Ok which one of you is knocking off 7-11's in Denver?

[Paradox]

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/18 ... etail.html

Extra points would have been given if he had been in full costume.

[Solauren]

I owned one of those things, and have had them swung at me.

A battle'eh should not be a threat to someone behind a counter. Or even someone with a proper stool.

Then again, if you don't know anything about the weapons, they are rather intimidating.

[FaxModem1]

So, where did the guy get it? And why did he choose a bat'leth of all things to start robbing people with?

[Feil]

A battle'eh should not be a threat to someone behind a counter. Or even someone with a proper stool.

Clerk number 2 agrees.

A half hour later, police received a call from a 7-Eleven at 2407 N. Union Blvd., where a man matching the previous description entered the store with a similar weapon. He also demanded money from the store clerk. The clerk refused and the robber "transported" himself out of the store on foot.

[Solauren]

I was going with the fact in order to get someone behind the counter, you've have to reach over, and you can't do that while maintaining an effective grip on a Batle'eh.

Quite frankly, it would be very easy, in that situtation, to simply step aside, grab the weapon, and yank it out of the average perp's hand by using a two handed grip.

Also, those things are rather unweildy (all the problems of a quarterstaff, but none of the advantages) even held two handed, so even if you went around the counter and approached that way, you'd have no ability to manever the thing, or swing it overhand for that matter (depending on the store's design). You've be able to block it with any solid object (to prevent accidental cutting) without to much worry, as the attacker could barely swing it.

There's also the added complication that any Batle'eh I've seen, the grips on them or piss-poor. A good solid blow to one held vertically will usually knock them so they are edge down.

That's part of the reason I gladly gave mine to my best-man as a 'thanks for doing this' present before my wedding. It's completely inpractical unless the writers are on your side. Nekode, 'Tiger Claws' (bracers or reinforced gloves that have weapons similiar to Wolverine's claws), or a set of Short Swords or Punching Daggers are more effective.

Hell, Brass Knucles, Gangsta Ring sets with large words, or a sack of bean bags are more effective.

[General Zod]

Nitpick: Colorado Springs is not in Denver. It's a town in its own right about an hour outside of Denver.

[DrMckay]

Sooooo, the Klingons are after Stargate Command, Eh?

[Tyralak]

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/18 ... etail.html

Extra points would have been given if he had been in full costume.

It's Timothy Jones. I'd bet on it.

[Darth Wong]

I owned one of those things, and have had them swung at me.

A battle'eh should not be a threat to someone behind a counter. Or even someone with a proper stool.

Then again, if you don't know anything about the weapons, they are rather intimidating.

Terrorists once hijacked airliners with fucking box cutters. You don't really need a really good weapon to intimidate the average person.

[Steve]

That doesn't look like it's a full-sized bat'leth either from the pic in the article, maybe a mini-bat'leth (yes, I'm italicizing it, I'm silly like that).

Tells you something that the things were so unwieldly Michael Dorn, once on DS9, asked for a "new" Klingon weapon to use and was given the mek'leth, which looks far easier to use and far less unwieldly.

[Darth Wong]

(true story) the first time my kids caught a glimpse of a bat'leth on TV, they both said "that's a really stupid looking sword", with no prompting from me. That was a couple of years ago.

It's pretty bad when professional graphic design people imagine a sword whose usability flaws can be easily picked out by an eight year old kid. Mind you, it's not as if they were medieval weapon scholars; they'd simply seen plenty of gladiator and other assorted medieval combat in movies and they loved to play with toy swords, and they both agreed that a toy bat'leth would be absolutely horrible in a mock swordfight.

[Steve]

Kids do say the darndest things....

[Crayz9000]

On a related note, from The Daily Mail

Very funny, but due to the source (tabloid), take with a grain of salt. The picture is worth a big laugh and the description of the thing in the article makes you think they'd never heard of one before, not to mention never thought about how stupid it would be to try and use one in a crime.

[General Zod]

On a related note, from The Daily Mail

Very funny, but due to the source (tabloid), take with a grain of salt. The picture is worth a big laugh and the description of the thing in the article makes you think they'd never heard of one before, not to mention never thought about how stupid it would be to try and use one in a crime.

That article's over three years old, and I seem to recall it being posted here before.

[Gil Hamilton]

(true story) the first time my kids caught a glimpse of a bat'leth on TV, they both said "that's a really stupid looking sword", with no prompting from me. That was a couple of years ago.

It's pretty bad when professional graphic design people imagine a sword whose usability flaws can be easily picked out by an eight year old kid. Mind you, it's not as if they were medieval weapon scholars; they'd simply seen plenty of gladiator and other assorted medieval combat in movies and they loved to play with toy swords, and they both agreed that a toy bat'leth would be absolutely horrible in a mock swordfight.

I've heard various Trekkies defend the Bat'leth, claiming that it was good for Klingon fighting style, for really close quarters fighting, and there was even a Korean martial arts school that developed a style for it. Of course, they were full of shit and some martial arts dojo will develop a style for even the most weirdest weapons.

