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Why do Federation ships have their warp cores smack in the middle of a crew area? In Star Trek, the warp core of Federation starships is literally yards away from where the engineering staff works. Is there any point in having something so dangerous (and prone to breaches every other episode) so close to crew members...	Keeping the warp core (arguably the most critical piece of the ship) someplace that is the hardest to hit in a ship to ship fight, the hope is that it will be less likely that the warp core will take a direct hit.
Why did the Xindi council reject using the bioweapon against humans? In Star Trek: Enterprise , the Xindi Reptilians secretly went into Earth's past to destroy humans using a bioweapon. They did this secretly because Xindi council rejected the use of this bioweapon. Now, the question is: They wanted to fully eliminat...	Furthermore, a bioweapon is dangerous. I believe there is mention early on that destroying Earth would effectively neutralize humanity as a threat, so they would not have to commit genocide.
According to DC Comics, could a Kryptonian and an Earthling have offspring together? Does DC Comics ever say if it's possible for a Kryptonian and an Earthling to have offspring together? Larry Niven paints a sad and very candid story in "Man of steel, woman of kleenex", but what, if anything, does DC Comics have to sa...	The closest I have ever seen it admitted to was the development of the DC 1 Million stories (which are implied as modern alternative histories which would have been erased with the creation of the DCnU now currently in existence) where the descendants of Superman were seen to have existed The current Superboy ( Kon-El/...
How is Gandalf the White a "significantly more powerful figure" than Gandalf the Gray? After his fight with the Balrog of Moria, Gandalf changed: Gandalf was sent back as a significantly more powerful figure; Gandalf the White. - " Gandalf - Gandalf the White ", Wikipedia What are Gandalf's new powers as Gandalf...	Gandalf the white is more powerful because the whole story is about the fall. He was able to defeat Saruman, breaking Saruman's power over Theoden and breaking his staff after the Ents took Isenguard.
Did Saruman or Wormtongue cast a spell on Theoden? Did Wormtongue cast a spell on Theoden, or administer potions from Saruman, or was it just his (deliberately) bad counsel that caused Theoden to sink into dotage before Gandalf healed him? In the movie, it's explicitly a spell. Is it the same in the book? <Q> Accordin...	We can also assume that the weak physical condition of Theoden prior to Gandalf's encouragement was due to the influence of Saruman, who definitely could cloud the mind so as to make him constantly weary, tired both in heart and partly in body:
What exactly constitutes a Holy Ground in Highlander canon? What exactly constitutes a Holy Ground in Highlander canon? Most that I recall seem to be Christian burial places, but some were non-Christian burial places. But pretty much ANY place is a burial after millenia of history, so does that mean any place at al...	I have no concrete, specific, reference for this, but every place referred to in either the movies or TV series as holy ground has had some kind of marker visible, whether it be a grave marker, a carved stone, or active religious ceremonies being performed on the premises, so I think it would be a fair assumption that,...
Star Wars referencing Star Trek or vice-versa? Is there anything in the Star Wars universe that either directly copies, references or pays tribute to the Star Trek universe or vice-versa? I'm looking for obvious examples not a comparison of the two different universes e.g. Ewoks showing up in Star Trek or something si...	The episode Kir'Shara features a holographic device that contains ancient Vulcan teachings called the Kir'Shara that is shaped like a Sith Holocron. The Xindi superweapon is a large, spherical station/ship with a beam weapon capable of destroying an entire planet. The Millennium Falcon is shown in the battle against th...
Can animals (including insects) carry or become infected with the "zombie" virus in The Walking Dead? Can non-human animals (whether mammals, birds, insects, fish... etc) become carriers of, or become infected by, the "zombie" virus in The Walking Dead universe? I have developed this question from an initial thought ab...	While viral mutation is a possibility (viruses are subject to random mutation in nature) it is likely to be a remote chance the virus will mutate to affect a particular animal.
In the Almighty Johnsons, is Gaia 21? The obvious question from The Almighty Johnsons , after watching the first season, is whether Gaia could potentially be Frigg? If she has had her 21st birthday, that rules it out under what is currently known of the god-rules. I vaguely remember some references to her birthday i...	Gaia is 22 and Its my opinion that she is Frigg...
What is the Evenstar necklace? In Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings , Arwen gives a jewel to Aragorn: the Evenstar necklace: Where did this jewel come from? Does it have any special powers or meaning? <Q> I don't think there is any special meaning to the necklace. <S> It was invented for the movie and is never menti...	The movies invent a jewelled pendant called the Evenstar which Arwen gives to Aragorn as a reminder of their love. The Evenstar necklace symbolized love.
What was Ash trying to do with the magazine? In the movie Alien , Ash turns out to be an android. At one point, he freaks out, rolls up a magazine, and stuffs it into Ripley's mouth. What in the world was he trying to do? <Q> The movie Alien has a lot of sexual overtones . <A> He's trying to suffocate her. <A...	By rolling up the magazine, forcing it into her mouth, and then covering the other end with his hand, she would ideally die of asphyxiation without the suspicious marks that would be left if he simply used his hand, or choked her. Ash is trying to kill Ripley, but the way he's doing it suggests some sort of sexual over...
Why didn't the crew detect the Alien inside of Kane? In the movie Alien the character Kane becomes an unwitting host to an alien parasite, which eventually kills him. Why was this parasite not detected after the face-hugger died and fell off? Was the Nostromo without any medical imaging systems? Or did they just not th...	Remember that the scanner was being run by Ash (who was Science Officer) who had something of a hidden agenda, even if he did detect it he wouldn't have said anything...
