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What is the gender of a specific character in the "Elderling Realm" universe? In the "Elderling Realm" universe, there is a character who's gender is called into question at several points in the books. The character I am talking about is Beloved aka Amber aka the Fool aka the White Prophet. In the books, I thi...	As far as I'm concerned the question over this character's gender isn't male VS female, but genderless VS identifying with both genders VS something else again.
Why didn't the time cops try to stop Janeway when she traveled back in time to rescue Voyager? In the series finale " Endgame ", a future Admiral Janeway travels 26 years into her past to take the ship and crew through a Borg transwarp hub to the Alpha quadrant. However, in " Relativity ", Captain Braxton and his time...	Chances are they could see what changes would come about from Janeway altering the timeline, just as whatever his name was from the Year of Hell
Why did Harry Potter break the Elder Wand? At the end of the film version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 , Harry broke the Elder Wand in two and threw the pieces away. Why did he do that? <Q> In the Book, He doesn't break it. <S> Instead he puts it back in Dumbledore's tomb. <S> He explains why he...	Harry broke the wand because he did not want it to fall into the wrong hands again like it did with Voldemort and almost kill everyone in his quest to kill Harry Potter.
Why did Snape tell Voldemort when Harry Potter was really going to be moved? It seems suspicious that Snape told Voldemort when Harry Potter would be moved from his home. At that point of time, he had Voldemort's complete trust, having killed Dumbledore, why did he need to perform an extra attempt to help Voldemort fin...	If Snape hadn't told him, despite the fact that Snape MUST have known, Voldemort would have had to assume one of two things: a) Snape was no longer trusted by the Order - vital information was withheld from him.
There is always an exterior light shining onto the ship in every Star Trek; where does this light source come from? I know that the lighting system for the models/3d models is used for theatrical effects and for the scene, but is there an in-universe explanation? Examples: <Q> There is no very good in-universe explana...	Mostly they’re in star systems where the local sun would light the ship at least as well as spacecraft in our own solar system.
How and why was Miri's planet a duplicate of Earth? Was it ever explained why and how was the planet from Star Trek TOS episode, "Miri" , was an exact duplicate of Earth? In my opinion this was the most interesting question in the episode and it was left unanswered. <Q> Another Star Trek reference book, Star Trek: S...	I don't recall this being answered in the episode but there is a Star Trek reference book called The Worlds of the Federation , which indicates that not only the planet, but the entire solar system was an exact duplicate of the Sol system and was created by the Sol system passing through a temporal or spatial rift of s...
Why is AonDor only usable in the Elantris region? There isn't much info on AonDor in the Coppermind, so I figured I'd ask the experts here. In 'Elantris', it seems that AonDor characters can only be drawn in the Elantris region (maybe exclusively to the city itself...I can't remember). Is there any reason why this ...	Satanicpuppy is correct: even though the Dor does, in fact, flow throughout Sel, the Elantrians draw power for both AonDor and themselves from the city itself, hence the limitations distance impose on them.
What keeps a lightsaber from going on infinitely? Is there a reason ever given that explains why a lightsaber (which I assume/was made to assume is a sort of laser) doesn't go on infinitely like a normal laser (excluding atmospheric conditions)? Or is the blade of a lightsaber something different than a laser? <Q> (...	According to a lot of the Star Wars Extended Universe info, they actually arc back after a certain distance; it's just not terribly visible in the movies; think of them arcing back in a beam right next to the one emanating for the emitter. The blade typically extended about a meter before being arced by the blade conta...
Did the Iron Man suit come from HYDRA's technology? In Captain America , HYDRA is shown to have a great deal of advanced technology that was only feasible due to the extremely advanced Cosmic Cube-derived power source. HYDRA's Dr. Zola is credited as designing these weapons and technology. This allowed them to have ...	While there are similarities between the two, a clear connection between Hydra's WWII armor and the Mark 1 armor Tony Stark created in the first act of Iron Man are most likely unrelated. Not really, since he created it himself and there has not been any hint that he had any inspiration for the armour before he was cap...
Is the setup of humans who can't speak shown in 'Planet of the Apes(1968)' plausible? In the original (1968) Planet of the Apes movie the humans are depicted as if they can't speak any language. Is that plausible? How can humans lose their ability to speak?One can see that humans have lost all their knowledge - scien...	Perhaps they had been so thoroughly conditioned by the fear of the repercussions for speaking (i.e. punishment by the apes) that they just never did. As TangoOversway already pointed out , the humans in Planet of the Apes did have the capacity for speech (i.e. making noises with their mouths). Either way, the loss of t...
How is Caesar physically able to speak in 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'? This Wikipedia link says, Sign language and computer keyboards are used in primate language research because non-human primates lack vocal cords and other human speech organs. However, primates do possess the manual dexterity required fo...	One theory is: Caesar was born with genetic variations with more human like genes resulting in more human-like vocal cords.
Who are Species 125? In Star Trek, the Borg Queen is said to be from Species 125. Has this species been identified? Or has it been assimilated before the rest of the galaxy could encounter them? <Q> We don't know any more than that they were humanoid and were assimilated in 2375. <S> And, as you say, the Borg Queen wa...	No members of Species 125 have been encountered outside of the Collective.
