Red Dwarf (1988)
812 mistakes
New this month Revealing mistake: Lister and Cat get a ride to Nodnol after a man they bump into offers to take them in his van. The logo on the van appears completely normal, and has not been reversed, even though everything in this version of Earth is supposed to be reversed.
00:16:15
Casual PersonNew this month Plot hole: The barroom tidy scene in the pub makes absolutely no sense. It is established that this fight started because Lister and the Cat uneat a man's pie, which causes the man to punch Lister, and then the barroom brawl happens, but the events are reversed due to this version of Earth being set in a backwards reality. However, if the events of this fight are put into chronological order, this would mean that Lister uneating the man's pie and being punched by him would have been the last thing to happen during this fight, as it was the first thing to happen in reverse order, and therefore, would also means that there would have been no real reason for the pub patrons would get into a brawl in the first place, as nothing had occurred at that time.
00:23:15
Casual PersonNew this month Other mistake: When Rimmer is testing Kryten on a book of space traffic signs, Kryten stops on one page and is tested, which he says the sign is a binary star. Without turning the page, Rimmer points to a second sign on the same page asking what it is, which he points out is a blue giant about to supernova. After pointing to the time hole, Rimmer turns back to the book, saying "Right. What's this?" whilst still on the same page, pointing to a another sign. The page that is being used has one sign shown on the right hand side page, and the left hand side page is completely blank, equalling one sign on both sides of the page, but two or three signs are made mention to when on the page.
00:05:20
Casual PersonConfidence and Paranoia - S1-E5
New this month Revealing mistake: When Confidence is trying to get Lister to take his helmet off, Lister climbs over a railing and jumps around him. It is clear that the footage of Lister jumping around was slowed down to make his movement appear as if there is a lack of gravity.
00:26:35
Casual PersonFactual 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?
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Plot hole: Near the end of the episode Rimmer, Kryten and Lister are all in a Mexican standoff, each facing two shapeshifters who are impersonating them. The trouble is, thanks to Kryten's previous intervention Lister is now a soulless, unfeeling killing machine. Earlier he shot and killed a shapeshifter who could well have been Cat - he didn't know it was a shapeshifter and by his own admission he didn't care. We have already seen how fast on the draw he is - why didn't he just open fire on the six shapeshifters, Kryten and Rimmer in order to ensure his own survival? Don't tell me he was worried about being shot himself - fear is an emotion, too.
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Factual error: While it is true that lithium carbonate can be used to treat depression and other psychiatric disorders, it cannot be administered in gaseous form. It is a very stable salt and only starts to form vapour at 1,310 degress Celcius. Spraying it about as a 'mood stabliser' at that temperature, as Kryten does, is going to kill everyone on the spot.
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Timeslides - S3-E5
Factual error: The writer's understanding of the history of Nazism and its leaders is a bit shonky. Claus von Stauffenberg did not plant a bomb in Hitler's briefcase - he put it in his own briefcase which he planted in a meeting room next to Hitler (some berk moved it). This was in July 1944, while the last Nuremberg rally - which Lister visits, bringing back the briefcase - was in 1938. Stauffenberg didn't even join the anti-Hitler conspiracy until 1943. Red Dwarf is not an 'alternate history' - they correctly identify elements of the Stauffenberg plot and the Nazi regime, they just get them wrong.
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Plot hole: At the end, Kryten, Rimmer and Lister are in a lift facing off six gelf shapeshifters, two mimicking Lister, two mimicking Rimmer and two mimicking Krtyen, in a Mexican standoff. Nobody knows who to shoot, as they might shoot the real person instead of the shapeshifter. The problem is that Lister, Rimmer and Kryten are all self aware - they both know they are not shapeshifters. All Lister has to do is shoot the two fake Listers, Rimmer shots the fake Rimmers and Kryten shoots the two fake Krytens, problem solved.
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PEDAUNTSuggested correction: The point of a Mexican standoff is no one is in a position to shoot first for fear of being shot themselves. We're told the shapeshifters have no problem killing each other, so as soon as the real person starts to shoot, everyone may start firing, which could result in a real person being killed. Additionally, the only time all 9 are pointing guns at each other is in the lift. Before that, it's 3 groups of Listers, Krytens, and Rimmers, so no one is facing off with their shapeshifters. The only safe way to shoot the 6 shapeshifters would be to do it at the same time, and there's no way Lister, Kryten, and Rimmer could coordinate that. And, like all Mexican standoffs, it can only be resolved from outside help.
Visible crew/equipment: When Rimmer is being questioned by the Inquisitor, a full boom mic and arm can be seen rising out of shot by the three candles on the right of the screen.
00:08:35
Dwarf
Continuity mistake: In George's memorial service, the extras are totally different in the shots from George's point of view to the shots from the back of the room. Look for the woman with brunette hair and orange overalls - she's there in the forward shots but missing in the reverses. The chairs, tables, props, costumes and character placements are all completely discontinuous.
00:12:15
Revealing mistake: The first time you see Lister, the Cat, Kochanski and Kryten in the AR machine you can see the cat opening his eyes realising that it is not in the script, smiling and then closing his eyes.
00:04:50
Visible crew/equipment: In the first episode, 'The End' when Lister is telling his door to lock so he can get his cat out you can see the hand of a member of the crew pushing the door shut (look out the window).
00:14:18
Audio problem: When Lister and Rimmer see Cat just after Holly explains how he evolved, Rimmer runs at Cat screaming before he passes through him and we hear a crash off screen to indicate Rimmer has just run in to something. He is a hologram and is not solid, so no sound should be heard. [The original version did not have this mistake. The sound effect was added for the now defunct Remastered series.]
00:27:10
Visible crew/equipment: A wire/string pulling along the baby Skutters behind the parent Skutter is visible in the episode
00:25:35
Continuity mistake: At the start of the 'Welcome Back George McIntyre' reception scene, Lister, Chen and Selby are throwing things at Rimmer, then Rimmer looks around. In the next shot, Lister and Chen are looking round to their left, Selby is stabbing between his fingers, Rimmer is now looking straight forwards and Petersen has appeared from nowhere.
00:09:40
DwarfContinuity mistake: When George McIntye finishes his speech, he is standing. When the camera cuts back, he is sitting down.
00:11:55
Dwarf
Visible crew/equipment: When the Red Dwarf crew are talking about who Legion is (after Lister has poured his bucksfizz), Kryten then says, "Could our very presence here have inadvertently awoken him?" As he says this, at the left side of the screen the end of a camera lens pulls away.
00:20:30
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