Talk:Seven Days (TV series)/Archive 1

Archive 1

Screenings worldwide

but the series remains virtually unseen anywhere else in the world.

The series was not shown in India, by AXN.

I think all three seasons were shown in Germany. -- JeLuF

Seasons 1 and 2 were shown in South Africa. -- Jeandré 2003-05-04t12:21z

It's been shown in Germany, Sweden, and the UK. It always bothered me that each jump back should put an additional Frank Parker in the world. Jump once per episode for three seasons should mean a world of about 60 Frank Parkers, even if one died off now and again... -- Someone else 05:28 Feb 14, 2003 (UTC)

It's established in the first episode that when Parker appears in the past, the version of him that was already there disappears. (Similarly with the past-version of the time machine, and the past-version of anything he takes back with him.)

Someone should note this with the citation in the article. I just came here trying to figure that out, and I must have missed that episode. That's really useful info. Grey Hodge 07:11, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I recall the Chronosphere's disappearance from the base being the way he proves he's backstepped in several episodes.

The real problem is that Parker is living through big chunks of time that nobody else experiences. He's already over a year older than the rest of the universe...

--Paul A 05:55 Feb 14, 2003 (UTC)

Ah, well, that "explains" it then <G>. He still looks ok for his age. Must be the moisturizing cream. -- Someone else 06:05 Feb 14, 2003 (UTC)

Incorrect: Finite amount of fuel

It was established in one episode that some of the alien fuel is used in each backstep, and that thus there can be a finite number of backsteps (barring technological developments). DataPacRat 10:23, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Can you remember which episode, or at least how far into the series it was? (ie. was it the case for most of the series, or only something the writers made up later?) --Paul A 01:26, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Sorry, it's been too long since I've seen any episodes. I simply remember it being mentioned. A bit of Googling suggests that in the Pilot episode, Dr. Mentnor said that each time a mission failed and a Sphere is lost, the amount of the fuel available for future missions was reduced. DataPacRat 09:30, 29 Oct 2004 (UTC)

I haven't seen the pilot, but the impression I got from later episodes is that each backstep uses the *entire* fuel supply, but because you wind up in the past, in the primary timeline the sphere has never been used and always sits there fully fuelled and ready to go.Radix 04:35, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

It does use a finite amount of the fuel each trip. But the fuel needs does go up significantly if the sphere goes back further than seven days. There was one episode where they came back from about a year in the future and it took all of the fuel, but I think that fuel had come from a different alien space craft. I forget what had prompted this trip, but it was from someone trying to steal something from the project for nefarious purpose. Val42 06:07, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

The finite fuel was mentioned near the start of one of the two episodes just shown on BBC2 - either "Parkergeist" or "Daddy's Girl", can't remember which. --KJBracey 01:12, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

It's "Parkergeist" for sure. I'm watching that episode on Spike right now as it so happens, and they just mentioned that not 5 minutes ago. It's the episode about the drug-detecting satellite being blown up. Ballard just mentioned that as he questioned necessity of this mission for fighting drugs, sating that every backstep decreases the amount of fuel they have for future missions. However in the pilot they did mention that they had enough fuel at that point for only one more mission. One must assume since the pilot they managed to create more fuel, but it's still a limited supply. Grey Hodge 07:17, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

That goes to Radix's comment: there's enough fuel for one 7 day jump, so if a jump goes wrong you're screwed but if successful you've just gone back in time 7 days and once again there's enough fuel for a 7 day jump. The writers equivicated on that point from there on in. Misterandersen (talk) 01:56, 23 September 2009 (UTC)

Interesting. I'm currently watching the episode "EBEs" which among other things deals with a spill of the fuel they use, element 115. The inference is that they can continue to make more fuel, albeit in very limited quantities. Grey Hodge 07:25, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

"significant factual mistake"

The information being discussed above was recently removed, and I would like to bring it up for discussion again.

I thought I remembered from the episode with the Russian chrononaut (Olga's fiancé) that the removed information was correct. Now as with most people its been a long time since I've seen any episodes of the show, but I thought I remembered that. Can anybody corroborate? — THOR 16:27, 28 July 2005 (UTC)

Having to explain himself

Should we put something into this article about Frank having to explain himself and who he is to the NSA each time? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kylet (talk • contribs) 21:54, 11 April 2006

Well, he really only has to do it once, the first backstep, because there were not ment to be any backsteps for a year. But conundrum should be mentioned somewhere (other than the conundrum page) to mention that it is both his "password" and also agent name "it's conundrum on the line, sir" Fosnez 19:42, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

Plot holes

I have removed the following contribution from the article.

The series has two major logical errors regarding time travel.

• Although Parker regularly travels back in time, he never encounters himself. In the pilot episode, when Parker appears at the NSA after the first backstep, his identity is questioned because he just went missing from the mental instution from which he was released (a few days later) in his own timeline.
• The scarcity of the fuel source is used as an excuse to limit backstepping, but since the actual backstep (and thus fuel use) occurs in an a timeline that is erased by the backstep itself, no fuel is ever permanently consumed in the process.

The fact that Parker doesn't meet himself is covered by the episodes themselves (though I missed the point the first time I watched the series). In one episode they notice that the sphere has disappeared (along with Frank) and deduce that they must have back-stepped. (Their apparent surprise when Frank telephones is not because they haven't noticed him disappear from the base, but simply that they recognize the urgency of his call). Second, the fuel source is already mentioned in the article and this discussion page. Thanks.   — Lee J Haywood 11:31, 22 April 2006 (UTC)

Wouldn't the use of the 'Conundrum' code word in and of itself help make sure that Parker doesn't meet himself, too? I have a vague memory of something liek that going on in an episode, tho I don't remember it that well. Still, though, if the chief of the Backstep project gets that code word on the special hotline, he should know to make sure the 'native' Parker doesn't do anything like wander around where the mission is. IL-Kuma 08:38, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

That's not how it works. Parker disappears from wherever he was, even though the writers rarely address that. There is no duplicate Parker. His disappearance from the mental hospital isn't an error. It's an example of the past Parker disappearing when future Parker appears because both Parkers are one and the same. Think about this too: There is clearly never a duplicate sphere. Several episodes address the lack of an extra sphere.Wryspy 08:40, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

I have to disagree with the whole disappear routine. When Parker backsteps, there should be another "original" Parker pre-backstep present. When the company gets the call from the "backstepped" Parker, they should have immediately put the "original" Parker in isolation. When the events have been changed, either the "original" Parker or the "backstepped" Parker should be eliminated. Since the "original" Parker should have already been in isolation, he should have been exterminated or else after a few backsteps there would be several Parkers running around the joint (as well as several pods). Since this was never shown or explained (they probably did not want to show the extermination of the "original" Parker), this qualifies as a "Plot Hole" and should be noted as such on the main page. firstlensman 03:27pm, 04 December 2007 (EST)

The displacement effect excises Parker and the Sphere from the "new" timeline, allowing the future Parker and Sphere to replace them (the unfortunate Parker may well end up in the old timeline, it's never explained), avoiding one paradox but creating another to allow the passage of information back through time. This is the reason why Frank's not allowed off base -- one, because his absence can be an indication of a backstep having taken place, and two, because the NSA doesn't want civilians to see old-Frank vanish when future-Frank arrives. Misterandersen (talk) 02:03, 23 September 2009 (UTC)

They explain in one of the early episodes (that I can't consult because this series hasn't been released on DVD yet) that both the sphere and Parker disappear when a backstep occurs. They've got alarms that go off when the backstep sphere disappears, so they know immediately that it has happened. The person answering the phone is in a darkened room that we never see in the sphere facility, so she (as this person usually is) may not even know that the alarms have gone off. As far as I remember, they only show when Parker leaves the "future", but they have never shown the "past" just before the future Parker arrives so we don't actually see Parker or the sphere disappear. But there are no temporal duplicates. — Val42 (talk) 06:14, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

What about the episode with the second chrononaut? His sphere appeared intact in the amazon jungle. Does it mean that they had several spheres to begin with, and are now using the last one? Why didn't they bother returning it? (If I recall correctly, they had no problem returning it from any other location in the world Frank has been to. Even when it was submerged several miles underwater) 85.250.239.200 (talk) 07:23, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

They say in that episode that they couldn't find the old sphere, and supposedly built a new one. (After the new sphere is destroyed, Ballard says that building a new one would take about 2-3 years, and it has been 12 years since the old chrononaut, James Rance, disappeared) 89.138.111.178 (talk) 19:32, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

Wryspry explains it correctly. There is no duplicate Parker. I've been watching the series again recently and the Parker in the past disappears when the future Parker arrives. For example, in the pilot episode it is mentioned that Parker "disappeared" from the mental institution. This is due to the new Parker's arrival from the past. He is the same person therefore he replaces himself every time he goes back. Another example is the episode "Haarp Attack", where Parker reverts to a childlike state when he jumps and forgets his mission. The NSA has to locate him and bring him back to base. The reason they know he is gone is because both Parker and the sphere have disappeared. Otherwise they wouldn't know he had jumped. I think the source of people's confusion is because it is never explained explicitly in the beginning of the show, but it is quite obvious due to its use in several episodes. There may be plotholes in this show, but this is not one of them. I hope this clears things up76.105.7.183 (talk) 20:30, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

I suggest that someone more familiarized with the editing of the Wikipedia articles include a big plot hole of the show in the article : the very name of the show is Seven Days and there's all this story that the chrononaut can only travel back in time 7 days, but this is NOT true. The real limit is *seven days before the first time the time machine became ready*. This is because after arrival of the chrononaut in the past, he could enter again in the time machine and be sent another 7 days in the past, and he could repeat the process as many times as necessary to reach the right point in time to be able to prevent the beginning of a major disaster. The main difficulty (which I didn't know before reading the Wikipedia page about the show) is that first they will need to recover and possibly fix the Chronosphere that traveled to the past. 201.19.198.81 (talk) 15:23, 29 October 2011 (UTC)

Music

In the episode "Playmates and Presidents" there is a song with lyrics similar to "...say goodbye [long sustain on the last syllable] to yesterday...". Can anyone tell me what song this is and who performed it? - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 23:58, 27 June 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm... "It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday..." Sounds like part of an old song called "Cooley High Harmony". There are several different versions of the song, performed by multiple artists. I think the song was originally written for a movie in the Seventies called "Cooley High", a high school in Philadelphia PA, USA. Years later a version of the song performed by "Boyz II Men" was released and may have been on the soundtrack to the movie "Boyz N The Hood". The song is often used in film situations where a Black/African American youth is killed due to unnecessary violence. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.168.44.6 (talk) 03:55, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

I've waited a year and a half for that answer, but unfortunately the Boyz II Men song is not the one I'm looking for. Thanks for finally giving me a response, but I'll have to keep searching. Maybe I'm not remembering the lyrics correctly... - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 05:20, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

Image?

Anyone able to add an image to the article? There was an image but it has been deleted... --SoWhy ^Talk 21:18, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

revival of tv series on BBC 2

Can anyone varify the claim ".....was returning to BBC 2 on February 26 2007"? Although im in Germany now i was in Ireland (where we get BBC2) during February, March and April and dont remember seeing it on the tv shedule. I am a fan of the series so i would have noticed it. 153.96.50.65 12:09, 14 May 2007 (UTC)James 14:09 May 14th 2007

Late night -- about midnight I believe, I never tuned in. Matthew 12:11, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

You believe?? So did you actually see it on the schedule or even see it while flickin' through the channels??

I didn't see/notice it at the time, but my PVR archive of XML data taken from bleb.org has entries for it starting on 2007-02-26. Here are the entries – obviously I cannot confirm if they were actual shown as scheduled. Please note that I have added one day to all but the second entry, to account for them being at the end of the day (after midnight).  — Lee J Haywood 19:03, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

       2007-02-27  00:40 - 01:25  Parkergeist
       2007-02-27  23:50 - 00:35  Daddy's Girl
       2007-03-01  00:20 - 01:05  There's Something About Olga
       2007-03-02  00:20 - 01:05  A Dish Best Served Cold
       2007-03-06  01:05 - 01:50  Vegas Heist
       2007-03-07  00:20 - 01:05  For the Children
       2007-03-08  00:20 - 01:05  EBES
       2007-03-09  23:50 - 00:35  Walter
       2007-03-10  00:20 - 01:05  Lifeboat

Ok, so your saying it wasnt shown? And that doesnt look like a BBC2 schedule! Take a look http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/listings/index.shtml?service_id=4224&day=wednesday. This is a typpical schedule. BBC2 doesnt usually show programmes like that late at night. 153.96.50.65 08:05, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Who knows if it was actually on or not? It's very likely that the episodes were shown, and I don't see how a current schedule bears any relation to what may have been on a couple of months ago. The article itself says that the series was originally shown on BBC 2, so it may well have been a continuation. Just because you and I failed to notice it doesn't mean that it wasn't on. Thanks.  — Lee J Haywood 18:53, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

In principle i agree. We both didnt see the episodes but BBC2 are notorious for not changing their schedule. The current schedule serves merely as a template for the type of scheduling BBC2 shows (and BBC1 for that matter). Does anyone else have any clarification on this subject? James153.96.50.65 11:42, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Seven Days

While this entry is the one that I seek when looking for "Seven Days", why should it have precedence on this name in Wikipedia? I mean that there are several others on the disambiguation page, so why does this article get the name with no parenthesised phrase? Shouldn't it also go through the disambiguation page? — Val42 18:12, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

Interesting thought. It seems that 90% of the time I'm clicking on a disambiguation link. Nodekeeper 07:53, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

I've changed this so Seven Days is a disamb. page. Andareed (talk) 18:43, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

Junk

I've reverted Nodesleeper's revert reintroducing his junk trivia (see WP:AVTRIV). As I'm disputing the edit he needs to get WP:CONSENSUS to reintroduce it. Matthew 06:39, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

I think that it is relevant to the article that Frank Parker always has to call in from a phone booth rather than use a cell phone to call the base. Or did you not know this about the series? I have reviewed Wikipedia's guidelines on trivia, which you have failed to follow. Specifically it recommends "Do not simply remove such sections: it may be possible to integrate some items into the article text." You failed to do this. But as I believe that in this instance a small trivia section is best rather than enlarging the synopsis. Maybe a rewrite of the synopsis would be justified at a later date. I would suggest that you do this, but you do not seem informed about the series or interested in it. In any event I am within current Wikipedia guidelines concerning trivia. Also, you are not following Wikipedia's policy WP:CONSENSUS that you mention and assume good faith. Do you just want to "dispute" things or improve the article, like I am trying to do?

Also, please review WP:Civility and not call my edits "Junk."

Nodekeeper 08:23, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

I've removed some more junk again. Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information, but if you'd like to follow the letter of the law, we'll move the junk here (per WP:AVTRIV). Feel free to rewrite it as prose if you wish, but you're the one seeking inclusion.. so y'know, your job. Matthew 09:50, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Junk from main article

• The fuel for the sphere is the rare element 115. The use of element 115 in the series is a reference from an interview with former Area 51 worker Bob Lazar who claimed that it was used by UFOs to achieve an anti-gravity effect. In 2004 a team of American and Russian scientists succeeded in producing element 115 as an unstable isotope, confirming the existence of such an atom.

DVD?

Is this series going to be on DVD anytime soon? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rick lay95 (talk • contribs) 21:29, 5 December 2007 (UTC)

please god let it be so. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.105.34.224 (talk) 07:22, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

Reason for ending the show

The article does not report the reason because the show has been ended.

There may be people whom are interested (me for example :-) ). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Marco.difresco (talk • contribs) 19:08, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

Count me in CoW mAnX (talk) 23:52, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

According to Justina Vail on her now MIA website, it was due to the actors difference of opinion on the direction of the series. More toward "adolescent antics", such as the oversexed dream scenes "Engage, engage"... She stated that several actors in the show refused to continue on that line, herself included and the producers shut it down. Unfortunately, I can't find her page to link it as a source. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.101.152.181 (talk) 19:38, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Actually the other side of the coin places the blame on Justina's temperament. There were two different web sources for this along with fellow actor verification. Justina and her costar Jonathan LaPaglia were anything but the romantically inclined that the series portrayed them as, with constant in fighting between the two. This was deleted by abusive user Mathew and quite frankly I'm not in a mood to edit war with him. It's probably not relevant to the series other than it probably would stop it being made with the same actors again. Nodekeeper (talk) 08:29, 29 April 2010 (UTC)

Fantasy and Science Fiction usually require a certain amount of suspension of disbelief. In the wake of 9/11 (which was certainly a disaster of the sort that Backstep would have undone) the producers sent a message several months back in time, warning of the impending ratings crash if they'd make a fourth season. Fortunately, the message was received and accepted, and we viewers did not have to put up with a tv series that was infinitely lamer than reality. --Keeves (talk) 16:34, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

A+, would LOL again. 124.168.18.24 (talk) 13:28, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Ratings?

A bit odd that the section titled "U.S. television ratings" says nothing whatsoever about the show's ratings. 75.82.248.221 (talk) 07:26, 11 February 2015 (UTC)

Al Caida Training?

Has anyone noticed that the pilot, shown in 1998, is pretty much the same thing that happened on 9/11? Life imitating art? Or Al Caida working as the writers?--Mrboire (talk) 02:19, 7 March 2009 (UTC)

Dude, what? Seriously, what? Lots42 (talk) 05:21, 27 April 2009 (UTC)

Yes, it was incredibly prescient, with the exception that they were aiming for the Statue of Liberty instead of the World Trade Center. Long before anyone even knew who Bin Laden was even. Nodekeeper (talk) 08:12, 29 April 2010 (UTC)

Racism

This series, based on NSA adventures, seems to be close to a fascist vision of life, of course. And it seems to treat themes as racism in the same shameful way. An exemple ? In an episode Frank Parker sayed to a chechen man <<it's in your nature, chechen is a people of outlaws and prostitutes>>. Is there a reason who can explain to me and to other people who knows this facts, why on this page there is no one reference to this facts ? Do an experiment : in that phrase, instead of the word "chechen", insert "jew" or "nigger". Now it sounds offensive and racist, ain't it ? Offensive and racist againist a people who suffered genocide, as jews, as afros, as armenians, as natives... as chechens, still today... 500.000 vanished people in last years, concentration camps in chechen territory, built under the presidence of Putin, the assassination of Anna Politkovskaja and so on... Very shameful choice a phrase like that one for the productions. When the truth will be (i hope) established about this "democratic" genocide they have to repent about it. Please add references, i really don't want to think somebody is covering this shame. This is RACISM, guys ! --87.4.127.119 (talk) 04:55, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

Actually this is original research, which doesn't belong in an encyclopedia. CoW mAnX (talk) 00:11, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

And articles about sci-fi television shows are definitely not the place to express political views. Actually, come to think of it (ahem), no article is appropriate for such POV. — Huntster (t • @ • c) 09:05, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Racist and fascist are two entirely different things. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Royalcourtier (talk • contribs) 08:50, 4 July 2014 (UTC)