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Are Any of the Twelve Uses of Dragon's Blood Known? ‘ I’ve found him !’ [Harry] whispered. ‘I’ve found Flamel! I told you I’d read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here – listen to this: “Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the...	But I can say that the 12th use is oven cleaner. None of the twelve uses of dragon's blood are mentioned in the books.
Safety railings in the Star Wars universe Is there anything in the Star Wars canon that explains the alarming lack of safety railings on various structures in the Republic? An example from The Empire Strikes Back , a landing pad on Bespin: The ankle level curb might be considered a weak nod toward safety but I woul...	Most of the open spaces we see tend to be on military, emergency, or other special purpose installations; since they are the only ones using the spaces, it may be more cost effective for highly trained personnel to be trained or wear devices protecting them from danger. Basically my own, mental fan-canon is that Lando ...
How Do Dementors Communicate with Wizards? In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , while Harry is eavesdropping on the group of adults discussing Sirius Black in The Three Broomsticks, Madam Rosmerta objects to the Minister for Magic about the presence of Dementors, but Fudge demurs. ‘You know that the Dement...	I think they place memories of them talking in there head because they can give or implant memories in people's head.
Why does Superman put one or both arms up when he flies? When Superman flies his typical position is either one arm, or both out in front of him (either flat palm or fist closed). There are occasions where he does fly with his arms at his sides (usually when he's going for maximum velocity). Obviously he doesn't ha...	Today, I would consider it a matter of artistic style, not necessity as to why he might keep his hands out or at his side while flying since the character is so far removed from his origins, artists are likely to assume such poses for appearance sake, not even remembering how or why they came to be. I suspect this has ...
Why is it so hard to detect Replicants? In Blade Runner (1982) , Deckard used the Voight-Kampff test to detect Replicants. This complicated test verified if their emotional response was appropriate. But they also displayed superhuman capabilities, were shown to take a lot more damage than humans can, and so on. Why...	You can't do something as simple as run them under a metal detector.
Is Ginny Weasley Considered a Temporary Horcrux? In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , Tom Riddle says the following to Harry: ‘If I say it myself, Harry, I’ve always been able to charm the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted. I grew stronger ...	Ginny opened a channel between the fragment and her self by 'pouring out her soul', but the fragment never actually took up residence in her as V did with Quirrell -- it just controlled her.
Why is The Wall so tall in Game of Thrones? I'm reading A Song of Ice and Fire , and I'd love to know why The Wall is so damned tall. It's not like the White Walkers are giants, after all. (Although I've read further now, and there is talk of giants, but they're no taller than 14 feet.) Is there something bigger lurki...	It has to be tall enough so when someone tries to scale it in random spots, they have time to spot them and bring some force over to that section. When you're doing fantasy, it has to be bigger than in real life. It is mentioned in the books that the Night's Watch has been adding to the wall, and also that the wall was...
Do xenomorphs have a form of self-preservation instinct? In the movie Aliens there is a scene where an Alien manages to sneak onto a transport carrier, and after the carrier takes off, it kills the crew and also the pilot driving the carrier. After that the carrier naturally crashes, and everything is destroyed, incl...	You said "an alien does not have a self-preservation instinct and may sacrifice itself in order to achieve a bigger goal". In the original movie, Ash speculates that the thing is only as intelligent as a chimpanzee.
Why doesn't the Enterprise use stealth/invisibility technology like the Romulans and Klingons? The stealth mode of starships plays a huge role in many Star Trek films and episodes and is a strong advantage in combat. I remember an episode revealing that the Federation developed a secret stealth technology (afair on Rik...	The Treaty of Algeron prevents the Federation from developing cloaking technology.
