Worst Movies for Science

[barbos]

space shuttle needs cooling because of the heat from the nearby star (the Sun)
In a free interstellar space it's pretty cold.

 

[Musing Man]

I think we would see two types of system.

There would be a low-energy shielding system to protect the ship & crew from the natural hazards of space. This would always be up. There would also be a much higher energy system to protect the ship in combat and against extreme natural hazards. This would only be used when in combat or the like.

Yep, you'd think. But think again.
While travelling at FTL speeds, even one single unaware dust particle can trash your ship. Try to imagine the energy of the impact (in the sci-fi zone, of course).
An energy shield capable of deflecting that, and more, would more than withstand pretty much anything you can throw at it at sub-light speeds. And you would want it ON. All the time.

That's reason 1.

Reason 2 goes like this:
Even if you have a two-intensities energetic shield, you wouldn't want, under any circumstance, that your ship to be hit first and then rely on a lame human character to go like

Ummm, uhhh, OH! Shields up!

No way in hell.

 

[Musing Man]

"Shields up" is easily explained, it means protection is turned on continuously on all surfaces.
Shields are against weapon fire, specifically against fast things like plasma or even laser beams.
You can't have automated system against that, so you turn your shields ON.

Man, protection on all surfaces is needed for the imaginary FTL. And it's needed for non-FTL, also. Turn it OFF and you die, no matter why. From a micrometeorite, if not the klingons...

 

[barbos]

Musing Man
Actual weapons do not use dust particles because they are easily defeated by ordinary "always ON" deflectors.
Photon torpedoes on the other hand are not defeated by deflectors and require energy expensive "shields".

FTL is not susceptible to ordinary low velocity debris anyway.

 

[Musing Man]

Musing Man
Actual weapons do not use dust particles because they are easily defeated by ordinary "always ON" deflectors.
Photon torpedoes on the other hand are not defeated by deflectors and require energy expensive "shields".

I can relate to that.

 

[steve_bnk]

The ST science was whatever the plot needed it to be.

If STNG writers had a story idea involving Scotty, why not just have him circulating in a 'transporter buffer' for100 years?

etc etc etc etc.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Most "mad scientists" are actually mad engineers.

Peez

Most engineers think they are scientists

Application? No, I'm more theoretical.

"Shields up" is easily explained, it means protection is turned on continuously on all surfaces.
Shields are against weapon fire, specifically against fast things like plasma or even laser beams.
You can't have automated system against that, so you turn your shields ON.

My favorite part of Star Trek II Remix is when the final volley against the Enterprise begins and they are getting hammered and Checkov states, "Shields down to 6%". 6%?! Nothing is stopping the missiles from going through the hull.

"Alll stop" means in relation to anything nearby - planet, star, ship, etc.
And objects like stars/planets within galaxy have natural and pretty low speed limit anyway, so they are practically at rest compared to your typical starship.

Lack of automation in the not so distant future is noticeable but understandable because automation would kill 90% of script.
Lack of seat belts is possible to get rid of but I think they want to keep resemblance to original Star Trek.
Even so, "ST Enterprise" was easy on killing people due to lack of seat belts.

My second favorite part in Star Trek II Remix is when Spock orders an evacuation... and then for some reason activates a seat belt. First off, why do you need to use the seat belt for a suicide mission. Second, shouldn't they use those things during both normal flight and in battle?!

 

[Underseer]

Since this whole thread was triggered by Internet wailing about this particular movie, I found this review interesting:

http://moviebob.blogspot.com/2014/07/escape-to-movies-lucy.html

According to Moviebob, despite the bad science in this movie, it actually has a fairly pro-science message driving it.

 

[WAB]

Does this 10% refer to mass, or over-all potential?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Does this 10% refer to mass, or over-all potential?

I think it refers the efficiency to transmit higgs data through nanotransmitters in our neuron network.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Does this 10% refer to mass, or over-all potential?

Because it is an invented statistic it can mean whatever you want it to mean.

 

[Peez]

Note that shields are "raised" automatically at least sometimes in Star Trek TNG.

Droplets in a planetary ocean.
My contention still stands, won't you agree?

It would depend on a number of assumptions about the technology, but you make a fair point.

Peez

 

[Underseer]

Does this 10% refer to mass, or over-all potential?

I think it refers the efficiency to transmit higgs data through nanotransmitters in our neuron network.

You forgot to reverse the polarity!

