The Walking Dead Season 4

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Dream, May 6, 2013.

  1. Mister Fandango

    Mister Fandango Fleet Captain

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    The latter isn't an issue at all. I have one of them in my car.
     
  2. TREK_GOD_1

    TREK_GOD_1 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I seriously doubt Rick had a Solair Portable Charger on hand while raiding the prison, or what was left at the local Wal-Mart or Costco.
     
  3. Ethros

    Ethros Vice Admiral Admiral

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    So I just rewatched Walking Dead season 1. Have to say it's quite amusing...


    Every scene is like "He's dead, he's dead, she's dead, he's dead, she's dead... dead, dead, dead, dead... dead."
     
  4. Silvercrest

    Silvercrest Vice Admiral Admiral

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    ^
    "He's dead Dave, everybody's dead, everybody is dead Dave."
    "Wait, are you trying to tell me everybody's dead?"

    Even assuming they didn't run a generator occasionally at the prison, they could charge all the little things from the cars. Before anyone argues that this was never seen onscreen any more than solar panels were: lighter plug adapters are everywhere and are pretty unobtrusive.

    It doesn't explain the fuel situation, but it also isn't a separate issue. There's only one issue: fuel.

    (Well, this is assuming you're okay with the assumption that the dead get up and try to eat you.)
     
  5. PKerr

    PKerr Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    As I said much earlier in the thread, they probably found the MP3 player in one of the cars along with a car charger, they could just plug it in on one of their runs or go out to the car and charge it up as long as they were careful with the battery.

    I wonder if we'll get the experimental town we got in the comic, it was set up with Solar panels, wind mills and other stuff to see if they could make it solely on that type of energy.
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2014
  6. Mister Fandango

    Mister Fandango Fleet Captain

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    Solar panels were heavily in use in Woodbury. You could see them lining the middle of the street.
     
  7. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    It's likely the fuel thing will ever be an issue. They'll probably keep using gasoline powered things as long as the show runs because most people out there don't know that gas has a shelf-life. Hell, people still ask/wonder why gasoline wasn't taken from the DeLorean in 1885 after Marty ripped the fuel-line in the repaired DeLorean. Not realizing Doc would've have set the car up for (very) long-term storage. This would include siphoning out the gas.

    So they'll always in this show likely have gasoline available to them, which means they'll always have generators to give them some degree of electricity. And with gasoline and electricity you can have cars and things like lights and iPods.
     
  8. sojourner

    sojourner Admiral In Memoriam

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    Just around the bend.
    Arguing that they don't have any way to recharge an ipod is like arguing that no one in the Star Trek universe ever takes a crap because we never saw a toilet.
     
  9. Aragorn

    Aragorn Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    That's how Trekkies operate though. Have you seen any of the complaints about Enterprise that Archer can't exist because none of the characters on previous Trek series mentioned his name?

    Hell, I knew someone who claimed that because Kirk said "knew" he would die alone in Star Trek V, that Generations got it wrong. :p
     
  10. Random_Spock

    Random_Spock Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Good point. It makes perfect sense. He's just a man out there to get his way, any way possible. It would be smart of anyone who's with him to get the hell out of the way ASAP. This man isn't doing anything for anyone, just himself.
     
  11. Sindatur

    Sindatur The Gray Owl Wizard Admiral

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    (((BOOM)))

    <Looks towards The Black Rock>

    "Dude, you got a Piece of Arzt on you"
     
  12. Mister Fandango

    Mister Fandango Fleet Captain

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    So I guess that's why he didn't get his way whatsoever in this past episode? Because if he's a man who gets his way anyway he can, and this is the first time we really get to meet him, his track record isn't starting off all that great.

    Abraham is one of the good guys. He's just a good guy duped into thinking he's on a mission to save the world, so of course he's trying to accomplish that the best he can. But he's not going to go all psycho on anyone who gets in his way. You know, kind of like this episode demonstrated when he acquiesced to the group.
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2014
  13. Ethros

    Ethros Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Archer IV

    USS Archer

    Just sayin' :)
     
  14. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    In the lap of squalor I assure you.
    Kate Vernon played Cmdr. Valerie Archer, who made out with Chakotay in Voy In The Flesh.