How does giving a system more power cause it to work better? During all Star Treks, if a system isn't performing the way they need, they always reroute power from other systems. How does this power surge cause systems to work better? I always thought that if an electrical system got more power than what was designed,...	Extra power to shields is used to maintain the shields when the standard capacitance of the shield generators is reduced to 0 and to restore their full power more quickly when not under fire.
How do the sensors in Star Trek receive information faster than light speed? I was just watching an old Star Trek Voyager episode and Harry Kim said roughly " Captain, another super nova exploded just 0.36 lightyears away! ". My question here is how something can happen 0.36 lightyears away and still be considered jus...	Some subspace sensors are active; a subspace pulse is sent out, and an echo received back.
How does anyone remember the Dark One's name? In the Wheel of Time, naming the Dark One by his real name, Shai'tan, is considered dangerous because it draws his attention to you. Likewise for darkfriends; it is considered blasphemy so they don't say it either. If this is so, how does everybody know the name, because no...	Regardless of whether or not they actually speak the name aloud, there are bound to be hundreds of volumes containing the name in all the great libraries, and it would seem to follow that the Aes Sedai, the Brown Ajah in particular, wouldn't allow that knowledge to become lost. People say them, despite the belief that ...
How does spell blocking work in the Harry Potter universe? Does one have to introduce a "speed of spell" to explain the spell blocking? IMHO one has to build up protection before the impact - so how can a wizard react to a spell that is in progress? <Q> Spells aren't instant. <S> They take time to move from the end of ...	The 6th book explained that an experienced wizard/witch can anticipate and 'know' what the next spell the opponent will use and then cast a deflecting spell accordingly.
Why is the future LA full of chinese in Blade Runner? In the movie Blade Runner, the future Los Angeles(2019) is depicted as having lots of chinese people and chinese influence. Why is that the case? <Q> If you look at the demographics when the movie was made, the immigrant Chinese population was growing very quickly. ...	To expand on Xantec's answer: if I recall, the Chinese sections in Blade Runner's LA were fairly run-down, densely packed with people, and the authorities didn't have much penetration into the areas (as is typical with suburbs with a strong national influence and community sense of belonging). Most likely by coincidenc...
What is the drink Deckard has in the bar (Blade Runner)? In the movie, Deckard is shown to have a drink in a bar. The drink seemed to have worms under the glass. Is there a sci-fi explanation for that drink? <Q> The glass is what you'd often see for a margarita which is usually made with Tequila but can also be mad...	He drinks Mezcal at the Taffey Lewis' Bar.
When was Babylon 5 constructed, and how long did it take? I've just recently started watching B5, and I'm near the end of season 2. One thing that's seemed strange to me is that all five Babylon stations were built in the decade following the Earth-Minbari War, and it also seems to be implied that the stations were bu...	That gives 4 years for Babylon 4 to be built and then 2 years for Babylon 5, which seems about right considering that Babylon 4 was supposed to be MUCH bigger & better than Babylon 5. Babylon 5 was completed in 2256 , so there's 2 years for design tweaks (see comment), construction, and staffing/populating it.
When did Spider-Man fight against the X-Men? I remember reading some of my uncle's old comics a long time ago - these were from the 80s or earlier. One scene that stands out is a scene where a bunch of Marvel heroes were in a large alien base. I seem to recall that it was abandoned and they were using it as their base...	More recently, Spider Man is part of the Avengers in the Avengers VS X-Men comics.
A story about aliens mistaking humans as parasites Aliens discover Earth but are mistaken who the real inhabitants are: i.e. the aliens think that humans are parasites or something and that the real Earthlings are cars or something else. Is this an old joke or a real story? <Q> UPDATE: <S> Found it! <S> I believe ...	This is a specific instance of a general trope : "Mistook The Dominant Lifeform" . Probably not a story, but in Stapledon's Last and First Men , the Martians (sentient microorganisms) waged war on the earth in order to liberate diamonds from the humans, whom they first did not perceive as the source of the radio broadc...
How does one learn new words in the Ancient Language? In the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, magic is controlled on the basis of knowing its true name in the Ancient Language . There are many words which are forgotten, which are too new to have had a name in the time (for example, people), or otherwise no...	It comes about through intense study and understanding of the innate nature of whatever you are trying to name in the ancient language.
Are there nice wedding-related quotes in Doctor Who? Two of my friends are getting married. They're both huge Doctor Who geeks, and actually met through a DW RPG. Their wedding invitation contained a very subtle DW reference (you wouldn't have been able to tell unless you were very familiar with the show yourself.) D...	In the 10th Doctor episode, The Runaway Bride , the Doctor says: Ahh!
In what way is the 11th Doctor's TARDIS new? In the 11th Doctor episode The Big Bang , the Doctor sets up the ending by telling Amy: A daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away. Did I ever tell you that I stole it? Well, I borrowed it. I was always going to take it back. Oh, that box, Amy. You'll dream about t...	Living things are constantly in the process of renewal, so, like the Doctor, the Tardis is effectively ageless; people often comment on how he doesn't appear to have aged -- for a machine, I would think the equivalent would be staying forever 'New'.
