The stupidest flaw

[Coyote]

Star Trek: The inside of Nero's ship, the Narada: vast, cavernous space, maybe even a kilometer or more, and a latticework of internal walkways with not only no handholds, but it seems like you really are expected to jump from one walkway to the other as a matter of course since there weren't a whole lot of stairs or ramps visible.

Star Wars: Speeder bikes without terrain-avoidance sensors.

[Zaune]

I seem to recall the huge bottomless pits in the original Death Star -the one Luke and Leia had to rope-swing across- being described as being an important part of the ventilation system in the novelisation.
I would speculate that Palpatine had his throne room built on top of one so he could amuse himself throwing people who annoyed him down it, without bothering to consider the possibility of having it done to him.

And if you think one big computer core for everything is dumb for a single starship, how about one big computer core handling every single vital function for an entire government with no backup systems whatsoever? Who could possibly be that stupid, paranoid and controlling?
The Terran Federation in Blake's Seven, that's who. Sure, they made it nigh-impossible to actually find, but blowing it up caused the complete breakdown of law and order and total economic collapse throughout several dozen inhabited worlds.
Oh, and they erased all records of its location, including the memories of anyone who happened to know, and mind-raped the maintenance staff to the point where they couldn't break security and call for assistance even when the Daleks Andromedans started sabotaging the bloody thing.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Aren't Daxamites as strong/tough/fast as Superman, except they're actually vulnerable to lead bullets?

[lord Martiya]

I remembered another one in Spaceball: there the planet Druidia had a defensive shield that was all but invincible, the only way to defeat it being using the password. That was actually 12345, or, as Dark Helmet put it out, "That's the kinda thing an idiot would have on his luggage!". In spite of being from a comic movie, it actually makes sense, kinda: who would expect that a vital defensive system can be defeated by entering such a stupid code?

[Bilbo]

Star Trek: The inside of Nero's ship, the Narada: vast, cavernous space, maybe even a kilometer or more, and a latticework of internal walkways with not only no handholds, but it seems like you really are expected to jump from one walkway to the other as a matter of course since there weren't a whole lot of stairs or ramps visible.

As a point in the ships favor it was damaged by being rammed in the beginning, was a mining ship owned by a private enterprise, and spent long years away from any sort of maintenance or access to decent repair facilties.

With this in mind we have no idea how the ship was cannibalized or modified when repairs were made after the battle in the beginning of the movie or over the years while trying to survive.

[Ghost Rider]

I remembered another one in Spaceball: there the planet Druidia had a defensive shield that was all but invincible, the only way to defeat it being using the password. That was actually 12345, or, as Dark Helmet put it out, "That's the kinda thing an idiot would have on his luggage!". In spite of being from a comic movie, it actually makes sense, kinda: who would expect that a vital defensive system can be defeated by entering such a stupid code?

Because as Helmet said...only an idiot. Which was then proven by the fact his own president had the same code on his luggage.

It's a joke on society more then some catastrophic flaw.

[Atlan]

Aren't Daxamites as strong/tough/fast as Superman, except they're actually vulnerable to lead bullets?

It's worse.

They're vulnerable to lead radiation. Yeah, you read that right.

[Batman]

Lead...radiation.
I am SO staying in the drawer.

[Srelex]

What does that even mean? Radiation that radiates from lead? Lead turned into radiation?

[Stark]

And if you think one big computer core for everything is dumb for a single starship, how about one big computer core handling every single vital function for an entire government with no backup systems whatsoever? Who could possibly be that stupid, paranoid and controlling?
The Terran Federation in Blake's Seven, that's who. Sure, they made it nigh-impossible to actually find, but blowing it up caused the complete breakdown of law and order and total economic collapse throughout several dozen inhabited worlds.
Oh, and they erased all records of its location, including the memories of anyone who happened to know, and mind-raped the maintenance staff to the point where they couldn't break security and call for assistance even when the Daleks Andromedans started sabotaging the bloody thing.

Dude it wasn't an economic collapse; the hardware controlling terraformed environments went crazy. That's why there was all the video of tsunamis and snowfields destroying tourist destinations, farms, etc. The Federation was economically crippled because of that, not directly.

[Joe Momma]

What does that even mean? Radiation that radiates from lead?

Yep! Being in proximity to lead causes Daxamites to be weakened, possibly even killed, by the unique radiations given off by ordinary lead.

It's also permanent once it's in a Daxamite's system, so a Daxamite weakened by lead radiation will remain at that lower powered state. Unless he gets a anti-lead serum like the one created by Brainiac.

[Batman]

SO staying in the drawer.

[CaptainChewbacca]

SO staying in the drawer.

What the fuck does that even mean?

[Batman]

SO staying in the drawer.

What the fuck does that even mean?

