Titanic
The RMS Titanic was a luxury passenger liner that, when it set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City on 10 April 1912, has been built using the most advanced technology at the time.
Four days after setting sail, on April 15, the Titanic struck an iceberg. The ship sank and 1,517 of the 2,223 people on board died. The high casualty rate was due in part to the fact that the ship carried lifeboats for only 1,178 people. The "women and children first" protocol that was enforced by the ship's crew meant many more men died, and more people from the crew and the third class passengers died compared to those in first class. Source.
The event has become one of huge fascination over the years, and it spawned a number of movies most recently James Cameron's 1997 epic starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Celine Dion Song made famous by the movie was mentioned at the start of the J2 panel at Salute to Supernatural Nashville 2011. Jensen asks when it became appropriate to play Celine Dion music, then they ask if it was a fan video everyone had been watching before the curtains went up, who made it, and they attempt to call the person front and centre. Video
Jensen once did an ad for Titanic-related merchandise as can be seen on the right.
Contents
Episodes referencing Titanic
1.19 Provenance
While researching the Merchant family Sam and Dean are shown a newspaper article by the proprietor of a second hand bookshop. The article on the Merchant family is on the front page however the lead story is... "New Titanic Sinks, 1304 People Go To Watery Graves: Only 866 saved from 2,170 Aboard Liner Which Collides With Iceberg. Disaster Proves To Be the Greatest in Marine History of the World."
4.10 Heaven and Hell
Dean and Anna Milton , who returns to being an angel later in this episode, make love in the back of the Impala. The final shot of the scene is of a hand being placed on the steamed up window, reminiscent of the iconic scene from Titanic when Jack and Rose make love in the back of a car in storage on the Titanic.
5.17 99 Problems
Dean and Sam arrive at a barricaded town that has organised itself into a fighting unit and are fighting the demons. Little do the towns people realize the young woman they think is their link to God, the pastors daughter, has actually been possessed by a powerful demon and is leading them down a dangerous path.
Dean refers to the Angels having the only lifeboats on the Titanic in reference to the coming apocalypse.
6.17 My Heart Will Go On
The angel Balthazar changes history and unsinks the Titanic in order to have access to 50 000 more souls for the war in heaven. When he went back in time to stop the Titanic sinking, Balthazar went by the joke name I.P. Freely, and was the first officer. The actual first officer of the Titanic was William McMaster Murdoch, and he was in command when the boat struck the iceberg.
This creates many changes in the world Sam and Dean inhabit in this episode. Ellen and Jo are no longer dead and Ellen is Bobby’s wife. The Impala is replaced by a Mustang, and Dean wins rock paper scissors against Sam for the first and probably only time. Celine Dion is a "destitute lounge singer somewhere in Quebec."
One of the three Fates Atropos, are angered by this huge change and also that they no longer have a role since the apocalypse was averted, and are attempting to put it right by killing every descendent of a Titanic survivor.
- The episode was aired on the 99th anniversary of the date the Titanic sank.
- The travel agency is called E. J. Smith, who was the captain of the Titanic.
- Sam and Dean stay at the White Star Motel - the White Star Line was the name of the company that owned the Titanic.
- Sam uses a Wikipedia-like site called "Marconi Pages" named after Guglielmo Marconi the inventor of radio. The radio operators on the Titanic were employed by his company and were vital in relief efforts. Britain's postmaster-general later said "Those who have been saved, have been saved through one man, Mr. Marconi...and his marvelous invention." Source.
- Everyone is drinking Astor Cola, named after businessman John Astor who died on the ship.
Balthazar: Oh, because I hated the movie.
Dean: What movie?
Balthazar: . . . because that godawful Celine Dion song made me want to smite myself!
Sam: Who's Celine Dion?
Castiel: Yes, absolutely. That's what he did.
Dean: Wow, well, might be time to take away his cable privileges. Besides, Titanic didn't suck that bad. Winslet's rack?