Biggest Sci-fi pet peeves?

[walter_MacChevron]

What is the single thing that gets you ticked off about science fiction shows in general? Here is an example......mine would have to be when the characters are talking and they over-emphasize the title of that particular episode. Quote taken from a Highlander episode. James Horton: "This is most like a......(camera gets closer to face, with menacing music in the background now starting).......UNHOLY ALLIANCE wouldn't you say?" This quote might be a tad off, but it is something to that effect.

What's your biggest sci-fi pet peeves?

[sharky277]

There is. no sound. in space.

Although it would be quit boring without it.

[.:Lemon:.]

"This is most like a......(camera gets closer to face, with menacing music in the background now starting).......UNHOLY ALLIANCE wouldn't you say?"

Haha great example! I've never seen Highlander before so I can't really say much about that, but I know what you mean about some shows emphasizing the titles. A lot of that time it stands out because it's something the characters wouldn't normally say.

I don't think I really have any pet peeves of my own. there are certain plots and characters that can be very cliche sometimes though!

[David]

This thread belongs in the General Sci-Fi Fantasy section. Thanks!

[yasureubetcha]

My hugest pet peeve is sci-fi elements trampled on by non-sci-fi movies. Example: Groundhog Day. That an alien device, in a setting where alien devices are common, can cause repeating time-loop-stuff to happen easily fits under "willful suspension of disbelief." That said time-loop would kick into effect spontaneously for no discernable reason (and cease almost as arbitrarily) does not.

And then there are movies like 13 Going On 30, which use fairy dust and morals like "be careful what you wish for" when needed, without respect for the plot ramifications of a world where such things occured.

[Osiris-RA]

What pisses me off in today's sci fi are:

1. Bland, hollow, overly heroic, predictable characters.

"We've gotta stop the giant Crocoteradactyl before it eats New Jersey!"
"Right! But for goodness sakes, how Brad??"
"Well, you go and find a hangglider and some bazooka's. I'll use my Phd logic on Dr. Thomas and see if he'll help us concot a DNA destabilizing potion!"


2: Cheesy monster uber baddies.

"No! It's DINOCROC!"
"I now give you Hammerhead shark boy .... my son!"
"Oh god ... it's .. it's ... MANTHING!!!"
"I wouldn't stay down here any longer or The Blob'll getcha.
"Are you afraid of wasps? I'm not. I'm afraid of ... the horrible MANSQUITO!"

3. When characters speak spanish just for the heck of it and even if you don't know any spanish, you get a rough idea of what they're saying.

"hola amigo!"
"Hey, Juan! Como estas?
"Beuno, beuno! Tu?"
"Bueno! Bueno! Mucho hot today, huh? Vamanos, eh?"
"Si senor!"

I also hate repetitive plots, repetitive characters, predictable actions, predictable plots, slow action, no action or too much action, women and men getting nekkid for no apparant reason. Long sweaty smooches in the middle of a crisis and most of all ... Human/insect DNA splicing! Ugh!

[Darth Buddha]

There is. no sound. in space.

Although it would be quit boring without it.

I don't know, 2001 A Space Odyssey was just fine without sound.

Add to that complaint that space ships don't behave like zooming fighters in the atmosphere... note that Babylon 5 got that one right.

[fair_nymph]

It never used to really bother me, but now it does (and this has happened during at least 3 episodes of SG-1):

When in reference to data being put into a person's head, it is described as 'downloaded'. I always end up yelling at the monitor 'UPLOADED! UPLOADED!'

I know, I'm kinda anal.

Oh and the sound in space thing is a bit annoying too -- one of the nice things about Battlestar Galactica, is it usually has noiseless space scenes (other than awesome drumbeat background music).

[Dahak]

Let's see here are my biggest pet peeves.
1. Space battles at ranges of hundreds of yards. It's not the Spanish main here.
2. Worthless energy weapons. Would you rather have a laser of some type that fires every 3 seconds and the beam only travels 65 MPH or a P90?
3. Technobabble to make the show seem "more real" that the writers ignore. If you are going to set up a number system you need to stick with it.
4. The envy that every single race has for humans. Humans are always the best all around race. Humans ALWAYS have the best govt system.
5. Dueling. Every single alien society dueling is rare but legal. So if there is no way out of getting convicted of a crime you can always have trial by combat.

[the Fifth Race]

I can deal with bad special effects (Babylon 5, early Farscape) and even alot of techno gaffs and physic impossibilites, bad costumes and make-up for Aliens.

I just hate bad writing! plain and simple!. Some shows can be low budgeted and have all of the above listed stuff I mentioned, but if the writing is good and charcter relationships are sound. I'm on board with it!.

[Tok'Ra Hostess]

Let's see here are my biggest pet peeves.
1. Space battles at ranges of hundreds of yards. It's not the Spanish main here.

<nods> Yeah, that's a big one, with me, too. Add to that heros reacting to and dodging photon-type weapons. Hello! Speed of light, people!

[TechnoWraith]

My biggest skiffy pet peeve:

Exploding consoles! For cryin' out loud, how many angles do ya need to show the same crew member flying across the room as a result of an exploding console?

[yaaayoubetcha]

My biggest skiffy pet peeve:

Exploding consoles! For cryin' out loud, how many angles do ya need to show the same crew member flying across the room as a result of an exploding console?

mine is of the same vein....both on the screen and in books....

has nobody ever heard of circuit breakers?

why would a Gibsonian hacker use any sort of computer to hack 'black ice' and risk brain damage without oh...say a firewall and a breaker switch to head off the inevitable overload...

and why does every Federation starship have no breakers? apparently they can travel at warp speed, have great weapons, a universal translator...but nothing to control current.

[Jarnin]

My biggest gripe about sci-fi movies and television is that they're not based on science, they're based on Hollywood science.

I don't like shows that have visual effects just because it "looks cool".

I don't like shows that don't realistically protray what space travel is like (no swooping and banking in space kiddies!).

I don't like sound in space.

I don't like seeing people fly across a room when they're shot by a gun (bullets don't carry enough kinetic energy to knock a person backwards...).

And I'm really starting to hate technobabble explanations.

I'd honestly like to see a science fiction series try to protray science realistically, but I'm afraid that it wouldn't draw the luddite 18-35 demographic.

[Ses]

Although that whole out-of-phase falling through the floor thing is annoying in every sci-fi... I am a firm hater of:
When alien's speak in their own language and it doesn't come out in English when the universal translater is on (Star Trek) or the crew have translator microbes (Farscape)! Grrr