Jurassic Park was first released in theaters in 1993, yet, fans are still talking about different theories and observations to this day. Even with a full original trilogy, novels, animated shows, and a newer movie series, fans can’t help but revisit and debate this world. You might be justified in wondering what there is to debate about all these years later, but sometimes age makes these observations come to light. It occasionally makes them a lot funnier, too. For example, fans on Reddit recently began a new conversation revolving around Hammond during one of the earliest scenes in the film.
The scene begins with Dr. Grant and the crew having their digging expedition rudely interrupted. What had been an ordinary day at work for them quickly turns to chaos on the screen as they scramble to cover up their precious work to protect everything from the cutting wind created by a helicopter. This kicks off a series of events and apparently one funny fan debate.
How Did Hammond Move So Fast?
During the intro sequences, viewers see Dr. Grant rush up to the rude helicopter, only to (presumably) learn that the passenger has already moved away. Thus, Dr. Grant runs over to his trailer, the next logical location to search for a guest, right? His search is finally successful, as he finds Hammond scrounging in his fridge (and who can blame Dr. Grant for being even more alarmed with this insult to injury?).
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Here’s the thing: Hammond was, in fact, in the trailer, and had been for at least a couple of minutes. This begs the question, as pointed out by Reddit user Avery_fondito: how on Earth did Hammond get from the helicopter to the trailer so quickly? The sequence of events does imply that everything happened quickly. We can infer that the whole thing happened rather quickly, as Ellie was still cleaning up the site while Dr. Grant hurried to stop the problem at its source. Since he didn’t see Hammond, this implies that Hammond moves exceptionally fast. Remember, Hammond’s purpose in life was to create Jurassic Park, not develop teleportation.
Possible Theories and Headcanons
Headcanons can go a long way in solving the problems of beloved franchises. They can excuse away and strangeness, including Hammond potentially teleporting. As such, there are a few theories that can explain how Hammond was in the trailer by the time Dr. Grant went searching for the source of the problem.
The dominant theory, which we subscribe to, is that Hammond was already present on site before the helicopter arrived. Perhaps he was driven up by a limo, or he came on foot to see some of the process before making his final decision. Whatever the reason, we can then assume that the helicopter wasn’t there to drop Hammond off, but to pick him up. Remember that in Hammond’s mind, this is all a done deal. That’s why he was popping the champagne — in no universe was Hammond prepared to hear “no.” So, it stands to reason that Hammond may have likewise ordered a helicopter to arrive in a timely fashion to sweep the trio off to their adventure. This is in keeping with Hammond’s offhand comment about sparing no expense. It may also explain how he knew to look in the fridge, as he had potentially been hanging around in the trailer for more than a few minutes.
Another theory posits that covering up the site took longer than viewers realized. Even an extra couple of minutes would have given Hammond enough of a head start. This theory is compounded by the fact that the helicopter landed near the trailer, meaning Hammond didn’t even have far to go. The theory is pretty sound, as while Dr. Grant made it to the helicopter before it shut down, we don’t know what the pilot’s orders were. So, there’s a standing chance he was waiting to see if Hammond would turn around and jump right back on board.
Finally, it could be something as simple as the creative team didn’t think about how it all worked. It’s movie magic, after all. We’re simply meant to believe that Hammond got there first, something we all took for granted for over 32 years. There are plenty of little slips and mistakes throughout the movie (including the trailer door moving from one side to the other). We’re used to letting these things slide.
Obviously, not every fan theory has to be based on logic or reason. There are all sorts of fun “theories” to explain the speedy Hammond. For example, maybe Hammond had given himself a pair of raptor legs. Or perhaps it was a clone. Again, we don’t actually think these theories are correct, but they sure are funny. At the end of the day, only two theories hold water, and we know which one we prefer.
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