Line #39 Headscratchers/TreasurePlanet


1	* Why was Captain Flint's body there with the treasure? There weren't any other bodies around, and it didn't looked like he'd been killed or anything. Also, what happened to the crew of his ship? They surely knew where the treasure was, since they were the ones who hauled it there. So why didn't they come to the planet after Flint's death and get the treasure? (Or, if Flint had already switched the security system on, why hadn't they accidentally set it off and blown up the planet while trying to get the treasure?) Okay, you needed the navigation ball to get inside the treasure trove, but clearly one, or some, of Flint's crew had gotten hold of the ball, since it ended up outside the planet... So why hadn't the crew member(s) used the ball to get the treasure? Or, even if the they didn't have the ball, they should've at least tried to get to the core of the planet with some other means. With the technology level shown in the movie, it shouldn't have been impossible.
2	** Multiple (and possibly inter-connected) theories:
3	*** On the crew: A) Maybe most/all of his crew died along the trip due natural hazards, and Flint's ship was for some reason too damaged to escape, so he starved to death in that cave B) [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness Or Flint is just that jealous with his treasure]] and stood there and starved to death ''on purpose'' because of how damn protective with his treasure he was ("[[MadnessMantra No one will have my treasure, no one]]!"). On the Ball: A) Maybe some did survive, but were too scared of [[TheDreaded Cap'n' Flint]] and his memory to even try, and so they purposefully buried everything they knew (including the ball). B) Maybe B.E.N (who was a member of his crew) was the only survivor of the trip, and left with the ball (not knowing what it was ''for'' since his memory was ripped off), after a series of unrelated events the ball got lost (one also needs to note you need to know ''how'' to use the ball for it to work, see Silver messing with it to no avail in one scene).
4	*** It's perfectly possible that Flint killed his entire crew to keep the treasure all for himself.
5	*** ...and then succumbed to wounds from the fighting, perhaps?
6	** My idea on this one is that Billy Bones was Flint's most loyal man. I think that either Flint asked him to take the orb and leave him in the core before setting up the trap, or, some time after Flint 's death, Bones returned to the planet and tried to take the orb to safety. The rest of the crew probably died, but we don't know how long these lizard people live, and there's no way Bones was just a random sailor who just happened to stumble into the map, because a random sailor wouldn't know the orb is important, and would just give it away to the cyborg who is interested.
7	* Why did the pirates plan to kill the other shipmates. Unlike in the original novel, which was like one treasure chest, which is alot of money, but can be stretched thin with a large group of people. This is a WHOLE PLANET of treasure. One treasure chest from that place would set you for life, in the end of the film, a hand full of diamonds rebuilt the inn (Which is maybe like what 100,000 dollars). The pirates couldn't share a planet full of treasure with like four other people? If the pirates hadn't backstabbed the other crew members, they would have found the treasure with no hassle, collected as much diamonds and gold as they could, become incredibly wealthy, and gone on there way.
8	** Since the ''Legacy'' was captained by Amelia who was in full uniform, the RLS was a government ship and the expedition had to be authorized by the government. Since it was stolen pirate booty, some of it would have been returned to those who could prove it was theirs, otherwise stolen antiques and the like would have been donated to museums or put up for auctions, Jim and Doppler, who discovered the map and financed the initial expedition, would have shared anything unclaimed - which would be a lot - with Captain Amelia receiving a fat paycheck, a big bonus, and a promotion. The crew would have received their agreed pay plus a bonus back at port, if Doppler felt like it. Nobody was quite sure how much treasure there would be to share - but after a mutiny they could take every penny.
9	*** This, pretty much, even in the original ''Treasure Island''. In the original book it was much more than one chest -- Ben moves the treasure from where it was originally buried over a period of months or ''years'' while he is marooned there.
10	*** Amelia being in uniform and RLS ''Legacy'' being a government ship but ''not'' on a government mission is an accurate reflection of how things worked in the [[WoodenShipsandIronMen Age of Sail]], particularly the Royal Navy. Ships were commissioned by the government but then operated as mercantile operations in order to earn back their cost of construction. Similarly, Royal Navy officers were trained in service but once commissioned were expected in many ways to supplement their operations with their own funds (since they were usually, but not always, upper class) and when not on Royal Navy orders merely kept on with half pay, which lead many of them to have to run side gigs if the Navy didn't need them for anything official. As such, it was not uncommon for people with enough means to hire a Royal Navy ship and staff her with Royal Navy officers and whatever crew they could find in port to make whatever voyage they could afford (a good example would be the ''Challenger'' expedition of 1872). Obviously, things haven't worked that way in a very long time. In short, how the Royal Navy worked at the time is that it basically contracted its own assets for missions; when not on such missions, those assets could be contracted by anyone else willing to pay up. Since ''Treasure Planet'' features quite literally the Royal Navy [[RecycledINSPACE]], and that's basically how the IRL Royal Navy worked in Stevenson's time... no official government sanction required, and no guaranteed paycheck except what Dr. Doppler provided.