In the Wheel of Time series, why is Moghedien's a'dam not leashed? When we first see thas a'dam it is specifically noted as having a leash between the collar and bracelet. But when Moghedien is captured she moves around freely without a leash. I realise the a'dam in question was created by Elayne, and assume simply t...	The leash is convenient for sul'dams as it shows clearly the connection, but it was very impractical (to say the least) for Elayne and Nynaeve to have their 'servant' on a leash.
Why would they get the numbers of the Eagles wrong in Space:1999? In episode 2 of season 1, the Eagle you can see in the first five minutes is referred to as Eagle 1 . Yet, in the scenes within the cockpit, you can clearly see a nice big 6 . There's another episode (can't remember which) where an Eagle is referred to...	the Eagles are modular constructions, the frame, the command module & the cargo/passenger module are all separate - a given Eagle is assembled out of different modules, hence the Command module '6' could well be part of the Eagle designated as "1" that day.
Did they goof mixing Warehouse 13 and Eureka universes? So, I've been watching Warehouse 13, and I've seen at least 3 episodes with actors from Eureka in the show. Of these, the first 2 had the same actors with different people, the last had the same actor acting as the same person. What this an oversight, or is there ...	In addition, sci-fi shows often share actors, with actors from one sci-fi show working on other sci-fi shows (e.g. Summer Glau). From those three episodes, it's clear that Warehouse 13 and Eureka inhabit the same universe.
How prevalent is the supernatural in The Dresden Files? After reading the Hollows series by Kim Harrison, I've picked up Storm Front by Jim Butcher, the first book in the Dresden Files series (I understand there is/was a TV show at some point, but have never seen it). How prevalent is the supernatural in the ser...	In the Dresden Files , most of the supernatural world is also predatory (unlike Hollows), with two different types of vampires (Red and White court) being the most prevalent. As far as your question goes, he's feared, not for himself, but because he is a member of a world spanning organization of powerful wizards who m...
Was the Enterprise-D the first Galaxy class starship? Why? According to the script of Yesterday's Enterprise , the Enterprise-D was, "the first Galaxy Class warship built by the Federation" . How can that be? I thought the first would be the Galaxy , hence the class designation. <Q> Two things should be noted...	In the normal timeline, the Enterprise-D was actually the third Galaxy Class starship commissioned, after the prototype USS Galaxy and the USS Yamato (the sister ship of the Enterprise-D). As far as we know, the first starship in a new class is usually designated as the class name.
Could the original or other Enterprises' saucers separate? The Enterprise-D was capable of saucer separation . Was this true of any other Enterprises, e.g. the original ? <Q> There are two TOS episodes <S> I know of where jettisoning the nacelles <S> is mentioned: "The Apple" (cited in a comment from OghmaOsiri...	Memory Alpha indicates that saucer separation was a capability of Constitution -class starships , but only as "a last-resort option".
Why was CLU trying to leave the grid and enter the real world? I've seen Tron Legacy a couple of times now and the thing that bugs me the most, why does CLU want to leave the grid and enter the "real world"? In the grid he has almost god like powers with ability to build the perfect world. But in the real world he wo...	After many cycles bringing 'order' to the Grid, CLU simply felt that doing the same to the real world was the natural next step to his original directive from Flynn, especially as he saw the real world as a wildly chaotic place. It's obvious from the setup within the system that Clu is all about gaining power.
What's the point of Voyager being able to land? Voyager 's ability to land on a planet's surface was used in a couple of episodes ( The 37s , etc.). While I have no problem with the concept of doing so, I do wonder: what was the point of designing a starship with landing ability? They don't need to turn it completely o...	In other words, it's quite plausible in the Star Trek world that someone saw the limitation that Starfleet ships could not land, decided they'd like the challenge of overcoming that limitation, put together a team of like-minded engineers and figured it out.
How can a spaceship jump "into" a mountain with FTL? In Lay Down Your Burdens (Part 1) (episode 19 of season 2 of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica), the rescue mission to Caprica loses one Raptor during their final jump. On checking the coordinates, Helo determines that they "jumped into the mountain". Now this...	In this case the Raptor that jumped into the mountain would have done so by literally entering the mountain, rather than crashing into it or through it.
Is there a suggested order of reading Conan books? Is there a recommended order of reading for Conan books? The order should include both Robert E. Howard's and other authors' material. Don't really care about comics and other non-book sources. <Q> Several different authors have tried to put together a chronology, but...	I've read a handful of Conan books in random order without feeling like I'm missing anything, but I don't think that's really intended, particularly for the early books written by Robert E. Howard himself.
How can people teleport through forcefields in Star Trek? Occasionally, people have been able to teleport through a forcefield in Star Trek. Was there ever a consistent explanation for this? I'd previously assumed a forcefield was like a solid wall. Or do they have gaps? <Q> Well, if you are refering to defense screen...	I think the "official" explaination is that Forcefields have a given cycle like the refresh rate on a monitor if the Transporter signal can be matched to this
Fantasy novel about an orphan raised by a wizard; makes his own journey after an attack on the wizard’s house Things I'm pretty sure I remember correctly: I've read it in 1992-1993, in a mass market paperback edition. I don't remember anything from the cover. It was the first of a series. Synopsis of what I remembe...	The stories center on Tristen, a boy not born from a human mother, but rather a magical "shaping" created by the ancient wizard Mauryl Gestaurien.
