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Continuity errors-a list
- Thread starter Ranger1
- Start date
Ranger1
Regular
Nah I don't buy it. Because Sheridan destroys the Black Star, then he goes on that mission to whever to meet Lenon. Then when Lenon gets killed, Londo says the war continues for TWO YEARS. Sorry, but I don't think it would have taken the Minbari 2 years to get from the Asteroid belt in our solar system to Earth.I think they should have left the "Asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars" out of the dialogue and just had it been any old asteroid belt and it would have been fine. But in my books, thats a continuity error.
i knew there was something wrong with this so i checked, it was definitely mentioned that the minbari, would destroy earths MILITARY capability then go back out and hit the colonies directly, so it could have taken 2 years, i don't buy it being our asteroid belt either, that was a sizeable flotilla, those ships would have their own jump engines thus wouldn't need to use sol's gate, but even if they did they wouldn't be traveling parallel to the belt. i don't buy it, BUT it is possible.
Recoil
Regular
Yes, but the going back out part never happened. At the Battle of the Line, they were still working on our Military. So are you trying to tell me it took 2 years for the powerful, unstoppable Minbari to get from our Asteroid Belt to Earth? I wonder how many Earth Outposts stood in the way...maybe 2?
Ranger1
Regular
yes but during Londo's monologue, you see civilians in what appears to be civil defense bunkers, and the men with weapons also look awfully like civilians, so we would have to guess at this showing attacks on civilian targets, Londo saying "they would weep, they would pray, THEY WOULD SAY GOODBYE TO THEIR LOVED ONES" this further reinforces the idea that they did go back out, from what we see of the battle of the line, most of the ships look like light craft, and there would be ships and small task forces that escaped the initial onslaught.
Recoil
Regular
Agreed. Earth outposts and bases. Sure. But again, 2 years for the Minbari to get from Asteroid Belt to Earth? No way.
Think about it. If you put the Blackstar incident at some remote solar system with an asteroid belt, dozens of light years from Earth...then everything makes sense.
Londo's monologue talking about the Minbari slowly, tactically, taking out Earth outpost after outpost all over the galaxy, slowly working their way to Earth. THAT can take 2 years. Makes sense.
But if did get all the way to the asteroid belt, what the fuck were they doing for 2 years? They got all the way to our front door and said "Nah, this too easy. Lets leave for a while and come back in a couple years. This is too much fun to end so soon" You can't even argue that would happen because the Minbari were said to have started on our outer colonies and worked in
It was also said in B5 that in the final assault, they skipped Mars and went right to Earth. So if they were at the Asteroid belt, the ONLY outpost between Earth and the asteroid belt WAS Mars. So really, it would have ended right there, not 2 years later.
All it was, was a simple "sounded like a good idea at the time" during Season 2, but when it got to ItB, he revised the story a bit to make more sense. But you can't undo something that was already filmed. He made the story better, its just that it is a continuity error, and one of the bigger ones.
Think about it. If you put the Blackstar incident at some remote solar system with an asteroid belt, dozens of light years from Earth...then everything makes sense.
Londo's monologue talking about the Minbari slowly, tactically, taking out Earth outpost after outpost all over the galaxy, slowly working their way to Earth. THAT can take 2 years. Makes sense.
But if did get all the way to the asteroid belt, what the fuck were they doing for 2 years? They got all the way to our front door and said "Nah, this too easy. Lets leave for a while and come back in a couple years. This is too much fun to end so soon" You can't even argue that would happen because the Minbari were said to have started on our outer colonies and worked in
It was also said in B5 that in the final assault, they skipped Mars and went right to Earth. So if they were at the Asteroid belt, the ONLY outpost between Earth and the asteroid belt WAS Mars. So really, it would have ended right there, not 2 years later.
All it was, was a simple "sounded like a good idea at the time" during Season 2, but when it got to ItB, he revised the story a bit to make more sense. But you can't undo something that was already filmed. He made the story better, its just that it is a continuity error, and one of the bigger ones.
Ranger1
Regular
we all agree it was an error, however it was possible they were destroying earthforces military infrastructure all the way to earth then heading back out to the outer colonies to finish the extermination of humankind, and knowing how we get when we are backed into a corner, THAT could easily take 2 years.
snockit
Regular
Could have also been a scouting mission, checking Earth's presence in that area. Than when they lost the ship, they could have decided on a more tactical approach.
crazyhorse
Anarchist
The main jump point in the Solar System was at Io I believe
If this was the case then it could easily be a raider disrupting the supply lines to the front.This would make sense from a military viewpoint.This is the only way I could see it being if we are to stand by the original location.
The fact that the battle was changed to only include one ship shows that the original version has been changed though.
JMS,in his infinite wisdom,appears not to of commented on this.
I reckon he enjoys the argueing about it
If this was the case then it could easily be a raider disrupting the supply lines to the front.This would make sense from a military viewpoint.This is the only way I could see it being if we are to stand by the original location.
The fact that the battle was changed to only include one ship shows that the original version has been changed though.
JMS,in his infinite wisdom,appears not to of commented on this.
