# Star Trek inaccuracies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, star-trek-paramount\ **Created:** [September 19, 2022, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862 "2022-09-19T23:05:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/221 "2022-11-03T20:32:13Z")
I read that a silicon-based lifeform would, for lack of a better term, “rust” in an oxygen atmosphere. (Yes, I know, rust only occurs in iron…) Let’s face it, oxygen is just nasty stuff. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/222 "2022-11-03T20:59:02Z")
We shouldn’t forget that oxygen-rich atmospheres are (in our experience) entirely the result of biological action. On a world with different environmental conditions the so-called ‘oxygen catastrophe’ might not occur, allowing the emergence of completely different biochemistries. Janus VI is supposed to be a Class F planet, with little or no atmosphere. Perhaps the Horta have evolved in a low-pressure environment and do not rely on gases for their respiration; they may be largely unaffected by oxidation. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/223 "2022-11-04T03:45:48Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Well, radiation they can scan for and the transporter’s biofilters are supposed to take care of the rest. Biofilters only help when they are beaming back, though. If they beam down, and immediately catch some Nasty Pathogen, it might kill them before they make it back. Or, something normal to the crew (such as intestinal flora) might kill the planetary inhabitants. Biofilters are quite error-prone - whenever it’s convenient to the plot, they fail hideously. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2022, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/224 "2022-11-04T05:42:54Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > scene where she was talking to Lt. Commander Data where she inadvertently pronounced his name incorrectly. “Inadvertent” means it was an accident. She couldn’t even see she was wrong when corrected, and then doubled down when Data corrected her. She did a perfect imitation of a trump republican. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/225 "2022-11-04T12:19:22Z")
Moderating: > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > She did a perfect imitation of a trump republican. While politics sometimes comes up in cafe society, it seems unrelated to this thread. And insulting a broad class of people, some of whom post here, is unnecessary and potentially hurtful. Please try to avoid doing that. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/226 "2022-11-04T17:44:31Z")
If i recall…and i might be wrong…she went on to say “Is it possible for an android to have pride?” Kinda doubling down. Angling the mistake towards his “pride” rather then her mistake. I again may be misremembering, but they wanted to create a McCoy/Spock like relationship between the two and quickly canned it cause it looked like she was browbeating a child. While i like the idea of bringing in a flawed character…compared to the PERFECT SPARKLING EXAMPLES of humanity that littered 1701-D she would have looked ridiculous. Kinda related, one of my favorite season one eps is “Too Short a Season” because the guest star literally hijacks the episode and everyone else just has to run behind him to keep up. The stars even said so. I don’t think we’ve ever had another episode quite like that. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2022, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/227 "2022-11-04T20:46:27Z")
> [@Pavelb1](#): > > but they wanted to create a McCoy/Spock like relationship between the two Maybe is was the actress, maybe the writing, or maybe the times had changed, but Pulaski came across like a school kid fan fiction version of McCoy. All curmudgeon with no redeeming quality. While I like The Icarus Factor, I think she’s kind of jerkish to Riker in there, too. Just because you had a relationship with his father doesn’t make you an expert in the old man’s parenting. Although I was correctly admonished for bringing politics into a CS thread, what I do still think is she came across in the “Datta/Dayta” scene like a person with no empathy. She doesn’t see why it makes a difference, and won’t or can’t understand even when it is explained. It’s not _her_ fault, it’s “Datta” being too sensitive. And all she had to do it…say it correctly. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/228 "2022-11-04T20:54:27Z")
To mix franchises … The illogic - it is strong in that one. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/229 "2022-11-04T21:06:42Z")
They really missed their chance when they didn’t have her fall down a turbolift shaft. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2022, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/230 "2022-11-04T21:12:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > They really missed their chance when they didn’t have her fall down a turbolift shaft. Ha! Indeed. I’m sure Starfleet makes sure the doors can’t open when there is no car. Klingon ships, well, pay attention or die. Wait…ALL elevators have shaft doors that are opened by the car. Even in the 1990s. It’s impossible for the door to open\* with no car. \*yes yes, if you manually open it. with the tool ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/231 "2022-11-04T21:15:17Z")
So…Rosalind was _murdered_. There’s an idea for a reunion movie here somewhere… ---
