Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2016 January 18

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January 18

Star Wars characters

After seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens two times, I still think I saw the credits list and found many characters who must have appeared in the film at some point, but I can't for the life of me remember hearing their names mentioned in the entire film. I'm fairly sure this has happened previously during the other six films too. How am I supposed to know which character a name refers to if I haven't actually heard the name during the entire film? Is this for die-hard Star Wars fanboys/fangirls only? JIP | Talk 21:09, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

I don't have an answer for the reasoning behind naming characters that aren't referred to by name in the body of the film but you may be able to find info on those characters at Wookiepedia, the Star Wars wiki. Dismas|^(talk) 21:14, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

Your question sounds vaguely accusatory. What else would you have them do? Would you prefer it if the credits said that John Doe played "That dude with six eyes in the bar scene, just before the explosion"? And, yes, it's happened in all six films (the Ewoks are never referred to as such in RotJ) and in fact many other movies. Matt Deres (talk) 21:35, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

Yes I agree it sounds accusatory. But still, how am I supposed to know which character someone was if I have never heard him/her being called that? Do I have to go to Wookieepedia or some other fansite after the film? JIP | Talk 21:39, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

In the original trilogy, was Boba Fett ever referred to by name? I don't recall hearing it on-screen. Yet somehow everyone in the fan base knew who he was. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:02, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

In Empire Strikes Back, I'm pretty sure Vader uses his name when he tells him "No disintegrations..." I could be mistaken. However, in Return of the Jedi, Han, while blind, definitely says "Boba Fett, Boba Fett, Where?" immediately before bumping into his jet pack and sending him into the Sarlaac. It should be noted, however, that many minor and background Star Wars characters were only named in either the credits, or on the action figure packaging (in the original trilogy, the Kenner action figures, other manufacturers for more recent characters). Some Star Wars names were developed in the novelizations or Star Wars expanded universe. Notably, the name of the Galactic Capital Planet, Coruscant, was first named in the works of Timothy Zahn, it only became official with its inclusion in the prequel trilogy. --Jayron32 03:29, 19 January 2016 (UTC)

This is a general problem in movie credits, in no way limited to the Star Wars franchise. Some do actually give a brief description in the credits. In the case above, "6-eyed bar patron" might work. In other films, they put them all in one category, but don't attempt to distinguish the individuals. So, a group might be listed as "Bar patrons" or as being in the "Bar scene". Many other flicks don't attempt to identify the minor players at all, and sometimes not even the stars. They just list all the names and let you figure it out yourself.

My favorite identification method is when they show the person and list their name. There was an Outer Limits episode starring Michael Constantine that did an excellent job that way (episode 46 "Counterweight", 1964 [1]). But doing that for every actor in a movie makes the credits quite long. StuRat (talk) 22:12, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

I remember seeing some films (possibly Airplane and/or Naked Gun, or a something similar) where very minor characters who were only in a scene for a few seconds and only spoke a single brief exclamation were referenced in the credits by the line they spoke (e.g. "Look out!": John Doe) Iapetus (talk) 14:06, 19 January 2016 (UTC)

(edit conflict)I am pretty sure that Boba Fett was referred to by his name at the end of Empire Strikes Back as he takes off with Han's carbonite encased body. His name is definitely heard in Return of the Jedi during the fight at the sand cruiser as Han (whose sight is still recovering) shouts it out more than once as he is hanging from the hovering craft. As to names in the credits there are times where you will see "Soldier #2" or "Cop #3" but they can also have been given names in the script that were never used on-screen. Furthermore I think there are union rules that an actor gets a credit even if their scenes were cut before the final release of the film. I had always wondered why their were credits for Ming the Mercilous and Flash Gordon in A Christmas Story - it wasn't until the DVD came out that it was explained that they had filmed one more Ralphie dream sequence that was dropped before the film was shown in theaters. I'm sure others will have the particulars on this. MarnetteD|Talk 22:21, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

