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Why does the Batmobile have a changing seat? In the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, the Batmobile has the driver's seat change between driving and attack modes. Is there an explanation for this? It seems like the "attack" mode would be hard on the back, and make it easier for you to hurt yourself when moving violentl...	This serves two main purposes: first, it provides more substantial protection with the driver shielded by multiple layers of armor plating. From a visual/movie making perspective, it makes perfect sense because it gives the batmobile that certain "awesomeness" which it deserves.
Can Captain America be Poisoned? In the film, Captain America says he can't get drunk, because his body processes the toxins too quickly. Can he be poisoned (or get drunk) if the concentrations are high enough so that he couldn't eliminate them quickly? EDIT: His metabolism is four times faster than normal. This would...	By extension a sufficient dose of poison (or even of alcohol) would be able to overload his metabolism, given he can drink enough under normal bar-crawl circumstances to at least have a "buzz".
Why did the Prometheus crew get briefed after arrival instead of before? Why would the crew of the Prometheus crew get a brief on their mission and location only after they arrived? It would seem to me that if I was going into stasis I'd want to know where I'd wake up and what I'd be doing there... Was the reasoning b...	From an in-universe perspective; It seems like this is the norm for operations at the time. For a classified mission the crew members would not be told anymore than they absolutely need to know. If everyone were told before hand, then it would be safe to assume that those chosen to go would be the people who actually w...
What is Sonic the Hedgehog's maximum running speed? This question isn't exactly limited to the video game (there's also the Archie Comics books and a TV series), but was there ever a canon answer on how fast Sonic can run? In his Super Sonic or Hyper Sonic states? I suppose one would have to assume he's running on a f...	Well in Sonic Unleashed through checkpoints he clocked in a speed of 2887 miles per hour
Identify a 90's Disney movie featuring spaceship "surprise" and futuristic Neo Nazis Can you help me identify this 90's movie about a space ship ambushing a superiorly numbered, and larger ships, piloted by futuristic Neo Nazis. What is at stake? A planet full of water. It was a disney movie. <Q> The Corvette Surpr...	If it's supposed to be comedy/parody it could be (T)Raumschiff Surprise - Periode 1 . The esteemed Nigel Bennett (noted for playing La Croix in Forever Knight) leads the bad guy cast.
Why would the colonists choose that location for their city? In the re-imaged version the colonists eventually find a planet which they attempt to settle on. Here we see their newly formed city. Devoid of plant life, dusty, dirty, and sad. Sure, they have a lake, but it is suspiciously absent a marina. There does n...	One possible reason for choosing such a flat, barren site was that it was ideal for landing of the spacecraft.
Why did Harry Potter have to explain the meaning behind "Severus" to his son at the age of 11? His son grew to the age of 11 in a wizarding household of a member of the Order of Phoenix in the Deathly Hallows Epilogue. Yet, the fact that he was named (middle name) after a Slytherin Headmaster of Hogwarts is something ...	I feel that the explanation wasn't meant as imparting new information (that Albus was partly named after Snape), as much as it was stressing that the house you're in doesn't really matter (Snape was Slytherin, yet was the bravest man Harry knew). I think he was reiterating what he had already told Al probably multiple ...
Why didn't Voldemort suspect Snape as a double agent during Philosopher's Stone? I read something online that got me thinking about this. Why didn't Voldemort suspect Snape had defected from the Death Eaters and was now working for Dumbledore during the events of *Philosopher's Stone? Voldemort was possessing Quirrel...	As long as Voldemort remained hidden, he knew it was best for Snape to appear loyal to Dumbledore in anyway possible.
What house did Albus and James Potter end up in? I know the epilogue to DH doesn't say this, but are there any interviews or other JKR info about which houses the Potter children were sorted into? <Q> James was sorted into Gryffindor, Albus Slytherin, Lily unknown. <S> Today (1 September 2015), JK Rowling was tweetin...	According to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child , Albus Potter was sorted into Slytherin house. Both Ginny and Harry were Gryffindors, as were Harry's and Ginny's parents respectively, as well as all of Ginny's siblings.
When did Han find out who Darth Vader was? This question asks: Why did Darth Vader choose to take shots from Han Solo? I want to know, why did Han shoot first? Did he even know that the mysterious black armour clad figure was a villain? Or was he still using his cold-blooded instincts as he did against Greedo? <Q> We...	So even if Han did not see him before the fact that he was accompanied by storm-troopers, and looked similar, was probably a good clue that he was a bad guy. Vader was a figure head and chief boogie man of the Emperor.
Why did Doc need to use a moving car to achieve 88mph? 88mph is an important speed to screw the space-time continuum. But, motion is relative... Hey doc, can you please explain 88mph relative to what? What we see in the movie: it was the speedometer reading which matters. So, place the car on a conveyor belt moving i...	There is no explanation given in any of the movies, as far as I know.
Did the Turtles ever wear colored masks in the comics? I know that in the original comics (at least the first few issues I've read), the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles all wore the same colored masks, and that it was only in the 80's animated series did they get the individually colored masks. Apart from the new IDW ...	Originally, in the Mirage comics (1984-2009) the turtles were printed in black and white, and later in 1993 the were treated to colour they only featured red masks.