What happened to Voldemort's body? At the start of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorceror's Stone Voldemort's Killing Curse backfires due to Lily's sacrifice protecting Harry from Voldemort. leaving Harry with his scar and a loose piece of Voldemort's soul and Voldemort as a loose soul, self-described as...	All previous victims of Avada Kedavra left a body, so Voldemort's body would have fallen there in the Potter house. JKR never elaborated on what happened to the corpse, in the books, or any of the interviews based on my searches (admittedly, I didn't check Pottermore).
How had the Potters 'thrice defied him'? I noticed this in another question: Sybill Trelawney's prophecy: " The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him , born as the seventh month dies. And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the...	The three Peverell brothers defied Death which resulted in the creation of the deathly hallows which Harry himself is the owner of one.
Should the Adamantium bullets have worked on Wolverine? In X-Men Origins: Wolverine has Adamantium bonded with his skeleton, after Wolverine escaped the operating room, Col. Striker is given a gun and Adamantium bullets. But according to the quote from the Marvel Wiki in the answer to the question Is Adamantium com...	If adamantium can survive a nuclear blast intact, the paltry energy produced by a tiny amount of gunpowder would hardly be sufficient to overcome the strength of the adamantium. His adamantium is bonded in way that allows his bones normal bio-functions to still work, (Probably cause after he was written as a character ...
Why didn't Gollum grow old and die after he lost the One Ring to Bilbo? Gollum had his life largely extended because he possessed the One Ring. He appeared to be an old, deformed, and twisted creature. According to this list , he had the Ring for 478 years. His loss of the Ring and the events of The Lord of the Ring...	Yes, the Ring continued to extend Bilbo and Gollum's lives after they stopped bearing it up until the destruction of the Ring. It was very apt that Gollum died with the ring as he probably wouldn't have survived its destruction.
Why Did Scotty Not Go Insane? On the question about the transporters in Star Trek on whether the original person dies in the transporter , I provided this answer based on the text of the Writer's Guide for the series Star Trek: The Next Generation . Much of the material in the Writer's Guide and Writer's Technical...	Another explanation is that Scotty (being a genius engineer!) knew this would happen and modified the transporter so he would not be concious until freed.
What was the purpose of what happened to Trip in the last episode? Personally, Trip was my favourite character in Star Trek: Enterprise and I really didn't like it when his unfortunate death (or say, suicide) was shown in the last episode . I want to know why the directors/writers decided this was necessary? I...	The experience of meeting and losing Elizabeth was very likely to bring Trip and T'Pol back together. Killing him off would only leave views shocked and heart broken as his character was beloved and probably had the most to lose.
Examples of warm blooded vampires? Are there any examples of warm blooded, or warm to the touch vampires in fiction? Would this even be possible? I know they are cold in Twilight, but I can't remember if it was specified in True Blood, Buffy, Vampire Diaries, or other vampire fiction/lore. <Q> Lukyanenko's Dozor serie...	Some rotting vampires can draw energy from fear, but all forms of feeding bring warmth.
In T2 did the Arnie Terminator make a huge mistake in shattering the frozen T-1000? In T2 after the liquid metal terminator crashes into the metal foundry he is frozen by the liquid nitrogen payload from the truck. As a single mass (well apart from the shattered feet) the T1000 has far less surface area than the hundr...	The act of freezing then shattering the T-1000 caused some damage to its control over its morphing ability. I don't think it's a huge mistake. I feel it was definitely a huge mistake, he should have picked it up (as many pieces as he could gather) and thrown it into the molten metal into which it is eventually thrown.
Is there really sound in space? Possible Duplicate: Why and how can you hear explosions in space in Star Wars? In firefly they were specific in all of the outer space scenes there was no sound which some people complained about. Whereas star-wars , battlestar-galactica , and many others show sound in deep s...	But given that we are SciFi fans and allowed to stretch things a little, let me argue that there is sound in space and that in fact we owe our existance to it.
Does the bridge crew on the Enterprise NCC-1701 have the ability to see through the ceiling into space? The USS Enterprise NCC-1701 appears to have a clear dome over the bridge: There is a scene in the pilot that zooms in and peers into the bridge from space: Does the crew have the ability to see through the dome i...	The top dome over the bridge is opaque. In "The Cage", there's a shot at the beginning of the episode where the camera comes right through a transparent dome. It could have been that the producers realized that showing space on the inside ceiling was beyond the FX technology of the time and decided to give up on it aft...
When did the Ferengi lose their formidability In episode 1x05 The Last Outpost the Ferengi antagonists are thought to be a formidable enemy. The crew mentions, without hesitation, the technical formidability of the Ferengi and it is assumed that it is technically feasible for a Ferengi ship to disable a galaxy class ...	The Ferengi have ships that are powerful but they are not interested in fighting potential clients.
Sci-fi short story about time travel It is set during the last ice age as a modern man is living among a small community of early humans and is told to kill one of the last neanderthals as a test to see if he is really human or a savage. The only other thing I remember the time travel device is referred to as a rainbo...	The short story "Scout's Honor" by Terry Bisson is about time-travel and a modern day man interacting with Neanderthals. It is a young adult book so it might be remembered as a short story.
