MovieChat Forums > Saturn 3 (1980) Discussion > Plot Loophole?

Plot Loophole?

posted 17 years ago by Sublime23
7 replies | jump to latest

Just watched the movie again the other night, had't watched it since the eighties. Anyway in the beginning when we see the ship, we hear the speaker calling out for Captain James. We are then taken to the locker room and Benson is already geared up when James shows up. James then goes on a monologue regarding Benson's psychiatric problems and then he says something similar to this "I would be the same if I knew I'd get Saturn 3". James is killed, yada yada.. Now when Benson is running up to the ship, we hear the speaker again "Captain James, your ship to Saturn 3 is ready for lift off" (something like that) So. Was James going to Saturn 3 in the first place ? If yes, then the conversation he has with Benson seems to go against the plot...

[–] mojbjg 17 years ago

My god man....thats the ONLY loophole you found in the plot of this thing?!?!? It's one big-ass 2 hour plothole.

[–] BlueSovereign 17 years ago

The way I see it is this:

Captain James is Benson's replacement since it was Benson who failed the mental test that needed passing to build the Demigod robot. James was Benson's last minute replacement - hence the running to the locker room and the dialogue about knowing if he'd get Saturn 3 - which originally he was not. So to answer your question, it was Benson going in the first place not James.

However, I can understand your take on things since I spent some time thinking about this at first. I was corrected a long-time ago on another board and someone also mentioned about all this being explained and described in the novel of the movie, which I can't seem to find anywhere - even ebay.

[–] BlueSovereign 17 years ago

Yeah, I found a copy of the novel on ebay.co.uk for £2, let's see what differences and deeper explanations are hidden within.

[–] BlueSovereign 17 years ago

Finished the book. There are a number of small differences in dialogue and events, but it was James who was going in the first place. Benson failed the exam that tested his ability to control the information he shares with the android via the brain-link and James was promoted to Captain and Handler instead. James was late because his alarm clock didn't go off etc.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] BlueSovereign 17 years ago

The author is: Steve Gallagher

Hope you find a copy, found mine on ebay :)

[–] J8mJ8m 16 years ago

I play it out is this:

James is going instead of Benson, whom I believe was supposed to go originally, until he failed the test. I think that James had no knowledge of the mission prior to being told he'd be a (last minute?) replacement for Benson.

James says "I'd have been unstable too if I knew I was going to get Saturn 3"

Or, put another way,

"I'd have been unstable too at the time of the test, if I knew I was going to get Saturn 3".

At the time of James' test, he was unaware that he would later get the mission. He's empathising with Benson that it is an unfavourable assignment and that's what made Benson fail the test; he (jokingly) claims he would have had the same test outcome if he'd had prior knowledge of it.