Who stopped the bullet in the first X-Men movie? When Rogue ran away to the train station and Magneto was abducting her to use her for his machine Magneto, Toad and Sabertooth ran into Jean Grey and Prof X outside the station. Magneto then grabs all of the guns from many policemen's hands and aimed them back at the...	When Magneto pointed guns on police, Xavier trapped the neck of Magneto using Sabertooth. He fires the bullet and stops it with some effort. Magneto understood that it's Xavier. The scene cut has screwed things up.
Is obesity ever addressed in Star Trek? I was pondering, as I am wont to do, and it struck me how I could never recall anyone being overweight or obese in Star Trek. As it is such an issue today, and has been a major one issue for the last 10-15 years, I was wondering if it was ever addressed in Star Trek? I found da...	During Kirk's physical in 2366, Dr. McCoy noted that his weight was up "a couple of pounds," so he changed Kirk's diet card.
Why does Shrek pause before he says his name? In Shrek when Donkey asks Shrek his name, Shrek pauses before giving it: "Eh ... Shrek". He does this again when Princess Fiona asks his name. Anyone know why? <Q> The film's draft screenplay offers an answer to both instances. <S> I've copied directly from the scrip...	I think it's because he feels hesitation when getting close to people.
Were there two Death Stars in construction at the same time? The first Death Star was in construction at the end of Episode III (presumably 19 BBY). The ending shot is this picture, with only small portions of the superstructure completed: 19 years later, the Death Star has only been recently completed (the novel De...	The original Death Star, as the first of its type, would have experienced numerous delays because designs never quite work out as their designers envision. To add to many answers here, and add Legends canon info, the DS from the end of Episode 3 was a prototype .
Does the computer-system on the Enterprise NCC-1701-D still follow the basic architecture of a Turing Machine? Although the Turing Machine is a theoretical model to describe computing power, in its basic idea today's computers are still (quite sophisticated) implementations of this basic concept, although you have ra...	Assuming it was designed based on Earth's principles of computer science and not, say, by Binars or Vulcans, I'd say yes:
What was the longest natural biological lifespan in Star Wars? What was the longest natural biological lifespan in Star Wars canon among "normal" sentient characters/species? "Normal species" would be any species or characters who are not somehow supernatural (like The Ones who presumably are Celestials but basically ...	Despite the fact that the species as a whole is Force sensitive, the Neti seem to have a natural lifespan of several thousand years, making them rival the Gen'dai. the Complete Star Wars Enyclopedia only says Wookiees have lifespans 'several times that of a human' without putting a figure on it.
Why was the stone moved from Gringotts? Is there any info that could explain why the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone was moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts? My guess would be "Dumbledore's intuition" but I don't recall anything that would explain why the stone was moved when it was. Did Dumbledore know Voldemort was try...	Dumbledore suspected Quirrell was up to no good (in DH we see Snape's memories where he'd told by Dumbledore to "keep an eye on Quirrell for me").
What does this quote by Galadriel mean? Micah's recent answer contained the following quote from a conversation in ROTK between Treebeard and the Elves: ... But Galadriel said: "Not in Middle-earth, nor until the lands that lie under the wave are lifted up again . Then in the willow-meads of Tasarinan we may meet ...	I took this to be a reference to an afterlife where the world is whole once more, in a pristine state prior to Morgoth's fall.
Why would a mining vessel have all kinds of advanced weaponry? In Star Trek (2009), the Narada is equipped with some sophisticated missiles. Why would a mining vessel need such heavy offensive weaponry? <Q> This is mentioned in Star Trek: Countdown comic series which is prequel of Star Trek (2009) movie. <S> This c...	A mining robot needs to have very strong weapons to dig tunnels in hard rock, and needs to be armored to survive falling rocks.
In the Alien series, what is the meaning of the "LV" designation for planets and moons? Alien and Aliens take place on LV-426, Prometheus on LV-223. What does "LV" stand for? <Q> There are no canon sources explaining the planetary designations used in the Alien franchises. <S> Indeed, there does not even seem to be a p...	LV is you look at it from a Nasa Stand point means launch Vehicle which is simple a vehicle that makes a landing on the surface of a planet, delivering some payload
Why didn't Iroh inherit? It's pretty obvious watching the series that Iroh must be significantly older than Ozai. Iroh's gray hair, long memory, and (more importantly) son who died when Zuko was still young clearly denote him as the older of Azulon's children. Yet Ozai gained the throne, not Iroh. Generally, successio...	Azulon ordered Zuko killed so that Ozai would learn what it felt like to lose his heir. As explained in the episode "Zuko Alone" (and expanded upon in the comics), Lu Ten, Iroh's son and only child, was killed during the siege.
Why did Shran call Archer "Pink Skin"? Andorian skin color was Blue, but humans weren't the first encounter with the totally different skin color. They already knew Vulcans who possessed same pink-ish skin color. Why did Shran really call Archer "Pink Skin"? <Q> Shran called Archer "pink-skin" because humans who have ...	By highlighting a superficial difference like Archer's skin color, Shran reinforces that humans are not like the "superior" Andorians, much like calling a Vulcan "pointy ears". I believe Shran coined it in The Andorian Incident , at the P'Jem Sanctuary - they were highly suspicious of us, since they were trying to unco...
Watchmen's The Comedian and the JFK assasination? In the movie adaptation of Watchmen , we clearly see The Comedian assassinating President Kennedy during the opening montage. But in the new prequel Before Watchmen: Comedian #1 , we see that The Comedian was nowhere near the assassination. Now I realize that Al...	In the comic, the Comedian was in Dallas at the time of the JFK assassination, guarding Richard Nixon, and it is implied that he killed JFK.
Do the Machines in "The Matrix" Adhere to the Three Laws of Robotics? In the "real world" of the Matrix, do the machines follow Asimov's Three Rules? Were they even programmed with them? EDIT: I realize that killing people goes against the 1st law, but by keeping people in the Matrix (which the machines view as a symb...	A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws. It's not 100% unambiguous whether they follow the 3rd law consistently
Why does the Death Star's superweapon have to be made up of smaller beams? The Death Star utilized eight separate beams into one supermassive blast that was capable of destroying a planet. This required eight emitter stations, and probably precise physics to make them meet properly (one can just imagine being surrounde...	These tributary beams were arranged around an invisible, central focusing field, firing in an alternate sequence to build the power necessary to destroy a planet.
Are robots required to propagate Asimov's three laws? When reading through the answers to this question , I began to wonder how those laws applied to machines that were designed, built, and programmed by other machines. We know that any machine that is programmed to follow the three laws cannot harm a human being, bu...	Creation of robots without the three laws (which later novels suggests is impossible anyway though early novels do have happen) would likely break this.
How large was Melancholia? In the opening scenes of Melancholia , I was not totally sure whether the larger planet was Earth or Melancholia. Is the size of Melancholia ever mentioned? Or can it be answered from a valid source elsewhere? <Q> As stated in this interview on the movie's official webpage, the planet kn...	Melancholia was considered to be a massive telluric superplanet, making it at least as large as Earth.
Why did Voyager have tricobalt torpedoes? Why did Voyager have the tricobalt torpedoes with them in the first episode of the series? Seven of Nine brought this up in "The Voyager Conspiracy" (Season 6). Was there any truth to what Seven was saying? Was there another legitimate reason that Voyager would have had such...	Since tri-cobalt weapons are super-high yield explosives, the weapons are probably used as high-yield artillery explosives, possibly as mines against chasing starships, or for disrupting subspace preventing ships from easily accessing subspace, at least temporarily.
Would dual saberstaffs offer a greater advantage to other lightsabers? General Krell demonstrates in Star Wars: The Clone Wars that the use of two saberstaffs is plausible: However, is it advantageous in battle, as opposed to dual lightsabers or a single saberstaff? <Q> As discussed in this answer , dual lightsa...	Additionally, when you swing a double-bladed lightsaber, you have to be constantly aware of where the other blade is to avoid cutting your own limbs. This is far from practical.
How did Chell end up at Aperture? I have been looking around the web for an answer but I can't really find anything. How did the character in the video game Portal end up at the lab, trapped by GLaDOS? It is clear from answers to How was Chell picked? and info on Wikipedia that she was removed from the test subje...	Chell's backstory is actually fairly inconsistent.
Is there a reason why Potterverse has no dwarfs? Potter world has dragons, trolls, goblins and elves. But what's missing is one of the other main races of any good role-playing game swords-and-sorcery world - dwarfs (their niche seemingly being filled by goblins). Is there any good reason? I'd strongly prefer a ...	Dwarves are a fairly recent fantasy topos, being essentially re-introduced for the first time since Viking age by Tolkien in his Lord of the Rings saga, and adopted since then by almost every high fantasy writer.
As Part Veela, Why Could Fleur Delacour Use Polyjuice Potion to Transform into Harry, and Why Could Hagrid Not? It is established in Deathly Hallows that Polyjuice Potion is meant for human transformations only: ‘Wha’ was tha’ about?’ roared Hagrid. ‘I’m sorry, Harry, but I had to check,’ said Lupin tersely. ‘We’...	Death Eaters could have impersonated either Fleur or Hagrid; Neither Fleur nor Hagrid could have impersonated Harry. Giants in general seem immune to magic (see the scenes in HBP for example); and therefore it's quite possible that Polyjuice simply doesn't work well on them, same as any other magic.
Which comic book super villain was the first to match wits against a different super hero? Some bad guys are associated with a particular good guy, like Lex Luthor vs. Superman or the Joker vs. Batman. Who was the first comic book super villain to jump from the comic in which they were first featured (thereby excluding...	Magneto dukes it out with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. As DC was doing crossovers decades before Marvel comics were a thing, I'm betting it was in a DC comic. I recall an issue that featured Joker and The Prankster, but I can't recall an issue number.
How do souls get around? Is there some sort of flowchart for souls in the BLEACH world? The basic bit is humans die, turn into ghosts, then either are transported by Shinigami/soul reapers to Soul Society or go mad and turn into Hollows. What happens when people in Soul Society die (or are killed), or when Hollows ...	It could be that new souls are just formed out of reishi as they are "born" into the Soul Society, allowing for an ever-increasing number of souls overall.
How do the Chaos Gods get "stronger"? Most things I read indicate certain acts make the Chaos Gods stronger, for instance Khorne is strengthened by slaughter, while Nurgle feeds on despair. But what does this empowerment actually entail? That their Daemons grow in strength/number? That their ability to posses/enl...	Those who worship a Chaos God , and behave in a way that feeds it, are rewarded with strange gifts, extraordinary powers and, potentially, immortality. In the Warhammer 40K Universe, all of the Chaos dieties except for Slannesh were incredibly powerful long before Humanity made it into space.
What happens to a traveller or object when a Stargate's iris is closed? Not knowing Stargate much, this might have been explained, but if someone (or something) travels towards a closed iris, does it get sent back, or is it horribly squished against the facade? <Q> To quote O'Neil, It'll be like bugs on a windshield....	Objects are destroyed, and living beings are killed instantly upon "impacting" on the iris.
How did Senator Travers not just survive as a Time Paradox Duplicate In Decision 3012 (stop reading if you do not want spoilers): Senator Travers uses the time paradox code from Bender's Big Score to go back in time to stop Nixon, and then he disappears when he won --- but shouldn't he have survived as a Time P...	The writers of Futurama killed Travers to give a message to the public, saying that the changing leaders won't change the world.
Does Bender have a heart under that metal chest? Does Bender have a conscience? Or, is he always that bad? Is he bad because he does not have a conscience? <Q> In the episode where Fry thinks he is a robot, at the end of the episode <S> Bender says "just like inside me <S> I have the heart of a human". <A> Bender is a ...	He has no organs whatsoever (If he did then his liver would fail because of all the alcohol andhe would die.) The chance of him having a heart, is el zilcho.
How is it that Santa rampages Earth every X-Mas, and MOM hasn't noticed yet? We all know that Santa (a corrupt robot based on Neptune) comes to Earth with many, many weapons and terrorizes Earth every X-Mas. Since Earth also contains MOM's friendly robot company, he must terrorize the company's HQ too somewhere in ther...	I would say that The Friendly Robot company that built Santa was just Mom's Friendly Robot Company when Mom was much younger, so she had Santa programmed to always judge her as nice.
Why are people in "The Duh-Vinci Code" so low-tech? In "The Duh-Vinci Code" (S6E5) , if all the people on that planet are so intelligent why are they are making wooden machines of everything? <Q> In that episode, Da-Vinci's home world is actually quite advanced. <S> The things made of wood are the "stupid" Da-Vinci's ...	The planet just has a renaissance building style (and the people are dressed in renaissance style clothes), which is why it may seem low tech. The more enlightened way to live involves using renewable resources, in this case wood.
Who is the President of Earth at the end of Season 4? Who is the President of Earth? What is this person's name? (At the end of Season 4.) <Q> Nixon was still President when the series first ended. <S> He was elected in "A Head in the Polls" , just a few episodes after the previous President McNeal was killed in "...	So to answer your question, most probable that Nixon was and will be the series' president.
Shouldn't Leela's parents' mailbox say "Leela" instead of "Turanga"? How did the writers not notice that the mailbox of Leela's parents says "Turanga," and not "Leela"? Turanga Leela is Leela's proper name, with Leela being her surname, so shouldn't it follow that her folks would be the same? <Q> In certain cultures, ...	Everybody puts their family name on their mailbox and the Turanga family are no exception. Since "Leela" sounds like the word for "purple" (her hair color) in Hungarian ("lila") , then Hungarian ( speculatively ) seems like the most likely lineage for her family.
Why does Bender always say his name after he refers to himself? Why does Bender always say his name after he refers to himself? ex. (Fry old buddy it's me, Bender.) <Q> I see two possible explanations: <S> Bender isn't the only model #22 bending unit . <S> There's also Flexo and Billy West , and potentially many...	Whenever he says his name at the end of a sentence referring to himself he is drawing the attention to himself and making sure that people know that he's talking about him....
Why is Zoidberg so poor? Dr. Zoidberg is known to be very poor. He lives in a dumpster and eats garbage. But wouldn't he be paid similar amount to say, Fry, Bender, Leela, and Scruffy? Fry, Bender, Leela, and Scruffy all seem to do okay, albeit on the poorer side of the spectrum, but are still able to pay the rent on...	The practical answer is that he's poor for comedic purposes. He is extremely poor and has stated several times that he has no home.
How many people were needed to get back to their original bodies using the mind switching machine? So in episode " The Prisoner of Benda " broadcast in season 7, the staff switch minds but they can't switch back with each other, so they have to use MATH! Yes, that horrible thing... But to the point, how many people wer...	Use one Globetrotter to switch all but the last person, then use the second globetrotter to switch with the last person then switch the two globetrotters back to their original bodies.
Why does Kif still work for Zapp? Why does Kif still work as Zapp Brannigan's "assistant" if he hates his job? <Q> Because it's pretty much the only life he knows. <S> Remember the episode where they are stripped of their positions and he works for Leela? <S> He can't stop going on and on about working for Zapp. <S> It...	Because of loyalty and friendship from before Zapp became a terrible person.
Does Springfield still exist in the Futurama future? Does Springfield still exist in the Futurama future? I don't expect to see the characters travel to the future, but if Fry's descendant could survive, so could the Simpsons. <Q> In the episode "A Big Piece of Garbage <S> " Fry finds a pile of Bart Simpson dolls and h...	I don't think the Springfield from the Simpsons TV show exists in Futurama's future at all.
