Questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

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Show generally

Question: I don't understand how Michael and Lincoln have different last names when they are brothers with the same parents, why aren't they both Burrows or both Scofield?

Answer: Michael took his mother's maiden name after his father deserted them.

SexyIrishLeprechaun

Question: Does anyone know what Luke's Sith name would have been had he turned to the Dark Side?

Answer: No. As, being the hero of the piece, there was no chance of it actually happening, it's highly unlikely that the subject was ever considered. Even when Luke temporarily joined the Dark Side in the EU comics, no Sith name was ever given.

Tailkinker

I don't think there was any planned name for if he turned to the dark side. However, in a theoretical ending to this movie, Luke waits for Vader to die then puts on the mask and becomes the new Darth Vader. Assuming he would have killed Darth Vader instead of ending up being hit with Palpatine's lightning, the same thing could've happened. It would be more convenient for the emperor.

Question: What is the significance of the crazed woman (wielding a hammer, wearing a jacket, frizzled hair) that appears several times throughout the movie? What does she represent? She appears during the scene where Mike Enslin notices his doppelganger in the window across the street from him, once in a quick shot with her holding up her hammer, and she shows up for the last time as a character in the painting of a ship lost at sea as the room falls apart.

Answer: I don't think there is any actual significance to the character, because a lot of the other things and characters didn't make sense either. It was just another way of building the tension and scaring the audience, but also the character was there because they were in the painting. Hopefully that helps.

Answer: The women is from the schooner lost at sea picture - that is she comes out of the picture. All three pictures have relevance - The Hunt; where the hunted now runs the hotel - The Schooner lost at Sea - where the knife wielder comes from. Many of the "demons" originate from the pictures, including the "vent crawler" who is most likely from the schooner. The room itself is not evil, it is the pictures in the room that are evil, they just happen to reside in the room. The numbers of the room melt from the fire set in the room, not as part of an "evil showing."

Answer: Elvis Costello covered Beautiful especially for House M.D.

Garlonuss

Question: Why does Ironhide transform in the final battle just to say "It's Starscream!"? As far as i know, from wathing the series 'Cybertron' they can talk in vehicle mode. Of course no one would think this is weird, they already know that they can turn into giant robots, if that's not already weird enough.

Answer: He transforms into robot mode so he (and Bumblebee) can pick up the truck to protect the group from the imminent attack from Starscream.

XIII

Question: What was the meaning of John's ponytail? Why didn't he want it to be touched or cut off?

Answer: During the Qing Dynasty it was compulsory for men to wear a queue to prove loyalty to the Manchu rule. Refusal to follow can result to execution considering that as treason. Also, he not only prevented him from going back to China but also preventing him from informing the Emperor of his crimes without his queue.

Yes, but in fact, Jackie Chan wasn't wearing a queue in the movie. He only had the pony tail. His head should have been shaved half bald, especially if he was the Emperor's Guard. They just didn't want to show Jackie Chan in a half-bald hairstyle.

Similarly happened in 1976 film Hand of Death in which Jackie co-starred in. That film too was set in the Qing Dynasty but all men still had their queues but no shaved temples. The slaves in Shanghai Noon however some of them did actually have that hairstyle correctly having both queue and front temples shaved bald.

Answer: The queue is loyalty submission to Manchu rule during the Qing Dynasty. Refusal to wear that hairstyle is considered treason and punishable by death. Fong cut it off to make it as if he's a slave with no honour and would label him a traitor to China. He not only prevented him from coming back but he also cannot report his actions to the Emperor if he were to go back to China (but cannot because of Fong cutting off his queue).

Answer: In the Qing Dynasty (which was in power at the time the film was set), all soldiers were required to wear the Manchurian hairstyle of the queue (Chon Wang's "pony tail"). Cutting off his queue ensured that he would not be able to fight in the Chinese army for a while.

Answer: His religion states, more or less, that if his hair is ever cut then he cannot enter heaven.

Phixius

Question: Is the ballet they perform a real ballet? Or is it something made up for the movie?

Answer: The ballet was written for the movie.

Question: If Lennox is a captain and Epps is a sergeant, then why is Epps the one who calls the Pentagon and relays the information about the thing that is attacking the village? You'd think the higher ranking officer would be the one to call the Pentagon.

Answer: Usually, yes, unless the higher ranking officer designated the lower ranking officer to do so. But this was not a casual situation. Whoever was able to make the call, made it.

Phixius

Show generally

Question: In the early seasons, the Charmed Ones were able to communicate telepathically but they don't use this ability anymore. Why?

Answer: There was one episode where Piper an Pru cast a spell to hear other people's thoughts. That was the only time they communicated with each other telepathically (just Pru and Piper).

Maria Santos

They also had the ability in the episode with the Crone, Leo mentioned that the bond had always been there. Unsure of why it was never displayed again. It could have something to do with them only being able to fully use the ability when their senses were stolen.

Question: When Slim is in the diner, she hears someone call Millie's (the waitress') name. When she goes to the lawyer and says that she got his name from Millie, did she really talk to Millie (if so, it's not shown on-screen), or did she use the name she overheard, so that the lawyer would think that someone in the town recommended him to her?

Answer: She just uses the name that she overheard so that lawyer would not think that she was just some random crazy person that burst into his office asking for help.

Question: What is the Rabbit Foot? It was never really explained in the movie or did I miss something?

