# Things That Bother Me in Science Fiction Movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [October 24, 2023, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001 "2023-10-24T08:55:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**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:** [November 2, 2023, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/221 "2023-11-02T00:06:34Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > > [@terentii](#): > > > > The best test of a planet’s atmosphere was in _ **Flesh Gordon** _, where Flexi Jerkoff walked out of his spaceship, inhaled a lungful, and said “Good. There’s oxygen here.” > > Now I want to see this movie. Even though Planet Porno was bombarding Earth with Sex-rays, the design of the spacecraft was not influenced in any way: [https://slowrobotagogo.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/fleshgordon.jpg?w=430&h=267](https://slowrobotagogo.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/fleshgordon.jpg?w=430&h=267) Possibly NSFW. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/222 "2023-11-02T00:41:43Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Why do shuttlecraft always land in the middle of big rock formations? The same reason that every planet in the _Star Trek_ universe has a breathable air; because it allows them to dispense with having to deal with production issues like vacuum suits and large matte paintings. BTW, I’ve been to [Goblin Valley State Park](https://annemckinnell.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/utah_20120511__MG_3195-Edit_lg.jpg) where those scenes were filmed, and aside from the mining colony and lack of beryllium spheres it is every bit as alien looking as it appears on film. Stranger ---
**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:** [November 2, 2023, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/223 "2023-11-02T00:58:19Z")
Not “every planet,” just the ones the _Enterprise_ visits. **Quote:** (Excerpted from orders to Captain Robert T. April) VI: Consistent with the limitations of your vessel and equipment, you will confine your landings and contacts to Class “M” planets approximating Earth–Mars conditions. _ **The Making of Star Trek** _, p. 24 . ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/224 "2023-11-02T01:09:28Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Not “every planet,” just the ones the _Enterprise_ visits. Even the ones they crash shuttlecraft onto. The galaxy of _Star Trek_ is so teeming in intelligent (and humanoid) life, much of it with ‘warp’ technology, that it makes one wonder how Earth wasn’t conquered and enslaved long before Starfleet came into being. Or maybe…it’s all just a simulation. ‘Exploration’ of a fictional universe of seemingly existential threats and horrors to keep the malcontents entertained while Colossus or Skynet or whatever fulfilled its actual prime directive of improving its game of eight dimensional Go. Stranger ---
**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:** [November 2, 2023, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/225 "2023-11-02T01:11:28Z")
I, for one, welcome our new ant overlords! [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS6qbvt89hfle8q4bhqL_G2GFsbAu_hfIS26xYnqQhKzfEBOgIlgamgI0LY71RT1iC2Hqk&usqp=CAU) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS6qbvt89hfle8q4bhqL_G2GFsbAu_hfIS26xYnqQhKzfEBOgIlgamgI0LY71RT1iC2Hqk&usqp=CAU) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/226 "2023-11-02T01:11:31Z")
[That’s the Bezo rocket!](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/82a96746846f50ccfc07df8f18703930ded8573f/0_116_2000_1200/master/2000.jpg?width=1200&height=1200&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&s=ec77f1c595d3394e1c7a227bd8df5ace) ---
**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:** [November 2, 2023, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/227 "2023-11-02T01:18:25Z")
No, it’s a… [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WCoRGbT3CM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WCoRGbT3CM) Also NSFW. 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/228 "2023-11-05T08:07:12Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Even though Planet Porno was bombarding Earth with Sex-rays, the design of the spacecraft was not influenced in any way: > > [https://slowrobotagogo.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/fleshgordon.jpg?w=430&h=267](https://slowrobotagogo.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/fleshgordon.jpg?w=430&h=267) > > Possibly NSFW. 😉 Looks like a slightly undersized Jeff Bezos rocket. ---
**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:** [November 5, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/229 "2023-11-05T14:32:00Z")
So size is important? 🤨 ---
