# Battlefield Earth - tell me the end, please! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 28, 2001, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829 "2001-03-28T14:43:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/1 "2001-03-28T14:43:54Z")
I fell asleep right around the time the smartest human decides not to kill Travolta. They all go back in to learn more, so they can fight the aliens. I kind of liked it, I guess. Some good special effects. The aliens seemed to have such human failings, though. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/2 "2001-03-28T14:47:38Z")
And here I thought this was about the 1000 page book. Sorry, I’m ignoring the movie (unless I can get the entire thing in the crosshairs) ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/3 "2001-03-28T15:28:11Z")
oh my god. i saw this movie. in the theater. i didn’t fall asleep. yet i have almost memory of the ending. i vaguely remember something of the KISS/Klingon spawn’s being exploded, and the cavemen rejoicing. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/4 "2001-03-28T15:34:59Z")
John Travolta walks along a beach with Raquel Welsh, sees a giant Monolith and realises It was the Moon all along, and that L. Ron’s God was his childhood sled. or, that the Butler did it. whatever. I didnt see the movie. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/5 "2001-03-28T16:12:20Z")
I think the humans send some atomic weaponry through to the Moron’s home planet. Their home being a bomb waiting to happen, then Atom Bombs destroy the planet. **I think** that’s how it ends. Don’t hold me to it. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/6 "2001-03-28T17:00:15Z")
**Saw the movie, about half way through the book** Delores go get a copy of the book. As with Stephen King stories the movie is far lacking. It’s already apparent that the movie can’t end the way it did in the book. Anyhow as far as the movie goes they sent some atomic bombs through the trasporter back to Pyschlo blowing the planet up. The Psychlo planets atmosphere reacts reaaly badly with Uranium. ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/7 "2001-03-28T17:11:14Z")
**Dolores** …good tip here: Movie = Horrible SuckFest Book = Reading Enjoyment and Fun! Do not be concerned that you missed the end of the movie. You spent your time much more wisely by sleeping. **stuffinb** is correct that you should read the book and that the movie just can’t follow the book. The book has a much more complicated and involved storyline, a lot of which is totally left out of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/8 "2001-03-28T17:42:21Z")
Thanks everybody. I will read the book. Who’s it by? ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/9 "2001-03-28T18:18:51Z")
L. Ron Hubbard. Yup, the founder of Scientology. The book is pretty cool, but under no circumstances DO NOT FEED THE SCIENTOLOGISTS after midnight or expose them to direct sunlight. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/10 "2001-03-28T18:47:24Z")
the correct answer of course, is [they won the Razzies](http://abcnews.go.com/sections/entertainment/DailyNews/razzies010324.html) ! ---
**Author:** ![robgruver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@robgruver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robgruver)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2001, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/11 "2001-03-28T23:59:53Z")
I do have to agree about the book. It was a masterpiece of plot and intrigue. The movie (eagerly awaited since I first read the book waaaaay back in the early 90’s) was schlock, but the effects were wonderful. Read the book, and be prepared for 1050 pages of late nights. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SpinneZiege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@SpinneZiege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpinneZiege)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2001, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/12 "2001-03-29T00:18:53Z")
L. Ron Hubbard actually wrote a decent book? Can you guys back this one up? ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2001, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/13 "2001-03-29T06:42:02Z")
I’ll back it up. L. Ron actually wrote a good book. Read it when I was 17. I read the whole thing in 2 days. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2001, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/14 "2001-03-29T06:50:36Z")
It’s entertaining, but I wouldn’t really say it was good - well, good in a fun easy-reading kind of way. It could have been written in the 1950s though. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2001, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/15 "2001-03-29T08:17:01Z")
_Spoiler Alert_ (yeah, like you care) The very end of the movie, as I remember it: The humans manage to almost simultaneously teleport a nuke they found/built to the alien home world (using an alien teleport pad) and destroy the dome on earth that contains the alien atmosphere. The nuke on the alien home world causes a chain reaction. You see, radiation causes the alien atmosphere to burn/explode. Despite the fact that untold eons of exposure to miscellaneous ambient radiation without burning, the nuke releases enough radiation to cause the atmosphere to burn off in a matter of seconds, and cause the planet to – get this – shatter in a giant explosion. Back on earth, the aliens can’t do much without their imported alien air (which also remained intact despite the fact that humans, who emit small amounts of radiation, were in it). The aliens are all killed/subdued, and the humans are able to rebuilt civilization. Yay. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2001, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/16 "2001-03-29T08:19:45Z")
Oh, and you can read a satirical abridged script of the movie at [http://ter.air0day.com/battlefield.html](http://ter.air0day.com/battlefield.html) . ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2001, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlefield-earth-tell-me-the-end-please/59829/17 "2001-03-29T08:52:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max the Immortal \* > \*\*_Spoiler Alert_ (yeah, like you care) > The very end of the movie, as I remember it: > The humans manage to almost simultaneously teleport a nuke they found/built to the alien home world (using an alien teleport pad) and destroy the dome on earth that contains the alien atmosphere. The nuke on the alien home world causes a chain reaction. You see, radiation causes the alien atmosphere to burn/explode. Despite the fact that untold eons of exposure to miscellaneous ambient radiation without burning, the nuke releases enough radiation to cause the atmosphere to burn off in a matter of seconds, and cause the planet to – get this – shatter in a giant explosion. Back on earth, the aliens can’t do much without their imported alien air (which also remained intact despite the fact that humans, who emit small amounts of radiation, were in it). The aliens are all killed/subdued, and the humans are able to rebuilt civilization. Yay. \*\* Actually, as it was explained in the book it was not radiation that caused Psychlo breath-gas to explode, but uranium itself. When Psychlos started getting too close to uranium-rich areas, they would start seeing little flashes of light in their goggles, which were caused by individual uranium atoms interacting with their atmosphere.