Best sci-fi TV mistakes of all time

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The Invisible Man picture

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Plot hole: "Sight Unseen": Wells has the key to Lori's shackles. Weston, who knows this, knocks Wells out, but instead of taking his keys, uses a completely unnecessary (and considerably more difficult) set of bolt cutters to break the leg cuffs. (00:32:30)

Jean G

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Jericho picture

Heart of Winter - S1-E14

Continuity mistake: Just before the robbery, Jake throws some water bottles and a flashlight over a small mound into the bushes, to hide them from the thieves. But when Mimi later picks them up, they are much closer to the truck, and on the other side of the mound. In fact, the bottles and flashlight would have been in plain sight for the robbers where she picks them up.

Twotall

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The Outer Limits picture

The Human Factor - S1-E8

Continuity mistake: When the lab equipment shorts out after the earthquake, the unconscious Major Brothers is lying with his head propped up against the wall. But when Hamilton reaches him in the next shot, he's suddenly lying flat and is nowhere near the wall. (00:21:45)

Jean G

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Dark Angel picture

Flushed - S1-E4

Revealing mistake: When Logan goes looking for Max at Jam Pony, as he starts talking to Normal there is a woman in a blue jacket with a black-and-yellow bike helmet walking behind him. She travels past the group and can be seen heading for the lockers behind OC and Sketchy. After Normal says, "I can't help you," the same woman walks behind Logan again, going the same direction. (00:16:55)

Phoenix

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Continuity mistake: It is established that having matter from one universe in another causes it to deteriorate, but the parallel universe doorway closed, even though the photo of Ben and Buster is left in the alternate house. There was brief panic that the chaos wasn't over, when they thought Buster had brought a new collar from the alternate reality, but the photo was forgotten about and the worm-hole thing closed, despite the photo being on the wrong side.

Dan Moat

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UFO (1970)

UFO picture

The Psychobombs - S1-E12

Plot hole: The alien-possessed Mason steals Captain Lauritzen's fingerprints by pressing his fingertips to the captain's and "heat transferring" the prints. Big problems here: those prints would now be backwards and for the wrong hand. But when the computer later reads the prints, it fails to notice this and passes him through security as "Identity Correct." (00:23:30)

Jean G

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Star Trek: Discovery picture

Context is for Kings - S1-E3

Factual error: Science Officer Tilly calls the planet Trill a "very big" planet. It has an area of 500 million square kilometers. But that is not so large a planet. The Earth has an area of 510,100,000 square kilometers. So Trill is slightly smaller than Earth. Not really a "very big" planet.

toroscan

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Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons picture

Winged Assassin - S1-E2

Revealing mistake: As Delta Tango 19 takes off from the airport, there is a shot where it is actually landing. This can be seen from the fact that there is no runway behind them, as it is in front of them.

Jcamts

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The Incredible Hulk picture

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Continuity mistake: Whenever Banner changes into Hulk his clothes rips, only his pants stays on. But when Hulk changes back to Banner, he suddenly has all his clothes on, no rips or tears at all.

Budoshi

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Eureka picture

Phased and Confused - S3-E6

Other mistake: Captain Eureka losing his finger makes absolutely no sense. He doesn't cry out in pain, there's no blood, and where the finger ended up is completely illogical. The finger didn't just sever on its own; it's shown that severing only occurs when passing through objects. Captain Eureka goes through a wall that is a good fifteen feet away from where the finger is discovered, and it is implausible to think it could have rolled there on its own.

Knever

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FlashForward picture

137 Sekunden - S1-E3

Factual error: When browsing for information about the crow deaths in the Ganwar Region of Somalia, the computer indicates that the CDC requested additional funding from DHS. The only problem with that is, DHS was formed in 2002, 11 years after the incident in Ganwar. (00:40:05)

klaser

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Although the Department of Homeland Security - commonly abbreviated as DHS - was not formed until 2002, in the later episode "Revelation Zero" it is indicated that DHS stands for an agency called Demographic and Health Services.

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The Sarah Jane Adventures picture

Sky: Part 1 - S5-E1

Continuity mistake: The baby carrier little Sky is in as the group heads towards the car changes between takes. When they are walking down the driveway, it is open, and Sarah Jane quickly closes it when Gita comes up. Gita opens the carrier, to discover the baby, and Sarah Jane closes it again. There is more dialogue and Gita goes back to cooing at the baby. When did the carrier open again? Then the car alarms go off and if you look closely, you can see it's closed again, which is confirmed when the baby is handed off to Clyde.

Trigger

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Dollhouse picture

Ghost - S1-E1

Continuity mistake: Towards the end of the motorbike scene, Matt performs a wheely and overtakes Echo. In the following shot Echo is in front of him again.

THGhost

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Agent Carter picture

Now Is Not the End - S1-E1

Factual error: There is a periodic table shown in the background of the lab, showing an accurate periodic table as of now. During 1945, at least 21 elements had not been discovered. (00:17:40)

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