The "Cry Baby"

POSTED BY: Calhoun
UPDATED: Sunday, January 11, 2004 19:26
VIEWED: 9242
PAGE 3 of 5

PREV PAGE 1 2 3 4 5 NEXT PAGE

SUCCATASH

Thursday, January 8, 2004 4:57 AM

I would like to take back my words, because I am wrong.

Here's a quote from that scene:

"Sounds like a personnel carrier..."

"Definitely a big ship, Sir."

Calhoun is a sharp eyed Science Warrior.

CALHOUN

Thursday, January 8, 2004 5:30 AM

I was just about to jump all over you Succatash when I read your second last post but feel somewhat vindicated with the last post :)

Of course!! Put the Cry Baby near a large mass (big rock/small moon) and hey presto! Now when an Alliance ship recieves its transmission they can also see a large mass on their gravitic sensors... Its so obvious. So obvious it took me a few years worth of watchin to notice.

I am certain and will remain certain of this until Joss Whedon tells me differently :)

CALHOUN

Thursday, January 8, 2004 5:33 AM

LOL! "Sharp eyed science warrior"

I like it!

Thank you, Succatash

SUCCATASH

Thursday, January 8, 2004 6:02 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Calhoun:
I was just about to jump all over you Succatash...

Well I'm glad I spared myself a jumpin'. I'm totally out of vaseline and I have a really high co-pay on my insurance.

[DRUM ROLL] No, but seriously, I learned from this post. Thanks. Maybe I'll head over to the Solar System thread and learn a thing or two.

NOOCYTE

Thursday, January 8, 2004 6:50 AM

PMJI. Actually, I have an alternate view of this matter (ah, jeez; just when we thought it was good and settled! ).

That broken up body in the frame with the crybaby was large enough to have pulled itself into a sphere at one point (smaller bodies tend to be more irregular in shape, like most asteroids and comets, etc). That would pretty much require it to have been a pretty substantial mass, and therefore unlikely to be wholly uncharted (kind of a nasty thing to run into [literally!] unawares!). Also, it's likely way too big to be mistaken for a ship.

HOWEVER...

Such a mass might go a long way toward disguising the absence of a large ship from the cruiser's long-range sensors. Thoughts?

On the matter of distance, I have to believe that they just used the word "clicks" because it sounded kool. "Clicks" (or, as it is usually spelled in this context, "klicks") refers to kilometers, 13 of which is near enough to vizzy through the window, naked-eyeball-wise. SO, unless "c/klicks" is used differently in 500 years (which I'd accept if specifically told by JW, etc., but otherwise would put me dangerously into the realm of fan-wanking), I'd have to think of it as an error. Hey, it happens.

As for the crybaby, it really did look like something jerry-rigged from spare parts, and so painlessly left behind. Pretty risky to go back for it, as there's a real chance that some crafty Alliance missile-man would slap a tracer on it in a fit of pique.

end of dissertation.

Keep flyin'!

Department of Redundancy Department

PHOSPHORUS

Thursday, January 8, 2004 8:29 AM

I've gotta say I think Noocyte got it right on the money here. I never stopped to think about gravimetric sensors mistaking a coffee can for a space ship, but there does have to be some sort of an explantion, and the "ship behind a planet (or asteroid)" is as good as any. If the thing is 13 clicks away, they should be able to see something with the naked eye, and of course they could detect the coffee can/crybaby, but there's no reason to suspect that it is a decoy and not some debris.

Remember, that this doesn't have to fool them for long. It's a diversion, not a mock ship. It only needs to stand up to 2-3 minutes scrutiny and that from a distance. Finally, we don't know how this distress signal is normally sent. It's possible that the Alliance expects it is being transmitted from some sort of communications bouy, used for for this exact purpose. In that case, everything, including the size of the can and the necessity of the moon (for the supposed ship to hide behind), is plausible from their perspective.

"Today I was pompous and my sister was crazy. Today we were abducted by hill folk never to be seen again. It was the best day ever.... Amazing we kept him this long."

CAPTBAGGYTROUSERS

Thursday, January 8, 2004 9:08 AM

My vote:

Coffee can stuffed with electronics which sends out a false signal. Cheap, disposable. Moon of no consequence.

I also think Serenity has done it before, hence #6, but it's an uncommon enough trick that the Alliance hasn't caught onto it yet (but you can bet the commander of The Dortmunder is going slap his forehead when they get close enough to the Crybaby to see it's no ship in distress.)

History repeats the old conceits

http://topshelftvshow.com
Updated! Improved! Shiny!

CALHOUN

Thursday, January 8, 2004 12:28 PM

Guys.. The rock/moon is entirely relevant to the cry baby senario!

Joss seems so on top of his game that the rock/moon could not possibly be of no consequence.

How can I ask the question of Joss? Get it straight from the horses mouth as it were.

HANS

Thursday, January 8, 2004 12:56 PM

My problem with this scene is the whole "13 clicks" thing. That's only 13 kilometres, or less than 10 miles. In terms of space travel that's INSANELY close. The cruiser itself looks to be almost a kilometre long! The idea that they can't deploy their gunships (which presumably would go after Serenity) because they wouldn't get back in time makes no sense. What kind of gunships would a battle cruiser carry if they are helpless when the main ship is only 13 kilometres away?

Hans

CALHOUN

Thursday, January 8, 2004 1:58 PM

Yeah 13 klicks is kilometres here now to us but our frame of reference is from walking or driving on a planet. I imagine in the future travelling vast distances through space a klick might be 1000 or 10000 or even 1000000 kilometres.

PREV PAGE 1 2 3 4 5 NEXT PAGE