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How long do Asgardians live for? Thor has been visiting the Earth from the time of the Norse Vikings. What is the expected life span (in Earth years) of an Agardian? The Wikipedia article on Asgard only states: They are extremely long-lived (though not truly immortal like the Olympians), aging at an extremely slow...	They aged very slowly upon reaching adulthood (unlike Marvel's Olympians, who do not age AT ALL) and as such would live until killed.
Why was the Mad Hatter aware of the curse? I am wondering if there is a reason given (as of the end of season 1) for why the Mad Hatter is aware of the curse. It's clear that Rumpelstiltskin and the Evil Queen are aware because they are co-conspirators of the curse and singled themselves out. So, was there a reason to ...	He also knew that, if he told anyone the truth, the curse would make them refuse to believe him, and just assume he was crazy.
Why could we barely see through all Quarian's masks? In Mass Effect, Quarians are an alien race that have an immune system so weak they need to constantly wear environmental suits to protect them from disease or infection if they are injured. A major feature of their enviro suits is their mask, through which we can b...	A weak immune system might make them sensitive to particular wavelengths of radiation.
What is Peeves' story? Peeves seems to be almost an oxymoron. On one hand, he can pass through walls (no quote, but there's a line in Sorcerer's Stone about Peeves trying to get through a wall that Harry and Ron think is a door). On the other hand, he wears a bow tie to Sir Nicholas's Death Day Party ( Chamber of Sec...	Peeves is a bit of an exception, for he is corporeal. Peeves is well-named, for he has been a pet peeve of every Hogwarts caretaker from Hankerton Humble (appointed by the four founders) onwards. It was inevitable that, in a building bursting with teenage witches and wizards, a poltergeist would be generated; As you ca...
What exactly is the Arena in the Hunger Games? Is it a predefined area or something like a holodeck? I've been reading the first book of the Hunger Games, and I can't quite figure out what exactly is the arena? In the book it says that the Game Makers can alter the environment. They can make it any type of landsca...	Much like reality TV nowadays, the arena is a real place, but those in charge have access to technologies that can change things that the players/tributes cannot.
Is there a FAQ or centralized forum/group/list for the Kingkiller Chronicles? In high school I was really into the Wheel of Time series, which had a lovely usenet newsgroup and well-maintained FAQ to help centralize discussion of the mysteries in the series. Does anybody know if something like this exists for Patrick ...	The most active discussion I've seen around these books is on the KingkillerChronicle subreddit.
Did the Nazgûl retain their Rings of Power? In The Fellowship of the Rings , Frodo sees the true appearance of the Nazgûl: He was able to see beneath their black wrappings. There were five tall figures: two standing on the lip of the dell, three advancing. In their white faces burned keen and merciless eyes; under ...	Yes they wear them, from The Fellowship of the Ring Gandalf says to the council of Elrond:
Why was the riddle on the way to Moria written in Elvish? I just caught my housemates watching The Lord of The Rings . At the scene where the Fellowship enters the Mines of Moria, the writing on the entrance is in Elvish, despite this being a Dwarvish city. Why is that? I know my housemate said somewhere it's mention...	The riddle in of itself was symbolizing the friendship that the Dwarves and Elves of that area had at the time.
Where is the moon in Planet of the Apes (1968)? In the original Planet of the Apes (1968), Charlton Heston discovers at the end of the movie that he is on planet Earth after all. But he surely could know it sooner if the moon were present in the sky. When he abandons the sinking spaceship at the beginning we ca...	The Moon is often not visible, even today.
Why can't metalbenders/earthbenders affect pure metallic platinum? In the episode, The Aftermath the Metalbending Police Force has been investigating Future Industries factories for collusion and production of weapons by Hiroshi Sato with the Equalists . It is later discovered that Hiroshi Sato was producing we...	Platinum has a very small quantity of impurities so it is difficult, yet possible to bend, if there is anyone skilled enough.
Is metalbending based on a different martial art? Airbending is based on the Ba Gua Zhang martial art, Water on Tai Chi Chuan, Fire on Northern Shaolin, and Earth on Hung Ga. Is metalbending modeled simply after Hung Ga as well or is there a different real-life martial art folded in? <Q> I'm not a martial arts expert,...	Metal bending is an outgrowth of Toph.
Are there other assassins like River Tam? From the Firefly Wiki It was at this point that she was sent to a government learning facility known only as "The Academy". While her parents and Simon believed the Academy was a private school meant to nurture the gifts of the most academically talented children in the Alli...	Based on the conversation between Dr. Mathias and Simon at the beginning of Serenity, it's reasonable to assume that River was unique - most likely due to her telepathic potential. Based on what little we've seen, the Academy did not appear to include any kind of traditional "assassin" training, but instead seemed to b...
How did Nick Fury lose his eye and get his eye patch? In The Avengers (2012) , Nick fury wears an eye patch. I did my homework, and Wikipedia gave me one explanation : Fury's injured left eye, though initially minimally affected by a grenade blast during World War II , has over the decades resulted in a 95% loss ...	Ultimate Nick Fury, based on Samuel Jackson also received anti-aging treatment as part of Operation Rebirth , another part of the supersoldier Weapon Plus program that created Captain America and several other Marvel heroes.
Is Fauxlivia's baby still in the timeline? Is Faux Olivia's baby with Peter still going to be born in the other world? <Q> The observer September said in season 4 that just as Peter had been erased (although not completely), so had his son Henry. <A> I guess not, since Peter was erased from the timeline. <S> I don't ...	No, in the revised timeline the Peter Bishop that had a child with Faux Olivia drowned in Reiden Lake at age seven after an unsuccessful attempt by the alternate of his father to save him from a disease.
Why did Shepherd Book assume Saffron was underage? In Our Mrs. Reynolds Mal is purportedly married to Saffron. The Shepherd tells Mal: If you take sexual advantage of her, you're going to burn in a very special level of hell. A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theater. While she...	There is really nothing to indicate that Shepard or anyone else thought she was underage.
What exactly happens when a Weeping Angel is quantum locked? In the Doctor Who episodes with Weeping Angels, the Angels turn into statues when they are observed. In "The Time of Angels" and "Flesh and Stone", the Angel statues become deteriorated as the actual Angels die, which means that the state of the Angel's statu...	The only explanation that gels with lore and answers your question is this: Turning into a statue is a defense mechanism that the angels cannot consciously control In their stone form, they are "locked" - that is, the matter of their body is not affected by anything outside of it.
Is it possible to fly like Batman in Arkham City? In the game you can glide, then go into a dive, and then glide again. Using this technique you can travel long distances. Is that possible in real life? <Q> I will presume you are talking about the real world when you ask, so I will say, using the method that Batman do...	The manufacture of SMPs is relatively expensive and complex, so it isn't something you would see in your average day In real life, you'd need the glider to receive boosts of some sort from an external force to maintain perpetual flight.
Was Shadow's race ever determined? First let me say I am not trying to start a debate on what Shadow's race is. I am looking for any actual evidence from the book, Gaiman or the series in production as to what race Shadow is. If there is no definitive evidence to prove what race he is but there is evidence that it clea...	It was also made clear that Shadow's mother was black (American)
Are there any subtle hints towards Lord of the Rings in A Song of Ice And Fire? Although George R. R. Martin has been accused of criticizing the moral simplicity of Tolkien's work with his series A Song of Ice and Fire , he has often said that he read and enjoyed Lord of the Rings in his childhood and drew a ...	Perhaps these are coincidences, but so far I've noticed that: Daenerys' husband is named Drogo, Frodo Baggins' father is named Drogo. There is quite a bit of Tolkien influence in A Song of Fire and Ice ... and these are just from the Fellowship of the Ring.
Can Magneto Lift Thor's Hammer? One of my friends posted this on FaceBook: and it got me wondering if Magneto's power over metal was strong enough to lift/control Mjolnir. <Q> No. <S> We should be able to assure the Philoso-raptor, that as long as Magneto was within a gravity well , Mjolnir should be unable to be li...	The worthiness clause might not stop Magneto from deflecting the thrown hammer, because it can be done (and has been done), but he should not be able to grab or hold the hammer physically and prevent it from returning to Thor.
Is Krillin the strongest pure human in the Dragonball Z Universe? In Dragonball the series keeps increasing power levels. Most of the truly powerful characters though are aliens or only part human. Usually in a fight all of the Z Warriors are taken down at some point but it always seems like Krillin is able to fight lo...	Krill is the strongest human in the dragon ball Z universe He gained all his strength through training and hard work. Krillin might seem stronger, since he has seen more screen time than Tenchinham, but if both of them had to fight each other, Tenchinham extra eye plus dedication would be Krillins Downfall.
What is the Tardis made of? In "The Pandorica Opens" and "The Big Bang" the Doctor states that the Tardis' exterior is just normal wood to the Daleks. Does that mean the exterior of the Tardis changes material? <Q> It's the Chameleon circuit of the TARDIS that make hit appear as normal wood. <S> So, the exact materi...	The exterior of the tardis is described as Outer plasmic shell , without any explanation what plasmic is. The TARDIS exterior most like not only looks like wood, it probably IS wood and the exact wood that a 60s era police box is made out of.
Why did Tom Riddle change his name to Voldemort? Why did Tom Riddle change his name to Voldemort? What was the point of Lord Voldemort, specifically, not Lord Tom or, Lord Riddle? Tom Riddle was his officially documented name, after all... <Q> Voldemort despised his Muggle father, who was also named Tom Riddle for 1)...	I interpret canon to mean Tom Riddle took on the moniker "Voldemort" mainly to distance himself from the name Tom Riddle and his Muggle side of the family.
Why did Voldemort use his hated last name as basis for his "professional" name? The reason that Tom Riddle chose to call himself Voldemort was, in part, because he hated his father . If so, the why did he build the name from the letters of his hated last name (Riddle)? As his diary soul fragment explains to Harry in ...	Voldemort, although he hated his muggle lineage, probably had accepted the fact that Riddle was his last name and there is nothing he can do about it, and hence, had used it to forge his new identity. I would speculate that the answer has to do with the nature and perception of anagrams and Voldemort's self image.
Did Scooby-Doo and the original team of meddling kids ever uncover something that was supernatural or real? Almost every Scooby-Doo mystery was scifi/fantasy until they were debunked in the end. In all of the Scooby-Doo episodes and movies or comics (excluding anything with his nephew in it) is there even a single ...	In digging deeper, most of the direct-to-video Scooby Doo movies in this era also feature real supernatural creatures.
