Best sci-fi TV factual errors of all time

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The Venture Bros. picture

The Invisible Hand of Fate - S3-E3

Factual error: When Billy is in his first Underground Quiz Match, the host says at the start of the match "Jeopardy Rules apply," then starts with the first answer. Billy buzzes in with the correct question and wins it, however, Jeopardy Rules state that contestants may not buzz in before the host finishes reading. If they do, they lose their chance to buzz in first. (00:07:20)

Captain Defenestrator

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The Strain picture

Occultation - S1-E6

Factual error: Eichhorst seems to be unsure what his SS rank is. He is addressed as Standartenführer (Colonel) but wears the epaulettes of an Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant-Colonel) and the collar patch of a Sturmbannführer (Major). In addition, his other collar patch bears the standard SS lightning runes instead of the death's head of the Totenkopf concentration camp personnel.

Necrothesp

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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier picture

Power Broker - S1-E3

Factual error: Every guard in the prison has the emblems of Hamburg on his/her shoulders of the uniforms. Zemo is said to be imprisoned in Berlin, so they are wearing the wrong emblems.

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Quantum Leap picture

Salvation or Bust - S1-E5

Factual error: The bad guy tells the townsfolk to 'Get out of Dodge.' Not a saying used in 1879, despite Dodge City being a real place. In fact by this time Dodge City was no more violent than many other places, so it wouldn't have been used as a direct comparison either. There's no record of this specific phrase being used until Gunsmoke, in 1955.

Brian Katcher

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Farscape picture

Premiere - S1-E1

Factual error: CDR Crighton has on his astronaut flight suit. He is wearing an American flag on his right upper arm. But the flag has the field of stars to his rear. It is a flag designed to be worn on the left arm, not the right.

toroscan

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No Ordinary Family picture

Pilot - S1-E1

Factual error: When J.J. first discovers his powers and understands math, the parabola "seen" on the board is wrong for the given equation and it's different than what J.J. actually ends up drawing, which seems more like the right answer.

Bishop73

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Batman: The Brave and the Bold picture

Triumvirate of Terror! - S3-E8

Factual error: During the final fight in Lex's lair, Joker gives Batman a good smack with his large hammer. As is common in this show, when a good hit is delivered, a freeze frame is show with the figures moving in slow motion with a stylized colorful backdrop to add to the drama dynamics. But as Joker delivers this hit and this stylized shot is shown, the show cuts to some inmates in a prison cell watching the fight on TV. The same stylized shot is shown on their TV, where it would be show like that there, only to us. They would have just seen Joker hit Batman with the hammer and him fly off in real time with no stylized back drop or slow mo. (00:20:00)

Quantom X

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Haven picture

Last Goodbyes - S3-E11

Factual error: Will's hospital chart states he is taking Warfarin and Coumadin. These are both the same drug to prevent blood clots. He would not be on both. (00:31:50)

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Forever picture

New York Kids - S1-E7

Factual error: Henry states that the car bumper of an 2007 'XJ' is a certain height off the ground and led to a particular injury to a dead person. He claims he knows this because he is a Jaguar enthusiast. He then points to a photograph of the 'New York Kids' in a pre-2002 Jaguar XKR as 'circumstantial evidence' that it was this car that caused the injury. A Jaguar enthusiast would never mistake an XKR for an XJ.

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Supergirl picture

Manhunter - S1-E17

Factual error: The Marine Colonel in Supergirl played by Eddie McClintock spends all of his time wearing Marine Officer's Dress Blue Bravos. Marine Dress Blues are ceremonial uniforms. On rare occasions, the Charlies or Deltas (no coat) may be worn as a work uniforms (the primary exception to this rareness being recruiters). The full uniform is certainly not worn for day to day work in the field.

Prince Ly Squisher

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Between picture

Us vs. Them - S2-E2

Factual error: We see Liam's driver's license. It says he's from Rhode Island, but the license looks nothing like RI's. It's issued by the State Motor Vehicle Commission, but RI does not have an MVC (only New Jersey does). And the expiration date is always the same as the holder's birthday, but here we see it's 2 days after his birthday.

Bishop73

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Titans picture

Titans - S1-E1

Factual error: When Starfire gets out of the totalled car, there is a road sign visible. It is a settlement exit sign, denoting the exit of Königsstetten and Zeiselmauer as next settlement ahead. Obviously the makers tried to be extra thorough nailing down their "outside Vienna" location. They started OK - both Königsstetten and Zeiselmauer actually ARE outside Vienna - but then they completely botched it: Not only did they use a German black-on-yellow "StVO Zeichen 331" instead of the Austrian "StVO Hinweiszeichen 17b" which has black writing on a white base with a blue rim and doesn't list the next settlement, but they also put 852km as the distance to the next settlement, which is more than the length of Austria west to east. The real distance is 3.8km.

Doc

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Star Trek: Picard picture

Maps and Legends - S1-E2

Factual error: Picard tells his manservant that Laris and him are more needed at the Chateau than with him in space because there's less than a month left before the harvest. Without being privy to the knowledge of a XXIV century agronomist, grapes at the Chateau are grown with traditional methods in a climate that looks reasonably similar to our own. From the establishing shot at the beginning of this episode and what we could see by his walk in the vineyard in the previous, there are no grapes forming, ripening, not even flowers. Hardly the look of a vineyeard close to harvest. (00:07:00 - 00:36:10)

Sammo

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For All Mankind picture

Pathfinder - S2-E4

Factual error: Ed and Gordo are both flying NASA T-38 Talon aircraft from Houston to the Cape. NASA is a civilian space agency, and all of its planes are registered as civilian aircraft. But Ed's T-38 is shown in one shot as having US Air Force registration.

toroscan

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Foundation picture

In Seldon's Shadow - S2-E1

Factual error: Season 2, Episode 1: Cleon is fighting some "ninja" warriors. One of them slices part of an android's head clean off, below the right eye. When the android is next seen - with part of its head cut off - the slice is above the right eye. The right eye is fine.

toroscan

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Alien: Earth picture

Mr. October - S1-E2

Factual error: The state of the crashed ship and destroyed building makes it clear the so-called "Search and Rescue" team has no place here. Armed with rifles, military gear, and helmets, they're not equipped to save lives. Where are the firefighters with axes, EMTs with jaws of life, safety harnesses, or police to secure the scene? This operation looks more like a combat deployment than a genuine rescue effort. (00:03:30)

Quantom X

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