# Fictional events that eventually become reality? (Read the OP.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 19, 2025, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077 "2025-07-19T13:20:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/112 "2025-07-23T20:41:26Z")
> [@On another topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1021238/18): > > Naming a civilian spacecraft after a ship of war would have been a no-go for NASA. I can find at least four navy ships named USS Columbia ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/113 "2025-07-23T20:50:14Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I can find at least four navy ships named USS Columbia But the shuttle (and the Apollo 11 command module) are named after the _Columbia Rediviva_, a privately owned ship that became the first American vessel to circumnavigate the world. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/121 "2025-07-23T21:02:04Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Though my Latin isn’t good enough to explain how “sidis” differs from “stella” or “astrum." From _Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes_: > **Stella** (dimin. of ἀστήρ) means any one of the innumerable individual stars, like ἀστήρ; **astrum** (ἄστρον), any one of the greater bright heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, and principal stars, with their peculiar names, like ἄστρον; **sidus** (εἶδος), a complication of stars, a constellation, and, by affinity of the notion with number and magnitude, a great star, like τέρας, τείρεα. **Astrum** and **stella** denote the stars more in a mere physical relation, as bright heavenly bodies; **sidus** , more in an astronomical and astrological relation, as portentous and influencing human affairs. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/123 "2025-07-23T21:07:45Z")
> [@solost](#): > > After the movie ‘The Godfather’ came out, real mobsters liked it so much that they embraced the language and mannerisms of the fictional characters. A personal anecdote: I was researching a job opportunity in Albuquerque in 2014. A friend put me in touch with a business contact of his who was a APD sergeant. I called him and we talked about things like the weather, best places to live in town, crime, cost-of-living, etc. I said the only thing I knew about Albuquerque was _Breaking Bad_ and that Bugs Bunny always takes a wrong turn there. I jokingly asked if they had “blue meth” there. The sergeant replied: “We do now.” [Blue meth on the rise in NM](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blue-meth-on-the-rise-in-nm/) > **ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. –** Reality in the illegal drug world is mimicking fiction. > > Kevin Abar, assistant special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Mexico, says distributors are selling methamphetamine tinted blue in the Four Corners region. > > That mirrors AMC’s hit drama “Breaking Bad,” which depicted an Albuquerque-based meth operation that cooked up the drug with a blue hue. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/124 "2025-07-23T21:12:48Z")
Never mind! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/125 "2025-07-23T21:33:03Z")
As mentioned in an article upthread, Albuquerque also got a minor-league baseball team called the Isotopes after the owner of the Springfield Isotopes threatened to move the team there in a _Simpsons_ episode. (Given New Mexico’s historic role in nuclear testing, it’s a fitting name either way.) ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/126 "2025-07-23T21:38:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Gene Roddenberry always considered Starfleet to be an allegory to the British Royal Navy of the 18th and 19th centuries. Yes, they were called into service during times of war, but their primary tasks were exploration, spreading British influence throughout the world through diplomacy, and expanding and protecting trade. In the last instance, they acted mainly as a worldwide police force to en And like the British Royal Navy of the 18th and 19th centuries, the _Enterprise_ frequently found itself in potential conflict with **other** empires’ spreading influence, occasionally conducting gunboat diplomacy, and prying open closed cultures. 😛 > [@terentii](#): > > _Georgium Sidis_, or George’s Star, in honor of King George III. I just know the reference to sideral. Also, I really think it’s regrettable that the tradition of _ **Latin** _ god’s names wasn’t continued and the planet be called “Caelus”. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/127 "2025-07-23T23:20:50Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > The shuttle was named _Enterprise_ after Trekfans bombarded NASA with a letter-writing campaign urging it to do so. And then in the ultimate insult, it never flew in space. And they knew it would never fly when they renamed it. I guess by the 23rd century they forgot. [![](https://images.steamusercontent.com/ugc/45372069324905210/54B67CC2EF228307432AD22115150D8B037E029C/) ](https://images.steamusercontent.com/ugc/45372069324905210/54B67CC2EF228307432AD22115150D8B037E029C/) ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/128 "2025-07-24T04:12:32Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Albuquerque also got a minor-league baseball team called the Isotopes They stole our towns team to do it and we aren’t named Springfield. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/129 "2025-07-24T11:43:50Z")