This business of several minutes of credits is fairly recent. In the golden age, they would typically have just one or two screens at the end, summarizing the key roles and the actors (the actors having been named in the opening credits, along with key production figures like the writer and director.) And there could still be mysteries. In The Wizard of Oz, the final credits listed a character named "Nikko". Huh? Maybe if one has read the books, one would know. I thought maybe Nikko was the head man among the guards. Nope. It was the guy in the monkey suit hanging around with the witch - and he didn't even have any lines! (Unless you count monkey noises as lines.) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:22, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

If you don't know who Bossk is, how will you buy the Bossk toy? I may be a cynic, but they made a Nute Gunray action figure. And a Watto (with datapad) action figure. And an Elan Sleazebaggano action figure. You won't want to buy an Elan Sleazebaggano toy - you want to go home and rethink your life. -- Finlay McWalterᚠTalk 22:24, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

Re pictures of cast members appearing, there's a lovely story about this regarding Cagney and Lacey and the actor Sidney Clute. The actor died during the filming of season 5, but his face and name continued to be shown in the credits until the end of season 7. --212.44.14.197 (talk) 13:29, 20 January 2016 (UTC)

A live fish, an ax, or a handful of loose seeds

On the recent The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, there was a question of what those three things had in common: a live fish, an ax, or a handful of loose seeds. The answer was that you wouldn't have to pay the 5p bag tax. I can work out the fish (needs water which requires a bag) and the seeds (they're small loose items) but why does buying an ax require a bag? Dismas|^(talk) 21:18, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

The only possible reason I can think of is that an ax can be used as a weapon, and some countries have laws forbidding carrying weapons out in the open. JIP | Talk 21:22, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

In England, the exceptions are for things that cannot safely or reasonably be carried by hand (down the street, or on the bus home, for example). In this case the wording is "unwrapped blades, including axes, knives, and knife and razor blades". That said, knives, knife blades, and axes are usually sold at retail with a sheath or stopper over the blade, so I don't think they would really qualify as "unwrapped". -- Finlay McWalterᚠTalk 22:03, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

Thanks for the responses. I know I posted in a rush but didn't realize I was posting this at the Ent. desk until I couldn't find it on Misc. or Hum. Dismas|^(talk) 13:40, 19 January 2016 (UTC)

Sorry to come to this a bit late. When I was a lad in the Scouts, we were firmly told that uncovering an axe or a sheath knife in the street was a criminal offence. My father wouldn't even carry a garden spade in the street without wrapping the blade up, because he said it was illegal. Scouts in those days (early 1970s) were allowed and even encouraged to wear a "properly secured" knife and I once, aged about 13, travelled several miles on a London bus with a cased hand-axe attached to my belt. How times have changed. As to exactly which law my elders were referring to, I have been unable to discover as it doesn't seem to be included in any of the legislation referring to offensive weapons, but I suspect that it may be one of the many obscure provisions of the Vagrancy Act 1824. Alansplodge (talk) 11:19, 22 January 2016 (UTC)

Do any studies predict Oscar winners based on winning other awards?

Have there ever been any "studies" (for lack of a better word) about the correlation between who wins an Academy Award, based on who won a similar -- though earlier -- award (e.g., the Golden Globes or whichever)? In other words, for the category of Best Actor (or Best Picture or whatever), 90% of the time will the winner of the Golden Globe later go on to win the Oscar. Stuff like that. Also, somewhat related question. In this year's race, is there a clear favorite for Best Picture? Best Actor? Best Actress? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 21:46, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

I found these articles: one and two for Golden Globes vs. Oscar winners for starters. Lugnuts ^{Dick Laurent is dead} 13:56, 19 January 2016 (UTC)

Thanks. I will check them out. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 18:45, 19 January 2016 (UTC)

If I may add a couple of links, this has percentage breakdowns for how often numerous other awards predict the Best Picture winner, while this has a few details on other awards like Best Actress. For this year, it looks like Spotlight and The Revenant have been winning most of the major awards to this point, and Leonardo DiCaprio and Brie Larson have taken down the big Best Actor and Best Actress prizes respectively. Giants2008 (Talk) 00:16, 20 January 2016 (UTC)

Thanks, all. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 17:34, 22 January 2016 (UTC)

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