Questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

These are questions relating to specific titles. General questions for movies and TV shows are here. Members get e-mailed when any of their questions are answered.

Question: Where did Merry learn to fight? In the extended addition he was killing orcs very well. Yet in the books it says the hobbits never had any war (Not in Merry's time) so they wouldn't need combat practice.

Answer: Hobbits are naturally very fast and agile, which plays very much in their favour in battle despite their lack of combat experience. Their small stature causes foes to underestimate them, or even miss them completely, which gives them an edge. The hobbits also travelled for many days with several highly experienced fighters - we see Boromir teaching them; it's likely that Aragorn and the others passed on some training as well.

Tailkinker

Question: Is it possible that the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the force is talking about Luke Skywalker? They all think it is Anakin but Luke is the one to defeat the remaining Sith. I've never seen anybody make the connection and was wondering if it is true.

Answer: Anakin/Darth Vader is in fact the one who brings balance to the force and destroys the remaining sith by throwing Darth Sidious over the edge and removing his life support.

dgemba dgemba

The Rebirth (3) - S4-E3

Question: What exactly happens to the Decepticons? Because at the end we see Galvatron flying in a ship with a Quintesson, surly the producers could have killed Galvatron, but just leaving us with a cliffhanger that will never be answered? Can someone tell me if anything happened after that?

Answer: The cliffhanger was never followed up on: basically, that's it for these characters!

Daria Sigma

Question: A few times in the movie, you can see Illinois license plates. Is Gotham supposed to be in Illinois?

Answer: It's not exactly known where Gotham is suppose to take place but the movie was filmed in Chicago, Illinois.

Toolio

Answer: Actually in the DC universe, Gotham is meant to represent an over-the-top version of Chicago. Metropolis is the New York stand in.

Answer: Gotham is understood to be NYC on steroids and/or acid.

dizzyd

Answer: It is a mistake, Gotham City is canonically in New Jersey. It's a short distance from Metropolis.

Greg Dwyer

True of the comics, but the Christopher Nolan Batman films are their own self-contained universe.

Jon Sandys

Question: In the Camelot scene, there is a man that says something like "I like to push the pramalot" what is he saying and what does it mean?

Answer: He says "I have to push the pram a lot!" implying that he's left to look after the children.

dgemba dgemba

Answer: There isn't much meaning. It's a funny idea that a knight has to push a stroller and the words "pram a lot" are there because they rhyme with Camelot.

Question: Near the beginning of the film, there is a character named Bomb Voyage who speaks French with English subtitles. What does he say in the French version of the film?

Answer: He says the exact same thing, and in French, but they used a different actor (the actor in the English version speaks with a highly exaggerated and ridiculous accent). Oddly enough though, they kept the English subtitles.

Question: Is it true that a T-Rex's vision is based on movement?

Answer: According to noted paleontologist Jack Horner, who acted as a consultant on this film, it is not known whether or not a T-Rex's vision was based on movement. However, because some reptiles do have this trait, Horner said it's possible that a T-Rex could have it as well, and he didn't object to it being in the movie. Being as these are not pure dinosaurs, it's plausible.

raywest

Kent Stevens conducted an experiment to figure out what kind of vision T-rex had.

There is evidence that T. Rex had excellent binocular vision, and could see you even if you didn't move.

Answer: It's unlikely. As a large and top-heavy predator, the T. Rex would have needed excellent vision to be sure that it didn't fall over and injure itself. As it also had overlapping binocular vision (similar to predatory birds, predatory mammals, and humans), it most likely had very good vision, especially since prey freezing in place (like a deer in headlights) is a common thing. This is a holdover from the first book, which is also lampshaded as a bad theory in the second book.

LorgSkyegon

Kent Stevens determined that T-rex had a depth perception of 55°. That's better than hawks and eagles.

Question: As the mine explodes at the end of the movie would it actually be possible for all of the prisoners to escape? Because the shots right before the detonation we see them still running down the steps and some just leaving the cells. How would they be able to get far enough away to be unharmed?

Answer: It's unlikely all the prisoners could escape unscathed. This is an example of suspension of disbelief.

raywest

Question: Why is Darian changed to Adrian in the TV version?

Answer: The scriptwriter based the film on events that actually happened to him and rather unwisely didn't change the name of the girl. She sued him, hence the change of the name for the TV version.

Tailkinker

Question: How much of the sword fighting/horse stunts were actually done by the actors? For example the scene where Alejandro gets Tornado back after being chased by the Mexican soldiers.

Answer: In the DVD extras for The Legend of Zorro, it is said that Antonio (Alejandro) is extremely keen on doing all his own stunts (to the point where they sometimes have to tell him when to stop) and that even the scenes with the carriage races were done in real life rather than CGI. Judging by this, I'm guessing most of the fighting and stunts in the first film were also done by at least Antonio, and probably the others.

Answer: A little obvious: the second film was a box office disaster, so Burt bowed out.

Tangent - S4-E12

Question: While Jack and Tel'c are stranded in space, Maj Carter talks to them via the long range radio, when she finishes she gives the time and then Zulu. What does that mean?

Answer: Zulu time is another name for Greenwich Mean Time, often used as a worldwide time standard.

pross79

Question: Why is "1138" supposedly hidden as a uniform number?

Answer: The number 1138 appears in five of the six Star Wars films - it's only missing from Return of the Jedi. It's a reference to an early film directed by Lucas, entitled THX-1138.

Tailkinker

Question: What do the characters in this movie mean by 'hook up'?

Answer: Hooking up is to get together for sex or a relationship.

