Star Trek

Tomorrow is Yesterday - S1-E20

Factual error: Towards the end of the show the Enterprise is leaving Earth orbit and heading towards the sun. We see the Earth diminish and the moon appear looking exactly as it does from Earth. From this angle we should be seeing the "dark side" of the moon, which looks completely different. (00:40:50)

von

Miri - S1-E9

Factual error: In the opening scene on the bridge, when Spock states the planet's properties, the circumference is given in US miles; the mass is given in metric tons; the density is given in metric grams per cubic centimeter; and the atmosphere is given as oxygen/nitrogen. No scientist of Spock’s standing would mix US and metric unit systems. The atmosphere composition should also be stated reversed as “nitrogen/oxygen” with the most abundant gas first. (00:42:00 - 00:59:00)

Kenneth Schroeder

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: That might only true in today's standards. But we have no idea what future generations will choose to make standard.

Bishop73

This is such a trivial criticism that it should be removed to be fair. Whatever measurement standard is used in the future, it will be uniform without mixing of different unit systems.

Ken S

But that's an assumption based on what you think the future would be like. The British and Americans currently use a mix of different unit systems. While many US students use miles and pounds, they still calculate density as g/cm3.

Bishop73

Court Martial - S1-E21

Factual error: When they are searching for Finney hidden somewhere in the ship, all ship noises are deadened, and the heartbeats of those on the bridge are muffled by McCoy. In order to locate Finney's heartbeat the ship's auditory sensors are magnified by "one to the fourth power". That's 1x1x1x1 = 1, ie no magnification.

The Paradise Syndrome - S3-E3

Factual error: Mr. Spock states that the asteroid is almost as large as the Earth's Moon. Such big bodies must be predominantly spherical due to their own gravity. However, the asteroid is very elongated, with a very irregularly shaped surface. (00:06:40)

Is There in Truth No Beauty? - S3-E5

Factual error: The Enterprise accidentally travels a short distance outside the galaxy and can't find its way back. But they'd have to travel for months to get so far outside the Milky Way that they couldn't, well, just turn around in the void and see it. Our galaxy is huge. 100,000 light years across. Very huge. And that barrier may surround the galaxy, but even it is big, pink and visible.

Jean G

The Paradise Syndrome - S3-E3

Factual error: When Kirk is given the medicine badge, it's a stretchy elastic/Spandex headband. This is supposedly a completely pre-industrial culture paralleling the early Native American tribes. They have no fabric, no yarn, no spinning wheels - only hides and animal hair, neither of which can stretch a la Spandex. (00:14:40)

Jean G

Elaan of Troyius - S3-E13

Factual error: Spock says the Klingon ship is approaching at Warp Six, but Sulu counts off the distance at about 50,000 kilometers per second - that isn't even the speed of light.

The Squire of Gothos - S1-E18

Factual error: Trelane has been watching Earth as it was 900 years ago (14th century in the film), but his style is more 17th century, and he mentions Napoleon who lived in the 19th century.

Show generally

Factual error: In several episodes, when the Enterprise has to turn "hard about", we see it banking to one side like a jet plane. The Enterprise has no wings, and they're in space. No banking.

Miri - S1-E9

Factual error: If Miri's planet is a "duplicate" (meaning identical) Earth, it should have clouds. It doesn't. This remains a mistake because "duplicate" means "exactly the same," and thus the clouds should be there. The special effects crew forgot to put them in. Noteworthy: the very first thing fixed in the digitally enhanced version of this episode was the duplicate Earth. It has clouds now. (00:01:30)

Jean G

Errand of Mercy - S1-E27

Factual error: When Kirk/Spock enter/leave the Council Chamber, the doors quietly open unaided (as though there were motion detectors in operation), yet the Organian culture - determined by Spock to be approximately Class D minus on Richter Scale of Cultures - would not have had such technology. A fact overlooked by Kirk and more importantly, Spock.

Deargdoom

Shore Leave - S1-E16

Factual error: In a scene where Kirk and McCoy are examining the tracks left by the White Rabbit and Alice, in the background behind some trees can be seen a white building (the shoot was done at Africa, USA, an animal theme park). (00:13:30)

The Deadly Years - S2-E12

Factual error: As Kirk, McKoy and Scottie age during the episode, their hair goes from brown to fully grey. Mr. Spock shows this to a lesser extent, but by the end of the episode, he has full streaks of grey. This isn't how grey hair works. It starts from the root and works it way outward over time to the end of the strand. Unless their hair is growing quite rapidly, and then cut to keep it short, they shouldn't have full heads of grey hair.

Mike Lynch

Star Trek mistake picture

Catspaw - S2-E7

Factual error: Kirk, McCoy, and Spock are chained to the dungeon wall, with McCoy noticing he is next to a skeleton, also chained. This is incorrect, as a skeleton's bones are held together by cartilage, which would rot over time. Therefore, the skeleton would not be hanging intact, but would be a pile of bones on the floor.

Scott215

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Suggested correction: As we learn in the episode, the 2 aliens created the entire castle only recently to appeal to the human's primal fears and superstitions. A pile of bones on the floor would not have the frightening impact of a hanging skeleton.

Star Trek mistake picture

Charlie X - S1-E3

Visible crew/equipment: After McCoy examines Charlie and they talk about how Charlie learned to talk by just listening to the ship's tapes, when Charlie stands up the two actors' marks can be seen on the floor - the short one for Charlie and the longer one for McCoy, where they both will stand momentarily. (00:04:56)

Super Grover

More mistakes in Star Trek

Capt. Kirk: Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its 5-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.

More quotes from Star Trek
More trivia for Star Trek

Answer: After causing Norman to overload, all of the other androids shut down. The same could be said for the androids on the Enterprise.

Answer: If all the humans beamed down and only Androids were on the ship as Larry Mudd said then how did they get back aboard the Enterprise if all the robots were shut down.

More questions & answers from Star Trek

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