What Sci-Fi Got Wrong: Alcohol in Space

[phinds]

GADS, you've really been paying attention

 

[Anachronist]

I know it's entirely because of the technology at the time, but seeing older movies set in the future where all the screens are CRT instead of flatscreens makes me smile a little (EG alien). The old models for warhammer 40k space marines also had curved CRT style screens on them, despite being set in the year 40,000!

That reminds me of the original Battlestar Galactica series, in which nobody thought twice about having microphones connected via a cable to a console. Then in the latest series, this was "explained" as being more secure than using wireless devices to communicate. That's true if nothing is encrypted, but even so, I thought that was a clever explanation.

 

[sbrothy]

Science fiction television and most movies, however, are replete with errors. A specific example would be an episode in Star Trek: The Next Generation in which Data says the surface temperature of a planet is something ridiculous below -273°C.

Far be it from me to defend the "science" of stupid scifi tvseries and movies, but are you sure that this particular temperature wasn't given in Fahrenheit?After all, the show in question is undoubtedly american and in all fairness absolute zero in fahrenheit is actually -459,67. :D

 

[sbrothy]

I know it's entirely because of the technology at the time, but seeing older movies set in the future where all the screens are CRT instead of flatscreens makes me smile a little (EG alien). The old models for warhammer 40k space marines also had curved CRT style screens on them, despite being set in the year 40,000!

It saddens me that the aspirations of technology have gone from optimistic to gritty in so short a time. Films used to predict flying cars, hoverboards, teleportation, space travel, and so on. Total recall was set on mars, then the remake was set in australia, because Mars isn't realistic.

Most sci-fi now is about AI and robots more than technological breakthroughs which make life easier or cooler for people! More gritty, but less optimistic. It might even be being driven by the desire to "get it right", rather than create a cool narrative. "I said there's be robots in 2050, and I was right! rather than "I said faster than light travel by 2050, and I was wrong!".

I know it's entirely because of the technology at the time, but seeing older movies set in the future where all the screens are CRT instead of flatscreens makes me smile a little (EG alien). The old models for warhammer 40k space marines also had curved CRT style screens on them, despite being set in the year 40,000!

It saddens me that the aspirations of technology have gone from optimistic to gritty in so short a time. Films used to predict flying cars, hoverboards, teleportation, space travel, and so on. Total recall was set on mars, then the remake was set in australia, because Mars isn't realistic.

Most sci-fi now is about AI and robots more than technological breakthroughs which make life easier or cooler for people! More gritty, but less optimistic. It might even be being driven by the desire to "get it right", rather than create a cool narrative. "I said there's be robots in 2050, and I was right! rather than "I said faster than light travel by 2050, and I was wrong!".

That reminds me of the original Battlestar Galactica series, in which nobody thought twice about having microphones connected via a cable to a console. Then in the latest series, this was "explained" as being more secure than using wireless devices to communicate. That's true if nothing is encrypted, but even so, I thought that was a clever explanation.

TvTropes has a name for this sort of thing:

Zeerust

As far as I understand the less zeerust the better the show stood the test of time but it's been a while since I read the article.

 

[Anachronist]

Far be it from me to defend the "science" of stupid scifi tvseries and movies, but are you sure that this particular temperature wasn't given in Fahrenheit?After all, the show in question is undoubtedly american and in all fairness absolute zero in fahrenheit is actually -459,67. :D

Yes, I am 100% sure. The episode was The Royale, and the gaffe is documented in the Wikipedia article about that episode, in which Geordi LaForge (not Data) says the temperature is -291°C.

 

[sbrothy]

Yes, I am 100% sure. The episode was The Royale, and the gaffe is documented in the Wikipedia article about that episode, in which Geordi LaForge (not Data) says the temperature is -291°C.

Yeah ok. I not surprised. I just hoped that for once we made a mistake. Fat chance. ;)

 

[sbrothy]

Yeah ok. I not surprised. I just hoped that for once we made a mistake. Fat chance. ;)

BTW: I'm sure I mentioned this site before:

Atomic Rockets

It's meant as a help for aspiring scifi authors to avoid the myriad of pitfalls, some of which are mentioned above. It's entertaining in and of itself though and there are a ton of scifi book suggestions mixed in. Especially the plethora of realistic (at least theoretically) engine types and tings usually overlooked by amatoer scifi writers (termodynamics, world building, economics, the reality of spare warfare etc).

 

[sbrothy]

BTW: I'm sure I mentioned this site before:

Atomic Rockets

It's meant as a help for aspiring scifi authors to avoid the myriad of pitfalls, some of which are mentioned above. It's entertaining in and of itself though and there are a ton of scifi book suggestions mixed in. Especially the plethora of realistic (at least theoretically) engine types and tings usually overlooked by amatoer scifi writers (termodynamics, world building, economics, the reality of spare warfare

My all-time favorite is this one:

Nuclear Salt Water Rocket

Remember to point the exhaust away from populated areas. :)

 

[BWV]

Then there is bad economics - why would anyone trade over interstellar distances, other than maybe high-status luxury goods? If you have the technology to travel between stars, you have the resources to manufacture anything you need for far less energy.

