Python errors out if you don't specify all arguments.

    >>> def f(a):
    ...   pass
    ... 
    >>> f()
    Traceback (most recent call last):
      File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
    TypeError: f() takes exactly 1 argument (0 given)
    >>> 

I agree 1-based indexing isn't ideal, but in the grand scheme of things, the default nils and the method/function syntax are a constant source of mistakes and frustration for me. In Lua you have to call `obj:method()` which to pass `obj` as the first argument. If you accidentally do `obj.method()` - there is no error, but the first argument becomes `nil`.

In Python, there the call syntax is consistent and `obj` is automatically passed as the first argument for methods.