By 'Chekhov's Gun' I mean a plot element that has been mentioned somewhere in the story in such a way that it is sure to (as in 'been emphasized in such a way that I really, really expect it to') show up again at some future point. It's not quite the same as foreshadowing. For example, the threat by the Baron to ship Merlot to Castle Heterodyne if he made any mistakes was foreshadowing, but wasn't a Chekhov's Gun -- it didn't convince you that Merlot would definitely show up at Castle Heterodyne (well, it didn't make me think about it one way or another). Barry Heterodyne isn't one. It's quite likely that he may show up eventually, but then again, we may just hear about his demise at some point. Lunevka and her Geister-army is one. She's sure to show up again at some point.
How many Chekhov's Guns can you think of? In no particular order:
- Von Pinn's arrival at the Castle.
- Othar being dispatched to the Castle.
OK, these two are rather trivial, and may not deserve a place on the list.
- The electrical plug being turned into a dingbot. It's sure to cause a major change in the Castle's capabilities (for better or for worse) at some crucial point.
- The fourth wingbot, the one that escaped destruction by the Geisterdragon. It's sure to fall into the hands of someone at some point. Most likely it will cause the Baron to reconsider his opinion of Agatha when he hears the original version of the message.
Rancke 01:59, 15 May 2009 (UTC)
- The Baron's wasp.
- Enigma
- Zola's castle killing device(?).
- The half dozen hive engines in the possession of the Geisterdamen. That is the real Chekhov's Gun in this story.
- Rej Maddog 04:51, 15 May 2009 (UTC)
- The whole story is a great example of Chekhov's Armoury. If you're serious about this discussion, start at the beginning - you already mentioned the Enigma (time windows in general are a Chekhov's Howitzer!); von Zinzer's death I believe is a Chekhov's Concealed Weapon; Merlot, Glassvitch and Beetle's estate... this could keep you busy for days.
- Maybe we could consider adding it to the Chronology... hmm.
- Oh, and please pardon my correcting your spelling and markup. I'm obsessive-compulsive. *cheery grin* -- Corgi 18:28, 15 May 2009 (UTC)
- No pardon needed. Help from an edit warrior is always appreciated. It's hard to edit one's own work.
- Omar von Zinzer's death is explained to my satisfaction from what happened in Strumhalten. He was wasp infected (IMO) and Agatha was her mother's daughter. If there's more to it than than I will wait for the reveal.
- The Vienna 707 still has some role to play. Least ways we know it will been seen sometime in the future through the time window. Considering the way Dupree let it burn, it is more than a figurative smoking gun.
- If I were to go on I'd want to mention the muses. I'm still waiting to find out what they are in the story for. And not just Moxana and Tinka. Seven others have been shown as well. So something about each of them should prove important.
- As for being serious, I can't see doing that more than a little at a time. Levity is what keeps airships afloat. Everything else is ballast. Rej Maddog 08:49, 17 May 2009 (UTC)
- Great quote about airships and levity. I may have to steal that one. :D Meanwhile, copying from the "Chekov's Armoury" page, we would add Agatha's locket and the "not a lamp," at the very least. And, I think, the Geisterdamen. And "Chump." (I think this whole wiki is a listing of the Armory, really.) Nekokami 12:21, 20 May 2009 (UTC)