 

[nsaspook]

Then there is bad economics - why would anyone trade over interstellar distances, other than maybe high-status luxury goods? If you have the technology to travel between stars, you have the resources to manufacture anything you need for far less energy.

There are some things you just can't make on the home planet.

 

[dlgoff]

Space ships DO NOT fly aerodynamically, with banking turns and whooshing sounds.

In space, no one can hear you scream.

I know that's right.

 

[Hornbein]

Then there is bad economics - why would anyone trade over interstellar distances, other than maybe high-status luxury goods? If you have the technology to travel between stars, you have the resources to manufacture anything you need for far less energy.

That one always bothered me. It was just an excuse to recreate the British Empire with space ships. Avatar had a nice tongue-in-cheek touch : the white men were invading to extract Unobtainium.

It would make a lot more sense to trade things that can be transmitted electronically. I'd pay to hear/see art from another planet. Or just plain tourism. But not much drama in that.

 

[sbrothy]

I'm bored and wanted to share an idle thought with someone. As it doesn't really merit it's own thread I'll put it here. If it's merits sharing at all I'll let you decide. The answer is likely no but as I said: I'm bored. My "loneliness" is by choice though. :)

To my embarrassment I have "Abraham Lincoln - Vampire Hunter" running on the TV in the background (which is my usual TV MO). It may or may not be making some kind of simile between slave drivers and vampires, very very loosely along the lines of "Django Unchained". I kind of doubt it because I haven't really been paying attention (I prefer RFMs as stated elsewhere.)

What I did notice though, was the anachronistic use of cool sunglasses in both (and probably other) movies where they don't really belong.

I can understand Tarantino, but what is it with sunglasses? Are they somehow replacing smoking identifying the one "you don't F with", good or bad?

You may go about your business again. Nothing to see here. Really!

Regards. :)

PS: Now I think about it (uncanny huh? I only think about what I write when I reread it!) this is more a case of what post-fiction got/gets "right"... or something... Nah I should have left it at that. I'm going to bed. :)

 

[gmax137]

what is it with sunglasses?

Remember in K-Pax, prot explains the sunglasses, "I forgot how bright it is on this planet" (or something along those lines...

 

[sbrothy]

Remember in K-Pax, prot explains the sunglasses, "I forgot how bright it is on this planet" (or something along those lines...

That's funny. This one seems to have escaped my attention. It rings a lot of bells though but these movies always do as many of the themes necessary repeat.

I I'll give it a go. Thank you. (Extra points for reading my half-intoxicated garbage
But ofcourse it doesn't really explain anything as most of those I talk about are born on Earth (presumably. who knows?) and should be accustomed to the "photonic ambiance" :)

Regards.

 

[Hornbein]

- characters speaking weird made-up dialects - i get that people in the future space empire might have different languages and dialects, but don't try to make them up and inflict them on the reader

It works quite well in A Clockwork Orange.

I once saw a Vince Diesel SF action movie that had been dubbed into a language I didn't recognize at all. It made it a lot more exotic and alien, very effective. It really seemed like something from another planet.

It turned out to be Thai, but not the polite Thai that foreigners are exposed to.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Remember in K-Pax, prot explains the sunglasses, "I forgot how bright it is on this planet" (or something along those lines...

That's what I love about PF. It takes a true nerd to go directly from cool sunglasses to K-Pax.

It's something I would do and then get strange looks from the non PF people around me.

 

[sbrothy]

That's what I love about PF. It takes a true nerd to go directly from cool sunglasses to K-Pax.

It's something I would do and then get strange looks from the non PF people around me.

I realize the comment wasn't aimed at me. Still, you wouldn't believe some of the strange looks I get from my immediate circle of acquaintances, not to mention complete strangers. Without even opening my mouth! :)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I realize the comment wasn't aimed at me. Still, you wouldn't believe some of the strange looks I get from my immediate circle of acquaintances, not to mention complete strangers. Without even opening my mouth! :)

I have to be very careful. I am an extrovert with a wicked sense of humor. And I can take over a room and have everyone cracking up. But my sense of humor can cross the line for some people. And if I say what I'm really thinking, most people would have no idea what I'm talking about.

Most people probably wouldn't know K-Pax. "K-Pax what? Is that a rap singer?"

 

[gmax137]

It takes a true nerd

Thanks! I take "nerd" as a compliment, unlike "dork" or "dweeb."

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Thanks! I take "nerd" as a compliment, unlike "dork" or "dweeb."

Me too. I often refer to myself as a nerd, and proud of it!