Is the Simpsons a cartoon or live-action show in the Futurama universe? It is established here Does Springfield still exist in the Futurama future? that the Simpsons is a show in the Futurama universe. Is it live-action or animated ? <Q> <A> There is no reason to think that it is any different than it is in our uni...	It is a cartoon. This was answered in the Futurama live event (see at 29:18) : Matt Groening said they are cartoon.
How did Fry survive the alien attacks while in cryosleep? Why when aliens Invasions during Fry's cryosleep the alien did not destroy the cryogenics lab in old New York <Q> As illustrated by the What-If Machine in the episode "Anthology of Interest I" , it would create a universe-ending paradox if Fry didn't get froz...	First the less likely; It could be a residual effect of the Luck of the Fryish There is a remote chance he avoided the cryo-building, as he always hesitates to kill that one human .
Did the ship visit Hell in the biblical sense, or more like a Deadite universe? In the Event Horizon movie, the crew figures out the ship has been to "Hell". But I'm curious; does it go to Hell in a biblical sense, or does it visit something more akin to the universe the Cenobites ( from Hellraiser ) come from? <...	Although the script is relatively vague, there's enough contextual clues to make a reasonable assumption that the ship was actually in hell .
If the Infinity Gems are so powerful, why can't anyone find them? I have often marveled (pardon the pun) about how objects that have such amazing powers like the Infinity Gems individually and collectively manage to evade being found by people with cosmic awareness, psychic powers, superior senses and highly advanced...	What is all comes down to is that it's a secret kept by a few beings
In Highlander universe, why don't Immortals just hide? Look at canon that includes TV series, it appears that there were plenty of Immortals running around throughout history. Seemingly, in the movies, most seem to have gotten themselves killed at the end (e.g. enabling Connor to emerge with the Prize if you consider ...	In the series, Immortals sometimes did hide away, but eventually they were always found.
Do all Klingons have piece-meal disruptors? In "Heart of Glory," two captive Klingons form a disruptor beam out of pieces taken from their armour and clothing. Do all Klingons have this system? Only members of the military? Or is this something special the renegades cooked up? <Q> Most Klingons would rather be armed...	Not all Klingons use this, but ANY Klingon who can use a weapon in their culture has hidden weapons, in fact, in the STRIKE ZONE novel, Worf tells JLP the number of hidden weapons he has stacked in his Federation uniform (much more of a challenge than in Klingon uniforms) and he gains honor points with the klingon amba...
How does one explain Calculon's popularity? I've seen Calculon in so many different avatars (singer, actor, director, romantic interest etc), and in all of these different roles, he seems rather hammy to me. However, he seems to retain his astonishing popularity among the different folks on Futurama. How does one expla...	Calculon's role in the famous soap opera " All My Circuits " is popular with robots and humans alike.
Woundhealer from Book of Swords series by Fred Saberhagen Would Woundhealer fix everything that was wrong about a person (such as a genetic disposition towards hypertension) or did it just work on active illnesses/ailments (such as fresh wounds)? If so, could it be used to reattach limbs? I am sorry if the question is ...	It would certainly fix hypertension, but it's unclear if this would be a permanent effect.
Who is in the Amazing Spider-Man Post Credits Scene? In the post credits scene in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Dr. Curt Connors (The Lizard) is in a jail cell. He has a conversation with someone. Who is this person or villain? The script is something like: (Dr. Conner is lead to his cell. There is lightni...	Assuming that the man was literally within the cell, and not just a hallucination of Dr. Connors, that behaviour would indicate either Mysterio (illusionist and escape artist) or Electro (who can merge with and travel via electricity), both of whom have worked under Norman Osborn in the past. So, given that, along with...
Wouldn't a nuclear engine inside a Terminator be dangerous for the cyborg itself? I recall from T2 where John asks "How long do you live, I mean last?" the T-800 answers that they last about 120 years on one power cell, which is nuclear. In T3, we see the explosion of this cell. But that brings some questions. If the ...	Many types of radiation are mostly harmless. John Connor, as we know, is not a nuclear physicist and probably would not be able to explain the differences between a hydrogen bomb and a hydrogen fuel cell. The T800, being a combat unit, has a reinforced, armored shell.
Why did the bullets curve in the Wanted movie? Why did the bullets curve in the Wanted movie? Why did they not follow Newton's law of Motion ? Was there an in-universe explanation given for why they would act in such a counter intuitive way? Or is there a real world explanation for how it would be accomplished? <Q...	I think that a better explanation would have been that each assassin has an innate ability to manipulate probability to a limited degree.
Has Batman ever fought Superman (and won) in the mainstream continuity? I'm aware of only two times that Batman has defeated Superman in a fight: The Dark Knight Returns (Which is an alternate universe). Batman: Hush (Where Supes was under Poison Ivy's mind control). Has Batman ever fought Supes and won in the ma...	Batman has never fought Superman in any canon DC continuity where he has had time to prep and Superman wasn't under the influence of one force or another.
Is Skynet a centralized system or not? The question that is not revealed clearly from the movies (or maybe I missed it). Is Skynet a single supercomputer or a distributed net of computers, that just coordinate their actions, but do not subordinate to each other? The first one seems more appropriate for military comman...	In T2, it is a single piece of hardware located inside NORAD HQ in Cheyenne Mountain.
