# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/41 "2022-09-20T15:48:49Z")
> [@solost](#): > > There is no fixed orientation in space (space ships facing off against each other are always on the same plane, not askew to each other). Yeah, ships never attack from below or above the plane of the other ship. Also, the ships always make sweeping turns. Why not spin on the yaw axis if someone is chasing you? Anyway, your post reminded me of ‘Full stop!’ Full stop relative to what? There have been at least a few times when there’s nothing to be stopped relative to. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/42 "2022-09-20T16:23:50Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Anyway, your post reminded me of ‘Full stop!’ Full stop relative to what? There have been at least a few times when there’s nothing to be stopped relative to. The luminiferous aether. Only half-kidding. I think a case could be made that the Star Trek universe is non-Minkowski. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/43 "2022-09-20T16:47:23Z")
> [@Pavelb1](#): > > I’ve mentioned it before but…if your ship can go warp 9.975…and warp 10 is everywhere in the galaxy at once (and why not the universe??)…you need a new fucking warp scale. In _All Good Things_, FutureRiker went to Warp 11. ---
**Author:** ![LoneRhino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lonerhino/32/1311_2.png) [@LoneRhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoneRhino)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/44 "2022-09-20T16:55:39Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > In _All Good Things_, FutureRiker went to Warp 11. That’s known as the Tufnel maneuver. ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/45 "2022-09-20T17:02:32Z")
> [@solost](#): > > There is no fixed orientation in space (space ships facing off against each other are always on the same plane, not askew to each other). The other thing that always gets me about these ship-to-ship encounters in deep space is that the ships are visible. Very bright spotlights are never mentioned, but all these ships must have them. Where is all that light coming from to get reflected off of them? Not distant stars that are light-years away, that’s for sure. > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Also, the ships always make sweeping turns. Why not spin on the yaw axis if someone is chasing you? I always groan at the banking-in-space too. Has there ever been a SF movie or TV show that depicts this realistically? > [@](#): > > Anyway, your post reminded me of ‘Full stop!’ Full stop relative to what? There have been at least a few times when there’s nothing to be stopped relative to. Also “impulse power.” “Slow to half-impulse power!” says Picard. Context would seem to imply this results in a constant _speed_, but assuming their engines are producing a constant force, it would result in a constant _acceleration._ Maintaining a constant speed in space of course requires no force at all. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/46 "2022-09-20T17:06:31Z")
> [@Arcite](#): > > I always groan at the banking-in-space too. Has there ever been a SF movie or TV show that depicts this realistically? IIRC White Stars in Babylon 5. They were Earth space fighters. They moved by firing rockets, stopped by firing retro rockets, and pivoted in place by firing I-don’t-know-what-to-call-them-rockets. The CGI for Babylon 5 was cheap even at the time. But the physics were mostly solid. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/47 "2022-09-20T17:12:04Z")
In Shades of Gray (_Star Trek: The Next Generation_), the Enterprise sends an Away Team to the surface of a planet that is largely unexplored. Riker, wearing his regular uniform with the regular shoes he wears on the ship, is stung by some kind of vine while walking in a stream. He almost dies but, of course, Dr. Crusher saves the day. The inaccuracy is the clothes the Away Team is wearing. It’s ridiculous to think that a team would descend to the planet’s surface without any protective clothing/boots whatsoever. I remember that episode, and I felt that way immediately the first time I saw it. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/48 "2022-09-20T17:13:17Z")
My main problem with episode- It’s a clip show!! ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/49 "2022-09-20T17:16:26Z")
More a continuity error- Spoilers for TNG Movies In Generations- Data gets an emotion chip. He cannot remove it or deactivate it. In First Contact- He’s feeling very afraid so he deactivates it. In Insurrection- ‘Could it be a problem with his emotion chip?’ ‘No, he left it on the ship.’ ---
**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:** [September 20, 2022, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/50 "2022-09-20T17:24:04Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > It’s ridiculous to think that a team would descend to the planet’s surface without any protective clothing/boots whatsoever. Considering it is a plot point in (at least) TOS Way To Eden that the standard uniforms are a lot tougher and protective than their mod styling would indicate, I agree. And Shades of Gray sucks in any universe. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/51 "2022-09-20T17:27:47Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > IIRC White Stars in Babylon 5. They were Earth space fighters. They moved by firing rockets, stopped by firing retro rockets, and pivoted in place by firing I-don’t-know-what-to-call-them-rockets. The Earth fighters were Star Furies. The White Stars were the Mimbari cruisers that helped protect Babylon 5 after it declared independence from Earth. _The Expanse_ also features realistic space travel/combat. When a ship shows up that moves in a way that appears to violate the laws of physics, everyone freaks out about it. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/52 "2022-09-20T17:35:24Z")
I admit my error and welcome your correction. IIRC (and judging by recent posts I may not) Two groups had ships that moved by ‘unknown’ means. The Vorlons and another group I feel I can only name in a spoiler The Shadows ships move by unknown means. It is eventually revealed they harness the power of imprisoned psychics to move the ship by telekinesis. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/53 "2022-09-20T17:53:31Z")
They did have unknown propulsion, but IIRC, still followed basic Newtonian physics when they moved - stuff like being able to flip around 180 degrees to fire on pursuing ships without changing their vector of movement. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/54 "2022-09-20T18:23:19Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > It was acceptable a couple of decades ago. > > Who knows whether it might be acceptable a couple decades hence? This is exactly what I was going to say. This isn’t a matter of getting facts wrong. It’s merely a deviation from the style guide. I’m sure there are many people today who say “degrees Kelvin” or “Kelvins.” Who is to say that there won’t still be in centuries hence? Or maybe even the style standard or common usage would prefer what is now deprecated in the style manual? ---
**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:** [September 20, 2022, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/55 "2022-09-20T18:31:28Z")
Like Delenn’s “skindancing.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4gxZDm8PLyg/maxresdefault.jpg "Babylon 5 Delenn's space battle with the Drakh") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gxZDm8PLyg) ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/56 "2022-09-20T18:47:35Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > -291ºC. That’s impossible That’s just odd. Why would they do that? It’s not like anyone writing for that show wouldn’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/57 "2022-09-20T18:50:23Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > ‘Full stop!’ Full stop relative to what? The outside T.V. camera, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/58 "2022-09-20T19:00:29Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > but traveling faster than the speed of light is impossible and will remain so. It’s more likely than the transporter ripping about ever molecule in your body and reassembling them (complete with your personality and memories) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/59 "2022-09-20T20:25:37Z")
Okay, they got Starships with those fancy computers and all that tech. Christopher Pike is confined to a beefed-up Rascal with life support, and the best they can come up with to communicate is a _blinking fucking light???_ We’ve got better than that in real life now! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2022, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862/60 "2022-09-20T20:49:21Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > > -291ºC. That’s impossible ⁢ > > That’s just odd. Why would they do that? It’s not like anyone writing for that show wouldn’t know. ⁢ I’ve seen fan speculation that either the last two numbers got flipped, or the original was supposed to have been in Fahrenheit, and they replaced it with Celsius (since TNG+ uses metric) but didn’t think to change the temperature itself. And that the science advisors didn’t notice. I do know they were having trouble getting the thing under budget. And then there was the drama about how the episode had been modified, to the point that the original author went under a pseudonym and took a lesser position in the show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-inaccuracies/971862.md?page=4)