11	** My theory is that Silver was planning to let Jim go afterwards and maybe even pay him off to stay quiet. Once he'd found the treasure, he didn't worry about Jim leaving - the only reason he cared about the boat Jim was taking was because all the rest of the treasure was washing away.
12	** Don’t forget that Silver and his goons were already closing in on the map at the beginning of the movie — it was only thanks to Jim that they ended up losing it. From their point of view, it makes sense why they wouldn’t want to settle for anything less than having the entire treasure to themselves when it was practically stolen out from under them.
13	* When Jim stabs Silver in his cyborg leg, Silver yells and clutches his leg as if he feels pain. Problem is, that leg is ''mechanical''. Does he have artificial nerves or something?
14	** The leg was supporting Silver's weight, and when the leg suddenly gave out, he was startled. The yell was one of surprise. It's like having one foot on a stool, then having the stool taken out from under you.
15	*** Not to mention that thing is probably 'plugged into' his flesh to keep it properly anchored, especially if it is a necessary prosthetic. When the pressure gave out, it jammed itself right up into his thigh or hip, wherever it ends off. He limps for the remainder of the movie... though that's partially due to some of the air in the leg not being restored without proper tools, leaving it less pressurized than before. He does comment to Jim that it's not working properly since their 'game of tag in the galley', referring to when Jim stabbed the leg.
16	** Considering that his mechanical eye [[RedEyesTakeWarning turns red]] when he's angry and he seems to switch between the different tools on his mechanical hand through nothing but his own will it would indeed seem that his cyborg half is connected to his flesh and nerves somehow.
17	* How come nobody but Jim could open the map thingy? Surely the guy with a doctorate would be able to open it.
18	** I think what happened is that Jim figured it out completely by accident through messing with it, and it would take too much time to try to reproduce such a circumstantial event.
19	** Also, the map could be something like a puzzle cube, where once you solve it and it displays the map, you're then free to scramble the different parts however you please - if we're to assume Jim did this after opening the map the first time, it makes sense that he would've been the best person to do it again, and also allows him to use this as leverage.
20	* One thing I can't figure out when reading through the character page is where people got the idea that Amelia ever got promoted. She is wearing the exact same uniform at the end as she did through the rest of the film. Unless its in the artbook or something I don't know where anyone gets the idea that her rank changed. Assuming she's actually assigned to the Legacy regularly its not like her command is gone. Jim isn't a captain. He's a cadet or, at most, a junior officer. He could easily find himself serving under Amelia if she doesn't request a land posting after having kids.
21	** She appears as an Admiral in the VideoGame/BattleAtProcyon game, which is a sequel to the movie.
22	* How does Jim know the name Billy Bones? In the book it's based off of Jim and his mother see the name tattooed on his body, the pirate claims it's not his name, but never tells him his real name so they just roll with Billy. But in the movie it goes; he dies, the pirates attack, they go to Delbert's, then SPACE- did he find out the name off screen while they looked over his body for cause of death?
23	** He said his own name in front of Jim when he first crash-lands there. "They'll have to pry it from old Billy Bones' cold, dead fingers a'fore I- [[IncurableCoughOfDeath cough hack."]]
24	* What, exactly, was the nature of Captain Amelia's injury? She clutches her side like she broke a rib but doesn't appear to have trouble breathing; at the same time her arm is in a sling but she doesn't seem to have any problem using it; she must have hit her head extremely hard at some point (probably either when the boat flipped or when the mast was struck and the boom snapped across the deck) because she's disoriented and woozy... holy shit, Amelia, what the hell happened to you?! And [[PlotHole why does none of it make sense?!]]
25	** There was a shot where Amelia clutches her side, and later they look at her palm, which is covered in red blood. It made it right into the theatrical release, but was cut for the home release because Disney really hates blood. If this had been left in, you would have seen that her injury is genuinely life-threatening. Taken out, she just looks like she's sprained something.
