Factual error: In the PALOMINO scenes, Anthony Perkins wears a long lab coat. In most of the scenes, it hangs straight down; but in the low gravity aboard the ship it should be flattering about (that's why such loose garments are not worn by real-life cosmonauts; they would be a hindrance).
Visible crew/equipment: Throughout the movie, the cables that help the robots V.I.N.C.E.N.T. and Old Bob fly are visible.
Revealing mistake: Upon docking the Palomino to the Cygnus, the small ship is then carried "down" to where the crew can disembark. As the Palomino is carried along, the camera follows it linearly, past the superstructure of the Cygnus. The star filled background also shifts position slightly in exact synchrony with the motion, revealing that the background is really just a short distance beyond the spaceship miniature. (00:19:30)
Revealing mistake: When Dan Holland, Kate, V.I.N.CENT and old Bob battle Reinhard's robot sentries on the catwalk, part of the bridge the sentries stand on is critically damaged and collapses. In that shot, the sentries are model figurines.
Factual error: In the opening sequence the crew of the Palomino choose to approach the U.S.S. Cygnus, and thus fire the ship's rocket motors to accelerate it towards the target. As the motors push the ship, Kate McCrae is seen maneuvering herself in a state of zero-g. Very soon after that, she is seen floating weightlessly as the ship once again fires the engines to accelerate away from the nearby black hole. In reality, there'd be no weightlessness onboard the ship during any rocket generated acceleration. Everyone would be pressed to the floor. (00:08:50 - 00:16:05)
Revealing mistake: Another fly-by-wire act by Joseph Bottoms is in the scene when the Cygnus is first sighted and he vaults himself over the Palomino controls (in low gravity) to reach his seat. As he settles down, the wire used for the vault is briefly visible on his belt.
Revealing mistake: The meteors that hit the spaceship are transparent.
Factual error: In one scene, Mr. Booth is touring the Cygnus by himself and finds a control room for the ship's botanical garden. He goes to a window to look into the garden, but the pane is fogged over so he wipes it clear with his shirt sleeve. Dew will form on the hotter, more humid side of the window, his side ought to be dry.
Visible crew/equipment: At the beginning of the film, when Vincent announces the black hole, LT. Pizer asks Vincent to have a look at it on the holograph. As Vincent turns to operate the controls, a pair of hands are visible below Vincent, turning him. As the holograph comes on the hands can be seen moving out of frame. This has been edited out in the Blu-ray edition and on Disney+. (00:02:45)
Continuity mistake: V.I.N.CENT's pupils are usually round, but when nose to nose with Maximilian, they're square.
Revealing mistake: When Josef Bottoms loses his grip on the hull of the probe ship and drifts towards the black hole, you can see the two wires he's dangling from.
Visible crew/equipment: In the garden area, when Harry Booth asks "Are you programmed to speak?", the camera looks at the "robot." The edge of the set and surrounding soundstage can be seen reflected on the visor.
Continuity mistake: After the confrontation with S.T.A.R., Bob tells Vincent to meet him in the parts room. Once there Bob introduces himself to Vincent, but Vincent had been calling him Bob in the previous scene.
Visible crew/equipment: As Maximilian inverts in the elevator (incredible given the small size of the compartment) if you look closely, you can see the arms extended from the wall the Max pivots on. Also, in this shot, the inside of V.I.N.CENT's left eye and pupil can be seen through the grille on the left side of his head.
Revealing mistake: In the control tower, as the Palomino crew look around, you can see all the way through V.I.N.CENT's head by means of the pentagonal shaped grilles on either side.
Continuity mistake: As V.I.N.CENT leaves the hatch by tether, his "legs" are extended. In the long shot, they are retracted.
Revealing mistake: As Harry floats by the camera after the Black Hole grabs them, you can plainly see the wires holding him.
Revealing mistake: After the Palomino gets into the zero gravity bubble around the Cygnus, the camera goes inside to Pizer. He bucks in the seat a few seconds after the ship stops shaking, showing it was a camera trick.
Continuity mistake: There were two models used for V.I.N.CENT. and Old B.O.B., full-scale robots and miniatures. The miniatures are not identical to the full-sized robots. One notable difference in B.O.B. is that on the full-sized robot, his eyes are not flush against his face, so you can see the shadow of his eye sockets fall upon his eyes. On the miniature, the parts fit better so there is no shadow cast on his eyes.
Other mistake: Whilst Captain Holland, Lieutenant Pizer, Dr. McCrae, Bob and Vincent are riding in the ship's transport system, the tube comes to an abrupt end due to meteorite damage. Since the tube is outside the ship, there would be no air left for the humans to breathe, nor could they survive in outer space completely unprotected for long. Plus, they would't be able to hear Bob's statement that they should try the main corridor. (01:17:40)
