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Was Padmé made to still appear pregnant for her funeral? During Padmé's funeral in Episode III she still appears to be very pregnant as her casket is drawn through the street, even though she had already given birth to twins before she died. You could perhaps make the argument that it is remaining baby weight, but ju...	From experience, you do not start fitting into normal clothes or looking your normal self until weeks after giving birth.
How did the Ra'Zac know to go to Carvahall? So, the Ra'Zac show up in Carvahall at the beginning of Eragon . They don't know where the Egg is, they are really just shooting in the dark looking around. It says in the book that the Ra'Zac were following Brom, but it seems unlikely that they knew where he was and did not...	The Razac must have had a "score of information outside Carvahall", like Benjaminrh mentioned.
Why Couldn't Harry Destroy the Horcruxes With His Bare Hands? Again, just using the spoiler tag as a courtesy. Anyhow. . . In Sorcerer's Stone , Harry is able to destroy Professor Quirrell, possessed by Voldemort, by his mere touch. JKR reveals at Pottermore the following information about Professor Quirrell: Quirr...	So in summary, I think it boils down to the fact that it was the pain that destroyed Quirrell, because of sharing his soul with Voldemort, and being inanimate objects with neither a soul to share nor the capability to feel pain, much less be destroyed by it, the remaining horcruxes (with the possible exception of Nagin...
Was there a reincarnation (as opposed to a ghola) of Baron Harkonnen in any Dune book? From https://scifi.meta.stackexchange.com/a/1056/976 : questions about the reincarnation of Baron Harkonnen in the Dune saga would be entirely on topic Was there actually a reincarnation (as opposed to a ghola) of Baron Harkon...	And yes, there is a ghola of the Baron in the Hunters of Dune by Brian Herbert, not in any of the original books by Frank Herbert. I would say a ghola is the closest thing to reincarnation in the Dune universe.
Are Jews in Chapterhouse: Dune the same cultural group as in our universe/timeline? Religion features a huge role in Dune universe and there are many religions involved in the story line. These fictional religions are mostly ecumenical or syncretic combinations of existing religions in our universe. However, in ...	The names are the same, the rituals and practices are the same, and so are the beliefs.
Who is the first author who mentions that Vampires can reproduce? With the latest movie of the Twilight saga I came to the understanding that Vampires can have children. According to this Wikipedia entry it is only possible between a male vampire and a human female. If it is part of Vampire canon, that is a diffe...	According to Wikipedia : While all vampires are capable of having offspring both through reproduction and 'turning', the birth-rate between mating vampires is so low that it is practically non-existent (even after many centuries, they may only have one or two children).
How did Jenny come back to life without regenerating? In the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Daughter" Jenny is shot in the chest and determined dead by the Doctor and his companions. Later, she breathes out some kind of energy and awakes with perfect health. How did she do this without regenerating? <Q> She i...	Well, she did in fact regenerate - what happened was she was too alike to the doctor to regenerate
Why didn't SG-1 bring more Jaffa weapons back through the stargate? I'm about halfway through watching Stargate SG-1 and I noticed several occasions where SG-1 fought Jaffa forces near the stargate. While they often had to leave in a hurry, there were many situations where they would have had the time to take some of t...	And even if they've killed the immediate attackers, they don't want the next group of jaffa to come across them while they've got an extra staff weapon in each hand, making it difficult for them to fire back. The SGC never seems to have a dearth of zat-guns when they need them. It's highly likely that the SGC employs t...
Is Eureka inspired by a real place? Clearly, Eureka is a company town for Global Dynamics inspired at least somewhat by the Manhattan Project. This model makes at least some sense...where there's a lot of classified information, it's helpful to provide living facilities nearby to keep a lid on it. On the other hand, ...	On the character side, I think growing up in a small town in the Pacific Northwest was my biggest inspiration. Richland, Wa was built as a company town for the Hanford Nuclear reservation as part of the Manhattan project. I grew up in Los Alamos, and half of the fun of the show is that it very closely resembles life in...
Why wasn't Seven affected by the subnucleonic radiation in the episode One? In the Voyager episode One the crew is put into stasis chambers when they attempt to enter a nebula and the entire crew suddenly erupts with painful blistering wounds. The doctor says that even the briefest exposure destroys organic tissu...	My guess is that her nanoprobes were able to keep up with repairing whatever damage was done to her organic parts, which (1) was less than her whole body because of
How does putting the Voyager crew in stasis prevent their tissue from being destroyed in One? In the Voyager episode One the crew is put into stasis chambers when they attempt to enter a nebula and the entire crew suddenly erupts with painful blistering wounds. The doctor says that even the briefest exposure dest...	By placing everyone in stasis units, they could each be shielded in suspended animation, asleep, without the need for eating, bodily functions and the like for the duration of the trip.
Why did Voldemort's father leave his mother? I recall that one of the major resentments that led Tom Riddle to hate his father was the fact that he left the family. I don't recall any details of how and why he did. Was it ever specified? <Q> It's specified in Half-Blood Prince (HP6), however only as Dumbledore's guess ...	In the sixth book it becomes clear that Tom Riddle left Voldemort's mother when he discovered what she was. Obviously he was probably more than a little angry at having been tricked into a marriage and child he didn't want.
Why would Andrea shoot at a zombie surrounded by four men? What logical reasoning is there for an untested, unskilled survivor to shoot at what they think looks like a walker when that walker is also surrounded by four men? One of whom is also holding a gun up to that geek's face? In "Chupacabra", episode 5 of seaso...	She wanted to show off her shooting skills by offing the 'zombie' from across the field.
