Science in TV series and cinema

[czokletmuss]

From what I remember it wasn't but I may be wrong. Or maybe they have powerful ASAS?

Anyways, this movie is very realistic even if there were some mistakes, unlike other space fantasy like Star Trek or something like this.

Is there any movie that takes place a couple hundred years in the future when mankind has colonized the entire solar system? No warp drives or other star systems. It would be an interesting setting. Cities on Mars, maybe beginning the terraforming process etc.

There's just so much potential, but for some reason monsters. Monsters everywhere.

"Total Recall"?

For some reason there always are aliens. Imagine the dramatization of the Robinson's Mars Trilogy. Terraforming, new civilization, conflict with Earth, drama, everything what you want (although some unscietific things also). Why would you like to add alien civilization or ships with phasers to make it interesting?

Edited May 25, 2013 by czokletmuss

[Canopus]

@czokletmuss both 2001 and 2010 remind me very much of you AARs if i think about it now:)

[czokletmuss]

@czokletmuss both 2001 and 2010 remind me very much of you AARs if i think about it now:)

It's the other way around I think But thanks I guess. And I admittedly added a lot of equipment failures and accidents to make the first one interesting but that's only 'cause I'm a poor writer

[Sof]

2001 was a more scientifically accurate film. 2010 took many liberties with the way sound travels in space and gravity on board ships.

[Canopus]

2001 was a more scientifically accurate film. 2010 took many liberties with the way sound travels in space and gravity on board ships.

The gravity one isn't true both ships have spinning sections.

[karolus10]

Mars trilogy: politics and space elevators don't like each other .

[ShachonianX]

Check out Europa Report. It's a "found footage" type movie coming out about a mission to Europa but the spacecraft and science in it look to be pretty realistic. (OK, there's probably a monster on Europa, but beyond that...

They have a pretty good teaser website

http://www.europaventuresllc.com/

And a trailer

Europa Report looks like it could be quite a good movie, in my opinion. But, it will never rival the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Make Contact. Those are the two best realistic sci-fi movies ever.

[Kerbface]

The gravity one isn't true both ships have spinning sections.

2001 was actually flawed in it's presentation of artificial gravity in Discovery, other than the fact that the cast didn't really look like they were in lunar level gravity. The rotating habitat simply spins too fast and has too small a radius to be a comfortable and useful centrifuge. The difference in force between their head and feet is too big, walking the wrong direction would make the force almost null, the coriolis effect would be very strong and so on. But hell, it just looks so awesome.

[PaleoGamer]

New trailer for Europa Report. Look! Asparagus staging!

http://io9.com/see-for-yourself-how-europa-report-brings-life-back-to-513452201

[Canopus]

New trailer for Europa Report. Look! Asparagus staging!

http://io9.com/see-for-yourself-how-europa-report-brings-life-back-to-513452201

Not really asparagus. Those are SRB's.

[PaleoGamer]

I know, but seeing the pairs of boosters jettisoning made me think of it.

[kyle.mk.howard]

Yeah, not even close to Asparagus.

Movie looks interesting though!

[kyle.mk.howard]

And that being said, I watched the movie "Love" (2009) the other day about an astronaut who gets stranded on the ISS for six months.

It's really bad, all the little details just killed me. That and the ISS has a gravity core? According to this movie it does, but what do you get when the movie is made by Tom Delonge (lead singer of Blink 182/Angels & Airwaves).

Sad!

[Canopus]

Movie looks interesting though!

yes it does. I hope it will be good

[Killerblonde]

Oh jeez...

I'm watching the Race to Mars video that was originally posted.... the science is fine, but dear god, the acting and writing is horrid. C'mon Discovery, this is why people prefer soft sci-fi!

[Kerbface]

I saw Mission to Mars recently. The plot is like Prometheus/Space Odyssey with the same logical issues as Prometheus, and it tries to look like hard scifi but it really isn't. Other than that it's mostly just cheesy and not very good. I've got to say, while the centrifuge set, though obviously deriviative, does have an impressive introductory shot, the use of 80's rock music kind of ruins the space feel for me.

I want to know, has anyone ever seen a hard space scifi that doesn't involve any sort of alien life that was really good?

[RedDwarfIV]

IMHO, one of most shameless spaceship designs (and there is more sharing ever lower place - Armageddon, I'm looking at You ;p) I remember are "messiah" from deep impact.

