This newletter is published quarterly (April, July, October, December)
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This newletter is also available free of charge to Guild members via email
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COPYRIGHT 1997 by Phil Farrand. All rights reserved.
Books by Phil Farrand:
The Nitpicker's Guide for Next Generation Trekkers, Volume I
(ISBN 0-440-50571-2)
The Nitpicker's Guide for Classic Trekkers
(ISBN 0-440-50683-2)
The Nitpicker's Guide for Next Generation Trekkers, Volume II
(ISBN 0-440-50716-2)
The Nitpicker's Guide for Deep Space Trekkers
(ISBN 0-440-50762-6)
The Nitpicker's Guide for X-philes
(ISBN 0-440-50808-8)
March 22, 1998
Greetings Fellow Nitpickers and Proud Members of the Nitpickers Guild!
First of all, let me thank you all again for the kind reception that you've given The Nitpicker's Guide for X-philes (X-phile Guide). I appreciate the sales. And thanks for the Christmas cards. They were fun to read! I have an important announcement but let's get the "boiler plate" stuff out of the way first.
If this is the first newsletter you've received from me, that probably means that you're new to the Nitpickers Guild. If so, welcome! It's good to have you! You might be interested to know that as of today, the Guild has 6872 members. Nitpicker Central has received mail from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Republic of China, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Venezuela. Over 9000 postal letters have arrived here at Nitpicker Central along with over 10,000 email messages. Thanks again for your interest!
The Nitpicker Central Internet Extension Office (NCIEO) continues to grow. It is located at: www.nitcentral.com. If you have the ability, drop by! We're currently doing Brash Reflections for the fourth season of Star Trek: Voyager. And, there's a weekly Ask the Chief column where we discuss various and sundry topics.
And now a word from our sponsor. Okay, here's the deal with the newsletters for those of you who are new. As usual, there will be four (April, July, October and December). They will be available in three ways:
1.) I will post them to NCIEO so you will be able to access them on the Web.
2.) I will also send them free via email to anyone with an email address. If you have an email account and you wish to receive the newsletters free via email, send me an email note with "Subscription Request" in the subject line. Make sure you include your real name and address so I can find you in the database.
3.) If you do not have access to the Internet and you wish to receive newsletters via the post office, I will need some money from you! There are hard cost involved with printing these newsletters and I am only charging enough to cover some of those costs. If you live in the US, the cost to receive all of the 1998 newsletters is $10.00. In Canada, the cost is US$12.50. All other countries - US$15.00. If you decide to cancel your subscription, I will refund your money for any newsletters that have not been mailed. (By the way, I will be using this newsletter all year as an introduction to the Guild so if you receive it in November of 1998 and you send in your money, I will immediately send you the July and October newsletters and then mail you the December newsletter when it becomes available. That way, all subscriptions expire at the same time! And yes, I have already received subscriptions from Katie Baskin, Warren T. Kmiec, Sarah Lee Morgan, Joshua D. Shutt and Danny Wind. If you've a previously subscribed and you sent a check for this year already but didn't see your name on that list. Please, please let me know!)
For those of you who are interested, I am still looking for a publisher for my first novel, The Son, The Wind and The Reign. I've also finished the rough draft on That Fated Shore, my second novel--a black comedy about time travel. Kathlees Jayes is looking at it now. (Keep your fingers crossed!) I do have a few possible lead other publishers and will be following up with them soon.
And speaking of those things which keep me busy at the moment, I've just started work on a Nitpicker's Guide for Star Wars. Not sure what we're going to call it yet but it's going to cover the original three movies and all the authorized stories from Bantam and Dark Horse comics. It's a big, big project and it will be released in May of 1999--which just happens to coincide with the release of the first Star Wars prequel. Huh, imagine that! (Grin.)
One last thing, with the creation of the X-phile Guide, the inevitable has happened, we now have nitpickers of different persuasions in the Guild. Some like Trek but not X-Files, some like X-Files but not Trek, some like both. I realize that this issue of the newsletter is "X-File-heavy." But I don't have the time to put out two newsletters so I will try to strike a closer balance next time!
Happy Nitpicking!
Phil Farrand
I've said it before. I'll say it again. The release of a new Nitpicker's Guide is always a combination of celebration and trepidation. I'm always amazed at the number of mistakes that I make--ranging from the silly to the absurd to what can only be described as brain cramps! But . . . live by nit, die by the nit. So, for your perusing pleasure, I present a selection of the nits and reflections that the proud members of the Nitpickers Guild have presented to yours truly concerning the latest Nitpicker's Guide!
4, Jason Barnes: "I hereby nominate a Greatest Line Ever Spoken in a Nitpicker's Guide. On page 4, 'Besides, it's my book and I like Cancerman better!' Gotta love it."
5, Bert Overduin: "In the Trivia Answers, the number for the box in which Cancerman places the implant is '100041' not '110041'."
6, Jack Reasoner: "Your nit about the transposed words in the FBI badges in the title sequence is well noted, but you placed this nit in the 'Pilot' review. This is the only episode which does not feature the ID badges in the title sequence! The familiar title sequence first appears in 'Deep Throat'."
8, Ashley Flanagan: "In the entry on 'Deep Throat,' you said it was the first episode where you could see Scully's cross. Check your tape of the Pilot again--you can see it when she takes off her robe to shower, right before she runs to Mulder. (I was rather surprised to notice this, considering how much they changed the character after the Pilot; Scully's faith makes perfect sense to us now, but it's not exactly the obvious trait for the skeptical character to have, is it?)" (Note from Phil: Attention to detail. It's what I love about the X-Files!)
19, Steve Crow, Iowa City, IA: "Concerning your comments on Dr. Diamond discussing the food chain. Not really an observation, just a correction of sorts. I am not sure, but I believe that one's place on the food chain has nothing to do with where you are on the evolutionary chain. The food chain merely refers to who eats whom. Thus, if Jersey Devils feed on humans and humans don't feed on Jersey Devils, Jersey Devils are above us on the food chain. It doesn't matter how much greater or lesser they are evolved. A deer has evolved defense mechanisms (running real fast) against wolves, but it is still lower on the food chain than a wolf is. By that token, most of the 'cannibal' types (Tooms, Virgil Incanto, Leonard Betts, the people in 'Our Town') are above us on the food chain, even though they may or may not be more 'evolved' than us. (They probably aren't, but that's another matter... :) )." (Note from Phil: Then I vote that we petition McDonalds to start selling "Jersey Devil Burgers"! We'll show those pesky little ape-men a thing or too!)
24, Robert J. Woolley: "It gives me great pain to do this, but I must take away one of your 10 favorite nits! Pathologists do use a big knife like the one Skully wields in 'Miracle Man'. Granted, it is used only after the organs are removed, and if this episode shows Skully coming at the body with this at the beginning of the autopsy, you've got a nit. (I don't recall when it happens.)" (Note from Phil: The nit is SAVED! Scully sharpens her blade at the beginning of the autopsy! Grin.)
