Best sci-fi TV mistakes of all time

Path of Destruction - S2-E2

Plot hole: In order to build up suspense, Virgil and Brains stand on the Crab Logger as its dangerous fuel is pumped out, despite the fact that it is hanging on the edge of a precipice. In fact they could have left as soon as they had plumbed in the pipes to empty the fuel tanks - the whole procedure is controlled by Scott in Thunderbird 1 and they make absolutely no contribution to the operation at all. They do not need to disconnect the pipes; they are left behind and dropped from Thunderbird 1 as planned. They just stand there chatting about how much danger they are in until jumping clear at the very last second. Silly buggers.

Meltdown - S4-E6

Factual error: Kryten tells everyone that the matter paddle transmits matter in digital form from one place to another at the speed of light - he is very clear on this point. He then locates Waxworld, which is 200,000 light years away. Okay - so when they use the matter paddle to transmit themselves to Waxworld, why doesn't it take them 200,000 years to get there?

New Earth - S2-E4

Continuity mistake: As the camera zooms out when Rose is captured and Cassandra is about to "go" into Rose, the psychograft disappears, but in the next shot of Rose it appears again. (00:11:45)

Pilot: Part 1 - S1-E1

Continuity mistake: In the scene where William Fichtner is shown first leaving his trailer and picking up litter in the amusement park, his gloved hand switches from his right hand to his left then back to his right again before he starts talking to the couple.

Rozwell - S2-E9

Revealing mistake: As the gang drives up to the space-ship diner, cars whizzing by in the background. When they are driving to the base there's also a clip of a Firetruck going down the highway in the distance.

Family Ties - S1-E22

Visible crew/equipment: After Rygel's transport pod returns to Moya, as the docking bay door slides open, in the shot facing everyone while they have their weapons drawn we can see the bare floor. However, when Aeryn checks Crais for hidden weapons and then as D'Argo approaches him, there's a blue crash mat on the floor. Then it vanishes again.

Super Grover

Our Mrs. Reynolds - S1-E3

Continuity mistake: When Shepherd Book tells everyone about the electrical nets, Jayne says, "One day you're gonna tell us all how a preacher knows so damn much about crime." Shepherd then turns to leave. But in the immediate close up of him and Mal, he turns to leave again.

Free for All - S1-E4

Continuity mistake: Throughout the episode, Number 6's lapels switch from having solid to broken white piping and back again.

The Night Dr. Loveless Died - S3-E4

Continuity mistake: In the opening scene, a cowboy sitting atop the balcony above Big Brad's Bar gets up and approaches the balcony's edge twice.

And Those We Left Behind - S4-E6

Plot hole: The very ending scene where Peter (in this version died in the ice as a boy so Walter's wife never met him) takes off some of the dust covers then picks up a toy airplane. The toy airplane he got as a child from ... Walter's wife when she was trying to placate him in an earlier episode for trying to run "home". This toy airplane wouldn't have been his as a child in this version of the universe. (00:42:00)

Kobol's Last Gleaming (2) - S1-E15

Visible crew/equipment: In the scene where Starbuck attempts to retrieve Apollo's arrow, a crewman in a red tee shirt and dark vest can be seen standing just behind and to the right of the display case as she is shooting out the glass.

Paper Clip (3) - S3-E2

Visible crew/equipment: When Mulder and Scully enter the abandoned mine through a doorway, the viewer can see at right in the distance a number of people sitting on a wall, and one crouching in front of the wall with what looks like a dog. They are sitting still, but there is still movement there. (00:16:00)

Clean Kills and Other Trophies - S1-E12

Visible crew/equipment: The boom mic's shadow is visible on the back wall as Archie Dittman. Jr. descends the staircase.

Rebirth - S6-E1

Continuity mistake: As the power builds up in Bender, his left eye pops out, making him a cyclops, subsequently being eaten by the Cyclops eater. After the monster dies, Bender comes out, and has two eyes in the long shot, but puts his left eye back in the close up.

Riverboat - S1-E6

Factual error: A character in the episode has invented denim, but denim was invented in 1873 and was being used widely up to the time period of the series, which is set in 1893.

Impact - S1-E1

Other mistake: Right at the start, as they're crashing, the computer narrates their rapidly-dropping altitude in feet. But the "altitude" dial we're shown is in metres. Most noticeable as they cross the 3,000 mark, when the computer voice and the height say/show the same number at the same time, despite the different units. 3,000m would be more like 9,000 feet, or 3,000 feet would be more like 1,000m. (00:03:20)

Jon Sandys

An Invisible Thread - S3-E25

Plot hole: If Noah could be brought back from the dead with Claire's blood why couldn't they bring back Nathan? Was turning Sylar into Nathan really the first thing they could think of?

Conspiracy - S1-E25

Continuity mistake: In the beginning of this episode, Riker orders Geordi (who was navigator at the time) to increase to Warp 6. In response, Geordi replies, "Aye sir, full impulse."

The Magician - S3-E4

Revealing mistake: When Oliver meets Thea at the Grind and Jot Cafe (Which looks unsurprisingly like CC Jitters) you can see the cups on the table are from CC Jitters. (00:20:50)

Pilot - S1-E1

Plot hole: Brian calls Rebecca after he has been shot. She asks him "Where is the bullet? Is it in your leg still?" Brian never mentioned he was shot in the leg. (00:30:20)

Broken Link - S4-E26

Revealing mistake: During the fight between Garak and Worf near the end of the episode, a Jefferies tube door is knocked out of its frame to reveal the end of the set - a dark room with a wooden scaffold and various other pieces of equipment. (Slow-mo helpful but not required)

The Three Doctors - S10-E1

Revealing mistake: (Part 4) After Omega takes off his mask and looks in the mirror, when he sees that his physical body doesn't exist he puts his mask back on and screams, but when he shouts, "If I exist only by my will, then my will is to destroy," Omega's mask pops up off his face, and we can see the actor's blackened face as he shouts the last bit of his dialogue. (00:07:10)

Super Grover

Many Happy Returns - S2-E4

Continuity mistake: When Charlie is climbing down the cliff the rope comes undone from the tree stump, but a few seconds later you see it still tied to the stump. (00:12:00 - 00:12:45)

301 - S3-E1

Continuity mistake: Duke is wearing an extra shirt, and his hair is longer then it was, despite continuing the scene from the end of season 2.

Pilot - S1-E1

Continuity mistake: When Max, Michael, and Isabel are at the taco stand discussing Max's saving of Liz's life, you can see Michael hand Max the bottle of Tabasco the three are sharing, and when the shot switches, Michael again has the bottle of Tabasco. (00:13:15)

MoonFaery

Green With Evil (1): Out of Control - S1-E17

Continuity mistake: Up until Green No More in Series 2 (where the Green Ranger powers are destroyed), the Green Ranger's overshield constantly changes between solid-looking metal to flimsy-looking cotton. This is the most obvious difference between the Japanese and US footage.

Drone - S5-E2

Deliberate mistake: When the Doctor begins to "fade" in the transporter room his mobile emitter fades with him. Since it's made of solid matter and is not a hologram, this shouldn't be possible.

Mr. Stenchy - S1-E4

Continuity mistake: The second time that Jumba shoots Gantu with the orange string that wraps him up, the highest it gets is his shoulders, however, when Gantu falls to the floor, the string is now in three ringlets above his forehead.

Prodigy - S4-E19

Continuity mistake: Carter and Cadet Haley enter the Stargate and we see them through the "puddle." When they come out on the other side, their positions are reversed.

Show generally

Continuity mistake: Season 4, episode 10 "Ben 10 vs. The Negative 10, Part 2": When the Forever King makes his announcement "Nothing will stop this little home-coming", he stands outside the Mount Rushmore base on bare soil. But in the scene where Max reviews the recording of this speech, all of a sudden we find the Forever King standing on a neatly tiled floor.