Is there an explicit canon answer for the exact speed of blaster bolts in Star Wars? It's known that blaster bolts in Star Wars aren't instantaneous/speed-of-light - they are actually pretty slow (supposedly, slower than a high-velocity bullet). Is there an official canon speed for how fast a blaster bolt travels? I'...	By calculating distance with the time taken for the blaster shot to travel, most calculations have arrived at around 150m/sec. There is no sure answer in terms of real life science; so far we can only place constraints on the nature of the beam by making careful observations about the filmed behaviour.
Why do blaster bolts move slower than the speed of light? Is there a canon explanation (based on how Star Wars blasters work) for why the blaster bolts are so slow? Intuitively, one would expect them to be like lasers, traveling at the speed of light. <Q> See here . <S> Blasters are a considerable improvement ove...	Blaster bolts are made of plasma, not light.
What exactly are the proposed influences of "Starship Troopers" on "Ender's Game"? From "Starship Troopers" Wiki : Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is also thought by many to have been either a direct response to or influenced by Starship Troopers . Card has flatly denied this, saying that he never read the nove...	I believe that the reasoning behind the theory is that the history of the world in Ender's Game has many parallels with that of the Starship Troopers world.
Is it ever specified why/how Mike (HOLMES IV) achieved self-awareness in "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress"? In The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress , is it ever specified why/how Mike (HOLMES IV) achieved self-awareness? (Since Mike also figures in " The Cat Who Walks Through Walls ", the answer may come from either of those so...	I think Mike himself comments that he became self aware when an upgrade increased his total computing capacity beyond the capacity of a human brain.
What is the purpose of the Captain's Yacht on some Federation starship classes? The USS Enterprise-E, which was a Sovereign class, had a Captain's Yacht . Even Galaxy and Intrepid class vessels are supposed to have these, but they are never seen or heard about on screen. What is the purpose of this type of vessel (...	Missions that required runabout level endurance or separation of crew for an extended mission.
What "Earth-Origin" animals exist in the canon Star Wars universe? When I was a young teen, I really got into reading the few Star Wars novels that existed at that time. After I exhausted the then current run of books (there were only about 5 or 6 of them), I decided to read the novelizations of the original trilogy. ...	In the made-for-TV Ewoks movies (" Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure " etc...), there are Earth horses In ESB, there are Earth snakes and monitor lizards on Dagobah.
Is there anything to stop cloaked ships from colliding? In the Star Trek universe, Klingon and Romulans have cloaking technology. They can make their ships almost entirely undetectable using this technology. If there are several ships that are cloaked and in relatively close proximity (say, in a fleet), is there an...	First of all, as various people note in the comments above, it's extremely unlikely that two cloaked ships would collide at close range by accident, because Space is Big (even though Star Trek does a somewhat randomly variable job of demonstrating this).
Why do the Xenomorphs (aliens) in the movie Alien seep slime all over the place all the time? Why do the Aliens constantly seep slime out of all their body parts all the time? How could they drink enough liquids on a barren planet to have enough moisture in their bodies to leak all over all the time, and what purpose ...	I'd say the slime they secrete serves to negate the acid in their blood.
Do monsters walk back through Town Portals in Diablo fiction? In the Diablo I, II, and III video games, the character can create a town portal to come back to town and sell the loot they have aquired, rest, heal up, etc. I know, at least I think I do, that the inability for monsters to use the town portal is never add...	There is no hard evidence to say that a demon cannot use these portals, but due to their prowess in magic, and their dedication to eradicating the demon incursion, it is very likely that they were created with the protection against demon usage.
When & how did Yoda come to know about the Rule of Two? At the very end of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace , Mace Windu and Yoda had this conversation: 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 apprentice. When di...	After the Rule of Two was put in place, the Sith masked their presence in the Force and went into physical hiding as well, so the Jedi, for a time, thought the Sith completely wiped out.
Why couldn't the Jedi detect Senator Palpatine as having powers? In Return of the Jedi , when trying to sneak into the base on a shuttle, Luke said he senses Darth Vader's presence and said he shouldn't have come lest he jeopardize the mission. Darth Vader also sensed Luke, but let him in anyways. Also, Yoda and Obi-W...	Palpatine was using Force Stealth to hide his Force presence from the Jedi.
Did Obi-Wan Kenobi ever become more powerful? In Star wars: IV A New Hope, Obi-Wan says to Darth Vader: You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine . What did he mean by this? Was he bluffing? Was he alluding to him being able to help Luke as a Force G...	What I believe is, Obi-Wan was of the opinion that becoming a force ghost would be powerful, because to him, he could train new Jedi, talk to Luke and never be hindered by the Emperor or Vader. Perhaps he believed Luke needed to be free of a direct mentor for a period to rise to adulthood -- with Obi Wan around, many d...
Trying to identify a story about breaking out of a predefined path and no one notices I vaguely remember reading a short story many years ago where something happens and the protagonist gets a bit "out of step" with the rest of the world. Everyone else keeps acting as if he's still doing what he would have been doing ...	A cover image might refresh your memory: The Sinful Ones : 1980 , 1986
Does being a force ghost inherently make you more powerful? The default answer among most people to my previous question seems to be that Obi-Wan was referring to becoming a force ghost. Now whilst this seems pretty cool, you are now hindered into well Kyle Jones says it best Force Immortality seems like a bust to ...	So, I would say yes, it make you more powerful, from a certain point of view .