How did the Borg come to know about Earth? When the Enterprise-E destroyed a Borg cube in the 24th century, a small part of it travelled back in time (2063) to stop first contact of Humans with Vulcans. During the fight with Picard, two Borg crash-landed on Earth in Arctic ice. They became active in the 22nd century a...	It is suggested that the Borg may have been responsible for the destruction of Federation and Romulan colonies in the final episode of season one, "The Neutral Zone".
Do Timelords Need to Sleep? The types of stories told in Doctor Who usually happen quickly, one event after another. For instance The Unicorn and the Wasp seems to happen in one afternoon running into the evening. These stories rarely show anything happening over days where the characters are asleep. Do Timelord...	I couldn't find or remember if it is ever explicitly stated that the Doctor, or Timelords, sleep, but it is implied heavily throughout the series when he talks about dreams, or is forced into one through whatever means.
In Harry Potter, why didn't the Order call the muggle PM for help? When V was attacking Hogwarts etc, and the muggles had as much to lose as the wizards, why didn't the Minister of Magic/Order whomever contact the muggle PM and ask for help? There might have been various protocols in place - break them, things have ne...	It would have been impossible for any Muggle assistance to arrive before Voldemort's forces.
In Resident Evil film series, why does Umbrella continue doing experiments? When you kill (or infect) about 95% (or more) of the world's population, and the same virus can infect animals, well, you are doing something wrong. Now, why do you need more powerful monster? Why do you not use all of your resources to survi...	Failure to continue research on the T-virus would ensure their continued isolation and eventual death.
Why did Voldemort escape after seeing Aurors? Towards the end of Order of the Phoenix , Voldemort escaped the Ministry of Magic after seeing Aurors. Why? He had work to do and nobody was able to kill him (Horcrux ju-ju). Plus, he got a great chance to smash Aurors. <Q> His primary focus was obtaining the prophecy reg...	Even if he couldn't be killed, he could still still lose his body or be subdued in some other way, so he had nothing to gain and a lot to lose by staying.
Why don't Melisandre and Stannis create more shadow monsters? Melisandre (the fire priestess) and Stannis used a shadow monster to kill Renly Baratheon. The creature is seemingly a very effective assassin. So why don't they create more of them (or make the one that already exists) kill other of enemies Stannis' li...	In part, Stannis doesn't even believe the shadow monster really works!
Why didn't search party get affected after McCoy altered past? In ST:TOS 1x28 , the USS Enterprise followed time ripples to their source from millions of miles. McCoy injected himself a drug by accident and beamed down to the planet in an out-of-control situation. Kirk, Spock and 4 more crew members also beamed down ...	The planet they beamed down to belonged to the Guardian of Forever which controlled the time vortex.
Why didn't Voldemort delay his return until after Harry Potter had died? During 1st Wizarding War, Voldemort came to know about The Prophecy. He tried to challenge it (although he unknowingly supported it) and he not just failed, but lost his body too. Then, what was the point of challenging it, again? He could have s...	The younger generation knew nothing about the Wizarding War and would not have feared Voldemort enough to have been intimidated into helping him or seduced by his power - as at the point he is first introduced to us in the HP stories his power is mostly gone. Waiting for Harry to die would mean that lots of his enemies...
Where did the Alien Queen come from? Some of the comments on the question Do all the different breeds of the Alien Franchise Xenomorph Queens lay the same kind of eggs? got me thinking. I've always assumed that after Newt's father got infected, all of the following happens off-screen: He makes it back to the colony...	It seems safe to assume that within the Space Jockey ship on LV426, there was an egg containing a royal facehugger, to hatch a new queen.
Fantasy Book with a ring linked to a dragon I remember reading a book in my childhood (between 1994 and 1998) taking place in a fantasy world. My memory of it is quite fuzzy, but I remember it had magic and dragons in it. Two specifics I remember (then again, my memory may not be accurate): there was a ring item whi...	Maybe you're talking about one of the books in The Magic Goes Catchfire (the character) definitely has a ring that is linked to the dragon Earthquake (again, the name) and scratching it causes tremors. The first thing that popped into my mind is The Ring of Five Dragons , although I'm not sure that is actually where I ...
Are the Xenomorphs intelligent enough to commandeer spacecraft? Are the Xenomorphs intelligent enough to commandeer a spacecraft they overwhelm, or do they just go along for the ride? <Q> I would have to say "no", they are not intelligent enough to control <S> /pilot a ship. <S> They are shown to have some degree of ...	Each new generation of Xenos is smarter than the last so in the far future they would probably have evolved enough to be able to pilot or even build spacecraft, possibly weapons too and with enough time they would be on par with the Yaut'ja. I would have to say, "yes" or at least we do not know.
Is Batman Begins set in the same timeline as Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman and Robin? I know that the movie Batman Begins [2005] was made many years after the movies Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman and Robin. If Batman Begins is in the same timeline as the other movies it must ...	No, they are completely separate movie franchises, and interpretations of the Batman mythos.
Why do Zombies eat plants in "Plants vs. Zombies"? AFAIK, Zombies aren't vegetarians. They usually have a special interest in eating living human brains. Why do they eat the Plants then? <Q> from popcap Plants vs. Zombies <S> readme <S> : <S> Nobody knows exactly what eldritch force or demented science allowed...	Actually, the reason why the zombies eat the plants is because the plants themselves have brains.
