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* However, while we can argue the morality and utility of the weapon (and have at length), there's a surprisingly simple reason why what was being done was wrong: Everyone was misled as to the intention of the project and all of them would have objected on moral grounds if they were aware that the laser would be used as a weapon. It is one thing to hire a group of scientists to work in a lab with the specific intention of building a new kind of weapon, as said individuals would be mentally and emotionally prepared to deal with everything that comes with creating a new way of killing people before they started the job. It is something else entirely to trick a group of students into building something like that and just expecting them to deal with it.
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****Well, to quote Shakespeare...shooting someone in the back generally IS the safest way to do it, isn't it?
And it's worked in the past and up to the present--against Field Marshals, Admirals, and the heads of major terrorist organizations. Although the laser seen in the film would do it with potentially much less collateral damage, or risk to the gunners.
Or if you don't like using the fairly small laser capable of putting multiple megawatts of energy on a man-sized target at "infinite" (or at least, very long) range against individual humans, you could use it for...air defense, ballistic missile defense (against "tactical ballistic missiles," e.g., "Scuds," or ICBM/SLBMs, the RVs of which are actually roughly man-sized or larger), ''counter''-missile defense, ASAT missions, gunship armament (with increased range, accuracy, destructive capability, the ability to allow the gunship to operate at much higher altitude and greater standoff distance), demining operations, using a laser-ablation propulsion system to boost the range of large artillery shells (hey, perfect excuse to keep the Iowas in service even longer--a few hundred pounds of extra gear, and now you can drop 16" shells on the Kremlin while anchored in the Irish Sea. Hell, you could bring the SoDaks back with that setup!)...
A lot of these, in fact, have been conceived of or tested with the use of directed energy weapons in the real world. Including a few by the Soviets. One of which they attempted to launch into space, two years after this film came out.
Actually, the most charitable interpretation of the CIA spooks' appraisal of the weapon being "useless" for conventional warfare would be that, skilled specialists in their own insular, arcane field as they may be, are really myopic dilettantes--to the point of conceit--lacking a real understanding of subjects ''outside'' their areas of expertise, unable to conceive or readily comprehend how such a weapon might be put to use, or even really imagine the true revolutionary potential of how it ''might'' be used, aside from the cudgel of their ''schema'' that makes everything look like a nail.
Ironically, you could probably say the same about Chris, Mitch, and their crew.
And it's worked in the past and up to the present--against Field Marshals, Admirals, and the heads of major terrorist organizations. Although the laser seen in the film would do it with potentially much less collateral damage, or risk to the gunners.
Or if you don't like using the fairly small laser capable of putting multiple megawatts of energy on a man-sized target at "infinite" (or at least, very long) range against individual humans, you could use it for...air defense, ballistic missile defense (against "tactical ballistic missiles," e.g., "Scuds," or ICBM/SLBMs, the RVs of which are actually roughly man-sized or larger), ''counter''-missile defense, ASAT missions, gunship armament (with increased range, accuracy, destructive capability, the ability to allow the gunship to operate at much higher altitude and greater standoff distance), demining operations, using a laser-ablation propulsion system to boost the range of large artillery shells (hey, perfect excuse to keep the Iowas in service even longer--a few hundred pounds of extra gear, and now you can drop 16" shells on the Kremlin while anchored in the Irish Sea. Hell, you could bring the SoDaks back with that setup!)...
A lot of these, in fact, have been conceived of or tested with the use of directed energy weapons in the real world. Including a few by the Soviets. One of which they attempted to launch into space, two years after this film came out.
Actually, the most charitable interpretation of the CIA spooks' appraisal of the weapon being "useless" for conventional warfare would be that, skilled specialists in their own insular, arcane field as they may be, are really myopic dilettantes--to the point of conceit--lacking a real understanding of subjects ''outside'' their areas of expertise, unable to conceive or readily comprehend how such a weapon might be put to use, or even really imagine the true revolutionary potential of how it ''might'' be used, aside from the cudgel of their ''schema'' that makes everything look like a nail.
Ironically, you could probably say the same about Chris, Mitch, and their crew.
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** It's safe to say that the place that Hollyfeld stays in has more than one entrance. It's just that the elevator through the closet is his preferred entryway. If the power cut out on campus for some reason and the elevator was the only way in or out, Hollyfeld would be stuck in the basement. A man as smart as him would have another way out, maybe the original entrances to the basement itself (as he would have had to design and build the elevator, and he wouldn't be able to bring in lots of building material in through the closet without someone noticing.
