Question: I realise this has been brought up many times, but can it be considered a definite continuity error in the whole series that Obiwan Kenobi is trained by Qui Gon Jinn in this film, despite saying in Empire Strikes Back that it was Yoda who trained him? Some have argued that Qui was working under Yoda, but in Empire, Obiwan said to Yoda, "Was I any different when you taught me?" which to me pretty much says that Yoda was his direct teacher. I'm guessing that Lucas changed the background stories a bit, but I would like to know for sure.
Gavin Jackson
10th Apr 2009
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
8th Apr 2009
Commando (1985)
Question: When Matrix says to his captors "Why not have Bennett do it, looks like something he will get off on"; did he mean it was something Bennett wouldn't go to jail for (considering he was psychotic), or was it some kind of sexual implication?
Chosen answer: A sexual implication, suggesting that it's something Bennett would find exciting.
Answer: Not sexual but something that he (Bennet) would find immense joy in doing due to his unstable mental nature akin to a sociopathic tendency.
5th Apr 2009
Earthquake (1974)
Question: What was the point of the crazy soldier who shoots the black thieves and later gets shot dead by George Kennedy? Why was he so nutty, and quite frankly what purpose did he even serve in the film?
Chosen answer: Before he put the uniform on, he was a complete nobody, having the respect of no-one. Now that he's in uniform, he demands that people should respect him, and coupled with the powers of Martial Law (where looters can be shot on sight), takes the lack of respect too far and shoots them.
23rd Mar 2009
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Question: Why does Bond go to Bibi to try and get information about Eric Kriegler? Couldn't he have simply contacted his own department to get a background check on him. After all, it's not like she would have had anything very informative (considering that she had previously stated that he never talks to girls).
Chosen answer: Whether he talked to her or not, Bibi would have inside information simply by being around him so much. She would have overheard things that a background check wouldn't reveal, like planned criminal activity.
20th Mar 2006
X-Men (2000)
Question: Something I never completely understood about the ending. When we see senator Kelly on the TV at the end, we realize that it is actually mystique in disguise. But when the X-men told magneto that Kelly was dead.he didn't believe them. And since Kelly vaporized into water, there would be no body or any proof that he was dead. So wasn't mystique worried that she might come into contact with the real Kelly at some point?
Chosen answer: You are working under the assumption that Mystique would not believe this either. However, with Magneto in prison and no sign of the senator she could happily take on his identity. Also, even if Kelly was alive, after she gave a press statement backing mutants, it would be unlikely that a politician would change his mind so suddenly again and he would therefore not come clean that it was not him.
24th Feb 2006
Falling Down (1993)
Question: Why does the Beggar throw the apple at D-fens? I found it odd since he just gave him a briefcase and a lunch.
24th Feb 2006
Predator (1987)
Question: Could Hawkins have become a commando (or even a marine) in real life, considering he wore glasses which would have limited him during any battle?
Chosen answer: As long as your uncorrected vision is at least 20/400 (-6.0 diopters), you can qualify for most forms of military service except flying.
Answer: Yes, you can have corrected vision using glasses or contacts to be in a special operations unit. Although you can't be color blind.
6th Dec 2005
Superman II (1980)
Question: I don't understand the opening. What was the object that Zod broke in half, and why was it so important (considering it had a guard standing near it)?
Chosen answer: We're never told.
5th Sep 2005
The Living Daylights (1987)
Question: What exactly happened to Koskov at the end? Pushkin said something like "Put him on a Plane in a diplomatic bag" but was he just being sarcastic or what?
Chosen answer: He says, "Put him on the first plane to Moscow...", making Koskov think he was going to live, but then Pushkin adds, "...in a diplomatic bag." He is being transported back to Russia in a bag...hence, he will be quite dead.
4th Aug 2005
The Karate Kid (1984)
Chosen answer: "San" is a japanese term of respect. Sort of like the english "Mr.", however "Sir" would be a little closer to what it means in japanese. They attach the "San" at the end of someone's name, rather than at the begining like english speakers do.
22nd Jul 2005
Live and Let Die (1973)
Question: Bond kills Kananga at the end by placing the bullet with the air pellet in his mouth which causes him to inflate and explode. But Bond had the bullet in his own mouth before when he was concealing it. Why didn't it kill him?
