Top 10 errors?

Found this today:

http://listverse.com/movies/top-10-errors-in-science-fiction-movies/

I gotta disagree on some of these.

10. Simplicity

The examples of exotic scenarios are, at best, extreme science. At worst, impossible. Life around a pulsar?? After a supernova, the only planets remaining are the lumps of rock & gas that re-form after the explosion. The environment around it is hostile to life:

“Pulsars emit a tremendous amount of high energy radiation, yet within this harsh environment we have a disk that looks a lot like those around young stars where planets are formed.” Dr. Deepto Chakrabarty, “Pulsars Form Planets Too”

The scenarios he describes are definitely science fiction.

9. Simplistic Planets

While it’s a good point, I think we’ve all seen plenty of worlds in media SF with variety. The reason he probably remembers this one is because film makers will create an extreme world for artistic reasons, and that will stick in our heads more so than Naboo.

8. Alien / Human Breeding

Gotta agree with him there.

7. Alien / Human communication

This one is harder to discuss for the simple reason that we haven’t encountered extra-terrestrial intelligence yet.  But we do share a common reality and experience the same phenomena.  If they can build a civilization & technology, they would probably have a similar concept of  mathematics and science.  Which is exactly what the movie Contact showed.  So this isn’t so much an error as a failure of imagination.  There may indeed be other novel forms of communication that can evolve and could be interesting premises.

6. Instant Communications

Yeah, this one is amusing.  Star Trek takes the attitude they are using sub-space and are those using FTL communication all the time.  But in movies with combat ranging over a solar system, like Star Wars, the time lag would definitely be noticeable.

5. Humanoid Aliens

While over used in SF movies, I take exception to his idea that the humanoid form (1 head, two arms, two legs) would be unique to Earth.  The humanoid form is pretty amenable to a tool manipulating species.

4. Explosions in Space

I agree with him to an extent, but there are exceptions.

3. Superluminal Travel

I prefer to think the jury is still out on this.

2. Earth Gravity

To be fair, most movies & TV shows these days recognize the concept of artificial gravity.

1. Sound in Space

OK, we agree there too.

~ by movieotaku on November 24, 2007.