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123 lines
4.2 KiB
123 lines
4.2 KiB
<!-- TITLE Visitors From Down the Street -->
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<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>
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<blockquote><cite>
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The Excalibur encounters a pair of aliens who are convinced that humans
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have visited their world and their government has conspired to cover
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the contact up.
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</cite>
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</blockquote>
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<pre>
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Production number: 104
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Original air date: August 25, 1999
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00061QJSK/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: December 7, 2004
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Written by J. Michael Straczynski
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Directed by Jerry Apoian
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</pre>
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<p>
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<hr size=3>
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<h2><a name="BP">Plot Points</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<p>
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<li>@@@935999889 A few hundred years ago, the inhabitants of an unknown
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planet began to pick up broadcasts from other worlds, including Earth.
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The planet was undergoing a constant series of civil wars at the time,
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so its government hatched a plan to create a scapegoat for its domestic
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problems: fabricate fake visits by humans and establish the appearance
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of a conspiracy to cover up the "truth." The plan worked; when the
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people believed that the government was secretly under alien control,
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revolting no longer seemed useful, and the civil wars came to an end.
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<p>
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After learning of that conspiracy, Gideon took the Excalibur to the
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planet and dropped a series of probes near several large cities,
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each containing a copy of the Interstellar Encyclopedia as well as the
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details of what he'd learned about the nature of the coverup.
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</ul>
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<h2><a name="UQ">Unanswered Questions</a></h2>
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<h2><a name="AN">Analysis</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<p>
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<li>@@@935999889 The alien world must be quite close to Earth. If, as
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claimed, they first started picking up human transmissions a couple
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hundred years before the encounter with the Excalibur (and assuming the
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alien year isn't substantially different than an Earth year) that would
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mean they first started receiving the broadcasts no later than about
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the mid-21st century. That would put their world within about 150
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light-years of Earth, since the first video signals from Earth were
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sent in the early 1900s and travelled at lightspeed.
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</ul>
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<h2><a name="NO">Notes</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<li>@@@935999889 The new telepath regulations permit Matheson to project
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thoughts into another being's mind in life-or-death situations.
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<li>@@@935999889 Gideon enjoys feeling the wind on his face when he's
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visiting a planet.
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<li>@@@935999889 This episode is a parody of the TV series
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<a href="http://www.thex-files.com/">"The X-Files."</a>
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References to that show abound:
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<ul>
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<li> The subtitle showing the location and time (Eridani Sector,
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May 13, 2267 2:37PM EST) is ubiquitous on "The X-Files."
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<li> The red color of Lyssa's tentacles suggests Agent Scully's
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red hair.
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<li> Cell phones are a constant presence on "The X-Files."
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<li> Kendarr's cigarette addiction is like that of the Cigarette
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Smoking Man, one of the heads of the "X-Files" conspiracy.
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<li> The "Y" in masking tape on Durkani's office window is a
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reference to the "X" Mulder placed on his window in early
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"X-Files" episodes when he wanted to contact Deep Throat.
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<li> The alien wearing a human mask under an alien mask is a
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reference to the X-Files episode, "Jose Chung's 'From Outer
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Space.'"
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<li> Arguably, Durkani's name is a variant on "Duchovny."
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<li> Durkani's closing line, "The truth is out..." and Kendarr's
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conclusion, "...out of fashion," is a reference to the
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X-Files tagline, "The Truth is Out There."
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</ul>
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<li>@@@936119636 In addition, there are references to real-life conspiracy
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theories:
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<ul>
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<li> The photo of Mount Rushmore is a reference to the
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<a href="http://barsoom.msss.com/education/facepage/face.html">Face on Mars</a>.
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<li> The report of a crashed Earth ship, with human bodies
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taken away and the whole thing explained away as a weather
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balloon, is a reference to the crash in
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<a href="http://www.roswell.org/">Roswell, New Mexico</a>
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in 1947.
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<li> The blimp being dismissed as "swamp gas" mirrors a frequent
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explanation for UFO sightings.
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</ul>
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</ul>
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<h2><a name="JS">jms speaks</a></h2>
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<ul>
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<li>@@@936119636 "I'm glad to see somewhat else comment on the 'Y' in
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the window. That was absolutely classic -- and pure Joe!"
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<p>
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Y makes it the show right next door to that other show....
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</ul>
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