Changes: Dimension Two

Revision as of 22:10, 4 February 2019

Dimension Two (D2) is how Counterpart Starz Wikia designates the other dimension featured on the new Starz Original Series Counterpart. It is a subjective designation because whichever dimension an observer is from would be "dimension one" to that observer making The Other Side "dimension two."

Observed Differences Between D1 and D2

Architecture is very modern, tends toward taller more elaborate buildings in D2.
Clothing tends toward muted colors in D2.
Medical technology is far more advanced in D2. Treatments for HIV and gene therapy originated there before being applied in D1.
Strict laws govern public health in D2. Failure to report illness is a crime. Cigarettes and all tobacco products were outlawed by D2 European countries in 1999.
The eating of pork is no longer culturally acceptable in D2 because The Flu spread through swine and it is no longer sold.
Cleanliness is highly prized in D2 with an entire industry dedicated to not just cleaning but also disinfecting and sanitizing homes and apartments.
D2 residents claim their environment is cleaner including less pollution in the world’s oceans. They claim this results in better quality/safer seafood than in D1.
There seems to be a much smaller urban population in D2 partially due to the high death toll from The Flu, but also due to a cultural shift away from large gatherings and social groupings.
Personal electronics are more advanced and more plentiful in D1. D2 is still using very basic flip phones.
Large oil reserves were found in the Pacific of D2. They remain undiscovered in D1.
Pop star Prince is dead in D1 but still alive and creating new music in D2, "his best work in years". Customs officers catch three smugglers trying to sneak contraband Prince music from D2 into D1. (season 1 episode 6)

Showrunner Justin Marks tells Counterpart Starz Wiki that weather patterns can be vastly different from one dimension to the other as well.

The Flu

(Main Article The Flu)

Some of the differences between worlds are apparently due to an epidemic of The Flu which killed a large swath of the population. This changed the priorities for the governments of the world.

The Flu epidemic wiped out 7% of the human population over a period of four years. This attack appears to be at the heart of much of the current conflict within the ranks on the fourth floor at Dimension Two's Office of Interchange and the growing crisis in Dimension One .

Dimension Two has passed public health laws that make it a crime to be sick without seeking treatment. Failure to report a sick person who is not seeking treatment is also a crime.

The pandemic also resulted in a more aggressive push toward new medical technology. Creator Justin Marks explains, "Their medical technology is actually quite advanced and really wonderful, but smartphones, just typical electronics, are not as advanced ..."

History

In 1986, during the Cold War between the United States and the USSR, there was an accident during an experiment in the USSR-controlled area of East Berlin. At the time, the universe split into two identical copies (Dimension One and Dimension Two).

While identical in every way at the moment the Crossing opened and for several years after, the two sides hit The Break and diverged significantly after that.

The location of the accident, now known simply as "The Crossing", became a nexus point allowing travel between the two dimensions

The Office of Interchange is the name of the bureaucracy that controls access, diplomacy, and espionage between dimensions.

Why Numbered Dimensions?

The writers used the shorthand "Alpha" when dealing with the Howard Silk from Dimension One. They referred to his counterpart as "Prime" making Dimension Two technically the "Prime Dimension." As these behind-the-scenes designations might cause confusion for readers on this site and elsewhere, Counterpart Wiki is using a simple numbering system based on where the majority of the action in the first episode, The Crossing, takes place while Dimension Two is most referenced as "the other side" at the beginning of the show.

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 *Large oil reserves were found in the Pacific of D2. They remain undiscovered in D1.
 *Pop star Prince is dead in D1 but still alive and creating new music in D2, "his best work in years". Customs officers catch three smugglers trying to sneak contraband Prince music from D2 into D1. (season 1 episode 6)
-*It appears that the European Union was never formed. This is hinted throughout the series. A Lack of EU emblems on car licences plates, non EU standard ID's, blue passports instead of the familiar burgundy and a non-Euro currency.
 Showrunner Justin Marks tells [[Counterpart Starz Wiki]] that weather patterns can be vastly different from one dimension to the other as well.