A fish with a [human] face will bring a tsunami. Is this an actual Japanese wives' tale? In the movie Ponyo when Sōsuke brings the fish he rescued to the nursing home his mom works at and shows it to the old ladies in wheelchairs, the grumpy old lady screams that a fish with a [human] face will bring a tsunami and dema...	But there are several creatures in many cultures/gods that have fishes with human face and some of them are quite capable of creating violent storms and other sea disasters.
Why does Q click his fingers? Why does Q click (snap) is fingers whenever he uses his powers? Is there an in-universe reason or is it pure theatrics? <Q> Not ever defined, that I know of, in universe.. <S> but I'd say it's an intentional self-limiting gesture... with near omnipotence and the ability to simply will thin...	In addition to the other excellent answers, I think Q snaps to accentuate the ease at which he uses his powers. It may be that young Q are taught to do this in order to first definitively establish whatever it is they want to do, so that every stray thought of theirs doesn't immediately become reality.
In the Halo universe, why are Master Chief (and some others) called "Reclaimers"? When 343 Guilty Spark and Master Chief met, 343 called Master Chief a "Reclaimer". The word is also used several times in the books. What does it mean? Did the Forerunners leave the artifacts all over the galaxy for the benefit of the Hum...	A Reclaimer (Latin: Homo Sapiens Augeous) is an individual who has been placed in charge of activating a Halo super-weapon.
How does Superman shave? I've seen several times when Superman is sporting a beard. How does he shave his indestructable hair? I remember once in Superman the Animated Series that he used his heat vision, but that doesn't make sense to me seeing as he can fly through a star and not get burned. Also related, how does ...	Superman seems to shave (mostly) by using his own heat vision, reflected back at himself.
What is the relationship between fantasy and science fiction? While reading another questions, I had to think about what is the relationship between fantasy and science fiction? Is science fiction just a sub-genre of fantasy? If they are considered different genres, what are the key characteristics that define them a...	The technical definition of Science Fiction is as a subset of Fantasy.
A book about space travel using the power of the mind Read a book a few years ago (though I think the book itself is more than tens years old) about a woman who captained her own starship and used some odd type of star travel that involved pretty much imagining the path and sending the ship down it. One of the first sc...	The space travel thing sounds exactly like how they travel in the Dune books by Frank Herbert. "The Ship Who Sang" by Anne McCaffrey involves a sentient starship (actually the human brain of a disabled girl installed as the ship's computer) attending a funeral service
In the book/movie Sphere, why was the space craft built with aerodynamics? I don't remember if there was a reason given in the book, but I know the ship was discovered because one of the fins cut a cable that was being laid. If your ship is only traveling in space, why make wings? For example, there were no wings on ...	When the spaceship was first discovered, it was easily determined that this was an alien spaceship.
What accent do Duros speak with? In the course of a RPG campaign set in the Star Wars universe, a question has arisen about a Duros character: should his speech have a significant accent when speaking Basic? As we are not native English speakers, we are not sure whether Duros characters in the (extended) canon, such ...	There is no discernible accent , but there seems to be a dialectical difference based upon his word choices.
What are the last two metals and what do they do? I've recently finished the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson and at the very end of the book: Sazed tells Spook: "P.S. There are still two metals that nobody knows about. You might want to poke about and see if you can figure out what they are. I think they'll ...	The two unknown metals are Cadmium and Bendalloy , which allow the burner to slow down or speed up the flow of time in a bubble that surrounds them.
Children in Ender's game Why is there such a big focus on children in Ender's game and why are only children trained in the battle academy? Why can't teenagers or adults start training also if they have whatever skills the academy is looking for. <Q> While the accepted answer was somewhat correct (one of the 2 reasons...	I believe the Ender's Game states that the need for the use of children is to take advantage of their ability to think in an abstract manner that cannot be taught to adults.
Where was the fictional material "Unobtainium" first used? I remember the fictional metal unobtainium used in several science fiction movies / stories, often to the point where my friends and I laugh when it is used. I know it is used in the movie "The Core" as material for the ship, and I more recently remember it be...	The Wikipedia article on Unobtainium ( as of this writing ) has history going back to the 1950s in use by aerospace engineers. The short story "The Skylark of Space (Amazing Stories 1928) uses a "miracle substance" that is later referred to as "unobtainium"
Why is Leia a princess? We learned that her mother was a queen, but this doesn't matter since she was adopted. And she also was completely unaware of her lineage before the revelation preceding the Battle of Endor. So, why is she considered a princess? <Q> Technically, I don't think she could be considered a princess ...	Leia was adopted as a baby by Senator Organa and his wife Queen Breha Organa , thus making her a princess.
Why the number 52? DC Comics has referenced the number 52 on several occassions. 52 the comic 52 versions of earth the New 52 etc. Is there some numerology working here? Is there a code behind it? <Q> Post- <S> Infinite Crisis , all the titles jumped forward a year, this event was referred to at the time as One Y...	There are 52 weeks in a year, and comics are published weekly.
In Star Trek - What's the Point of the Transporter Room? I hope this isn't a silly question but I've been watching TNG and this bothers me. The transporter 'pad' area is relatively small. As a guess, maybe 12 people can fit on it. But the vast majority of times it's being used by 2-3 people. However, the transporte...	Efficiency and costs is the savings by using the pads instead of site to site.