Is that Luke's hand falling down at the end of The Empire Strikes Back? Towards the end of The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke falls out of the chute and is hanging from what looks like an antenna, he sees something falling down towards the clouds. Is that his hand, or some other random thing? (BTW, if this is his hand...	It is Luke's lightsaber falling, still clutched in his hand - if you freeze the scene at the right point you can see it. The object that falls appears to be one item. But the main part of the object, the part holding the center of the cylinder, there's what looks like fabric fanning out from it and blowing in the wind ...
Why did Vader not use the force to stop Luke from falling down in end of The Empire Strikes Back? In the end of "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back", Darth Vader was trying hard to capture Luke. Even with the hard way... The Carbonite Freezing! After cutting off Luke's hand, capturing Luke would have been easy. Luke ...	Given Vader was likely exhausted from the duel, and in addition seriously injured by one of Luke's blows, he may have been unable to levitate Luke with Force powers in his weakened state (although we might surmise he had just enough strength for a gentle Force "push" into the exhaust pipe). He was either too weak to be...
Did Lucas Dump "Han Shot First" for the MPAA Rating? In the Wikipedia, George Lucas gives his explanation for changing the cantina scene to having Greedo shoot first: Star Wars creator George Lucas explained the change by stating that he wanted to make clear to children that Han had "no choice" but to shoot Greedo...	Given the tropes Lucas was intentionally emulating and spoofing with Star Wars, Han shooting first would have been acceptable
Why are all of the Persons of Interest in New York City? In the (very hard) sci-fi series "Person of Interest", why is it that every single Person of Interest is in New York City? I realize that from a practical standpoint, they're shooting in New York, but in-universe, surely the System would detect patterns in other ...	They are the "assets" of The Machine (apart from some being also admins; also that there are more of them later is also irrelevant), and since sending the "irrelevant" is a part of it's mission the assets are being assigned tasks of investigating those irrelevants.
Are there any Jedi or Sith droids? In the films, I only saw organic life forms become Jedi or Sith. Were there ever any droids who could use the Force? Or is that impossible because of the M-word ? <Q> As far as canonical sources, I don't believe there's ever been an inorganic Force-sensitive (due to everybody's favo...	In Legends, there is Skippy the Jedi Droid , but he was non-canon even back in the old EU days.
Could Harry Potter Have Given Draco Malfoy's Wand Back? So, regarding wandlore. . . could Harry Potter have given Draco Malfoy Draco's hawthorn wand back to Draco without the allegiance of the Elder Wand switching from Harry to Draco? We know that Draco Malfoy became master of the Elder Wand when he disarmed Dumble...	The Elder Wand (Threstal hair core) is extremely fickle and responds readily to power, with zero loyalty to its previous owner.
Generation starship with kids raised by robots There's a book I remember reading sometime around 1981 or 1982 about a colony/generation starship where kids were raised by robots who gave them something in their food that kept the kids from maturing until they reached their destination... or something like that. Unfort...	It's " Voyage from Yesteryear " by James Hogan Most of the book is spent in "The Hollow", a large expanse of wilderness that the kids have to survive in.
What are the creatures in I Am Legend? Are the creatures in I Am Legend zombies, vampires, zompyres, or something else? <Q> In the book, they are much more explicitly vampires. <S> Even in the Will Smith movie, the creatures are vampiric (and referred to as such, I think) <S> - they hide from the sun, which burns t...	In the book, they are classed as vampire-like creatures as they are based off of vampires, but they don't follow the classic scheme. Zombies are not intelligent, do not have any form of social interaction, do not fear the sun, and can't become human again. They are simply infected.
What's up with Horeselover Fat and Philip K. Dick towards the end of "VALIS"? I have just finished reading VALIS , and I remain puzzled by something. It seems to be made clear that Horselover Fat is, in essence, an alter ego of Philip K. Dick - a separate personality of someone experiencing multiple personality proble...	The character of Horselover Fat allowed Dick to explore himself and his own thoughts on his recent "religious" experience.
Why does Planet Express employ Dr. Zoidberg? For the most part, the Planet Express crew seems to actively dislike Zoidberg, and Professor Farnsworth and Hermes aren't exactly warm fuzzy balls of sympathy and compassion. They have to be employing him for a specific purpose - Amy is there for her blood type, the three ma...	I suspect, but have no canon confirmation, that he is employed by Planet Express because he will give the results the management wants from any given procedure
Who's the best poker player in Star Trek: TNG? Between the usual players, Data, Riker, Worf, or other occasional people to visit their table, how do they compare? Riker seems like the stock person to fulfil the card-sharp role, but I seem to recall him being occasionally trounced as it would be too predictable. <Q> I...	Data seems the most able to fill that role given that he is shown to clean house with the players in "Time's Arrow".
Who/how started the trope of having a Major League Wizard posess a long white beard? We have: Gandalf the White: Albus Dumbledore: Merlin (beard mentioned in many descriptions - see Wiki ) So, is there some info of how did this trope actually get started (especially in fantasy/SciFI, to which I include for t...	My take is that it comes from various near-Eastern mystical traditions and religions such as Zoroastrianism and Shaivite Hinduism.
Identifying a short story about advertising I remember reading a short story at least twenty years ago about a man who spends a lot of money to rent a hovel because there is no advertising in it. During any normal day everything advertises to him, but in this room he can find some peace. I think he risks a death sent...	Published in Playboy (next to an ad, I imagine) in 1961 under the title "The Room".