 

[White Hole]

In the movies we are almost always able to put up a fight against invading aliens. There is almost no chance that we would be anywhere close to evenly matched. It would likely be like ants rising up against humans.

And any invading aliens probably have antivirus software in the mother ship. Don't expect Jeff Goldblum to save you.

The aliens from Independence Day seemed to be brainwashed; they have no reason for antivirus, because nobody had ever thought about viruses. Computer viruses wouldn't exist in their civilization, no reason for them to

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Here is something they almost always get wrong. In fact I don't think I've ever seen it done correctly. Whenever we see a show or movie using an MRI scanner [Magnetic Resonance Imaging for medical purposes], they imply or write the plot suggesting the magnet doesn't turn on until they start the scan. FAIL! The magnet normally remains on indefinitely. The only thing involved in a scan is the emission of RF to wobble your Hydrogen atoms; and then detecting the emissions back from those atoms.

 

[White Hole]

Science fiction books, at least the ones I've read, tend to get known science right, and whatever hypothetical science is needed for the story, well, it doesn't matter, that's up to the author.

Science fiction television and most movies, however, are replete with errors. A specific example would be an episode in Star Trek: The Next Generation in which Data says the surface temperature of a planet is something ridiculous below -273°C.

More general examples of consistent errors I have posted elsewhere and reproduce here. I call these my Rules of Hollywood Science, which movies and television shows seem to follow religiously:

• Sounds must always be present in the vacuum of space.
• Lasers must make interesting noises.
• The light of a laser beam must be brightly visible even in a vacuum, and it must travel slower than the speed of light, so that viewers can get a sense of the beam's trajectory over a couple frames of film.
• Ships maneuvering in a weightless vacuum shall bank when they turn, as if they are flying through an atmosphere in a gravitational field.
• Camera shots of an actor's face in front of a video display should show what's being displayed projected onto the actor's face, in focus, as if the display were projecting through a lens. It is not necessary for the projection to be reversed.
• Control panels must have high-current power running through them, so that when disaster strikes, the control panel emits showers of sparks.
• Two or more ships in space must always orient themselves as if there is a universal "up" direction agreed upon by all.
• When a ship flies by the camera while orbiting a planet, the viewer must see the ship fly along a curved path, as if the planet is small enough for an observer to notice the curvature before the receding ship becomes too small to see.
• Actors should wear helmets with bright internal lights that illuminate their faces, thereby preventing them from seeing anything in low-light environments. They have directors to tell them what to do; they don't really need to see.
• Aliens are always humanoid.
• A person escaping from an underwater confined space must be able to hold breath during extreme physical exertion longer than is humanly possible.
• Langauge barriers usually don't exist.
• Sound travels at infinite velocity. The sound from events (such as explosions) visible far away in the distance must be heard simultaneously with the event.
• Computers must always make cute little noises when keys are pressed or when characters or images appear on the display.
• Text communication via computer must appear on a display at average human reading speed, as if being transmitted by a 1970s-era 300 baud modem.
• Real space-time communication delays due to astronomical distances can be safely ignored.
• During any countdown sequence (such as with a bomb on a timer), it is permissible for each one-second time interval to contain dialog and action that far exceeds one second in duration.
• the list goes on...

My rules:
Sounds, of course, are not present in space; the viewer can hear them, but nobody else should respond unless they are connected via platform
Lasers do make interesting noises...
Lasers of course travel at the speed of light, but plasma guns don't
Space travel is complicated
Can you fix that?
It takes a lot of energy to power a spaceship, and there is a safety warning
They don't need to be oriented, but there IS a universal Up, just like there's a universal North, East, South, West, and Down
I agree, this needs to be fixed.
I agree, this needs to be fixed.
There are pigs, and spiders, and birds, and trees; most of them are humanoid because the evolution stops with humans.
I agree, this definitely needs to be fixed
Translators
I agree, this needs to be fixed
It has the same purpose as the ping you sometimes get on your phone
This can be fixed, depends on timeline
This should definitely be fixed, quantum communication is the way to go
This should be fixed and applied to all movies (Looking at you James Bond)

 

[pinball1970]

The thing that always gets me is where the alien is a monster that constantly drools acid or some other fluid and you never see them off-screen chugging gatorade to replenish their bodily fluids.

Dallas: 'ive only ever seen that with molecular acid...'

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Old episode of House: A woman put into an MRI has metal screws in her leg she didn't disclose. The story was the screws got hot due to the magnetic field.

NO! It is a static magnetic field. What generates the heat is the RF emitted to wobble the H atoms.The magnetic field does things like pull the screws out of the bone! We had that happen to an old WWI vet back in the 80s. [I worked on MRI units]

However, I think all screws and metal used internally is stainless and not a problem magnetically. Even the WWI vet had stainless pins in his leg but they were of such a low quality [because of the period] that they were still dangerous.