**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:** [November 5, 2023, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/230 "2023-11-05T14:42:05Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > > [@terentii](#): > > > > Those were light-years ahead of the ones they wore in “The Naked Time”: > > I especially like the way there is not actually a seal between the hood and the rest of the suit. A seal wouldn’t help if you break protocol: [http://superanemic.com/2019/05/31/star-trek-the-naked-time/](http://superanemic.com/2019/05/31/star-trek-the-naked-time/) (And it wasn’t a virus, it was molecules of water that mutated to mimic alcohol.) ---
**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:** [November 5, 2023, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/231 "2023-11-05T15:06:31Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Those were light-years ahead of the ones they wore in “The Naked Time”: Those weren’t full pressure suits. They were simply protective gear against the extreme cold. > [@terentii](#): > > VI: Consistent with the limitations of your vessel and equipment, you will confine your landings and contacts to Class “M” planets approximating Earth–Mars conditions. Rather, what they thought Mars was like before the first Pioneer flybys. ---
**Author:** ![Digger11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@Digger11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digger11)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/232 "2023-11-05T15:51:03Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > > [@hogarth](#): > > > > But for some reason, scenes with super-speed just drive me crazy. Particularly when the super-speed guy is running many times faster than a bullet and he repositions an ordinary human’s arm at Mach 10 (say) without snapping it in two. I don’t know what that particularly bothers me, but it does. > > Super-speed must be more like time manipulation rather than ordinary velocity. It seems to be sort of both. There are certainly scenes where a super-speedster is shown on radar clocked at hundreds of miles per hour. BUT when such a person interacts with people, such as repositioning somebody, it’s often portrayed as more a time-dilation event. That may be partly a matter of practical concerns when filming; I don’t know. ---
**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:** [November 5, 2023, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/233 "2023-11-05T16:32:49Z")
Maybe they had terraformed it by then. It definitely had colonies (mentioned in “Court Martial”). The original series format said that Spock was “probably half Martian.” They went as far as putting red makeup on his face, but it looked too phoney. Yellow was the only color that worked. ---
**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 5, 2023, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/234 "2023-11-05T18:04:18Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > (And it wasn’t a virus, it was molecules of water that mutated to mimic alcohol.) Which was later refined and became synthehol. Probably. ---
**Author:** ![EnolaStraight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/235 "2023-11-06T13:28:59Z")
In ALIEN, Kane encounters a room full of leathery eggs. One of the eggs starts opening up like a flower, and he notices something wriggling around in there. What’s he think is a good idea? _Lemmy stick my face up in there an’ get a better look._ 🫣 ---
**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:** [November 6, 2023, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/236 "2023-11-06T14:08:55Z")
That’s what tricorders are for! ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/237 "2023-11-06T14:52:11Z")
“The Company” isn’t going to spring for fucking tricorders. Hell, they’re only paying us a half-share, even though Brett and I do all the work to keep this bucket flying! Fuck this, man! We need to talk about the bonus situation! [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5b/19/40/5b19400214d879e7edbcfe579bf25c72.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5b/19/40/5b19400214d879e7edbcfe579bf25c72.jpg) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/238 "2023-11-06T14:53:10Z")
I think the closeness of things in sci-fi…I don’t want to say bothers me, but does take me out of it, because I’m aware of just how much empty space there is between everything. I mean, I can suspend disbelief that the ships are crazy fast, even FTL if it’s not near-future tech. But “Look! A planet up ahead!” as if they are on the motorway and just saw a sign for services (or whatever the American equivalent of these terms are) is pretty silly. Let alone going in a random direction and crash landing on something. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/239 "2023-11-06T15:09:03Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > But “Look! A planet up ahead!” as if they are on the motorway and just saw a sign for services (or whatever the American equivalent of these terms are) is pretty silly. > Let alone going in a random direction and crash landing on something. Hey _Futurama_ literally does that. But the absurdity is part of the charm of the show!!! ---
**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:** [November 6, 2023, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001/240 "2023-11-06T15:57:44Z")
> [@EnolaStraight](#): > > In ALIEN, Kane encounters a room full of leathery eggs. > > One of the eggs starts opening up like a flower, and he notices something wriggling around in there. > > What’s he think is a good idea? > > _Lemmy stick my face up in there an’ get a better look._ But of course that’s because we’re [Genre Savvy.](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GenreSavvy) Like we’d be suspicious of a coffin that’s chained shut. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bother-me-in-science-fiction-movies/992001.md?page=13)