Factual error: The astronauts land on an asteroid said to orbit a binary star 655 million miles from Earth. This is impossible, as that distance would place them well within our solar system. In fact, they'd be inside the orbit of Saturn, where of course there aren't (nor could there be) any extraneous suns. The nearest star to our system is, in fact, trillions (not millions) of miles away. (00:02:15 - 00:04:00)
The Thirty-Fathom Grave - S4-E2
Factual error: On the bulkhead of the ship's sickbay is a standard 12-hour civilian clock. It shouldn't be there. All clocks aboard U.S. Navy vessels show 24-hour military time. (00:31:20)
The Incredible World of Horace Ford - S4-E15
Factual error: In the opening scene, Horace painstakingly loads his six-shooter cap pistol with a six-cap round - then shoots his boss with it seven times. (00:00:40)
Probe 7 - Over and Out - S5-E9
Factual error: Cook draws his sun and planets in the sand, saying that it's "my galaxy." When Norda draws hers, he calls it another galaxy. Wrong. He's drawn a solar system, not a galaxy. (A galaxy is a collection of millions of solar systems.) The terms are in no way synonymous - there's a vast difference, and a trained astronaut would definitely know that. Their little ships can't possibly cross galactic voids (that would require tens of thousands of years, even at many times the speed of light), so Cook and Norda's planets are in different star systems in the same galaxy - this one. (00:16:30)
Factual error: Author Damon Knight was happy with Rod Serling's TV adaptation of his short story - except for the change that allowed the humans to translate the Kanamit language as though it were a code. Said Knight, "Without some sort of interplanetary Rosetta Stone, deciphering an unknown language would be impossible." (00:22:10)
On Thursday We Leave For Home - S4-E16
Factual error: The colonists' planet has twin suns and, we're told, no night. We see the suns, side-by-side in the sky. But twin suns would not create perpetual day. Night/day is caused by the rotation of the planet on its axis, regardless the number of suns. In a binary star system, the two stars orbit each other around a central point in space. The planets would orbit around that central point too. In order for there to be no night, the planet would have to pass between the two stars, a process it would not survive. The gravitational forces of two opposing suns would tear the planet apart. (00:18:35)
Suggested correction: This assumes that all planets orbit along a Sun's equatorial plane, which they don't. In fact Earth's orbit is 7° off on either side of our Sun's equatorial plane. Also taking into account the tilt of their planet, it's likely that experience a similar phenomenon to that of Alaska, although for much longer, where their orbit and position don't allow their side of the planet to see darkness.
Showdown with Rance McGrew - S3-E20
Factual error: Throughout this episode, the TV western supposedly being filmed lacks several essential elements. There are no clapboards to mark the scenes; the modern-day car is constantly in shot through the swinging doors; and the set is located inside the "real" saloon when it should be on a sound stage.
The Rip Van Winkle Caper - S2-E24
Factual error: When they looked at Mr. Herbie's case, they only saw the skeleton. Problem is the clothing was missing, where there should have been some remnants. And the vehicle started with no trouble. After a hundred years, the battery should have been dead, and the engine inoperable.
Factual error: When McNulty clicks his stopwatch the helicopter is shown frozen in flight but the blades are shown as a blur, they should be just as much in focus as the rest of the helicopter.
Factual error: The baseball field is said to be in Hoboken, New Jersey, but palm trees are visible outside the ballpark at the beginning of the episode.
Factual error: Decker is flying a Nieuport 28, which entered service in early 1918. However, the date is supposed to be March 5, 1917. Furthermore, the Nieuport was a French-built aircraft that was flown by the French and Americans but not the Royal Flying Corps.
Factual error: Decker speaks of Georges Guynemer's disappearance. Decker believes the date is March 5, 1917, but Guynemer disappeared on Sept. 11, 1917.
Mr. Dingle, the Strong - S2-E19
Factual error: Though this episode is set in then-present-day 1961, the fistful of prop money the bartender is holding is not contemporary. It appears to be copies of 1880s U.S. Currency, though it's been reproduced as smaller, 20th Century sized bills rather than the larger ones that were standard in the 1800s. All in all, not something his bar patrons would likely be paying the bartender with in the 1960s. (00:16:40)
Five Characters in Search of an Exit - S3-E14
Factual error: When all 5 prisoners stand on each other's shoulders with the ballerina on top, she still can't reach the edge of the cylinder. But when just the 4 men do the same thing and the major throws his rope over the edge, he is somehow far closer to the top than he should be. He ought to be the ballerina's height and then some away - but he isn't. (00:21:30)
Factual error: As well as the obvious problem with translating an unknown language as if it was a code, there is no chance that the word "serve" would have the same double meaning in English and Kanamit. It would be like the word "dope" and its French equivalent meaning "idiot" and "illegal drugs" in both languages.
Factual error: The Nazi symbol on the flag is reversed.
The Lonely - S1-E7
Factual error: Corey is in solitary confinement on an asteroid. However, asteroids are neither large enough nor stable enough to hold an atmosphere. In addition, the distance from earth stated in the episode wouldn't be much further than the moon; there are no asteroids in a stable, regular orbit around the the moon or the earth, nor around the sun anywhere that close to earth.
Factual error: The lieutenant is wearing cavalry insignia, but he is in the infantry company.
No Time Like the Past - S4-E10
Factual error: The U-boat has a spinning sonar mast. Subs in 1915 didn't have that.
