Amph Science Fiction myths and science discussion thread

It got me thinking whilst watching a zombie movie. For example watching any movie where civilization has broken down you notice gas stations still be functional along with gas still being good. Realization is most gas begins to break down after a few months.

So what parts of science fiction movies bugs you about getting the science wrong and perpetuating the myth?

 

If the movie is good enough, I don't worry about such things. Besides, it's just a show, I should really just relax.

 

Although, I can bust pretty much every single car myth they use. Although only Die Hard 4 acknowledged that you can't start a car by jumping it anymore. All the rest assume you can. Plus they forget one big thing. If you can't turn the ignition switch to the accessory position, then you are not unlocking the steering wheel. Thus it locks after the first turn.

 

If you care so much, why don't you write a book about it?

 

It still bugs me when people bring up the whole "sound in space" issue with stuff like Star Wars. Of course, there's no sound in space, the whole thing is one of those things you have to accept for the viewer's benefit. Sure, J.J Abrams threw those people a bone with the Narada attack on the Kelvin in the 2009 Star Trek film when that crewmember is sucked out into space, but nitpickers are going to just have to accept this as one of those rules of science that are bent to make a more exciting movie.

 

These sort of things don't usually bother me per se -- sometimes you've got to just roll with it for the sake of storytelling -- but it's a fun discussion to have. I didn't know that about gasoline.

As something of a subversion to this, I remember in 28 Days Later the survivors of the zombie-pocalypse found some fresh fruit in a grocery story that had remained good because it had been irradiated. I don't know how accurate that is, but it the movie played it up as an exciting moment, when it just as easily could have had them grabbing canned goods as usual in these movies.

 

One thing that bugs me is laziness in fooling my eye. Example: In Watchmen we allow Dr Manhatten to do what he does, no real questions asked. Yet in that same movie Silk Spectre kicks a guy and he goes flying in a perfectly straight line for 15 feet as if she is strong enough to leg press 2 tons. Later on Ozymandius jumps so high and far it looks like he took flight. In the same fight he kicks Night Owl who then goes flying like a giant hand swatted him. (otherwise I really like the movie).

I dislike the basic plot that people leave our solar system because we ran out of resources. There is enough stuff in this solar system to support quadrillions of people, we just lack the propulsion to make it easier. Just tell me evil corporations make it tough to spread it around and have become oppressive and some folks decided to escape.

 

You're watching a film based on the reanimation of dead bodies, and what strikes you as odd is the implausible shelf-life of gasoline?

Seriously, in answer to your query, I'd go along with DantheJedi's annoyance with "sound in space" effects and the like, but only in films
that are even loosely portrayed as science possible. Science fantasy films such as Star Wars and Star Trek, I would exclude from this,
in my own opinion.

 

Computers where everything is controlled by rapid keystrokes and never, ever the mouse.

 

www.tvtropes.org

 

Just try telling that to Scotty

 

I've always considered that a straw man argument. A story should always stay within the bounds of it's own established reality. If the reality is "everything is the same except ZOMBIES" then it needs to stay that way. Otherwise it starts to feel contrived. (But like I said above: I can be forgiving if it's within reason and for storytelling purposes).

 

Time Travel is a common one. Isn't reverse Time Travel supposed to be impossible?
Same with faster than light speed travel. Star Trek has Warp which is fine but other sci-fi movies simply mention going faster than light speed.

Escaping black holes with power is something weird too. In the first Abrams Star Trek movie they at least made it more plausible by not being able to warp away & having to detonate the warp core to blast themselves free.
But I recall in Doctor Who once a spaceship just turned around and accelerated away from a Black Hole that was pulling it in

 

If you are still outside the event horizon you may be able to get away even without a scifi ftl. Once you cross the event horizon all directions are towards the singularity. Even if you looked back the way you came you are looking at the singularity. There is no "back" anymore. All paths go toward the singularity. The only way out...maybe...is if the black hole was spinning fast enough to make a ring form singularity. Then you might be able to pass through or close to and wind up somewhere or somewhen else.