How did the First Evil take the shape of Buffy? The first evil is able to take the form of dead people. Still, we see several time how it takes the form of Buffy (to Caleb and Buffy herself). How is this possible? <Q> To clarify: <S> We know from the activation of Kendra (and later Faith) as Slayer after Buffy's fi...	Perhaps in order for the First to take on someone's form they actually have to cross over into their eternity as Buffy did at the end of season five. The First Evil is capable of appearing as anyone who is currently dead and those who have been resurrected from death(such as Buffy) and also vampires that are either "al...
Does anyone call Sam Samwise? In the movies Sam is often referred to as Samwise, and there is a chapter in the book called 'The Choices of Master Samwise' but I've never come across anyone calling him 'Samwise' throughout the story. Do any of the characters refer to Sam Gamgee as 'Samwise' in the book? <Q> Yes, "Samwi...	Sam isn't called "Samwise" very often, but it occurs regularly through the second and third books, but oddly not at all in the first book.
How did the alien grow so fast in Prometheus? Dr Shaw has the foreign body removed from her body and leaves it in the medical room. Later, at the end of movie, she revisits the room and the alien has grown about ten times the size, with no obvious access to food or energy. How did it grow so fast? <Q> In ord...	The creature was trapped in a fully-equipped automated medical suite, which was clearly intended to keep a certain elderly man alive for as long as possible.
How did Uther Doul capture The Brucolac? The Brucolac is an old, extremely powerful ab-dead. The Lieutenants he created are, by themselves, physically superior to even small groups of armed, ready, trained guards, yet it was mentioned that The Brucolac has easily and effortlessly squashed every act of rebellion or att...	He may have engineered any number of scenarios that put the Brucolac at a disadvantage. Faced with the realisation that Doul was standing against him, the Brucolac may have chosen to surrender rather than be defeated.
Why was Harry casting shield charms against Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts? As we know from Defense Against Dark Arts, year 4 (as told by Barty Crouch Jr impersonating Alastor Moody),Avada Kedavra can not be blocked: "Not nice," he said calmly. "Not pleasant. And there's no countercurse. There's no blocking it. ...	The shield spell is probably the best and only thing he could do for them specifically, until he finished Voldemort.
How did Smeagol turn into Gollum? Smeagol was an ordinary looking hobbit(?) until he took the ring from Deagol. Why did his body and mind change into the 'Gollum' creature? <Q> The simple answer is "the One Ring", both directly and by Gollum's long life spent in trying conditions. <S> Gollum lived for many times lon...	Smeagol turned into Gollum because he had the ring by himself for to long.
Why didn't Professor Umbridge inspect Professor Binns' class? When Professor Umbridge becomes Hogwarts High Inquisitor, she proceeded to hold inspections of all the other Hogwarts teachers to assess whether or not they are 'up to scratch'. However, despite the fact that Harry, Ron and Hermione mentioned several times ...	So in conclusion, it is safe to assume that Umbridge did inspect Professor Binns' class, but that it was (as expected) dull and uneventful, and therefore unworthy of discussing in the books. Additionally, as mentioned in other answers, Binns is not a great ally of Dumbledore like McGonagall or Flitwick.
Could Tom Bombadil have defeated Sauron? There is evidence that Tom Bombadil is unaffected by the One Ring's power and he has magical ways about him that can't be explained. It seems that Tom did not participate actively in the War of the Ring, even though he was clearly more powerful than others. Is it possible that...	The origins and powers of Tom Bombadil are far too ambiguous to be matched up against Sauron with a declared victor.
Do the Deathly Hallows provide any extra power when all are possessed by one person? The Deathly Hallows are all very powerful and potent artifacts on their own: a perfect invisibility cloak, the most powerful wand, and a stone that can recall shadows of lost loved ones. That is good and wonderful and makes one feel al...	There were no mentions of any additional powers that were conveyed by having the "complete set".
Why was Samantha Carter on SG-1? It seems unusual to me, of any of the characters, that Carter was on SG-1. While she is extremely smart, and a reasonably good fighter, her strength is in gate physics and other similar stuff. As most of the complex gate activity occurred on the Earth side of the gate, it seems highly u...	She is often the first person with hands on experience with many technologies and it's better to have a scientist/engineer in that position than someone without that training. Samantha Carter wasn't just a scientist. The answer that I told myself was that a big part of the mission of SG-1 is to find new alien technolog...
Why did Tony Stark become lethargic when his arc reactor was removed? When the arc reactor was removed from Tony's chest in the first movie, he was hardly able to move and barely made it to his lab. I thought it was just powering the electromagnet to keep the metal from hitting his heart. How did removing it make him s...	Tony had just been paralyzed by the sonic weapon used by Obadiah Stane - he didn't become weak because the Arc reactor was removed, he was weak because he was still trying to shake off the effects of the paralysis.
Who or what is Boss Smiley? In the Sandman story, "The Golden Boy", we see a strange figure reappear a number of times called Boss Smiley. He is apparently "the prince in that world", and appears at the end of the issue in a God-like situation despite being portrayed as more like a mob boss through the comic. Was it ...	Boss Smiley represented the corrupt side of politics--hence the title "boss"--attempting to influence good, honest politicians like the titular character of DC's bizarre "Prez: the First Teen President".
