Stupidity: When Riker and Worf are searching for Geordi on the holodeck, why don't they just terminate the program, instead of looking for him in the simulated jungle? Would have made it a heck of a lot easier to find him in the relatively small empty holodeck, invisible or not.
Bishop73
16th Jan 2009
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
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Suggested correction: Geordi had already mutated and since one of the abilities of the mutation is invisibility, shutting off the holodeck wouldn't have helped as, without being able to see Geordi, it would be impossible to know where or if he was still in the holodeck.
The original stupidity still holds though. As the original poster said, it would be easier to find Geordi in the smaller holodeck, without the simulated jungle, "invisible or not."
No, it wouldn't. Before going to the holodeck, the computer was asked where Geordi was with the response he was no longer on board. This would indicate that any type of scanner would not be able to find him. Plus, how would shutting off the holodeck help? Geordi was now invisible, being invisible would have no shadow and shortly after Worf and Riker had even got to the holodeck, a partially mutated Geordi had already got to the transporter room and beamed himself down to the planet.
I have to agree. How would shutting down the holodeck be useful in finding Geordi since he was now invisible and the scanners on the Enterprise couldn't detect him?
Because of how the Holodeck works, turning off the program would leave him in a small room and standing on the floor, so they could at least try to physically sweep the room. Leaving the program running, he's still invisible, but now a physical sweep would be nearly impossible since he could be in trees above them or hiding below them and not on the same ground level.
14th Jan 2020
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
All Good Things... (1) - S7-E25
Character mistake: When Picard jumps to the past, he meets Data for the first time in engineering. If you look at Data's uniform, he is wearing the rank insignia of a Lt, Junior Grade.
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29th Dec 2019
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
The Best of Both Worlds (1) - S3-E26
Question: I can't tell if this was a mistake or if there's an explanation. When the Borg are on the Enterprise's bridge, the first two are covered in the green light indicating they're being transported back to the Borg ship, but the 3rd one (the one successfully shot by Worf) has no lights, he just fades away. Why?
Answer: The Borg use technology to cause the dead to disintegrate, presumably as a security measure to prevent their technology from being captured.
But in s05e23, "I, Borg", Riker says "the Borg collect their dead" when they encounter the injured Borg. Worf says to kill it and leave no evidence they were there so that when the Borg return to collect the dead member. Plus, there were 4 dead Borg and none of them disintegrated.
I believe "collect" refers to the disintegration. We see other Borg remove specific pieces of technology from the dead borg, which causes it to disappear.
Answer: Its possible that the Borg use a special transporter for living beings (which is the one with the green glow) and a different one for non-living things (which might not have a green glow). In Star Trek the federation uses a different type of transporter when moving bulk cargo than it does when moving people.
20th Mar 2018
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
We'll Always Have Paris - S1-E24
Character mistake: When Data is on the planet, about to drop the material into the temporal rift, one of the three Datas asks which one of them should do it. The middle Data replies, "Me. It's me." Data is meant to be incapable of using a contraction.
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Suggested correction: That character trait was not established until season 2. Data uses contractions multiple times in the first season.
While it was explicitly expressed in season 2 that Data can not use contractions, the fact that they did established this character trait means it could be a valid mistake since the trait is meant to show Data could never use contractions since his creation, not that he suddenly developed it some 30-odd years later. Although it would probably be best to submit it as a mistake in season 2 when it's mentioned that it contradicts what was established or at least make one character mistake for "all of season 1" than list every individual time it happened.
9th Dec 2016
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Other mistake: After greeting Crusher, Data explains where Picard is. Problem is he uses the contraction "he's" instead of "he is." Data is supposed to be incapable of this.
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Suggested correction: This is only a mistake if the series is taken as a whole. At this point in the series, that particular trait wasn't part of the character. Data uses contractions multiple times in the first season, as the trait was added later.
While it was explicitly expressed in season 2 that Data can not use contractions, the fact that they did established this character trait means it could be a valid mistake since the trait is meant to show Data could never use contractions since his creation, not that he suddenly developed it some 30-odd years later. Although it would probably be best to submit it as a mistake in season 2 when it's mentioned that it contradicts what was established or at least make one character mistake for "all of season 1" than list every individual time it happened.
