Sliders/In Dino Veritas

In Dino Veritas
Season 2, Episode 7
Airdate	April 26, 1996
Production Number	K0813
Written by	Steve Brown
Directed by	Oscar L. Costo
← 2x06 Time Again and World	2x08 → Post Traumatic Slide Syndrome
Sliders — Season Two

In Dino Veritas is the seventh episode of the second season of Sliders, and the seventeenth episode overall.

Jerry O'Connell (Quinn Mallory), Sabrina Lloyd (Wade Wells), Cleavant Derricks (Rembrandt Brown)

and John Rhys-Davies (Arturo)

Guest Stars: Alessandra Petlin (The Ranger), Jack Kehler (The Poacher)

with Brent Sheppard (Wayne Davies), Marcie Mellish (Angelica)

Plot Overview

The group slides into a world where dinosaurs are an endangered species and they are on the wrong side of a preservation park. To make matters worse, in trying to escape, Arturo injures himself and they lose the timer.

Notes

Brave New Worlds

• The populace is required by law to wear collars around their necks that zaps them if they lie.

• Either some dinosaurs survived what was an extinction event on our world or it never occurred, leading San Francisco to become a wildlife preserve for them as they are now an endangered species.

• The only part seen of this world is when the four crash an archaeological site.

Timer

• 2 minutes (appears to be about a day in total)

Arc Advancement

Referbacks

• Wade reminiscences about the time where they wound up on the world where no one wore clothes (Gillian of the Spirits)

Trivia

Behind the Scenes

• Originally conceived as a bottle episode as the show was going over budget and so the network was promised a cheap episode. So the idea was just that the four would be holed up in a cave, menaced by a dinosaur, leading to only one inexpensive set. This expanded after Jerry O'Connell was allowed to leave to film Jerry Maguire and it was discovered that they could afford to do a better dinosaur, leading the story to broaden.

• The dinosaur angle led FOX to heavily promote the episode, leading to be one of the show's most popular episodes and to the show being renewed for another season. However, this was a double-edged sword for Tracy Tormé as he had wanted "Post Traumatic Slide Syndrome" to air instead for May sweeps and was generally bothered by that the episode's popularity was based on dinosaurs and not the writing.

Memorable Moments

• After several times to assure the others that Quinn is alive, Arturo gets shocked by his truth collar. After recalling when he first met Quinn and his admiration for his genius, Arturo asserts that he is alive and does so without an accompanying shock.

• After barely escaping the jaws of the Allosaurus, Quinn lands on the next world and directly onto the bones of a dug up dinosaur. As the four leave, Quinn accidentally steps on one of the bones, breaking it. According to the closed captions, that moment of awkwardness was filled with the following dialogue:

Man: You have just destroyed the best preserved Allosaurus femur bone in archeological history.

Rembrandt: Maybe she had it coming.

Goofs

• When Quinn stands up at the archaeological site, he clearly has his back to the vortex. When it cuts to the next shot, he appears to be facing the vortex. This is confirmed when he begins to walk away. However, this shot reveals Wade to be standing behind him, despite him talking directly to her in the earlier use of the same shot.

Quotes

• Rembrandt: You are an amazing woman, Angelica. It breaks my heart to say goodbye. (is zapped by truth collar) What I'm trying to say is that if it wasn't for my situation, I would be thinking about settling right here with you. (zapped again) I'm not going to get away with any of this, am I?

Angelica: It's sweet of you to try to lie to me, but if you keep it up, that collar is going to electrocute you.

• Rembrandt: Man, it's one thing to have openness in a relationship, but these lie-detector collars - they make even my best sweet talk almost impossible. I'm surprised that girl's still speaking to me.

Arturo: I'm surprised they have any relationships at all in this world. In business or in love, a little hypocrisy is necessary to "grease the wheels."

• Arturo: Yes, of course. Of course if dinosaurs had survived into the 20th century, they would have to be on a protected species list.

• Arturo: Oh, Miss Wells, I must confess to a certain measure of pessimism and despair.

Wade: I thought you said everything was going to be all right.

Arturo: Well, I could be far more stoical if I didn't have this damn truth collar around my neck. It's ironic, isn't it? At the time of our greatest danger, to be deprived of the comforts of platitude and self-deception.

• Arturo: The first time I met him, I was giving a rather brilliant, but very technical lecture to a bunch of very distinguished scientists. Suddenly this - this tall, gangling first-year student gets up and asks an impertinent question. I was annoyed at him. Then, about a week later, it suddenly occurred to me that quite possibly he was right. Then, I was exceedingly annoyed at him. You have no idea, Miss Wells, the joy of being a teacher when at last you come across that rare and unique thing - that first-class mind. That boy is well, I'm sure he is! I - I can feel it in my bones.