Far from the worst but my funniest example comes from my favourite show. In the first season of Stargate SG-1, they introduced an alien weapon which would go on to become a staple of the series, the Zat Gun. One shot stuns, two shots kill, and three shots… Disintegrates?!
Yeah, it’s so stupidly powerful that the writers pretty much immediately realized the mistake and the show kinda just conveniently forgets that was established in the first season, except for like three other times in the entire ten season run.
Even the first two shots became very nebulous over time.
Edited to add, the disintegration effect is even mocked in-world in a very meta way in later seasons.
the disintegration effect is even mocked in-world in a very meta way in later seasons.
Their meta mocking themselves is where I learned the phrase “hang a lantern on it” exactly because the writers “hung a lantern” on how silly the zat was.
Also several of the actors talk about how they’re clearly penises. Like the first time they got their hand on one they went:
They wanted a phaser but couldn’t call it a vaporize setting.
But they didn’t completely abandon it. Disintegration gets used a handful more times when they remember it and it helps them wave away plot holes. Like in the episode where they end up in the 60s they disintegrate a box. A box!
Well, not quite. Iirc the disintegration effect came about last minute when the director decided he needed a way to remove the bodies, to explain why other jaffa wouldn’t see them and get suspicious.
It’s why in the Wormhole Xtreme episode, they mock that exact premise when O’Neill Marty suggests it.
he needed a way to remove the bodies, to explain why other jaffa wouldn’t see them and get suspicious.
Wasn’t it just about the practicality of having bodies laying around the set? That makes sense in-universe though, but at least in the mockumentary meta episode (200th?) they give that reason, to clear the extras to make room essentially.
Far from the worst but my funniest example comes from my favourite show. In the first season of Stargate SG-1, they introduced an alien weapon which would go on to become a staple of the series, the Zat Gun. One shot stuns, two shots kill, and three shots… Disintegrates?!
Yeah, it’s so stupidly powerful that the writers pretty much immediately realized the mistake and the show kinda just conveniently forgets that was established in the first season, except for like three other times in the entire ten season run.
Even the first two shots became very nebulous over time.
Edited to add, the disintegration effect is even mocked in-world in a very meta way in later seasons.
Their meta mocking themselves is where I learned the phrase “hang a lantern on it” exactly because the writers “hung a lantern” on how silly the zat was.
Also several of the actors talk about how they’re clearly penises. Like the first time they got their hand on one they went:
Also also, like 24 hours or so ago confirmed that new Stargate is being developed.
I won’t be giving Amazon a cent though.
Neither will I.
They wanted a phaser but couldn’t call it a vaporize setting.
But they didn’t completely abandon it. Disintegration gets used a handful more times when they remember it and it helps them wave away plot holes. Like in the episode where they end up in the 60s they disintegrate a box. A box!
Well, not quite. Iirc the disintegration effect came about last minute when the director decided he needed a way to remove the bodies, to explain why other jaffa wouldn’t see them and get suspicious.
It’s why in the Wormhole Xtreme episode, they mock that exact premise when
O’NeillMarty suggests it.Edited, corrected below!
Wasn’t it just about the practicality of having bodies laying around the set? That makes sense in-universe though, but at least in the mockumentary meta episode (200th?) they give that reason, to clear the extras to make room essentially.
Technically Martin is the one who suggests it…
Ah you’re right! I was thinking of a little bit later when O’Neill suggests the aliens are dead because they don’t wear camouflage.
Time for a rewatch, I’m getting rusty!
Two boxes stacked against each other, in fact. Sitting in a truck.
The truck does not disintigrate.