Can a Jedi reflect blaster bolts with their hands? I know some Force-users can deflect blaster bolts with their hands, but can they also have the bolt reflected back at their attacker barehanded? Any examples? <Q> No. <S> That is a special quality of the lightsaber that allows for bolts to be deflected. <S> It is m...	Yes, a Jedi or Sith can reflect blaster bolts with their hand using Force deflection Episode V, in Cloud City, Darth Vader also use Force deflection to deflect shot from Han Solo. Bolts can be absorbed by hand but in most games this is mitigated through strain or or drain on force abilities.
Who's the villain in Iron Man 3? The Iron Man 3 trailer was released recently. In it, there's a villain who seems to be targeting Tony Stark. It seems like he's trying to prove a point about superheroes - that there is "no such thing". It seems to me like we're meant to understand that the villainous narrator is th...	The villain is Mandarin .
How did Superman reverse the destruction of the Great Wall of China? Everyone knows that Superman doesn't have magical abilities. He can't simply construct something just by thinking about it. In the movie Superman IV: The Quest for Peace , Nuclear Man destroyed the Great Wall of China in many places. Moments later, ...	In the movie, Superman uses an apparently new power to repair the Great Wall.
Which comic books about Iron Man and Superman should I read first? I never read comics, but now I want to start reading comic books in the Ironman and Superman universes, so where should I start and in what general order should I read the series? <Q> Subjective answer will be subjective, however, DC just relaunched all...	Luckily Marvel published a collection called Marvel masterworks which contains all the stories of Iron Man in the same order they have been published.
What is the origin of a phylactery as a soul jar? The original use of Phylactery is from Ancient Greek φυλακτήριον phylacterion , form of phylássein , φυλάσσειν meaning “to guard, protect” — Wikipedia and was originally meant to refer to ‘Tefillin’, boxes that contain script from the Torah. The first time ...	The word phylactery was based on a previous Greek word meaning, roughly, amulet , indicating a magical protective charm of a size to be carried on one's person.
Why could Quirrell tolerate Harry's touch at the beginning of Philosopher's Stone? In the beginning of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , Harry meets Professor Quirrell in The Leaky Cauldron for the first time, and the two shake hands with no problem: A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. On...	Perhaps it was Voldemort's presence that made Harry's protection help him. Quirrell was not yet possessed by Voldemort at the time when he shook Harry's hand in the Leaky Cauldron.
Why did Anakin build C3PO? C3P0 is a protocol droid that seems to be used mainly for translations. Anakin said he built it to help his mother do her work. What use would a protocal droid be to a slave? (Please note that this is not a question on how he managed it, merely why he bothered). <Q> While one of C3PO's pri...	In the Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover, when he offers C-3PO to Padme, Anakin says he built C-3PO to be his friend since he didn't have many friends as a child.
Why did C-3PO close down while Luke talked to Ben in A New Hope? When they were in Old Ben's dwelling, C-3PO made this strange request to Luke: THREEPIO: Sir, if you'll not be needing me, I'll close down for awhile. LUKE: Sure, go ahead. Why did he want to do that? <Q> The Star Wars in 100 Scenes factbook confi...	I too am puzzled as to why 3PO feels the need to close down during the scene with Luke and Ben, the only reason I can see is it has something to do with the light saber being used in the shot, which passes in front of 3PO, it may have been easier for the FX guys if 3PO was stationary at the time of the effects being us...
What are the legal/ethical statuses of 'Smart' AIs in HALO? After seeing this and this question, I wondered, what about so-called 'Smart' AIs in the HALO universe (i.e. Cortana , Kalmiya )? Do these AIs have 'rights'? Apparently Dr. Halsey broke numerous laws in creating Cortana, but would she be breaking any ...	The human-created AIs in Halo are afforded some freedom of action, but no legal rights.
How can other time lords, post time-war, drive/fly a TARDIS? Two parts allow time lords to fly through time and space, in TARDII (?): When a Gallifreyan was granted the rank of Junior Time Lord in the Time Lord Academy, they received their symbiotic nuclei . (PROSE: Interference - Book One) The Sixth Doctor once cl...	In general your intuition seems to be correct that we shouldn't be seeing anyone else new being able to pilot the TARDIS.
Looking for copies of "Analog Science Fiction & Fact" What are good sources for specific back issues of publications like Analog? I've already looked in the normal places (Amazon, Google, etc.) but I suspect I'm going to need to search some kind of specialty source but I don't know of any. I'm not looking for discount...	What you need is to look for a used science fiction book dealer - some of them also deal in magazines.
Can Rogue harness Wolverine's adamantium blades after touching him? Rogue has the ability to harness the abilities of other mutants for a short while upon any sort of skin contact. Upon touching Wolverine she is able to use his regenerative properties but what about his blades? Adamantium is experimentally deployed in ...	Rogue does get Wolverine's claws when she absorbs his abilities, but she gets his original bone claws, without the adamantium.
Did Ten and Eleven meet in 1969? The tenth and eleventh doctors have both been to 1969: Ten was sent there by the Weeping angels (and went to see the 1969 shuttle launch), and Eleven ended up there when he got involved with the Silence (at the same shuttle launch). Now, I don't know how likely this is, but when Sally ...	From what I could see (I only watched Time Crash, personally), any meeting between Doctors is usually an accident, some TARDIS-related timey-wimey fluctuations, or some powerful entity summoning the doctors between times.
How was Harry supposed to defeat Voldemort in Dumbledore's original plan? Dumbledore wished to die without the allegiance of the Elder Wand to pass on to someone else; he believed that if he planned his death with Snape, the Elder Wand wouldn't recognize Snape as its new master (since he didn't defeat Dumbledore); the ...	Dumbledore was counting on Harry's near immortality to help him win the fight against Voldemort.
After Peter Parker was bitten, what happened to the rest of the radioactive spiders? Did Peter Parker take part in, or have knowledge of what happened to the rest of the radioactive spiders? Were they disposed of or are they are still hanging around in a lab somewhere? <Q> Amazing Spider-Man (Cinematic Universe) <S>...	It is initially unclear as to what happens to the other test animals (if any are even spiders), as Norman Osborn moves onto human testing soon after and the lab is destroyed soon after.
Could Avada Kedavra Be Used Legally Against Werewolves In Their Transformed State? Could Avada Kedavra be used legally against werewolves in their transformed state? Humans turn into werewolves only when bitten. There is no known cure, though recent developments in potion-making have to a great extent alleviated the ...	No, it would not be legal.
Why did Major Nelson need to hide Jeannie from Dr. Bellows? I've been spending some time at a remote resort recently with little for company except a DVD set of I Dream of Jeannie. Why is it that Major Nelson has to keep Jeannie a secret from NASA and Col. Bellows, M.D? She is practically all-powerful, so it's not like...	Due to Major Nelson's excellent see in the astronaut program he would be given some leniency.
Mars' moons sizes in Total Recall (1990) In the first sequence of Total Recall (1990) we see a shot of the two Mars moons (Phobos and Deimos) in the horizon. Is this the correct moon sizes for an observer in the surface of Mars? Shouldn't both moons be much smaller than this? Here is a snapshot: <Q> This animated ima...	Yes, the view is not to proper scale. I'd say they should most definitely be smaller.
Is Major Nelson gay in I Dream of Jeannie Based on this comment: What are the minimal limits of Jeannie's power in I Dream of Jeannie? Jeannie is always trying to get Major Nelson to marry her. As I remember, he plays some lip-service to the idea but I don't remember this happening. (granted, I probably never saw the...	He does eventually fall for Jeannie, and they were married in the season five episode "The Wedding" .
Why do alien cultures tend to have one language, one religion etc What are some common logical reasons given within any sci-fi universe for the lack of cultural diversity within a single alien race? Examples of what I mean: Star Trek: Vulcans come from Vulcan and speak Vulcan. Their history gives a good reason for t...	Once a species ventures out into space and comes in contact with alien civilizations it should become easier to think of everyone on one's planet as "us", and the aliens as "them". The likely in-universe answer would be that the culture/class/caste/religion/faction that the viewer is exposed to through the course of a ...