Was Smallville (the show) ever considered canon in the DC universe I recently read this question: Has Superman ever been attacked by changing our sun? which asks about something that has not, to my knowledge, happened in any Superman comics, but did happen on the TV show Smallville . It got me wondering how much, ...	Smallville, as well as the DCAU (DC Animated Universe), and many 'one-shots' or other things not in the main canon have their own (internal) canon.
What Farscape Episodes Are Important to the Arc? My girlfriend and I just started watching Farscape on Netflix. I had started watching it before, but forgot a lot. I remember little bits and pieces, like the girl with blue skin and white hair showing up for the first time, some guy in latex (Scorpius, I think?), on...	You should watch the first 2 or 3 episodes to get a feel of the overall alien atmosphere (compared to what other shows are offering), and you should DEFINITELY watch anything that comes in 2 or 3 parts.
Does 2312 take place in the same universe as the Mars Trilogy? Kim Stanley Robinson's newest novel 2312 shares a lot of themes with his classic Mars Trilogy. Are they set in a shared universe? <Q> No they are not set in the same Universe, though they may share similar landmarks. <S> From the Tor website: It was a p...	However, one thing should be explained right from the start: despite the similarity of the city on Mercury, 2312 is actually set in a completely different timeline from the Mars trilogy, one in which Mars took a different path.
How much of Thor's power could Rogue steal? While my experience with the comics are very limited, Rogue has been one of my favorite X-Men since the Animated Series was on TV when I was a kid. The capability of absorbing an enemy's strengths and using them against them has always been just awesomely cool to me. My ques...	During a battle with the Avengers in an attempt to free the Freedom Force from jail, Rogue absorbs all of Thor's powers [...]
Why is Geordi the only guy with a visor? There is one thing about Star Trek: The Next Generation that has always bothered me. Why is it that Geordi is the only one that has a visor? There was literally no one else ever on the show that had one of those things. Is he really the only person in the Federation that...	Geordi may have been the only crew-member with a VISOR
Why are there no non-humanoid Borg? You rarely see non-human Borg, let alone non humanoid Borg. Are there any in-universe examples of non humanoid Borg, or do they only assimilate humanoid-type races (which would seem a rather limited way of gaining new technological distinctiveness-es)? They certainly wanted to bran...	In all probability the Borg could assimilate other non-humanoids such as non-humanoid Xindi, it's just that the galaxy is primarily populated with humanoids.
Why didn't Loki's staff work on Tony Stark? In the Avengers movie, why didn't Loki's staff work on Tony Stark? My theory is that it had something to do with the Arc Reactor, given the 'clink' sound it made when Loki tapped Tony on the chest. <Q> The staff needs to make contact with skin (as vsz says, skin near the hea...	Tony Stark just had his arc reactor in the way. From the comments Loki made when converting previous victims, it seems he has to poke very close to the heart with his staff .
Why does Venom's webbing come from above his wrists? I am watching the 1994 Animated Spider-man series, It seems that in this version, Venom's webbing comes from the white areas on the top of his wrists, why is that? Shouldn't the webbing come from the same place as Spider-man's? <Q> There is no biological reason fo...	Another thing worth noting is the fact that Venom's webbing is part of him. Shooting webbing from a different location was a visual cue to remind the reader of a difference in the character.
How did Sauron survive before the ring was created? Sauron's ring was destroyed by Frodo and he was defeated. How did he create the ring in the first place if he couldn't survive without it? <Q> It's really a very simple answer: <S> Sauron is made up of a life force, which before the ring was made, put him at 100% l...	When creating the Ring, Sauron put "a great part of his own former power" into the Ring ( more reading on Sauron's power and the Ring ).
Who has been dead (and gotten better) the longest? In super hero comics it's not unknown for a someone to die, then a few issues later get better . But who holds the record for being dead for the longest time (real world time) and coming back? <Q> There may be a longer one, especially amongst the golden age heroes (...	To my knowledge the longest dead character was Barry Allen (The Flash) , he originally died 1985 and stayed dead for about 23 years, until 2008.
Is there any evidence regarding Aragorn having a beard in Tolkien? Is there any evidence in Tolkien (e.g. NOT movie adaptation) that Aragorn son of Arathorn had (or did not have) a beard? I would prefer specific evidence regarding Aragorn as a person, though if it is missing, answers based on information for his demogr...	I think it's reasonable to assume Aragorn did not have a beard beyond that of occasional not shaving in the wilds, since there is no further evidence for its existence.
Did any Quidditch games ever end by agreement of the Captains? The game can only end when the Snitch has been caught, or by mutual agreement of the two teams' Captains; the latter is very rare, however, as one team would have to lose. ( source: HP Wikia on Golden Snitch ) Is there an example from canon of this resolu...	I can't see team captains agreeing, unless (a) they agree to a draw, or (b) the losing team is so tired that they've given up all hope of winning.
What happens to Odo when he is hit by a phaser? At the end of Deep Space Nine, Season 2, Episode 23 - Crossover (which takes place in the Mirror Universe ) Prime Universe Dr. Bashir is fleeing from Mirror Universe Odo and Bashir shoots him with a Bajoran phaser. Odo promptly explodes like a water ballon. My q...	Considering how a phaser works (it fires "nadion particles"), the weapon most likely has an effect on what it hits quite different from the effects of a bullet or other non-energy weapon.