In the James Bond novel **Moonraker** the villain, Hugo Drax, is described as a “Lonsdale kind of character”. When they finally made the movie **Moonraker** , Hugo Drax was played by – Michel Lonsdale. I can’t help but think that Fleming’s description influenced their choice of actor. I also don’t know who Fleming was referring to, but it clearly wasn’t actor Michel Lonsdale in 1955 ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/130 "2025-07-24T12:04:23Z")
A search indicates Fleming’s “Lonsdale kind of character” in Moonraker most likely referred to Lord Lonsdale (Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, 1857–1944), an eccentric British aristocrat known for his flamboyant, pompous public persona. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/131 "2025-07-24T12:30:29Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > In the James Bond novel **Moonraker** the villain, Hugo Drax, is described as a “Lonsdale kind of character”. And to bring this thread together with _Moonraker_ and Enterprise, remember that Enterprise was flow on a specially designed Boeing 747. #spoileralert In the movie, the shuttle named Moonraker is being flown on a 747 and is stolen. How? The shuttle is being transported fully fueled because of course it is. AND they were able to launch it on their own from the back of the plane. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/132 "2025-07-24T12:45:56Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > In the movie, the shuttle named Moonraker is being flown on a 747 and is stolen. How? The shuttle is being transported fully fueled because of course it is. AND they were able to launch it on their own from the back of the plane. According to Chris Hadfield\* you _can_ detach a shuttle from inside the shuttle itself. That doesn’t resolve the point about fuel, of course. \* as per a very entertaining chapter in Randall Munroe’s **How To** book. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/133 "2025-07-24T12:51:48Z")
On a personal note: I had a moment like this earlier today. Back in the early days of the Simpsons, when they still made fun of the Fox Network that they were shown on, there was one “In the future” episode, where Homer and Marge are watching Fox, and Homer says something like, “You know, Fox morphed into a hard-core pornography channel so slowly, I never really noticed it…” I had the same feeling today, when I saw an official statement from someone in the Department of Justice, that referred to some of the Epstein files stuff as “bullshit”. We never used to see language like that in official statements, but it’s become gradually normalized in the last six months. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/134 "2025-07-24T12:52:50Z")
The point being that IIRC it got into space with no rocket boosters. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/135 "2025-07-24T12:57:48Z")
And the fuel for the orbiter’s main engines is what’s in that big tank it’s mounted to. Without the external tank, the only fuel it even could have onboard is for those two smaller engines on the little protruding pods, for in-orbit maneuvers and re-entry. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/136 "2025-07-24T13:21:30Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > I said the only thing I knew about Albuquerque was _Breaking Bad_ and that Bugs Bunny always takes a wrong turn there. I jokingly asked if they had “blue meth” there. The sergeant replied: “We do now.” Good one. I had heard that meth makers had started dying their meth blue. It reminded me, I’ve heard that due to the plethora of CSI shows over the years, juries have now come to expect a ton of exhaustively analyzed DNA, fingerprint and microscopic evidence for every trial, no matter how relatively low-stakes the actual crime. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/137 "2025-07-24T14:41:55Z")
> [@solost](#): > > It reminded me, I’ve heard that due to the plethora of CSI shows over the years, juries have now come to expect a ton of exhaustively analyzed DNA, fingerprint and microscopic evidence for every trial, no matter how relatively low-stakes the actual crime. That phenomenon has its own Wikipedia page: [CSI effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect) > The **CSI effect** describes the various ways in which the exaggerated portrayal of [forensic science](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_science) on crime television shows such as _[CSI: Crime Scene Investigation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI:_Crime_Scene_Investigation)_ influences public perception. The term was first reported in a 2004 _[USA Today](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Today)_ article describing the effect being made on trial jurors by television programs featuring forensic science.