Why didn't Temporal Agents stop McCoy from altering the past? When McCoy altered the past, the entire Federation vanished. Meaning that this was a very critical event. Temporal Agents were supposed to keep eyes on timeline. Whenever timeline was altered and Temporal Agents failed to prevent it, it was due to advanced...	It would be probable that at least one agent observed and logged the time travel. As such, we can only assume that McCoy was not stopped by any Temporal Agents (in the 20th or 23rd centuries) because once he changed the timeline they didn't exist any more, and when they were restored the timeline was already fixed so t...
How does the Federation determine how to set their clocks? I called someone on the other side of the world. Where I was, it was 9:00pm. Where they were, it was 11:00am the next day. This got me thinking about Star Trek. Frequently in Voyager, Tom Paris is late to his "Oh nine hundred" shift on the bridge. In the S...	Ships patrolling the Solar System probably use the timezone of their home port, or possibly UTC, but deep space exploration ships would undoubtedly adjust their clocks as needed as they travel to different systems and planets.
Why wasn't Erik under control from the start of Avengers: Assemble? At the end of Thor, Erik is seen: Under the control of Loki, discussing the tesseract But at the start of Avengers: Loki mindwipes him and takes control of him, again! And at the end it turns out he some how: put a failsafe into the device, e...	This is speculation, but this "Erik-Vision" is probably what allowed Loki to know of the Tesseract and its location.
Why aren't the Asgard in Atlantis? Why don't the Asgard go into the Pegasus Galaxy and study Atlantis? As we see in the Stargate SG-1 series, the Asgard weren't perfect and couldn't defeat the Replicators but the Ancients had the capability of defeating the Replicators. The Asgard also knew that the Ancients had mo...	They could very well have been in the Pegasus galaxy, we just didn't know. Any Asgard venture into the Pegasus galaxy would mean the Wraith would attack, win, and take over their technology as well.
Who is the highest selling non US comic book superhero? There must be foreign comic book superheroes, protagonist characters with superhuman or magical abilities. Which superhero is the highest selling, therefore the most popular, superhero published outside of the United States? I'd like to know the name of that super...	Son Goku , the hero of Dragon Ball and its many follow-ups.
Did Voldemort Have a Dark Mark? Voldemort bestowed the Dark Mark on only those in his inner circle. [Fenrir Greyback] might be allowed to wear Death Eater robes when they wanted to use him, but only Voldemort’s inner circle were branded with the Dark Mark: Greyback had not been granted this highest honour. Deathly H...	I don't think the incident with Wormtail in Goblet of Fire is necessarily evidence that Voldemort himself did not have a mark.
Would a Golden Snitch React to the Touch of an Identical Twin? I was reading Deathly Hallows and got to the part where Harry remembers he didn't catch the Golden Snitch in his hand, but rather almost swallowed it. He had to touch the Snitch with his mouth before the Snitch would reveal I open at the close . I began ...	Even identical twins are different enough that people (who know them well) can tell them apart, and any reasonably good magic spell for that purpose ought to be at least as good as humans at it.
What possible variants of facehugger may exist? In the first film we are shown how Alien can be injected into human body through human mouth. In Prometheus we can see another way an Alien can be injected into its host. More specifically, we are shown an Alien can be injected during sexual intercourse. Are there an...	Supposedly its a "Royal" facehugger, which implants a queen embro (the one in ripley) and one or more drones (the dog-alien) basically to protect the queen (also why the drone wouldnt attack ripley). In Alien vs. Predator: Requiem , we see the Predalien inseminating its hosts by injecting eggs/larvae/etc.
How did Harry and Ron find their way back to the tent after destroying the Locket Horcrux? The tent was protected by enchantments making it invisible to anyone outside a certain range, right? But when Harry followed the Silver Doe Patronus deep into the forest he probably left the range of the protective enchantments a...	So they were NOT guided by the Deluminator, at least as far as the book goes, and seemingly Harry just knows where to go.
How did Snape find Harry and Hermione in the Forest of Dean? While this question answers how Snape knew Harry and Hermione were in the Forest of Dean, how did he know exactly where to send his patronus so that Harry would see it and be led to the sword of Gryffindor? Wikipedia indicates the area is over 110 square ...	Depending on how the Patronus charm works, Snape has at least one method of locating Harry.
Is Harry skilled, or just "lucky"? Was he really any good at magic, or was he just lucky (as the book seems to imply) and he had very good and powerful friends to back him up? <Q> Neither Harry is neither particularly "good" or "lucky". <S> He is the opposite of a tragic hero. <S> Maybe "opposite" is incorrect, but Ha...	Harry was both lucky and good at magic.
Who's In Charge Of DADA 19 Years Later? Seeing that Defense Against the Dark Arts is a crucial subject, both in Harry's life as well as a part of the school-going wizard's curriculum, it must be in the hands of a good professor. Is it known who Minerva McGonagall appointed as DADA prof. once she was made Headmistress...	All we know for certain is that McGonagall is headmistress as of the end of the "present-day" (pre-epilogue) plotline, and that it's most likely not Neville (who eventually becomes the Herbology prof) nor Kingsley (who becomes Minister of Magic) nor HH&R (who are all left on the platform at the end of the epilogue; if ...