What was the 1st episode of Farscape to feature a Scarran? What was the 1st episode of Farscape to feature a Scarran? This is not including the first episodes with Scorpious. <Q> The first episode I can think of <S> is "Look at the Princess (Part 1)". <S> The crew visit a planet, and it turns out that Crichton is comp...	Technically, the first episode to feature a Scarran is 'Back and Back
Was Obi-wan ever taught by Yoda? I found a quote whilst researching my previous question about Force Ghosts, about how Obi-Wan was trained by Yoda: Yoda: [Looking away from Luke] I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience. Obi-Wan: [voice-over] He will learn patience. Yoda: Much anger in him... like his father. O...	Obi-Wan was Padawan of Qui-Gon, but before it he (like every Jedi) was trained by Yoda as youngling.
Is there an official blueprint of Hogwarts? I would love to make Hogwarts in Minecraft, but I have no idea what the whole castle looks like, or where specific rooms are inside. I have seen plenty of angles of it, but what I would like is some sort of official layout or blueprint of the whole shebang. Does such a resour...	There is an excellent map that can be found at http://www.oddment-tweak.com/ , that is very helpful in getting an idea as to how Hogwarts is laid out.
Why Does Vader say “No disintegrations…” to Boba Fett in particular? In Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back , Darth Vader instructs a group of bounty hunters: VADER: ...there will be a substantial reward for the one who finds the Millennium Falcon. You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want t...	Edit: Also, that line was subtly used to point out that, even amongst the bounty hunters, Boba Fett in particular is a badass - Vader takes special notice of him and has dealt with him in the past. "disintegration" was just a figure of speech - Fett would have likely just blown up the Falcon, which would presumably dis...
Why didn't Gollum ever become a wraith? Inspired by this answer regarding the long-term effects of The One Ring: Sméagol possessed the ring for close to 500 years, and although he clearly didn't wear it constantly, it had some terrible effects on him. He was disfigured and incredibly old; elven rope burned him, and h...	The ring moves the wearer towards the spirit world when worn , whereas its other corrupting influences happen even when carried.
Why didn't the eagles help out during the siege of Minas Tirith? (in the movies) The eagles show up to attack the Nazgûl in the final battle and looked like they were pretty effective. Had they helped during the siege they could have neutralized the Nazgûl flying in and destroying the catapults protecting Minas Tirith....	They weren't as concerned about the fate of men as they were about the destruction of the ring, and helping out in the battle for Minas Tirith wouldn't help destroy the ring in their eyes. It was their habit not to involve themselves in the dealings of Men -- they would only help them to return a favour, as seen in The...
Why wasn't there a Black Widow and Hawkeye movie? The upcoming Avengers movie follows on from several other movies based on the Marvel universe: Iron Man 1 & 2, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk reboot. If I'm not mistaken Black Widow appears in Iron Man 2, and Hawkeye makes a bit-part appearance in Thor. Is there a...	I for one think Black Widow and Hawkeye haven't had their own movies so far because no director thinks they can make it dramatic enough for it to be a super-hit at the box office.
Do the walkers need to sleep? In the Walking Dead series, sometimes zombies seem to be shut down and oblivious to the humans around them. Do the walkers need to sleep? <Q> No, they do not need to sleep. <S> In the comic book they just walk around, hence the name Walkers. <S> There are also zombies in groups called her...	No they don't, mostly because humans need sleep because of how tired they get and their brains need a break. It seems pretty clear that at least most walkers do not need to sleep, or at the very least can go far longer without sleep than any normal human could.
How does Iron Man protect himself against magnets? I know that Iron Man has protection against EMPs, but does he have any protection against magnets? Have his enemies tried to manipulate him with magnets and succeeded or failed? <Q> 1) In "Iron Man: Armored Adventures" animated series ("The X-Factor" episode, aired Ma...	Magnetism: Iron Man’s armor was equipped with an array of miniature electromagnetic generators that allowed him to manipulate magnetic fields for a variety of effects: - Jamming - Iron Man could generate electromagnetic interference which could be used to jam transmissions or disrupt the function of nearby electrical e...
In the Dune series, how was Paul Atreides' choice of the mouse's name of Muad'Dib a natural choice? Considering the messiah prophesy which was also Muad'Dib, I don't get it - how could he choose that name, and not be calling himself the messiah? The context of when he chose his name to be that of the mouse, it was defi...	It was "natural" in that he foresaw the choice of his name and ended up being called "Muad'Dib" despite that he actually didn't choose that name exactly as his foresight showed him.
What is the significance of the different styles of, and emblems on, Klingon baldrics? I've been watching Star Trek: The Next Generation , and just recently transitioned into season two. Among several more significant changes, I've noticed that Worf's baldric has changed. Season 1 Season 2 Here, the difference is...	For Season Two, the costume designer experimented with a new design made of metal, and with different badges, and this is the one Worf wore forever after, although the badges on the baldric changed after Worf joined the House of Martok in DS9.
Do characters in Star Trek address how odd it is the universe is filled with humanoids? In Star Trek, basically everyone is a human with facial make-up; are there any instances where character comment on this and attempt at an in-universe explanation of this within this franchise? Note, I am not asking what the in-uni...	Like the other answers, I have yet to see any reference to the phenomenon in Star Wars. The Chase , they attempt to address it by explaining that billions of years ago, some master humanoid race seeded the galaxy with their DNA. It was addressed three times in Star Trek.
