Episode of the Week : Wolf in the Fold
- Thread starter Botany Bay
- Start date
Not to argue, but I don't think Roman Numerals have a zero.
Well, given that the zero in the Occident wasn't even invented before the 600s, that would have been... bizarre, if they did.
...It should be noted that the Anno Domini system in practice only dates from about 700 AD, not from its own "year zero" or ye olden Roman days. By that time, the concept of zero was being used in calendar calculations, and the practical math didn't depend on Roman numerals - those were used to write down the results, yet various "modern" shenanigans were required to arrive at those. Arabic numerals and the formal zero included therein didn't fall on completely infertile soil when arriving a couple of hundred years later.
Certainly the Romans already believed in the existence of "zero" or "nothing". They just refused to dignify it with the identity of a number, just like they despised the concept of negative numbers despite frequently having to deal with them.
I guess the interesting issue here is that when the first triple zeroes rolled, basically nobody cared. It was the second time around that those became of practical interest, and the public vote on this arbitrary issue was in favor of the three naughts. I wonder if anybody will still care the third time around...?
Timo Saloniemi
Certainly the Romans already believed in the existence of "zero" or "nothing". They just refused to dignify it with the identity of a number, just like they despised the concept of negative numbers despite frequently having to deal with them.
I guess the interesting issue here is that when the first triple zeroes rolled, basically nobody cared. It was the second time around that those became of practical interest, and the public vote on this arbitrary issue was in favor of the three naughts. I wonder if anybody will still care the third time around...?
Timo Saloniemi
Ray Milland did, though.
Actually it's a much more complex issue than you make it appear, no surprise there though. Even if the Romans wanted to use a "zero" or a "nothing" they wouldn't be able to as their numeration system was totally inadequate. You need a positional numeral system as the Indians invented and later the Arabs borrowed for a "zero" to be of any use. The Arabs were hated by all nations under the control of the pope though and that's why it took many more centuries before the Europeans started using that system.
Apropos of nothing (ha, ha, pun intended). From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_numerals#Zero, with citations:
Superstitions come in all shapes and sizes, for example in some Roman conquered countries the number seventeen is considered bad luck even though people rarely know why. The reason is that seventeen in Roman numerals is XVII and that is an anagram for "VIXI" which in Latin means "I have lived" and is a euphemism for "I am dead".
A
Amaris
Guest
I realize I'm late to the party, but I watched this episode last night! I had avoided it in the past because I'm not a fan of horror type episodes, but watching it reminded me how good it actually was. Sure, there were some issues, but overall it left a creepy feeling that I rather liked, particularly towards the end where Redjac's insane laughter was echoing throughout the ship. I'd have plotzed myself if I'd have been there. 
I realize I'm late to the party, but I watched this episode last night! I had avoided it in the past because I'm not a fan of horror type episodes, but watching it reminded me how good it actually was. Sure, there were some issues, but overall it left a creepy feeling that I rather liked, particularly towards the end where Redjac's insane laughter was echoing throughout the ship. I'd have plotzed myself if I'd have been there.
Remember what Sulu said: "In the state I am in, I wouldn't be afraid of a supernova."
That says it all.
A
Amaris
Guest
I realize I'm late to the party, but I watched this episode last night! I had avoided it in the past because I'm not a fan of horror type episodes, but watching it reminded me how good it actually was. Sure, there were some issues, but overall it left a creepy feeling that I rather liked, particularly towards the end where Redjac's insane laughter was echoing throughout the ship. I'd have plotzed myself if I'd have been there.
Remember what Sulu said: "In the state I am in, I wouldn't be afraid of a supernova."
That says it all.
True, he does. I do like where everyone is fershnickered.
Well, as long as it's not in a party I am in, I am ok with it.I realize I'm late to the party, but I watched this episode last night! I had avoided it in the past because I'm not a fan of horror type episodes, but watching it reminded me how good it actually was. Sure, there were some issues, but overall it left a creepy feeling that I rather liked, particularly towards the end where Redjac's insane laughter was echoing throughout the ship. I'd have plotzed myself if I'd have been there.