Chosen answer: Bond just stored the bullet in his own mouth to hide it. As he puts it in Kananga's mouth he presumably pulls a pin, or forces Kananga to bite it.
Answer: Bond knew to not bite down. Kananga had no such knowledge. He didn't realise what he was doing, or the effect that it would have on him; hence, boom.
21st Jun 2005
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Question: Is Anakin more powerful than Yoda, considering he did defeat count Dooku, which Yoda couldn't do.
Chosen answer: Well, we don't know whether Yoda could have defeated Dooku or not, as Dooku resorted to trickery in order to get away - by trying to drop the column onto Anakin and Obi-Wan, then escaping while Yoda's attention was diverted. As such, the battle was inconclusive, although the fact that Dooku had to cheat in order to escape does seem to indicate that he himself doubted his ability to defeat the Jedi Master. As such, we can't really determine whether Anakin or Yoda had the higher power level from their respective battles with Dooku - a more telling indicator would be that Obi-Wan, who is, at best, on level terms with Yoda and is, to be honest, probably less powerful, was ultimately able to defeat Anakin.
20th Jun 2005
Rocky IV (1985)
Question: In real life, would Drago have faced criminal charges after killing Apollo in the ring? After all he did it on purpose.
Chosen answer: Not really because he only intended on physically punishing Apollo, as do most fighters do when they are in a fight. In real life if Drago had pushed the ref aside like he did in the fight, it would have been stopped right then and there, and maybe Apollo would have lived.
13th Jun 2005
Jaws (1975)
Question: I have been wondering this for ages. In the scene where everyone is on the beach, Ellen Brody sees her husband Chief Brody and waves at him. He waves back. Then she mouths something completely incomprehensible and the chief nods and walks away. What did she say?
Chosen answer: She mouths "I've got Shaun", so he doesn't worry. Alternatively "I've got your order" as she points to the food counter.
13th Jun 2005
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Question: I need some translation help here. Firstly when Marion is having the drinking contest and has drunken her final drink, she lowers the glass slowly making everyone think that she has lost. Then she shouts a word twice (Bistoti or something like that) and wins. What does that word mean? Also when Indy is mourning over Marion's "death", two guys in suits come over to him and tell him something in a foreign language. While I have a vague idea of what they said, I was wondering if anyone knew for sure.
Answer: It's Russian, погоди or pogodi. In Russian meaning hold it.
Chosen answer: The two men say to Indy "Der Herr in der Bar mochte immer ihnen sprechen". This is translated as "The man in the bar wants to talk to you". The word in the bar that Marion says is "Pistole", which translated means "Hold it! or "Wait a minute!"
17th May 2005
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
Question: How did Elsa and Donovan get across the second challenge to where the grail was? Indy knew that one had to step on the tiles which spelt Iehovah, but they didn't. I was gonna submit this as a goof, but I am sure there is some logical explanation.
Chosen answer: Dr. Jones senior (Sean Connery) is talking to himself while Indy is going through the traps. He would know what the trials consisted of, and mutters the solutions out loud as he goes over them in his mind. He even makes a statement that "But in ancient Latin, Jehovah begins with an 'I'" just before Indy takes his first step onto the wrong tile.
Answer: After Indy falls through the "J" and pulls himself up, you can see Elsa and Donovan standing in the background behind him. It's a very quick shot but they are there. They simply watched him and he didn't see them. Also, Indy called out each letter he stepped on, so they knew the correct path.
17th May 2005
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
Question: I have wondered about this for some time. Did Elsa deliberately choose the wrong grail for Donovan (resulting in his death) cause she knew that Indy would know which one it was and they would both get it without Donovan getting in the way? The smirking expression on her face during the whole scene would definitely imply this but I was wondering if anyone knew for sure?
Chosen answer: Yes, this was a deliberate action on Elsa's part.
14th Apr 2005
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Question: What exactly was Scotty's reason as to why giving the Company boss the formula for the one inch glass wouldn't alter the future? He gave a brief response, but I honestly can't think of any reason why it wouldn't do any future damage.
Answer: They only give him a schematic of the molecule. The man even says, "It would take years to decipher the matrix", or something like that.
Chosen answer: Scotty says "Why? How do you know he didn't invent the thing!" If the man was in fact the inventor, this would only cause a slight causality loop problem - he "invents" it because they gave it to him, but they only know it because he "invented" it. However, since Sulu said earlier in the movie that it was about 150 years too early for transparent aluminum, it would seem they do know this, so it wasn't a smart thing to do. Of course, the real flaw in the plot is that they need the tank to be transparent at all.
Answer: The crew is resigned to the fact that their mission forces them to alter history in some fashion or another. McCoy just wants to acknowledge the gravity of their actions before they go ahead and do it, and Scotty's response is a cheeky way of reassuring him, "Hey, maybe it won't be that bad."
1st Apr 2005
Grease (1978)
Question: I can't understand why Sonny hauled Sandy off the dance floor during the dance finale. Sure Sonny was a bit of a jerk, but he idolized Danny and would never disrespect him. Also there was nothing to suggest that he and Cha-Cha were friends. I never truly understood.
Answer: Watched that scene again now and I just think it was poor writing (in what's still a classic film regardless). How none of the judges noticed that Cha Cha took another girl's (Sandy's) place even after she'd already been "tapped out" is another huge plot hole. Plus a lot of people in America were watching the dance on TV and it's not mentioned by anyone after this scene. 35 years later and that scene still bugs me (haha).
Answer: He's fall-down drunk, that's why. He's drinking during the entire dance.
Answer: Because in real life Olivia was late for work, as a result Annette had to take Olivia's place because she was her understudy.
Answer: It's a terrible moment in the story because it exposes Danny as being thoughtless. After already burning Sandy once (at the pep rally) you'd think he'd be mindful of not doing it again. This time, though, he humiliates her in front of the entire school, as well as on television. Unsure how Sandy's sitting with him in the next scene at the drive-in only slightly miffed. Imagine how this plays as a story to their children: "Hey, kids, did I ever tell you about how your dad embarrassed me in front of everybody?" I guess it's meant to be partly motivation for Sandy to change her image and outlook in order to keep Danny, but it's a terrible message (even back then). She's nothing but thoughtful and considerate, and Danny repeatedly treats her badly, but she decides she needs to reinvent herself. (Danny's makeover doesn't count given it lasts about three minutes.) It would've been better had Danny and Sandy came second because of Sandy's dancing, and that could've played on her mind.
Answer: He is so upset about Marty liking Ed Byrnes, he just drinks all night.
Answer: I think it was because Sonny was drunk and wanted Sandy to talk to Marty for him since she dumped him for Vince Fontaine at the beginning of the dance.
Answer: Well my theory is maybe since Sonny wants a girl, Cha-Cha promised him a date with a girl if he agreed to her plan.
15th Mar 2005
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Question: If Hannibal Lector is so brilliant, why didn't he suspect that Starling's "Holiday Offer" was a fraud?
Chosen answer: He did. At one point he says amusingly to Starling, "Anthrax Island, that was a nice touch, yours?" indicating he knew the deal wasn't real. That didn't matter to him since he was planning to escape, and the deal gave him an opportunity to do so.
Answer: The "nice touch" comment came only after Dr. Chilton revealed the fraud. But the part about escaping is very good.
Answer: The anthrax island, nice touch part seems like an in joke, like his anagrams but never worked out what it is?
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Chosen answer: No, it can't. As we see in Attack of the Clones, Yoda is in charge of training the younglings, the Jedi hopefuls, the ones too young to have been selected as a Padawan. Yoda trained Obi-Wan when he was a child, then Qui-Gon selected him as a Padawan as he reached the proper age. They both trained him, taking responsibility for different stages of his education. It is entirely possible, of course, that Lucas did originally intend Yoda to have been Obi-Wan's sole master when he made The Empire Strikes Back and thus your guess that he changed the background stories may well be accurate, however, if this is the case, then he made the alterations in such a fashion that no continuity error exists, because it all fits together.
Tailkinker ★
Also, most Jedi probably had friendships with older Jedi who were not their masters. They could think of any Knight/Master as a teacher, despite not being the official apprentice of that Jedi.