Question: Are there any ways Clark could have saved his father from the tornado without the need for superspeed and thus risk his secret getting out before the time was right?
Answered 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: What does Luke think happened to his mother before he meets Obi-Wan and learns that his father was a Jedi? Has this been mentioned anywhere?
Answer: It's never mentioned in the original movies what Luke believed about his mother's demise. His foster aunt and uncle probably never knew her identity, and Obi-Wan likely provided little information other than Luke's name. They apparently learned at some point that Vader was the father. Lars and Beru probably told Luke that his mother died from natural causes shortly after his birth.
According to the recent series about Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan didn't even know, right away, that Anakin became Darth Vader. He thinks that he left Anakin to die after their fight on Mustafar, and Vader is literally a separate person. Only ten years later does he find out that Anakin became Vader. If you think this change is weird and unnecessary, you're not the only one.
It is rather weird, though it kind of explains why Obi-Wan, believing Anakin was dead, would reveal Luke's real name to Lars and Beru. Even so, it would have been wiser to use a false surname. Of course, it also makes little sense that Obi-Wan, after learning about Vader, wouldn't tell Lars and Beru to change Luke's last name to protect him and themselves. It sounds like a typical plot point revision after people notice inconsistencies in the storyline.
Good point. But I thought Force users could sense when someone close to them dies. Anakin could feel his mother's pain, and later, Vader says he felt that Padme was still alive.
Just more plot inconsistencies, though Obi-Wan, the one who inflicted the pain, would have been sensing as well as witnessing Anakin's agony in the moment, leading to him assume Anakin would quickly die. He could have dismissed any later Force disturbances he felt regarding Anakin, believing him dead.
Question: When Stanley first met up with Charlie and their dates at the Coco Bongo, why did the admission guy refuse to let him inside? The guy knows Charlie (they greet each other), and he allowed the two women to follow Charlie inside, so why not Stanley?
Answer: Because Stanley didn't appear to be part of the group, as Stanley doesn't immediately follow them. The bouncer, at least, didn't see it that way. Charlie also doesn't say anything to the bouncer about Stanley before he himself goes through.
Question: When Seth teleports a plate with a piece of steak on it, why doesn't the steak merge with the plate?
Answer: Short answer, because the plate doesn't have DNA. Initially the pod was making synthetic versions of what was being teleported, which is why it turned the baboon inside out and made the steak taste funny but inanimate objects appeared OK. It was only later, after reprogramming, that the pods could basically identify tissue to teleport living organisms. However, with the fly present, the pod's programming couldn't distinguish there were two separate living organisms and ended up combining them. It didn't happen with the plate because the pod recognized it as a separate object.
Answer: Something non-biological can't merge with something biological.
Except that later on, a portion of the telepod merges with the Brundlefly.
Question: Why did the Princess not have money with her at the market? She could easily disguise herself as a lower-class person who has some amount of money with her, like the other shoppers.
Answer: Despite being a princess, Jasmine likely did not have access to money. Royals are known to never carry cash on their persons. Everything in Jasmine's life is controlled, and whatever she needs or wants is provided. She is young, naive, and has been so pampered and sheltered from the real world that she'd probably never consider how currency works.
Question: Sidious/Palpatine killed three of the Jedi who came to confront him in his office, fought Mace Windu until Anakin arrived, and later, Yoda could not defeat him. Considering this, why is Luke such a big threat to him years later?
Answer: Probably because Luke is Vader's son. Palpatine knows it creates complications and a conflict of conscience and loyalty with Vader, who becomes torn between serving the Emperor and his underlying feelings for Luke. Despite Vader's assurance that Luke will join them or die, Palpatine remains wary.
Question: I once read something about a chimpanzee being in this movie somewhere. No joke. Has anyone else read or heard this?
Answer: This is likely what you are referring to: When the Emperor first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, he was portrayed by Marjorie Eaton under heavy makeup. Chimpanzee eyes were superimposed into darkened eye sockets during post-production. Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palpatine#:~:text=over%20military%20force.-, Portrayal, was%20voiced%20by%20Clive%20Revill.
Question: Why does Director Jacobs authorize Secret Service protection for Speaker Trumbull when he becomes Acting President when the Speaker of the House already has a protection detail? Or, does the Speaker of the House normally not have any? Was that just for a dramatic moment in the film to show that, even in a crisis, things still happen by arrangement?
Answer: Tip O'Neill didn't have a security detail.
Question: Do Presidents make last-minute trips to other locations in the world? Or would that not be possible due to a safety concern? In reality, would somebody else attend the funeral in the President's place?
Answer: I worked security in the 1990s, in Houston, Tx, when Clinton was in office. I was working the George R. Brown convention center. One day I went to get my paycheck, when I spotted several men surrounding the building. I asked if there was an event inside the building, they said they were Secret Service agents and there was a possibility that the President may make a visit. I asked, really. They said it was a possibility, he might stop by but could change his mind at the drop of a hat. Those men waited for nearly ten hours all day and in the end, Clinton didn't come.
Question: Why did Paul insist on taking the van rather than getting in the Humvees with everyone else? When Harry stops by the motel later to pick up ELF, we see that most if not all the equipment got left behind. We also see behind Paul a number of times whilst he's driving, and the van looks empty so it's not like it had all their gear in it.
Answer: Maybe he liked his van very much. Maybe he purchased it for his own money and it was expensive.