Why was Kirk promoted to first officer? In the 2009 Star Trek, Capt Pike field promotes Spock to captain and Kirk to first officer. Why would Pike do this when only 5 minutes earlier Kirk was being yelled at for being on the ship at all? Kirk wasn't even an active cadet because of the accusations of cheating, so he ...	He knew that Kirk had the ability to handle the position and felt that by putting him under Spock as Spock I believe was a LT Commander at the time, together they would be able to put their strengths together and accomplish the mission they needed to handle.
Were there any people who were tracked due to using Voldemort's name aside from HP? In "The Deathly Hallows", the Death Eaters were able to track down people who said You-Know-Who's name aloud - they have tracked Harry Potter and co after they escaped the wedding because of Harry's use of "Voldemort". But were there a...	There was only one more person mentioned in The Deathly Hallows who has triggered the "Taboo" - Kingsley Shacklebolt: A few Order members have been tracked that way.”
In last scene of X-Men: First Class, why didn't Xavier use Shaw against Magneto instead of begging and losing? In last scene of the movie X-Men: First Class , when Sebastian Shaw was 'paused', and Magneto wore Shaw's helmet, Xavier did nothing but cry! Instead, he could have used Sebastian to take the helmet from Magn...	Shaw was an extremely powerful mutant and it would have been difficult to control him to the degree required in order to have him merely disable Magento and not kill him. Xavier doesn't like entering heads unless it's necessary and even then will only go so far.
Why hasn't anyone tried to kill Harry Potter? I'm on the 6th book, The Half Blood Prince now. Why hasn't anyone tried to kill Harry Potter until now? (Except Voldemort..) UPDATE: The question was meant to address someone trying to kill Harry Potter for being Harry Potter (The Boy Who Lived/Chosen One from the Prophe...	Aside from the people who have tried to kill Harry Potter (See Slytherincess's answer), Pre-book 4, there was no real need to kill Harry, as Voldemort was dead. One might argue that Dobby also attempted to kill Harry throughout book two ;)
Why are there only 2 universes that are visitable? In Fringe , there is the "Over Here" universe and the "Over there" universe that the characters interact with. Why do only these two universes exist? Dr. Bishop mentioned that there were an unlimited number of universes existing at the same time. I thought it was be...	The universes are now connected because of the first cross over by Walter, so that's why it's possible to cross over between them in the present (although it continues not being easy for "normal people")
How does Xavier get the use of his legs back after "X-Men: First Class"? At the end of First Class, Xavier is paralysed, and him and Magneto split paths. However at the beginning of Last Stand, it flashes back 20 years, and you see the grown up Xavier and Magneto, friends, talking to a young Jean Gray. Did Xavier get ...	Days of Future Past shows that there is a serum that Xavier and McCoy can use to neutralize their powers, resulting in looking human for McCoy, and walking again for Xavier. Well, yes, technnically, what we have here is just a continuity error which, thanks to the timeline having been altered with the intorudction of D...
When did The Doctor start running so much? Thanks to Netflix Streaming, I've been watching some random classic Doctor Who stories. One thing that strikes me as different between the modern Who and old Who was that in modern Who, they do an awful lot of running. It's become a sort of running gag that they've referen...	Yes, as long as Doctor Who has existed there has been lots of running, usually "up and down lots of corridors" as can be seen in this spoof by Lenny Henry in 1985 . Most of the doctors have been running and also jumping from explosions behind them, up until the twelfth doctor, the seventh, tenth, eleventh, and the nint...
Is there FTL travel in the "Alien" franchise? A common event in the Alien movies is people being placed in stasis for long periods of time, presumably because space travel is a slow and arduous process. Given the vast distances between even the most remotely-interesting interstellar destinations make them many years...	On starships where travel between distant interstellar locations would take centuries due to slower-than-light travel (i.e. generation-ships or anything made by humanity at our current state of technological development), it makes sense to put the crew into suspended animation since it will take thousands of years to r...
Are there examples of sub-light propulsion that are not subject to time dilation? A common theme in space sci-fi are means of moving faster than the speed of light without experiencing the effects of time dilation (to a substantial enough degree, anyways). Such methods often use extra-dimensional means, such as hyper...	With any sort of sub-light propulsion, you can usually ignore time dilation unless you're very close to light speed.
Why don't the outer planets have advanced technology? In Firefly why do the outer planets generally all exist in a preindustial, low technology state? Even if there was limited tech brought from Earth the new civilization has been around long enough for nearly all of the planets to be comfortably terraformed, huge ci...	And if you do not have the infrastructure, then most of the high-tech products are useless.
Is there any official link between Warhammer 40,000 and Event Horizon? I've read over on TVTropes that many fans consider Event Horizon to be some kind of prequel to the future-set game of Warhammer 40,000 and, in searching the internet, have seen a number of forum posts positing this, but nothing pointing to an offici...	I can find no real link between Paramount and Games Workshop nor between the Event Horizon writers and the Warhammer 40K writers.
Why is Obi-Wan written "OB1"? Obi-Wan Kenobi is sometimes written, " OB1-Kenobi " . Why is this? It can't be the reason given in answer to Why are R2D2 and C-3PO spelled phonetically in outside media? since the accepted answer referred to pronunciation in the script , but there is no ambiguity with "Obi-Wan". It...	I have never seen it written as OB1, and anyone who does write it like that - or R2D2 as Artoo Deetoo or C3PO as See Threepeeo, at least outside of movie script - is wrong. The two origins are user errors (either lack of knowledge/confusion, or plain laziness), and a somewhat popular among fans conspiracy theory that B...
