# Watching L&O: CSI ep about murdered astronaut -- "NSA," not "NASA"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744 "2008-01-24T00:23:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744/1 "2008-01-24T00:23:54Z")
I’m watching it right now. Every astronaut’s suit has a badge that says “NSA.” But the show usually calls agencies by their real-life names. Why not this time? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744/2 "2008-01-24T00:42:03Z")
Sorry, of course, I meant _L&O: CI,_ that is, _Law & Order: Criminal Intent._ [This](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_Man_%28Law_%26_Order:_Criminal_Intent_episode%29) episode ('ware spoilers!). ---
**Author:** ![Jean\_Gray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jean\_Gray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jean_Gray)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744/3 "2008-01-24T00:45:20Z")
Just a WAG, but maybe they’re trying to give themselves some extra distance from any possible comparisons to the real-life astronaut menage a trois (which of course didn’t involve a murder, but still…)? ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744/4 "2008-01-24T01:15:56Z")
I assumed they would have had to get NASA’s blessing to use the name, and being that the show portrays the astronauts as tightly wound sex maniacs their blessing probably wasn’t forthcoming and the producers probably didn’t really want to push it. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744/5 "2008-01-24T01:30:47Z")
[QUOTE=Jean Gray] Just a WAG, but maybe they’re trying to give themselves some extra distance from any possible comparisons to the real-life astronaut menage a trois (which of course didn’t involve a murder, but still…)? [/QUOTE] No effin’ way were they trying to distance themselves. They even had the detectives find an “astronaut diaper” in the doer’s trunk. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744/6 "2008-01-24T01:32:20Z")
[QUOTE=mack] I assumed they would have had to get NASA’s blessing to use the name, and being that the show portrays the astronauts as tightly wound sex maniacs their blessing probably wasn’t forthcoming and the producers probably didn’t really want to push it. [/QUOTE] Why would they need NASA’s permission? They would never appear to need the permission of the FBI, NSA, or DHS to make their agents look like assholes in the show, as they frequently do. Copyright and trademark law do not extend to dramatic uses of a name. ---
**Author:** ![fatgail](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fatgail/32/7285_2.png) [@fatgail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fatgail)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744/7 "2008-01-24T01:32:34Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] No effin’ way were they trying to distance themselves. They even had the detectives find an “astronaut diaper” in the doer’s trunk. [/QUOTE] Seriously. Law & Order is the original source for “ripped from the headlines” plot summaries. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744/8 "2008-01-24T01:37:05Z")
[QUOTE=fatgail] Seriously. Law & Order is the original source for “ripped from the headlines” plot summaries. [/QUOTE] Yeah, like the silly plot from last week’s L&O involving (i) a [lawyer] who sues a cleaners over some missing pants that devolved into a case relating to (ii) an evil, big-brotherish big box store who knowingly (iii) allowed poisoned tooth paste from China to be sold and distributed to smaller retailers. :rolleyes: And I love L&O usually. They do, however, occasionally change the names of certain local New York City Agencies, for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Jean\_Gray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jean\_Gray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jean_Gray)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744/9 "2008-01-24T01:45:26Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] No effin’ way were they trying to distance themselves. They even had the detectives find an “astronaut diaper” in the doer’s trunk. [/QUOTE] Yeah I know they do a lot of ripped from the headlines stuff, but they usually change a few details here and there so that they can post the disclaimer that any resemblance to someone living or dead is purely coincidental. Changing the name to NSA ain’t much, but with other details could be _just_ enough to cover their butts. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744/10 "2008-01-24T02:48:25Z")
Isn’t it illegal to duplicate stuff like badges and ID cards without permission? On the **X Files** Mulder and Scully had badges for the _United States Department of Investigation_ even though they were FBI agents (& refered to as such). ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744/11 "2008-01-24T03:21:32Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Why would they need NASA’s permission? [/quote] apparently it’s [the law](http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&rgn=div6&view=text&node=14:5.0.1.1.20.1&idno=14). E-Z .pdf with flow chart for the approval process [http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/iso\_docs/pdf/H\_OWI\_1382\_P\_006\_A\_.pdf](http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/iso_docs/pdf/H_OWI_1382_P_006_A_.pdf) > [@](#): > > The purpose of this OWI is to document the process developed to respond to inquiries dealing with the use of the NASA insignia and the corporate identity of the agency. > [@](#): > > They would never appear to need the permission of the FBI, NSA, or DHS to make their agents look like assholes in the show, as they frequently do. Copyright and trademark law do not extend to dramatic uses of a name. Maybe the entities you mention don’t mind being portrayed as assholes. Also, they seem to always ultimately help out somehow by the end of the show. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744/12 "2008-01-24T03:25:28Z")
[QUOTE=5-4-Fighting] And I love L&O usually. They do, however, occasionally change the names of certain local New York City Agencies, for some reason. [/QUOTE] The writers must have learned that technique at Hudson University. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744/13 "2008-01-24T04:28:30Z")
When Farscape was in pre-production, the writers wanted Chrichton to be a NASA astronaut and wear the patch on his flight suit… but NASA wanted final script approval. So his patch says ‘IASA’ instead. It’s mentioned in the commentary on the first episode, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2008, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watching-l-o-csi-ep-about-murdered-astronaut-nsa-not-nasa/434744/14 "2008-01-24T05:33:14Z")
[QUOTE=5-4-Fighting] And I love L&O usually. They do, however, occasionally change the names of certain local New York City Agencies, for some reason. [/QUOTE] This is uncited on Wikipedia, but the band Chicago was originally called Chicago Transit Authority until the CTA threatened legal action. So it appears that some government agencies have _some_ claim to their own names.