Other mistake: I was so bugged by protocol errors in early episodes that I stopped watching. For example, there were at least 2 episodes where Navy or Marine officers in utility uniforms were wearing Army brass on their collars. In one episode, "Harm" is walking with his female partner through a garage. He returns the salute of an enlisted man who walks by, but she doesn't. In any event, the garage was indoors, where Naval Service protocol says you don't salute.
JAG (1995)
1 mistake in Season 1 generally
Dr. Donald Mallard: You sure you won't have dinner with me tonight, Viv?
Special Agent Vivian Blackadder: Oh, Ducky, you're disgusting!
Dr. Donald Mallard: The pursuit of sex is an affirmation of life, Vivian. That's why older men are so lascivious.
Special Agent Vivian Blackadder: I'm talking about your lack of respect for the dead.
Dr. Donald Mallard: I have the utmost respect for the dead.
Special Agent Vivian Blackadder: Well, that's obvious from the way you speak to them.
Dr. Donald Mallard: If you were dead, wouldn't it be nice if you were spoken to, rather than about?
Question: In the episodes where Harm flies F-14s, what does it mean when pilots are told to "call the ball"?
Chosen answer: When landing on an aircraft carrier, a pilot "calls the ball" by confirming to the landing signal officer (LSO) that they have the carrier, and more specifically its landing guidance systems in sight. Carriers use a Fresnel lens system which is a light only visible at a certain angle, so if a pilot sees the "ball" they are at the correct altitude and glide slope for landing.
Sierra1 ★