29, Robert J. Woolley: "You misquote the dialogue in your book. The doctor says that they took the 'necessary biological safeguards,' not the 'necessary precautions.'" (Note from Phil: Well, see, um, see, even though "necessary precautions" had quotes around it, it was really intended to be my interpretation of what I thought I heard the man say! Wink, wink. See Murray Leeder's entry under page 348!)
30, Robert J. Woolley: "Gotta disagree with you about the dog's bark not waking the others. It's about 40 seconds between his bark and when they appear. That's about the right amount of time for them to wake up, get out of bed, and come to investigate. There's not enough time for Mulder's fall with the body to be the thing that gets them coming. (On the other hand, if they weren't sleeping, maybe it is the body falling that alerts them. So on second thought, maybe you're right.)"
31, Jack Reasoner: "Under 'Ice,' you refer to Mulder's original sidearm as a 'Tarus'. It is actually spelled 'Taurus,' as in the constellation. I'm also not 100% sure it's a 'black Taurus' as you mention; it usually appears in dark scenes (e.g. outdoors at night, etc.). It looks like a stainless steel model to me, which when in the dark reflects somewhat more than the matte black finish would. Just an observation, not a nit, because I haven't confirmed it."
31, Shervyn J. von Hoerl: "Your first trivia question states that Danny Murphy served as professor at the University of California in Sacramento. There is no such university. There is, however, a Sacramento State University. (Word of warning: Having survived two weeks there during the summer of 1991, I can attest that the University gets its meat delivered in trucks with the encouraging motto, "Grade C Beef. Still edible!")
31, Kris Eddy: "A Trivia Question ask where Danny Murphy served as a professor of geology, and the answer is University of California at Sacramento. Actually, it is San Diego. The local fox station in Chicago has begun rerunning the episodes in sequence, great for getting the first season, which I missed. Anyway, that episode just ran, and my fiance commented, when he said he worked for San Diego, that was where he got his mom a sweat shirt from when we were there in April."
33, Bert Overduin: "In the Trivia Answers--although it's very hard to see--I'm pretty sure that the number of Belt's residence is '1256,' not '1266'."
36, Donna L. Feliceangeli: "You misquoted Max Fenig. The quote was actually 'Enigmatic Agent Scully' not 'Doctor Scully'."
38, Bert Overduin: "In 'Eve,' Mulder mentions that the Eves are sighted by a motel owner in 'Port' Reyes instead of 'Point' Reyes."
44, Barb Chaffer: "You note only two instances where Mulder and Scully are mistaken for a couple. I have to point out a third instance that, surely, applies. In the episode, 'Red Museum' (just after the much-lauded barbecue sauce scene), one of the teenagers refers to Scully as Mulder's 'wife.' I believe that would count as them being mistaken for a couple. Just my little 'shipper point of view!"
44, Bert Overduin: "[Under references for the fifth entry,] 10 hints are mentioned, not 9."
44, Terry Connolly: "Romance Tote Board, Ref. 7. Subj: Men who are attracted to Scully. I can't believe you completely left off Agent Pendrell." (Note from Phil: Oops, sorry, oops!)
47, Leeann Walker: "You ask at what age did Scully steal one of her father's cigarettes. But actually, I watched a rerun of that episode and it was her mother's cigarette."
47, Arthur T. Frey, III: "You pose a question as to the location of The Blue Devil Brewery. Your answer is Morristown. According to the show, it is Morrisville."
51, Kelly Pennell: "You state that Mulder's right arm switches from Scully's shoulder to holding her hand. But actually it's his left arm and hand that switches."
52, Christopher Macklin: "You state that Scully tells Tom Colton that she is officially assigned to the X-Files in the episode 'Tooms.' This conversation actually occurred at the beginning of the episode, 'Squeeze'."
56, Bert Overduin: "Dr. Joe Ridley didn't stay in South America but in Central America (Mexico and Belize)."
59, Marc-David Jacobs: "You mentioned that someone did your town searching for you in the book. Well, he missed one. Reagan Tennessee does exists. Actually two Reagan, Tennessees exist! One is Reagan, HE, TN; and the other is Reagan, MC, TN. What HE and MC mean, I have no clue."
66, Diane Grech: "There is a mistake in the Triathlon Trivia on Characters. The answer 'R' is used twice, for both number 6 and number 20. I scored 41 out of 45 on that test (yes, I am a certifiable, obsessed X-phile) but I would have scored higher if that mistake had not been there. (Note from Phil: Sorry, sorry. Number 20 should be "RR".)
70, Robert J. Woolley: You say that Mulder was interested in this case because of an X-file of loggers disappearing in 1934. This is not correct. Mulder merely describes the case to Scully without specifically saying that it's an X-file. And the reason I think it isn't one is that in the previous episode, "Shapes," Mulder says that J. Edgar Hoover himself opened the first X-file in 1946. Of course, it's possible that somebody opened an X-file on the logger case 12 years or more after the incident occurred; it just doesn't seem very likely.
84, Murray Leeder: "You comment on the fact that Cancerman puts the little alien back into storage. But his behavior makes absolutely perfect sense if it was a fake alien designed for the set-up of Deep Throat to begin with!" (Note from Phil: Wheels within wheels . . .)
85, Diane Grech: "I thought [the sidebar "Whose Truth Is Out There"] was a very well done and well thought out contrast of what the truth means to Mulder and to Scully, as specific characters. I am a bit uncomfortable at your characterizing Scully's views as 'objective' truth, since she is religious to a certain degree. I don't think that scientists as a whole feel that the universe has to be ordered, or has to be any way other than it is. Actually, scientists accept things the way they are and fit their theories to the facts, whatever the facts might be and whenever the facts come out. They don't run from facts that make them uncomfortable, as Scully so often does. She is, at best, an imperfect portrayal of objectivism. As for 'revealed truth,' you and I will have to agree to disagree, because I am not a believer in any form of religion."
Note from Phil: I don't really have the space here to do a proper response (and I've dropped the point size to give myself some more room) but here's the very-much-abbreviated version. Let's work backward through your paragraph. Concerning our agreement to disagree, I find little to disagree about! I understand that you are a non-religious person. I have no argument with that. Everyone has a right to chose their own course in life. I must infer, however, from your disagreement with my statements on "revealed truth" that you believe I stated the discipline of "revealed truth" was the correct and only approach to truth. In fact, I do not believe I made any such claim on page 88 of the X-Phile Guide! I merely observed that the discipline exists, much like the "discipline" of subjective truth exists as does the discipline of objective truth. I don't think there can be any doubt that millions--even billions--of humans use this approach to the discovery of "truth." Whether or not it is the correct approach is another discussion altogether!