[Stargate Nerd]

So, where did the guy get it? And why did he choose a bat'leth of all things to start robbing people with?

Probably a scorned Trekkie out to prove that it's not a completely useless weapon.

[Solauren]

I owned one of those things, and have had them swung at me.

A battle'eh should not be a threat to someone behind a counter. Or even someone with a proper stool.

Then again, if you don't know anything about the weapons, they are rather intimidating.

Terrorists once hijacked airliners with fucking box cutters. You don't really need a really good weapon to intimidate the average person.

The only reason they got away with that is because of the pre 9/11 regulations and guidelines that said to co-operate with terrorists in the event of a problem. I'm willing to bet that had alot to do with it.

A box cutter is not a dangerous weapon if you even have a briefcase to defend yourself with.

[Paradox]

I owned one of those things, and have had them swung at me.

A battle'eh should not be a threat to someone behind a counter. Or even someone with a proper stool.

Then again, if you don't know anything about the weapons, they are rather intimidating.

Terrorists once hijacked airliners with fucking box cutters. You don't really need a really good weapon to intimidate the average person.

The only reason they got away with that is because of the pre 9/11 regulations and guidelines that said to co-operate with terrorists in the event of a problem. I'm willing to bet that had alot to do with it.

A box cutter is not a dangerous weapon if you even have a briefcase to defend yourself with.

Which is what allegedly happened on the flight that went down in Pennsylvania, the passengers found out what was going to happen, and they figured if they were going to go down anyways, they may as well go down fighting.

[Solauren]

However, by that time, the terrorist had control of the plane.

[Paradox]

However, by that time, the terrorist had control of the plane.

True. Which is why I don't know why they make such a big deal about airport security now, because anytime someone tries to hijack an American airliner now, the passengers are just going to assume that they will die if they do nothing, and will fight back from the onset.

[Solauren]

Accountability.

It probably didn't recieve alot of media coverage, but I can imagine the families on the hijacked airplanes got $$$ for what happened.

By increasing airport security levels and requirements, both the government and the airlines can say they are going alot of lengths to protect passangers.

That way, if someone does manage to do something stupid, the airline can say to a judge 'look at how we've increased security! Obviously, we can't think of everything, and we are now adding proceecdures and checks to make sure this doesn't happen again."

When the real solution should be more sky / air marshalls. Say, 1 per passenger class for contiental flights (i.e New York to Los Vegas), and 2 per class for trans-oceanic flights (i.e US to anywhere not in North america).

That way, someone tries something, and they get a 9mm slug in the brain.

[Phantasee]

Accountability.

It probably didn't recieve alot of media coverage, but I can imagine the families on the hijacked airplanes got $$$ for what happened.

By increasing airport security levels and requirements, both the government and the airlines can say they are going alot of lengths to protect passangers.

That way, if someone does manage to do something stupid, the airline can say to a judge 'look at how we've increased security! Obviously, we can't think of everything, and we are now adding proceecdures and checks to make sure this doesn't happen again."

When the real solution should be more sky / air marshalls. Say, 1 per passenger class for contiental flights (i.e New York to Los Vegas), and 2 per class for trans-oceanic flights (i.e US to anywhere not in North america).

That way, someone tries something, and they get a 9mm slug in the brain.

Do they have rubber rounds for pistols like they do for shotguns? I'd think that would be the preferred ammunition in a pressurised aluminium tube at 35 000 ft.

[Paradox]

Do they have rubber rounds for pistols like they do for shotguns? I'd think that would be the preferred ammunition in a pressurised aluminium tube at 35 000 ft.

I think a Taser would be the prefered weapon, 9 mm would get dicey up in an airplane cabin.

[General Zod]

Accountability.

It probably didn't recieve alot of media coverage, but I can imagine the families on the hijacked airplanes got $$$ for what happened.

By increasing airport security levels and requirements, both the government and the airlines can say they are going alot of lengths to protect passangers.

That way, if someone does manage to do something stupid, the airline can say to a judge 'look at how we've increased security! Obviously, we can't think of everything, and we are now adding proceecdures and checks to make sure this doesn't happen again."

When the real solution should be more sky / air marshalls. Say, 1 per passenger class for contiental flights (i.e New York to Los Vegas), and 2 per class for trans-oceanic flights (i.e US to anywhere not in North america).

That way, someone tries something, and they get a 9mm slug in the brain.

The problem is these security enhancements have wound up being ineffectual more often than naught. Due to poor training of the staff and poor procedures the NSA has consistently failed inspections and routinely let things slip that shouldn't have with this "new security". All it is is a smokescreen to make people feel safe while hassling legitimate passengers or anyone that happens to look Middle Eastern. (Course this is getting off topic by now. . .)

[Kanastrous]

Do they have rubber rounds for pistols like they do for shotguns? I'd think that would be the preferred ammunition in a pressurised aluminium tube at 35 000 ft.

I think a Taser would be the prefered weapon, 9 mm would get dicey up in an airplane cabin.

You'd want to use a pre-fragmented round like Glaser safety slugs.

If the target is a hijacker, the more immediately lethal the weapon used, the better.