[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect#cite_note-csi_effect_has_juries_2004_08_05_usatoday-1) > > It most often refers to the belief that [jurors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury) have come to demand more [forensic evidence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_evidence) in [criminal trials](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_trial), thereby raising the effective [standard of proof](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_of_proof) for [prosecutors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosecutor). While this belief is widely held among American legal professionals, some studies have suggested that crime shows are unlikely to cause such an effect, although frequent _CSI_ viewers may place a lower value on [circumstantial evidence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumstantial_evidence).[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect#cite_note-Shelton2009-2) As technology improves and becomes more prevalent throughout society, people may also develop higher expectations for the capabilities of forensic technology.[[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect#cite_note-Washtenaw2-3) The CSI effect has also re-popularized the forensic sector of the criminal justice system in the media and academia. > > [snip] > > The notion that these inaccurate portrayals could alter the public perception of forensic evidence was dubbed the “CSI effect”, a term which began to appear in mainstream media as early as 2004.[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect#cite_note-csi_effect_has_juries_2004_08_05_usatoday-1)[[15]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect#cite_note-mixed_2004_nationalgeographic-15)[[7]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect#cite_note-Chesen-7) > > Under this effect, victims and their families – and jurors – are coming to expect instant answers from showcased techniques such as DNA analysis and fingerprinting, when actual forensic processing often takes days or weeks, with no guarantee of revealing a “smoking gun” for the prosecution’s case. District attorneys state that the conviction rate in cases with little physical evidence has decreased, largely due to the influence of _CSI_ on jury members.[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect#cite_note-csi_effect_has_juries_2004_08_05_usatoday-1) > > By 2009 more than 250 stories about the CSI effect had appeared in newspapers and magazines,[[16]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect#cite_note-Cole-16) including articles in _[National Geographic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Geographic_(magazine))_,[[15]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect#cite_note-mixed_2004_nationalgeographic-15) _[Scientific American](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_American)_,[[17]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect#cite_note-Mirsky-17)[[18]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect#cite_note-Houck-18) and _[U.S. News & World Report](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._News_%26_World_Report)_.[[19]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect#cite_note-Roane-19) More on the page. Interesting read. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/138 "2025-07-24T15:30:13Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > The shuttle is being transported fully fueled because of course it is. AND they were able to launch it on their own from the back of the plane. And that isn’t even close to being the stupidest/most unrealistic thing in the film. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > The point being that IIRC it got into space with no rocket boosters. Did it? I thought they just flew it off and landed somewhere. The reason Drax stole it (back) was because he needed it for his dastardly fiendish plan. Sending it into orbit from the 747 does nothing for that. Now why didn’t they just steal the 747, which is easier and safer? Because that didn’t make for an exciting pre-credits scene. Needless death of the 747 crew and fiery takeoffs are part and parcel of Bond film action. (now _where_ he would have landed it, that I don’t think they even hinted at. It’s not like you can hide those things. Note: the movie was filmed before a single shuttle had flown) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077/139 "2025-07-24T15:41:32Z")
> [@solost](#): > > It reminded me, I’ve heard that due to the plethora of CSI shows over the years, juries have now come to expect a ton of exhaustively analyzed DNA, fingerprint and microscopic evidence for every trial, no matter how relatively low-stakes the actual crime. Very true. It’s hard to explain that getting fingerprints is actually quite difficult. On most surfaces it’s just not possible. Also in cases with an unknown suspect we would collect fluids left behind for DNA. Even if it was just a simple burglary and the suspect cut himself we would take that as evidence. What doesn’t happen is attempting to get touch DNA off of the entire scene. Not gonna happen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-events-that-eventually-become-reality-read-the-op/1021077.md?page=7)