From another viewpoint, though, our "agreement to disagree" illuminates a fascinating function of the human brain (at least from my perspective). And--for me at least--it forms the basis of an adequate response to the middle section of your paragraph. Ever since adolescence, I have believed in the existence of a "matrix of meaning" within the functional description of the human brain. Each of us carries one around with us in our heads. It filters all the input that we receive from our senses and "makes sense" of the world according to the foundational suppositions it has adopted. And, interestingly enough, at the same time, it works to keep its own existence a secret. (And, yes, that means that I believe humans fundamentally delude themselves . . . all the time!) I could spend pages documenting this hypothesis but I don't have the space so let me illustrate using you as a guinea pig. Sorry!
This is what I think happened when you read my statements about "revealed truth." Since you are a non-religious person, my assertion that "revealed truth" exists as a discipline caused a flutter your matrix of meaning--an uncomfortable flutter, a flutter that required a response. Unfortunately, your matrix of meaning knew that there was no response to the fact that "revealed truth" exists as a discipline. So, your matrix of meaning changed my assertion on page 88 of the X-phile Guide from "'revealed truth' exists as a discipline" to "'revealed truth' is a viable approach" or possibly even "'revealed truth' is the proper approach." This allowed your matrix of meaning to form a response and take a stand against my statement. Except . . . your matrix of meaning took a stand against something I never said! (See how it works?)
I have seen this subtle shifting-reinterpreting-conforming interplay at work in every human that I have ever known: from every walk of life, of every age and mental discipline. That pesky little matrix of meaning is at work all the time, in all of us, and we are rarely aware of its functioning. This is why I smile when anyone asserts the objectivity of scientists! For one thing, I don't think it's possible for the human brain to be objective. (And in my discussions with real live scientists, I have found that they all eventually acquiesce on this point!) For another thing, it's functionally impossible for science to be fully objective. In order for science to be fully objective, science would have to have all the facts at it's disposal in a given field of endeavor and from those facts deduce the core principles. But . . . obviously, scientists don't have all the facts. The very process of science is a discovery of these facts. So where do scientists begins? They typically have a few facts and then . . . they guess! (Or hypothesize, if you prefer.) They create a theory by inductive reasoning that "seems right" (i.e., subjectively "feels good") to them and they continue to research to see if the facts support the "guess." However, since a matrix of meaning is at work in each of these scientists, it is inevitable that there will be subtle shifting and reinterpretation of the data that they collect and it will occur without their conscious knowledge. In this, I find Scully an adequate (though a bit overdone) model for those who pursue objective truth. And all of this doesn't even begin to address a more fundamental issue in the use of science to find "truth": I would maintain that the fitting of data to hypothesis can never absolutely prove the "truth" of the hypothesis. It can only support the "usefullness" of the hypothesis and that is a very different thing! This is NOT to say that I do not have a profound respect for science. I think the pursuit os scientific knowledge is a fabulous thing. I just don't it should be forced to perform a function to which it is not suited.
109, Donna Feliceangeli: "In the 'Damage Toteboard,' entry seven, the number of times a female character is slammed into a wall, I submit one more. Kristen Kilar was slammed into a wall by John in the episode '3'."
112, Carol Foster: "In '3,' the actual quote is, 'Not if drawstring pants come back into style.'"
115, Lee D. Seetoo: "In your discussion of 'One Breath', in the first paragraph under 'Continuity and Production Problems,' you discuss the bible verse on Scully's gravestone. You mention that all of your bibles have the quoted verse as 1 John 5:6 (not 5:7). Your quotation, from the King James Version (KJV) concludes with 'the Spirit is Truth' (no definite article, as opposed to 'The Spirit is the Truth' as seen on the stone). Despite your reference to 'newer Protestant translations' (p. 258), all your bibles must be KJV or NKJV, which are based on the Textus Receptus, a relatively late Greek NT manuscript. Others, e.g., the Revised Standard Version (RSV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), or the New International Version (NIV) use the Critical Text, a collation of earlier manuscripts. In these, the verse IS verse seven, and it includes the definite article before Truth. (Note from Phil: Arrrgh! Well, of all the goofs I made in the X-Phile Guide this tops the list as my most addle-brained. I do have those other translations but I grew up with KJV and memorized lots of verses including 1 John 3:7 and while I realized that latter translations had dropped that verse, I wasn't aware that they renumbered the verses of the chapter as well! Shouldah checked. Couldah checked. Just didn't!)
116, Lori Schiele: "When Scully sees her father, you mention she 'seems, how shall we say, more developed than in previous episodes.' I agree and they seem to make it very obvious. However, it's because she just gave birth and was lactating. I guess you figured that out, but I thought I would mention it anyway." (Note from Phil: I was aware. Just being goofy.)
147, Murray Leeder: "You refer to Cancerman's assassin as Luis Cardinal, when elsewhere he is referred to as Louis Cardinal (it always sounded like Luis to me, but the official references list 'Louis.')
158, Kathy Scholl: "Murray, Nebraska is [actually] a town of approx. 400 people about 20-25 miles south of Omaha."
175, Robert J. Woolley: "The dog's name is spelled QUEEQUAG but on page 252 it is QUEEGUEG. (That's two letters different, not just one!)"
175, Jack Reasoner: "In 'You Might Be An X-Phile...', you mention 'Queequag'. Last time I read Melville, and according to the Official Guide to the Third Season ("Trust No One"), the name is spelled 'Queequeg.'
181, Jason Maxwell: "Under Equipment Oddities the first entry says that you're amazed that with all the traveling Scully has done you're surprised that the little thing in her neck never set off the metal detectors. In cop shows, even in the X-Files (see "Max" I think), and I've even seen it once in real life, cops who are carrying their weapons don't go through metal detectors, they go around them flashing their badges. I asked the security person when I saw it happen why they don't go through them and just let the detector go off. The response is that this way they don't have to show their gun and create a commotion. Now, since FBI agents like Mulder and Scully could be called on at any time, they probably always carry their gun with them, thus they would never go through the metal detectors."
184, Murray Leeder: "Did you make up the name 'Brandoguy' or do you have an official source? The reference materials I've scene call him "Elder No. 1", but I prefer Puffy-Faced Man. (Note from Phil: I made it up. I have heard one that I like even better though . . . "The Well-Fed Man.")
191, Jamie Roberts: "About the kitchen being dark and deserted, if it was a large hotel it would probably have a separate banqueting kitchen for a banquet hall as opposed to the kitchen of the regular hotel restaurant. (I used to book space and caterers for receptions.)"
209, Amy Boyle: "Under geographical inconsistencies, you have written that Queensgate, Ohio, doesn't exist. I hate to nitpick you nitpicks, but . . . Queensgate, Ohio, does exist. As Mulder states in 'Nisei,' it is just outside Cincinnati."
210, Jack Reasoner: "The question comes up in your review of 'Nisei' as to what model firearm Mulder carries in his ankle holster. As far as I can judge, it is the same model Scully carried in the first season, a Bernadelli Model 60 single-action semi-automatic, 7.65mm caliber. If not this one, then it is a Walther PPK .380 Auto or any of the numerous clones of this weapon; though since Scully's gun (the one she had tucked in her dresser in 'The Blessing Way,' by the way [and to answer your nit about that episode, it would not be unusual for an agent to have an off-duty weapon owned by her, and not the Bureau, which she would not have turned in--you could ask The Real FBI about this one]) was still lying around the prop department, this was probably the one used here as well. And your nit about the hammer cocking is dead on target. TV too frequently does things like this, and it's rare that The X-Files does it."
210, F.H. Coker III: "In your review of 'Nisei,' you claim to 'know' the 9mm Beretta. The make of this gun is misspelled 'Baretta.' It's a very common mistake. (Baretta, of course, was the Robert Blake cop series from the '70's.)
212, Richard Hensley: "I noticed [in the Ruminations section that you mention] 'Mulder and Scully dropping their clip,' Glocks', Smith & Wessons' and Baretta' etc. do not use clips. The right term is magazine."
214, Michelle Ann Schellentrager: "You quoted Agent Pendrell having said, 'The chip is so delicate that I . . . ." He did not say, 'The chip is . . . .' He said, 'The chip's . . .'"
221, Kevin Spenst: "There is a problem with Trivia question number one. If you read the question, and then look directly over to the left at the right column of text, you answered the question in that paragraph." (Note from Phil: Didn't you appreciate the help, though? ;-)
224, Corey P. Fortson: "The guide states that Cornell County exists in New Hampshire, while Caryl County does not. The truth of the matter is, there is no Cornell County, but Caryl County does exist. Its correct spelling is Carroll."
244, Robert J. Woolley: "Hsin loses his right eye, not his left as you state."
245, Robert J. Woolley: "And I think I know the explanation for that weird reflection in the crematorium. It's a reflection of Mulder's flashlight. Notice that the reflection appears exactly when Mulder shines his flashlight in there. I think the interior walls are stainless steel, which tends to reflect light in weird ways, especially if it's somewhat warped (as it might be from repeated exposure to 2000-degree heat).
246, Murray Leeder: "You at one point say 'Detective Manner's'. That should I believe read 'Detective Manners'', as his name was Manners, not Manner.
252, Matthew A. Bille: "It's not Heuvelman's Lake. It's Lake Heuvelmans--an homage to a leading cryptozoologist, Dr. Bernard Heuvelmans."
252, Jack Reasoner: "In your review of 'Quagmire,' you refer to 'Queegueg' which should be spelled 'Queequeg.'
260, Heidi Kiewel: "In your 'Serial Ovotypes' sidebar, you failed to mention the kid who plays the Sheriff's son (the blond) who dies in 'Red Museum' is the same kid who plays the Stone in 'War of the Coprophages' and 'Quagmire'.
262, Murray Leeder: "Under Darin Morgan's entry you listed not 'Eddie Van Blundht,' but 'EdDie Van Blundht.' Some sort of subliminal message, maybe? Ed Die?"
273, Phillip Ficarra, Jr.: "Jen Grady, a fellow nitpicker, informed you that Pennsylvania has no highway patrol. This is not entirely accurate. In reference to the entire state, Ms. Grady is right, there is no highway patrol that combs the highways throughout the state, that task is left to the state police. However, the Philadelphia Police Department does indeed have a very fine highway patrol. A good friend of mine was recently promoted to the highway patrol. This highway patrol can, in fact, be found on the highways throughout all of Philadelphia County, which is quite large. So depending on where Home, PA, is located or if it even exists, it is quite possible that Scully could have contacted them."
280, Murray Leeder: "I'm probably not the first one to point this out, but here goes. You note regarding the poetry in this episode - 'It's nice to hear something so well-written on television.' That implies that you figured it was written for the episode, but it wasn't. It's 'Paracelsus,' by Robert Browning!" (Note from Phil: I was aware that it wasn't written for the show! It's just nice to hear something so well written on television!)
286, Denise Tangalan: "You ask how to tell the directional orientation of pentagrams on the floor. Here is the answer: For 'White' magic, the topmost point faces or points East (or occasionally, North, depending upon your tradition or training."
296, Jason Maxwell: "In the plot summary of Terma, end of first paragraph, it reads 'I'm not sure why but it has something to so with the smallpox vaccination scar!' I think that 'so' should be 'do,' especially since the S and D are right next to each other on the keyboard."
301, Murray Leeder: "You once called Roche 'Roach.' Spent too much time watching 'War of the Coprophages'?
304, Murray Leeder: "In the great line of 'El Mundo Gira,' you mentioned 'Mario,' not 'Maria' . . . . 'Mario, I just met a girl named Mario . . .' doesn't have the same ring."
308, John Marshall: "[You] state that twelve people called Mulder 'Fox.' Well it should be thirteen because Senator Matheson calls him 'Fox' at the beginning of their conversation about Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.2."
308, Bob Toole: "Concerning the number of times Scully's driven a car, I'm surprised you missed the very first time she drove, episode number two, 'Deep Throat,' after picking up Mulder outside the air base in exchange for Redbird (and, no, she doesn't adjust the seat after he gets out, either).
308, Julia Mateskon: "Near the beginning of "Little Green Men," Mulder appeared to be eating sunflower seeds. Now, I'm not totally sure that it was sunflower seeds, but if it was, you didn't put it on your Omnium-Gatherum Tote Board."
308, Julia Diepenveen: "You wrote that there are only three references to Star Wars but you missed the reference in the episode 'Deep Throat.' When Mulder and Scully are interviewing the two teenagers, one says, '. . . but I think it's some kind of Star Wars cybertech, new-fangled hardware right . . . .'"
314, Diane Grech: "The most blatant error is your continual misspelling of the episode entitled "Memento Mori." You keep spelling it "Momento Mori." (Note from Phil: Oops, sorry, oops! At least I'm consistent!)
314, Murray Leeder: "In 'Nisei,' you refer to Penny Northern. In 'Memento Mori,' you refer to Peggy Northern. Which is it?
315, F.H. Coker III, "In your review of 'Memento Mori,' you write that you 'have never heard of a semi-automatic pistol clip that holds fewer than nine bullets.' In point of fact there are many such weapons. There include the classic .45 caliber Colt 1191A1 (which holds sever rounds and was the standard issue sidearm of the US Army for several decades); The Walter PPK (seven shots; the weapon made famous in the James Bond films); the Sig Sauer P230 carried by Scully in 'Ice' (seven shots); the .380 caliber Beretta model 85; the .45 caliber Star PD; and so on.
318, Robert J Woolley: "Phil, Phil, Phil, Phil, Phil. Prague and its environs are--and as far as I know always have been--in Czechoslovakia (well, and the variations on that name that have abounded), not Poland!"
324, et al, Ashley Flanagan: "[Concerning the 'four years' references to the time Mulder and Scully have been together when--according to the date on 'Pilot'--they have been together five years,] I have deduced that Chris Carter & Friends, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to pretend that the events of the 'Pilot' episode occurred in 1993. Okay, so it's not a perfect explanation, just a theory (all together now: '...not the finely detailed insanity you've come to expect from me...') but it does make all those fourth-season references work a lot better."
329, Daniel B. Case: "I think more episodes should be considered as contributing to the mythology than the ones you have listed so far, such as 'Red Museum' (the alien DNA angle, plus the Crew-Cut Man from 'The Erlenmayer Flask' getting killed, yet remaining unidentified) and 'Eve' (It involves cloning, and I think by now it's been established that the project involves some type of genetic engineering/cloning technology)."
337, Jack Reasoner: "In the 'Small Potatoes' review, you refer to the 'War of the Coprophages' section for the discussion of Mulder's bedroom. Trouble is, that possible bedroom sighting actually came in 'Jose Chung's "From Outer Space"', and you make this same reference twice in the 'Small Potatoes' section!"
340, Jenny Erdahl: "There are two 'Plot Oversight' headlines. The first one is followed by italic printing usually used in the 'Rumination' column. Then there's the 'Unanswered Questions' on page 341 and another 'Plot Oversight'. I think there was a printing oversight."
348, Murray Leeder: "I don't think this episode necessary confirms the fact that 'Musings of a CSM' happened. Mulder obviously remembers what his father looked like at that age, and if Cancerman really was there, then, subconsciously, he'd know what he looks like to. So maybe what we saw in 'Musings' was not just Frohike's rendition of the story, but rather Mulder's mental visualization of Frohike's rendition of the story! Or not." (Note from Phil: Or it might even be Cancerman's conjurings on how Mulder is visualizing the story he's hearing from Frohike since the only "present" person we see in the episode is Cancerman! Grin.)
357, Robert J. Woolley: "I don't get the cryptic last line of the book: IRIOT? Is that one of those codes for one of the universal explanations (like: He read the script)?" (Note from Phil: If I told you, I'd have to kill you. I can give you this much. IRIOT does mean something. It is the ANSWER. In fact, I almost used the term IDIOT instead but I thought that was too strident and violated my "light-heartedness and good cheer" rule! Wink, wink.)
357, Matt Nelson: "Last but not least, 'The Answer.' Lotsa fun, but what's that all about? IRIOT? It Really Is Out There? I Read Into Other Things? In Russia I Otter Trotsky? Help!"
357, Jason Liu: "OK, I liked how you ended the Guide. One thing has been bugging me. What does IRIOT mean? Is it supposed to mean anything? Are you just toying with us? Has the Consortium managed to infiltrate the Guild? Aaahhh!"
Back Cover, Matthew Patterson: "You say that it's remarkable that Mulder's cell phone works while in a boxcar buried in a canyon in the middle of the New Mexico desert. First of all, the back cover seems to indicate that these three events occurred separately. In the actual episode (forgot the title), they happen all at the same time. Second, it's only the first two factors that would pose a problem. When my family and some others went on a mission trip to a Navajo reservation in New Mexico, our cell phone worked okay even though we were just about as far away from civilization as we could get."
More stuff that was cut from the NextGen II Guide!
The Nth Degree Star Date: 44704.2-44705.3
A Cytherian probe flashes Barclay.
I wonder if Barclay had any further incidents like the one in Ten-Forward where he suddenly knew the correct move to checkmate another player in nine moves even though he does not play chess? By the time "Realm of Fear" rolls around, he seems like he's back to his old paranoid, hypochondriac self.
For the sake of completeness, I am forced to mention that in the Classic episode, "The Changeling," Scotty routed the output from the warp drive into the shields. Yet when Barclay did it in this episode, everyone seems shocked and amazed.
Thanks to: John Burrows of Southall, England
Qpid Star Date: 44741.9
Q stages a reenactment of Robin Hood with Picard as lead.
James HG Redekop of London, Ontario challenged me to think of Worf's attack from Sir Guy's viewpoint. If Worf stabs the horse, he leaves himself momentarily open to attack from above. On the other hand, Michael Hollick of Brampton, Ontario claimed that attack the horse would be dishonorable. (Wink, wink.) Margaret M. Lawyer of Lancaster, VA offered that cowboys didn't shoot the Indians' horses because the horse was a valuable commodity and could be retrained or sold. However, John Hobson of Bolingbrook, IL submitted that the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is the reason cowboys didn't shoot the Indians' horses in the movies because in real war, horses were prime targets.
After finding Vash's note to summon Riker to the rescue, Q orders the guards to take her away. On page 258 of the NextGen Guide, I pondered where the guards would take her given that she was already in her cell. Roxanne Lee of Richfield, UT believes that the guards take Vash to the dungeon. (Sounds good to me! Although, I wonder why Sir Guy has her taken back to the tower when the fight breaks out.)
When Q finally appears in Sherwood Forest, Picard asks him to end the fantasy before someone gets hurt. Meanwhile, the captain's Security Chief sits with his arm bandaged from a wound inflicted by a broad sword blow. I think someone has already gotten hurt! (Oh wait: Worf likes that kind of stuff! Never mind.)
Just as the executioner raises his axe to separate Picard's head from the rest of his body, a component from Data's arm explodes in a fire, thereby creating a diversion. At this point Picard makes an interesting choice. He backfists the guard behind him before taking on the executioner. Remember that the executioner has the axe already raised over his head. Wouldn't it be better to go after this guy first?
At the end of the episode, Picard asks the computer to locate "Council member Vash." Wait a minute: Vash is not a Federation Archeology Council member and Picard knows it. When he questions her about this near the beginning of the episode, she replies that she is "more or less" a council members. And, given that the meeting will be held aboard the Enterprise, wouldn't Picard have a detailed list of the members who were attending? And, since he was speaking at this meeting, wouldn't Picard have studied the list thoroughly? So, if she was a council member, wouldn't he have known she was on board?
Worf appears to have red blood seeping through the bandage that covers the wound he received in his short battle with Sir Guy. As I said during my review of "The Emissary," didn't the Klingons in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country have purplish colored blood?
Thanks to: Jenny Flesch of Florence, KY; Mirko Waschkowitsch of Karlstaclf/Stetten, Germany; Gary Wesley of Cambs, England; Jennifer Skirkanich of East Northport, NY
The Drumhead Star Date: 44769.2
Admiral Nora Satie holds a kangaroo court on the Enterprise..
Mark Carlson of Tulsa, OK noticed a lovely touch in Satie's wardrobe. In many scene she wears a pendant in the center of her chest that bears a striking resemblance to a noose.
Half a Life Star Date: 44805.3-44812.6
Lwaxana falls in love with Kaelon II scientist Dr. Timicin.
At times, the creators really do make an extra effort to add to the realism of an episode. Just after Timicin comes on board, Picard chairs a meeting on the observation lounge. Since the ship travels at warp, the creators had to calculate the angle of the camera and attempt to match the angle of the streaking stars. In a medium wide shot of Timicin, the camera aims somewhere between starboard and aft so the creators show us the star streaking from left to right. However, in a subsequent closeup, the camera has rotated a bit more towards the aft position. In response, the creators show us not only the stars travelling left to right but also a few travelling directly away from the camera as well.