Question: Why did Nigel Hawthorne dislike both Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes?
Answer: Several reasons. Hawthorne was reluctant to accept the role, but thought the story had some merits and hoped the movie would help him professionally. The script was constantly being revised during filming, and he found the overall production unpleasant. Hawthorne didn't directly clash with Stallone or Snipes but their enormous egos and being constantly late, often keeping cast and crew waiting, was irritating. Stallone and Snipes were self-involved and showed little interest in Hawthorne, offending him. He also found Stallone's acting style annoying. Hawthorne also thought director Joel Silver was quirky.
Question: Did they ever say what Cotton did for a living?
Answer: He installed asbestos in schools. It's not said what he did after that, but he complained about all his work being undone.
Question: Who was the werewolf that chased and killed the guy in the beginning?
Answer: It was Serafine and the guy she attacked was her stepdad Thierry. Thierry believed that he had found a cure for Serafine's lycanthropy and injected her with it. However, instead of curing her, it caused her to transform into a werewolf and attack him. Serafine, however, didn't kill Thierry. Claude did.
Question: Whenever Freddy emerges from Jesse in the real world, why doesn't he have his glove on? Why are his blades coming out of his fingers?
Answer: He's a dream demon and uses his powers to torment Jesse in any way he could, including having claws or even Freddy himself burst out of Jesse.
Question: Ron's wand gets broken, and for the rest of the year, he has to use it even though it doesn't cast spells properly. Why doesn't the school just get Ron a new wand? His parents can't afford one because of how expensive they must be, but surely one of the teachers could take him to Ollivander's and help him get another one.
Answer: I agree with what RayWest said. Another possible factor is that Ron damaged his wand when the flying car crashed into the Whomping Willow, which upsets the Hogwarts staff and Ron's parents. I can imagine Mrs. Weasley wanting him to deal with the consequences of his actions for the rest of the school year.
Good point, and Ron, in addition to being in trouble with the school, also got his father into hot water with the Ministry of Magic over the flying car. I can't imagine, after all that, Ron asking for a new wand. I doubt he even told his parents that he broke it, which would further anger them.
Answer: It's not the school's responsibility to provide equipment for students. It can be humiliating for a student and the family to receive charity. It also sets a precedent for Hogwarts having to supply any number of things for students, and creates a situation where they could be taken advantage of. Realistically, this is a book plot point. It may not be logical, but the story would not play out and end as it does if Ron had a proper wand.
Question: Before contacting the Emperor, Vader tells Admiral Piett to move the ship out of the asteroid field for the transmission. But if the Emperor was able to contact Piett, why not just contact Vader directly? Despite the asteroid field.
Answer: We don't know that the Emperor spoke to Piett directly. He might be relaying a message that the Emperor gave to another ship/location.
Question: Rimmer says he's been hiking through the diesel decks. Given they've been flying for 3 million years, wouldn't they have run out of diesel absolutely ages ago?
Answer: It depends what the diesel is needed for. Holly would likely have switched off anything unnecessary during that time.
Answer: According to Rob Grant, Red Dwarf gets propulsion power from the giant rock in her underside and power for the lights comes from the solar panels (which are referenced in the episode 'Confidence and Paranoia'). The diesel engines are likely there for backup purposes.
Question: On Cloud City, why did Vader surprise Han and the others in a dining room? Lando says that the Imperials arrived before Han's group. But they've had time for Leia to change clothes, change her hair style, and for her to ask people about C3PO when he is missing.
Answer: No answer is given. Maybe Vader needed more time to negotiate with Lando and wanted to ensure the group would feel "safe" and then be caught off guard. It's more about plotting, though. The scene is constructed to build suspense and doubt. Han thinks the friendly and charming Lando is trustworthy, but Leia is wary, especially after C3PO disappears. The group, and the audience, are lulled into believing Lando is an ally, then are taken by surprise when Vader is revealed and Lando's true character and motive is exposed.
Question: Han wants to leave the Rebels because Jabba the Hutt still has a bounty on him. Why not stay and be protected by a large group of friends? Safety in numbers, basically.
Answer: There may be safety in numbers, but Han is not going to put his comrades' lives in danger to protect himself. He also doesn't want the bounty hanging over his head, or be constantly on guard for an ambush. The longer he waits to pay it off, the greater the consequences, which is what eventually happened. He wanted to pay it and be done. This also shows Han choosing to come back and help his friends win the battle.
Question: Could it be considered attempted murder on both Peter and Harry's parts when they both took a turn throwing the pumpkin bomb at each other until it exploded near Harry's face after their fight? Those pumpkin bombs are designed to kill, and Peter knew that when he threw it back at him, although I'm not sure how the explosion didn't kill Harry.
Answer: Well, Harry was obviously trying to kill Peter, so yes, that was attempted murder. Peter, at that point, is heavily influenced by the symbiote, causing him to not feel remorse or empathy towards Harry. It angered him that Harry would throw the bomb at him while his back was turned to him and therefore did commit attempted murder by throwing it back at him. Harry survived because he was spiked up on his father's muscle enhancers. Although he should be deaf and blind after.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Answer: Here's how I've always visualised it. Jonathan lets Clark help. While both are running to the truck, Jonathan tells Clark that when they get there, Clark would pretend to struggle with opening the door. After "pulling" three or four times, Clark finally gets the door open, they grab the dog and run back to the shelter. By doing this, Jonathan would have survived.