[img/IMG]

It looks like shuttle being duct-taped to some random Russian stages with few shuttle/titan SRB's strapped around, but movie is pretending that this craft is propelled by "nuclear" rocket thingy... what the hell's wrong with these people !?

Race to Mars was pretty decent movie .

It looks like shuttle being duct-taped to some random Russian stages with a few shuttle/titan SRB's strapped around because... it IS a shuttle being duct-taped to some random Russian stages with a few shuttle/titan SRB's strapped around. In-story, they were building the Messiah out of whatever they had to work with. Presumably the SRBs have been repurposed as liquid fuel tanks for orbital meneuvering engines. Oh, and that 'nuclear engine'? It's an Orion drive, hence the ovular pusher plate on the spacecraft's tail. I'm not sure you watched this movie. I haven't, but I know enough about the plot to know that they used their drive's bomblets to destroy the asteroid - something they couldn't do if it were an NTR or NSWR.

Edited June 18, 2013 by RedDwarfIV

[The Stinger]

Oh jeez...

I'm watching the Race to Mars video that was originally posted.... the science is fine, but dear god, the acting and writing is horrid. C'mon Discovery, this is why people prefer soft sci-fi!

What I missed in the Race to Mars is the people back on Earth. I know it's from the astronauts point of view, but they could at least show them how the world reacts.

Like on Apollo 11 when mission control reads the telegrams for the crew.

That brings me to "From the Earth to the Moon", which is a dramatized mini series of the Apollo Program.

Each episode is a separate story about various aspects of the program, a whole episode about the LEM or Apollo 12 etc.

[macegee]

I liked these two, based on a same idea, but with different focus.

Space Odyssey: Voyage To The Planets (BBC, 2004)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Odyssey:_Voyage_to_the_Planets

Very awesome. A lot of science. Has two parts, this is number one. Can't find a second part there.

http://youtu.be/N68U3eYQ_Cg

Defying Gravity (ABC/CTV, 2009)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1319690/

It was inspired by the previous TV series from BBC. It's more about people, and not really about space or science. Featuring my favourite Ron Livingston and other good actors. Enjoyed it as much as the first one.

[comham]

Defying gravity was a real missed opportunity.

[macegee]

Defying gravity was a real missed opportunity.

True. It wasn't as good as Firefly, but followed the same fate. I personally didn't really like how they showed "the contact", and the whole idea of the spaceship being full of unstable crew. But the cast is really awesome.

[MarkusA380]

The video "race to mars" was wonderful! I hope it will be reality!

[NovaSilisko]

I have two film projects I want to create, both based around scientific accuracy.

1. Mare Crisium: The least scientifically accurate (short) film in history, comedically so. "The space shuttle is low on fuel so you'll have to spacewalk down to the lunar surface"

2. Jewel Of The Heavens: A documentary series about a fictional mission to Saturn, presented in a similar format to Voyage To The Planets, just with less unnecessary drama, and a little less excessive in scope. Ideally split into five or so episodes of 25 minutes each, to make it less daunting of a task.

[nothke]

Saying that scientifically accurate films don't sell is like saying "realistic space games are boring and don't offer fun".. And look at KSP! And it sells! I work in the gaming industry too and I hate all the people who say "this sells, copy it because that is what gamers want". No, gamers don't know what they want, they want to be surprised with something new and something that is done WELL. Also there is a big difference between "something that SELLS so you can live out of it", and "something that sells so you can have 10 yachts parked on your own island". And personally, copying other's works make me not appreciate my work and defies my principles.

Space Odyssey probably would never exist if Kubrick wasn't an idealist, and we have one of the best films ever made.

There is no much sci-fi stuff you can invent.. Most of the things are already in the sci-fi novels, especially those revolving around the point and the message of the film.

Personally I'd love to make a film about the future that would involve lots of decadence, not looking it from a technical straight headed side of view, but more in the social/cultural way.. Facebook, laziness, happiness on an electrode, clones made just for sexual pleasure, lack of faith and influence of that on the way we think and what we want.. Then all this contrasted with some idealistic-technological thinking. Something like "just a little thought where could our ethics and principles go in the future". Also INVALIDS in space, why the f* do you need legs in zero g?

Edited June 20, 2013 by nothke

[Awaras]

True. It wasn't as good as Firefly, but followed the same fate. I personally didn't really like how they showed "the contact", and the whole idea of the spaceship being full of unstable crew. But the cast is really awesome.

I also really hated that they decided to completely ignore the light speed delay when communicating with Earth...