26	* Small question, but is Silver a Petting Zoo person? He appears human, but his one ear appear to be an animal ear and he also has tiny claws on his hands. If so, what sort of animal is he meant to be?
27	** I think he's just meant to be a mostly-human-looking alien, like a lot of other characters in the film. (Worth noting is that they intentionally made Silver look like a round, soft, squishy guy to make him look like a friendlier "good guy", in contrast with Scroop, who is all red and black, spider-legs and pinchers and all, and is obviously the more evil and vile of the two.)
28	** Silver is a bear-man-thing, as Doppler is a dog-man-thing.
29	* During the escape from Treasure Planet, is there any reason other than for the sake of drama why Morph couldn't "open a different door", as Jim puts it? He seems able to move about freely anywhere he wants, and can transform into seemingly anything provided it's of the proper size...Wouldn't it have been safer than Jim having risk dying to do it himself?
30	** Morph couldn't have gotten there fast enough. Plus it's questionable if he's capable of handling a task that specific.
31	** I don't see why he couldn't, really... He can turn himself into a miniature pie and throw himself at someone - what's wrong with Jim or Silver lobbing him down off the ship and telling him just to poke somewhere on the glowing green globe that was right nearby? It wouldn't even need to be their home planet that he selected; at that point, in the face of a giant explosion, practically ''anywhere'' would've been optimal.
32	** Though not addressed in the movie, Morph is prone to acting out when he shouldn't such as stealing the map from Jim after the mutiny despite Jim's protests. On that note, there's also the matter of Morph's intelligence. Given his acting out and comparison to an animal (whenever he talks its reminiscent of a parrot talking), it's unlikely he would've understood the task (fly to the green ball and hit the one button shaped like a crescent moon among many other buttons). That's not factoring in Morph panicking on the way (such as his terror when they were caught up in the supernova and the black hole). There's also, as stated above, the fact that Jim on a rocket-surfer was faster.
33	* When they went to the ship to disable the Cannons, B.E.N did so with difficulty. After the fight with Scroop, B.E.N emerges wrapped in sparking wires and declaring the cannons disabled. What else B.E.N may have disabled? (though maybe this should go in FridgeLogic or FridgeHorror)
34	** Probably unimportant things, like the kitchen stoves. He was just pulling out plugs at random - if one of them happened to be for something important (and obvious, such as the lights or artificial gravity), he would just plug it back in and try another.
35	* B.E.N states the Flint pulled out his memory chip and as a result B.E.N has a poor memory. The question is how could B.E.N have any memory of the past without his memory unit (he mentions remembering Flint's treasure being buried in the center of something and the door opening and closing; memories that would've been stored in his memory chip... which he didn't have at the time)? Also, how could B.E.N have formed any new memories such as remembering where his new home was?
36	** He says that he lost his ''primary'' memory circuit...So maybe before Flint pulled it, he uploaded his other memories not concerning the booby traps to a secondary memory circuit he had inside him (most likely very quickly and haphazardly, which is why he can only remember bits and pieces of everything later on), and that was where his future memories were stored until Jim reinstalled his primary one.
37	** He was running off of RAM.
38	* Why are Jim and his mother (and father) the only human characters in the film? Dr. Doppler, Amelia, Silver, Scroop, the other crew members, and the people in the inn and at the spaceport all seem to be aliens - where did Jim's family come from? Are they the last of their kind?
39	** There just seems to be so many types of aliens. No two aliens seem to be of the same species (although Doppler and Captain Amelia are debatable). Humans, like these aliens, are spread out all over the galaxy. There could well be humans on Montressor. Perhaps if Jim wanted to meet human girls, he could... well, go on an intergalactic dating site.
40	* How did Amelia recover so quickly? That blast must have caused some serious injury, which, as stated above, was originally supposed to be bleeding. She even becomes too weak to think straight. But when the pirates capture them, she's completely fine again. Doppler can't heal and I doubt that B.E.N or the pirates had any first-aid kit, and even if the latter ones had, they probably wouldn't help her anyway.
41	** Actually, she's not completely fine after being captured. When she and Doppler take back the Legacy, we see that she's still injured enough to have to leave piloting the ship to him, and she continues to clutch the spot where she was injured with one hand. Mayhaps the weakness that kept her from thinking coherently was her going through the worst part of her recovery, and she'd gotten over it by the time they went looking for the treasure.
42	** Plus, there are probably some first aid supplies aboard the ''Legacy''. Jim could've arranged for Amelia to be tended to in exchange for handing over the map.
