27 replies to this topic

[darrin_connell]

I totally loved Skyfall, but I do have one question...if Casino Royale (w/Daniel Craig) was supposed to be a reboot of the Bond franchise, then why was the original Aston Martin DB5 (Connery's car) in the film? I know you have to suspend some disbelief for a 007 movie, but it's something I've been wondering about. If you have an answer, send me an email at [email protected]. Thanks!!

[Bucky]

there are several possibilities. it could be the aston martin from casino royale and bond spent a lot of money to have it modified and converted to right wheel drive, with some custom features added by Q-Branch. another possibility is that it is an old custom MI6 vehicle that bond acquired.

sure it has the same features as the db5 from goldfinger and thunderball but it does not mean that it is the same db5

Edited by Bucky, 17 November 2012 - 08:12 PM.

[Sir James Molony]

Actually, it was a personal choice made by director Sam Mendes, although it makes no sense in the new continuity because Bond won the car in the Bahamas. (Plus, the steering wheel was on the other side of that car!) Two of the screen writers (Wade and Purvis) discuss this issue directly in the absolutely excellent Empire spoiler podcast: http://soundcloud.co...writers-spoiler.

Their POV: just enjoy and don't overthink it.

Edited by Sir James Molony, 17 November 2012 - 10:38 PM.

[conneryboy]

The way I see it is that although this is a different Bond timeline, Bond my not have been around in the 60's but MI6 and Q branch were, therefore it is safe to assume that the DB5 in SF is an old agents car, after all the car was not Bonds in GF. If Bond had modified it himself then why would M know what the button in the gear stick was for. I quite like that they made the car famous not for being a Bond car but for being a famous MI6 car,

Edited by conneryboy, 17 November 2012 - 11:43 PM.

[AgenttiNollaNollaSeitsemän]

My pet theory is that between the event of QoS and Skyfall Craig-Bond experienced at least couple of unseen adventures, one involving certain Auric Goldfinger... One has to keep in mind that Bond in QoS was quite a rookie, while in Skyfall he's obviously a veteran of 00-section.

Edited by AgenttiNollaNollaSeitsemän, 18 November 2012 - 03:45 AM.

[marktmurphy]

My thought is that it's the car Bond acquired in Casino Royale. Between then and now he got it shipped over the UK and, after getting friendly with the boys in Q Branch, persuaded them to convert it to right hand drive for him after hours. Whilst they were doing this they were breaking an old 60s Q Car (maybe an old Jag or something) and offered to put the gadgets from that onto the DB5 for him. That's why M recognised the ejector seat button: it was a standard Q gadget.

I saw the Skyfall DB5 at Beaulieu yesterday. A fun little addition- it has black tape on the roof to make it look like there's an ejector seat panel

[OHMSS Spion]

My pet theory is that between the event of QoS and Skyfall Craig-Bond experienced at least couple of unseen adventures, one involving certain Auric Goldfinger... One has to keep in mind that Bond in QoS was quite a rookie, while in Skyfall he's obviously a veteran of 00-section.

This would fit if 007: Legends was canon. Except that he uses the Aston Martin DBS in any parts of the game that involves driving. So just use some imagination and say he was mis-remembering things in the missions.

[jamie00007]

I see no reason that it wasnt just his Aston Martin from Casino Royale. But of a stretch that he would have owned such a rare car in CR and have another of the exact same model and color in SF. I think after CR he simply had it shipped to England and got Q branch to convert it to right hand drive and add a few optional extras while they were at it.

[Single-O-Seven]

I think it's quite believable he took the DB5 he won in the Bahamas and had conversions made to it. Given the threat he faced from Quantum by the end of QOS, having Q branch install defence measures on his personal vehicle isn't out of the question. I'd say it's almost expected.

[Judo chop]

I’m most satisfied with the theory that the gadgetized Aston Martin is an old model from Q-branch, developed well before Bond (Craig’s Bond) was even born. It doesn’t make any sense to me that Bond had it custom-made. It is a thing of the past, not the present.