Who first implemented the three-breasted character? I am trying to figure out who implemented the first three-breasted character, as seen in Total Recall (1990). I know someone who says there was such a character in the original Battlestar Galactica series but he has no proof to back up his claim. Does anyone kno...	The concept can certainly be dated as early as 1978, with the first mention of Eccentrica Gallumbits, the triple-breasted whore of Eroticon Six in the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy .
Is any of Batman's technology extraterrestrial? Since Bruce Wayne is rich, he get a lot of cool gadgets for his Batman costume. Does he have anything Alien incorporated into his suit or weapons? It seems that all he has is tech from Earth despite being in contact with powerful aliens. The only thing Batman has that ...	Some of the trophies Batman keeps in his cave may be of alien original, but he doesn't use them as part of his normal array of crime fighting tools.
What must one do to create NEW magic? We find in Snape's old potions book that he has invented some of his own spells while at school. How hard is it to do that? And why hasn't Harry done it yet? <Q> With exception of his flying skills, and some DADA prowess - most of which is really based on personality and not magica...	To answer the second question, Harry hasn't invented any new spells because gasp he's not a very gifted or particularly magically strong wizard.
How did the Iron Islanders manage to set fire to Winterfell and flee? If Theon Greyjoy and his men, all 20 of them, were besieged in Winterfell and surrounded by 500 enemy men, how were they able to set fire to Winterfell and flee? Wouldn't the 500 prevent them from burning and fleeing Winterfell with an unconscious Th...	By setting fire to the hold, they would have caused panic and chaos for the forces coming into the hold.
How did Jaqen H'ghar get caught? Following a recent 9gag post: Did Jaqen H'ghar end up in that cage because he knew that he would meet and "recruit" Arya, or was it some strange coincidence? Is it described somewhere in the books, or left unexplained? <Q> It is not explained in the books, but there is mention of him ...	I think it's left unexplained in the books, but given the nature of the Faceless Men, it's likely he got caught on purpose in order to accomplish some other task, likely an assassination.
X-Men: Why didn't Psylocke notice Jubilee's presence in the Australian outback? In Uncanny X-Men (Vol I) #244 Jubilee tailgates through Gateway's teleportation window from LA to the deserted Australian outback town where the X-Men have set up headquarters. She remains there in hiding until after the remaining X-Men (P...	According to her Wikipedia entry , In her early appearances, Jubilee also displayed an apparent immunity to telepathy, but this was soon abandoned by writers.
Why did this character desert during the Battle of the Blackwater? During Season 2 Episode 9, the "Blackwater" episode of Game of Thrones : Sandor Clegane (The Hound) promptly quit the battlefield in the middle of the battle. I thought he was the kind of brute who would enjoy such battle. Why does he do that? <Q>...	The reason he abandons the battlefield is due to the fires; he is afraid. He has seen what he has done to Sansa and what kind of King he is.
Is there a concept of "parallel/alternate" universes/realities in Star Wars canon? Star Trek franchise has concepts of parallel (or alternate) universes/realities. So does StarGate (in some SG1 episodes). Is there any mention of such a concept as parallel universes in Star Wars canon? The question is restricted to G,...	To some degree, yes, there is mention of it in the extended universe canon.
Were Crabbe and Goyle Death Eaters? I'm wondering if Crabbe and Goyle were teenage Death Eaters, like Draco Malfoy was. It's not explicitly confirmed in canon if they were or not, but two canon passages in particular, from Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows respectively, keep cropping up for me which imply it migh...	Neither Crabbe nor Goyle are mentioned as being at the Death Eater meeting (which Draco was at, the Hogwarts year hadn’t started yet), nor are they mentioned as participants in any of the other Death Eater activities.
Why doesn't the Sonic Screwdriver "do wood"? It has been said multiple times that the sonic screwdriver doesn't open, move, change anything made of wood. Why is that? It is sonic ! The type of material should not affect it. The Sonic Screwdriver has worked on a multitude of materials, but never wood. <Q> Technic...	So since the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver is sonic it could be that wood is one of the few materials able to resonate and distribute the sound directed at it.
What was the first appearance of Olympic gods as characters in modern SciFi or fantasy? What was the first appearance of any of the Olympic gods as character(s) in modern (1880+) SciFi or Fantasy outside of ancient greek settings? I'm talking about them being major characters, ala Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" or Apol...	A few stories by Lord Dunsany had Greek gods as characters, at least “Poseidon” (1941; collected in In the Land of Time and Other Fantasy Tales ).
Why did Death Star need to orbit around Yavin for so long? We are talking about battle station with a hyperdrive. And there we have to wait till it orbits around Yavin to get a shot at the moon. We know why they didn't blast the gas giant with the superlaser out of the way . But why didn't they navigate DS1 so that ...	They probably didn't jump directly to a spot where they could target the moon immediately because they didn't know the precise location of the moon within Yavin's orbit, and they happened to come out of hyperspace on the wrong side of the planet.
Exactly what happened to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru? When Luke returns to the homestead, he finds them in a state quite unlike anyone else we see in the series. What, precisely, did the stormtroopers do to them, and why not just shoot them? <Q> This is just conjecture based on circumstantial evidence: <S> I believe it'...	Burning the bodies isn't the style of the Empire, so it's the perfect way to make it look like the work of the Sand People. According to Wookieepedia's Legends article on Owen Lars , Owen and Beru were killed by stormtroopers' blasters before their bodies were burned by flamethrowers.
