# Lets apply Occam's razor to fanwanking. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 19, 2008, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463 "2008-11-19T16:45:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/1 "2008-11-19T16:45:21Z")
Inspired by this [thread=492696]thread[/thread] about the new Star trek trailer. It’s just a guy welding his initials on a ship he designed because its tradition. Also the Kessler run has nothing to do with bloody black holes. Solo was just pulling Luke’s leg. Han Solo: Hey Chewie! did you notice how i used parsecs as a measurement of time instead of as a measurement of distance, and the stupid farm boy didn’t even notice. Chewie: Aaarghaaah! (Translation: LOL!) Any other examples of simplifying fanwanking? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/2 "2008-11-19T16:53:01Z")
Terminator. “There is no fate but what you make.” This came from the _first movie,_ people. Since the very beginning of the franchise, the understanding has been is that there are no rules, there is no destiny, there is no future that _has_ to happen, so _anything is possible._ That’s what the series is ABOUT! ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/3 "2008-11-19T16:55:04Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > Also the **Kessler** run has nothing to do with bloody black holes. Solo was just pulling Luke’s leg. Bolding mine. Maybe he used time instead of distance because he was drunk on whiskey? Yes, a pair of glasses is a dumb disguise. Everyone new it was a dumb disguise. But, no one was stupid enough to tell a guy that could rip you in half with his pinky that his disguise was dumb. They just humored him. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/4 "2008-11-19T17:04:28Z")
:smack: I meant to write Kessel, maybe I’m the one thats drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/5 "2008-11-19T17:26:49Z")
I had a drunken idea the other night that the Kessel run was actually some kind of maneuver. Like speed up to hyperspace, do three loop-de-loops and back to a stop. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/6 "2008-11-19T17:47:36Z")
I knew a Kessler. He was a good middleman. Low profile. Didn’t filch. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/7 "2008-11-19T18:02:26Z")
Look, Parsecs are a unit of distance on _our_ planet. Long ago, in a galaxy far away, they were a unit of time. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/8 "2008-11-19T18:17:56Z")
I’m not applying Occam’s Razor or anything, but I just have to say that that other thread made my head hurt. I knew that sort of thing existed, but yikes! ---
**Author:** ![History\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b19c9b/32.png) [@History\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/History_Geek)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/9 "2008-11-19T18:31:09Z")
I had decided that the Kessel Run was a specific smuggling job without a specific route. You start at the Spice Mines of Kessel (where droids are melted down into who knows what), load up a bunch of spice from shady suppliers. Then blast off and exit the system while evading Imperial patrol vessels whose captains would prefer you pay the export duty on your cargo. The destination is the system with the biggest market for the spice from Kessel (always the same system, of course, that’s why it’s the Kessel Run). When Han says he made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, he is legitimately bragging: he was able to evade Imperial pursuit through hyperspace while making the shortest possible line from Kessel to the destination system. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Superhero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Superhero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Superhero)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/10 "2008-11-19T19:17:03Z")
The only problem with that is that it’s Solo’s response when Kenobi asks if it’s a fast ship. He’s bragging specifically about his ship’s speed, not his own skills as a pilot. I always figured the explanation was either: A. Lucas nabbed the word “parsec” for his own uses, assuming that nobody who saw the movie would have any clue what the word actually meant, or B. Lucas stumbled accidentally into the problem by inventing a word that sounded “space”-ish without any clue himself that it was an actual astronomical term. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/11 "2008-11-19T19:24:04Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Terminator. “There is no fate but what you make.” This came from the _first movie,_ people. Since the very beginning of the franchise, the understanding has been is that there are no rules, there is no destiny, there is no future that _has_ to happen, so _anything is possible._ That’s what the series is ABOUT! “No fate but what we make” is never mentioned in the first movie. The actual quote is: Reese [quoting Future John]: “Thank you, Sarah, for your courage through the dark years. I can’t help you with what you must soon face, except to say that the future is not set. You must be stronger than you imagine you can be. You must survive, or I will never exist.” Occam’s Razor says that John was not a physicist, so he likely knew jack shit about the mechanics of time travel. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/12 "2008-11-19T22:05:01Z")
