The President's Office

[DimesDan]

Hey, it's just the law of conspicuous landmarks: No matter where you are in Paris/New York/Washington, DC/Egypt, the Eiffel Tower/the Empire State Building/the Washington Monument/the Pyramids will be visible out your window. It's a law of cinematic physics. TV Tropes even calls it the Eiffel Tower Effect.

I think the worse use of this was in The Mummy Returns where there was a high shot of London and about every London landmark could be seen in the one shot!

It's been a while since I've watched that film, but depending on how high up the shot was, it's rather easy to get the major central London land marks in as Buckingham Palace, The Palace of Westminster and Trafalgar Square with Nelsons column are all within a short walking distance. As for the other ones like Saint Paul's and Tower Bridge, they're round a few bends of the river and not a short walking distance away.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Why couldn't Paris have been destroyed in World War Three?

That would mean that the city was rebuilt and that the Eiffel Tower might have been placed differently when it was rebuilt because of whatever damage the city suffered.

 

[Stevil2001]

World War III, nothing. It was space voodoo, I tell you!

 

[Christopher]

Note to self: Find a way to work "relayed galaxy radio photograph" into DTI novel...

 

[BrotherBenny]

Note to self: Find a way to work "relayed galaxy radio photograph" into DTI novel...

LOL

 

[Thrawn]

Note to self: Find a way to work "relayed galaxy radio photograph" into DTI novel...

Do it. DO IT.

 

[Therin of Andor]

God... I was watching something the other day where some did something like that, but I cannot for the life of me remember what it was.

Every flashback scene set in Sydney in "Lost" managed to have the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House outside the hotel windows - including the suites of people who could never have afforded their overnight layover to be in a room overlooking the Harbour.

 

[Csalem]

Hey, it's just the law of conspicuous landmarks: No matter where you are in Paris/New York/Washington, DC/Egypt, the Eiffel Tower/the Empire State Building/the Washington Monument/the Pyramids will be visible out your window. It's a law of cinematic physics. TV Tropes even calls it the Eiffel Tower Effect.

I think the worse use of this was in The Mummy Returns where there was a high shot of London and about every London landmark could be seen in the one shot!

It's been a while since I've watched that film, but depending on how high up the shot was, it's rather easy to get the major central London land marks in as Buckingham Palace, The Palace of Westminster and Trafalgar Square with Nelsons column are all within a short walking distance. As for the other ones like Saint Paul's and Tower Bridge, they're round a few bends of the river and not a short walking distance away.

I seem to recall it showed Tower Bridge, St. Pauls, Big Ben, Nelsons Column and possibly others. The director admitted himself on the commentary that it was a contrived shot and his British crew were not pleased with it.

 

[kkozoriz1]

In Con Air, the Hard Rock Hotel was moved from Paradise road to the strip, a distance of abut two miles. Also, Nicholas Cage jumps off the back of a truck downtown and rolls to a stop in front of the old Debbie Reynolds hotel, a distance of around 3 miles. That's some nasty road rash.

 

[JD]

God... I was watching something the other day where some did something like that, but I cannot for the life of me remember what it was.

Every flashback scene set in Sydney in "Lost" managed to have the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House outside the hotel windows - including the suites of people who could never have afforded their overnight layover to be in a room overlooking the Harbour.

Actually, I was referring to the holographic window, where they changed the view. Although in that case I think it was from a snowy mountain to a tropical beach.

 

[TheAlmanac]

Actually, I was referring to the holographic window, where they changed the view. Although in that case I think it was from a snowy mountain to a tropical beach.

You're probably thinking of Back to the Future Part II:

"Broadcasting beautiful views 24 hours a day...you're tuned to the Scenery Channel."

(The "New York" option shown is a portion of the city skyline dominated by the World Trade Center. Oops.)

One of the people I lived with in Sydney also got annoyed by the geographical cheating on Lost, wondering why the series didn't just film some of its flashbacks on location...

 

[JD]

No, I haven't seen that in ages. The problem is I've been watching all sorts of old stuff on Netflix Instant Watch, so I don't even remember how old it was. I just remember someone walking up to what appeared to a normal looking window, and then hitting a button and changing it to a different environment.

 

[David cgc]

I'm pretty sure that's the beginning of Total Recall.

 

[JD]

Hmm, I did watch a trailer and/or clips from total recall recently, so there is a slight chance that that is what I'm thinking of.

 

[Cicero]

When did "In A Mirror, Darkly" establish anything about the Federation Council's offices?

Maybe he's talking about "Demons"/'Terra Prime," but that just showed that the council of the Coalition of Planets met in San Francisco. That doesn't mean the Federation Council would be obligated to meet there. Heck, even if the UFP started out with its council in SF, countries move their capitals all the time. The US capital was originally New York City before they built Washington, DC for it.

The historical archive aboard the USS Defiant in In A Mirror, Darkly stated "The Federation is governed by a Council, located in the city of San Francisco on Earth, and the Federation council president's office is in Paris." The reference is listed under 2161, so your interpretation is possible, if perhaps a contortion too many.

 

[Sci]

When did "In A Mirror, Darkly" establish anything about the Federation Council's offices?

Maybe he's talking about "Demons"/'Terra Prime," but that just showed that the council of the Coalition of Planets met in San Francisco. That doesn't mean the Federation Council would be obligated to meet there. Heck, even if the UFP started out with its council in SF, countries move their capitals all the time. The US capital was originally New York City before they built Washington, DC for it.

The historical archive aboard the USS Defiant in In A Mirror, Darkly stated "The Federation is governed by a Council, located in the city of San Francisco on Earth, and the Federation council president's office is in Paris." The reference is listed under 2161, so your interpretation is possible, if perhaps a contortion too many.

Am I the only person who puts no faith whatsoever in the information displayed in an illegible computer display?

 

[Christopher]

I'm fine with believing the Council moved between 2268 (the date when the Defiant went back in time) and 2379/80. Anything that detaches the UFP government from San Francisco and Starfleet is cool by me. There's way too much of a tendency to assume the entire Federation revolves around Starfleet.

Of course barely legible text on a viewscreen isn't definitive canon -- the makers of the show could've chosen to contradict it later, just like anything in canon can be contradicted by later canon, contrary to the imaginary notion that canon represents some kind of immutable gospel. But it is information from the source, and thus it makes sense to give it consideration. It can certainly be contradicted if a story demands it, but if there's a way to fit it into the tapestry, I'm fine with that.

 

[Dayton Ward]

Am I the only person who puts no faith whatsoever in the information displayed in an illegible computer display?

I discount everything except the giant duck. That shit is real.

 

[KRAD]

The historical archive aboard the USS Defiant in In A Mirror, Darkly stated "The Federation is governed by a Council, located in the city of San Francisco on Earth, and the Federation council president's office is in Paris." The reference is listed under 2161, so your interpretation is possible, if perhaps a contortion too many.

And I maintain that the notion of the Council meeting in a location that is a nine-hour time difference away from the President's office is patently absurd and non-workable.

 

[Dancing Doctor]

It's not like there needs to be another reason for the Council and President to be on a disconnect.