The sonar contact numbers discrepancy

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Fri Feb 05, 2010 2:46 pm

Right, so we get five contacts on the descent.

Long Haul, Mixmaster, Rampage, Scrapper and Ravage go down.

The Doctor pops out of Ravage's mouth. He kills Scrapper and revives Megatron.

Megatron, Long Haul, Mixmaster, Rampage, Ravage and The Doctor go back up.

We get six contacts on the ascent.

... remind me where the problem is?

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Fri Feb 05, 2010 3:20 pm

There isn't one - it's another one of these things idiots have invented, because there weren't enough problems with RotF or something. What you do is you imagine that the Doctor and Ravage should count as being two signals either way because that's how sonar works. Despite the fact it isn't - the error is arguably that it'd have to be pretty ****ing amazing sonar to easily identify the numbers of fast-diving objects (but this has the get-out of Megatron's influence on tech - the real navy don't have a destroyer mounting a railgun either).

It's the sort of thing that if it was in the G1 cartoon or the IDW comics, some idiot would cook up a convoluted explanation for, and possibly write a fanfic and/or Mosaic and/or e-Hobby biog to correct. But people don't like RotF and can't concentrate on the problems that are actually there, instead making up imaginary ones to detract from the real points they have. And providing those of us with brains with some cannon fodder.

Post by **Clay** » Fri Feb 05, 2010 8:58 pm

Wouldn't Scalpel have hopped back into Ravage on the way up, though? Real question.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Fri Feb 05, 2010 10:01 pm

Clay wrote:Wouldn't Scalpel have hopped back into Ravage on the way up, though? Real question.

Maybe, maybe not - you could argue that the sonar numbers show he didn't, though. Maybe once Scalpel is out of Ravage he can't get back in - IIRC Ravage didn't collect Reedman either (at least, not that we were shown).

TBH it's one of those bits of the film that there are possibly too many explanations for - it could also be that Scrapper wasn't dead (Scalpel is a hammy old tart; they didn't literally want Sam's brain on the table either), and there's the outside possibility of Blackout being resurrected (I don't give a shit what some Hasbro jobsworth said in a Q&A in order to sell a recolour... even if I do think it's Grindor).

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Fri Feb 05, 2010 10:05 pm

Cliffjumper wrote:(but this has the get-out of Megatron's influence on tech - the real navy don't have a destroyer mounting a railgun either).

Shhhhh it's a secret.

The movies thing that still annoys me the most is the Beagle 2 changes. If you're going to alter what it really was that much you might as well make something up.

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Sat Feb 06, 2010 11:03 am

Clay wrote:Wouldn't Scalpel have hopped back into Ravage on the way up, though? Real question.

He doesn't, though.

Or, if he does, he does it after we cut away. At the very least, he begins the ascent under his own power.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Sat Feb 06, 2010 11:12 am

I do kinda want to know where the Constructicons got that boat from... Did they just hang around waiting for a container ship going over the Laurentian Abyss and carrying construction vehicles? Did no-one really notice four of said Construction vehicles transforming into robots (and in the case of Long Haul, transforming into a big big robot) and jumping over the side?

Actually, I should STFU, shouldn't I? The usual way of handling it is to have some portly dickhead in a hardhat do a double-take and go "Boy, I sure need that vacation!".

Post by **Clay** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 3:21 am

Cliffjumper wrote:I do kinda want to know where the Constructicons got that boat from... Did they just hang around waiting for a container ship going over the Laurentian Abyss and carrying construction vehicles? Did no-one really notice four of said Construction vehicles transforming into robots (and in the case of Long Haul, transforming into a big big robot) and jumping over the side?

Actually, I should STFU, shouldn't I? The usual way of handling it is to have some portly dickhead in a hardhat do a double-take and go "Boy, I sure need that vacation!".

Or, "man, I have got to get me ONE OF THESE!!!"

Actually, isn't that the first bit where the contructicons are shown? They could have just been construction vehicles because them's what were on da boat.

Although why the needed the boat ride anyway is another question.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 5:34 am

Clay wrote:Although why the needed the boat ride anyway is another question.

I guess the more time they spend in disguise the better their chances of getting Megatron out of there - flying/walking from wherever under their own power would mean a much higher chance of early detection, I suppose.

Catalyst Dragon · Post by **Catalyst Dragon** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 10:34 am

Cliffjumper wrote:I guess the more time they spend in disguise the better their chances of getting Megatron out of there - flying/walking from wherever under their own power would mean a much higher chance of early detection, I suppose.

That seems' the most logical explanation. What gets me though is how did anyone NOT hear Ravage land on the ship? He made quite a bit of noise I think. and How did they not pick him up on radar? Considering that he was basically a flaming cannonball launched from space, he should have been picked up on radar instantly.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 1:40 pm

The crew of the boat don't react to anything - they'd have certainly noticed the splashes when those Constructicons go under. Mind control? Whatever that thing IDW had was?

IIRC radar covers a pathetically small area of the sky and it's pretty easy to fluke by it, though there's nothing much to say he wasn't detected - he's into the base in seconds, and into the Abyss within seconds too. Just because we aren't shown some techie going "Sah! Thar's summin' awful weird goin' on hyar!" doesn't mean he wasn't detected.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 1:51 pm

Perhaps the boat crew really did take that vacation they decided they needed after seeing giant robots?