**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:** [November 4, 2022, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/232 "2022-11-04T21:17:47Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > So…Rosalind was _murdered_. Pre-cisely. Probably by Stuart. I never trusted him. 🙂 > [@silenus](#): > > There’s an idea for a reunion movie here somewhere… A crossover with Columbo. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/233 "2022-11-04T21:21:00Z")
MRS. Columbo ---
**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:** [November 4, 2022, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/234 "2022-11-04T21:32:05Z")
> [@Pavelb1](#): > > MRS. Columbo. Oooh! After all, Kate loves a mystery. Any Kate… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/235 "2022-11-04T21:36:22Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I’m sure Starfleet makes sure the doors can’t open when there is no car. Klingon ships, well, pay attention or die. > > Wait…ALL elevators have shaft doors that are opened by the car. Even in the 1990s. It’s impossible for the door to open\* with no car. Is it as sure a thing as safeties on the holodeck? ---
**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:** [November 4, 2022, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/236 "2022-11-04T21:39:07Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Is it as sure a thing as safeties on the holodeck? Well…when you put it like that… bye, Doctoooooooooorrrrrrrrrrr [splat] ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/237 "2022-11-04T21:42:28Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > > [@LoneRhino](#): > > > > There are quite a few instances where they do this but this one of the more blatant uses. My favorite is when Sisko, O’Brien, and Odo (this is during the period when he wasn’t a shapeshifter.) get surgically altered to look like Klingons but nobody seems to notice that they’re not actually speaking Klingon. In spite of that I like the episode. > > My take on the UT is that it doesn’t actually translate alien languages, it implants knowledge of the language into your brain, so you can speak and understand it natively. Sisko & co ARE speaking Klingon That’s suggested by one of the EU novels, which says that there is a biochemical method for temporarily acquiring fluency in another language. [Pauses for quick Google] Okay, it was _Spock’s World_, about a Vulcan political movement to secede from the Federation. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy all make speeches to the Vulcan people, during a debate and referendum. But McCoy shocks all assembled by making his _in Vulcan_. Afterwards, Kirk asks him how long it took him to learn Vulcan, and he says roughly a week and a half “with my head hanging over the toilet” - the pills cause gastric distress. The surprised reaction to his speech indicates that the hearers could tell he was actually speaking Vulcan, rather than using the Universal Translator. Which suggests that the UT does not work invisibly. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/238 "2022-11-04T21:45:52Z")
In “All Good Things”, the space rip is getting bigger the further you go back in time. In the present, they look for it, it’s not there. A while later, they look again and there it is, getting bigger going forward in time, exactly the opposite of how it really behaved. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/239 "2022-11-05T15:28:44Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/cMttpxNtHp4/maxresdefault.jpg "Star Trek, TNG, The Outrageous Okona, "Say goodbye, Data."") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMttpxNtHp4) “Say goodbye, Data.” “Goodbye, Data.” … “Accessing … Burns and Allen.” Gracie Allen never said “Goodnight, Gracie.” Usually, the exchange was “Say goodnight” “Goodnight” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/k877AgQR0Ws/hqdefault.jpg "Burns and Allen - Classic Scenes #9 - "Say Goodnight, Gracie": 8 Years in 8 Minutes") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k877AgQR0Ws) Occasionally it was “Say goodnight, Gracie” “Goodnight” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2hNqmuTvbik/hqdefault.jpg "Burns and Allen - Classic Scenes #10 - "Say Goodnight, Gracie" the Sequel") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hNqmuTvbik) However, _Laugh In_ ended with: “Say goodnight, Dick” “Goodnight, Dick.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7r47P0PSecc/hqdefault.jpg "Say goodnight dick") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r47P0PSecc) ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/240 "2022-11-05T16:10:08Z")
I never quite understood the linchpin of The Search for Spock Spock transferred his soul to McCoy? Usually in fiction that kind of thing leaves the body inert (astral projection) or unconscious but Spock goes on to save the Enterprise. Also WHY? I mean besides so he might come back for more movies? In universe he just needs to tell someone to return his body to Vulcan. Or say so in his will. For fucks sake Sarek, if its so important then maybe it should be a little more well-known that the bodies of Vulcans should be returned to Vulcan. The more i think about it the more confused i get. I don’t think the exact specifications are even actually said, but apparently the NORMAL ceremony requires the body and the spirit. The spirit is placed in a case and fuck knows what they do with the body. I don’t understand why a body is needed at all, but i suppose its ceremonial. Understand, Im talking about the normal ceremony. I get that they put Spocks katra back in his living body. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862.md?page=13)