Why does Palpatine refer to Luke's father as Anakin? During The Empire Strikes Back , Palpatine refers to the father of Luke as Anakin. Darth Vader: What is thy bidding, my master? Emperor: There is a great disturbance in the Force. Darth Vader: I have felt it. Emperor: We have a new enemy, the young Rebel who de...	To Palpatine, as to Obi-Wan and Yoda, Anakin was dead and all that remained of him was Darth Vader. In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, which is what a lot of The Force and Jedi religion is based from, when a person "leaves home" to become a monk he takes a new name and is no longer his old self.
Why doesn't Admiral Cain carry out her secret plan? This question is one big spoiler for Battlestar Galactica Season 2 episodes "Resurrection Ship Part I" and "Resurrection Ship Part II". In Part I of "Resurrection Ship", Admiral Cain and Commander Adama both plan to assassinate each other after the successful comp...	My guess is that the Pegasus bridge security crew were warned and were ready to shoot Kara as soon as she made her move. Cain never intended to kill Adama unless he moved against her first.
Do ships at warp experience time dilation? From the Gene Roddenberry quote in this answer : 'In answering these questions, I came up with the statement that "this time system adjusts for shifts in relative time which occur due to the vessel's speed and space warp capability. It has little relationship to Earth's tim...	The reason is that time dilation exists when an object travels at high speeds, in a warp drive ship, the ship doesn't actually travel through space at all, they are essentially removed from the space-time continuum within the warp field.
Did Sam's memories transfer to the displacee when he leaped? In the TV show Quantum Leap Sam Beckett would travel history and "right" wrongs, temporarily displacing someone native to that timeline in the process. Would the memories of what Sam did transfer to the person he displaced upon his leaping out, or would the...	He appears to have amnesia, not having any memory of what happened over the previous day or his time in the Waiting Room while Sam was in his place.
Did Illyrio Mopatis know what he was doing when he offered dragon eggs to Daenerys as a wedding gift? At her wedding , Daenerys received a chest containing three dragon eggs. These were given to her by Magister Illyrio Mopatis, the man who helped arrange the marriage. Was it part of a plan? As... ...she managed t...	No, he did not know “ If he’d known they were like to hatch, he’d would have sat on them himself .” I would assume he did not know, just as he did not forsee that Dany would hijack his ships and start a crusade in Slaver's Bay. He passed them on to Daenerys as a rich, but useless (to him), gift to the beggar Queen of a...
How does Thresh know about Katniss and Rue's friendship? Having finished watching the movie but not having read the book, I had a question. During the scene where Katniss goes to retrieve the medicine offered for Peeta's wound at the Cornucopia... (not sure how much is spoiler but will start here to be safe) ... she...	This point in the movies was trimmed; it's plausible that Thresh heard enough of Clove's monologue to Katniss after their struggle to know that Katniss had teamed with Rue and tried to protect her.
Why don't Starfleet vessels have intelligent on-board computers? Computers on board Starfleet vessels are quite primitive compared to on board computers such as HAL 9000 . At their best, they can decipher requests such as "Computer, delete that last sentence" and utter things such as "That crewman is no longer on boar...	I suspect AI is used in ship computers, just a a much lower level.
How did the Galactica survive an atomic weapons hit? During the opening salvos of the second Cylon war, the Battlestar Galatica was engaged by several Cylon basestars. During the engagement the Cylons launched an atomic weapon which struck the Galatica and detonated. My question is this: How could any ship survive bein...	Interstellar space is a very radiation rich environment, so we can assume the ship is radiation proof. Given the advanced tech here, they no doubt have equally advanced materials technology resistant to this sort of damage
Is Wolverine an alcoholic? Wolverine's love of beer is fairly well known. According to Wikipedia , he can even suffer the effects of intoxication if he binges. However, does he have an actual alcohol dependence? Considering his mutant healing factor, and despite the fact that he can potentially get drunk if he cons...	Alcoholism is a degenerative disease with behaviors associated with it including binges, periods of intense drinking, using alcohol to reduce emotional or psychological distress, coupled with periods of loss of control. Logan does not show any of the classic behaviors associated with alcoholism.
Are the Avengers Averse to Mutant Members? The historical line-ups for the Avengers shows a lot of mutates, humans, or supernatural beings, but very few mutants. Captain America (human turned super soldier) Hulk (human turned Hulk through Gamma raditation) Hawkeye (human at physical peak) Ironman (human with adv...	Also Namor was an Avenger, also a mutant. You don't even need to have super-powers (e.g. Iron Man, Black Canary) to be an Avenger. They do not understand the idea that mutation is a random occurrence and could happen to anyone.
Why doesn't Cyclops's optic blast subject him to recoil? From his wiki page : The beams have the appearance of red light (i.e., electromagnetic radiation in a red wavelength); however, they do not give off heat and instead deliver concussive force without recoil. Considering that all photons exert a momentum chang...	Cyclops' eyes contain inter-dimensional apertures, releasing powerful energies from another dimension into his own via the beams. Also, I'd imagine that his own physical strength and familiarity with the kickback of his powers lends itself to allowing him to not fall on his butt everytime he shoots optic beams, simila...
Has there ever been a member of the X-Men who wasn't a mutant? In the Marvel Universe there are humans, mutates (humans bestowed with powers), gods, aliens, Homo Superior Superiors (evolution's solution to the mutant problem), and mutants. Are the X-Men an exclusionary group that will only take members who share th...	Tom Corsi - Another Demon Bear victim/member of Moiras X-men. Juggernaut - Ex-champion of Cyttorak Omega Sentinel - Cyborg sentinel Bamfs - Not Actually Bamfs .