20th Feb 2013
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Question: Why does Guinan have an intense hatred for Q?
Answer: He brought the Borg to the Alpha Quadrant and showed them that it was full of worlds waiting to be assimilated. Guinan's homeworld was their first stop, and they assimilated everyone and took over the planet, leaving The Survivors of her race without a home. Q is ultimately responsible for that.
By the time Q takes the Enterprise to meet the Borg, Guinan already knew who they were and they had already destroyed her world. Therefore the above answer can not be right. I believe Guinan is much more than she appears, and her people have had encounters with the Q in the past. It is these interactions, that obviously were not pleasant, that fuels her distrust.
That's what the above answer is saying. Q brought the Borg to the Alpha Quadrant (not Earth) and the Borg destroyed Guinan's home world in the late 2200's, which is why she hates Q. Although she met Q in 2160 and they both saw each other as enemies right away.
1st Feb 2018
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Corrected entry: As Wesley and Picard prepare to depart the Enterprise, Data says the ship is at impulse speed. However when we see the shuttle exit, the ship is shown not to be moving.
Correction: At impulse speeds, there would be no visible indication of movement as they're in open space.
This is incorrect. In-universe has shown the difference between a moving ship and stationary ship, even open space.
Exactly what is this difference you're referring to? If a ship is moving at sub-light speeds with only stars visible it is impossible to tell how fast it is moving, or even if it is moving. The only movement visible would be that imparted by the difference in movements of the camera and ship. (In fact, they create of the illusion of the ship speeding by by moving the camera past a stationary ship.) This is reality. If there is an error, it is the fact that the stars can be seen moving outside the hanger bay door which would indicate the ship was slowly rotating.
11th Jul 2016
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Encounter at Farpoint (1) - S1-E1
Character mistake: In his exchange with Admiral McCoy, Data uses several contractions (i.e., shouldn't, I'm). For the rest of the series he doesn't, and in S3: Ep16, "The Offspring", he admits that his programming makes him incapable of using contractions. And in S4: Ep8, "Future Imperfect" Riker questions Data on when he started using contractions, knowing that Data is incapable of it.
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Suggested correction: It is true that in later seasons he is unable to use contractions. However, since that characteristic was not introduced in the first season, this is not a mistake. His behavior is consistent with the character's behavior throughout the first season.
It's still a possible mistake, even if it wasn't part of season 1 scripting. Just because we only learn later that Data doesn't use contractions, doesn't make this mistake invalid. We learn Data was specifically constructed that way and hadn't been able to use contraction since being created, which means all of season 1 he shouldn't be using contractions. Although it would probably be best to submit it as a mistake in season 2 when it's mentioned that it contradicts what was established.
Incorrect. It would be a mistake if he used a contraction after the trait was added to his character, but the mistake can't be retroactive as it wasn't a mistake for him to use it at that point in the show.
14th Jul 2011
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Character mistake: At the end of the episode, after Lore has been defeated, Picard asks Data if he is O.K. Data replies, "I'm fine." One of the plot points of this episode is that Data cannot use contractions.
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Suggested correction: That characteristic was not added to the character until season two. In the first season, Data uses contractions on a number of occasions.
It's still a possible mistake, even if it wasn't part of season 1 scripting. Just because we only learn later that Data doesn't use contractions, doesn't make this mistake invalid. We learn Data was specifically constructed that way and hadn't been able to use contraction since being created, which means all of season 1 he shouldn't be using contractions. Although it would probably be best to submit it as a mistake in season 2 when it's mentioned that it contradicts what was established.
It would only be a mistake if he used the contraction after the trait was established for the character.
Possibly, but that's not how mistakes on this site work seem to work. It could still be a valid mistake in the context of the entire show since the character trait had in fact been established. It's the same way for when shows do something like establish a character's birth-date in later seasons, but when episodes from earlier season have the character at the wrong age. Although it would probably be best to submit it as a mistake in season 2 when it's mentioned that it contradicts what was established.
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