Is Magneto able to manipulate Vibranium? We know Magneto is able to affect even adamantium as shown when he extracts all the adamantium from Wolverine's body. Is he also able to affect or control vibranium? Has that been shown in any Marvel comic or maybe a crossover with Captain America? <Q> Though we have never seen...	In some cases Magneto clearly moves non-magnetic materials using his powers, so even if the vibranium resisted magnetism he could create localized fields around the shield and move it that way.
Why is Batwoman part of the bat family? Kate Kane seems to have no relation to Bruce Wayne or Batman. She's just some woman who had a motivation to become a crusader. The Robins were taken in by Batman and at least Batgirl trained with Bruce. Under what justification besides in name does Batwoman have in being part...	Batwoman, I'm assuming the current one, has no real relationship other than permission and is related to the original Batwoman(Batman's ex-girlfriend).
How does the T-1000 see? In Terminator 2: Judgement Day, wow does the T-1000 sense things? It's made of mimetic poly alloy; however, does it have a retinal scan camera like the T-X or T-800, or is just molecules that allow it to see what it does? In other words: let's say it is made out of nanobots. Would a group of t...	That each nano particle is able to sense at least light if not also being able to tell the wavelength of that light. "Touch" is a key word here - it's the same way T-1000 samples objects.
Why didn't Sozin's comet enhance benders of other elements? Technically, a comet is a huge ball of rock, dirt, ice and frozen gases. In the series, Sozin's comet catches fire by entering the upper atmosphere, giving a boost to firebenders all around the world by simply having a lot of their element floating in the sky....	We also learn from Avatar Roku that Sozin's Comet grants Firebenders the same elevated power. Waterbenders are strengthened by the full moon, which is mostly rock and not ice or water.
What should I watch/read before watching all the three Transformers movies? I know a very little about the Transformers. I'm planning to watch all the three movies. Do I need to watch anything else or are the movies sufficient to explain everything? <Q> So, even if you are not familiar with Transformers universe, you c...	If want to dive deep in Transformers movies' story continuity, I'd recommend you to go for related comic series. Revenge of the Fallen Movie Adaptation (Comic Series) As with most of sci-fi movie series, there's nothing in Transformers movies which needs explanation from external sources.
Why doesn't Agent J remember his father? A the end of the third installment of the Men In Black movies: We learn that Agent J's father was the Major who assisted them in getting the Arch Net onto the Apollo 11 Saturn 5 rocket. Agent J's father is ultimately killed by Boris the Animal before being captured / killed (...	He just don't remember how his father was looking. Erased information might be the murder, but the kid could have worried about his father he once knew.
Would the Valley have made Jerec more powerful than Palpatine or Abeloth? In Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II , Jerec tries to access the power of the Valley of the Jedi. If he had succeed, would he have truly become more powerful than Palpatine or even Abeloth? <Q> First, we must know what power Jerec was sea...	It says in game that with the power he would be able to destroy planets with a whisper, so yes he would have become more powerful than any other force user at the time (probably ever)
How much did Larry Niven's Ringworld inspire the Halo game franchise? I have heard that the First Person Shooter Halo game franchise was inspired by Larry Niven's Ringworld . How Ringworldy is it? Is there more to the connection between Niven's classic Ringworld and the popular space FPS game than just their Rin...	Actually there are a few specific similarities between the Halo structure and the Ringworld in Larry Niven's Ringworld series.
Why do 'loopers' only travel back 30 years into the past? Why do the loopers need to work in a time that is only 30 years prior to the invention of time travel? Why not have the loopers work, let’s say, 100 years before the invention of time travel? In that way, loopers could live to old age and the mobsters would no...	If the amount of time were too long, loopers would become too old to be effective assassins, potentially lose interest in the carpe diem lifestyle, or, what the mob fears most, begin to comteplate their murderous lifestyle and consider informing to the police.
