# What was the most anachronistic thing you've seen in a fictional work that wasn't intentional or an accident? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 8, 2021, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956 "2021-11-08T03:28:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/401 "2022-06-12T11:11:57Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > I think the hairdo thing is intentional. The movie / show makers know that having modern hairdos on the pretty stars makes the production more palatable to modern viewers. Having historically accurate hair would distract the average viewer, and lessen the sex appeal of the characters. After all, hairdos from even 20 years back (from any particular 20th century moment) look surprisingly silly. I’m willing to bet that 20 years from now, people will be asking “What’s with all those 2020s haircuts in period films made in the 2020s?” Unless its something super-trendy, people simply don’t see contemporary haircuts. We filter them out of our consciousness, and just register their wearers as looking “normal”. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/402 "2022-06-12T11:37:45Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > > [@RealityChuck](#): > > > > I remember the controversy. There was one episode afterwards where they showed a bunch of villagers at a ballroom dance. There was a Black couple there, and the camera lingered on them more than usual for background extras. > > I can’t speak for Midsomer, an imaginary county somewhere between Somerset and Berkshire, but in London there were plenty of people from all over the Commonwealth during the second half of the twentieth century, and many of my extended family are mixed-race in one way or another. Hell, there were a goodly number of Nonwhites in the UK in the 19th century (Pablo Fanque fron the Beatles song was an actual impressario from the time and was Black). ---
**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:** [June 12, 2022, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/403 "2022-06-12T11:43:41Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > So, no the Brits in the cast did not cringe every time they heard it.\ Of course not. They were British and much too polite to cringe in public. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/404 "2022-06-12T12:38:04Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Unless its something super-trendy, people simply don’t see contemporary haircuts. That’s part of the same phenomenon. If the actors didn’t have contemporary but period hair, it would be a distraction, to many viewers. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/405 "2022-06-12T15:23:53Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > I just would like a citation that I can give if I’m asked about it. How about pictures painted by an artist who had visited Montana, Kansas, New Mexico, and Arizona in the 1880s? > **[Frederic Remington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Remington)** > > Frederic Sackrider Remington (October 4, 1861 – December 26, 1909) was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in the genre of Western American Art. His works are known for depicting the Western United States in the last quarter of the 19th century and featuring such images as cowboys, American Indians, and the US Cavalry. > Remington was born in Canton, New York, in 1861 to Seth Pierrepont Remington (1830–1880) and Clarissa (Clara) Bascom Sackrider (1836–1912). > H... [![](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A_Dash_for_the_Timber_by_Frederic_Remington.jpg) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A_Dash_for_the_Timber_by_Frederic_Remington.jpg) [![](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Hunters%27_Supper.jpg) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Hunters%27_Supper.jpg) [![](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frederic_Remington_-_Fight_for_the_Waterhole_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frederic_Remington_-_Fight_for_the_Waterhole_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2022, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/406 "2022-06-13T02:54:10Z")
Funny enough, I thought his accent as the older banker guy was decent. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2022, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/407 "2022-06-13T04:01:49Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > I wasn’t asking about the fact that there were a lot of black cowboys (which I knew about), AFAIK, that is a period photo of black cowboys, and none are wearing Bowlers, mostly some sort of wool felt braod brimmed hat. The other pic did fool me, I thought it was period. > **[American Old West](https://history.fandom.com/wiki/American_Old_West)** > > The American Old West was a period of history of western North America (usually the Western United States, though many times including the Canadian prairies, northern Mexico, the South and sometimes even the Midwest). Most often the term refers to... [![](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/history/images/8/86/Nihan.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20200405224633) ](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/history/images/8/86/Nihan.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20200405224633) > **[Historic Photos of Outlaws of the Old West by Johnson, Larry](https://www.amazon.com/Historic-Photos-Outlaws-Old-West/dp/1684421187)** > > Historic Photos of Outlaws of the Old West \[Johnson, Larry\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Historic Photos of Outlaws of the Old West ---