Why do first years cross the lake to get to the castle? It makes sense to keep them together, and to have them arrive in the Great Hall separately from the rest of the school for the Sorting. But why the boats? The lake crossing is dramatic, but inefficient - as we see in book 4 when Dennis Creevey falls in the lake du...	Apparently, the passage over water has special magical significance (I am not sure of what kind)
Were there military personnel / branches of service in Federation aside from StarFleet? It seems to me that from all I've seen of various Star Trek shows, Federation (or Earth) does not seem to have ANY combat military personnel/branches aside from Space Navy (aka StarFleet). No Marines for taking the beach(planet)-hea...	A detachment was assigned to the Enterprise NX-01 for its mission to the Delphic Expanse. Aside from the aforementioned Section 31, there is the Federation Naval Patrol ,
What was Sarah Bartowski's nee Walker birth name Did Sarah Walker Bartowski reveal her birth name? And in which episode did they get married?And in which episode did they realise they were in love? <Q> Sarah never revealed her full birth name. <S> The most we learn is that her given names were Sam (probably short fo...	The first "confirmation" of mutual feelings between Chuck and Sarah (rather than implied feelings and/or comments from Carina or Casey) is a kiss initiated by Sarah at the end of Chuck versus the Imported Hard Salami (season 1, episode 9).
What was the Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar smoking? Certainly the poster child for drug reference fantasy stories, did Lewis Carroll ever reveal just what his 3 inch long blue " Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar " character smoked in his bubble pipe while giving advice to Alice in 1865's " Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ", or ...	In short, since tobacco smoking was well-known and popular in Victorian England, and the hookah was becoming known after the conquest of India, I see no reason to assume cannabis was in the caterpillar's hookah.
Sith using the light side of the Force? I started to play Star Wars: The Old Republic . In this game, you can choose between 2 factions (Jedi/Sith). However, in the quest you can choose what you want you do. For example: you can either torture a prisoner (dark side) or let him go free (light side), so you can increase...	In the main Star Wars universe (that is seen in the movies), Sith is the opposite of Jedi. A light side Sith Warrior may be honorable and not kill people just to kill them.
Why was lightning linked with firebending? In the Avatar world, why are Firebending and lightning generation linked? In Western culture, it seems like air and lightning mesh better (weather phenomena), or perhaps water and lightning (a la Storm from the X-Men?). From a science point-of-view, they're both plasmas, b...	Lightning is linked with firebending through many reasons.
Why is the color of Avada Kedavra green? The Avada Kedavra curse is recognisable by the flash of green light and the rushing noise emitted from the caster's wand. - Harry Potter wiki , Killing Curse article, Nature Section I thought green was commonly one of the colors used by light side (the good side). Lik...	Green is used as the color of much Dark magic.
Was there anything Geordi could have done to avoid the visor hacking? In Star Trek Generations, Geordi is captured by Soron and briefly interrogated. The real aim of Soron was to plant a bug in his visor, so that when he was returned to the Enterprise, he would act as an unwitting spy. It strikes me as strange that he...	Considering the rarity of the device in the Federation, and the overall lack of familiarity with Geordi's visor, even by the ship's medical crew, any physical changes in the device or editing of its internal software might not be easily detected.
Why does Bender need to sleep? Why does Bender need to sleep? He does this at least in a couple of episodes, like Godfellas , Bendless Love , and The Honking . I believe other robots also sleep, so I don't think this is unique to him? Are there canonical reasons that robots have to sleep, or are they just plot devi...	However, it is probably safe to assume that robots sleep similar to the reason why humans do: to recharge their battery and be fully functional for the next day.
How did Yoda watch Luke Skywalker? From the script of The Empire Strikes Back : YODA Ready, are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained! A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. (to the invisible Be...	But of course for Yoda to be able to literally pick out on person hundreds of light yearsa away and watch him at will is quick incredible and amazing and it really shows the incredible power and skill of Yoda. But Yoda didn't want to hurt the man, so he made him promise to tell no one after explaining whhy it was SO cr...
Is Vader sincere with Luke in ESB? Near the end of Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader has a big proposal for Luke: "Luke, you can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny! Join me, and together, we can rule the galaxy as father and son! Come with me. It is the only way." Is Vader really intenti...	In the novels, right up to where Luke beats him in RotJ, Vader is planning how to get Luke to fully fall to the Dark Side, and pledge loyalty not to Palpatine, but Vader. As per EU, he was sincere. The Rule of Two states that there would be only two Sith at one time, a Master and an Apprentice, guaranteeing that when t...
How does River Song keep escaping from prison? Okay, so we know that River Song escapes from her prison cell on a routine basis, and goes gallivanting around the universe. As I've heard it put, she basically just uses the prison cell as her apartment in time-space. How is it though that she keeps getting out of her ce...	She's shown breaking into very secure facilities (museums, etc) on a routine basis.
What, if any, storylines did The Dark Knight Rises borrow from? The Dark Knight Rises sees Batman fight Bane and Talia al Ghoul, who are part of a plan to finally complete R'as al Ghoul's mission of burning Gotham to the ground. What, if any, storylines in the comicbooks did The Dark Knight Rises borrow from? <Q> ...	He might have borrowed from the Death of Batman story arc as well, where Batman presumably dies from an explosion at sea. The obvious influence is the Knightfall story arc.

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