Short story about people who lived only a few days Does anyone know the name of the short story in which the characters only lived a few days from birth to death? I believe it involved a ship where time was experienced normally. I recall the story plot from my younger days, but don't remember the author or the title. <...	Not quite "only a few days", but part of the plot of Non-Stop by Brian Aldiss is that the spaceship which the lead character and his tribe are living on is actually a generation ship which has returned to Earth orbit, with its inhabitants having developed to be smaller, move much faster, and die sooner.
In Gibson's Sprawl trilogy, why did Wintermute split itself into the different Loas? Neuromancer is one of my favorite novels due to its evocative prose, and vivid descriptions. However, I feel like sometimes I can't quite figure out some details. One thing that has puzzled me is why did Wintermute, the AI, end up spl...	Basically IMO it's a religious analogy, small-g gods as archetypes, used to further man's social-technological evolution, related (IMO quite strongly and persuasively) to similar ideas spelled out in Neil Gaiman "American Gods" and Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash" and "Cryptonomicon".
How do you pronounce 'Tej'? Ivan's book is finally here, and there's a new character named Akuti Tejaswini Jyoti ghem Estif Arqua , or Tej for short. I don't think I even want to attempt that mouthful of a full name, but I need a mental-voice pronunciation for Tej , and I can't seem to come up with a satisfactor...	Tej means 'brightness' or 'illumination'.
Why was The One Ring "precious"? Many of the Ringbearers (particularly those who carried it longer) used the word "precious" to describe it. Isildur described it as: "But for my part I will risk no hurt to this thing: of all the works of Sauron the only fair. It is precious to me, though I buy it with great pain." ...	The Ring also held a magical allure and touched their hearts in a deep and profound way that they each in turn, expressed in their own language, a feeling that translates to the word we recognize as carrying that meaning; Precious.
What is it about hyperdrive that is assumed to make the human mind go insane? In various C.J. Cherryh books, it has been described how the crew in a ship has to be sedated or otherwise put to sleep during hyperspace travel. For the most part, it is alluded, without too much detail, that any person who is conscious duri...	In reality, people do develop all kinds of psychoses after particularly bad trips.
Who owns the Hogwarts house-elves? Who owns the Hogwarts house-elves? ‘Well, whoever owns [Dobby] will be an old wizarding family, and they’ll be rich,’ said Fred. ‘Yeah, Mum’s always wishing we had a house-elf to do the ironing,’ said George. ‘But all we’ve got is a lousy old ghoul in the attic and gnomes all over...	Apparently Dumbledore is Dobby’s current master. Since there's no known descendant of Hufflepuff, they are owned by Hogwarts (not enough info to clearly imply whether it's "by headmaster" or not).
Did Anakin and Obi-Wan use the Force to protect themselves from the heat on Mustafar? While duelling that close to lava, I would suspect that they would get dangerously hot and dehydrated, and possibly burned. Did they use the Force to protect themselves in some way, for example lower their body temperatures and cool t...	YES , they used the force to survive under the hostile condition, like they do all the time.
How did Sarah Connor know that she was pregnant with John Connor? In the end of The Terminator movie, Sarah Connor recorded audio tapes for her upcoming son saying: "If you don't send Kyle back in time, you can never be." (not exact words) Yes, she was pregnant after sexual intercourse with Kyle, but how did she kno...	She knows that she is going to give birth to a son at some point, and she will name him "John".
Does Bender ever kill a human? One of Bender's best known phrases, and a running joke of the series, is that he wants to 'Kill All Humans'. Does he ever even kill one human? edit: I ask because I saw this , and whilst there are some comments, none of them are overly convincing. I'm after something on camera, or st...	For all intents and purposes, Bender killed Fry in Bender's Big Score: In The Beast With a Billion Backs during the duel with Calculon we see that Bender's shot with the planetary annihilator ends up disintegrating a man in the middle of a doctor appointment.