**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:** [June 13, 2022, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/408 "2022-06-13T06:41:01Z")
The banker was an old man and not a Cockney chimney sweep. His voice was completely different and well done. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2022, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/409 "2022-06-13T11:35:47Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > AFAIK, that is a period photo of black cowboys, and none are wearing Bowlers, mostly some sort of wool felt braod brimmed hat. As I said above, I knew about the fact that there were a lot of black cowboys. I knew that a lot of our mistaken image of cowboys came from Wild West shows. I now know that they typically wore hats that were neither Stetsons nor derbies. So you don’t have to point out any of these to me again. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2022, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/410 "2022-06-13T18:02:38Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > “The Christmas Story” was set in the 1940s, and the mother’s hairstyle is from the early 1980s, when the movie was made. I suspect that was deliberate. Bob Clark, the director, has a cameo as one of the neighbors admiring the Old Man’s “major award”, wearing a Miami Dolphins hat. The Dolphins didn’t begin playing until 1966. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2022, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/411 "2022-06-13T18:20:47Z")
Just to add another point to the hat discussion - the men in the famous Wild Bunch photo are wearing derbies because it’s a formal portrait, from a time when getting your photo taken was a special occasion. The men in the picture are wearing what were probably their finest, most expensive suits, as well as gold watches and chains; they’re certainly not wearing their everyday work attire. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2022, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/412 "2022-06-13T18:50:47Z")
Then what is your question? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2022, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/413 "2022-06-13T19:05:59Z")
We let Kid Cheesesteak choose the weekend movie and he chose [10,000 BC](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443649) My entry for the most anachronistic thing I’ve seen in a fictional work is [10,000 BC](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443649) Set some years in the past (10,000 BC, one would assume) we had iron work, pyramids, pharaohs, corn, horse riding, tamed mammoths, sweet lord it was some kind of mish mosh of sorta historical themes all dropped into one place. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.E](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.e/32/8932_2.png) [@Mr.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.E)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2022, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/414 "2022-06-13T19:32:17Z")
My favorite thing in Star Was is it’s supposed to be entirely divorced from any aspect of Earth culture, but Han Solo says “I’ll see you in hell!” in The Empire Strikes Back. So they had to [invent an entire new Hell](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Chaos) that holds a culturally identical role to the Hell we know. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2022, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/415 "2022-06-13T19:38:56Z")
I don’t see that as an anachronism. Lots of different Earth cultures developed the idea of a place bad people go after they die. It seems likely that alien cultures would have similar ideas, and “hell” is just the English word for that concept. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.E](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.e/32/8932_2.png) [@Mr.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.E)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2022, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/416 "2022-06-13T19:44:30Z")
No, I agree, it’s not really an anachronism, but It’s as relevant to this conversation as every other mention of Star Wars in this thread. I was going to go as far as say that Star Wars “Can’t be anachronistic in the way this thread intends” but in all actuality, given the amount of detail that folks have put into the Star Wars timeline and the way current Star Wars media jumps around in said timeline it’s entirely possible. One thing that comes to mind is a character seemingly getting killed in the Obi-Wan series despite the fact he was introduced in a cartoon set later in the timeline. Presumably, he gets better. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2022, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/417 "2022-06-13T19:50:23Z")
Yeah, considering the next episode features a guy who previously had all his limbs chopped off before being dipped in lava, it’s not hard to buy the Inquisitor coming back from having a hole poked in his tummy. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2022, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/418 "2022-06-13T19:54:56Z")
I can’t name one specific offender here, but I have seen _so much_ use of slang and speech from the 2010’s being used in shows set in the 80’s, 70’s, and earlier. i.e. “You got this”, “that’s not a thing”. I’m guessing it’s a symptom of screenwriters born in the late 90’s who assume that the way they talk is just how people have always talked. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2022, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/419 "2022-06-13T20:02:27Z")
10,000 BC is technically a fantasy right? I only saw it once when it came out (I didn’t think it was very good), but if I recall correctly, the “advanced” humans who had those things were founded by “survivors of Atlantis” who had brought advanced technology to them and built them up into an early empire. I.e. not remotely historical or intending to be. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956/420 "2022-06-13T20:11:24Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > …they were only just starting to talk about using stimulants to keep fighting. A normal Earth Human would have collapsed long before that. I would assume that they’re practicing some sort of sleep discipline that didn’t warrant showing onscreen. Once they knew they learned that they needed to move the fleet every 33 minutes, presumably they could have worked out a way for people to get 60 minutes of sleep here and there. Which still isn’t great, but it’s a huge improvement over zero minutes for days and days. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-anachronistic-thing-youve-seen-in-a-fictional-work-that-wasnt-intentional-or-an-accident/953956.md?page=22)