Inconsistencies and plot holes.

[ThinkerX]

Plot-holes and inconsistencies...those happen in the real world as well.

Different people can and do remember the same event very differently, or focus on one thing to the point of not even noticing something else. Can't find the link at the moment, but the most recent example of this was one of these internet tests that involved keeping track of the shots during a clip of a basketball game. So, you watch the clip, count the shots, move on to the next section, and the question is 'did you notice the bear prancing about the court?' So, go back and re-watch the clip, and sure enough, there's a guy in a bear suit running around the court, often right next to the players making the shots.

There's another version of this that turns up with...those of extreme mindsets (most often religious cults). To these people, the groups founder or god has all the answers, period. Relevant prophecies *have* to be correct, period. Except, sometimes (often), the real world dictates otherwise. Sometimes, this means the end of the group / cult. But other times...they'll pour over the relevant scriptures, pluck words and concepts from this or that section, and essentially fabricate a new set of beliefs - which they will then adamantly insist were the correct ones all along, and their previous views either get declared heresy or get suppressed. Happened a couple times with Christianity at the outset - the endtimes got pushed back, and the perceived nature of Jesus changed pretty radically. (Mods, this is by way of example, only.)

And there are many, many historical examples of leaders and others making decisions on the basis of badly flawed, biased, or incomplete information.

 

[stephenspower]

I think of plot holes as opportunities. What if they aren't holes? What information could close them? How does that change my story?

Tolkien did this. He realized that he'd given two elves the same name and instead of changing one asked himself, What if the second was, despite elves having no souls, the reincarnation of the former? How would that work?

 

[stephenspower]

The same goes for typos and other mistakes btw. A friend just wrote me on Facebook that she had some "night in shining armor" story I'd written for her in high school. I wrote back: "What if the night could have armor?" What would it look like? Why would it need it? What is "the night" from various perspectives? My first thought was a Dyson sphere, but that's too easy.

Side note: OMG, what horribly obvious and certainly desperate thing did I write this girl that I liked 30 years ago?

 

[BWFoster78]

Side note: OMG, what horribly obvious and certainly desperate thing did I write this girl that I liked 30 years ago?

I was on the yearbook staff in high school. You should read the ridiculously over-the-top praise of that I gave the cheerleaders on their page. I don't know whether to cringe or to laugh.

 

[Reaver]

I'm not sure how many others here were in high school in the 80's like me but I have to say that I truly believe my generation is the original textspeke people.

I say this because looking at the stuff my friends wrote in my yearbook, I can't help but believe this to be true. For example:

'U R 2 good 2 B 4gotten!" and "Don't U 4get about me!!"

 

[stephenspower]

I graduated high school in 1985. That's not text-speak. That's Prince-speak.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Text-speak: the speak formerly known as Prince-speak.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

With Star Wars those are your plot holes?! Honestly the very first time I saw the first movie I had this single question running through my head - why when they fight with light sabres don't the light sabres simply pass right through one another? They aren't solid! So logically they jedi should be cutting each other to ribbons. But I suppose it made for better sword fighting.

The other thing that annoyed me about Star Wars was the complete lack of explanation about what sort of drives they used. But hey I'm a trekkie.

As for plot holes and inconsistencies - that's where the beta readers come in. Good beta readers are invaluable.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Reaver]

Hi,

With Star Wars those are your plot holes?! Honestly the very first time I saw the first movie I had this single question running through my head - why when they fight with light sabres don't the light sabres simply pass right through one another? They aren't solid! So logically they jedi should be cutting each other to ribbons. But I suppose it made for better sword fighting.

The other thing that annoyed me about Star Wars was the complete lack of explanation about what sort of drives they used. But hey I'm a trekkie.

I'm a Star Wars fan (not the prequels) and a Star Trek fan. There are some things about the science in both franchises that are bothersome to me.

For example, space is a vacuum yet we can hear the booms and see the fire from exploding space ships? Faster than light travel?

In my opinion, the coolest form of space travel from any sci-fi story is The Spacing Guild's ability to fold space in Dune.

To me any science issues are irrelevant because they're great ideas and I enjoy both franchises on their own merits.

