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Post by Evan on Apr 9, 2012 9:45:52 GMT -8
I'm writing an article with that title for Earth Day on Syfy's website. I want to make sure I don't miss any good ones, so feel free to help me out by listing your favorites. Annie had a good one where Lister illegally adopting a cat and hiding it in the vents led to the entire plot of Red Dwarf.
Here's what I have so far, tentatively:
1. The terraform machinery getting turned on in total recall
2. Bilbo finding the One True Ring and winning a riddle game to keep it
3. George McFly punching out Biff Tannen at the High School Dance.
4. Desmond failing to push the button in a timely manner brought down flight 815 to start LOST, which eventually led to the saving of the entire world.
5. A fly getting stuck in a printer caused the execution of an innocent man in Brazil.
6. Luke shooting the hole in the Death Star.
7. The light falling off in The Truman Show which led to him realizing he was a prisoner.
8. Dallas kissing leelo to convince her to save the universe in fifth element
9. Wall-E saving the plant led to humanity's return to Earth
10. Lister buying a cat and letting it loose on Red Dwarf caused (1) Lister to be put into time freeze quarantine for punishment during which time a nuclear holocaust engulfed the ship causing the ship's computer to keep Lister frozen for 3 million years (2) the evolution of the household Cat into a talking, dancing, upright human like life form
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Post by Farrell on Apr 9, 2012 9:53:38 GMT -8
The gunner crew on the star destroyer not shooting the escape pod with r2d2 and the death star plans on it.
Stepping on the butterfly in the past in The Sound of Thunder.
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Post by Evan on Apr 9, 2012 10:04:22 GMT -8
Both of those are great. The sound of thunder one is practically archetypal.
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Post by Annie McClarabow on Apr 9, 2012 10:07:08 GMT -8
There's got to be a ton of things from Hitchhiker's Guide. Just can't think of anything right now.
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Post by Annie McClarabow on Apr 9, 2012 10:10:17 GMT -8
Dune: Jessica having a son rather than a daughter in defiance of Bene Gesserit orders leading, eventually, to the overthrow of the emperor.
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Post by Farrell on Apr 9, 2012 10:10:29 GMT -8
Baltar giving up the defense codes to a blonde for some "action"
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Post by Annie McClarabow on Apr 9, 2012 10:13:19 GMT -8
Is this a contest to see which of us is the nerdiest?
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Post by Evan on Apr 9, 2012 10:17:34 GMT -8
I just want to make sure I don't forget any obvious ones.
Did Arthur Dent ever actually save the universe, or did he just watch everything transpire? I remember it being the former, which makes it hard for me to think he every affected anything.
Didn't his practice with assembling Perfectly Normal Beast sandwiches lead to him being able to complete a puzzle, or something?
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Post by Annie McClarabow on Apr 9, 2012 10:20:12 GMT -8
Here's some obvious ones:
Peter Parker getting bit by a spider.
Any movie in the Final Destination franchise. Its a bit too on point, and its more horror than sci fi, but worth mentioning.
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Post by Evan on Apr 9, 2012 10:41:07 GMT -8
These are all great, thanks!
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Post by Farrell on Apr 9, 2012 10:41:36 GMT -8
Judith Keller surviving in WW2 changed history so the Federation didn't exist in old Star Trek, City on the Edge of Forever.
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Post by Son Anheuser on Apr 10, 2012 5:50:46 GMT -8
Luke shooting the hole was a pretty big thing wasn't it? That was the goal of the attack on the Death Star.
Would Neo choosing the red pill count?
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Post by Evan on Apr 10, 2012 6:24:47 GMT -8
Luke shooting the hole was a pretty big thing wasn't it? That was the goal of the attack on the Death Star. Quite true. And it was a pretty difficult shot. Consider it cut. Would Neo choosing the red pill count? Probably not, it just affected him technically, but I don't know. It seems to me that the whole purpose of an epic plot is that a little thing has a big effect, so I guess like every movie has at least one thing that would qualify.. I could probably just go with Neo hacking in the beginning.
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Post by Annie McClarabow on Apr 10, 2012 6:40:06 GMT -8
The small acts should inadvertently change the world, right? Like with Lister and his cat, he had no idea (and certainly didn't intend) that he would become the universe's last living human and become a god of people descended from his cat?
I guess that would take my Dune suggestion out.
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Post by Evan on Apr 10, 2012 6:46:09 GMT -8
The small acts should inadvertently change the world, right? Like with Lister and his cat, he had no idea (and certainly didn't intend) that he would become the universe's last living human and become a god of people descended from his cat? I guess that would take my Dune suggestion out. Meh, NBC wants to promote Earth day with the suggestion that a small individual act can have a huge consequence. The inadvertent aspect makes for a way better article, but it doesn't fit the theme. I just want stuff like "Wall-E keeps a flower... humanity returns to Earth." But I just know rabid fans are gonna be all, "If Jar-Jar doesn't choose a purple pod racer, the Ewoks would never have blown up the death star. Stupid!"
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Post by Annie McClarabow on Apr 10, 2012 6:48:02 GMT -8
Those rascally fanboys!
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Post by Son Anheuser on Apr 10, 2012 7:04:44 GMT -8
Would Neo choosing the red pill count? Probably not, it just affected him technically, but I don't know. It seems to me that the whole purpose of an epic plot is that a little thing has a big effect, so I guess like every movie has at least one thing that would qualify.. I could probably just go with Neo hacking in the beginning. If he chooses the blue pill the movie is over effectively. That one choice changed everything and he had no idea what the red pill would really do.
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Post by Evan on Apr 10, 2012 8:25:01 GMT -8
Probably not, it just affected him technically, but I don't know. It seems to me that the whole purpose of an epic plot is that a little thing has a big effect, so I guess like every movie has at least one thing that would qualify.. I could probably just go with Neo hacking in the beginning. If he chooses the blue pill the movie is over effectively. That one choice changed everything and he had no idea what the red pill would really do. It's subjective, but swallowing a mystery mind pill some strange hacker gave you is no little thing to me. I guess I now want intentional small acts of kindness that led to huge results, whether these big results were intentional or not. Wall-E is the key example.
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Post by Farrell on Apr 10, 2012 8:36:39 GMT -8
I think i'm the only person in the country who didn't liek Wall-E, also didn't like Up or Cars, basically the last few Pixar films I didn't like. I did like Rattatouie or however its spelled.
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Post by Super Sarah on Apr 10, 2012 9:26:09 GMT -8
I wish I had something to add, but I can't think of anything that you haven't already mentioned. Wall-E is a great example.
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