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** It's safe to say that the place that Hollyfeld stays in has more than one entrance. It's just that the elevator through the closet is his preferred entryway. If the power cut out on campus for some reason and the elevator was the only way in or out, Hollyfeld would be stuck in the basement. A man as smart as him would have another way out, maybe the original entrances to the basement itself (as he would have had to design and build the elevator, and he wouldn't be able to bring in lots of building material in through the closet without someone noticing.noticing).
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** Also, considering the speed at which Hathaway got the prototype into the Air Force plane, he might not have gotten all the details from Chris on how to reproduce it. If Chris and Mitch destroyed the records, they surely wouldn't have reproduced it, knowing its true intent.
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** Anxiety and fear. The man was under a great deal of pressure to deliver and when he saw that chip, his thought was like "oh no, not now" and quickly checks the motherboard for any empty sockets. Finding none he figures someone just dropped it and says everything is fine. He doesn't fess up and say something is wrong because he doesn't want to admit that he didn't really have any hand in actually building the laser or its guidance system. His anxiety also causes him to miss that one of the EEPROM chips is missing its protective decal (to prevent UV from erasing the chip's data). Had he actually taken the time to read up on the work his students were doing, he'd have noticed the switch. Not to mention that the tracking system computer was missing its dust cover. Then again, the lead technician and Hathaway's contact didn't notice either.
** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delays could get him into trouble and expose him to scrutiny. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly developed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and she clearly knows a heck of a lot more about it than he does).
** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delays could get him into trouble and expose him to scrutiny. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly developed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and she clearly knows a heck of a lot more about it than he does).
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** Anxiety and fear. The man was under a great deal of pressure to deliver (especially as he had embezzled funds to renovate his house) and when he saw that chip, his thought was like "oh no, not now" and quickly checks the motherboard for any empty sockets. Finding none he figures someone just dropped it and says everything is fine. He doesn't fess up and say something is wrong because he doesn't want to admit that he didn't really have any hand in actually building the laser or its guidance system. Then again, the lead technician and Hathaway's contact didn't notice either. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly developed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and she clearly knows a heck of a lot more about it than he does). His anxiety also causes him to miss that one of the EEPROM chips is missing its protective decal (to prevent UV from erasing the chip's data). Had he actually taken the time to read up on the work his students were doing, he'd have noticed the switch. Not to mention that the tracking system computer was missing its dust cover. Then again, the lead technician and Hathaway's contact didn't notice either.\n** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delays could get him into trouble and expose him to scrutiny. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly developed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and she clearly knows a heck of a lot more about it than he does).
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** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delays could get him into trouble and expose him to scrutiny. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly developed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and she clearly knows a heck of a lot more about it than he does despite perhaps a week of examination at most).
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** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delays could get him into trouble and expose him to scrutiny. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly developed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and she clearly knows a heck of a lot more about it than he does despite perhaps a week of examination at most).does).
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** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delays could get him into trouble and expose him to scrutiny. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly developed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and she clearly knows a heck of a lot more about it than he does despite perhaps 48 hours of examination at most).
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** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delays could get him into trouble and expose him to scrutiny. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly developed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and she clearly knows a heck of a lot more about it than he does despite perhaps 48 hours a week of examination at most).
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Changed line(s) 44,45 (click to see context) from:
** Anxiety and fear. The man was under a great deal of pressure to deliver and when he saw that chip, his thought was like "oh no, not now" and quickly checks the motherboard for any empty sockets. Finding none he figures someone just dropped it and says everything is fine. He doesn't fess up and say something is wrong because he doesn't want to admit that he didn't really have any hand in actually building the laser or its guidance system. His anxiety also causes him to miss that one of the EEPROM chips is missing its protective decal (to prevent UV from erasing the chip's data). Had he actually taken the time to read up on the work his students were doing, he'd have noticed the switch. Not to mention that the system was missing its dust cover (then again, the lead technician didn't notice either).
** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delays would get him into trouble and expose him to scrutiny. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly developed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and she clearly knows a heck of a lot more about it than he does despite perhaps 48 hours of examination at most).
** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delays would get him into trouble and expose him to scrutiny. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly developed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and she clearly knows a heck of a lot more about it than he does despite perhaps 48 hours of examination at most).
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** Anxiety and fear. The man was under a great deal of pressure to deliver and when he saw that chip, his thought was like "oh no, not now" and quickly checks the motherboard for any empty sockets. Finding none he figures someone just dropped it and says everything is fine. He doesn't fess up and say something is wrong because he doesn't want to admit that he didn't really have any hand in actually building the laser or its guidance system. His anxiety also causes him to miss that one of the EEPROM chips is missing its protective decal (to prevent UV from erasing the chip's data). Had he actually taken the time to read up on the work his students were doing, he'd have noticed the switch. Not to mention that the tracking system computer was missing its dust cover (then cover. Then again, the lead technician and Hathaway's contact didn't notice either).
either.
** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delayswould could get him into trouble and expose him to scrutiny. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly developed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and she clearly knows a heck of a lot more about it than he does despite perhaps 48 hours of examination at most).
** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delays
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** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delays would get him into trouble and expose him to scrutiny. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly designed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and clearly knows a heck of a lot more than he does despite perhaps 48 hours of examination at most).
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** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delays would get him into trouble and expose him to scrutiny. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly designed. developed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and she clearly knows a heck of a lot more about it than he does despite perhaps 48 hours of examination at most).
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** Anxiety and fear. The man was under a great deal of pressure to deliver and when he saw that chip, his thought was like "oh no, not now" and quickly checks the motherboard for any empty sockets. Finding none he figures someone just dropped it and says everything is fine. He doesn't fess up and say something is wrong because he doesn't want to admit that he didn't really have any hand in actually building the laser or its guidance system. His anxiety also causes him to miss that one of the EEPROMS chips is missing its protective decal (to prevent UV from erasing the chip's data). Had he actually taken the time to read up on the work his students were doing, he'd have noticed the switch.
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** Anxiety and fear. The man was under a great deal of pressure to deliver and when he saw that chip, his thought was like "oh no, not now" and quickly checks the motherboard for any empty sockets. Finding none he figures someone just dropped it and says everything is fine. He doesn't fess up and say something is wrong because he doesn't want to admit that he didn't really have any hand in actually building the laser or its guidance system. His anxiety also causes him to miss that one of the EEPROMS EEPROM chips is missing its protective decal (to prevent UV from erasing the chip's data). Had he actually taken the time to read up on the work his students were doing, he'd have noticed the switch. Not to mention that the system was missing its dust cover (then again, the lead technician didn't notice either).
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** Anxiety and fear. The man was under a great deal of pressure to deliver and when he saw that chip, his thought was like "oh no, not now" and quickly checks the motherboard for any empty sockets. Finding none he figures someone just dropped it and says everything is fine. He doesn't fess up and say something is wrong because he doesn't want to admit that he didn't really have any hand in actually building the laser or its guidance system. His anxiety also causes him to miss that one of the EEPROMS chips is missing its protective decal (to prevent UV from erasing the chip's data). Had he actually taken the time to read up on the work his students were doing, he'd have noticed the switch.
** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delays would get him into trouble and expose him to scrutiny. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly designed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and clearly knows a heck of a lot more than he does despite perhaps 48 hours of examination at most).
** He probably also decided to not to raise any alarms because he was afraid that any delays would get him into trouble and expose him to scrutiny. In one scene, he's clearly struggling to answer questions about the laser he supposedly designed. In another, he lets one of the lead technicians explain the laser for him (and clearly knows a heck of a lot more than he does despite perhaps 48 hours of examination at most).
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*** Also, this is before any revised legal state mandates for the age of consent (for example, in Florida in 1999, the age of consent was 16 years old. Currently, it's 18 years old). And we know he was 15 when he was brought in, but we do not know when his birthday is in the year. For example, if he was April, he would be older much sooner than if he would be born in December. So, when he was brought in, it may have been before his birthday (and if most of the film takes place during his first year at Pacific Tech, that means that his birthday could very well be in the Fall, meaning he was 15 when the film started but just became 16. And being of the age of consent, it not only allowed for Sherry to approach him, it also allowed for Mitch to approach Jordon to start a relationship with).
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** It's safe to say that the place that Hollyfeld stays in has more than one entrance. It's just that the elevator through the closet is his preferred entryway. If the power cut out on campus for some reason and the elevator was the only way in or out, Hollyfeld would be stuck in the basement. A man as smart as him would have another way out, maybe the original entrances to the basement itself (as he would have had to design and build the elevator, and he wouldn't be able to bring in lots of building material in through the closet without someone noticing.
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* When Mitch first discovers the passage in the closet, he boards an elevator that takes him to the steam tunnels below the college, to Hollyfeld's lair. Hollyfeld is there working on his contest entries. So...how did Hollyfeld get down there? The elevator was at the top, not down at the bottom with Hollyfeld. Mitch didn't have to wait for the elevator to arrive — the ride down took a lot longer than the time to get from the closet to the top of the elevator, and the car was there waiting for him. The car didn't automatically go back uo when Mitch got out of it. So how did Hollyfeld get down there?
