# Sequel Works which add Important Lore Rules which Never Appeared in the Original **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 19, 2023, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784 "2023-08-19T05:21:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/121 "2023-08-28T13:32:55Z")
This does not explain the inconsistency with Data and contractions (and just going from memory), it has been an unspoken tradition that robots and talking computers do not use contractions, although I am sure there have been some previous outliers. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/122 "2023-08-28T13:48:41Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > it has been an unspoken tradition that robots and talking computers do not use contractions, although I am sure there have been some previous outliers. **I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that**. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/123 "2023-08-28T14:34:02Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > it has been an unspoken tradition that robots and talking computers do not use contractions, although I am sure there have been some previous outliers. **I’ll Be Back…** ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/124 "2023-08-28T14:37:27Z")
**It’s against my programming to impersonate a deity.** ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/125 "2023-08-28T15:11:46Z")
I gotta give a shout out to Spiner for his Data performance. I’ve been reading a lot of those early “learn to read” books to my kid and they specifically don’t use contractions. They’re so awkward to read that I naturally replace the words with contractions. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/126 "2023-08-28T15:19:27Z")
If I were an android, I might avoid contractions in the interest of communicating as clearly and unambiguously as possible. It’s a lot easier to mishear “can’t” as “can” than to mishear “cannot” as “can.” It’s a little like avoiding acronyms and initialisms here on the SDMB—I mean, the Straight Dope Message Board—and instead writing out the complete words, when there’s a chance that not everyone in your audience will recognize those acronyms. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/127 "2023-08-28T16:29:07Z")
All this talk about Data not using contradictions is off-topic: the thread title clearly indicates this thread is for _Lore_ rules, and Lore didn’t have a problem with contractions. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/128 "2023-08-28T16:31:49Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Data getting his fingers caught in a Chinese finger trap is nonsensical. Especially as he has super android strength, and he’d have torn it in one second. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/129 "2023-08-28T17:21:59Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Especially as he has super android strength, and he’d have torn it in one second. That part actually doesn’t bother me. If you’re making a super-strength android who is meant to interact with humans, one thing you would definitely do is have it, by default, limit its strength to human-standard-limitations, requiring a conscious effort to switch into super-power mode. Otherwise, Data would constantly be pulverizing hands when he shook them, ripping doors off hinges, etc. One assumes that if suddenly there was a red alert while data had his fingers trapped and he needed to go save the ship, he would rip his fingers out instantly. At least, one might so assume if one wished to give the ST writers the benefit of the doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/130 "2023-08-28T17:57:36Z")
Yeah, Data clearly was only “trapped” by the thing to the extent that he didn’t want to damage it in order to escape. Accurately calculating grip strength is something that we can train machines to do today, with contemporary robots that can pick up eggs without crushing them and so forth. That would be trivially easy to get right by the time you’re building positronic brains. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/131 "2023-08-28T18:03:06Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Yeah, Data clearly was only “trapped” by the thing to the extent that he didn’t want to damage it in order to escape. Similar to this scene, where Superman casually breaks out of some handcuffs: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4CFrwHXYotI/maxresdefault.jpg "Man of Steel - It's not an S (2013)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CFrwHXYotI&t=125) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/132 "2023-08-28T18:24:12Z")
Of course, he couldn’t have done that at any time….only when it was funny. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/133 "2023-08-28T18:42:13Z")
He’s not a Toon rabbit. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/134 "2023-08-28T18:48:03Z")
That was B4, this is now. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784/135 "2023-08-28T19:08:17Z")
I’m LALing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequel-works-which-add-important-lore-rules-which-never-appeared-in-the-original/988784.md?page=6)