Why was it likely that the Ents went to their doom? When the Ents marched on Isengard in the movie version of The Two Towers , Treebeard said that "it is likely that we go to our doom". In the battle itself, however, the Ents seemed to do better than anyone else. They didn't appear to be anywhere near their doom. Did...	Since Tolkien sometimes uses doom in the old sense of fate or judgement or legal sentence, perhaps Treebeard partially meant that the Ents might be judged for reward or punishment when they died, however soon or late that might be, based on how they reacted to the threat of Saruman and if they helped the other free peo...
Did Mirage from The Incredibles have powers? I just watched The Incredibles yesterday, and realised something I hadn't considered before. Mirage Does Mirage have powers? She 'doesn't exist' as she says, according to the NSA, and seems to have a secret identity (unless her real name is Mirage...). If she doesn...	Mirage is a capable computer scientist (and possibly covert agent) and is the only other person to have access to the Kronos database outside of Syndrome.
What is Captain America's religion? In the Avengers movie this conversation occurs between Captain America and Black Widow: Natasha Romanoff: [discussing attacking Loki] They're basically gods. Steve Rogers: Ma'am, there's only one God, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that. So it appears that Cap is at t...	Captain America's religious affiliation was mentioned in Newsweek. He's Catholic, he comes from an Irish Catholic family from the lower east side of Manhattan.
Why didn't Dumbledore Imperius Fudge? At the end of Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore was in a room with a bunch of Harry sympathizers, and Cornelius Fudge. Fudge openly admitted that he was going to reject Dumbledore's suggestions on how to fight Voldemort, didn't believe Harry, and only cared about his Minister post. It d...	Dumbledore would have seen it as morally repugnant. Had he imperiused Fudge, he'd have had to keep Fudge imperiused forever. The Imperius curse is an unforgivable curse.
How long can he be the Hulk before he has to turn back into a puny human? It used to be: "The madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets!" and then he'd revert back when he calmed down. I always assumed it was to recharge. Now it appears Bruce Banner can change into the Hulk at will. What is the longest amount of time (e...	When, in one comic, Bruce Banner reaches the end of his natural lifespan, the Hulk essentially makes himself immortal by staying angry forever.
Did Darwin die or survive when Sebastion Shaw put energy in his mouth In X-Men: First Class , we never see if Darwin actually died. Did Darwin die or did he survive somehow? <Q> Darwin died, as shown in the movie Shaw forced energy into Darwin's body. <S> From the movie we can assume Darwin can adapt to physical stim...	Darwin's ability to adapt (in the comics at least) was so great that he was able to merge with another character and add his strength to his all while at the point of death.
How long has Zoidberg worked for Planet Express? In the episode Möbius Dick , Zoidberg is shown to be working for Planet Express 50 years ago. In an earlier episode, Insane in the Mainframe , he receives an award from Hermes for 10 years of service. So which is the truth? <Q> This is speculative, but given the Profe...	Apperantly Zoidberg was employed at Planet Express when it was founded, meaning that he is one of the senior staff.
How old is Dr. Zoidberg? In The Tip of the Zoidberg we learn that the Professor and Zoidberg have known each other for around 85 years, since 2927. However in the episode That's Lobstertainment we see a film from only 5 years before the Professor and Zoidberg met. (the film is 2922's A Close Shaving ) Harold Zoid...	Harold Zoid could have been near the end of his middle-age stage during the 2920's, with the effects of aging subsequently setting in over the next 80 years and making him look much older.
Are the owls in Futurama a backwards reference to Blade Runner and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Owls in Futurama are so numerous and plentiful that they are considered a pest. Conversely, the electric owl in Blade Runner represents something beautiful that no longer exists. And in a larger sense, all animals ar...	The owls in Futurama are a back-handed allusion to the conflict on the US west coast between environmentalists and loggers over the protection of the spotted owl under the Endangered Species act.
Where did Blearnsball come from? In Futurama they no longer play baseball, instead they play a weird, screwed-up version called "Blearnsball." Where did the modifications to the sport of baseball come from? <Q> <A> According to the commentary on season 1 back during the day where the early episodes were coming out, th...	Blernsball comes form the imaginary sport the producers played on Blernsday , the 8th day of the week they invented to fit everything they needed to do in.
Why was Season 5 of Futurama composed of films? Why was it that season 5 of Futurama was entirely composed of films? <Q> Futurama was cancelled on Fox in 2003 when it decided to stop buying episodes midway through the fourth season. <S> Technically the show was never officially cancelled. <S> In 2005, Comedy Centra...	The films were released so the futurama creators could make money during their cancellation. The episodes in the 4 films combine to make a full season as well as to create an over arching story line that takes them into the launch of Season 6 including the explanation of Fry and Leela getting together.
What happened to the Planet Express crew Leela and Fry replaced? Fry and Leela join Planet Express as replacements. What happened to the old Planet Express crew? <Q> Source <A> As written at the end of Space Pilot 3000 , it was a space <S> wasp <S> that led to the demise of the crew that Fry, Leela & Bender replac...	They were killed and the previous ship lost during a mission to gather space honey (" The Sting ", S5 E9).