Answer: It's never explained. This is what's known in the film industry as a McGuffin, a term popularised by Alfred Hitchcock, which is an item that's crucial to the plot, but the exact nature of which is never revealed because it actually doesn't matter in the slightest.

Tailkinker

Question: How did Bumblebee regain the ability to talk?

Answer: Its never properly explained during the movie. It would have most likely have happened when he came in contact with the Cube. Just like when Frenzy came in contact with it, he was able to "rebuild" himself back to his original form (after being hacked up by Sam and Mikela). Bumblebee being the good soldier that he was waiting until for the right "time to speak".

XIII

Question: Why doesn't one of the autobots take the all-spark to the roof of the building instead of guarding Sam while he carries it?

Answer: Because they are needed to hold off the attack.

shortdanzr

Answer: No, but there are several currently available on eBay.

OneHappyHusky

Question: How come this movie barely showed anything about Luke and Leia's mother? Luke doesn't even ask anyone what her name was (maybe that was hidden from Leia, but he can probably guess that Yoda or Obi-wan would know). I know we can assume that she was discussed off-screen, but they could have revealed a little more about her.

Answer: The Jedi are shown to have something of a blind spot in regards to matters of the heart. Note that when Luke confronts Obi-Wan over lying to him about his father's fate, Obi-Wan's response is haughty and defensive, and gives Luke nothing in terms of regret or apology. They're focused on their mission, not on how Luke feels. Why waste time, in their eyes, telling Luke about his mother? If they had their way, he wouldn't even know about his father. The prequels would make this more explicit, showing that the Jedi are conditioned from the beginning to let go of all "passions" because they could so easily be corrupted, and their inability to understand Anakin's emotions just contributes to his downfall.

TonyPH

Answer: Why can we assume that she was discussed off-screen? Luke's got more important things to talk about than who his mother was. Yoda dies shortly afterwards and Luke's understandably more interested in how Darth Vader, given that he's got to go up against him, can be his father when talking to Obi-wan's ghost shortly after. Not a lot of time for general chit-chat. Behind the scenes, at that point, very little would have been decided about their mother, as it would be irrelevant to the plot of the trilogy and to discuss her on-screen would have wasted time and slowed everything down.

Tailkinker

Question: When Scarlett visits Rhett in jail to get the $300 for taxes, can anyone speculate as to her plan? Why does she pretend to be rich when she's actually dirt poor? Why would that make her request for money more convincing? Did she plan to ask for a loan, and needed to make it appear as if she would be able to repay it in a reasonable amount of time? I read the book, but this wasn't made clear there either. Can anyone help me?

Answer: If she looked rich she could trick him into thinking she wasn't marrying him for his money.

Answer: Scarlett tries fooling Rhett that she is in love him, somehow thinking that will persuade him to give her the money. She believes if Rhett is in love with her, she can manipulate him, which is what she did with her previous two husbands and various suitors. If she appears desperate and powerless, then Rhett will have the upper hand. He sees through her scheme, however.

raywest

Answer: In the book Scarlett's motivation for dressing up to see Rhett is so that she can go to him 'looking like a queen granting favors." She believes that her way of getting the money is by acting carefree and not desperate as if she looks desperate Rhett will guess it's money she's after (only) and any warmness towards him will look like a ruse to get his money. She is playing on his attraction towards her. Remember the last time she saw him she slapped him and said she hoped a canon ball would land "slap on him." So now she has to appear to be over her venom and her pride will not let her look desperate, also. She's not after marriage to him. If she looks sweet and helpless and gorgeous she figures she'll get the money out of him! (He does say he's tired of looking at women in mourning so she is partly right with her instincts).

Question: This is really a question for all of the Star Wars movies. Is it always necessary to commit murder to become a Sith? It seems that most of the characters who have turned to the dark side have committed murders around the same time—i. e. Count Dooku killed Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas around the time he became Darth Tyranus, Anakin killed Count Dooku (and was an accomplice in the killing of Mace Windu) right before he became Darth Vader, and Luke, had he turned to the dark side, would have done so by killing either Darth Vader or the Emperor. If murder really is a necessary prerequisite for becoming a Sith, whom did Darth Maul and Darth Sidious kill? (I know that Sidious killed Darth Plagueis, but he was already a Sith apprentice by then, so that couldn't have been the murder that turned him to the dark side.).

Answer: No, it's not an absolute prerequisite. Sith are obviously very dark by their nature, so murders tend to follow in their wake, but it's not essential to become one. A murder may well advance them towards the Dark Side, thus improving their eligibility for Sithdom, but it's not absolutely necessary.

Tailkinker

Question: Is the game they're playing first person or third person? Because in the beginning and at other parts it's in third person but in some parts it's first person.

Answer: Some games allow both first person and third person views. (Such as the Star Wars Battlefront series).

Question: Why do the Naboo people like to elect teenagers to be their queens?

Answer: According to "Secrets of Naboo" (2001), a supplement to the Wizards of the Coast Star Wars Roleplaying Game, the right to vote and holding a leadership position on Naboo is not based on age, but on intellectual maturity.

Kylantha

Answer: According to the book "Star Wars: Everything You Need to Know" people of Naboo look for a child-like wisdom and purity of heart, and young people often posses these values.

Answer: It's on the Special Features disc. With "Season 7 Preview" selected, press up on the remote. There should be a small "24" that appears. Press that, and you'll get the scene of Jack and Chloe on "The Simpsons."

Cubs Fan

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