h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It would be nice to mention that the word has been in use in English since 1727.

Metropolis was not the first science fiction film, not by a long way. It was made in 1927, and thus post-dates considerably the Harry Hoyt version of "The Lost World" (1925), and the entire output of Georges Melies, which included "Baron Munchausen" (1911) and the incredible "Voyage dans la lune" (1902), the style of which was copied in the video to one of the best songs of the 1990s, Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight".

It's "talkie", not "talky". The brackets seem a bit patronising.

"The first artificial man is in fiction is Frankenstein's monster"

To many "is"'s.

Also incorrect, as the Hebrew myth of the golem predates and informs the Frankenstein monster story.

It should be made clearer, I think, that the Questor Tapes was a pilot episode for a series that was never made. It wasn't very good...

I'm surprised not to see any mention of Rem, the android from the TV series "Logan's Run", Ruk, Roger Korby, Norman, Stella Mudd, Ilia/V'ger and many others from the original Star Trek, Yoyo from "Holmes and Yoyo", the narrator of Alfred Bester's "Fondly Fahrenheit", Yul Brynner in "Westworld", Kamelion in "Doctor Who", the fembots from "The Six Million Dollar Man", and lately Austin Powers (!). Androids all, and memorable too, I'd have said. A good deal more memorable than the automated personnel units, which appeared in one mediocre episode of the worst Star Trek series.

I'm stunned to see C3P0 misquoted. He is fluent in over SIX million forms of communication. If you're going to quote - check it. Get it right.

" Dr Juliana O'Donnell Tainer (née Soong)."

No... née O'Donnell. Née means "born". She was born an O'Donnell, married Soong, left him and married Tainer. Or rather, that's what she thinks happened...

"In 'Star Trek: Generations' he gets his emotion chip."

No, again. In Generations he *fits* the emotion chip he got in the episode "Descent, Part II". I'm surprised in this timeline to see no mention of Lore, Data's "brother" - the "evil twin" that is a staple of so many science fiction plots.



"David's parents cannot have children, so they bought an android child. Then their real child, Martin, is thawed"

Um... spot the inconsistency?

Well, just a few comments.

H.

And speaking of C-3PO - it's C-3PO! (Not C3PO)...

Also, following Hoo's point about your Threepio quote - he only once gets interrupted saying "and can readily..." - in Return of the Jedi. He never starts that sentence anywhere else, so it's hardly a running joke.

He does, of course, get frequently interrupted, but he's always talking about something different. On every other occasion he mentions his fluency in six million (etc) he finishes his sentence. Guess I've watched it far too many times

If there's a lesson here it's that Star Wars nuts have a rabid attention to detail....

Spotted another typo - in the Kryten section, 1st para, a plural has been missed - it should be crew memberS.

"If there's a lesson here it's that Star Wars nuts have a rabid attention to detail...."

... and h2g2 Editors do not. Two weeks since the errors in this and other entries in this series were pointed out, and it's still wrong, and it's still on the front page.

H.

While I share your sentiments, that's gonna hack 'em off!! They've just had the staff slashed so are bound to be a little overworked

Oh, hello Hoo, we thought you'd gone. Nice to see you.

With the reduction in staff, comments such as these are best posted to <./>Feedback-Editorial</.>.

Many thanks,

Jimster