Remember what Sulu said: "In the state I am in, I wouldn't be afraid of a supernova."
That says it all.
True, he does. I do like where everyone is fershnickered.
I like this episode. Maybe I'm enjoying its tone more at this moment because I just re-watched the third season -- since that had little humor of any kind, "Wolf in the Fold" seems pretty good.
There's something about Jaris' dialogue and the way it's delivered that I find touching:
"The law of Argelius is love" and
"How could any man do such monstrous things?"
And I like the way Joseph Pevney directed the seance scenes.
The second half of the episode, not so great. But I'll still give it a "7" overall.
There's something about Jaris' dialogue and the way it's delivered that I find touching:
"The law of Argelius is love" and
"How could any man do such monstrous things?"
And I like the way Joseph Pevney directed the seance scenes.
The second half of the episode, not so great. But I'll still give it a "7" overall.
You talk like the guy at debris.
A
Amaris
Guest
I don't mind, as long as they're not falling all over me.
It is not uncommon for adult professionals in the military and corporate world to behave that way. They are men, not robots, or people who suppress their natural sense of enjoyment in favor of feigned "refined" behavior.
Real human beings often blame an entire group for the actions (intentional or not) of one. It happens, no matter how irrational the respose happens to be.
Memory Alpha describes the Psychotricorder as:
We already have medical devices which help reach diagnoses based on changes to brain waves, external stimulus, etc. However, you find the psychotricorder to be ridiculous in on a series which routinely employs probably-never-happening transporters, a universe full of aliens who are conveniently human shaped, English-speaking and are only "alien" by the bumps on their foreheads, or any number of Trek inventions?
"Wolf in the Fold" served a purpose: that there were entities (or however one would describe Redjac) that were not easily understood / defined by science (if at all), and had effects the living could not control.
The psycho-tricorder was quoted with just one ability: "It will give us a detailed account of everything that's happened to Mister Scott in the last twenty four hours."
In what sense? Will it tell who walked behind him and whacked him with a lead pipe, then committed a murder and planted the murder weapon in his hand? Probably not - there's nothing "psychological" about such a thing. The name and the description together would seem to imply the heroes will learn what happened to Scotty psychologically, that is, what psychopathologies might have affected his behavior in the past 24 hours.
This would not give the device any hypnotic capabilities, nor lie-detecting ones, nor general forensic ones. It would still be extremely helpful in the specific situation: Scotty is either suffering from amnesia, or faking it to cover his guilt, and an instrument that can tell the two apart would practically solve the case there and then.
It also plays the old card of outsourcing evil, suggesting that crazy murderers are just victims of an alien force... The X-Files did an episode on that, leaving fully open the question of whether every other episode of the X-Files, and every event in world history, was also due to this "evil alien force" driving the villains!
Isaac Asimov was a bit more direct with his short story Hostess about death itself being an evil alien force...
Timo Saloniemi
In what sense? Will it tell who walked behind him and whacked him with a lead pipe, then committed a murder and planted the murder weapon in his hand? Probably not - there's nothing "psychological" about such a thing. The name and the description together would seem to imply the heroes will learn what happened to Scotty psychologically, that is, what psychopathologies might have affected his behavior in the past 24 hours.
This would not give the device any hypnotic capabilities, nor lie-detecting ones, nor general forensic ones. It would still be extremely helpful in the specific situation: Scotty is either suffering from amnesia, or faking it to cover his guilt, and an instrument that can tell the two apart would practically solve the case there and then.
It also plays the old card of outsourcing evil, suggesting that crazy murderers are just victims of an alien force... The X-Files did an episode on that, leaving fully open the question of whether every other episode of the X-Files, and every event in world history, was also due to this "evil alien force" driving the villains!
Isaac Asimov was a bit more direct with his short story Hostess about death itself being an evil alien force...
Timo Saloniemi
That's why you should never attend a party with fat drunk people in it...
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