Talk:Improbable Cause (episode)

From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference

Contents 1 Episode talk page 1.1 Maintenance links 2 Inconsistency 3 Talarian?

[edit] Inconsistency

Dr. Bashir mentions trousers, but Garak mentions pants... – 80.176.152.238 20:34, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

Um, OK... --OuroborosCobra ^talk 22:25, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

Dr Bashir has a British accent, and in England we call that item of clothing "trousers". I don't know about the future history of the English language, but Starfleet appears to be an AMerican based organisation, and probably American English is "Earth Standard", as learned by aliens, or as translated by the Universal Translator when Garak uses the Cardassian word for trousers, hence "pants". Garak is a tailor, and understands what Bashir is talking about whichever word he uses.

Either this is a well observed character point by the writers or the actor relating to Bashir's background, or something that happened because no-one gave this much thought to what the Earth Standard word for "pants" would be in the 24th century - but it doesn't seem to me either very important, or particularly inconsistent - no more inconsistent, in fact, than that US and British English has different words for the same things right now. -AndroidFan 20:19, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Talarian?

"Garak tells Dr. Bashir about the Talarian eating with a human at the table a few meters down from theirs. The Talarian was half-done with his meal when the Human already finished. However, the Talarian looks remarkably different from the Talarians in a TNG episode where Jeremiah Rossa was discovered as being originally a human who has lived with the Talarians most of his life."

I think that's a Kobheerian, not a Talarian, which means that the mistake is in the dialogue. I think that means that this point is a nitpick doesn't it? Having said that, it is an interesting nitpick, and could be rewritten to explain the goof. I'm not overly familiar with the policy on nitpicking though, so please forgive my uncertainty. – Bertaut 02:16, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

It is probably worth noting, but not is so many words, or ignorant detail, because it would be ideal to "set the record straight" for those who might be confused by this error. Something simple like: "In this episode, Garak misidentifies a Kobheerian for a Talarian." Probably could mention too, that "this was not the last time such an error would be made, as Sisko would later misidentify a Markalian as a Tarkalean in "Time's Orphan"." --Alan del Beccio 03:43, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Done, just as you suggested. – Bertaut 04:00, 29 January 2008 (UTC)