How similar was the post atomic horror to Threads(1984)

[Dryson]

Every time the question of Trek's WW III comes up, I always say the same thing, so I'll say it again here:

The Vulcans must have helped in the cleanup and rebuilding after the war. Otherwise there's not a chance in hell that Earth could have recovered so quickly.

I mean, there's a nuclear war in 2053, and a hundred years later, it's like nothing ever happened? Nuh-uh. Not buying it. Earth MUST have had help.

Then again, perhaps the war wasn't as bad as everyone assumes a third world war must be? In ST:FC, Riker said there were "very few governments left". He didn't say there were NO governments left, just "very few". And we know the USA was one of these, since in an early TNG ep, there is a US flag with 52 stars, which is said to come from 2033 to 2079. And since the war took place in '53...

I have asked myself the same question.

The Vulcans visited Earth in 2063 after their survey ship detected a warp signature. Montana was green and full of life.

If total nuclear war took place on Earth, most data that I have read says that the Earth would be well on the road to recovery within ten years, which I highly doubt.

First, if all of the nuclear weapons were used, the devastation would cause other facilities to go offline, including nuclear power plants and medical sites dedicated to study of biological warfare based viruses such as weaponized anthrax, that would release further devastation. Not to mentioned satellites no longer being maintained would randomly de-orbit and possibly crash into Earth causing even further destruction. Radioactive waste sites would no longer be monitored that would also release radioactive waste into surrounding areas and water supplies that would further contaminate Earth for longer periods of time than ten years.

Montana should have been teaming with human survivors.

Cochran's team had to search for months to find enough titanium to build parts of his ship. Only months would mean that a lot of titanium based scrap had to have been laying around for Cochran to find to begin with. Did the titanium come from satellites that had crashed to Earth? Where did all of the titanium come from?

 

[Orphalesion]

Cochran's team had to search for months to find enough titanium to build parts of his ship. Only months would mean that a lot of titanium based scrap had to have been laying around for Cochran to find to begin with. Did the titanium come from satellites that had crashed to Earth? Where did all of the titanium come from?

Maybe they made excursions into ruined cities.. But again, from the number of WWIII causalities Riker names in the movie, it doesn't sound like all cities on earth would have turned into Hiroshima. So maybe there was some way to trade it.

 

[Jedi Marso]

Coupla thoughts:

1. In order for Earth to have recovered and become spacefaring in so short a timeframe, the nuclear exchange that took place could not (reaonsably) have been the full-on total, global, thermo-nuc-u-lar war of Threads or The Day After. It would have had to be a more limited exchange.

2. In the Trek continuity, given stuff like the Saturn and Europa missions, etc, it is possible that Earth colonies established on the moon, Mars, and perhaps even Alpha Centauri could have retroactively aided Earth in its recovery from the war, not just the Vulcans. In fact, given what we know of the Vulcans, it is unlikely they would have lifted a finger to help at the time.

3. Threads remains (to me) the scariest movie I have ever seen. I've warned several people that it is almost a one-of-a-kind experience, and the once seen, it cannot be unseen. It'll definitely stay with you, even in the post cold-war world we live in today. It's not even the war portions that are the scary part, but what comes after. If you want to get upset and lose some sleep, give it a watch- but remember, you've been warned.

 

[Tango]

Coupla thoughts:

1. In order for Earth to have recovered and become spacefaring in so short a timeframe, the nuclear exchange that took place could not (reaonsably) have been the full-on total, global, thermo-nuc-u-lar war of Threads or The Day After. It would have had to be a more limited exchange.

2. In the Trek continuity, given stuff like the Saturn and Europa missions, etc, it is possible that Earth colonies established on the moon, Mars, and perhaps even Alpha Centauri could have retroactively aided Earth in its recovery from the war, not just the Vulcans. In fact, given what we know of the Vulcans, it is unlikely they would have lifted a finger to help at the time.

3. Threads remains (to me) the scariest movie I have ever seen. I've warned several people that it is almost a one-of-a-kind experience, and the once seen, it cannot be unseen. It'll definitely stay with you, even in the post cold-war world we live in today. It's not even the war portions that are the scary part, but what comes after. If you want to get upset and lose some sleep, give it a watch- but remember, you've been warned.

I agree, it is the scariest movie I expect ever to see. I think some nuclear-war movies tone down the horror and take an optimistic view on the capacity/resilience of civilization to survive/rebound and shy away from a perhaps more realistic portrayal. Whether that is due to external pressures on the film makers or something internal to the vatious productions I can't say.

Threads is uncompromising.