 

[pinball1970]

There are inconsistencies regarding the size of the alien in “ALIEN”
When it bursts out of Kane and runs away it is about the size of squirrel within a few hours it is so big it kills Brett and lifts him off the ground in the process.
Where did all that extra mass come from?
Assuming it did not raid the kitchen?
When it grabs Dallas in the air duct it is not as big again its human size.
I know they tinkered with the plot while they were filming but that was an inconsistency for me.
I still love the film, the ultimate sci fi thriller/horror combo, not many good ones.
Contact

Why didn’t Ellies kit record anything? Why ok before and after but static for 18 hours during the trip?
Assuming everything was not fried (everything else seemed to be ok) should not physical laws apply on near Vega? Just as they do here?
I know the ending is supposed to be bitter sweet so she could not be vindicated at the end but a reasonable explanation was not given.
The other thing is if she went to Vega and back at the speed of light it would take 50 years, I take it a worm hold just cuts that down to practically zero?
If that is the case why does 18 hours equate to an instant?
Should it not be the other way round at least to some extent?
Using the 1-v2c2 I can put Ellie to near to C I get 18 hours = 25 days

 

[gmax137]

There are inconsistencies regarding the size of the alien in “ALIEN”
When it bursts out of Kane and runs away it is about the size of squirrel within a few hours it is so big it kills Brett and lifts him off the ground in the process.
Where did all that extra mass come from?
Assuming it did not raid the kitchen?
When it grabs Dallas in the air duct it is not as big again its human size.
I know they tinkered with the plot while they were filming but that was an inconsistency for me.
I still love the film, the ultimate sci fi thriller/horror combo, not many good ones.

I saw Alien in the movie theater when it first came out, like the first weekend, before there were any spoilers. I still remember when it erupted from the guy's chest -- everyone in the theater jumped in their seats. A loud collective gasp with some screaming. Awesome.

 

[pinball1970]

I saw Alien in the movie theater when it first came out, like the first weekend, before there were any spoilers. I still remember when it erupted from the guy's chest -- everyone in the theater jumped in their seats. A loud collective gasp with some screaming. Awesome.

I was too young unfortunately, it was an 'X' in the UK so 18 or over only.
That would have been something to see on the big screen first.
The only real cinema experience I had like that was Jaws - I think it was an 'A' So accompanied by an adult (thanks mum) Scared the hell out of me.

Back to Alien, have a look at you tube cut scenes. Lambert is cornered by the Alien and Parker is screaming at her to get out of the way.
The Alien looks like a shuffling E.T. As in THE E.T. from the kids film, ridiculous. Good job they cut it but again the size. It yo yos mass size that makes no sense.
BUT...Love that film.
Got to mention molecular acid again too. Did that irritate @Borek ?

 

[Bystander]

Did that irritate @Borek ?

It did me, and I'll say "Yes" for Borek.

 

[DaveC426913]

One I've noticed often is the idea that in 400 years or a galaxy far, far away, people in space ships will be pouring brandy. There is an obsession with booze in much of sci fi. While I doubt the use of drugs will disappear, I don't think people and aliens will forever be pouring a glass.

No? You don't think that there are traditions we have today that are 400 years old and have spread throughout civilization?

Smoking a fine cigar.
Japanese tea ceremony.
Extending a hand in greeting (to show that it holds no weapon).
Making bread in a kiln.
Practicing archery.
"Good-bye" (God Be With Ye).
"Jesus Christ!"
etc.

I don't think it is an accident that a fine tradition like pouring brandy shows up in futuristic shows. I think it's thought through quite carefully as a timeless symbol of long friendships or new friendships, camaraderie, taking time for the good things in life - not to mention a reverence for timeless traditions.

 

[phinds]

There's also smoking on spaceships in some sci-fic movies and that always strikes me as silly.

 

[DaveC426913]

There's also smoking on spaceships in some sci-fic movies and that always strikes me as silly.

This is a deliberate antidote to the straight-laced, shiny-chrome, by-the-regs military organization of Star Trek.

They're not starship officers; they're blue collar labourers, whose job is on a spaceship.

In a society where regs are a cute fiction, why would normal people not smoke?

Not a safety thing; people smoke on boats all the time. Besides, I think the idea is they've solved the fire-in-a-closed-vessel danger by then. And that's is a message too:

Technology changes constantly; human behaviour does not.

 

[phinds]

I think the idea is they've solved the fire-in-a-closed-vessel danger by then

I wasn't thinking of fire but of needing a more robust air purification system, PLUS the fact that a spaceship is a closed environment and we already know the danger of second hand some. I KNOW I'm being logical in a situation where it really doesn't apply, but I can't help myself.

 

[BWV]

So how many human crewmembers does the Enterprise really need with nearly god-like AI? Just maybe one or two disposable ones for landing parties?