Blood...

[ffutures]

Just finished watching S1 of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

I enjoyed the show, but why is it I can suspend disbelief for time travel, AIs, killer androids etc. but totally lose it when they say something really stupid about blood groups?

NB - comments contain spoilers

Comments

[pauldrye.livejournal.com]

There is such a thing as blood groups. There is no such thing as time travel, AIs, killer androids, et al. QED.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I guess.

[pauldrye.livejournal.com]

I suppose I could expand on that by pointing out that you're a science teacher. Future, as-yet-unknown students of yours might reasonably say to you "I know how blood groups work, I saw it on Terminator". Or even think they know, without realizing that they're remembering a TV show.

A student who says to you "I know how killer robots work" has deeper issues than trusting untrustworthy sources of information.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Science technician, but it's a good point. It's just such an easy thing to get right, but they can't be arsed.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Because we exist in the finest tradition of British science fiction and gosh darn well expect things to make sense?

[pauldrye.livejournal.com]

((Paul points at Doctor Who and makes faces))

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, I do appreciate the logic in what you're saying, but it isn't going to stop me from throwing something large and heavy at you. :)

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Aim well, glasshopper...

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

The wrath of the British sci fi fan will fall upon him with the weight of ten thousand nice cups of tea.

[pauldrye.livejournal.com]

I don't suppose I could get some digestives with that?

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

And perhaps a comfy chair?

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

Actual Facts versus fictional concepts.

I missed the blood groups miff what was it?

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

At one point they want to give blood to John Connor's uncle from the future, who is group AB+

Sarah Connor has group O- blood and says that she is a universal donor - a paramedic says that the uncle can only use AB+; this is incorrect. Fortunately John Connor, Sarah's son (and there is absolutely no doubt that he is her son), turns out to be AB+ and saves the day.

This is not actually possible given the laws of genetics - the son of an O parent can be O, A or B but not AB.

So two howlers in about 30 seconds, and both could have easily been avoided by making Sarah a different group.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

It could be I'm sensitive to this because I'm O neg myself and a regular donor; I know how useful my blood is.

[heliograph.livejournal.com]

"and there is absolutely no doubt that he is her son"

Why do you believe that?

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Because of the whole causation paradox associated with his conception.

Of course he could have been swapped at birth or something, but there is no canon evidence other than the blood groups to suggest it, and doing so opens up a huge can of worms that invalidates a lot of the plot of the films, TV series, etc.

Actually, I really must post this to Twisting the Hellmouth as a challenge idea - a John Connor's Real Mother thing...

[heliograph.livejournal.com]

"Because of the whole causation paradox associated with his conception."

That implies A John Connor. That doesn't necessarily imply that this John Connor is that John Connor.

"Of course he could have been swapped at birth or something, but there is no canon evidence other than the blood groups to suggest it, and doing so opens up a huge can of worms that invalidates a lot of the plot of the films, TV series, etc."

Unlike the third movie. Or the fourth one. Or the series we're talking about. And I'd suggest it doesn't: we know a John Connor leads humanity, and that he believes that Sarah Connor is his mother. Neither of those things would be invalidated if TV Series John wasn't really Future John.

I'm not saying it wasn't a mistake they made to show John was related to another guy from the future. That's plausible: TV shows are written under enormous time pressure, and they make mistakes. But (IIRC) they said in the episode that Sarah didn't know John's blood type and they had to test him. Wouldn't someone in a survivalist mindset want to know her own son's blood type? Again, possibly an error, or it could be a clue to something else.

If you know killer robots from the future seem to keep coming after you in waves, wouldn't swapping him out be the best way? After all, the future of humanity is at stake.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I agree that she might have tried to save her own child by swapping him for another (and that's pretty much the challenge I posted), but whoever she claims as her child has to be kept alive and believe that she is his mother or the future is doomed; if she abandons her child there is no guarantee that he or she won't die in the initial salvo. She might as well look after her own child.

Of course all this assumes that there is a child - maybe the real child died in infancy, and she stole another baby to give the future its saviour. The trouble with that is that both she and John have been through the legal system etc., and at some point they would have done basic tests to make sure he is her son, since she seems to be completely insane...

[ponderoid.livejournal.com]

Not only is O-neg the universal donor... But AB-pos is the universal receiver. So that's 3 goofs. Sarah can give blood to anyone, and the uncle can receive blood from anyone. I'd blocked that part of the episode out. Thanks for reminding me.

*** Ponder

[mr-wombat.livejournal.com]

Well, thats it really. We don't know for certain that you couldn't travel through time with the appropriate spinning copper doohickeys and we don't know for certain that killer androids couldn't wander around blowing things up. Similarly we don't know for certain that there aren't solar systems out there with dozens of planets and hundreds of moons or that such solar systems would be colonized in a manner that eventually mirrored the old west (and given human nature and our tendency to repeat history that one seems pretty likely in comparison) or that the mind does not contain the potential to deflect bullets or that there are not undiscovered bacteria that can give you said psychic powers.

What we *do* know for certain is that blood doesn't work like that, or that bullets are made of lead and cannot light petrol or that gravity works in a certain fashion and that you don't get to mess with certain medical or newtonian facts (psychic powers and their effects on newtownian physics aside) unless you're using magic as an excuse.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

That's about it.

[hjcallipygian.livejournal.com]

Heh. That show can make your head hurt if you're not careful.

As I've said before, I'm a contractor who likes sci-fi and is engaged to a scientist. Sometimes shows I watch just make her grab her head and groan.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, know what you mean. Try talking to a geologist about Volcano some time, or a herpetologist about Raiders of the Lost Ark or any or a dozen or so snake films.

[hjcallipygian.livejournal.com]

Have you seen The Core? That has something for everyone. =)

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

I can't explain it but I feel the same way occasionally.

However, I find errors in "real" science in SciFi less annoying than in contemporary series like CSI who claim to do everything correctly. If part of the science/technology in a given 'verse is impossible by our current reckoning, other things could work differently as well.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Agree entirely - one of the reasons why I haven't written any CSI fic in a long time is that I began to lose interest in the glamour and notice more of the gaping holes.