The Aston Martin he acquired in CASINO ROYALE doesn’t make an appearance. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have it. Doesn’t mean he does.

Going with the "doesn't have it" scenario for a moment, maybe since he won it while on the clock, he had to turn it in as MI6 property for tax reasons, or evidence, or some other red tape BS. So now he's minus one gorgeous car. Now maybe Bond knew someone who could pull some strings in Q-branch to release SKYFALL’s Aston Martin to him. Or maybe in an act of typical Bond insolence, he simply took it, forging records, or completely off the record. Whether it was acquired in authorized fashion or unauthorized fashion, it is his baby, and he is totally pissed off when they blow it up.

[marktmurphy]

Would seem a bit of coincidence that it's the same model and spec as the one he won in CR! They don't exactly grow on trees!

[Harmsway]

My thought is that it's the car Bond acquired in Casino Royale. Between then and now he got it shipped over the UK and, after getting friendly with the boys in Q Branch, persuaded them to convert it to right hand drive for him after hours. Whilst they were doing this they were breaking an old 60s Q Car (maybe an old Jag or something) and offered to put the gadgets from that onto the DB5 for him. That's why M recognised the ejector seat button: it was a standard Q gadget.

I saw the Skyfall DB5 at Beaulieu yesterday. A fun little addition- it has black tape on the roof to make it look like there's an ejector seat panel

I buy your theory.

[jamie00007]

I’m most satisfied with the theory that the gadgetized Aston Martin is an old model from Q-branch, developed well before Bond (Craig’s Bond) was even born. It doesn’t make any sense to me that Bond had it custom-made. It is a thing of the past, not the present.

The Aston Martin he acquired in CASINO ROYALE doesn’t make an appearance. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have it. Doesn’t mean he does.

Going with the "doesn't have it" scenario for a moment, maybe since he won it while on the clock, he had to turn it in as MI6 property for tax reasons, or evidence, or some other red tape BS. So now he's minus one gorgeous car. Now maybe Bond knew someone who could pull some strings in Q-branch to release SKYFALL’s Aston Martin to him. Or maybe in an act of typical Bond insolence, he simply took it, forging records, or completely off the record. Whether it was acquired in authorized fashion or unauthorized fashion, it is his baby, and he is totally pissed off when they blow it up.

Technically he wasnt on the clock when he won the Aston Martin, he was supposed to be on vacation. So theres no reason the car wouldnt be his. And Fleming's Bond had an interest in classic cars, so I see no reason why it being something of the past and not the present would be any barrier to Bond deciding to make it his own personal car (as Brosnan's Bond did) and adding some extras.

[Judo chop]

Technically he wasnt on the clock when he won the Aston Martin, he was supposed to be on vacation. So theres no reason the car wouldnt be his.

True. But what do I know about how these things work? Is a 00# operative ever really on vacation? It's not beyond my imagination to think that MI6 could still somehow stick its nose into Bond's personal assets.

And Fleming's Bond had an interest in classic cars, so I see no reason why it being something of the past and not the present would be any barrier to Bond deciding to make it his own personal car (as Brosnan's Bond did) and adding some extras.

I never said Bond didn't want the car. I believe I said just the opposite, in fact. Bond loves the car. But in this Bond's universe I feel like ejector seats and headlight machine guns have also gone the way of exploding pens. The vehicle makes more sense to me as a relic of Q-branch. I don't see Bond updating his vehicle with these particular extras. It feels to me like something he obtained in its existing form.

But I'm not cemented in my opinion on the matter. I've only seen the film once anyway. I could find a way to see it differently yet.

[OmarB]

Couple options to consider. If he won the car in CR then he would have had it shipped home. Let's consider this the car from the novels that he's had some work done on and a couple extras added (assuming we are ignoring the Bentley). He also drove an Aston in one of the books too, he had to choose between it and a Volvo from the MI6 motorpool, so it could be that car.