The Host Star Date: 44821.3-44824.4
Dr. Crusher finds love with a Trill Ambassador named Odan.
P.T.H. Carder added his own observation to all of this Trill thing. He believes this episode shows that humanity is improving a bit. No doubt had a certain Dr. McCoy found the symbiant inside Odan and observed that a new host would shortly be subjected to its charms, the renowned James T. Kirk would have grabbed a phaser and implemented his own version of justice by vaporizing the lobsteroid on sight.
On pages 264 and 265 of the NextGen Guide, I poked a little fun at the tension at the end of the show in the rush to get to the new Trill host. I wondered why Crusher didn't just implant Odan in Picard and have a little fun. Several nitpickers wrote that Odan is in a weakened condition from his recent implantation in Riker and must have a Trill host to survive but I find little dialogue to support this idea.
At the very beginning of the episode, Crusher and Odan neck in a turbolift. Data enters and the shot clearly shows a habitable area hallway beyond the turbolift. Soon, Crusher disembarks the turbolift with Data and again, the shot clearly shows a habitable hallway beyond the turbolift. However, when the camera jumps outside the turbolift, the hallway was suddenly changed to a normal corridor!
Thanks to: Stuart Davis of East Sussex, England and Swapna Sathe of Manchester, MO
The Mind's Eye Star Date: 44885.5-4496.9
No subsequent cuts.
In Theory Star Date: 44932.3-44935.6
Data attempts a romantic relationship with Jenna D'Sora.
On page 269 of the NextGen Guide, I noted that Guinan tells Data in this episode that she never advises people on their first love but did so in "The Dauphin" in the case of Wesley and Salia. David Shelton of Birmingham, AL wrote to suggest that Wesley and Salia might be the reason Guinan doesn't advise people about first love anymore.
Redemption Star Date: 44995.3-44998.3
No subsequent cuts.
Nitpicking. The final expression of fandom. These are the continuing communications of Nitpicker Central.
I always enjoy hearing from you. Here's a small portion of the input that's come in over the last two months. Some items of old business, first!
Preambles and War (Part Final)
Roland Spickermann, University of Detroit Mercy commented, "World War II did not start with the invasion of Poland in 1939, but with the Japanese attack on China in 1937. If we really want to get rid of the 'Euro-centric' view mentioned by Mr. Howarter, we need to keep this in mind. The objections to the above argument do not stand up: 'Japan vs. China was a local war.' Well, Germany, Poland, and the UK and France were pretty local, too. 2nd objection: 'Japan and China did not flare out and expand into global conflict, the way Europe's war did.' One need point out only Pearl Harbor."
In addition, John Myers sent along the following postscript, "I should have said thanks for lend-lease and a big thank you to all the brave Americans who volunteered for service with the British forces before Pearl Harbor."
One Small Step Revisited (Part 2)
Chet Cox commented, "You're gonna hate this part about Neil Armstrong's famous words. They're wrong. Armstrong actually said 'That's one small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind.' That's right, the definitive article 'a' was in there. A blip (if you stayed up late like I did when it happened just to strain your eyes to see it on TV, you'll remember there were plenty of blips) in communication reception blipped the 'a' right out of there. To this day, the quote is remembered as 'That's one small step for Man; one giant leap for mankind,' which would be redundant. And repetitive. It would also say the same thing more than once.
And, Jimmy Shipman wrote, "Oo, oo, oo, the person that we see stepping off the LEM on the moon isn't even Armstrong. It's Alan Shepard. Armstrong was filming him and they stuck the two together to make it look good!" (Note from Phil: Is this true? Really? If it is: Tsk, tsk, tsk!)
Finally, Trevor Ruppe commented, "Someone mentioned a mistake about Armstrong's moon landing broadcast. Two points about this: 1) His very line, I'm sure you know, is a flub. He was supposed to say (and they wrote this for him ahead of time, of course) 'That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for Mankind.' He left out the 'a' and thus the line makes no sense: 'That's one small step for Man, one giant leap for Mankind.' 2) There is currently a cover-up going on by some news organizations and NASA. NASA claims that Armstrong DID say the 'a' but it was cut out of the transmission due to interference. However, if you listen to the actual broadcast, there was no room for him to say 'a.' Also, whenever some news organizations talk about the event without playing the actual recording, they claim that the line Armstrong said was, you guessed it, 'That's one small step for a man...'! In other words, they're trying to cover-up his flubbed line!" (Note from Phil: Will it never end? The next thing you know, somebody will be claiming that we never went to the moon in the first place! Wink, wink.)
Morn Speaks (Part 2)
Ben Rosenau of Allentown, PA, observed, "I have something of a solution to this--Morn has spoken, or at least mouthed words before, in the English version as well, but the editors have always been quite careful to make these inaudible. However, if one were to watch with a close captioned TV as I do at times, one would find that Morn has spoken in the captions a number of times. Perhaps the captions are taken from the script rather than the actual episode, and the perhaps the same holds true for the non-English language versions of the show.
Men In Black Anti-Nits
Brendan Dillon advised, "[The effect of the warning shot at the ice cap] was actually mentioned, though it was in the background and hard to catch--I didn't notice it myself, until I saw it on video. K and Zed (I think) were discussing the damage. This led to one of the funniest exchanges of the movie (in my humble opinion). Zed: Staten Island? K: Gone. Zed: Thank God."
Trevor Ruppe added, "During the talk about Men In Black, you mentioned trying to find a way to 'tie the dragonfly into the rest of the movie.' The dragonfly sequence at the beginning is what is called in film schools as a 'thematic reference.' The 'theme' of the movie is 'bugs getting squished.' So, just as Will Smith stomps on bugs at the end of the film, a bug gets splattered at the beginning of the film, too. A famous example of this is in Back To The Future. During the opening credits, panning across Doc's workbench and newspaper articles, there's a small clock. Hanging from one of the hands is a toy action figure! (Just like Doc hangs from the hands at the end of the film!)"
The Asexual Borg (Part 2)
David S. Mueller objected, "Q's statement [in the NextGen episode 'Q Who'] that the Borg are neither male or female makes little sense. The Borg may not differentiate between male and female, but the difference must exist. Even though Anika Hansen was assimilated at a young age, she was still a human female and developed accordingly, underneath the Borg armor. I would not be surprised if the Borg were technically able to prevent development of gender-specific organs, considering their technology (just program a few nanoprobes...). Don't forget when Riker found the Borg nursery in 'Deja Q'. He said that the Borg were born biological. Where did these come from? (Perhaps native Borg are androgynous?)" (Note from Phil: Actually, I believe that in a recent Voyager episode, Seven leaves the impression that the Borg reproduce solely by assimilation and that the babies seen in the "nursery" during "Q Who" were, in fact, part of a race that was being assimilated. Sorry, I can't be more specific!)