Why don't the Jedi converse with Darth Maul? In the movie, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, why don't Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan ever converse with Darth Maul? It seemed there were opportunities where they could have started a dialogue instead of swinging light sabers furiously. Why not ask him who he is, what he wa...	Darth Maul had a strong hatred for the Jedi and only had thoughts of killing them. The second time they meet Darth Maul, his intentions are quite clear, though, I agree, they had an opportunity to at least make the attempt at opening a dialogue, but again, weren't really given much opportunity, because as soon as the n...
Is South Park episode 11x3 based on any sci fi film? The plot of the show shows all the kids in the 4th grade getting head lice. There's a subplot of the show where the lice on Clyde's have developed into a thriving culture and they discover their world is alive and conscious. It seems like this was derived from some ...	When I saw the episode, it reminded me of The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett. Could also be a reference to Planet of theApes where a similar desolate area exists beyond civilization. The other one that springs to mind is Greg Bear's story Blood Music (later expanded into a novel of the same name) where a scientist in...
Why was the second Death Star as vulnerable as the first? The first Death Star was destroyed by a shot to the thermal exhaust . Why did the second have a similar design flaw: an exposed single point of failure? I would have thought that some kind of grid in the path of Luke's X-wing, or smaller tunnels, would have...	Emperor Palpatine used the unfinished, exposed, "vulnerable" second Death Star as bait to set a trap for the Rebellion. Palpatine needed Luke there to be able to tempt him, and an unassailable target wouldn't have drawn him in so easily, it had to look like the Rebel Alliance could win. The first major change made in t...
Did any lightsaber ever run out of power? In this question , I learned that lightsabers are powered by a high-output Diatium power cell Has there been an instance where a lightsaber's "battery" has run out? (Leaving a Jedi in a precarious situation, perhaps?) <Q> Yes, here is a quote from Star Wars: <S> Episode...	This demonstrates that lightsabers DO have power cells that can run dry, even when deactivated, AND that this can take decades - the lightsaber in question hadn't been recharged since before the Clone Wars, and the novel was set post-ROTJ. He assumes at the time that this is due to sabotage, but it's eventually shown t...
How is a lightsaber's power cell recharged? From the question Did any lightsaber ever run out of power? and DavRob60's answer to it, it appears that the diatium power cell in a lightsaber can be drained by a short circuit (and presumably through normal use) and then recharged again. How is the power cell recharged? I...	Under normal Jedi use, they simply recharge their lightsaber once every few years.
Is Godzilla a dinosaur? Is Godzilla a dinosaur? Is he related to the dinosaurs of the Triassic-Cretaceous period moreso than just a random lizard of today? <Q> The Wikipedia page states this about his origins: <S> Although his origins vary somewhat from film to film, he is always described as a prehistoric cre...	Godzilla has the head and lower body of a Tyrannosaurus , a triple row of dorsal plates reminiscent of a Stegosaurus , the neck and forearms of Iguanodon and the tail and skin texture of a crocodile.
Would Crabbe's Fiendfyre have destroyed Horcrux in HP? Inspired by trying to answer " Is a living being a poor choice for a Horcrux? " We know that Crabbe's Fiendfyre destroyed the Diadem as a Horcrux. Is there any evidence in canon that would indicate whether - in the unfortunate event of Harry failing to escape t...	Had he died, the Horcrux would indeed have been destroyed.
What was the thermal exhaust port on the first Death Star venting? This came up here , and it seems like it required another question. I always assumed that the Torpedoes were 'sucked' in. Although thinking about it, the port is an exhaust port. Perhaps some complex pump system causes a pressure differential after e...	A very effective way to cool heated surfaces such as heatsinks is to spray a liquid onto that surface, forcing conduction of the heat away from said surface, and then expelling the now-heated liquid or gas into the void.
Are there any Vulcan ships? This Star Trek question popped up in chat today. Setting aside Enterprise , do we ever see in a Star Trek show or movie a Vulcan designed and built ship that was built after the Federation was established? <Q> For instance, one Vulcan ship ventured into the Gamma Quadrant during the ti...	According to Memory Alpha there were Vulcan ships being used for transport and exploration.
How does the Stargate Wormhole know whether it can close itself, or if there are more people coming through? I don't know Stargate: SG-1 well enough to find episode titles, so I hope people will bear with me (or one who is wiser might edit this and add them). In a number of situations in the show, we see the wormhol...	That being said it has been stated that radio signals can hold the gate open as can partially dematerialised objects.
How, precisely, does the Joker dispatch Gambol in The Dark Knight? In the (otherwise uber-awesome) Dark Knight, the Joker gets the draw on Gambol, a mobster portrayed by (the also uber-awesome) Michael Jai White. The Joker has a knife in his mouth, tells him a scary story, there's an orchestra strike and...nothing. Gam...	He playfully toys with the idea of slashing Gambol's face, giving him scars like his and all, but then decides to quickly stab the man through the soft palate, providing an easier access deep within the skull and sectioning large arteries including branches of the inner carotid artery in the process.
Is Leia a better shot than Han and Luke? The last time I watched the original trilogy, I noticed that, in the firefights, Leia will often shoot maybe 20% what Luke and Han shoot, but will almost invariably hit whomever she is shooting at . Mind, I'm just going by observation here, but it got me thinking. So: is Lei...	According to canon, Leia was an expert in combat, especially shooting (this is from EU books).