Check my location

[eion]

[*]Star Trek - TNG and later: central computer cores, that do everything...
well, a virtual desktop run remotely on a server isn't a bad idea but having
vital functions, like the FUCKING LIFE SUPPORT, run on THE ONLY computer aboard is just retarded. I know there are supposed to be TWO computer cores on a Galaxy... but the second one is just a backup...

I hate myself for knowing this off the top of my head, but the Galaxy class actually has 3 computer cores. Two side-by-side in the saucer section and one in the star-drive section. Any one of which can run the whole ship, which falls in line with Starfleet's double back-up policy.

Not that it has ever helped.

[wautd]

ID4 aliens not having firewall protection against Apple computer viruses.

Psychlos (battlefield earth): Terminal stupidity (teaching a human how to use their weapons, language etc...) and living on a gas planet that explodes when a nuke detonates or something. I'll count the fact that harriers still fly after 1000 years and can be operated by caveman by sheer bad luck though.

WOTW Martians against earth micro-organisms (OK, its stupidness may be debatable in case they simply were unaware of mo's existing, but it turned out to be serious fatal flaw).

Signs aliens: not having ranged weaponry, nor armor, wooden doors are impregnable barriers and if water is bad for you, you don't walk naked on a planet where there's water on every corner (nevermind in the atmosphere).

[wautd]

Another hilarous one was the engine room of the ship in Galaxy Quest, which was designed as a complete death trap in case urgent repairs were needed.
(OK, it was intentionally stupid, the movie was a satire after all)

Speaking of sci-fi comedies, the mothership in Spaceballs had a stupidly easy self destruct mechanism, with the button to overwrite this being out of order

edit: God, now I need to see Galaxy Quest again. I love that movie.

[Lord of the Abyss]

I recall an amusing short story; from Arthur C Clarke I think where a civilization amassed an immense amount of knowledge. They got to the point of covering a planet with records even though they had miniaturized things to the degree of using something called "quark notching" to store information. And the index to all this knowledge was no bigger than a small box. Which they proceeded to lose. If they'd just made a backup copy...

ID4 aliens not having firewall protection against Apple computer viruses.

It working at all was foolish, given that all the humans had was a non-working fighter to study. But not having a firewall can actually be handwaved away as being due to them being telepaths. Telepaths depending on how their ability worked might well have no grasp of information security at all.

[adam_grif]

Telepaths depending on how their ability worked might well have no grasp of information security at all.

I'm not so convinced about that. I mean maybe they just never anticipated a planet they're invading trying it on them, but I find it difficult to believe that they would never have thought about malicious software before. Regardless, having every system accessible via remote access from any random fighter is a bit silly, and their inability to to restore their computers from some sort of archived copy indicates that they are massively stupid anyway. Not the first mothership, I mean all the other ones that it's heavily implied just stood there and took it as the humans struck back over the next few days.

[tezunegari]

Not the first mothership, I mean all the other ones that it's heavily implied just stood there and took it as the humans struck back over the next few days.

I always thought that those "flying dishes of doom"tm only had their main weapon and shitty defenses that relied on their magic shield and their fighters. Once those are gone (shield) or distracted (fighters) the ships are essentially sitting ducks.

Is there any source material that implies that these ships have any AA abilities beyond a fighter screen?

[adam_grif]

Is there any source material that implies that these ships have any AA abilities beyond a fighter screen?

Doubtful. It's not like it's a long running franchise, so the movie is the only thing to work with.

[Skylon]

Fire retardant foam can defeat a Transformer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GAcugy2 ... re=related

Watch at 5:45 (sorry, best video I could find). Megatron nearly craps his pants when he's getting sprayed by fucking FOAM, that according to him will "Permanently damage our circuitry." And not if they hang out for say...an hour. No, soon enough that the Decepticons need to drop their shit right there and run. There's no time to blast the Autobots (who despite being in the same room, only lying on the floor are fine...maybe its a Decepticon only flaw?)

Apparently all we humans ever needed to do was create an arsenal of foam-firing weapons to defeat the Decepticons.

[wautd]

Star Wars super battle droids getting FUBAR'ed by slipping in burning oil. Yup, not just your run of the mil pussy c3po type of droid, but a droid made for battle designed to shrugg of heavy blasters and whatnot. With "super" in its name no less.

[Ghost Rider]

Aren't Daxamites as strong/tough/fast as Superman, except they're actually vulnerable to lead bullets?

It's worse.

They're vulnerable to lead radiation. Yeah, you read that right.

Man, they changed it to that? I remember when it used to be "lead...even microscopic bits like on Earth.".

And I'm not really acknowledging the second part . That just hurts the brain to think that they came up with it.

[Lord of the Abyss]

Telepaths depending on how their ability worked might well have no grasp of information security at all.

I'm not so convinced about that. I mean maybe they just never anticipated a planet they're invading trying it on them, but I find it difficult to believe that they would never have thought about malicious software before.

Thing is, how do you get away with something like that if everyone is telepathic? Among themselves, they could be perfectly, utterly law abiding because it's literally impossible to get away with anything.