Best sci-fi TV factual errors of all time

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More Martian Successor Nadesico factual errors
Continuum picture

Family Time - S1-E9

Factual error: In the barn, one of the kids shoots Cameron, then drops the gun and flees. Cameron picks up the gun and checks how many rounds are in the magazine and then puts the magazine back in. However, after that, she pulls the slide back to chamber a round. But the semi-automatic pistol would already have a round in the chamber since it was just fired, and her action should have ejected an unspent round, which it doesn't.

Bishop73

More Continuum factual errors
The Andromeda Strain picture

Show generally

Factual error: When the doctors are testing the contagiousness of Andromeda on the rats and monkey, in a highly secure, bio-sealed environment, the robotic arm that does the work simply pushes the containers together - no seals, no suction or vacuum. There would be absolutely no chance whatsoever of a real bio-research lab doing this so casually.

DavidRTurner

More The Andromeda Strain factual errors
X-Men: Evolution picture

Adrift - S2-E6

Factual error: The map of the western United States shown during the weather report at the start of the episode shows some states drawn incorrectly. Idaho's entire western border is a straight line, whereas in real life, Oregon has a horn-shaped indentation on its northeastern border that it shares with Idaho. Idaho also looks like a crude staircase, with the southwestern border of Montana going down to central Wyoming, whereas that area in real life is around the northwestern part of Wyoming.

Phaneron

More X-Men: Evolution factual errors
The Hot Zone picture

Arrival - S1-E1

Factual error: Season 1 Episode 1 Arrival - Doctor Jaax is a Lt. Col. in the US Army. Her BDU blouse has a US flag on the right sleeve. The time period of the show is 1988, as there is a doctor wearing a Dukakis T-shirt. The US Army didn't have a US flag on the BDU uniform until 2005. (00:11:20)

Snag.1

More The Hot Zone factual errors
Journey to the Center of the Earth picture

Show generally

Factual error: The group finds an underground sea and there is a flock of pterosaurs flying overhead. The professor identifies the pterosaurs as the missing link between pterodactyls and archaeopteryx. This is not true as archaeopteryx (and other birds) did not descend from pterosaurs but from a branch of theropod dinosaurs.

Noman

More Journey to the Center of the Earth factual errors
Adventures of Superman picture

A Ghost for Scotland Yard - S2-E8

Factual error: Bearing in mind the episode takes place in London, Sir Arthur MacCready is driving his Rolls Royce. The car has the steering wheel on the left hand side. A true British Rolls Royce would have the steering wheel on the right side. This is a Hollywood Rolls Royce.

DaddySteve72

More Adventures of Superman factual errors
Surface picture

Episode #1.13 - S1-E13

Factual error: When Rich and Laura are searching for drug information from the 1960s, they visit the US Patent Office website; under the heading "SSRIs", is displayed "Selecttive Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors" - with the double-t spelling error. (00:15:25)

David R Turner

More Surface factual errors
Foundation picture

In Seldon's Shadow - S2-E1

Factual error: Season 2, Episode 1: Cleon is fighting some "ninja" warriors. One of them slices part of an android's head clean off, below the right eye. When the android is next seen - with part of its head cut off - the slice is above the right eye. The right eye is fine.

toroscan

More Foundation factual errors
Men Into Space picture

Is There Another Civilization? - S1-E24

Factual error: The huge piece of retrieved space debris breaks loose in the hold and the astronauts struggle to lift and re-secure it. Only they shouldn't have had to. They're in space with no gravity generator, wearing magnetic boots to hold themselves to the deck. The debris would be weightless, too. (00:20:00)

Jean G

More Men Into Space factual errors
Once Upon a Time... Space picture

Show generally

Factual error: The forces of Cassiopeia all sport the crown-like "W" sign which is the shape of that constellation... but only as seen from earth! These five points in three-dimensional space (like all star signs named after anything) look like that when viewed from our own planet; but from anywhere else, they aren't shaped like that at all. Why would they chose to see themselves through a very specific angle of view from some other distant planet (earth)?

Spiny Norman

More Once Upon a Time... Space factual errors
More The Twilight Zone factual errors
Taken picture

Show generally

Factual error: In the opening sequences of the show, B-17s are over the Ruhr in August 1944, and yet they're being attacked by nothing but yellow-nosed BF-109E's. The yellow nose was discontinued at about the end of the Battle of Britain, and the "E" model was discontinued even before that.

More Taken factual errors
More Crossing Lines factual errors
More Silver Surfer factual errors
The Changes picture

The Noise - S1-E1

Factual error: When Mr Gore destroys the television set, it is obviously a prop, as when he breaks the screen there is no noise, in reality there would be a loud bang as there is a vacuum behind a TV screen of that era.

More The Changes factual errors
Doom Patrol picture

Puppet Patrol - S1-E3

Factual error: When Jane is putting up the lost poster, the number to call is 1-800-saw-him. However, this is only a 6-digit phone number when it needs to be 7-digits (not including the 1-800 part).

Bishop73

More Doom Patrol factual errors
The Man in the High Castle picture

Kindness - S1-E9

Factual error: In the transition shot showing Hobart Building in San Fransisco, items not belonging to the scene are visible and have not been edited out. These items include; modern phone numbers, web addresses for several companies and educational institutions, satellite dishes and American flags. (00:24:10)

More The Man in the High Castle factual errors
Lost in Space picture

Show generally

Factual error: The Robinsons exceeded the speed of light due to impurities in chemical rocket fuel. No chemical rocket fuel comes remotely close to the energy content needed to even approach the speed of light. That would require exotic fuels like antimatter. By Einstein's theory of Special Relativity it is impossible to exceed the speed of light with any form of rocket propulsion. Faster than light travel and time travel might be possible with the warped spacetime of Einstein's general theory of relativity and phenomena such as wormholes. For plausibility the opening scene should have been an encounter with a wormhole.

More Lost in Space factual errors
Lovecraft Country picture

Show generally

Factual error: In Massachusetts, Atticus, Leti and George are attacked by the local sheriff and his deputies, who are patrolling the county roads. In Massachusetts, sheriffs run the county jails, but they do not (and did not) handle routine policing, which is the responsibility only of municipal police departments.

Necrothesp

More Lovecraft Country factual errors

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