Why are Wolverine and Kitty Pryde headmaster and headmistress? I've just started reading the Wolverine and X-Men series without reading all the backstory and was wondering how on earth it was these two that ended up heading the new school, especially Wolverine? I would have thought there were much better and more suit...	There may be X-Men who are better suited as leaders, but Wolverine has historically settled himself into a role of mentor or older-brother to a number of younger members. As I recall, Kitty is one of the few members who actually went off and studied at a more traditional (read: non-mutant) college.
What does Storm really bring to the table? First off, I'm sorry if this is a bad question; I admit to only recently getting into the X-Men comics, after watching the movies. Don't get me wrong, along with most of the X-Men, Storm's mutant powers are impressive. However, given the large number of mutants in the X-Men u...	Storm provides more than just her powers, leadership and the voice of reason when the "heavy hitters" start approaching the line of questionable actions. Firstly, ignoring her powers, remember Xavier's primary aim is to keep mutants safe and educate them.
Who created the first Transformer? Son: Dad, where do Transformers come from? Me: The planet of Cybertron. Son: Who made the Transformers? Me: Transformers make each other. Remember how Wheeljack and Ratchet made the Dinobots? Son: But who made the first Transformer? Me: ... <Q> According to Transformer's Wi...	The All-Spark created Primus and Unicron, the first transformers, since it was the source of all life. The Transformers were led by Prima, the first bearer of the Primus-born Matrix of Leadership.
Why does Cyclops believe Phoenix will reverse the de-powering of most mutants? In Avengers v X-Men #1 Cyclops seems to think that Phoenix will somehow counteract the destruction of all but 200 mutants (from some earlier story I guess). Is this based off an existing known Phoenix power or usage, or is he just guessing ...	He probably thinks Hope will be able to control the Phoenix, and will use its power to safely restore the mutant population to its previous levels of growth.
When did Iceman's power expand? In Wolverine and the X-Men #3 (I think) Iceman uses his powers to create a large group of ice monsters to help in the fight against Krakoa. Is this the first time he used this ability or has he done it before? <Q> Loki enhanced Iceman's powers so much that he lost control of them and ha...	During his time with X-Factor, but in the pages of Thor (issues 377 - 378 , March and April of 1987), Iceman was captured by Loki so his powers could be used to gain control of the Frost Giants.
Would Deathstrike's healing ability be able to save her? In the second X-Men movie, X2 , Wolverine defeats Deathstrike by injecting her with liquid adamantium. Considering that Deathstrike has a healing ability similar to Wolverine's, would she come back to life if all of the [excess] adamantium was removed from her b...	Due to the way that the adamantium was injected into her body, it is unlikely that Deathstrike's healing factor would've been able to save her, unless her cells found a way to regenerate a nervous system around the hardened adamantium.
How does the Muramasa Blade block Wolverine's regeneration capability? Wolverine's mutant powers can't heal him faster if he is wounded by the red Muramasa Blade (not the old black). From the linked Wiki: In a subsequent fight with Captain America, the sword was used against Wolverine, leaving a scar on his ches...	This could also suggest that the damage done is at too low of a level for most healing factors to recover from. Wolverine used it against a S.H.I.V.A. robot, cutting it in half with a single blow. As blade cuts on molecular level, the organic matter is destroyed (organic matter is made up of many molecules).
Why Doesn't Hermione Fly On a Broom? In canon, I recall Hermione riding a broom once -- when escaping the Fiendfyre in the Room of Requirement during the Battle of Hogwarts. Even then, she was sitting behind Ron and Ron was in control of actually flying the broom. Are there any other instances of Hermione flying on a ...	I wouldn't count the escape from the Room of Requirement in Deathly Hallows, as she was on the back of Ron's broom rather than flying herself.
Religion in the Marvel universe? With Thor referred to as a god in the Marvel universe, do modern day religions get any references in the Marvel universe, e.g. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc? <Q> Nightcrawler, as mentioned in another question, is a serious catholic and has been trying to become a priest for many ye...	Religion often comes into play in the Marvel Universe where mutants are concerned.
Out of two organic lumps of Wolverine, what decides which one would regenerate to full Wolverine? Wolverine has regenerated from his skeleton . He can return from even a single cell . Cut off Wolverine's finger. A new finger will be grown from his body, but the dismembered finger will not be grown back into a full b...	But if we were to speculate, we can assume that the answer is related to how Wolverine recovers his memories and personality even after most of his brain is destroyed. So, in essence, it is any small particle that the writer decides to use for story purposes. An argument could be made that the issue would be that the l...
Why are monsters usually designed this way? Why are most monsters in scifi movies designed with a big mouth and a loud scream? It seems all monsters open their mouth and scream before attacking. Can't something be scary without screaming? <Q> All fictional monsters have archetypes in reality. <S> If you look at what be...	Most monsters in Sci Fi shows/movies roar scream or yell to instill fear in the targets.
When Wolverine regenerates, how does his hair know when to stop growing? When Wolverine regenerates, why does his hair stop growing? EDITED TO ADD: In Avengers vs. X-Men #3, he goes from this to this <Q> With a normal person, each individual hair grows for a while, then stops growing, then falls out and a new h...	Depends on the character interpretation, either his genetics and the x-gen empower his hair to grow at a superman rate to a certain length in certain areas, his hair grows at the same rate as a healthy human or his hair grows back at a superhuman rate when he suffers extreme damage to his pores and hair.