Occam’s Razor for all fanwanking - it is the way it is because they wrote it/shot it/made it that way. Deal. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/13 "2008-11-19T22:21:09Z")
> [@brewha](#): > > Bolding mine. > Maybe he used time instead of distance because he was drunk on whiskey? > > Yes, a pair of glasses is a dumb disguise. Everyone new it was a dumb disguise. But, no one was stupid enough to tell a guy that could rip you in half with his pinky that his disguise was dumb. They just humored him. I think it’s simpler. The general public doesn’t connect Clark to Superman because, in a city the size of Metropolis/New York, there are tens of thousands of tall brunet white dudes who fit the general description, and as Superman (a) doesn’t wear a mask and (b) is a god who is obviously beyond mortal concerns in most ways, there is no reason to think he’s holding down a 9-to-5 job. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/14 "2008-11-19T23:39:23Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I think it’s simpler. The general public doesn’t connect Clark to Superman because, in a city the size of Metropolis/New York, there are tens of thousands of tall brunet white dudes who fit the general description, and as Superman (a) doesn’t wear a mask and (b) is a god who is obviously beyond mortal concerns in most ways, there is no reason to think he’s holding down a 9-to-5 job. I still say that in the DC universe, and probably most other fictional universes, everyone or nearly everyone has a harder time recognizing faces than we do in this one. It explains why people get away with wearing no masks at all, and how Superman can stand in for Batman OR Bruce Wayne, or worst of all, how Batgirl can stand in for Robin (no seriously) (or it could just be that there’s only like six faces…) I know there’s a Shortpack strip that supports this theory, but I can’t bloody find it. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/15 "2008-11-19T23:48:34Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > I still say that in the DC universe, and probably most other fictional universes, everyone or nearly everyone has a harder time recognizing faces than we do in this one. It explains why people get away with wearing no masks at all, and how Superman can stand in for Batman OR Bruce Wayne, or worst of all, how Batgirl can stand in for Robin (no seriously) > > (or it could just be that there’s only like six faces…) > > I know there’s a Shortpack strip that supports this theory, but I can’t bloody find it. Pre-Crisis universe that is undoubtedly true. But it’s never been clear to me how Barbara did with her boobs during that impersonation, as even before the current trend of artists who were deprived of breast feeding, she was never especially small. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/16 "2008-11-20T00:22:18Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Pre-Crisis universe that is undoubtedly true. But it’s never been clear to me how Barbara did with her boobs during that impersonation, as even before the current trend of artists who were deprived of breast feeding, she was never especially small. Duct tape. Liberal amounts of duct tape. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/17 "2008-11-20T01:36:23Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > I still say that in the DC universe, and probably most other fictional universes, everyone or nearly everyone has a harder time recognizing faces than we do in this one. It explains why people get away with wearing no masks at all, and how Superman can stand in for Batman OR Bruce Wayne, or worst of all, how Batgirl can stand in for Robin (no seriously) Criminal trials that rely on eyewitness testimony would be a real bitch. Prosecutor: Can you identify the perpetrator in this courtroom? Eyewitness: Cant say that i can. Prosecutor: Dammit! 68th time in a row. Judge: Case dismissed. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/18 "2008-11-20T01:40:15Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I think it’s simpler. The general public doesn’t connect Clark to Superman because, in a city the size of Metropolis/New York, there are tens of thousands of tall brunet white dudes who fit the general description, and as Superman (a) doesn’t wear a mask and (b) is a god who is obviously beyond mortal concerns in most ways, there is no reason to think he’s holding down a 9-to-5 job. Plus lots of people look sort-of-alike, and Kent speaks in a light tenor whereas Supes uses a bass-baritone. (Hey, if comics can be canon, why can’t radio be?) ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/19 "2008-11-20T01:42:36Z")
Superman wears those tight red underwear on the outside for a reason. Nobody’s looking him in the face. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463/20 "2008-11-20T01:49:43Z")
General purpose fanwank: “When said , s/he was mistaken, or just misspoke.” 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-apply-occams-razor-to-fanwanking/473463.md?page=2)