[Vauxhall]

The way I see it, it's the fans' prerogative to either choose to be frustrated by the SKYFALL Aston Martin appearing to have the characteristics of the pre-reboot DB5, or use their imagination to come up with an explanation that they're happy with. I've opted for the latter, and am content with the idea that Q Branch overhauled the CASINO ROYALE DB5 once it was shipped back from the Bahamas. Not an elegant solution, but it works.

[Judo chop]

The way I see it, it's the fans' prerogative to either choose to be frustrated by the SKYFALL Aston Martin appearing to have the characteristics of the pre-reboot DB5, or use their imagination to come up with an explanation that they're happy with. I've opted for the latter, and am content with the idea that Q Branch overhauled the CASINO ROYALE DB5 once it was shipped back from the Bahamas. Not an elegant solution, but it works.

There's a third viable option, and that is to neither explain it nor be frustrated by it. It's the road I took after seeing SKYFALL up until just recently. Might even go back to it someday.

[Vauxhall]

The way I see it, it's the fans' prerogative to either choose to be frustrated by the SKYFALL Aston Martin appearing to have the characteristics of the pre-reboot DB5, or use their imagination to come up with an explanation that they're happy with. I've opted for the latter, and am content with the idea that Q Branch overhauled the CASINO ROYALE DB5 once it was shipped back from the Bahamas. Not an elegant solution, but it works.

There's a third viable option, and that is to neither explain it nor be frustrated by it. It's the road I took after seeing SKYFALL up until just recently. Might even go back to it someday.

I envy that third viable option. It seems altogether far too rational for a fan forum!

[Harmsway]

I never said Bond didn't want the car. I believe I said just the opposite, in fact. Bond loves the car. But in this Bond's universe I feel like ejector seats and headlight machine guns have also gone the way of exploding pens. The vehicle makes more sense to me as a relic of Q-branch. I don't see Bond updating his vehicle with these particular extras.

Ah, but what if a friend in Q-branch (perhaps CraigBond's original quartermaster, the one that preceded the Q of SKYFALL) was helping Bond remodel his Aston Martin DB5 from CASINO ROYALE (switching the driver's seat, etc.) as a favor. While he was working on the Aston, one of Q branch's older cars from the 1960s was being hauled out of the archives for scrap. Despairing that these rather intricate gadgets, no matter how old-fashioned, would be tossed aside, he worked them into his rebuild of Bond's Aston.

When he presented Bond with the DB5, he pointed out that he'd thrown in some old-school "optional extras" as a present, some old-school gadgetry for an old-school car. Bond laughed it off and never found a use for the hardware until SKYFALL.

Hooray for fanwankery!

[Morgan]

It's all rubbish! There is no explanation for the gadget laden BD5 car other than Mr. Mendes wanting it in the bloody movie period. I heard the podcast interview from this forum with Robert Wade and Neal Purvis who state they had written in the DB5 from CR to have weapons in the boot which would have fit but Mendes scrapped that and made it the classic DB5 from GF. It's wrong and doesn't fit but that's it.

Like to know what they wrote explaining how Bond survived the pre-title sequence that was either cut or changed by Mr. Mendes.

[Jim]

It's pretend.

[SecretAgentFan]

Why do I get the feeling that someone would have complained if the DB5 had not featured the in-built machine guns?

"Oooh, I am SOOOO disappointed. Mendes blew it! They had the chance to do something cool! I would have done it differently! BoHooooooo!"

[marktmurphy]

The way I see it, it's the fans' prerogative to either choose to be frustrated by the SKYFALL Aston Martin appearing to have the characteristics of the pre-reboot DB5, or use their imagination to come up with an explanation that they're happy with. I've opted for the latter, and am content with the idea that Q Branch overhauled the CASINO ROYALE DB5 once it was shipped back from the Bahamas. Not an elegant solution, but it works.

There's a third viable option, and that is to neither explain it nor be frustrated by it. It's the road I took after seeing SKYFALL up until just recently. Might even go back to it someday.

Yup; definitely. I don't need to have an explanation- I just thought it was fun to come up with one, so I did. But, yeah- it was never a problem that made my head explode.

It's pretend.

I may post that as a review in the 'Just Another Kill' thread

[Judo chop]

I never said Bond didn't want the car. I believe I said just the opposite, in fact. Bond loves the car. But in this Bond's universe I feel like ejector seats and headlight machine guns have also gone the way of exploding pens. The vehicle makes more sense to me as a relic of Q-branch. I don't see Bond updating his vehicle with these particular extras.

Ah, but what if a friend in Q-branch (perhaps CraigBond's original quartermaster, the one that preceded the Q of SKYFALL) was helping Bond remodel his Aston Martin DB5 from CASINO ROYALE (switching the driver's seat, etc.) as a favor. While he was working on the Aston, one of Q branch's older cars from the 1960s was being hauled out of the archives for scrap. Despairing that these rather intricate gadgets, no matter how old-fashioned, would be tossed aside, he worked them into his rebuild of Bond's Aston.

When he presented Bond with the DB5, he pointed out that he'd thrown in some old-school "optional extras" as a present, some old-school gadgetry for an old-school car. Bond laughed it off and never found a use for the hardware until SKYFALL.

Hooray for fanwankery!

Admittedly, the idea is sitting a bit better with me. Now I'm feeling of half-and-half on it, part pretending there's this hidden backstory, and part accepting it as nothing more than a broken-fourth-wall nod to '64.

[Howland]

I have a theory about Bond’s Aston Martin in Skyfall, and why it is suddenly stuffed with gadgets, it’s a really stupid (but I hope fun) one, I like to call it “the Millennium Falcon Theory”.

Bear with me: We have the previous Q and he has nothing to do with the fellows we knew (Lleewlyn and Cleese), because the franchise has been rebooted. So we have an old Q, who is fond of two things: Aston Martin & Gambling.

The guy is so fond of Aston Martin, and because its budget allows him, he can equipped the 00 section with Aston Martin DBS, when the cover requires it.

Bond wins a DB5 in CR. 007 and old Q are pals, they like cars and cards. One night, they play poker, and Bond loses the Aston Martin.

Old Q takes it in Q branch and has fun with it. He changes the steering wheel from left to right, changes the plates and fills it up with gadget, all on government money, that is why M gets a report and is aware of the modifications made to the DB5

Bond wins the DB5 back from old Q at a game of card.

“Voilà”, continuity problem solved

[DaveBond21]

It's pretend.

This.

But also. How come 007 as never met the Quartermaster? Is he really so new? Was the previous Q killed in the explosion?

[Howland]

It's pretend.

This.

But also. How come 007 as never met the Quartermaster? Is he really so new? Was the previous Q killed in the explosion?

No he was fired because an exploding pen went off in the armoury

[marktmurphy]

I have a theory about Bond’s Aston Martin in Skyfall, and why it is suddenly stuffed with gadgets, it’s a really stupid (but I hope fun) one, I like to call it “the Millennium Falcon Theory”.

Bear with me: We have the previous Q and he has nothing to do with the fellows we knew (Lleewlyn and Cleese), because the franchise has been rebooted. So we have an old Q, who is fond of two things: Aston Martin & Gambling.

The guy is so fond of Aston Martin, and because its budget allows him, he can equipped the 00 section with Aston Martin DBS, when the cover requires it.

Bond wins a DB5 in CR. 007 and old Q are pals, they like cars and cards. One night, they play poker, and Bond loses the Aston Martin.

Old Q takes it in Q branch and has fun with it. He changes the steering wheel from left to right, changes the plates and fills it up with gadget, all on government money, that is why M gets a report and is aware of the modifications made to the DB5

Bond wins the DB5 back from old Q at a game of card.

“Voilà”, continuity problem solved

That's a fun one.