Consider For Your Approval
Kelly Pennell wrote, "I received The Nitpicker's Guide for X-philes as a Christmas present and am thoroughly enjoying it. I especially like watching an old episode and trying to find the nits already picked. It makes me laugh every time. An unfortunate side-effect of nit-pickitis, however, is the scrutiny required while watching the episodes. I can't just watch them for enjoyment anymore; I stare bug-eyed and slack-jawed at the screen with paper and pencil at the ready. My children refer to this as 'The X-File Zone.'"
They Came From Earth . . . Well, Not Really
Todd M. Pence of Fairfax, VA, informed, "I think I've found the answer to a question you posed in your Nitpicker's Guide for Classic Trekkers. In your section on 'The Omega Glory,' you note a 'weird spot in the dialogue' at the end of the show and say 'it appears the creators cut a chunk of dialogue.' I happen to own a mimeograph copy of the script to this episode, and so I dug it out and looked up the scene in question. Sure enough, a few lines of dialogue are written for an argument between [Spock and McCoy]. Here are the lines which do not appear on screen, following Kirk's 'We merely showed them the meaning of what they already had.'
MCCOY: Jim, the parallel's too close. They seem so completely human. Is it possible that . . . ?
KIRK: (thoughtfully) The result of Earth's early space race?
SPOCK: Quite possible, Captain. They are aggressive enough to be human.
MCCOY: Now listen, Spock, you . . .
"Since these lines are so brief, I think that the scene was cut possibly not for time considerations, but for the suggestion that the Omegans are descendants of Earth colonists, which the creators rightly decided it was absurd."
Crystal With The Ring Of Truth
Reid Joiner noted, "I am in the middle of watching [the DS9 episode] 'Bar Association,' and I noticed an odd little effect. Ah, the mind of a nitpicker. Watch the scene where Quark creates holo-waiters and tries to talk Odo into forcing away the strikers. Real Quark holds a tray with some glasses on it. Remember, there are a few holo-Quarks running around in the background. Now, look closely at the glasses. One would think that, being glass and all, they would distort the image of whatever is behind it (in this case, you can see the floor behind the glasses). However, you can see the corners of the glasses, but the floor behind them is not distorted at all. In fact they are eerily normal. Obviously Quark and Odo filmed in front of a blue/green screen, but TPTB didn't fix the odd effect with the glasses."
Now There's A Scary Image!
Jordan Martin of Cincinnati, OH, observed, "[In the Classic Trek episode,] 'Wolf in the Fold,' Mr. Hengist [who is inhabited by the spirit of Jack the Ripper,] is played by John Feidler who also did the voice of Piglet in Winnie the Pooh."
A Slip With The Slipper
Urac Sigma noted, "I just realized a nit in Cinderella, of all things! At the stroke of midnight, Fairy Godmother's magic gets undone, right? So all Cinders' coaches, and fancy threads and everything turn back into pumpkins and rags and things. Yep, OK, they say as much...with me so far? So if that's the case, what is that glass thing Prince Charming wanders around getting women to try on? The actual slipper should have hit midnight and turned into a hobnail boot or something!
Postcards From The Forward Edge Of Science
Elizabeth Marin and the Bier Lab informed, "I am a post graduate researcher in genetics at UC San Diego, and my colleagues and I love it when Scully obtains any kind of biomedical data on their cases. While the creators of the series do an admirable job of trying to incorporate legitimate scientific theories and techniques into the show, they do make some whopping errors (although non-scientists would have no reason to notice them or care). The most glaring example occurs in 'The Erlenmeyer Flask' when Scully's associate shows her the film of DNA sequence and claims that the gaps led her to look for extranatural nucleotides. First of all, while the film looks like a genuine DNA sequence, there are no apparent gaps. Second, there wouldn't be any if her conclusions regarding the 5th and 6th nucleotides are correct--in fact, there would be anything visible on the film. In the particular method of sequencing shown, a mix of four nucleotides (labeled with radioactivity) is added sequentially to a template strand, and occasionally a dideoxynucleotide is incorporated, effectively terminating extension of the growing strand, so that you end up with a bunch of fragments of varying lengths. When these are run on a gel, the smallest fragments travel fastest, and you can then read the sequence from the bottom up. So if they tried to sequence DNA with these unknown nucleotides, the necessary complementary base-pairing between template and growing labeled strand would not occur at the sites containing the 5th or 6th nucleotides, extension would halt, and you'd be left with tiny beginning fragments that would run right of your gel! (Unless, of course, you were using the handy-dandy Promega Alien DNA Sequencing Kit which includes a 5th and 6th nucleotide in its deoxynucleotide mix . . . but then you wouldn't see any gaps!) In fact, there is a method of DNA sequencing that would show such gaps--a computer readout would show spikes of color representing the various nucleotide types--but there's no radioactive film involved." (Note from Phil: I cannot tell you how much I love hearing from real scientists! And, believe me, any spelling mistakes in the technical stuff are my own, not Elizabeth's!)
Go-Go Power Klingons
Lee Thalbourne instructed, "If you have it, please turn to the revised Star Trek Chronology, p. 105. The top picture is supposed a building (probably the hall) at Khitomer (in ST: VI). However, now that I look at it, it seems to be the Power Ranger Command center."
The Story Of A Mogul And His Time Machine
Murray Leeder informed, "I don't know if you've ever heard this one before [from Citizen Kane]. When Kane calls for a picnic, we see a dense, jungle-like forest. To cut costs, this backdrop was reused from a previous RKO picture. Unfortunately, that was a prehistoric adventure. A pterodactyl is visible flapping its wings in the background! (It looks like it might be a very large bird, making it at least passible in Kane.)
Do They Or Don't They?
Laura Grunert, "I would like to commend you for lending credence to the UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension) between Mulder and Scully, even listing Mulder officially as one of the men attracted to her. I'm sure you're aware of the whole 'Relationshipper/Friendshipper' debate, especially on the Internet. As the former, I can say it is very refreshing for a book on The X-Files to even bring up this subject."
Picard's Ill-Will Toward Lily
Kevin Rudolph, Medical Lake, WA: "During the scene [in the movie Star Trek: First Contact,] when Picard faces off with Lily, there's a great nit. The shot changes at one point to Picard's side as Lily, convinced by his oh-so-smooth tone, hands him the phaser. Watch carefully as Picard takes the phaser from her hand. He presses the firing button and a little red light goes on the front! What is this? The "Look out, I'm shooting" light? My theory is that it's a cue for the special effects people so they know when to add in a digital phaser beam, but... we don't deal in reality here!" (Note from Phil: So does that mean that Picard actually tried to shoot Lily but the phaser-gods wouldn't allow it?)