Why can't transport be initialized when shields are up? Throughout the Star Trek universe, when in battle or trying to protect the ship, persons not on the ship must wait till the threat has left for the ship to safely turn off its shields so transport could be completed. Why, since the computers in the future are muc...	Transporters can't be used during a fight or they would be the weapon that makes all other weapons obsolete.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Why didn't Dumbledore Apparate? In the movie, unlike the book, Harry and Dumbledore Disapparate from the Astronomy Tower. "Being me has its privileges," Dumbledore said. When they returned from the cave and Draco disarmed Dumbledore of his wand, Dumbledore didn't Apparate. Could...	Dumbledore, Fawkes the Phoenix and House-Elves are the only creatures that are able to dissaparate from, and apparate to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. First of all, in the book, Dumbledore did not disapparate from Hogwarts.
White lies are acceptable - Heinlein juvenile? I recall reading a Science Fiction tale as a child which had a profound effect on me. In it the main character is told that we have to be able to tell certain lies. No one should tell the truth under every circumstance. What is the title of this work? I want to say it w...	I don't think it's quite what you're looking for, but Time Enough for Love includes a discussion of the two artistic ways of lying (telling part of the truth and telling the whole truth in a way that you aren't believed.)
What is the origin of sheet covered ghosts (in film & in books)? I'm interested in this because it should have an answer. Perhaps Disney were the first to use it? <Q> No, ghosts wearing sheets are definitely older than cinema. <S> They appear in older stories. <S> For a long time, ghosts were not depicted in any partic...	In fact, sheet-wearing ghosts probably emerged from theatrical traditions .
Do the cities in the DC Universe correspond to real world cities? I've often heard people compare Gotham and Metropolis to New York City in the nighttime and daytime, respectively. However, I've also always felt Gotham was more like Chicago, and I heard that Metropolis is actually based on Cleveland, given that the lar...	Metropolis appears to take elements from many of the largest cities located in North America. Gotham is known to be architecturally modeled after New York City, but with exaggerated elements of the styles and derives its name from a sobriquet for that real world city, first popularized by the author Washington Irving i...
Is the Resurrection Stone (or Any Magical Object) Ever Really Lost? Just a warning, if you haven't read all of the Harry Potter series, this includes some spoilers. Instead of getting sloppy with large parts in spoiler notation, I'm just warning you here. If you don't want spoilers, stop reading here. This question ...	I can't tell whether the stone was lost forever, but that didn't really figure into the decision when Harry has dropped it. So, in absolute terms, no, nothing can be lost forever (destroyed, yes; lost, no)
In Alien 3 is it a dog or a bull that gets infected? Everyone keeps mentioning how in Alien 3 , the first thing to get infected/eaten is a dog. I seem to remember this happening to a rottweiler. But I just saw Alien 3 and the facehugger killed a bull and the alien busted out of that. Did I watch a directors cut with...	If you watch the Assembly Cut on the DVD/ bluray sets (the equivalent of the directors cut, however Fincher refused to be involved), it is a bull like creature that they farm on the prison planet that is the first thing to be a host. The dog is a pet of one of the inmates.
Can the resurrection stone create "an army of Inferi"? In HP7, it's mentioned (as far as I recall, by Dumbledore at King's Cross) that Gellert Grindelwald sought Resurrection Stone (as one of the Hallows) as a way to create an army of Inferi. Is that realistic within canon? In other words: Was it actually possible - ...	It seems hit-or-miss whether the stone obeys the user's intentions.
In HP Goblet of Fire.. How does the Body of Cedric Come out of Voldemort's wand when he was killed by Wormtail? In Goblet of Fire, this is the text when Cedric is killed.. From far away, above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, ' Kill the spare ' A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words...	Wormtail used Voldemort's wand to kill Cedric (we do know that it was Wormtail who salvaged Voldemort's wand from the ruins of the Potters' home following Voldemort's attack on the Potters) and then placed the wand back in Voldemort's robes pocket.
Can't you just bite off a face hugger? This seems like a serious plot hole to me. The face hugger in the Alien franchise is almost completely soft, short of its crab like legs. It seems like a serious evolutionary disadvantage if your means of procreation were to stick your most sensitive appendage into the most da...	Observe how he constrains the neck only when they trie to remove it from the host, as a "warning" more than a mechanism to keep the victim in a coma. One could guess they have some mechanism to sedate their prey before extending the ovipositor.
Walking Dead season 2, what did people in the parked cars die from anyway? At the start of the second season of The Walking Dead, the group is driving down the interstate with a destination of Ft. Benning. They then have to stop because of a grid lock of parked cars blocking the RV from continuing through. This sets a...	Obviously some people got out or opened the door and probably were eaten-as the empty car seat implied, but it doesn't seem like walkers are able to open a door. Any non zombie corpses you saw on the highway either suffered severe brain trauma in a car crash that resulted in that pileup, or had another brain damaging e...
What exactly did Orochimaru do to Naruto's kyuubi seal? In the Naruto manga, when Naruto is taking his Chuunin exam in the first half of the series, Orochimaru alters the seal on Naruto's abdomen somehow, making him a much less skilled ninja and generally affecting his chakra control. Later, Jiraiya removed whateve...	Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin would later remove that seal, (considered to be a nearly impossible feat) releasing access to the chakra and teaching Naruto how to both harness the power and to eventually seal the power away behind a barrier preventing its escape and allowing Naruto to effectively tap the bijuu Ku...
