Star Trek: The Next Generation

The Icarus Factor - S2-E14

Corrected entry: When Riker's father is talking to Troi, he says Riker has just been offered his first command (the USS Aries). However, Riker was already given a offer to command the USS Drake, which he turned down to join the USS Enterprise. This would be at least his 2nd offer to command, something his father would be aware of given his position, and following his son's career has he has.

Bishop73

Correction: He says that he has been offered his first command, not that it was his first offer of a command. If Riker turned down ten offers, the 11th would still be an offer of his first command since he doesn't have one yet.

The Royale - S2-E12

Corrected entry: When Data is trying to talk to the elderly lady playing the slots, she is dropping coins and pulling the arm in much too rapid a fashion to allow the wheels to come to a stop. Also, she's continuing the motions as you hear the machine paying out.

Movie Nut

Correction: The Royale is not a real place with real people or real slot machines. It was created by an alien race with one dimensional characters and the old woman is just a cliché background character that doesn't interact with anyone. Her actions are completely constant with a poorly written book being interpreted by aliens (such as "an old woman wasting time playing the slots, pulling the handle over and over until she wins and never stopping after.").

Bishop73

Correction: At impulse speeds, there would be no visible indication of movement as they're in open space.

This is incorrect. In-universe has shown the difference between a moving ship and stationary ship, even open space.

Bishop73

Exactly what is this difference you're referring to? If a ship is moving at sub-light speeds with only stars visible it is impossible to tell how fast it is moving, or even if it is moving. The only movement visible would be that imparted by the difference in movements of the camera and ship. (In fact, they create of the illusion of the ship speeding by by moving the camera past a stationary ship.) This is reality. If there is an error, it is the fact that the stars can be seen moving outside the hanger bay door which would indicate the ship was slowly rotating.

Correction: It is often explained that the holodeck uses a combination of holographic projection, transporter, and replication technology to achieve its illusions. This is why people on the holodeck are able to eat food created there. Something like paper would be easily replicated as real and so could leave the holodeck. Living beings are much more complex.

The Dauphin - S2-E10

Corrected entry: After viewing the clash between the governess and her protector, the camera shows Wesley. His communicator badge is completely silver, instead of the standard gold and silver. (00:34:55)

Correction: This is not a mistake. Wesley's entire combadge was silver (arrowhead AND oval) from the beginning of Season 2, when he received the provisional officer's uniform. He did not receive a gold-oval combadge until his full promotion to Ensign, which also brought a standard uniform.

Where Silence Has Lease - S2-E2

Corrected entry: Deanna is originally sitting on the bridge when they approach the zone of darkness, but after Picard tells Wesley to take them in, in the next wide shot Deanna disappears entirely and doesn't reappear throughout the rest of the scene - she only reappears much later when Riker and Worf return.

Correction: Wesley also says it will take 12 minutes to intercept the "hole." When Picard says let's launch a probe, Deanna is already gone. Picard then says this is close enough, indicating they've intercepted it. So almost 12 minutes have passed, plenty of time for Deanna to leave the bridge for a number of reasons that are simply not addressed on screen.

Bishop73

Up The Long Ladder - S2-E18

Corrected entry: When the head Bringloidi starts a fire in the hold, Lt. Worf informs him that a force field will cover the fire until it is extinguished. But in many later episodes you see fires burning, and nothing happens. At most, they will let the air out of the room, but no force fields.

Richard Welty

Correction: The fire suppression systems are known to fail when a ship has taken a lot of damage. There has even been an occurrence of an officer stating, "Fire suppression systems are not functioning."

Correction: Picard may take every free moment he can to 'toy' with the model of his former ship. He has fond memories of it, including creating the famed 'Picard Maneuver' aboard her. He's under no responsibility to put it back exactly as found when doing this. No error.

johnrosa

Where Silence Has Lease - S2-E2

Corrected entry: In this episode, the number of the USS Yamato is given as "NCC 1305 E." However, in the episode "Contagion," from later in season 2, the number is given as "NCC 71807."

Correction: The Yamato seen in When Silence Has Lease is not the real ship, but a replica created as part of a test for the Enterprise crew by the Nagilum - as part of the testing process, it contains numerous inaccuracies, such as being made from the wrong materials and has many alterations to the layout of the regular ship, including multiple versions of the bridge. The incorrect registry code is just one of these differences from the original. Later in the season, in Contagion, we see the real ship, which obviously carries the correct registry code.

Tailkinker

Elementary, Dear Data - S2-E3

Corrected entry: When Data hands Geordi the paper with the image of the Enterprise on it, Geordi looks at the picture then turns it over. However, when he flips the picture it is the right way up, so it means that Geordi has been looking at the picture upside down.

Correction: Geordi is intimatly familier with the Enterprise. He can recognize it no matter how it is oriented.

Correction: She does say that, however she says it prior to Riker cooking the eggs. For whatever reason she may have been expecting omelettes and he simply made scrambled eggs. If she had said after seeing the scrambled eggs, it could be considered a mistake.

Bishop73

Samaritan Snare - S2-E17

Corrected entry: In the shuttle Picard picks up the plate of sandwiches with his left hand while holding a cup with the right. After Wesley takes a sandwich, the camera cuts back to Picard, who has the plate in his right hand, and no cup to be seen.

Correction: Picard never holds a plate of sandwiches and a cup. He has the plate of sandwiches in his left hand and a 2nd, empty plate in his right hand. He gives the empty plate to Wesley as Wesley takes a sandwich. Picard then transfers the plate of sandwiches to his other hand so he can take a sandwich with his left hand.

Bishop73

More mistakes in Star Trek: The Next Generation
More quotes from Star Trek: The Next Generation

Trivia: Another joke from the set designers: whenever someone is in the Jeffries Tubes, you will see several pipes on the walls labeled "GNDN" this stands for "Goes Nowhere, Does Nothing."

More trivia for Star Trek: The Next Generation

Show generally

Question: Were people able to "lock" the Holodeck doors so that others couldn't just walk in on them? I don't recall an episode where the doors were locked that wasn't because of some malfunction. It seems like Lieutenant Barclay, for example, would either lock the doors during his "fantasies" or have some "fail-safe" that shuts the program off when being walked in on. Otherwise, it's just a really dumb thing to do (for him or anyone playing out a fantasy) knowing they could easily be caught.

Bishop73

Answer: Yes. The doors to the holodecks can be locked when in use by anyone aboard the Enterprise so they couldn't be disturbed. However, high ranking officers like Captain Picard could override the doors as it's seen that overrides are in use even for the crews quarters. Even Barclay, when he's indulging in one of his fantasies could have the doors to the holodeck unlocked by an override code.

More questions & answers from Star Trek: The Next Generation

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.