World Jor-El's Head/Ghost/Life Force

[Dr. Fate]

Y'know, I've been wondering about Jor-El's giant floating head in the Superman movies... when we first meet the head in the first movie, it appears to be a sentient entity judging by the way it interacts with Superman, and in the closing scenes of the Donner cut of Superman 2 it again retains that sentient vibe, but then you have the scenes where the head talks to Lex like it doesn't know who he is (case in point: opening of SR), like he's just a recording. Plot hole? Inconsistency? We may never know.

 

[SuperDaniel]

Its actually supposed to be a very advanced recording...so when Kal-el ask him a question, he knows the answer. He even says..."I antecipated all your questions..."

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Its actually supposed to be a very advanced recording...so when Kal-el ask him a question, he knows the answer. He even says..."I antecipated all your questions..."

But not so advanced he can tell Supes from Lex.

 

[Angeloz]

I'll note it also happened in "Superman II".

Angeloz

 

[Dr. Fate]

I'll note it also happened in "Superman II".

Angeloz

With Lara & the nameless elder in the theatrical cut. Still, it bothers me as one of those plot-hole type things.

 

[Angeloz]

There's also the Donner Cut with Jor-El I believe.

Angeloz

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I'll note it also happened in "Superman II".

Angeloz

And, to a shockingly feeble extent, in Superman IV.

 

[C. Lee]

In the 70's, when the first Reeve Superman was made, you can almost forgive them for this (what with the idea of artificial intelligence not being that widespread at the time).....but by the time that SR was made, the modern audience member should be expected to believe that an advanced race such as the kryptonians would have an "intelligent" computer program that would notice the difference.

 

[The Joker_1000]

Agreed. That's the only thing that truly bothers me about SR.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

I wasn't bothered by Jor-El's recording not knowing the difference between Lex and Kal-El. I mean how was Jor-El supposed to record something that would recognize his son's voices when he is a man?

Jor-El in Smallville seems to go beyond a recording.
Like it's not a recording at all, like he is still alive!

 

[Angeloz]

There's DNA analysis in theory (sensors in and possibly outside the Fortress). Or whatever Kryptonians have as their genetic make up. All I say is maybe there wasn't time to program it.

Angeloz

 

[C. Lee]

I wasn't bothered by Jor-El's recording not knowing the difference between Lex and Kal-El. I mean how was Jor-El supposed to record something that would recognize his son's voices when he is a man?

Jor-El in Smallville seems to go beyond a recording.
Like it's not a recording at all, like he is still alive!

That's where the concept of "artificial intelligence" comes in. We today have the ability to "program" a computer to respond a certain way to certain questions. A system, advanced enough to be considered artificially intelligent, wouldn't just repeat a prerecorded message to answer a question(the Jor-El image in the movie acts like he sat down and recorded what he wanted to say)....but would have the ability to walk and talk as Jor-El did (because his mannerisms, thought processes, knowlege, and all of that related stuff would have been fed into the computer system in one way or another)....and as such, would not simply respond with a rote answer....but actually carry on an intelligent conversation, debate, discussion.

The Kryptonians should also have been able to have a system installed that is able to differentiate between Kryptonian and Human. Many books, movies, and TV shows in the past have shown alien technology with this ability. It only makes Jor-El and Superman look stupid too not have something like this in place to keep any Tom, Dick, or Harry from wandering in and turning the lights on.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I wasn't bothered by Jor-El's recording not knowing the difference between Lex and Kal-El. I mean how was Jor-El supposed to record something that would recognize his son's voices when he is a man?

Because they're Kryptonians who are thousands of years more advanced than humanity.

 

[Jul-el]

Big Daddy Jors pre-programs giving Lois the 'hairy eye ball' in SM2 DC!!!!


Now that's Kryptonian technology for ya!

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

That's where the concept of "artificial intelligence" comes in. We today have the ability to "program" a computer to respond a certain way to certain questions. A system, advanced enough to be considered artificially intelligent, wouldn't just repeat a prerecorded message to answer a question(the Jor-El image in the movie acts like he sat down and recorded what he wanted to say)....but would have the ability to walk and talk as Jor-El did (because his mannerisms, thought processes, knowlege, and all of that related stuff would have been fed into the computer system in one way or another)....and as such, would not simply respond with a rote answer....but actually carry on an intelligent conversation, debate, discussion.

The Kryptonians should also have been able to have a system installed that is able to differentiate between Kryptonian and Human. Many books, movies, and TV shows in the past have shown alien technology with this ability. It only makes Jor-El and Superman look stupid too not have something like this in place to keep any Tom, Dick, or Harry from wandering in and turning the lights on.

But this is why Jor-El sent the crystal in Kal-El's spaceship which would lead him to the Fortress. Jor-el never expected someone else to find the crystal and know what it was for.

Maybe it never crossed Jor-El's mind that a human would find the whereabouts of the fortress. If Jor-El thought humans were not smart enough to find it, it shows he had a large ego.

 

[C. Lee]

But this is why Jor-El sent the crystal in Kal-El's spaceship which would lead him to the Fortress. Jor-el never expected someone else to find the crystal and know what it was for.

Maybe it never crossed Jor-El's mind that a human would find the whereabouts of the fortress. If Jor-El thought humans were not smart enough to find it, it shows he had a large ego.

The crystal didn't lead him to the fortress.....it created it.

Jor-El is supposed to be very intelligent.....an intelligent person who creates such a powerful artifact to be used by his son, should build in a safety factor that guarentees it WILL only be used by his son. An intelligent person will forsee the "possibility" that someone else could hold and investigate the crystal before Kal-El grows up enough to use it himself.

As to whether or not Jor-El thought humans were "smart" enough to find the crystal (since the crystal created the fortress, this is all they would need to find).....he placed it in the ship that carried his infant son to Earth....surely he expected someone would be "smart" enough to find his son's crashed spaceship.....how much smarter do they have to be to look under the kid and his blanket to see it? This doesn't show he has a large ego....it shows he wasn't too bright.

 

[WhatsHisFace]

Or maybe he just figured Superman would be able to defend his fortress.

 

[C. Lee]

You start defending your home by putting a lock on the door.

 

[SuperDaniel]

I like the way Smallville did. Only Clark can read it...because the knowledge would be too much for a normal mind to handle...