43	** In the book, the captain explicitly took several supplies with him when he and the others had to abandon ship. Amelia or Doppler could’ve snatched a first-aid kit as they made their escape.
44	* Why didn't they just go back to the planet? Sure, Flint's security system alderaan'd the planet, but aside from the gems that got blasted (or molten), most of the treasure seems to be gold coins, and AFAIK no amount of blast energy can undo physical matter.
45	** Because the gold coins would've been melted down by the planet's core just like the gems were, and any amount of treasure that could have survived would have been scattered too thin to be located in the explosion. It's not a matter of its physical state being undone; it's just not worth it to make another trip when there's so little chance of success. And since the map they used to reach the planet was also lost in the explosion,, they would have to go to the trouble of retracing the ship's initial journey in order to have any chance of getting there again.
46	** This question makes no sense. Gold isn't invincible. The conservation of energy doesn't mean objects always survive explosions. It's like asking why you can't drink a glass of water after you blow it up. If the gold is scattered into molten droplets or reduced to atoms, then it ceases to be a recognizable object.
47	** Rewatching the movie shows just how futile such a trip would’ve been. You can see that by the time Jim and Silver have their encounter on Flint’s ship, ALL the rest of the treasure has already fallen into the gaps and been melted down by the lava, leaving the platforms completely barren. Even if the planet hadn’t been obliterated afterward, there is no way there was anything left for the taking.
48	* Why didn't Jim remain on the ship a little longer before activating his makeshift surfer at the climax? It would've been a lot safer and meant less chance of something going wrong. Why not let the ''Legacy'' carry him a little closer and then make a run for the portal?
49	** Putting aside that he wanted to do it before anyone could stop him, it's possible, especially for such a rudimentary surfer, that Jim needed the extra distance to pick up speed so that he would reach the button in time. Keep in mind he needed to get to the button ''before'' the ship did, and probably didn't want to risk being too slow and letting his friends sail into a melting inferno. It's also in-character for him to act first and think later.
50	** Plus, him taking off is what motivates the rest of the crew to turn the ship around and go with his plan in the first place; his course of action effectively forced their hand. Being ferried closer to the portal would require wasting time they don't have to try and convince them further.
51	* Why do Captain Amelia and Mr. Arrow hate Jim and treat him poorly at the beginning? Even though Jim is the one who deciphered Treasure Planet's map and if it weren't for him they would not be going on this expedition, Mr. Arrow sends him to the kitchen so he can't see the takeoff and later Captain Amelia has Silver order Jim to clean the deck!
52	** Don’t take their actions out of context. They’re the topmost authorities figures on the ship, and them making sure Jim is kept busy and that he understands his position onboard does not mean they hate him. And Jim having deciphered the map does not give him a free ticket to be a layabout on the journey to retrieve the treasure. Not to mention that it’s completely accurate to the book — Captain Smollett was quick to give Jim work to do because in his own words, he wasn’t one to play favorites.
53	* [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse What happened to Mr. Snuff?]] He just vanished from the film as soon as Silver started his mutiny! Was he part of Silver's crew or was he an honest sailor who followed Captain Amelia's orders?
54	** The last time he's seen is the morning that Jim discovers Silver and the rest are pirates. During the meeting where this is revealed to him, one of the goons is heard saying "There's only three of 'em left," and he could only be referring to Jim, Doppler, and Amelia. Either Mr. Snuff was in on the mutiny all along, he was convinced to join the pirates at some point during the voyage (this did happen to most of the crew in the book), or he was an honest crew member who was killed shortly before the meeting took place. Presumably one of the former two, since killing him runs the risk of arousing Amelia's suspicions, which should've been Silver's concern, if not anyone else's. Snuff was also shown among the bystanders who were egging Scroop on when he threatened Jim early in the film, which is evidence toward him being aligned with them from the start.
55	* If Captain Flint's self-destruct trap to ensure that no one could have his treasure could only be activated by passing through the security lasers found after crossing the portal, what if maybe Silver and his pirates considered the possibility of there being a trap, spotted the lasers and didn't pass through them? Then they could have stolen Flint's treasure and his plan would have failed.
56	** Flint likely counted on them being so fixated on all the treasure before them that they just wouldn't think of looking down at their feet as they passed through.
57	** Also, the tech encountered on Treasure Planet is noted to be ahead of its time. The pirates might not have thought that a laser-sensor security system was possible; ergo, they were looking out for more primitive traps like trip wires and such.
58	** And the glowing edges of the portal appear to have concealed the very edges of their view inside the treasure chamber, which only further hid the lasers from sight.