Grumpy Scot

Question: This is probably been asked over and over again, but please. Just why were these people stuck in a cube? Why them? Why not somebody else? Is this set in the future? Anybody with any details is helpful here.

Answer: The 'victims' are put into the cube for different reasons... Some are death row inmates. Others are ex-employees or contractors and some are people who may 'know too much' and present a risk to the secrecy of the whole operation. Then there's the lab rats (Kazan in particular) who seem to be some kind of experimental test subjects (either for science or some sick fetish). Simon was put in there to hunt and kill an ex-employee of IZON. Sasha chose to go in to escape IZON. Kate works for IZON and was sent in to the hypercube to retrieve information and find a way out. As for whether it's set in the future or not is hard to say as there are not many clear references to to time period or location that don't seem a little contradictory, as if to say 'it doesn't matter where or when you are if you're in the cube'. The clothing worn by the characters in Hypercube is suggestive of modern fashion so it seems relatively present day, but having said that, the 'variable time-speed rooms' seem to be able to allow huge amounts of time to pass reasonably quickly (relative only to the subject who is affected). For example, Simon ages a good 20 years in 5 minutes, while Sasha and Kate (who didn't enter any variable time-speed rooms) seem unaffected by comparison. Poor Jerry is even made to have multiple failed attempts at the cube in a 'repeating time loop' that seems to follow him rather than being a feature of the cube itself. Cube Zero (the prequel) has technology and decor in the monitoring room reminiscent of the '50s but then has computers that surpass modern units, also, the technology behind the hatches, to traps and lighting seems advanced enough to be modern day. '50s clothing, modern lingo. It seems that time and location outside the cube has no relevance whatsoever to those inside it anyway. I think one of the reasons this trilogy is hugely popular is that it poses way more questions than it even bothers to try and answer. Hypercube in particular as it takes the concept of linear time-space, turns it inside out then doesn't even tell you why.

Question: Near the end of the film when they are coming into the Shire, the old hobbit shakes his head at the 4 of them, he's also seen in the first movie. Does he have a name in the books or anything?

Answer: The grumpy old hobbit was named Odo Proudfoot in the books, but was renamed Everard Proudfoot in the movies.

Sierra1

Answer: From the IMDB: Mila Kunis replaced an uncredited Lacey Chabert as the voice of Meg in the second production season. Erratic air dates and production times saw various second season episodes aired before first season episodes on FOX, causing the voice of Meg to jump back and forth. One episode ("There's Something About Paulie") features a Season 1 production code but a Season 2 Meg so it is included on the R2/R4 Season 2 DVD set. Cast and crew members all seem to have different stories on why she left. Some say it was because of failed contract negotiations, while others say it was because she didn't agree with the show's content.

weetie21

Question: Can someone give me the top 5 most powerful characters in middle earth? Including Gandalf the White and Grey as different characters.

Answer: It really is impossible to give a completely accurate list about this, as there are many meanings to the word "power", and no measuring unit for it. But here's my attempt: 1. SAURON, since he can take on the rest of the world, including the other people on this list 2. TOM BOMBADIL. He is in the book, but was left out of the movies. Within his own realm, the Old Forest of the North, he is all-powerful. Everything, including the Ring, is under his command as long as they are in his territory, but he does not have any power outside it. 3. GANDALF THE WHITE, since he is given additional power after his return, and becomes the most powerful of the wizards. 4. SARUMAN. Head of the White Council, and the wisest, most knowledgeable and powerful of all the wizards, except Gandalf the White. 5. GANDALF THE GREY. One of the first Maia spirits to be chosen to go as wizards to Middle Earth, and with his strength increased by wearing Narya, the Red Ring of Fire, he would have to be very close to Saruman in power.We never really see Elrond and Galadriel put forth all of their powers, so it is impossible to say where they fit into this "hierarchy", but as Elf-Lords (and with their Rings of Earth and Water, respectively) they possess tremendous power as well. Also, Aragorn (as king) and Treebeard have power of their own, but of different kinds, in the ability to lead Men and make Nature rise up in anger, so they could also be candidates for this list.

Twotall

Show generally

Question: How in the world did Hikaru Sulu, whom under all circumstances is Japanese, end up with that last name? Even in the novelization of the Star Trek IV, he meets his great (great.) grandfather named Akira Sulu. (Question is aimed more for a production explanation than a story-based one.)

Answer: Production explanation: Gene Roddenberry took the name Hikaru from the legendary Japanese novel "Tale of Genji" and Sulu from the Sulu Sea, located in Southeast Asia. Roddenberry wanted a universal-Asian name and said, "[Since] the waters of a sea touch all shores," the name Sulu was perfect. Story-based explanation: presumably somewhere in Sulu's family line there was a non-Japanese (probably Filipino) male whose surname was passed on.

Sierra1

Question: Faramir and the Rangers captured Frodo, Sam, and Gollum in Ithilien. They marched overland to the outskirts of Osgiliath."Osgiliath burns." There they were freed by Faramir after the Nazgul attack. But when Faramir spoke with Gandalf and Pippen in Minas Tirith, he said he saw Frodo and Sam in Ithilien not two days hence. Weren't they just in Osgiliath?

scwilliam

Chosen answer: Yes, but as Osgiliath is on the border to Ithilien and Frodo & co. went in that direction, it would be natural for Faramir to give that answer to Gandalf when Gandalf wanted to know where they were. Faramir also knew that it would take them more than two days to cross Ithilien, so that is where they would be at the time he spoke to Gandalf.

Twotall

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