Why is there a dinosaur in the Batcave? In Batman #1 in the New 52, when we visit the Batcave for the first time, we see a dinosaur: What... is up with that? It is a completely awesome cave decoration - but what else is it? Is it a non sequitur or is it a call back to an earlier storyline? I imagine it's the latter ...	The T. Rex comes from an adventure on "Dinosaur Island" (Batman #35, 1946); the penny was originally a trophy from Batman's encounter with a penny-obsessed villain named the Penny Plunderer (World's Finest Comics #30, 1947).
What Effect Would the Dementor's Kiss Have on Voldemort Prior to the Destruction of His Horcruxes? Pursuant to THIS QUESTION (Could the Dementors' Kiss Destroy a Living Horcrux?), I have a follow-up question. Based on what we know about the Demetors' Kiss, the soul, and Horcruxes from canon , what effect would the D...	We know that Horcruxes DO prevent the the 1/7th of Voldemort's soul from "dying"/"passing onto another world" which the separation from the body would ordinarily do
Why aren't more people breaking the law to survive by getting food from restricted areas? Given the rampant hunger by many in Katniss' District 12, why aren't more citizens breaking the law and venturing into the restricted areas in search of food? <Q> The capital severely punishes people who head out to the restricted...	It is probably the lack of access to weapons that keeps most people from doing such, or the fear of getting caught. In District 12, there is a thriving black market that helps the people maintain easier lives than what the capital allows. "Restricted" areas have dangerous predatory wildlife .
How are Dementors created/born? This is inspired by some discussions in chat . In the Harry Potter universe, how are Dementors born? Or are they artificially created by some magical means? <Q> Dementors do not breed (No, there'll be no sweet sweet love in Azkaban tonight!) <S> but rather grow like fungi under cert...	Like poltergeists and the more sinister Dementors , they seem to be generated and sustained by human emotions .
Are all vampires back sleepers? You know how IKEA always categorizes people into back, side and stomach sleepers? Well I was just wondering if vampires are always back sleepers? The classic vampire I mean, not the teen-idol with fangs who sleeps through the day wearing shades in a bed... (Although even those romantisiz...	I don't know if there is enough room to roll over in a coffin.
How do crosses/crucifixes work in Buffy? In the first part of the season 3 finale of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, a flashback shows an interaction between Angel and Drusilla in a church confessional. In the background outside the confessional, there is a clearly displayed cross. One could reasonably assume that there a...	So if the vampire is ignoring the cross or doesn't notice it, they don't get affected (it's not "in contact" mentally).
Why can some holodeck matter leave the holodeck, while other holodeck matter (notably people) cannot? Related to Would Star Trek holodecks physically affect you once you exit the Holodeck? I was watching Elementary, Dear Data last night and I noticed that when Data realizes that something has gone terribly wrong, h...	A holodeck combines transporter technology with that of replicators, by generating actual matter, as well as projecting force fields to give the objects the illusion of substance.
Is the reduction of the Doctor's apparent age an anomaly? On one of those quiet evenings with nothing to do I decided to plot the age of the actor playing the doctor against the Doctor 'Number'. Now, besides the anomalous 5th doctor, who is much younger there is a clear and present trend in the doctors age becoming a...	I think the very phenomenon of regeneration means that a Time Lord will get successively younger with regenerations.
Why didn't Harry Potter break more wands? I understand that Harry and his friends were morally opposed to using evil spells that would kill their enemies, but what baffles my mind is why didn't he snap his enemies' wands when he had the chance? Specifically I'm talking about in Order of the Phoenix when Harry and ...	Wands are replaceable It would be generally difficult to get close enough to the other person in a duelling situation to actually grab hold of the wand and take it without getting cursed or hexed to smithereens.
Why is Hermione's Patronus not as powerful as her other magic spells? Hermione's Patronus is an otter, but it is not as powerful as Harry's. Being the best at everything she does, why is it that her magic isn't best at that particular spell? Does it have anything to do with her personality? <Q> The Patronus Charm, acco...	Hermione, has happy memories, but she possibly doesn't have the required contrast between her generally not-unhappy life and her happiest memories that Harry has, or her emotional intensity may be on INTJ-typical lower level in general
If Obi-Wan and Yoda were trying to keep Luke safe from Vader, why would they let him keep the Skywalker name? Obi-Wan and Yoda didn't really make a good effort at hiding him, especially considering they let Vader's family adopt him. <Q> First, Vader didn't even know he had a son, so there was no reason for him to even ...	It clearly worked, since Vader was not aware of him until after Luke blew up the Deathstar and Vader became obsessed with finding "Young Skywalker." It was a perfect ruse if you think about it. And with so many planets in the galaxy a similar name would not be that much out of order. As the accepted answer already ment...
Why do vampires need blood? Bottom line: Why do vampires need to suck blood? Is it their major source of nourishment? Is it a mystical or magic thing where the life force keeps them alive? Is it just a compulsion that they can't control, without the blood doing anything for them? Just what is this whole "blood suck...	In the The Vampire Chronicles, they do it because the life essence from the blood is the only way the spirit that animates them can replenish the energy it's using.
Could a killed Clone Trooper be used as spare part for a wounded one? As we see here , in Star-Wars, cybernetics is preferred over cloning to replace a lost limb. But what if the clone is already there? In the particular case of Clone Troopers is there any mention anywhere in EU that the organs of dead Clone Troopers...	As far as canon tells us, clone troopers are meat for the grist mill, and easily replaced. To answer your question, YES, doctors used organs and body parts of dead troopers to patch up wounded troopers.