59	** Another, simpler answer is yes, Flint’s trap could very likely have failed. Even if an intruder failed to notice the laser before triggering it, the movie shows they still would have enough time to grab some of the treasure and escape before the bombs went off. Just like Jim nearly succeeded at by repairing Flint’s ship, and Silver actually did succeed at by stuffing his pockets with what treasure he could. Short of setting the chamber to blow the instant someone stepped in and covering the door with trip lasers, there’s very little in the way of traps that would have assuredly prevented anyone from taking anything.
60	* Once Treasure Planet's self-destruct system is activated, why does Jim lose time repairing Flint's ship to escape from there? That ship is old and they still have a functional ship waiting for them out at the portal. He's lucky that the ship still worked after years of abandonment!
61	** He wanted to fix Flint's ship because of how much treasure it had on board -- much, much more than whatever Jim could cram into his pockets before escaping on foot. Also, it ensures that he, Doppler, and Amelia have a guaranteed way off the planet instead of potentially needing to convince and/or barter with the pirates who (as far as he knows) are still in control. He had no idea that Doppler managed to slip his bonds at that point.
62	* Why do Doppler and Amelia waste time capturing Silver's remaining pirates? Yeah, maybe they could have captured Meltdown, the fat alien who guarded them, because they were two against one and Doppler had a gun, but why bother capturing four pirates who held you hostage and planned to kill you instead of just leaving them to their fates?
63	** Because it wasn’t a waste of time for them, as they still had to wait to pick up Jim and Silver before they could escape. Also, Amelia didn’t become such an esteemed military officer by leaving her crew members to die when she could’ve saved them easily, no matter how much they deserved it. There’s just desserts, and then there’s just being petty.
64	* Before the launch, Amelia makes mention of the fact that Doppler was responsible for hiring the crew. Later in the movie, Silver mentions that he pulled some strings to get the crew hired. Both of these notions are true to the original book. Yet that initial scene in the galley seems to be the first time that Doppler and Silver have met each other. It doesn’t even seem as though they’ve communicated in writing before. So how did Silver arrange to get his lackeys hired if he’s never met Doppler?
65	** Silver was passing himself off as a humble cook rather than the leader of the crew. He likely just had another crewmate act as the face and middleman to get them hired by Doppler while Silver pulled strings from behind the scenes.
66	* Why does "cannonball", as in the diving term B.E.N. references, exist in a world where cannons shoot "laserballs"?
67	** Maybe there are several different kinds of cannonball, and laserball is just one of those types.
68	** They probably have conventional ammo as well as energy-based ammo in this universe.
69	** Possibly a leftover from when cannon balls of some sort were actually used, sort of like in real life. No one uses cannon balls anymore, but the term is still with us.
70	** B.E.N. might be old enough to have existed when cannonballs were common.
71	* One notable example is how the plot point leading to Silver finding Jim in the storage room, realizing he heard about the mutiny was because Silver went looking for his glasses to get a better look at Treasure Planet. This when later sequences in the film establishes that his mechanical eye can zoom in on objects hundreds of meters away, leaving the question as to what he'd need glasses for.
72	** He was actually looking for a spyglass, not a pair of eyeglasses, and his eye can only see so far... Maybe, say, from one end of the ship to the other, or a bit more. Treasure Planet was a much greater distance away.
73	* So, naturally, everyone knows that in the original story Jim is assigned to the duties of cabin boy... except here, Amelia does it without a second thought. ''He's one of her employers''.
74	** Well, when part of a crew, you have to pull your weight just like everyone else. It doesn't matter if you're the employer or not. If you're part of the crew, you gotta do the work.
75	** She seems to make a point of being a hardass to them in particular. She likely sees them for what they are, landlubbers who need a bit of toughening up if they're going to survive the trip.
76	** Also, I'm pretty sure Doppler was the one who employed her. All Jim did was figure out how to open the map.
77	** Plus, it's not like Jim didn't deserve a leisurely ride to the treasure, you could very well count this as boot camp given his track record.
78	** Where are you getting the idea that the teenage Jim is one of Amelia's employers? Doppler clearly says ''he's'' financing the voyage and that ''he'' hired Amelia and the crew; he's taking Jim along as a favor, because Jim and Sarah have lost everything they own, and because Jim technically found the map, but in no way does that give Jim the right to call any shots. He's on a ship now, and everyone on the ship has to pull their weight.

Context Headscratchers / TreasurePlanet