Factual error: General officer topcoats have two mohair stripes on the sleeve. The general wearing the topcoat has none. Second, hands in pockets are not allowed. Regulations state: "members will not... stand or walk with hands in pockets of any uniform combination, other than to insert or remove items." Third, it is unauthorized to turn up collars when it is cold. Gray scarves can be used. Also, the generals both have their 4-star shoulder insignias backwards. The points of the stars parallel to the epaulets should be towards the neck. (00:16:30)
Factual error: An Army Lieutenant comes in to announce a phone call. His fatigues have the top button buttoned. Not authorized. An exception is when a person is at the firing range. The top button can be buttoned while in firing position to prevent shell casings from dropping inside the shirt. (00:18:05)
Factual error: An Army Sergeant would under no circumstances be allowed to disrespect a Captain as he does Captain Quinn. (00:21:30)
Factual error: An entire platoon of Army soldiers salutes a civilian, which would never happen. (00:27:45)
Factual error: Army enlisted men were not allowed to sport scraggly beards in the early 1950s. (00:30:30)
Other mistake: A man that has just been hypnotized forces his wife to remove a metallic quarter-sized object from the back of his neck. The man had been suffering from health problems ever since an alleged alien abduction. He stated that he had been seen by many doctors but none could figure out what was wrong. A quarter-sized metallic object beneath the skin of the back of his neck protruding as a bump, and no doctor ever saw it? Highly improbable. (00:31:20)
The Roswell Incident - Part I - S2-E1
Factual error: General Harding is asked what will happen to a civilian caught trying to fight the Air Force air police personnel. He responds that he will go to a military tribunal. That is not correct. First of all, the defendant is a civilian and not subject to military authority. This has been so since 1866 when the Supreme Court ruled such a venue unconstitutional. Of note, the incident took place outside of Federal jurisdiction. So, no, he would would have to be turned over to civilian authorities and tried under civilian jurisdiction. (00:37:45)
The Roswell Incident - Part I - S2-E1
Factual error: During the flashback scene when Professor Hynek is describing what happened at Roswell in 1947, the paper boy is holding the paper then the military vehicle is driving toward the camera. The two vehicles parked on the side of the road are too new to be in the scene. One is a 1949 or 50 Chevrolet sedan delivery, the one parked behind it is a 1954 Chevrolet, but the flashback is supposed to be happening in 1947.
The Roswell Incident - Part I - S2-E1
Factual error: General Harding continues to walk around out of uniform, with just his hat showing any kind of Air Force affiliation. General officers have three pairs of clouds and lightning bolts (colloquially known as "farts and darts") on either side of the bill. The show shows him using one with only two pairs per side. What he is wearing is appropriate only for Lieutenant Colonels and Colonels. He is using a nondescript khaki shirt with absolutely NO rank on it. No distinctive insignia or decorations at all. While this shirt is authorized when worn with the service coat, it is not authorized for use alone.
Hopkinsville - S2-E4
Other mistake: Mr. Shoemaker tells Dr. Hynek and the Captain that the aliens he saw had three-fingered hands. A short while later he is caught giving a description of the aliens to a reporter. The picture drawn - based on Mr. Shoemaker's description - shows five-fingered hands. Plus later Dr. Hynek discovers a bio-luminescent hand print on a tree. It shows four fingers. (00:10:55)
Suggested correction: This is proved as a hoax so what the man said about the alien having three fingers could just have him mis-remembering the hoax details.
I can see that. OK.
Hopkinsville - S2-E4
Factual error: Dr. Hynek's wife dials a phone number to contact a club member. She dials four digits. Four digit telephone numbers were in use in the 1910s, and five digit numbers in the 1920s. By the 1950s, when this show takes place, there were even area codes and seven digit numbers already in use. (00:16:40)
Factual error: An assistant to the Captain is wearing an Air Force uniform (as she should be). But it has no stripes on the sleeves. This would denote an Airman Basic. But no Airman Basic is going to be in an administrative position. (00:14:10)
Other mistake: Dr. Hynek and some Men in Black are aboard a boat. There is loud music playing. When Dr. Hynek tries to turn the radios off, power is cut off aboard the boat, leaving it in darkness. When they want to use the electric winch to raise something, the winch works. If there is no power, what allows the electric winch to operate? (00:26:15)
Character mistake: During events taking place in 1953, Susie Miller tells Edward Rizzuto to reach out to his contact in Saint Petersburg, but from 1924 until 1991, that city was known as Leningrad.
Broken Arrow - S2-E9
Factual error: An unidentified airplane has crossed into Canadian airspace. The pilot flying right seat orders the left seat pilot to climb to 15,000 feet. This in itself is odd, because the Aircraft Commander flies the left seat, and bombers would be much higher than that in the first place. The pilot advances four throttles to initiate the climb, typical of a four engine reciprocating engine plane. When we see an outside shot what is shown is a twin engine jet aircraft. And the interior shots of the wreckage later are also wrong for the era too. (00:02:00)
Broken Arrow - S2-E9
Other mistake: Before the downed airplane pilots were identified as Russian they spoke perfect English. No accent. The minute they were identified as Russian they began speaking English with a Russian accent.
Factual error: The Admiral is looking over the shoulder at a sonar scope that has a radial sweep. Sonar displays of that era had concentric sweeps starting from the middle to the outside. (00:24:00)