What are the goals of the Jedi? Are the goals of the Jedi ever clearly defined? From what I understood from the movies, they are dual - To fight against the Dark Side. To support the Senate. However, these goals can be contradictory (as actually happens in the movie). So which is primary? If 1), then why does the...	A noble order of protectors unified by their ability to tap into thepower of the Force, the Jedi Order were the guardians of peace andjustice in the Galactic Republic .
Does the television series Stargate SG-1 show any evidence of Cameron's time travel affecting the original timeline? This question contains spoilers about the end of the movie Stargate Continuum.I'm not putting this in spoiler code because this movie is over three years old. At the end of Stargate Continum Cameron Mit...	There was no sign of it, because the SG1 series we saw, was the original timeline, where Ba'al didn't interfere with history and Mitchell didn't go back in time.
How can the Doctor be poisoned? In Let's Kill Hitler, an episode from the 11th Doctor, the Doctor and his companions encounter the usual assortment of difficulties and obstacles. However, the biggest difficulty contains something that I don't quite understand. Spoilers: When Melody Pond kisses the Doctor, she dose...	He's poisoned in "The Unicorn and the Wasp" with cyanide, but is able to detoxify himself, so it has been established that he can be poisoned.
Why did the Borg name Locutus? The other Borg get names like 4th of 12, adjunct matrix blah blah. So why did Captain Picard get a name when he was assimilated, instead of a numerical code / designation like all the other drones? <Q> Giving him a name would make it easier for him to perform his primary function as an ...	The Borg intended to use Picard as an intermediary, a spokesman for the Human race in order to facilitate the assimilation of Earth in order to make the process as quick and efficient (or as perfect, if you keep the Borg's driving force in mind) as possible with the fewest number of casualties on both sides. "Locutus" ...
Do Borg have sexual reproduction? In light of the comments discussions for " Data being intimate with Tasha Yar - why was Data built with this capability? " involving Captain Picard and Borg Queen, a question popped into my mind: Do Borg even have sexual reproduction ? <Q> According to Seven of Nine in Voyager "Revu...	Seven states that Borg assimilate, and do not have sex. Outside of the Ocampa (who's lifespan and tendencies towards evolution into godlike beings would be issues), it takes at least a decade of care for a child before they could be useful to the Borg, and more like 18 to get a drone with anything resembling full stren...
Why does the Borg Queen have a gender? As I just answered , Borg don't have sexual reproduction. The Borg Queen seems to have replaceable bodies. So why does she even have a gender (e.g. Borg Queen vs. Borg Leader)? She does have one - aside from the name; She keeps trying to turn males into her consorts (Locutus/...	The Borg Queen was simply there to be a temptress and, yes, to draw parallels to insects as you pointed out.
Why are R2-D2 and C-3PO spelled phonetically in outside media? Does anyone know why R2-D2 is spelled Artoo-Detoo and C-3PO is spelled See-Threepio in the script and in other media outside the movies? I've always found this very annoying and it took away from the artificial-ness of the characters trying to make them mo...	It's clearer for the actors, and since script length is often used to guess the running time, writing things out phonetically makes the script more "honest".
Short story where everyone is using wearable personal computers, and the protagonist asks about being able to turn one's own off What is the name and author of a short story where everyone is using always-on wearable computers, e.g. to help interaction with other people, like hints of what to say during conversation. ...	It sounds like "Norbert and the System" , by Timons Esaias .
Was ST: First Contact Borg Queen a different one from ST: Voyager Borg Queen? Were they meant to be the same entity? If they weren't, does this imply that Borg have distinct "hives"? Out-of-Universe, the actresses playing the roles were all mixed up, but sounds like Paramount originally wanted the same actress implyi...	One could theorize that perhaps the body that speaks is not the queen, but rather that the queen itself is a pervasive "personality" that exists throughout the entire collective and that she merely employs a body, whether it be a clone or a series of similar forms on each borg ship, to be her voice and to speak and act...
Where is Gotham City located? Has there ever been a definitive location cited for Gotham City in the DC Universe United States? I remember hearing somewhere that it is close to New York (the DCU has a New York), but how close? <Q> From the Batman Wiki Before Detective Comics #48, Batman's adventures were said to hap...	The current definitive maps of Gotham City are those based on the ones produced for the "No Man's Land" story arc. One map showing Gotham City in relation to Metropolis, the home of Superman, published in New Adventures of Superboy #22 (October 1981), placed Gotham City and Metropolis on opposite sides of a large bay. ...
Is C-3PO's half silver leg in the original movie or was it one of the digital alterations? When watching the new Blu-ray version of Star Wars: A New Hope I noticed C-3PO's half silver leg. I saw the original movie at the theater many times and do not recall seeing it before. Is this one of the alterations George Luca...	The silver leg was definitely there in from the beginning : On the Cover of The Story of Star Wars , a 1977 record album presenting an abridged version of the events depicted in the film Star Wars
Are Imperial stormtroopers all clones? During the prequel trilogy, we learn that the predecessor to the Imperial stormtroopers are all clones. Are the stormtroopers of the original trilogy still clones? If not, where do they come from? <Q> They were initially all clones (of Jango Fett), but to them other clones and enl...	The explanation given is that the production of clones has been phased out, and since the clones age at twice the rate of normal humans they are too old to serve as stormtroopers. While the initial troopers were all clones of Jango Fett, after the installation of the Galactic Empire most of the men in the white armor w...