How did Iron Man fly without a big tank of fuel? When Iron Man flies he is shown with fire coming out of his feet just like a fuel-propelled rocket. Where is the combustible material generating the fire coming from? Does he have a fuel tank? What is his operative range? <Q> Since your images are from the film Iron ...	In the Mark 2 & 3 armors, Tony uses his Arc Reactor to power repulsors (a fictional technology that uses energy to generate thrust), which his suit contains on the palms and feet (per Wikipedia ).
Why Doesn't Potterverse Use the Metric System? I noticed that Potterverse uses the imperial system of measurement: 10 inches of parchment for a Transfiguration essay; Harry fell 50 feet from his broom; the dragon flew for miles it seemed; Hermione's rucksack weighed 35 pounds. Etc. I researched both the imperial and m...	On Pottermore, the post on Measurements says: Just as British witches and wizards do not use electricity or computers, they have never turned metric.
How did Luke become the leader in the group that destroyed the first Death Star? Other than Biggs telling the commanding officer that Luke the "best bush pilot in the outer rim", what other qualifications did he have to lead the fighter group that took out the Death Star? Both Biggs and Wedge had been in the rebel alli...	Likely a decision was made that Wedge and Biggs would use their superior piloting skills to cover Luke while he used his superior gunnery skills. Because Luke is incorporated into the rebel army with a high starting rank in recognition of his having rescued Princess Leia.
Do other species abide by the Prime Directive? In Star Trek, the Prime Directive is Starfleet General Order 1. Does this mean it does not apply to other species? Can other Federation species openly visit primitive planets? More importantly, what prevents all the other non-Federation species from colonizing or clai...	So canonically Federation civilians, technically even human civilians are not answerable to the Prime Directive because it's a Starfleet regulation. Only Starfleet is expected to follow the Prime Directive. According to Memory Alpha , the Bajorans had developed "sublight space travel" when they were "annexed" by the Ca...
Is a Squib a Muggle? ‘And what on earth’s a Squib?’ said Harry. To his surprise, Ron stifled a snigger. ‘Well – it’s not funny really – but as it’s Filch ...’ he said. ‘A Squib is someone who was born into a wizarding family but hasn’t got any magic powers. Kind of the opposite of Muggle-born wizards, but Squibs ar...	No, Muggles cannot be born to wizards, and a Squib is not a Muggle.
Is Nagini the snake Harry freed on Dudley's birthday? “Yes, it’s rather funny, really, that next to no-one realised the snake that Harry set free in Philosopher’s Stone turned out to be Voldemort’s final Horcrux, Nagini.” — (not actually) J.K. Rowling Read this here in the morning so started thinking over this! An...	No, the snake in the first book is not Nagini.
What Kind of Snake Is Nagini? Just as the title says, what kind of snake is Nagini ? Note: Nagini is not the boa constrictor from Sorcerer's Stone / Philosopher's Stone . Boa constrictors are not venomous. <Q> Okay. <S> I believe I have deduced what species Nagini is, if she is indeed a normal snake, and not some...	Looking at the square patterning, the coloring, and the fact that I know my constrictors, this snake is a hypomelanistic Burmese python. From the patterning on her back, the head shape and and size, I'm going to say Nagini is indeed a reticulated python based character.
Why did this tribute die? Why would the tribute named Foxface just arbitrarily eat the poisonous berries that she saw Peeta picking? She appeared well-versed in what is edible and what isn't, and wilderness survival in general and her last action doesn't seem like it would fit her character... <Q> In the books ...	Because she didn't second guess Peeta's knowledge, she just ate the berries, and was promptly dead.
When is the Grand Galloping Gala? In My Little Pony: Firendship is magic, one of the events in the year is the Grand Galloping Gala. In another question someone mentioned that the GGG occured between 'Christmas' and 'Valentines'. Is there a more accurate date than this? <Q> According to the official MLP:FIM Twitter fe...	MLP Facebook page , the Grand Galloping Gala is held annually on New Year's Eve.
Who are Hope's parents? Hope Summers is the supposed Mutant Messiah. She has the surname Summers but I can't figure out why. Is she directly related to Scott Summers (Cyclops) or is it due to her tutelage by Scott/Cable (Scott's son) that she has assumed the surname, or been given it? Who are her parents, and what rel...	Hope is raised under the name of her adoptive father/mentor Cable (Nathan Christopher Charles Summers ). To date she has no blood relationships with any of the Summers family.
Why is Petyr Baelish called "Littlefinger"? Petyr Baelish is constantly referred to as "Littlefinger," and some mention that he doesn't like this name. The first thing that comes to mind is that it's because he is not physically well-equipped, but I doubt that's the real reason. What is the backstory behind his nickn...	The name refers to the old seat of the House of Baelish, which sits on one of the smallest fingers of land that reach out into the Narrow Sea from the Vale of Arryn
Human Bites Zombie: What Happens? I don't know much about zombies and haven't had much interest in them. I do know that, as with any creature, there are many different versions of what does and does not work. But I'm wondering about this in general - if it's addressed anywhere in traditional zombie lore, of if it's a...	If there is an exchange of bodily fluids with the zombie, chances are you will die from the deadly virus and become a zombie.
Do the Walking Dead poop? Regarding the TV show (possibly the comics) there are many instances where the walking dead are encountered eating their fill and one (2nd season) where one was opened up and a woodchuck was found in it's stomach. This shows the digestive tract must still work. Where is all the zombie poop? A...	Therefore, if a zombie only eats a small amount of human flesh and blood, they may actually never need to poop at all.
