The direction of science cannot be predetermined. To prefer one lame hypothesis over a million other ideas is for 8th grade dropouts who will never even try to do anything their whole pointless lives.
In the long run, no. In the short run, most certainly. Incorrect initial assumptions can totally screw up final results. It's happened again and again and again. In true science, the false assumptions generally self-correct as the final results become more and more at odds with reality.
However, scientists, like all humans beings, can be masters at self-denial and can carry on blindly in the face of contradictory results for decades.