Space travel on TV infuriates me

[Pengwuino]

So when humans talk of space travel, we imagine these horribly complex and sanitized capsules or small spacecraft with people in big spacesuits. The vehicles are made of super lightweight material with extraordinarily high-tech components and if the slightest thing goes wrong, the thing could explode. Of course, to top it off, if you ever want to put something in space, it takes days just to put the stupid vehicle on the launchpad.

Then comes space travel on television. In between drooling all over myself fantasizing about that summer gaul chick on firefly or whatever, I become infuriated how all the spacecraft in sci-fi shows are like, made of **** metal that you can find in a junkyard. They also can hop between planets in no time with flight control systems full of nobs and cranks you'd find in a 19th century train.

Also, people who ride around on horses can also fly spaceships. RAWR.

Thus concludes my 4:30am rant about television. Time to go to bed and have happy dreams about http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1132359/" . Hawt.

DISCUSS!

 

[Astronuc]

One seems to be hot and bothered.

I recommend a cold shower.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

So when humans talk of space travel, we imagine these horribly complex and sanitized capsules or small spacecraft with people in big spacesuits. The vehicles are made of super lightweight material with extraordinarily high-tech components and if the slightest thing goes wrong, the thing could explode. Of course, to top it off, if you ever want to put something in space, it takes days just to put the stupid vehicle on the launchpad.

Then comes space travel on television. In between drooling all over myself fantasizing about that summer gaul chick on firefly or whatever, I become infuriated how all the spacecraft in sci-fi shows are like, made of **** metal that you can find in a junkyard. They also can hop between planets in no time with flight control systems full of nobs and cranks you'd find in a 19th century train.

Also, people who ride around on horses can also fly spaceships. RAWR.

Thus concludes my 4:30am rant about television. Time to go to bed and have happy dreams about http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1132359/" . Hawt.

DISCUSS!

I completely agree, rather than making an interesting show featuring the gargantuan challenges to interstellar space travel

• STL
• propulsion efficiency
• lack of gravity
• radiation
• need for ecology
• need for industrial complex
• need for large population
• social/political/economic issues
• etc etc etc

TV shows take generic plots and bolt them into a "sci-fi" setting. I have never seen a TV show or film that has properly explored how the technology they employ would change society and psychology. Instead they just take some sort of idealogical western civilisation (or if they are trying to be avant-garde something typically far eastern) and give it lasers big woop.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I'd be impressed if the space ships just stopped making whooshing sounds and "flying" through space [aerodynamically].

I found it quite amusing to read a UFO website that debunked this video almost immediately based on the argument that "real UFOs don't fly aerodynamically!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAqfOgbxHXs