For all the supposed "historical accuracy" of the Dixon Hill program in tonight's rerun, even with the apparent expert and everyone else mooning over the damn program -- I couldn't resist pointing out some mistakes. For instance, when they're walking along the street you can see an poster with the NRA sign (the blue eagle) in the window of one of the shops. (The National Recovery Administration, not the National Rifle Association. ) And yet then Picard picks up a newspaper whose headline reads "Hitler On the Move."
Problem: Hitler didn't start his aggressive foreign policy until 1938 or so, and the NRA was declared unconstitutional in 1935! Not to mention that Data later on says the program is set in 1941... by that point the Depression is long over.
Normally I wouldn't have mentioned something like this. But with Picard and the redshirt gushing over about the amazing accuracty, I really think it's kinda silly that a mistake like that was made. Whalen certainly wasn't a good historical expert. Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
And if you had today a re-creation of a scene from the year 1579, and there was a book on a shelf somewhere that wasn't written until 1582, do you think every expert on the Middle Ages who saw the re-creation would immediately be drawn to the book and say "This shouldn't be here!"?
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I suppose it would depend on the fame of the book and the specifity of the era.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Not to mention the fact that I know next to nothing about that particular era, really.
My point was that the characters were gushing about historical accuracy, when it didn't entirely exist. Granted, it's a small error, but kinda important I'd think.
But then, I'm a History major. Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
I wonder who created the Dixon Hill milieu. The computer, based on the written words of the original author, and some online historical records? A dedicated holoartist? A computer or holoartist in consultation with a history expert (perhaps Whalen himself, in which case any mistakes made by him would naturally go unnoticed by him)?
We know the computer singlehandedly created Moriarty out of literary origins. We know Bashir's friend Felix carefully designed the character of Vic Fontaine. A group effort by the users themselves resulted in Sandrine's, the beach resort, and the forgettable Irish village. The different approaches would naturally lead to different levels of accuracy - and in case of the village (or Vic's in "Badda Bing"), the characters even remarked on the inaccuracies.
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
It seems that, at this point, the idea of holo-artisans had not occured to the writers. The Roddenbury computer was supposed to be pretty much all knowing. There doesn't seem to be any hint that anyone other than the computer had anything to do with programming the simulation (based on the text of course).
That said... maybe the store that the poster was in was an antique store...
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
Out of interest, what was the National Recovery Administration, and why was it deemed unconstitutional?
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
holo-artists are going to be the nerds of the 24th century.
"Did you see the new 'Corbomite Containment' holo-arc.. please.. they forgot all of the timeship registries they used in the old series, and if you look closely you can see they didn't model new hand phasers.. they just reused the ones from the 'Vulcan Adventure' series, that was supposed to take place in the 36th century! I know that Cosmadyne Corporation has the rights to this series, but its pretty obvious that Bezman and Blagga have no respect for the continuity laid down by the creators.."
"On the plus side, I froze the program and walked around for a few hours, checked all of the displays on Level 28 of the Ice Compound on Hothooine for registry listings to add to our encyclopedia... I found some mistakes in the signage though on three of the closet doors and interiors.." Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
ROTFLMBO!!!
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"ROTFLMBO!!!"
Well, now, we wouldn't want to offend anyone by saying the letter 'A', would we?
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
How could you say the letter 'A,' Tim?! Don't you know there are children here?!
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Hey... I'm a nice guy... would it make you feel better if I said ass?
There.
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
uh huhuh.. he said.. 'ass,' beavis..
heheh.. yeah, ass! AAAAASSSS! heheh...
Posted by Nimrod Pimding (Member # 205) on :
MM: To repeat Wraith's question, which I've taken quite a liking to, why was the NRA deemed unconstitutional, and what would "unconstitutional" mean in this context, officially and unofficially?
Second, you're a history major and knows next to nothing about the closest years pre- and post-WWII USA, arguably the most important years of events since the Boston Teabagging???
Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :
quote:Originally posted by Nimrod Pimding: ...the Boston Teabagging???
Man, I must have been out sick the day they taught about that.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Whoops, sorry -- meant to reply to the question about the NRA earlier, but got sidetracked.
The National Recovery Administration was one of President Franklin Roosevelt's main federal agencies for setting policies in order to assist the country's recovery during the Great Depression.
The NRA involved a huge campaign to get the public involved in the recovery, and many business displayed the now-famous posters with the blue eagle holding a gear and some bolts in its talons with the motto "We Do Our Part." (An image can be found here. I'm almost positive it was the same poster seen in the episode.)
The NRA was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1935. The NRA was basically a system intended to police the economic system and attempted to organize every aspect of the national industry under its supervision, to directly deal with production and prices especially. This proved such an invasive method that it was contested, and the Court agreed.
quote:Second, you're a history major and knows next to nothing about the closest years pre- and post-WWII USA, arguably the most important years of events since the Boston Teabagging???
Um... wouldn't the American Civil War have been the most important era since the Boston Tea Partying?
And why do you say that I know next to nothing? Was that a comment based on my silence, or what? I took a course over the summer that focused on the Great Depression and World War II in America, so I know a fair amount about that era.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
I think he probably got the idea from your saying "I know next to nothing about that particular era".
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
from now on i propose we all commence referring to the Boston Tea Party exclusively as the Boston Teabagging..
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
I second that. Anything that makes any event in the American War of Independance sound ridiculous... Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
quote:Originally posted by TSN: I think he probably got the idea from your saying "I know next to nothing about that particular era".
Ah. I see where the confusion arose. That particular line was directed at your own hypothetical situation regarding the late 1500's -- which I really DON'T know much about aside from that of the info from a high school survey course.
But I definitely AM more familiar with many parts of western history, especially from the 1700's onward.
Posted by Nimrod Pimding (Member # 205) on :
And I believe you. Very interesting piece about the NRA, by the way. As for where soylent green fits into all this, well...
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
) And yet then Picard picks up a newspaper whose headline reads "Hitler On the Move."![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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