# Space 1999 - bad science? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 26, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-1999-bad-science/515209 "2009-10-26T19:20:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-1999-bad-science/515209/81 "2009-10-31T23:32:02Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Come on now. > > YOU come up with a way to simulate 1/6 gravity dirt cheap on a production set then you’ll have a point. > > Normal gravity is the biggest and most common concession ever in nearly every sci-fi space travel show other than possibly nearly everybody everywhere speaks english…for good reason. Actually, now I think about it, weren’t there gravity generators on Moonbase? Some sort of a field generated around it? So the walking inside is fine, but then why did everyone flounder outside? ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-1999-bad-science/515209/82 "2009-11-01T00:15:25Z")
Yes they sure do. See 8.1 [http://www.space1999.net/catacombs/main/cguide/uc08.html](http://www.space1999.net/catacombs/main/cguide/uc08.html) ---
**Author:** ![rolandgunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cdc98d/32.png) [@rolandgunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rolandgunslinger)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-1999-bad-science/515209/83 "2009-11-01T01:10:23Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Wait, how is this thread not in cafe society? Talk about being off course. > > [Dragon’s Domain](http://www.space1999.net/catacombs/main/epguide/t23dd.html). Creepiness factor: 9.3 You have no idea how much that scared me when I was six years old.:eek: [You tube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tbXhu09m5) ---
**Author:** ![Wiseguy70005](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b19c9b/32.png) [@Wiseguy70005](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wiseguy70005)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-1999-bad-science/515209/84 "2012-10-28T18:23:19Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > If the moon doesn’t get blown apart in the “explosion” is it really going to exit the solar system and then fly through the galaxy passing by a new habitable planet every week, slowing down to let the Eagle transports get to the planet and back several times and then speed up again in time to hit another habitable system next week? No. If the moon were on an uncontrollable trajectory outside the solar system, it would never come near any star within anyone’s lifetime unless it was at relativistic speeds. In which case the Eagles could never catch up once they left orbit. Bad science. Bad, bad science. If one were to actually watch the episodes before criticizing the series one would find that there were only 12 episodes in the first season dealing with planets-only half the episodes. Further, one of the planets was the rogue planet entering our galaxy mentioned in the pilot episode, one episode was the earth in an alternate reality and one was a flashback to 1996 - where an earth ship travelled to the planet, not the moon. So, the moon only visited planets in 9 episodes of the first season: Episodes 7, 8, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 and 24. It is not outside the realm of scientific possibility that some of the planets may have been in the same solar system - perhaps episodes 7/8, 13/14/15 and 17/18. this would mean only 5 solar systems visited. The 3rd episode depicted the moon being transported to another place in the universe - where conceivably there could be more planets than in our area. Finally, in the 23rd episode, it is clearly stated that 877 days have passed - more than 2 years. 9 planets (or 5 solar sytems) in 2.4 years - hardly a planet every week. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-1999-bad-science/515209/85 "2012-10-28T19:15:08Z")
Good news everyone! [We can move the moon out of orbit without blowing it to smithereens.](http://what-if.xkcd.com/13/)\* \*Note, this method will involve eliminating all life on Earth and Moonbase Alpha. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-1999-bad-science/515209/86 "2012-10-28T19:52:00Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > \*Note, this method will involve eliminating all life on Earth and Moonbase Alpha. Eggs, omelets, breakage, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-1999-bad-science/515209/87 "2012-10-28T20:02:19Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > If the moon doesn’t get blown apart in the “explosion” is it really going to exit the solar system and then fly through the galaxy passing by a new habitable planet every week, slowing down to let the Eagle transports get to the planet and back several times and then speed up again in time to hit another habitable system next week? No. If the moon were on an uncontrollable trajectory outside the solar system, it would never come near any star within anyone’s lifetime unless it was at relativistic speeds. In which case the Eagles could never catch up once they left orbit. Bad science. Bad, bad science. If I’m remembering correctly, they explained this by having the moon “just happen” to run smack into randomly-appearing wormholes whenever it was time to go to the next star system. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-1999-bad-science/515209/88 "2012-10-28T20:24:45Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > We couldnt do it as a nation in the 60’s, so how could a tv studio do it ? 🙂 > > Besides, wouldnt the actors sound like Borris Carloff…or maybe Mickey Mouse ? I get confused… Worked fine for _Star Trek: The Motion Picture_: “phoooootonnnn torrrpeeeeedoooooes…” ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-1999-bad-science/515209/89 "2012-10-28T20:30:51Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > Eggs, omelets, breakage, etc. No doubt it’s merely a starting point. Once the principle is in place, we can move onto Mars, which has plenty of satellites to spare. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-1999-bad-science/515209/90 "2012-10-28T23:47:57Z")
> [@Wiseguy70005](#): > > It is not outside the realm of scientific possibility that some of the planets may have been in the same solar system - perhaps episodes 7/8, 13/14/15 and 17/18. > this would mean only 5 solar systems visited. > > The 3rd episode depicted the moon being transported to another place in the universe - where conceivably there could be more planets than in our area. > > Finally, in the 23rd episode, it is clearly stated that 877 days have passed - more than 2 years. > > 9 planets (or 5 solar sytems) in 2.4 years - hardly a planet every week. I’d think this was a whoosh but nobody would revive a several year old thread just to whoosh on the plausibility of Space 1492. Let’s say they took a whole year to get to the first set of planets, and they were around Alpha Centauri. The moon would have to be travelling four light days a day. If I read the [converter](http://www.convertunits.com/from/light+day/to/miles) right, that is about 64 billion miles, much larger than the circumference of the Solar System, let alone the distance between planets. So those Eagles would have to haul ass. And **Ethilrist** , I don’t remember wormholes the first season at least. Maybe they introduced them in the second, when the scientists attacked with pitchforks, but I don’t think the wormhole concept was well known then. Certainly none were used in ST:TOS. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-1999-bad-science/515209.md?page=4)