Inadvertant inaccuracy

[Maurice]

I was once told that the best view from a restaurant in Seattle was from the top of the Space Needle, because it was the only place in Seattle where you couldn't see the Space Needle.

 

[Sector 7]

Nobody who wrote science fiction during the USSR's existence ever guessed that it would cease to exist as early as 1991.

Although, oddly enough, now that I think about it, I don't recall Chekov in the original series ever referring to the Soviet Union, only Russia.

Yet a map of Earth shown on the bridge monitor in "The Cage" included the USSR, and the Tsiolkovsky's dedication plaque in TNG: "The Naked Now" gave its place of origin as "Baikonur Cosmodrome, USSR, Earth" and its commissioning date as early 2363. Also, the first TNG novel Ghost Ship (from 1988) involved the "ghosts" of a Soviet aircraft carrier crew, vintage 1995.

Since Putin's "annexation" is an attempt to rebuild the Soviet Union, perhaps these references are not that far fetched.

 

[Christopher]

Does Putin really want to restore the Soviet/socialist system, though, or just to build a new Russian empire?

 

[Destructor]

^I was going to say "I thought it was Big Ben," but then I remembered what building Big Ben is attached to...

Also, Big Ben is the name of the bell, not the tower. The tower is called the Elizabeth Tower (previously called 'The Clock Tower').