Did Dumbledore give Snape his orders before or after Snape took his Unbreakable Vow? Spoilers for Deathly Hallows Did Dumbledore "order" (or ask) Snape to kill him before or after Snape took an Unbreakable Vow to help Draco Malfoy? (The impetus for asking was a realization that, if it was after the Vow, it means Snap...	Dumbledore "ordered" Snape to kill him before the events of HBP , Chapter 3, and the Unbreakable Vow takes place in HBP ,
Was Severus Snape a Potions student of Slughorn's? Was Severus Snape a Potions student of Slughorn's? By the timeline, it sounds plausible (Tom Riddle was, and he wasn't that much older than Snape). <Q> Yes, Snape was a student of Professor Slughorn's. <S> As b_jonas states, Slughorn says so in Half-Blood Prince . ...	One could also presume that Snape was Slughorn's student because Slughorn raves about Lily Evans's talent in potions and we all know Snape is Lily's classmate.
Was the concept of The Doctor being half-human mentioned again after the 1996 movie? Is the concept of The Doctor being half-human (as mentioned in the 1996 movie ) ever mentioned again, and confirmed to be part of the universe's canon? Or was this thrown away in the 2005 series, and ignored from then on? <Q> There's...	Another explanation is offered in The Taking of Planet 5 , where it is suggested that the Doctor has become half-human as a result of repeated regenerations around humans, where he absorbed bits of their DNA.
How Long Did it Take Superman to get to the Earth? How many Earth years did it take the rocket from Krypton bearing the infant Kal-El to reach Earth? <Q> The references below all appear to base their info on the first Christopher Reeves movie. <S> According to this link , the flight took two years. <S> However, a...	Well obviously it took 2 years because by then if he been on that thing for 3 years he could probably talk.
Why didn't the DNA scanner find Fry to be the Professor's (great)ⁿ grandfather? In Futurama , Fry did the nasty in the pasty, so he's his own grandfather. This means he's also the grandfather to his brother, Yancy Jr. In the pilot episode, Space Pilot 3000 , the DNA scanner that Leela uses to check for living relat...	From a computer science perspective, this is an easy answer: it is using an optimized search algorithm that searches 'down' the tree, not 'up' it. If using a family history database , then there's no chance the grandchild relationship would show up since Enos was always assumed to have been Fry's true grandfather.
What version of Blade Runner should I watch first? I have the Blade Runner Five-Disc Blu-Ray and it comes with a variety of different versions of the film. I'm not sure which version would be appropriate for my first viewing of the film - Theatrical Cut? Director's Cut? Final Cut? Workprint? International version? I ...	Start with the Final Cut, it's the version that Ridley Scott had complete control over, so it's essentially the definitive version. Having seen the Theatrical and the 1992 Director's cut, and read the P.K. Dick novel it's based upon, the director's cut is closer to the novel.
Do Muggle Parents Visit Their Muggleborn Children at Hogwarts? Are They Totally Excluded? Questions about Muggle parents getting onto Platform 9¾ are addressed Who gets Muggleborn students onto Platform 9¾ , where it's verified that Muggle parents and siblings can indeed get onto the platform, so are able to cross t...	So, yes: Muggle parents could get into Hogwarts but only if needed. Dumbledore has consistently shown that the welfare of his students is a primary concern and so he would insure that all of his students could avail themselves of whatever parents/guardians they had.
Is Ron Weasley smart? This question was triggered by this section of DVK's answer on Is Viktor Krum a good wizard? : Hermione liked him enough to actually go out with him somewhat seriously. Since this is NOT a Hollywood romantic comedy, I'm going to make an assumption that Hermione's personality is that of a typic...	When J.K. Rowling answered why Dumbledore gave Ron the Deluminator, she described Ron as not the most skilled or intelligent when explaining his role in the trio.
Why does Bender try to commit suicide if he thought he could just back himself up? Bender usually tries to commit suicide in Futurama despite the thought he could back himself up to a new body. Why does Bender try to commit suicide if he thought he could just back himself up? <Q> In Lethal Inspection - Season 5, Episod...	The main reason is because he doesn't want to live. The stated reason is that he couldn't go on living after discovering that the girders he was bending were used to create suicide booths.
Where did Philip J. Fry get his name? Fry got his middle initial of J in the same place as Homer J. Simpson . What about his first and last name? Where do Philip and Fry come from? Perhaps it is based on Philips the company, and Fry's Electronics? Or am I thinking too far into this? <Q> You are right about J being a pa...	"The Luck of the Fryrish" reveals that Fry's father named him after the Phillips-head screwdriver — and thus indirectly after early-20th-century businessman Henry F. Phillips .
Are the Wonder Twins still around? I'm reading the Wikipedia article on the Wonder Twins, and I see that the last update for them in the comics was in Extreme Justice in 1995. They also appeared as a pastiche of the heroes called Downpour and Shifter in Justice League Unlimited. Are these characters still in use today...	The Wonder Twins have yet to make their reappearance in the DCnU, New 52 series.
What does Rom mean by "If that's what's written, that's what's written"? In the Season 6 episode Favor the Bold , Rom and Quark have the following conversation while Rom is in a holding cell: Rom: You've got to finish what I started. The fate of the entire Alpha Quadrant rests in your hands. Billions and billion...	Comments about "what has been written" are usually references, literally or figuratively, to prophecy. Rom is, in essence, saying that whatever happens is what was "supposed" to happen -- if Quark dies trying to take out the anti-graviton beam, then that is just how he is destined to die.