Can somebody be an X-Men because of having incredible willpower like Batman? Batman has incredible willpower; he is shown to have done a lot of things normal human beings cannot do/do not do. Can he be considered as an X-Man? Or does he fit in the category of people who can be admitted to the X-Men Academy/School/Unive...	In universe Batman could not be considered an X-Man without explicitly being part of the troupe, and willpower alone would not get someone admitted to the Academy.
Why was Neo different from other Ones? I know that Neo made different choices when compared to the other Ones. I know that those choices, though uncompromising to a dangerous extent, led to a different turn of events. But what was different about Neo? When he went to the oracle, he had made the choice but wasn't aware ...	In addition to his experiences with Trinity (see gnovice's answer), Neo was different from the his predecessors because of how his character was designed by the writers:
What makes a terminator a cyborg? I was always under the impression that a cyborg was a being, partially robotic partially flesh. Wikipedia backs me up here : A cyborg, short for " cybernetic organism ", is a being with both biological and artificial (e.g. electronic, mechanical or robotic) parts. The term was coine...	A cyborg is born human (or other living species) that was turned cybernetic whether the changes were small or completely changing of the living being into a robot.
Who designed the X-Jets, and where were they built? The X-Men's first Blackbird X-Jet was a modified, scaled-up version of the Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" spy plane, so it couldn't be a refurbished "war surplus" aircraft. It had to be specificaly manufactured. Who designed the X-Men's original Blackbird , and who desig...	According to Marvel Wikia , Professor Charles Xavier somehow gained at least one working version of the RS-150 Blackbird from S.H.I.E.L.D., after the X-Men's Stratojet had been destroyed by Count Nefaria.
Did Snape Play Quidditch? Quidditch Through the Ages gives the following information about Quidditch referee qualifications: The effective Quidditch referee needs to be more than an expert flier. He or she has to watch the antics of fourteen players at once [...] In Britain, Quidditch referees are selected by the De...	There is no evidence that I can find that Snape was ever a Quidditch player.
Why Did Grima Wormtongue Cry at Orthanc? In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , after Théoden exiles him, Grima Wormtongue takes refuge with Saruman. Saruman is shown creating a large explosive device, and then Saruman and Grima go out onto one of Orthanc's balconies to survey Saruman's army of 10,...	His tears at seeing Saruman's army were at the prospect of being given command after Saruman had outlived his usefulness.
What's the strongest material in the Marvel Universe? Once I read that the strongest thing in the Marvel Universe is the Silver Surfer's skin, followed by the Mjolnir and Adamantium. Is this right? And, if so, what makes them so special? <Q> Proto-Adamantium: <S> It's greatest strength is its nearly immutable nature ...	The adamantium-vibranium alloy used in Captain America's shield is the strongest human-made material on Earth.
Could Fawkes's Tears Have Healed Tom Riddle's Diary Per the title: Could Fawkes's tears have healed Tom Riddle's diary after Harry stabbed it with a Basilisk fang? As it was pointed out to me in Why Didn't the Basilisk Bite in Book Two Destroy the Horcrux , when Harry stabbed the diary Horcrux with the Basilisk fang...	Though the diary contained a part of Voldemort's soul, it was not made of living flesh and thus could not have been "healed" in that manner.
Did the author ever explain origin of the disasters in The Day of Triffids? The post-apocalyptic book The Day of the Triffids features not one but (at least) three seemingly separate disasters: triffids themselves, obviously blinding lights in the sky plague I somehow hoped that the exact cause of the disasters...	I know of no explanation by Wyndham, but my impression was that the other disasters were entirely "mundane" within the context of that world, in that they were natural consequences of almost the entire population becoming blind. As you say, the main protagonist Bill Mason wonders whether there was really a meteor showe...
Why aren't there any airbenders in Profession Tournament Bending? In The Legend of Korra (second Avatar Series from Nickelodeon) professional tournament bending has a trio of earth, water, and fire benders squaring off against one another; but why isn't airbending represented? <Q> Avatar Aang is the last of the Air N...	Also pro-bending teams come from all over world, across the united republic of nations and the only place airbenders live are in Republic City's air temple island making it unlikely for more people to compete if they need an airbender to play.
Are the Nazgûl Blind? They were once Men. Great kings of Men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them Nine Rings of Power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question. One by one, falling into darkness. They are the Nazgûl. Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. Aragorn - The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tol...	Kind of, they see the world differently, from another realm of sorts, they can sense the world around them Their greed for Sauron's power enslaved them to the ring, which led to their becoming wraiths. "Blinded by their greed" is figurative.
Can Borg survive in outer space without an environment suit? This question is prompted from the scene in the film First Contact, when the Borg are outside the Enterprise creating the transmitter to communicate with the Borg of that time period, on the main deflector dish, they are working on that transmitter for some t...	I would say the Borg outfitted drones with particular modules and technology to perhaps create a personal force field and oxygen producing appendages.
Why did R.A.B. put the locket back in the basin? This question led me to asking this one. R.A.B. takes the "real" locket out and asks Kreacher to destroy it, then puts the "fake" locket back in the basin. Why would he feel the need to do this? He knows already that Voldemort has used someone else to drink the potion (...	Perhaps he felt that this would arouse less suspicion than to simply remove a locket Voldemort had placed there.

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