so on.


Some less plot-critical examples include:



  • Airplanes were never developed Over There - they use zeppelins instead.

  • Red Vines are a brand-new product Over There, in season 3.

  • While they have the tech to heal burn wounds and other critical injuries Over There in miraculous ways, they still have not eliminated smallpox.



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