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I think it refers the efficiency to transmit higgs data through nanotransmitters in our neuron network.

You forgot to reverse the polarity!

No. That is why it is only 10%. The Lucy film is about some scientist who figures out that you need to reverse the polarity.

 

[Togo]

"Shields up" is easily explained, it means protection is turned on continuously on all surfaces.
Shields are against weapon fire, specifically against fast things like plasma or even laser beams.
You can't have automated system against that, so you turn your shields ON.

If shields interfere with some of the more delicate sensors, or use up fuel, or burn out if left on all the time, or would be subject to enemy analysis, then you'd want to leave them down most of the time, and only put them up in tactical combat.

My favorite part of Star Trek II Remix is when the final volley against the Enterprise begins and they are getting hammered and Checkov states, "Shields down to 6%". 6%?! Nothing is stopping the missiles from going through the hull.

6% could easily be a statistic, whereby the amount of damage taken that would make the shields fail was 100, and the shield strength was thus 100-this amount of damage. Since shields rebuild over time, it's quite a valuable figure for a battle, and need not have any direct relationships with a scientific measurement at all.

My second favorite part in Star Trek II Remix is when Spock orders an evacuation... and then for some reason activates a seat belt. First off, why do you need to use the seat belt for a suicide mission.

To keep his potentially lethally wounded body in that chair for as long as is vulcanly possible.

Second, shouldn't they use those things during both normal flight and in battle?!

That's.. more of an issue. I think the real question is why the ship getting hit by energy beams causes the consoles in the bridge to burst into flame. Engineering, many decks down, takes a hit, the engineering console on the bridge sends out sparks. Why?

 

[Mageth]

From the awesome TVTropes.org...someone may have posted it earlier, but I'm only using 3% of my brain on this...

"Ninety Percent Of Your Brain" Trope

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

If shields interfere with some of the more delicate sensors, or use up fuel, or burn out if left on all the time, or would be subject to enemy analysis, then you'd want to leave them down most of the time, and only put them up in tactical combat.

My favorite part of Star Trek II Remix is when the final volley against the Enterprise begins and they are getting hammered and Checkov states, "Shields down to 6%". 6%?! Nothing is stopping the missiles from going through the hull.

6% could easily be a statistic, whereby the amount of damage taken that would make the shields fail was 100, and the shield strength was thus 100-this amount of damage.

But if missiles are bombarding the hull and going through it, the shields would seemingly be at 0%.

My second favorite part in Star Trek II Remix is when Spock orders an evacuation... and then for some reason activates a seat belt. First off, why do you need to use the seat belt for a suicide mission.

To keep his potentially lethally wounded body in that chair for as long as is vulcanly possible.

So he can do a number of things with voice commands except telling the ship how to fly?

Second, shouldn't they use those things during both normal flight and in battle?!

That's.. more of an issue. I think the real question is why the ship getting hit by energy beams causes the consoles in the bridge to burst into flame. Engineering, many decks down, takes a hit, the engineering console on the bridge sends out sparks. Why?

Well, I think we've established in previously threads that the mob was involved in the building of the ships, ie the plasma conduits that never have plasma in them. So it isn't hard to imagine the shoddy craftsmanship for the electrical systems.

One other poignant thing about Star Trek II Remix is the whole death thing. Tens of thousands (more?) must have died when Khan crashes the ship into San Francisco. And everything surrounds Kirk dying. And why did Kirk die? Aren't their reactors matter/anti-matter. Aren't these reactions radiation free? What killed him?

"Open the door!"
"We can't sir, the other side is flooded with contamination."
"Wait? Contamination. If it is that bad, why in the hell aren't there two doors blocking the reactor room?!"

 

[Shadowy Man]

But if missiles are bombarding the hull and going through it, the shields would seemingly be at 0%.

Maybe the missiles are going through with less destructive power? I dunno...

 

[Kharakov]

Good way to cover up, mason. We all know it's the compass and the square around the G for sacred geometry (or Grand Architect). Google is never wrong!!! (Google <G> symbol)

Are you sure you're on the level? ; )

Balanced as a palindrome.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

But if missiles are bombarding the hull and going through it, the shields would seemingly be at 0%.

Maybe the missiles are going through with less destructive power? I dunno...

That's definitely the impression I get--the shields aren't perfect, at full power they absorb basically everything, as the power wears down the incoming fire is simply attenuated.