In regards to what types of drives the Star Wars ships use, all I know is that the T.I.E. in T.I.E fighter stands for Twin Ion Engine. So.. some sort of ion propulsion?

Agreed about beta readers.

 

[Penpilot]

I'm a Star Wars fan (not the prequels) and a Star Trek fan. There are some things about the science in both franchises that are bothersome to me.

Yeah, In Star Wars the science is pretty much fantasy, but Star Trek is pretty close with the techno babble. I hear that in the Trek scripts writers are known to write something to the effect of "insert technobabble here" and then just move on with the story.

I mean how many times have we heard something like this. "Rerouted secondary warp core power through Jefferies tubes 1, 4, and 23, and through the primary phaser bank's power emitters, then we'll filter it into the main deflector dish. This will cause a subspace flash, and disrupt the plasma flow in alien ship's engines, which in my estimation will cause a cascade failure in their power grid. It'll blow our secondary power couplings, but I think it'll work."

It should @ssho!e because you did the same bullspit last week.

 

[Incanus]

I'm a fan of both Star Wars and Star Trek as well. The science of Star Wars has always been thread-bare, but ultimately isn't really a problem, because its just not a 'science-y' story. I always found it strange that the Millenium Falcon is supposed to be one of the fastest ships. Han Solo says it goes 'point five past light speed', or something like that. So that's 1.5 times the speed of light. At that rate, it would take years, decades, or centuries to go from one planet to another, but they just hop into ships and go from planet to planet in the same time it takes me to go to the grocery store.

And Star Trek: I remember laughing the first time I heard them refer to a 'Heisenberg compensator'. Yeah, you're certainly going to need something like that to get the transporters to work!! I love it--a device where the uncertainty principle goes in one end, and out comes certainty! Now that's technology!

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I agree. In Trek the tech runs the gamut. There's some that's actually based on legitimate theory like the warp drive, while other stuff eg Impulse, has no basis or even explanation. But in Star Wars there is no tech at all. You just get in your ship and drive.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Miskatonic]

Hi,

I agree. In Trek the tech runs the gamut. There's some that's actually based on legitimate theory like the warp drive, while other stuff eg Impulse, has no basis or even explanation. But in Star Wars there is no tech at all. You just get in your ship and drive.

Cheers, Greg.

Pretty much why I enjoyed Star Wars and have absolutely no interest in Star Trek.

 

[Penpilot]

And Star Trek: I remember laughing the first time I heard them refer to a 'Heisenberg compensator'. Yeah, you're certainly going to need something like that to get the transporters to work!! I love it--a device where the uncertainty principle goes in one end, and out comes certainty! Now that's technology!

How do we know this is referring to Werner Heisenberg? Maybe it's referring to Walter White from Breaking Bad. Maybe the compensator is to keep things on the up and up when the operator is on drugs. With all those replicators out there, someone had to realized how to program in little pick-me-up or a bring-me-down. Ok, I'll stop now.

 

[Devor]

With Star Wars those are your plot holes?! Honestly the very first time I saw the first movie I had this single question running through my head - why when they fight with light sabres don't the light sabres simply pass right through one another? They aren't solid! So logically they jedi should be cutting each other to ribbons. But I suppose it made for better sword fighting.

. . . . . and why does nobody try a shotgun?

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

. . . . . and why does nobody try a shotgun?

They did. It was called "Order 66".

 

[Penpilot]

They did. It was called "Order 66".

You would have figured, with their ability to glimpse into the future, at least one Jedi would have seen this coming before they got shot in the back.

 

[X Equestris]

You would have figured, with their ability to glimpse into the future, at least one Jedi would have seen this coming before they got shot in the back.

Yoda did. Most others didn't see it, as the clones weren't acting out of malice.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

You would have figured, with their ability to glimpse into the future, at least one Jedi would have seen this coming before they got shot in the back.

The Dark Side clouded their vision. Convenient, I know.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Unfortunately they did look ahead with their jedi powers and did see the rise of the shotgun and themselves getting shot in the back. Unfortunately a time paradox meant that they couldn't change anything - if they had they wouldn't have been seeing the future!

Cheers, Greg.