What Year Is the Ford Anglia? What year is the Harry Potter Ford Anglia? I Googled using "Harry Potter Ford Anglia" and "Harry Potter Ford Anglia Year" and while I was able to get the model number (Ford Anglia 105E), I wasn't able to find a consensus on what year the Harry Potter Anglia was made. I did learn that ...	The car used in the movie is a turquoise 1962 Ford Anglia. There were several different cars used in the making of the film version.
Why did Walter use video tapes in Fringe? Is there an in universe explanation as to why Walter recorded his plan onto video tapes before ambering it, rather than using DVD or video file. It seems to be very problematic to retrieve them and they seem to be very prone to degradation when removing them. <Q...	Other than the explanation that Walter seems to be attached to older technology, as evidenced by his rather large vinyl collection (seen in a few episodes, eg: 4x08), there could be another reason.
How does the paralyzing device used on Tony Stark work? The answer by @Bevan to this question made me wonder: how exactly does the paralyzing device used by Obadiah work ? I'll take the liberty of re-using his screenshot here. As mentioned in the above question and answers, this is seen used in the first Iron Man...	This device can probably send vibrations thru your ear into your brain.
Does construction of a Lightsaber require use of the Force? It's true that Lightsaber construction is a mandatory skill for a trained Force user, but I am not sure about it in reverse. @DVK has commented on this answer that: Grievous wasn't a Jedi (or a Force Sensitive) at all. He couldn't construct one. I alway...	This is why a lightsaber was constructed traditionaly away from anyone else except the Jedi/Sith that was building it.
Are all the people on planet Zeist immortal/Immortal? From Highlander 2 on Wikipedia : On the planet Zeist, a last meeting is held between the members of a rebellion against the rule of General Katana. The rebellion’s leader, Ramirez, chooses "a man of great destiny" from among them — Connor — to carry out a missi...	You're mortal there, but you're immortal here. Once you have grown to the age you are now, time itself will take on a new meaning for you.
In Assassin's Creed: Embers, who talked to Ezio before the end? Even though the character appears in the credits as "Young Man", he talks knowingly to Ezio, takes his hand, tells him "Courage, Ezio". So he clearly knew who he was talking to. He's the only unnamed character in the 20 minute video. I just can't shake...	I think he might have been an assassin turned templar like Haytham which explains why he knows Ezio he sat down probably knowing Ezio was dying and paying respect to his old mentor
How does a Dyson Sphere's inhabitants deal without gravity? It's well known that because the gravitational attaction at one point on the inside of a hollow shell is zero, because it is cancelled by the attraction from all the other points on the interior. Here is a wikipedia page on this 'Shell Theorem' which might ...	Weis and Hickman's Death's Gate books have a Dyson sphere in a fantasy setting that has entirely unexplained gravity.
Why Did Dudley Have to Have His Piggy Tail Surgically Removed? Why did Dudley have to have his piggy tail surgically removed? Why wasn't the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad dispatched to remove the tail and modify the Dursleys' memories? After Uncle Vernon insults Dumbledore one too many a time, Hagrid retaliates by g...	I think that the Dursleys did not want to get into more magic, so they wanted to have it removed The only conclusion is that neither Hagrid or Harry had a trace on them at this point that could be used for discipline and therefore the ministry had no knowledge of Dudley's Tail.
Why Doesn't the Ministry Ever Modify the Dursleys' Memories? Thinking about it while I was writing up my other question about Dudley's pig's tail, it occurred to me that I cannot think of a single instance in which the Dursleys -- Verrnon, Petunia, and Dudley -- had their memories modified, even though they have witnes...	Having to constantly erase all the memories of legal guardians of magic children would be an exercise in frustration, considering they live with a wizard (who no doubt lacks full control of their powers). It would just be a waste of resources.
