Chris James

I read this entire thread, and numerous times the question "Was the chair there when she returned?" remained unanswered. Well, it was indeed laying behind her on the floor of the capsule.

Chuck C

yep...and of course, the magnetic field wore off after the capsule hit the water so one could argue that the chair detached from the ceiling and fell behind her.

Here is another thought provoking idea: Upon closer inspection of the trasport scene, there are frames that show the spinning rings as scene from near the center of the sphere. To the keenest observer, one could probably predict that the sphere would fall straight through.

Ken Chan

First, the ones the sent the message were not Vegans per se, although that is a handy way to refer to them. The beacon was at Vega -- she saw it part way through the trip -- but she went quite a few other places. Odds are they are not at a "local" system like Vega.

Second, the fact that there are "ancients" that built the system before and left does not necessarily mean that they are "the" or "a" grand creator. Imagine if humanity were to progress to the point where we could build a system like that; we do and then we "leave", maybe to answer that same question, "Is that all there is, is there nothing more?" Two generations of sentients later, some primitive race is thinking we're the grand creator. We would have created the system, but we're (obviously) not God in the common sense.

//Ken

Brett_B

This is a bit off discussion on the original topic, but has anyone else ever noticed that the beach that Ellie sees on her journey looks exactly like the drawing of her interpretation of Pensicola, FL at the beginning of the movie?

Chuck C

I sure hope so...that's the dead giveaway that it's a recreation.

Josh Lowe

that's because they chose a safe, familiar place from her memories to recreate as a meeting place.

Holadem

One of the corner stones of the fabulous Sci-Fi series Babylon 5.

--
Holadem

Sam Davatchi

Or imagine we get to a point capable of creating intelligent beings. Do we really have the right to judge or punish them or ask them to do everything that we say! I think Contact is a great movie with vast ideas! It presents different ideas and never means anything for sure, like recognizing or not recognizing God. Like all the great movies it poses the questions, there is no definite answer!

ErichH

This is a very cool topic!
I never percieved the transport system as being made by a God or grand creator. Just another step up to another even more evolved set of beings/race/people/whatever. Gives the trip she made a nice angle that it's only 1 step up and there are many more.
Just A Thought
E

Christ Reynolds

bringing threads back from the dead, only to comment on something other than its intended discussion anyway, in its most primitive form, a compass only reacts to magnetic fields. but once you apply the north south east and west markings to it, it becomes a measuring tool, and 'measures' direction. another example is a mercury thermometer. without the markings along the side, the mercury will react to heat, then will move through the glass tube towards the top. once you apply the markings along the side, it becomes a thermometer, and then is able to measure heat. just thought i would add that, i'm not really sure how i found this thread, 8 months after it was last posted to...

CJ

And then when I feel so stuffed I can't eat anymore, I just use the restroom! And then I CAN eat more!

Max Leung

Christ, were you looking for movies portraying or featuring compasses, and stumbled upon this thread?

I am currently reading William Poundstone's biography on Carl Sagan. It spends several pages discussing the early adaptations for the movie, but I haven't finished that section yet.

Sagan and his wife Ann Druyen were heavily involved with the movie, and I hope to post what tidbits I find from the book.

Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him...a super-callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

Gameshow host: "Is taking Viagra kosher during Passover dinner?"
Whoopee Goldberg: "Not if it leads to pork."
Kermit the Frog: "Hey, that's my line!"

Dennis Nicholls