Were there any other names that were plays on words in The Hunger Games? To quote wikipedia: Katniss' name comes from a plant that is more commonly known as Sagittaria, which is a tuber plant usually found in water.[4] The root of this plant can be eaten, as Katniss does in the book. Her father once said: "As long...	I think Snow was named as a reference to a cold-blooded ruler, while Coin's name indicated that she was "a different side of the same coin".
Do the Star Trek Transporters use Energy or Matter? I read this article over on cracked.com, which says that the transporters convert the object/person into energy and then teleport that. As I recall though, it actually took that matter and "dissolved" it, then moved that matter through physical space and "reassemble...	So it appears the transporter does use the same matter to reassemble the person/thing as it was made of to begin with, though which particle is which is impossible to track (according to modern physics, at least).
What are the special properties of Katniss' bow? In the third book of The Hunger Games Trilogy , Mockingjay , Katniss is given a new bow designed specifically for her. The bow was created by Beetee, and the book hints that it has some special capabilities. It doesn't expand on what these capabilities are besides it...	The book is a little vague, but it appears the bow was designed to dramatically increase accuracy.
Will I be able to follow the story if I skip The Next Generation & watch Deep Space 9 directly? Star Trek: Enterprise is the last TV series, but I've watched it first because it shows initial story (2100s). I've just finished watching season 4 of Star Trek: Enterprise. For 2200s, I've watched all Kirk movies, but not t...	Apart from a couple of crossovers (a two-parter TNG episode is set on DS9 - and the Picard/Borg link in the pilot) - and the appearance of races and characters from the earlier TNG into DS9, I don't think that you'd have any problems following the story and development in DS9.
Are there "Light Side places"? In the Star Wars galaxy, there are places where the Dark Side is strong. It usually manifests as twisted fauna and deranged people. I know about such places thanks to the computer games that take place during the Old Republic (KOTOR, TOR), for example the tombs on Korriban or the temple o...	There is at least one neutral force nexus in the EU - the Valley of the Jedi seems to be a place of great power, and can even instill the force into sensitive beings. The Emperor leaves one such stain around Endor where he met his death at the hands of Vader
Are the supposed names of beasts/wesen in Grimm based on folklore or history? Are the supposed names of beasts (or "wesen") in the television show Grimm based on folklore, history, or are they made up for the show? Examples: Blutbaden Reinigen <Q> They're based neither on myth nor history, but are very loosely ...	These names are essentially German words, and as a guess possibly the names of types of things in the original German obscure tales by the brothers Grimm.
Why were there seemingly no major magical protections on other Horcruxes than the locket? It seems that out of all the Horcruxes, only one (the locket) was actually well protected. Why were the others not protected nearly as well? <Q> There are 2 sides to the answer: <S> First, because he was going for diversificat...	Location protection : it was hidden in a place that nobody was likely to visit since very few people knew Voldemort's past.
How are the Jedi Perceived by Citizens of the Republic? I've seen, in the movies and The Clone Wars , some reactions from "normal" citizens to the Jedi, but I'm wondering how they were seen overall by most people in the Republic (or New Republic, as well). Do people see them as some kind of legendary beings, as rescu...	Ask somebody from the far Outer Rim and the Jedi are near mythological monks of extraordinary abilities. In summary, it seems that they're almost universally seen as powerful; and in parts where they frequent, as law enforcers.
Why do the Cutie Mark Crusaders live with their sisters instead of their parents? In My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic , the Cutie Mark Crusaders (i.e. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom) apparently live with their big sisters (i.e. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack). Applejack seems to live with extended f...	It is something that they have in common, a younger sister. Sweetie Belle definitely lives with her parents most of the time; it was only during Sisterhooves Social that she lived with her sister Rarity, and from the way they clashed it's reasonable to imagine that they do not normally spend a lot of time together.
Looking for two stories about a telekinetic boy I have been trying to find a book I read quite a few years ago. Well, there are 2, one being the sequel. Now I'm sure my memory has been kind enough to mix parts of the 2 books, but I will do my best with the description. The cover of the book had a hand print. As far a...	It might be Hidden Talents by David Lubar. A high school freshman knows that he is different, from his strange dreams, his precognition, his scientific understandings; yet in the space of a week his once ordinary life changes when the truth about himself is revealed. The book you are talking about is called Christopher...
Is Varys really a eunuch? Varys, the spymaster, is known as The Eunuch, and tells Tyrion the tale of how he was castrated by a sorcerer. However, at the very end of A Dance With Dragons , we see Varys interacting with Kevan Lannister. As Kevan lays dying, and Varys is explaining why he had to kill Kevan, Kevan n...	I think there's a lot of evidence showing he may not be anything like how he presents himself.
How Do Sith Prefer to Recruit? I'm no expert on the Sith, but I notice that Palpatine/Sidious was recruited directly by Plagueis. In other words, he wasn't a Jedi, but was a Force-sensitive from the general population, but both Vader and Luke are Jedi Knights when recruitment attempts are made. Is there a process or ...	In general, the Sith like to recruit by whatever means will gain them the most powerful allies and/or students. It seems that the main theme is "recruit good prospects", with "is the person already trained to use the Force by the Jedi" being a less relevant factor.
