Hector X. Cruz

Speculation on 'Contact' - Design Impact of Chair

This thread concerns the film, 'Contact' and the scene where the Jodie Foster character, Ellie Hathaway, argues vociferously for the removal of the chair that the engineers who have constructed the Machine have included, violating the original design schematics.

She argues that they should trust the original "blueprints" and not include any supplemental features. Well, during her travels through the wormhole, we see her getting tossed around violently and with extreme force, even seeing the space she occupies become distorted across some sort of time continuum. When she detaches herself to retrieve the compass given to her by Palmer, the chair is violently retracted toward the ceiling of the pod.

I have always wondered what would have happened to her had her character prevailed in eliminating the chair. Would her body have imploded? Would she have been tossed around like a rag doll?

What are the thoughts of the HTF?

-Hector


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[Edited last by Hector X. Cruz on August 21, 2001 at 05:50 PM]

imported_Colin Dunn

Spoilers ahead...

When she got up out of the chair, she was floating, as if weightless. The stress being put on the chair, causing it to wobble violently and detach, was coming from the bottom of the transporter.

I suspect that she would have just floated around in the middle of the transporter, not bothered by the intense vibrations of the transporter's shell. In fact, when the chair gets flung against the wall, she's unharmed because she's floating inside the transporter. Had she been in the chair, she would have been flung against the wall, and quite possibly injured.

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Colin Dunn

Hector X. Cruz

That's an interesting speculation, Colin. I hadn't considered that the violence in the transporter was DUE to the inclusion of the chair.

But it is true that she was floating gingerly in the center of the pod, even with the chair vibrating.

Any other thoughts?

-Hector


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Josh Dial

I agree with Colin, the chair was somehow amplifying the vibrations; without it, she would have been probably suspended or otherwise weightless.

cheers!

Josh

Coressel

CONTACT II: JODIE'S IMPLOSION.


Can't wait...

Richard Travale

this is exactly what I thought the first time I saw the movie.

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Rich

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Darcy Hunter

Had she stayed in the chair, she would most certainly have been seriously injured, or even killed. That was the whole point of showing her compass floating gently in front of her while she's being violently shaken. That's when she realizes why the aliens had no chair in their plans.

James Q Jenkins

The stupid thing that has always bothered be is:

Spoiler:

why did the chair bang against the side of the pod when it disconnected? Wouldn't it just float like Jodie if it was disconnected from the pod?

It makes no sense and pulls me out of the movie every time I see it.

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-JQJ

Sam Davatchi

This is interesting. I’m glad you mentioned it. I don’t remember when but long ago I posted a similar topic about this. I mentioned that not many viewers might get that the violent vibration was because of the chair in it contrary to the design and that she was saved by the compass. I think the meaning of the compass is important here.

[Edited last by Sam Davatchi on August 22, 2001 at 08:14 AM]

RicP

James,

I always thought it was because of the tremendous magnetic field created by the machine. Remember when the battleship actually lurched towards the machine because of the intense magnetic pull?

I assumed that the chair, not supposed to be there, was pulled into the wall of the transport by the magnetic field. Ellie was saved because she noticed the compass (it may save your life one day) floating in front of her calmly.



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Ric Perrott