Better yet, just broadcast Norris spewing his political/social spewage towards the asteroid. The asteroid will receive that, and say “Oh hell NO – I am NOT getting close to that wackjob!”

Well, maybe. I liked him in Moonlighting. And in Twelve Monkeys, come to think of it.

So don’t blame Bruce for anything other than his dubious taste in employers. Blame Disney.

(forgive me for having some sympathy for a decent actor, and none for a film studio with no sense of humour)

It is establishing right from the beginning that it is a work of fantasy, and takes place in a land of myth and legend, not the real world.

I wish someone had waved their hand at me and said: “This is not the android you’re looking for”

This is not the ‘droid you are looking for.

Let me ask: what is the concern about bad science in movies? I assume it is because the public will be misinformed. Well, if they are capable of being that misinformed, how will they know the difference between fantasy and science?

Well, ultimately, we can never know.

However, it seems reasonable to assume that most people don’t buy the magic in Star Wars as being literally true, whether it’s The Force, or whether it’s magical technology (blasters, hyperdrive, shields and so on). Such technology does not exist on Earth now and whether or not it ever will is largely irrelevant to most people.

Star Wars very specifically—in the first one second of the movie—implies that it is indeed THIS universe. “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” has no suggestion of a parallel universe where the laws of physics are repealed. Or are you all suggesting that physics differ from galaxy to galaxy?

No, and the issues are only partly to do with fundamental physics. Obviously, since Star Wars was the film that reintroduced the “space ships make a noise as they pass you by”, it falls far short of getting basic physics right.

As I say, it comes down to exactly WHY you feel it is important to point out bad science in movies.

The biggest issue with Armageddon, IMO, is that it uses technology that exists here and now and gets it all wrong. So, people who see that movie but don’t know any better will think, “oh, so that’s how Shuttle looks when it’s flying in space”, or “oh, we can simply nuke an asteroid and it fixes the problem”, when in fact these things are just wrong.

Why does it matter at all?

Because many people, while accepting that the story is fiction, assume that the milieu within which the story is set is real, unless it explicitly states that it is not, or unless it is wholly obvious that it is not. And thus the movie theatre is a powerful tool for both education and mis-education. IMO, it is more powerful than any school or university.

And these mis-educated people have the power to vote. And they outnumber us.

Left behind, book 4;

Buck tiptoed downstairs and flipped on the television, finding an all-news station.
As soon as he saw what was going on, he woke up everyone in the house except
Hattie. He told Chloe, Tsion, and Ken, “It’s almost noon in New Babylon, and I’ve
just heard from Rayford. Follow me.”
Newscasters told the story of what astronomers had discovered just two hours
before—a brand-new comet on a collision course with Earth. Global Community
scientists analyzed data transmitted from hastily launched probes that circled the
object. They said meteor was the wrong term for the hurtling rock formation, which
was the consistency of chalk or perhaps sandstone.
Pictures from the probes showed an irregularly shaped projectile, light in color. The
anchorman reported, “Ladies and gentlemen, I urge you to put this in perspective.
This object is about to enter Earth’s atmosphere. Scientists have not determined its
makeup, but if—as it appears—it is less dense than granite, the friction resulting
from entry will make it burst into flames.
“Once subject to Earth’s gravitational pull, it will accelerate at thirty-two feet per
second squared. As you can see from these pictures, it is immense. But until you
realize its size, you cannot fathom the potential destruction on the way. GC
astronomers estimate it at no less than the mass of the entire Appalachian Mountain
range. It has the potential to split the earth or to knock it from its orbit.
“The Global Community Aeronautics and Space Administration projects the
collision at approximately 9:00 A.M. Central Standard Time. They anticipate the
best possible scenario, that it will take place in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
“Tidal waves are expected to engulf coasts on both sides of the Atlantic for up to
fifty miles inland. Coastal areas are being evacuated as we speak. Crews of
oceangoing vessels are being plucked from their ships by helicopters, though it is
unknown how many can be moved to safety in time. Experts agree the impact on
marine life will be inestimable.”

Actually, it turns out to be mainly sulphur.
I’ve tried googling “weight of the appalachians” but nothing relevant comes up. Wild stabs at calculation come up with something about 400 million million tonnes.

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=LxCU-CmKuAcC&pg=PA419&lpg=PA419&dq=They+said+meteor+was+the+wrong+term+for+the+hurtling+rock+formation,+which+was+the+consistency+of+chalk+or+perhaps+sandstone.&source=bl&ots=A-raUQPW9p&sig=Dp5QAv4yKXm2P6YxHFkye01Hlpc&hl=en#v=onepage&q=They%20said%20meteor%20was%20the%20wrong%20term%20for%20the%20hurtling%20rock%20formation%2C%20which%20was%20the%20consistency%20of%20chalk%20or%20perhaps%20sandstone.&f=false