Can the Doctor be female? Is there anything that says The Doctor must be a man? I would love to see The Doctor come back as a ginger girl, and my friend tells me he thinks The Doctor cannot change gender. Is this true? If so where does it say that? <Q> There's no reason that the Doctor would have to be a man upon regen...	In "The Night of the Doctor" mini-episode, as the 8th Doctor is dying, he is offered to choose what characteristics he will regenerate into. In Series 9, Episode 12 “Hell Bent”, we can see another Time Lord who regenerates from a male form into a female form.
What's the earliest example in Science Fiction of a robot 100% mimicking a human? The classic example is, of course, Stephen Byerley from Asimov's " Evidence ". Were there SciFi works featuring robots that are able to be indistinguishable from humans (by sight or behavior) prior to that? (September 1946). What's the...	Oʟɪᴍᴘɪᴀ from E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1816 short story Der Sandmann . One of the earliest Sci-Fi movies with that theme is Fritz Lang's Metropolis , wherein one of the main characters is duplicated in appearance using a robot.
What exactly do the Malfoys do for a living? Given how old some of those blue blood wizarding families are, I'd expect many of them to run out of money unless they have income sources (ala Gaunts). Since there seem to be no feudal sources of income, Lucius Malfoy must have had some income source. What exactly was it?...	Much like the British Royalty the Malfoys have "old money" which is apparently enough that the wealth can perpetuate their lifestyle ( Lucius Malfoy worked at the Ministry of Magic.
When did Dumbledore realize that Voldemort was not 100% dead? At some point (during or before Harry's first year at Hogwarts) Dumbledore realized that Voldemort was not truly "dead". Is there some canon information to show when exactly he knew or suspected that Voldemort was not "fully dead" and would likely return? ...	As he tells Harry, Dumbledore knew all along - hours after the Dark Lord’s downfall, Dumbledore already expected that one day he’d return, and planned Harry’s protection around this.
How Important is Money in the Wizarding World? With all the other economic questions being asked about the wizarding world that Harry Potter lives in, it's gotten me to wonder about this. While Harry is wealthy, and the Weasleys are apparently not wealthy at all, I can't help but to wonder just how important money is ...	The Weasley twins were able to start their own Wizarding Joke shop (Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes) after they were given a lump sum of money from Harry, as well as selling a lot of their supplies to students and other mail-order clients.
Was Voldemort aware that he had created another Horcrux? Voldemort set out to create Horcuxes to ensure his immortality, but he inadvertently created a additional one in a living being, Harry. Was Voldemort aware that this happened? It seems to me that if he was, then it wouldn't make sense to try and kill this b...	Though he mightn’t have changed his mind if he knew, the Dark Lord didn’t know that a piece of his soul was in Harry, so he wouldn’t have even taken that into consideration when trying to kill him. The Dark Lord intended to have six Horcruxes - a seven part soul.
Is there a single word that describes both Witches and Wizards? In the Harry Potter world, there's the term "muggle" for people with no magical abilities, "muggle-born" for those with magical abilities who's parents are muggles and "squib" for those with no magical abilities who's parents are magical. But is there any...	Gryphook the goblin used the term " wand-carriers ".
What is the novel with a John Carter like hero from the pulp era? In the early 70s I read what I'm sure was an Ace paper back. Loosely SF in the same way that the Barsoomian tales might be considered SF. A typical "mighty-thewed" hero is magically transported to an alien planet and must save the fair maiden. What I ...	Another possibility is Michael Moorcock's "Kane of Mars" series (published under the pseudonym of Edward P. Bradbury). This may be In The Edgar Rice Burroughs Venus Series, Carson Napier of Venus.
In the TV series, why is Merlin referred to as a warlock, not a wizard? In the BBC TV series Merlin, the dragon terms Merlin a Warlock. The evidence is that this is generally considered a negative or evil term, so why is he called it? Surely it would be better to call him a wizard? My only thoughts are that his specif...	A warlock is someone who is born with magic and has it naturally, like Merlin or a High Priest/Priestess (Nimueh).
Are Dragons in Potterverse Poisonous? Dragons have been featured relatively frequently throughout the Harry Potter series. We know they are dangerous creatures due to their size, ferocity, and fire-breathing abilities. Is there any canon evidence that dragons are poisonous in any way, for example their bite, hide, ...	As far as I recall, the dragons we see in the main books are not venomous, like the basilisk is, nor are we informed that they are poisonous. Poisonous refers to creatures which excrete poison that is harmful to touch or ingestion (like poison dart frogs).
What makes those three curses unforgivable? NOTICE : The author of this question does not deem the use of those curses to be forgiveable under any but the most extreme circumstances. What made the Unforgivable curses such? Is it due to legislation, consensus or otherwise? There are other curses which are equally e...	I don't think it is legal in the Harry Potter universe to use 'obliviate' the way that Lockhart does - he has a sinister plot going, and he gets his comeuppance.
Are the Unforgivable Curses the only things that are Unforgivable? The question " What makes those three curses unforgivable? " got me wondering if there is anything else that the wizarding world has made unforgivable. For example, are there unforgivable potions? To restate the title, are the unforgivable curses the ...	While there is certainly behavior that will get you convicted and sentenced to Azkaban prison (whether through spells, potions, or other activities), these three curses are the only ones that basically guarantee a life sentence.
Does human magic have the same effect when applied to non-humans? If you cast Avada Kedavra on a giant, will it work? How does a Cheering Charm work on a house-elf? Can you Obliviate a centaur or mermaid? What about Legilimency and the like? In short: Can you anticipate the reaction a spell will have on a non-...	I think that one would not always be able to anticipate how a spell will affect a non-human (or a human, for that matter).

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