Yet nine times out of ten the Enterprise is not destroyed. What kind of tragic fool gives four significant digits for a figure that is off by two orders of magnitude?
One who doesn’t understand the Million To One Chance principle that operates in fictional universes. If the Star Trek universe didn’t follow the laws of fiction, the Enterprise would have been blown up long ago. ;)
In the “Star Trek: Judgement Rites” game there’s a spot where Spock gives ridiculously precise odds, and Kirk comments that they seem “better than usual.” Spock then clarifies that he has begun factoring Kirk’s history of prevailing when the odds are against him into the calculations.
And do keep in mind that the audience doesn’t necessarily see all the times that low-odds plans don’t work out.
Yet nine times out of ten the Enterprise is not destroyed. What kind of tragic fool gives four significant digits for a figure that is off by two orders of magnitude?
One who doesn’t understand the Million To One Chance principle that operates in fictional universes. If the Star Trek universe didn’t follow the laws of fiction, the Enterprise would have been blown up long ago. ;)
See also: Straw Vulcan
Maybe in ninety-eight universes out of 100 it does blow up and we just see the one that’s left; and he’s actually giving an accurate number. :P
The TV show version of the anthropic principle: all the episodes where the Enterprise does blow up aren’t made.
Except one.
In the “Star Trek: Judgement Rites” game there’s a spot where Spock gives ridiculously precise odds, and Kirk comments that they seem “better than usual.” Spock then clarifies that he has begun factoring Kirk’s history of prevailing when the odds are against him into the calculations.
And do keep in mind that the audience doesn’t necessarily see all the times that low-odds plans don’t work out.