I reckon he enjoys the argueing about it
Joseph DeMartino
Moderator
That's exactly what they were doing, as described in ItB - by-passing civilian colonies, wiping out military forces and installations on the way to Earth. The idea seems to have been to degrade the Human defense capabilities and keep them under pressure, either destroyed or cut off from Earth and incapable of assisting, rather than waste time seizing and securing territory, which would presumably buy time for Earth science ot develop new weapons and increase the defenses in the Sol system. Compare MacArthur's island-hopping campagin in the Pacific or Grant's constant flanking operations from the Wilderness to Petersberg during the Civil War. Both made the enemy's military forces, not cities or territory, their target.
But the assumption was that they would follow this plan to Earth, which they would then wipe out, exterminating the rest of mankind at their leisure on their way back to Minbar. There is nothing to suggest that they would wipe out everything up to and including a raid into the Jupiter-Mars asteroid belt, then turn around, exterminate more civilians, and then come back two years later to finish Earth. (In fact Human casualties were failry low, all things considered, precisely because the Minbari never got around to the "slaughter the surviving civilians" part of the plan.)
Just to claifiy, the main jump gate in the Sol system was at the transfer point off Io. But Minbari cruisers did not rely on jump gates. At the Battle of the Line they are shown jumping directly in from hyperspace by forming their own jump points. In season 4 Sheridan's forces form jump points quite close to Mars (the White Stars within the Martian atmosphere itself) and later everybody jumps right from Mars and emerges in Earth orbit. So the Minbari didn't have to emerge where they did. Chances are they chose that location because Earth's defenders were and they wanted to wipe them out before engaging the orbital defenses. It also gave them more time to learn about those final defenses by sending in scouts and probes. (This is one reason the Grey Council decides to interrogate the few surviving fighter pilots from the Line, after all.)
Had they by-passed the Line, the Minbari would have risked being attacked from the rear or in the flank while dealing with the oribital platforms, trapped between hostile fire from below and above, with little room to maneuver due to Earth's gravity well. (Lefcourt fears being put in just such a position in the battle above Mars during the Earth Civil War.) So it made sense for several reasons to enter normal space where the main enemy force was clustered rather than closer to the final objective.
Regards,
Joe
Lousy_Dodgers
Regular
Still, it would have been cool if Sheridan had destroyed those other cruisers in ItB. It just makes more sense for the Minbari flagship to have escort vessels with it, especially in a time of war. Perhaps JMS just wanted to show the arrogance of the Minbari in that they did not even bother providing escorts for the Blackstar, thereby demonstrating their utter contempt for the humans and their capabilities...but still, it would have been nice to see a few Minbari vessels get nuked at one time.
That bit about wiping out the warriors first all the way to Earth and then heading back out to finish off the civilians (because the Minbari prioritised killing the equivalent of their warrior caste) struck me as a clever piece of retrospective writing. It explained why, 10 years later, Earth is still one of the major spacefaring powers, despite having been taken to the final stages of a genocidal war.
crazyhorse
Anarchist
Bit more clarification,I wasn't trying to sugest that the Minbari cruiser needed the jump gate but that EA ships would be using that gate to supply the front.The asteroid belt would then be a logical place to ambush any supply ships heading towards the gate from either Earth or Mars.
Both sides of this argument have merit and I for one can't make my mind up which one is right.My local bookshop has been trying to find the book just so I can see if anything else is mentioned there.
I myself never understood how the war lasted three years anyway.Every battle we see the Minbari take out fleets of EA ships in minutes.At the same time it takes EA about a year I believe to destroy their first Minbari ship,the Black Star I believe
Looking it up on the likes of Wiki is a waste of time as it gives both versions and it appears to be opinion there that decides which version you get.
Maybe there was a Trans Dimensional Rift and it happened at both places at once.
Aaaarrrgh,help me,I've gone all Star Trekky
Both sides of this argument have merit and I for one can't make my mind up which one is right.My local bookshop has been trying to find the book just so I can see if anything else is mentioned there.
I myself never understood how the war lasted three years anyway.Every battle we see the Minbari take out fleets of EA ships in minutes.At the same time it takes EA about a year I believe to destroy their first Minbari ship,the Black Star I believe
Looking it up on the likes of Wiki is a waste of time as it gives both versions and it appears to be opinion there that decides which version you get.
Maybe there was a Trans Dimensional Rift and it happened at both places at once.
Aaaarrrgh,help me,I've gone all Star Trekky
GaribaldisHair
Regular
Aaaarrrgh,help me,I've gone all Star Trekky
Don't worry, CH. At least you haven't started talking about sub-space distortions yet.
Recoil
Regular
Or Isolinear Chips, or Neutrino Emissions, or Warp Core Recalibration, or Positronic Emitters.......
crazyhorse
Anarchist
Not only that,we can't make our minds up if they were errors or not
Joseph DeMartino
Moderator
I thought the debate was more about whether JMS changing his mind counted as an "error". If I announce that I'm going to spend the weekend in Miami, get as far as Lauderdale, suddenly hang a right and go to Tampa instead, is that an "error"? Did I screw up and "miss" Miami or did I change my target?
I say I changed my target. YMMV.
Regards,
Joe
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