Time constraints aside, though, a lot of the boo-boos could be caught if all of the people working on the show were more versed in basic science or just cared more. It's always interesting to me to see interviews with directors and producers for SF who really have no interest at all in SF. For TV, if the "show runner" is a stickler for the details there would probably be a lot less of "teh stupid" in the shows.
I saw
this thing on Boing Boing about Carl Barks, who wrote and drew the Scrooge McDuck comic books. There was a little quote from him that struck me:
Carl Barks wrote:I worked hard at trying to make something as good as I could make it. When I took the finished art into the office and turned it over to the editor, I was satisfied that I had done it the very best I could. I always try to write a story that I wouldn't mind buying myself. And that's what distinguished it from the writing of those who only try to get the story past the editors.
I think if everyone involved had that attitude, TV would be a lot better. It's not just the science, it's tossing in a cliched plot. The cliches are easy to use but they're also easy to spot. And sure, I can see being under the gun and tossing in a cliche. It's seems to become a habit, though, for a lot of shows.
When I write, I try to do the best job I can. It's a hobby, but even so, my goal is to write something that
I want to read. My day job is running a small software company. We develop and distribute software. We even put it in boxes and sell it at the stores. Between my wife and I we have to make the calls on when the product, packaging, bugs, feature set, etc. is good enough to put out in front of the public. There's always one more bug or one more typo to catch but I think we try hard and I believe that it shows in the products we put out. Sometimes I find myself having to be the picky person, insisting that all the details are right. It's not a lot of fun, but it is necessary. Most TV shows would benefit from more attention to detail.
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