Monday, January 23, 2006

Question of the Day

Here at Let’s Talk Alias, we take pride in challenging the human brain with intellectual conversation about everyone’s favorite show-Alias. Starting this very Monday, we are launching a brand new segment- Question of the Day.

Each Monday I will post a question or questions related to Alias plot, characters and episodes. The questions will be vague or specific and there is no right or wrong answer. The questions are meant to invoke thought and fuel a discussion. So, without further ado, your very first questions…

The number 47 has been haunting our dreams for the last 5 years- it started as a clue to Rambaldi, the 47th page, the 47th room, the number 47 in passwords and codes. But, we have seen the number 47 appear in instances that seem unrelated to Rambaldi. Is 47 a clue to something grander? What do you think is the significance of the number and in what instance was it used that struck you as odd or interesting?

PS. Does anyone know the number of times 47 has been shown on Alias?

13 comments:

SRM said...

I like the question of the day idea! I did some googling to find how many times the number 47 has been used in Alias but couldn't find anything. Something funny I did find was that after the pilot episode of Lost, the number of plane survivors was 47, how funny is that?!?

I believe the first Alias reference to number 47 was non-Milo Rambaldi related. It actually was in the pilot episode when Marshall gave Syd the lipstick/camera. If I remember correctly, he said the camera contained 42 exposures but he wanted to get it up to 47 because it's a prime number. This site is kinda funny, who wants to join the 47 society? :) http://www.47.net/47society/47story/

Anonymous said...

darn... I was hoping to be the first to respond and say that I would get the ball (the mueller ball) rolling... oh well, I said it anyway.
Here's what I uncovered--
1) 47 is the fifteenth prime number; Rambaldi lived in the 15th century.
2) sydney was born on April, 17 which is 417. Up for debate I guess is her year of birth-- 1975 or 1974; if it's 1974, need i say more.
3) marshall as well as others say that 47 is the most random number of the universe; sort of comical since rambaldi seems to personify the opposite of random.
4) 47 is a super singular prime number--whatever that means-- but to a mathmatician I'm sure it's significant.

As for how many times 47 (0r 74, or numbers with a 4 or a 7 in it)appears, that would be fun to uncover. Since I have "47" other things to do today, I'm not sure if I could start that project for awhile!

Anonymous said...

There are 7 letters in prophet and 4 letters in the number 5. Maybe this helps support the theory that prophet 5 is tied into rambaldi even though we don't hear anyone mentioning rambaldi yet this season. What do you think?

SKlaft said...

We do know that the number 47 has something to do with JJ's fraternity in college, right? That's why we see it all over in LOST as well. It's supposed to be some sort of "shout-out" to his frat-bros. I know this may spoil the fun, but hey, I didn't make it up. there are always oportunities (especially in ALIAS) for the use of numbers, which the writers actually have to choose randomly for the use of fictional characters and fictional stories. If you have to choose a random number, why not purposely choose the most frequent random number, especially when it has something to do with a private joke, or a secret handshake- of sorts.

Have the writers or JJ intended forthe number to be a significant clue in the Rambaldi/ ALIAS mystery? I suppose they could have, but I do not see it, if so.
R.

SKlaft said...

Hmmm...
Should I use my invisibility for good...

or evil...?


*scratches chin*

Girlscout said...

Robby, is that you as Mr. Anon? Good thinking!! HAHAHA

uncle111 said...

Here's a really good Alias site:
http://www.twoevilmonks.org/alias/aliasintro.htm
I thought I had bookmarked a website that listed the use of 47 by episode, but I can't find it now. So, here's what I copied from the site last year:
Season 1 - Episode 1: Truth Be Told
When explanining how the lipstick tube that takes 3D pictures, Marshall comments that he wants to get it up to 14 pictures from 43, because 47 is a prime number.

Season 1 - Episode 2: So It Begins
The tombstone where the bomb is hidden gives the birth - and end year of Milovich Ivanov: 1927-1974, this means he died at the age of 47.

Season 1 - Episode 5: Doppelganger
Sydney asks Vaughn, "What do you know about Case 332-L?" L, being the 12th letter of the alphabet. That translates into: 3 + 2 + 2 = 7; 1 + 3 = 4; Equaling "47".

Season 1 - Episode 6: Reckoning
When talking about FTL, Jack mentions the T-47's that were moved.

Season 1 - Episode 10: Spirit
Sydney 'mistakes' Severin Driscoll from the man from suite 47.

Season 1 - Episode 13: The Box, prt. 2
The code to open the vault is 927465398107
Dixon's Employee ID is 8736b. (8*7=56 - 3=53 -6= 47)((mayb 47??))

Season 1 - Episode 14: The Coup
The keycode Will needs to get into a computer room in order to retrieve data on SD-6 is 4747.
On the computer screen the ID Dixon as Buchanan shows the ID: 190247

Season 1 - Episode 15: Page 47
According to Vaughn, Page 47 is always significant in a Rambaldi manuscript.
When a black-hooded Jack Bristow and a few other hooded men kidnap Will and threated his family and friends in order to make him stop researching SD-6, Jack lists Sydney's address as 4750 Cochran Street. 4 and 2+5 = 7.

Season 1 - Episode 16: The Prophecy
The box where sydney and Vaughn find the code key is labeled 14547.

Season 1 - Episode 17: Q & A
Haladki says that they have decoded 47 Rambaldi Predictions.

Season 1 - Episode 19: Snowman
McCullough asks Noah about the 47 million dollars that was transferred and then withdrawn to an untraceable account.

Season 1 - Episode 22: Almost Thirty Years
Haladki reveals that the battery is in the room 47 of an undergrpund lab of pang pharmaceuticals in Taipei.

Season 2 - Episode 1: The Enemy Walks In
The Bible was given to Khasinau at the port of Barcelona, pier 347.

Season 2 - Episode 5: The Indicator
When Sydney is giving the IP address to the CIA, she opens port 47.

Season 2 - Episode 6: Salvation
The banner in the church reads "I came not to judge the world." This is from from John 12:47.

Season 2 - Episode 7: The Counteragent
The security pass code to use the serum generator is 2664729.

Season 2 - Episode 10: The Abduction
Marshall says he memorized the FAA 747 flight ops manual.

Season 2 - Episode 11: A Higher Achelon
The hard drive that Sydney must find is in for repairs on level one, room 147.
Marshall is being help in the storage room on the 47th floor.

Season 2 - Episode 12: The Getaway
While undercover in Nice's airport, Dixon makes 47 Euros.
Ariana Kane's ID Account in Monaco is 47834795 9993 21.

Season 2 - Episode 13: Phase One
Sydney is to track and hack server 47, which is thought to be a network that links all the SD cells.
The Alliance purchased a 747 to keep the server airborne.
When Sydney accesses to server 47, you can see several 47s on the scrolling code.

Season 2 - Episode 14: Double Agent
Agent Lennox was being held in room 47.

Season 2 - Episode 15: A Free Agent
The magnetometer Sloane took was kept in box 4747.
During the briefing at the CIA, Jack displays an ID card of Neil Caplan that expieres in (20)07-14-04(14-04-07)

Season 2 - Episode 17: A Dark Turn
in the beginning, luri Karpachev and his bodyguards are in the elevator and hit the button for the 47th floor
The magnetometer Sloane took was kept in box 4747.
The orbital location and the operational control of the KH-11 satellite is X48471 - GY798623.

Season 2 - Episode 20: Countdown
Di Regno's DNA profile was a code key that allowed the CIA to decrypt page 94 of the Rambaldi manuscript (94=47*2)

Season 2 - Episode 22: The Telling
The orbital location and the operational control of the KH-11 satellite is X48471 - GY798623.
The bottle of Provacillium has a number on it: 0047-0341-32.
The rambaldi machine consists of 47 pieces

Season 3 - Episode 02: Succession
The numbers that the code hacker displays is 746f70686174

Season 3 - Episode 03: Reunion
Russia's early warning system was activated at 4:47.
When jack is installing the bug to Marshal's program, you can see the percentage "28.2474%"
This is the 47th Episode of the series.

Season 3 - Episode 5: Repercussions
Both Sydney and Lauren are paged with the number 47911 on their pagers.

Season 3 - Episode 7: Prelude
The gizmo Sydney uses to open the vault displays several numbers, at one point you can see the set "471318"

Season 3 - Episode 8: Breaking Point
The designation on the helicopter transporting Sydney at the beginning of the Episode is W547SA

Season 3 - Episode 9: Conscious
The time shown on Sydney's brain monitor in Dr. Brezzel's flat is 13:47:15
During Sydney's flashbacks, the room she was wheeled into while unconcious was numbered 47.

Season 3 - Episode 12: Crossings
Sydney and Vaughn's plane's registration number is NC9746c.

Season 3 - Episode 15: Facade
The deactivation code for the bomb aboard the plane that Daniel Ryan gives Dixon is 594-477-459-1124

Season 3 - Episode 16: Taken
Artifact 45 is being kept on room 74.
The FAA server log 004 that marshall pulls up shows "results log 001247xy4545"
Artifact 45 is being kept in room 47.

Season 3 - Episode 17: The Frame
Jack's user account's reference number is 024785

Season 3 - Episode 20: Blood Ties
Marshall says that they got the surveillance footage from 74th.

Season 3 - Episode 22: Resurrection
Hank Foster says that Sydney was logged in at the safe-house where Nadia was being held at 7.22 p.m. (2+2=4; =74).
On the document that Sydney read in the end was a name for the project "S.A.B 47 Project"
On the same document there are other references, such as "NO. 938 JB/47" and "176847"
The initiation date of project sab47 is 04/17/75

Season 4 - Episode 7: Detente
This Episode (S4,E7) aired on the 47th day of the year.
When they look up Leo Orissa when they're on the boat, the screen shows that he's born in 1947.

Season 4 - Episode 10: The Index
When Dixon runs a backtrace on one of Sloane's calls it shows the address "Avdage Stepe 47".
Number 47: Sloane's vehicle ID shown in the satellite tracker is 30947 28436.

Season 4 - Episode 13: Tuesday
The hard drive is found in locker 80237. 8 + 0 + 2 + 37= 47.
The locker containg the hard drive is # 471.

Season 4 - Episode 19: In Dreams
The Vespertin Papers are submitted to the action as lot 47.

SKlaft said...

...perhaps, for good.

No, I am not the anonymous person.

SRM said...

hm, who's our anonymous friend?? Uncle, awesome list, thanks!! :) I need to go back and rewatch my recorded season 5 episodes to see if 47 shows up in any of them...didn't it come up in a vault code or something once this season?

Anonymous said...

Hi, alias-loving, forty year old, stay at home mom of two, has been the anonymous writter for this question of the day. I started watching Alias on a New's Year's day marathon in 2002? or 2001?, which aired the entire first season. I have been hooked ever since!! I have read the Abc Alias site for about 18 months and have been reading this site since the begining. I'm not really the blogging type, mainly because of time and my typing skills, or should I say lack there of!
I love this site--so I guess I'll get a blogger name.

SRM said...

yay, welcome momknows! :)

Girlscout said...

Momknows!!! Welcome and we love having new bloggers! Thanks for sticking with us since the beginning. Sorry ya'll, I am super busy at work, but I have an article in the works, I need to research tonight and watch 1 episode and then I will post it tomorrow. Hang in there.

SRM said...

ah yes, the mag number, good call momknows!