Bad Astro/Physics in Star Trek (TOS)

[Tobin Dax]

I'm watching the syndicated ST:Enhanced right now, and it's "The Naked Time." The planet they're orbiting is disintegrating or somesuch. There are changes in mass ( :wall: ) and radius of the planet, and somehow the ship's orbit is automatically maintained at a constant distance from the planet's surface, so the crew has to intervene to keep from crashing into it. :doh::wall: :wall: :wall:
I realize that it's TOS, but that's just awful.

[Van Rijn]

I'm watching the syndicated ST:Enhanced right now, and it's "The Naked Now." The planet they're orbiting is disintegrating or somesuch. There are changes in mass ( :wall: ) and radius of the planet, and somehow the ship's orbit is automatically maintained at a constant distance from the planet's surface, so the crew has to intervene to keep from crashing into it. :doh::wall: :wall: :wall:
I realize that it's TOS, but that's just awful.

Yes, but . . . what did it look like? What did you think of the CGI?

If you're going to look for bad astronomy in Star Trek, you'll find plenty. However, compare it to Lost In Space, UFO, Space: 1999, space related TZ episodes, and so on. For ST, they at least had a clue. Occasionally.

I always got a kick out of the decaying orbits.

By the way, that is one of my least favorite episodes.

[Tobin Dax]

Yes, but . . . what did it look like? What did you think of the CGI?

If you're going to look for bad astronomy in Star Trek, you'll find plenty. However, compare it to Lost In Space, UFO, Space: 1999, space related TZ episodes, and so on. For ST, they at least had a clue. Occasionally.

I always got a kick out of the decaying orbits.

By the way, that is one of my least favorite episodes.

The CGI is pretty good, IMO. I hadn't seen this one before (that I recall), but it's not doing much for me.

Back to the CGI for a sec, I've been spoiled by planet shots in modern Trek, with clouds, continents, and oceans. The blue-and-white sphere I've been watching the Enterprise spiral toward is pretty boring. (Though, as I wrote this, there were green splotches streaking by, so I may be a little wrong. The time warp that just happened was kinda cool. )

[Van Rijn]

As I recall, it was a bluish white globe in the original FX for that episode. I don't recall green, but I haven't seen the episode in a long time. Certainly globes in ST Classic rarely had any great definition. It will be interesting to see if they change that.

That episode was annoying. I was really hoping somebody would take a phaser set to maximum to Riley.

[captain swoop]

Decaying Orbit is just a way of adding peril to the situation, it gives a deadline to death. Star trek TOS wasn't about Science when it comes down to it, the fact it was on a Spaceship is just a way of getting the cast into a different situation every week.

[Maksutov]

If you're going to look for bad astronomy in Star Trek, you'll find plenty. However, compare it to UFO.It was always fun to point out the various indications of injection molding on the UFO models. And this was before they were set on fire and started dripping molten plastic, a la the "ships" featured in the film In Harm's Way.

[Swift]

Heck, if you want BA in ST, there is tons. The first episode with the barrier at edge of the galaxy, even in 1966, when I was 8 years old, I wondered about that. If there was this colorful light-show all around our galaxy, why didn't we see it from Earth and how could we see other galaxies?

[Tobin Dax]

As I recall, it was a bluish white globe in the original FX for that episode. I don't recall green, but I haven't seen the episode in a long time. Certainly globes in ST Classic rarely had any great definition. It will be interesting to see if they change that.

That episode was annoying. I was really hoping somebody would take a phaser set to maximum to Riley.

After finding some comparison shots, I have to say the CGI planet did look better. The green (and red) I saw was the heated, compressed air as the ship entered the atmosphere, so I guess I was mistaken.

[ToSeek]

Heck, if you want BA in ST, there is tons. The first episode with the barrier at edge of the galaxy, even in 1966, when I was 8 years old, I wondered about that. If there was this colorful light-show all around our galaxy, why didn't we see it from Earth and how could we see other galaxies?

David Gerrold says in one of his books about Star Trek that he was similarly skeptical but that the writer "even shut up Isaac Asimov about it." So he must have had some justification for it, even though I've never encountered one.

[SeanF]

David Gerrold says in one of his books about Star Trek that he was similarly skeptical but that the writer "even shut up Isaac Asimov about it." So he must have had some justification for it, even though I've never encountered one.
Maybe he just said, "Shut up, Isaac." :)

Supposedly somebody asked Orson Welles how anybody knew "Rosebud" was Kane's dying word when he was all alone in his room when he died, and Welles gave the person $100 never to mention it to anyone again.

[captain swoop]

thats easy, they had the film from the camera that was in his room!

[Maksutov]

thats easy, they had the film from the camera that was in his room!Exactly, and the reporter disguised as a nurse who was in the room at the time heard it and recorded it.

Do you think someone as rich as Kane would settle for just one nurse, who sometimes had to leave the room to take care of, well, non-nursing stuff?

Welles, who was an expert at legerdemain, probably palmed the $100 anyway.

:lol: