Sorcerer in training
About the defense of Thermopylae by the 300: In the original history, there was a defense force posted along the route of the goat path, covering the weak spot. But when the Persians came marching along, this group not only did not defend the route, they didn't send a messenger to the main force to let them know. Why? Thoughts range from fear to bribery.
The leaders of the Greeks had the sense to cover their weak spot, but the people who got the job didn't come through, maybe because of idiot ball holding themselves.
But of course, that would make for a much less compelling movie, especially when it comes to showing the Greeks, and Spartans especially, as awesome good guys.
Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving. -Terry Pratchett
- Star Trek: Generations
- The Duras sisters are none too bright either. They agree to turn over Geordi and give the Enterprise Soran's location on the planet because Picard promised to take Geordi's place after talking with Soran. With Picard on the planet surface and Geordi safe aboard, Riker could easily have ordered Picard beamed back up and obliterated Soran's launch site from orbit. Meanwhile the sisters hang around, having lost their only bargaining chip, apparently so they can destroy the Enterprise rather than allow it to get blown up when the star goes nova.
The above example is incorrect in multiple ways.
- The Duras sisters didn't turn over Geordi because they expected to get Captain Picard as a hostage, they did it to get Geordi onto the Enterprise so they could use the signal from his visor to gain useful information.
- They didn't give the Enterprise Soran's location, they beamed Captain Picard to their ship and then down to Soran's location. Riker couldn't beam up Picard and obliterate Soran's launch site because he didn't know where they were, as the following dialogue makes clear.
Riker: Any luck, Mister Worf?Worf: No sir. I still cannot locate the Captain.Riker: Data. The sensors can't penetrate the planet's ionosphere. There's too much interference. Can you find a way to scan for life forms?
- The Enterprise crew only learned that the Duras sisters were involved after they arrived in the Veridian system. The sisters knew that the Enterprise hadn't notified Starfleet Command because the Enterprise didn't send any subspace transmissions. Thus, if they destroyed the Enterpise they could hide their involvement and have a free hand in developing their trilithium star-killing weapon.
- It would have been silly for the Duras sisters to expect the Enterprise to be destroyed by the star exploding. After all, the Enterprise escaped the destruction of the Amargosa star, so the Duras sisters would expect them to do so again.
I have therefore deleted the example in its entirety.
Edited by Arivne
If there are good examples in these articles, they should be listed as examples here rather than forcing the reader to click on the article to find them, and there certainly shouldn't be natter on whether examples in the articles are examples of the trope.