How do we know they were called 'Ewoks'? I just finished watching Return of the Jedi , and I don't remember actually hearing any of the characters referring to the teddy-bear-like creatures as 'Ewoks'. Where did that name actually come from? <Q> According to the Behind the Scenes section of the Wookieepedia article ...	They're specifically referred to as Ewoks in the original script ...
How did Tasha Yar know that she needed to make a hologram? In the 23rd episode of Season 1 (" Skin of Evil "), Tasha Yar is killed. At the end of the episode, the main crew of the Enterprise attends a ceremony where a hologram of her addresses each attendee. It looks like this, to jog your memory: Also, totall...	Death would have been a constant part of her mindset.
Movie in which a hero beats the villain in a first-person shooter? I need help identifying a movie - it might be a TV movie or mini-series - probably from 1995-2005. The hero has a computer he speaks to (it has a female voice), and there is a terrorist who, I think, kidnaps a girl. I am only sure about the ending in w...	Doom - youtube Is a game-turned movie starring the Rock.
Why can't a Jedi or Sith control something sliced with a lightsaber? In a number of lightsaber duels between Jedi and Sith, we see one duelist, usually a Sith, use the Force to toss objects at their opponent. The opponent ducks or dodges the object, or slices it in two with a light saber. And once the object is slice...	Merely using the force to hurl it is less precise, but can be effective if you have several objects (at least one out of many might hit) or if you have a large object (larger area for the opponent to avoid). Also, even if you consider a typical lightsaber fight, a billowing cloak might be used to confuse an attacker.
Why do X-wings change wing configuration? The X-wing fighters can change their wing configuration, from the X shape during battle to flat wings (the wings on the same side fold together) during FTL travel. I'm guessing that the real world explanation is something like, "it looks cool". But what is the in-universe expl...	Wings being closed is for landing and storage purposes as well, and maybe wings closing when weapons are disabled is an automatic feature e.g 'Navigation mode' usually engaged prior to landing/docking. First is that by spreading the blasters apart they give it a greater field of fire and greater chance of hitting the e...
What's the Star Trek transporter like from the point of view of the person being transported? This always bugged me about the transporter effect... ... we always see it from the point of view of an external observer (even if there isn't one). We never see it from the point of view of the characters. Presumably it loo...	In Elite Force , the person being transported sees their vision clouded by particles, a fade to black, and then a fade-in and the particles disappear.
How was an R2 unit supposed to be able to fix an X-wing while in flight? The R2 units got pushed into a hole behind the pilot in the X-wing. This always required a big (bigger than normal) suspension of disbelief for me, because they were meant to be able to make emergency repairs to the X-wing. How? R2D2's reach wa...	Their 'in-flight' repairs are basically limited to fixing physical damage to the critical systems located near their socket and routing key functions around other issues. X-Wings don't have a fully capable nav computer built in, they require the droid to calculate hyperspace jumps.
Is an in universe explanation given for not having Zat-guns in Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe? The Zat-gun fullfills very usefull jobs in the Stargate SG1 series, allowing stunning and providing a means to overload (and disable) equipment.I would have thought they would have brought some to both Atlantis and...	It's possible (though unlikely) that the SGC has a limited supply, and couldn't risk sending them on an extended (possibly permanent) trip.
What does Sidious mean? The Sith name of the emperor is Darth Sidious. As English is not my native language, I wonder if the is any hidden meaning for the name Sidious. <Q> For English speakers it's a really not subtle hint that he's bad and evil. <S> It's like naming a villain "Bad Man". <S> The name Sidious by it...	For example : Darth Sidious is short for the word INSIDIOUS, which is a form of evil.
Why is Supergirl so weak? In Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, it's shown that Supergirl's cellular structure is much more dense than Superman and that Supergirl is supposed to be much more powerful. Why is it then that she gets hurt much easier than Superman and she's not as quick or strong? <Q> Although Batman says her c...	Even if Kara's physiology metabolizes sunlight more efficiently than Clark's, she's still substantially smaller and less muscular than he is, so she might still end up being weaker.
What are the special abilities of Wesley Crusher? In one episode of Star Trek: TNG "The Traveler" appears and the Enterprise achieves speeds over Warp 10 (as I recall). The Traveler has kind of superpowers to master space and time (all pretty weird in this episode :)) and becomes a friend of Wesley. At the end he tell...	From these later episodes, it would seem that Wesley had an innate ability to understand the connections between time, space, and thought, and also had an almost intuitive feel for warp field geometry.
Regulus Black was never mentioned in movies, but was in a book. Why? I have no recollection of any mention of Regulus Black in the Harry Potter films. However, I felt he was an important part of the story, especially because: Dumbledore and Harry found a Horcrux which was almost destroyed by Regulus Black (R.A....	Regulus Arcturus Black is indeed mentioned in the movies.
Why didn't they make a new TNG movie after Nemesis? The Next Generation crew filmed Generations, First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis. Then nothing. Why was there no follow up film? I was expecting some kind of resolution to the Data / B4 story. <Q> Part of it was that many of the actors were moving on, part of it ...	In short, the studios won't do it because there's no money in it.
Was Howland Reed the Knight of the Laughing Tree? In A Storm of Swords , Jojen and Meera tell Bran the tale of the Knight of the Laughing Tree. They do not identify the Crannogman in the story, but both seem surprised that Eddard Stark has never told this story to Bran. Is theCcrannogman in the story Howland Reed? I...	I had always believed that the Knight was actually Ned's sister Lyanna. OTOH Reed is a Crannogman, who are not exactly known for their equestrian skills.
Trouble of time travel in Harry Potter? What would happen when Harry and Hermione would meet other Harry and Hermione while using time travel clock? For example scene of execution of hippogriff in Prisoner of Azkaban. <Q> I'd say that one of them (not time-traveling yet) would be pretty shocked. <S> Even Hermione said ...	Hermione does mention that time-travelling wizards have been injured or even killed by their confused previous selves. Hermione would probably be okay, because she already knows that she might meet herself in the future.
Why does a lightsaber turn off when a Jedi dies or drops it? I rewatched the three newer movies and noticed that whenever a Jedi was killed, or let go of their lightsaber, it immediately turned off. What was curious was that the lightsaber turns off right away, when a Jedi is killed, even before it leaves their hand (...	So when a jedi dies, they obviously aren't able to put force power into the saber. There might be a possible force-link between user and weapon/tool.
Has Data ever made a joke intentionally (not involuntarily) in the TNG series? I know Data tried to make Laforge laugh with his Mr. Tricorder parody in Star Trek: Generations Movie when he had this "emotion chip" Aside from this I only know the episode in TNG where Q loses his powers, being a simple human, and when r...	Also, in the episode "Code of Honor", Data tries to tell Geordi a joke and fails, then inadvertently makes him laugh.
Silmarillion & Book of Lost Tales, which should I read first? Several years back I read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings . I recently discovered (when going through some old boxes I hadn't unpacked after moving house) that I've got a few additional books which I've never read, mainly The Silmarillion and The Boo...	I would recommend reading The Silmarillion first.
Did The Cybermen influence the creation of The Borg? Did Doctor Who's Cybermen influence Star Trek writers when they created the Borg ? Did they even copy the idea? There are many similarities: both are cyborgs, both assimilate other species by force, changing them into their own kind, etc. Update: based on the c...	While Science Fiction writers tend to borrow and be inspired by other franchises and concepts in a very loose sense, the Borg are not directly based on the Cybermen.
Did Wolverine fight in WWII with Capt America? In a few of the Marvel back stories, it's shown that Wolverine fought alongside The Cap during WWII. Is this ever acknowledged in the Marvel movie franchises? <Q> The Marvel properties adapted before the invention of Marvel Studios are not linked to the current shared ...	Yes, Captain America and Wolverine fight alongside each other briefly during WW2. BUT he has been shown to fight alongside Cap on TV, due to assumed differences in rights between television and film rights.
How could Asajj Ventress be a Sith if there can't be more than two of them? At the very end of Star Wars, episode 1: The Phantom Menace , Mace Windu and Yoda had this discussion : Mace Windu: There is no doubt. The mysterious warrior was a Sith. Yoda: Always two there are.... no more... no less. A master and an...	Ventress is also Dooku's "secret" apprentice. She's not Darth Ventress, because as I understand it only a true Sithlord is given that Title and there are always only two, at least known during that time. She wasn't a Sith, she was a Dark Jedi. At the same time there is also a push/drive for the apprentice to become the...
What was Gandalf's plan for getting the Ring to Mt. Doom? I'm currently re-reading Lord of the Rings for the umpteenth time, and a question occurred to me. When Gandalf hears from Faramir that Frodo and Sam were heading for Cirith Ungol, he is shocked. Obviously, he hadn't planned to take them that way if he had surv...	He had very clear plan to take the ring to Mordor and destroy it in the cracks of doom, but exactly how this was going to be achieved in practice
What is the Joker's real name? Most villains who take on an alias do so to hide their real names or to show they have become the villain or whatnot. What about the Joker? I know he has a real name because he wasn't always the Joker, but is it ever revealed in any comics? <Q> The Joker has had more backstories than m...	In the "A Death in the Family" storyline, there's a point where Batman scares The Joker into running by implying that he knows The Joker's real name, which he'll reveal, breaking the mystery.
If Galaxy-class ships had been developed by 2360, why couldn't they scout for the voyager crew? Voyager was lost in 2371, now I realize that for a long time the Alpha Quadrant probably had no idea where Voyager was or if it was even still operating, but at some point during the series they made contact through a commun...	Although Star Fleet knew where Voyager was it would have been a very large undertaking to send a rescue mission to redevous with Voyager, with odds of success likely nearly as poor as Voyager's were of returning on their own.
How does Picard choose a warp speed? How does Picard, or anyone for that matter, decide at what warp speed to travel? Obviously there are times when they need to get somewhere in a hurry and he says, warp 9 or maximum warp, but the rest of the time he just seems to pick a number at random. He rolls a warp 6.5 Is the...	As no system is 100% efficient, there will be a law of diminishing returns when picking a warp number to travel at.