Does Teddy become a werewolf? Teddy Lupin is the son of Remus Lupin, a werewolf. Does this condition get passed down from father to son? It seems that Remus is afraid that this is the case, but I don't recall whether or not there is any evidence that this actually occurs. Does Teddy Lupin end up being a werewolf? <Q...	No - lycanthropy can only be passed on by a werewolf bite. Since Teddy Lupin is the only child of a werewolf that we know of in the series, this seems like an intentional way of implying that he wasn’t a werewolf. In a writing on Pottermore, JKR specifically addresses whether lycanthropy can be inherited from a werewol...
Can a Witch or Wizard pick up an abandoned wand and identify its owner? Could Dumbledore and the rest of the Hogwarts Professors pick up another Wizard's wand and identify its owner without having seen the wand before? <Q> Perhaps Gregorovitch was able to do this as well. <S> As it is, I personally cannot think of a ca...	Ollivander was able to identify the owner of a given wand by touching it, but of course he had seen the wand before and presumably the person it was purchased for ("The wand chooses the wizard" -- I don't think the wand chooses the wizard by long distance).
Does Sirius Black Have Tattoos? Sirius Black is represented as having numerous tattoos in the film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban . I cannot find reference to Sirius's tattoos in the book. Does Sirius Black have tattoos in canon? If so, what is the origin of Sirius's tattoos? Are they runes, an ancient l...	Sirius's tattoos were not in the book; the director of the movie Prisoner of Azkaban , Alfonso Cuaron, came up with them.
When was Hogwarts founded? We don't know the exact dates for when Hogwarts was founded, but can you at least give bounds or make an educated guess ? Alternately, what are the bounds for the date of building the Hogwarts castle, or the dates of birth and death of the Founders. Here are a few starting points I could t...	Hogwarts was built between the years 893 and 991.
Why did Snape have it in for Neville? It's clear why Snape picked on Harry (because of James); or on Hermione (Harry's friend; and ALSO a Gryffindor, AND a muggleborn, with audacity to know the subject and annoyance of showing it off when he wanted Gryffindors AND muggleborns to look stupid and incompetent). But why w...	So Snape seems to have been resentful of Neville (and probably himself) for not being the one who should have died. He's just a perfect pick for a bully.
Is it possible for Dementors to be contained? I'm trying to reconcile two quotes from J.K. Rowling. She said that Dementors can't be destroyed: You cannot destroy Dementors, though you can limit their numbers if you eradicate the conditions in which they multiply, ie, despair and degradation. -- J.K. Rowling and ...	Like any negative force, dementors cannot fully be contained, but, as JKR says, the conditions in which they multiply and thrive can be controlled to a certain degree.
How could Dumbledore live longer than normal humans without negative effects? Dumbledore was a human and by increasing his life span, he was defying nature like Voldemort. Why wasn't there any curse or negative effects from that? <Q> One major reason members of the Wizarding world live longer than normal humans is very...	Presumably wizards simply live longer than Muggles.
What would happen if all escape paths of Dementors are blocked by Patronus Charm? When Patronus Charm is spelled, Dementors escape. Its possible that many wizards could cast that spell from all directions to block all escape paths of Dementors. What would happen then? Would Dementors vanish to null void? Or, something...	There's plenty of speculation - though no definitive evidence (that I've seen - if there is, I'd love to see it) - that Dementors would fade away if removed permanently from the conditions in which they thrive and reproduce.
How does cross-species (Klingon/Human, Vulcan/Human) breeding work genetically in Star Trek? While humanoids across the galaxy theoretically share a common remote ancestor , from what I remember each species has evolved convergently towards humanoidness by different routes. So we end up with Humans that have iron bas...	So all humanoids in StarTrek are descended from one ancient humanoid race. Cross-species breeding could challenge the very nature of natural species development and might be considered undesirable by more extreme members of any species. The ability to customize genetic development between species is obviously possible ...
Why wasn't Chekov among the Star Trek: The Animated Series crew? As far as I know, Star Trek: The Animated Series was supposed to be (chronologically) between ST: TOS and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. If that's the case, why wasn't Pavel Chekov among the TAS crew, despite the fact that he was on the crew of Enterp...	Unfortunately with that many star voices, the budget simply didn't allow for Walter Koenig to return as Chekov.
Why were the colours of Wolverine's costume yellow and blue? After a little Google search, I couldn't find a canonical answer regarding why Wolverine used to wear those colours. Is it maybe because Wolverine just likes those colours? <Q> I don't know about canonical (as in Wolverine the character choosing the colors), ...	However the blue and yellow is his signature look, and is the most commonly recognized Wolverine suit.
Where did the Red Brick Road lead to? In the movie of "The Wizard of Oz", the beginning of the Yellow Brick Road is entwined with the beginning of a Red Brick Road. The Yellow Brick Road led to the Emerald City. Where did the Red Brick Road go? <Q> Interestingly, I have two (possibly conflicting) answers. <S> From W...	As mentioned in other answers, there's no red brick road in the original novel.
Is there any information in canon to indicate that Dumbledore knew that the Marauders were Animagi? Is there any information in canon (or from JKR) to indicate that Dumbledore knew that three of the Marauders were Animagi? I can't recall anything, but Harry seems to be firmly convinced that Dumbledore knows "everythin...	Yes, Dumbledore knows almost everything that goes on, but even he admitted not knowing how James got away with some things:

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