Ponderments From The Medical Community
Dr. Howard Kahen, "Being a medical doctor with a background in hard science (as Scully would say), I found parts of [the X-Files episode "Teliko"] somewhat of a stretch. First, how does Aboah remove the pituitary (which only weighs 0.5g and has a maximal diameter of only 12mm) from his victims without destroying it or his victims' brains? There should be a large amount of bleeding associated with this crude surgery. Even if he can extract it, how does he get the hormones into his body? Eating them I don't think will work, as the gastric juices should destroy the hormones. Does he have his own biochemistry lab in the abandoned building to isolate what he needs? Does he then inject them intravenously? The body's hormonal system (endocrine system) is very delicate and sensitive to minuscule amounts of hormones. Aboah does not strike me as a very delicate kind of guy to perform what would be necessary. The anterior lobe of the pituitary produces at least five separate hormones controlling milk production in women, growth, sexual characteristics including ovulations; thyroid and adrenal gland function. An interesting point is that the main hormone that they were discussing in the show (B-melanocyte-stimulating hormone) probably has little if any role in controlling human skin pigmentation. Also, as you stated in your book, I feel that it would be extremely unlikely that a patient whose pituitary was removed would depigment so fast." (Note from Phil: And I love hearing from real-live medical doctors as well! Again, any spelling mistakes in the technical are my own.)
Obviously, The Reporter Thought It Was Decoy Information
Craig Mason discovered, "I was watching the movie Presumed Innocent on a movie channel this morning when I noticed a nit. After the dismissal of Ford's trial, he and his wife and lawyer walk down the front steps of the courthouse and are swarmed by reporters. One reporter holds up a small, silver tape recorder in front of Ford. You can see through the recorder's door into it, and see the empty spindles. There is no tape in the recorder.
Guess Seven Wasn't The Type To "Just Stand There Are Look Pretty!"
Gene Bixler, "I am absolutely amazed that the Borg can talk! Think about it. Prior to 'I, Borg,' the only Borg we ever heard speak was Locutus, which was only natural, as he was to be the voice of the Borg to humanity. Otherwise, we've always heard that charming disembodied voice with the nifty reverberation. Further, in First Contact, the Borg queen comments that Data shouldn't insist on using primitive vocal communications when his positronic brain is capable of so much more. This, coupled with the fact that the Borg interface directly with one another, gives us the impression that the Borg do not communicate vocally. The vocal cords, like any other part of the body, must be trained. Also like any other part of the body, when they are not used for extended periods of time, they must be retrained. This makes me wonder how Seven-of-Nine was so easily able to speak. She was assimilated as a young girl, before her vocal cords were even fully developed the first time, no doubt. It amazes me that she has such a wonderful command of vocal communication when integrating with the Voyager crew. Of course, if the Borg-turned-Babe couldn't speak, she wouldn't be much of an addition to the show."
Reality Bows Once More To The Dramatic Moment
Ross A. Fillmore of Columbus, OH wrote, "Okay, I know it's not a TV show per se but this one has been bothering me since the first time I saw it. Jerry Seinfeld goes to a gas station and observes somebody 'overpump' an even number of dollars on the meter. He then purposely overpumps with odd change just to 'dis' the station attendant and prove the convenience of paying by credit by whipping out his American Express card to pay for the gas in a medium that doesn't care about odd change. [Except . . .] all of the gas stations I've been to that have this payment option require you to insert your card before pumping, not after. The commercial is still cute."
It's Worse Than We Thought: She Had Started To Strip! Aaaaah!
Ashley Mullins noted, "In [the X-File episode,] 'Small Potatoes', Eddie Van Blundht is 'making the moves' on Scully, and she stands up as the real Mulder comes in. If you use the slow button as she [shoves Blundht away] (I don't think you have to, but you can see it more easily) you can see her knees! Remember she was wearing black stretch pants (or that's what they looked like) [only moments] before.
Finnish Tidbits
Viccy Estelrich of Helsinki, Finland commented, "[In regards to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,] it's usually nice to hear one's mothertongue, but those whalehunters spoke some foreign language that turned out to be Finnish. (I am also a Finn.) Someone should have told the almost-all-knowing scriptwriters, that Finnish people do not hunt whales. Not in 1980's, not now, not in this universe and (hopefully not) in Trek's. Also, in NextGen there are two women whose names are Finnish words. It's quite nice, except the meaning of those names are a bit inappropriate. In 'The Perfect Mate' the prize-bride is called Kamala. It means 'horrible.' And in 'The Game' the villain's name is Etana. Well, I personally think she actually did look a bit like a snail. Of course I could (and will) mention that Commander (we are only at the third season in Finland) Sisko might as well write his name Commander Sister."
Either That Or She's Wearing Some Of Those Expand-O-Matic Heels
Sherilyn K. Brown noted, "I have a nit from the X-Files episode 'Pusher' and have no idea if it's been mentioned or not. At the end of the episode, while Modell lies supposedly dying in his hospital bed. (We learn better in 'Kitsunegari,' don't we?) Scully joins Mulder in the room. Now we all know that when there is a large height discrepancy between two actors in a scene, 'high tech measures' are often taken to alleviate this discrepancy--ie. the shorter actor stands on a box. Most of the time, the audience is blissfully unaware of these techniques--except for this particular nitpicker at the end of this episode! As Scully walks into the room, toward Mulder (and the camera), we can actually see Scully 'grow' as she walks up some sort of ramp! Not only that, but the sound of her stepping shoes changes also--from a regular floor sound to a more hollow, wooden sound as she walks up the ramp." (Note from Phil: And she seems to be taking care not to make too much noise!)
When The Cat's Away . . .
Murray Leeder informed, "[There was] an amusing thing from [a question and answer session with] Ron Moore. [Someone asked,] 'Who minds the store when the entire DS9 senior staff is out gallivanting in the Defiant?' [Ron Moore answered,] 'The station is taken over by a race of non-humanoid aliens who are too expensive to show on television. But trust me -- they're really cool looking.'"
Another Satisfied Customer!
Leslie Green commented, "Less than 24 hours ago, I bought your book The Nitpicker's Guide for X-philes and read it cover to cover. My initial thought was 'Man, now here is a guy with no life!' (No offense intended.) But as I read on and on, I realized, 'Hey, I could have published this book! I've already thought of half of these!' That's when I came to the conclusion that I, too, had no life beyond The X-Files. LOVED the 'You Might Be An X-phile . . .' list. I fit the qualifications well enough; I know what an X-phile is, I've actually put the masking tape 'X' on my window just to see what would happen, I've started eating sunflower seeds, I've tried to signal UFOs with a flashlight, I called 1-900-555-YAPP, I check my watch all the time to see if it's stopped, and I think 'Fox' is a great name for a little boy! (Oh, and I have a fish named Queequag. And a cat named Scully. Okay, okay . . . and a bird named Mulder.)"
A Groaner A Day Insures Better Humor The Rest Of The Time
Thanks to Scott McClenney, Andrew Gilbertson and Wells P. Martin for sending these along.
Why did Duncan McLeod decapitate the Ferengi bar keeper? He was after his Quarkening!
How does Amanda Roges tell time? She uses a Q-Q clock.
Why will you never find a Klingon working at Burger King? At Burger King, it's NEVER a good day to fry!