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* When Mitch first discovers the passage in the closet, he boards an elevator that takes him to the steam tunnels below the college, to Hollyfeld's lair. Hollyfeld is there working on his contest entries. So...how did Hollyfeld get down there? The elevator was at the top, not down at the bottom with Hollyfeld. Mitch didn't have to wait for the elevator to arrive — the ride down took a lot longer than the time to get from the closet to the top of the elevator, and the car was there waiting for him. The car didn't automatically go back uo up when Mitch got out of it. So how did Hollyfeld get down there?
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Editing some of my edits from like twelve years ago or something
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*** Truthfully, without WordOfGod to confirm it one way or another[[note]]Someone should look up Neal Israel and/or Pat Proft (or even Martha Coolidge) to ask them[[/note]], or with the present lack of a {{sequel}}, the final outcome remains strictly in the realm of [[WMG/RealGenius Wild Mass Guessing]]. I like to think that, at the very end, when it's all said and done, that the project was a flop. Definitely not thrown out altogether, but put aside for a while (maybe boxed up and stashed away in [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull Hangar 51]], haha).
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*** Truthfully, without WordOfGod to confirm it one way or another[[note]]Someone should look up Neal Israel and/or Pat Proft (or even Martha Coolidge) to ask them[[/note]], another, or with the present lack of a {{sequel}}, the final outcome remains strictly in the realm of [[WMG/RealGenius Wild Mass Guessing]]. I like to think It's possible that, at the very end, when it's all is said and done, that the project was seen a flop. Definitely not thrown out altogether, but put aside for a while (maybe boxed up and stashed away in [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull Hangar 51]], haha).a warehouse somewhere).
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* When Hathaway found the chip on the floor of the plane, why was he so quick to cover it up and not address it? It's not like he was responsible for installing the equipment on the plane and the most likely conclusion would be it happened during installation.
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** Another entrance we didn't get to see?
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** Do we even know for sure how old Sherry is? Mitch describes her as "adult", but he presumably never checked her drivers' license or whatever. Her waiting until Mitch was 16 could've as easily been her giving him time to finish puberty as giving him time to become "legal". In which case, Sherry could be a mature-looking minor herself, and it's ''Hathaway'' who committed statutory rape. (And possibly Laslo also, if they didn't wait until after their parentally-approved wedding.)
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** Do we even know for sure how old Sherry is? Mitch describes her as "adult", but he presumably never checked her drivers' license or whatever. Her waiting until Mitch was 16 could've as easily been her giving him time to finish puberty as giving him time to become "legal". In which case, Sherry could be a mature-looking minor herself, and it's ''Hathaway'' who committed statutory rape. (And possibly Laslo also, if they didn't wait until after their parentally-approved wedding.)
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*** This is probably it. She waited until after his birthday, when he would be sixteen and technically legal. The film covers from start of the second term, early to mid January, until late May or early June, after finals. Plenty of time for a birthday!
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I put it at the top because it's quite early in the movie, so it seemed like it should be early in the list.
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* When Mitch first discovers the passage in the closet, he boards an elevator that takes him to the steam tunnels below the college, to Hollyfeld's lair. Hollyfeld is there working on his contest entries. So...how did Hollyfeld get down there? The elevator was at the top, not down at the bottom with Hollyfeld. Mitch didn't have to wait for the elevator to arrive — the ride down took a lot longer than the time to get from the closet to the top of the elevator, and the car was there waiting for him. The car didn't automatically go back uo when Mitch got out of it. So how did Hollyfeld get down there?
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** [[spoiler: Considering how the sponsors of the laser weapon had previously been shown plotting to murder ''one of their own number'' for threatening to inform Congress and the President what they were up to, there'll be heads rolling at the CIA for worse acts than mere misuse of funding, too.]]
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** Or that [[spoiler: the previously-threatened audit will very likely take place as part of the investigation into the laser's DisastrousDemonstration, which will get Hathaway busted for embezzling much of the research funding to refurbish his now-destroyed house.]]
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*** Jordan says in one scene that she is nineteen. It's still not clear whether or not she and Mitch get physical, though.
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*** Jordan is seventeen. Since they are both minors and close in age allows for a pass as most people would consider their relationship acceptable. Sherry, however, shouldn't get such consideration and likely the only reason the movie was allowed to get away with it is due to double standards.
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* What age is Mitch when Sherry Nugil vamps on him? Her dialogue states that she [[JailBaitWait waited three years for him to be legal]], and I thought that age of consent in California is 18. Since he comes to "Pacific Tech" at 15, that means that one of several things must be the case:
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* What age is Mitch when Sherry Nugil vamps on him? Her dialogue states that she [[JailBaitWait waited three years for him to be legal]], and I thought that the age of consent in California is 18. Since he comes to "Pacific Tech" at 15, that means that one of several things must be the case:
