This page is an archive of a community-wide discussion. This page is no longer live. Further comments or questions on this topic should be made in a new Senate Hall page rather than here so that this page is preserved as a historic record. 1358 (Talk) 17:27, June 12, 2012 (UTC)
I was watching a recent Cartoon Network trailer for The Clone Wars where they quoted Piett's line from TESB "We don't need that scum" but I was dismayed that they misquoted it as "We don't need their scum". Since it was an official trailer, they really ought to get it right, I thought.
Anyway, that line is one that many people seem to get wrong and so I thought I should have a look at Wookieepedia and check that it was being quoted correctly. Lo and behold there were several instances were the incorrect "their scum" quote had been used. So I took the time to edit those to the correct wording in order to save the site the embarrassment of misquoting such a famous line.
Yet apparently all my efforts were for naught since the edits I made were hastily reverted to the old incorrect version. I was told by an administrator that I was wrong and that "their scum" was correct, also that I should listen to the quote again because it was "pretty unmistakable". Ironic, since mistaking it is exactly what that person has done.
Even this site is not in agreement over what the quote is. The incorrect "their scum" is used on several pages - ie The Executor, Tales of the Bounty Hunters (that article rather hilariously points out that the book is incorrect in using "that scum"), and the list of TESB quotes (pretty bad to get it wrong in an article about quotes) - whereas the correct line is used on Piett's own article. So not only are there inaccuracies, they're not even consistent.
There are numerous sources with the correct line - ie the script, subtitles for the film and other published sources. There's also the fact that "We don't need that scum" makes sense whereas "their scum" sort of doesn't. It might be hard to hear in the film and maybe that's why so many people mistake it but that doesn't alter the fact that the line in the script says "that" and that is what Piett actually says.
So where it stands now is that someone needs to change all the instances of the quote to the correct "We don't need THAT scum". Obviously I can't do it any more because I'll just be censured by another uppity administrator who's convinced he's right and prepared to take unilateral action in upholding his mistakes.
The site needs to get on top of things like this since it really is a poor show for people to have their corrections reverted to things that are wrong. You just risk the site's credibility dribbling away even further by allowing administrators to treat contributors so shabbily when they try and improve the site for everyone's benefit.
Hopefully someone in authority can now seek out all instances of that quote and change it to "Bounty hunters. We don't need that scum." Of course, that task could have been avoided if my judgement and knowledge had been trusted and respected in the first place.
Captain Yossarian 22:52, January 26, 2012 (UTC)
- The original script has the line at "that scum," but Kenneth Colley, who plays Piett in ESB, clearly says "their scum," which Cartoon Network also clearly picked up on, as I and others on this site have. Other source material to come along, like Tales of the Bounty Hunters, perpetuates the "that scum" version, as does the 2004 DVD subtitles, most likely because those writers (blame Kevin J. Anderson) took a look at what the original script said and just reprinted that. The reason our Piett article presents the "that scum" version is because 4dot (who originally wrote the article) and I discussed this very thing once upon a time, and we agreed that Piett says "their scum," but 4dot felt more comfortable just presenting what the subtitles said, so he ultimately ended up going with that, while I alternatively felt it was more accurate to go with what the character literally said, hence the reason why the Executor article presents "their scum." This is the primary reason for the wiki's inconsistent treatment of this line, not because we're refusing to trust and respect your obviously indisputable judgment and knowledge, Captain Yossarian. Toprawa and Ralltiir 23:04, January 26, 2012 (UTC)
- He's pretty clearly saying "their scum." I agree that it would make more sense if he said "that" but I went to great lengths to get the clearest possible copy of the line in question and he does not enunciate a T sound on that word. The "uppity administrator" in question isn't being "uppity," he's right, and if you paid attention to the history of the articles you've tried to "correct" you'd notice that he's not the only one who has gone back and fixed your mistake. -- Darth Culator (Talk) 23:08, January 26, 2012 (UTC)
- I didn't even know this was an issue. I've always heard "...their scum," even on crappy VHS tapes with poor tracking. Subtitles, novelists, and actors are all fallible. SinisterSamurai 00:23, February 1, 2012 (UTC)
- I've observed that English subtitles/captions don't always match what is being said on screen, and sometimes use more words than are spoken (in constrast to using shorter "paraphrasing" to make reading faster). This leads me to believe that subtitles/captions are (sometimes) taken directly from the script instead of a transcription of what's said on-screen. - Esjs(Talk) 22:18, February 2, 2012 (UTC)