How do people understand astromech droids? In all the Star Wars movies, R2D2 just boops and beeps his way around. And everyone understands him perfectly, though he is obviously not speaking Basic. How do people understand him - is there like an astromech language? If so, then would one have to learn it, or is it com...	As you can see from the first deleted scene from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, the simple answer is that humans don't generally understand Artoo although they may have a basic understanding of "spoken Droid".
Actual hints of Picard's ancestry? While it is claimed here and there that Picard name is inspired by Auguste Piccard, the first man who saw the Earth’s curvature, and his family of balloonists and bathyscaphists, is this actually mentioned in the series? Wikipedia does not have a precise reference. <Q> According to W...	It's entirely possible that the writers and producers chose the name 'Picard' as a reference to the gentleman you mention.
Why is it acceptable in the Star Trek universe for doctors to instantly sedate patients? It seems like any time a patient becomes unruely in Star Trek, the on call doctor immediately hyposprays him with something to knock him out. How can it be ethically acceptable for doctors to just sedate patients whenever they be...	A non-inpatient must be a threat to life of others for sedation and/or chemical restraint to not be assault in most places at present, even tho' it would otherwise be ethical; the bar seems much lower before it's no longer assault in Star Trek.
How do Hypo-sprays work? In Star Trek, the hypo-spray is the replacement of the syringe in our time frame. But does the hypo-spray actually pierce the skin? I've seen times when they are used on direct skin contact, through clothes, into a bio-bag-thingy (Voyager), and even into open air like an aerosol can. Is the m...	Subcutaneous and intravenous administration of many types ofmedication is accomplished with the hypospray. As Wikis pointed out, the standard hypospray does not pierce the skin.
What sounds attract zombies? In the first episode of Season 2 of The Walking Dead, the survivors avoid using their guns for fear of attracting large groups of walkers. They take steps to ensure that everyone has hand-to-hand weapons, so they don't have to fire a shot. Yet later in that same episode, they find a churc...	Movement - our eyes are our first major sensory organs; still that way for Walkers Sounds - our secondary sensory suite most likely to reveal the existence of prey Sense of Smell - not one of our primary sense organs
Could the ring have intended to be picked up by Bilbo? In the Fellowship of the Ring movie, during the prologue, it explains how Bilbo got the ring. She says: Its time had now come. It abandoned Gollum. But then something happened that the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginab...	Bilbo was more likely to be effective for the Ring since he was obviously a traveler from afar who was going to travel yet further, unlike the goblins who might have kept the Ring in the caves under the Misty Mountains.
Does Red Skull die at the end of Captain America? At the end of Captain America: The First Avenger (directed by Joe Johnston with Chris Evans in the titular role) you see Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) holding the Tesseract after being hit by Captain America's shield. This causes it to start glowing and Red Skull seems to ...	The ending of The Avengers provides partial confirmation, as Loki and Thor use the Tessaract (the new name of the cube) to return to Asgard, showing that the Tessaract explicitly has the ability to transport people to the other realms.
Was Yoda fully sane on Dagobah? Our (and Luke's) original impression of Yoda is by no means flattering. He looks like a crazy hungry green thing that unfortunately has the ability to speak. Yoda digs through Luke's stuff, eats Luke's food, and, obsessed with that awesome little flashlight, ends up stealing it. (He even...	He didn't know if he could risk the info that he was Yoda the Jedi Master to fall into Luke's hands yet.
What is the earliest instance of the use of term "blaster" in sci-fi to denote energy-based weapon? “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.” - Han Solo, naturally. So, by the time Star Wars was released, blaster was an established science-fiction term for an ene...	EE Doc Smith mentions blasters in the Lensman series. I think I remember the early serial versions of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon using the term, but even if they didn't, here's a reference to the term being used as early as 1925 in When the Green Star Waned by Nictzin Dyalhis.
How can warp drives damage space when the galaxy is moving through space? In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Force of Nature , we find that warp drive damages space and that one area of space is more unstable than others. But not only are all galaxies rushing out from the center of the Universe, but the ...	The damaged section of space moves in relation to the rest of the universe, staying in a "stationary" position to everything else around it.
Do the survivors in The Walking Dead have immunity to the zombie plague or are they just lucky? From what I recall of 28 Days Later , where the old guy gets infected and turned with a bit of infected blood, they (or at least he) didn't have immunity to the plague, unlike in Left 4 Dead . Is this the case in The Wal...	In the comics it is established that everyone already is infected , though the symptoms only show after you "die" unless the brain is damaged too much.
Is the IP address used realistically in the book "REAMDE"? I understand that IP addresses are not reliable in pin-pointing a person'sphysical location. The inaccuracy is attributed to multiple factors. TheIP could be from the DHCP pool and shared between many devices. The IP could be a proxy. So far in the early part ...	So yes, the location finding in Reamde is plausible.
How are weapons in Mass Effect powered? In the Mass Effect universe, there used to be limited need for ammo, since it was explained that each weapon used a large block of metal from which it would actively 'shave' off tiny pieces to use as bullets. Then, in the second Mass Effect video game, apparently guns got more po...	It could also be that the metal block is actually composed of nano-structures which can provide both energy and ammunition.

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