Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
A kid half-recognises a screen and bluffs her way to saving everyone, which made the line a lasting joke about movie hacking and a proud badge for people who really do know Unix. The best part is that the screen was real software, not a prop. Programmers quote it when a stranger's problem turns out to be one they can fix.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Jurassic ParkShow the scene
The raptors are loose in the visitor centre, and Lex and Tim have just escaped them in the kitchen. Back in the control room the park's systems are down, and the computer-obsessed Lex sits at a workstation showing a three-dimensional file browser. She announces the line and flies through the directories until she finds the right file, and the phones and security come back on, so Hammond can be reached. Lex took over Tim's interest in computers when the screenplay swapped the siblings' ages. The software on screen was fsn, a real navigator that ran on an SGI Crimson.
Sources (3)
- Jurassic Park Film Transcript (Jurassic Park Wiki)control room, Lex at the computerReference checked
- Jurassic Park (film) (Wikipedia)Plot and DevelopmentReference checked
- Silicon Graphics (Wikipedia)film appearancesReference checked
Context reviewed