    Obviously a great, great, granddaughter!
     
  15. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

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    It could also explain why there's still food around that hasn't rotted.
     
  16. Scout101

    Scout101 Admiral Admiral

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    Of course, while you're arguing about gas and saying that charging things from cars wouldn't be an issue, ever tried starting a car that's been sitting for more than a couple months? Batteries die pretty fast when you don't maintain them. Even putting my motorcycle away for the winter, gotta recharge it before installing it again, or it just won't do anything. SO even if the gas is kinda good, no way to get the battery to get enough charge to try and USE the gas...
     
  17. Mister Fandango

    Mister Fandango Fleet Captain

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    I actually linked to a solar charger. I think I confused a few people when I also mentioned that I keep one in my car; the former is in no way reliant on the latter.
     
  18. PKerr

    PKerr Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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  19. Silvercrest

    Silvercrest Vice Admiral Admiral

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    That's true, but it's not quite the same as the gas. Batteries self-discharge over time if you don't maintain them, but they can still be recharged after they've gone flat. From a generator, from solar panels, etc. In a pinch, you could run jumper cables from other vehicles nearby if their batteries hold any leftover charge at all and use the combination to jump-start yours. Or you could just push-start a car with manual transmission.

    As long as you can get the car started, you'll get power from the alternator and it will recharge the battery if it can still hold a charge. (If it can't, you'll have a tough time restarting after you shut off the engine. But still.)

    It's true that leaving a battery in a flat state will shorten its life so that eventually it won't hold a charge anymore. I'm not sure of the timeframe there, but I'd bet that even after two years there would be SOME batteries around that could still be recharged.

    Regardless, they can plausibly run a car one way or another and get power from it — as long as there's an answer to the fuel issue. So it comes back to that.

    What's still implausible, of course, is that the characters can simply walk up to an abandoned car without taking any of the measures I mentioned and expect it to turn over after two years.

    But I'll give them a bye on that since there are enough ways to handwave it. Unlike the fuel.
     
  20. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    A few episodes we did see Daryl have to change the battery in a car in they acquired since the one in the car was dry and had no charge. He found a battery in the nearby shop that still had some charge to it, enough to at least start the car. (After that the car would run on the alternator.)

    The gas thing we may just have to handwave and ignore until/unless it's specifically addressed in the show that viable fuel is becoming more and more scarce. One advantage with diesel engines is that they can run on vegetable oil. Granted, doing it on straight oil has a number of problems and cars that do it today need some modifications to do it efficiently and to not clog or damage the engine but when you can just go grab another car in the ZA this wouldn't be *too* much of a problem.

    Again, I think the fuel thing I can "mostly" hand-wave away. And, hell, even finding canned and packaged foods at this point isn't too dangerous or risky. (Again, we're only 18 months to two years out)

    Now what *is* hard to swallow is Rick keeping his facial hair perfectly trimmed at "sexy stubble" levels rather than him just being shaved or having a full-on beard. Seems to me a beard trimmer to keep it at perfect stubble levels would be more work than it's worth given everything going on. We could also argue why it's worth it for the women to keep doing things like shaving their legs and arm-pit hair (other than for TV reasons, to make actresses look good) or even dying their hair. (Maggie's gone through two or three hair colors since the character was introduced. Hell, even Daryl seems to have died his hair at some point!)

    The 8-9 months everyone was on the run between after the fall of Hershel's farm and before finding the prison and Rick was in full-on Ricktator mode did they really sit around the campfires at night and watch Maggie Lori and Beth as they shaved their legs and armpits?

    Hell, even Andrea and Michonne seemed to find time to keep themselves somewhat clean and civilized looking and they seemed to be operating under harsher conditions than the other survivors!