Did Dumbledore Care About Any of His Hogwarts Charges Besides Harry or Draco Malfoy? Are there any examples in canon that show Dumbledore attending to the welfare of a Hogwarts student in as caring a way as he looked after Harry and, covertly, Draco Malfoy? I almost want to include Tom Riddle Jr on the list above, as ...	We also know that Dumbledore has cared about Ron as well.
Is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them an exhaustive list of magical animals in the Harry Potter world? Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a pseudo in-universe book describing magical animals from the Harry Potter world. Is it an exhaustive list though? Do other creatures exist that don't feature in the b...	Yes, it's likely that not all the magical creatures known to the wizarding world were included in this textbook.
90s Mixed sci-fi and fantasy medieval show where the villain is captured and he went insane When I was a kid I watched a TV show (late 90s, early 00s). All I can remember was some stuff from the episodes that I watched. It was in English. The TV show had a medieval setting with swords, shields, armor and other stuff f...	It's made in the early 90's, and the "medieval" people believes that the sci-fi parts are magic.
Purpose of sending Dean into past in Supernaturals S04E03? In Episode 3 ("The Beginning") of the 4th Season of the Supernatural Series, why does the Angel send Dean back in time? At the starting of the series, the Angel asks Dean to "Stop It", but at the end of the Episode, he says that there is nothing Dean could hav...	Castiel sent Dean back in time so he could see what the source of Sam's powers was, and why Azazel is so interested in him.
Why did Alice lead the survivors through the graveyard in Resident Evil: Apocalypse? After meeting/rescuing the survivors in the church, Alice walks with them while explaining some of the situation. She leads the group through a graveyard. At this point, Alice already knows that the T-Virus can reanimate the dead, so ...	There aren't that many people walking around the graveyard, so you're not very likely to run into the undead.
In Walking Dead Season 3, how did the guys in riot gear die? In the second episode of season 3... when Rick and crew are making their way through the prison and killing walkers, they encounter several riot gear covered zombies who have to be killed by lifting their visors and stabbing them under the chin. If these gu...	The riot team was pinned down behind a massive wave of zombies and found some poison to finish themselves.
Could the Star Wars Universe survive without the Force? After hearing about the upcoming Third Trilogy, I started to play with my imagination about what it could be about. I think an interesting development could be borrowed from something I read in The Lord of The Rings. I'm not an expert there, but it is told that t...	Disney would never make any money with a Star Wars film (let alone a trilogy) without the Force. It depends upon what you mean by survival of universe.
What powers, if any, did the Silmarils have? In the Silmarillion, the Silmarils were described as being very powerful, holy jewels. What form did this power take exactly? <Q> The Silmarils had no power in and of themselves. <S> What was contained within them was the Light of the Two Trees, which had been killed by the...	The Silmarils contained the combined blessings of the Valar, in addition to a significant part of Feanor's strength.
How come all the species reached technological age and warp drive at the same time? We know why all the humanoid species in Star Trek are so similar physically ( the Chase ). But is there any mechanism to explain why all the species reached technological capabilities and warp drive at practically the same moment in g...	Well, there's an explanation: All known humanoid species have evolved from the same seed (of The Chase ).
Why don't Andorians show up in Star Trek more? IIRC Andorian space is right next door to Vulcan space. Why don't the Andorians show up more often in Star Trek (vs. Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans, and later Cardassians)? <Q> Putting the list of appearances from Memory Alpha in (out of universe) <S> chronological order: ...	It is easy to explain their absence in Voyager: there are no Andorians in the Delta Quadrant.
What 80s sci-fi novel has a volunteer take an injection that increases IQ? I am trying to remember the name of a sci-fi novel I read in the nineties, when I was kid. It was a library book which, from what I can remember, was written maybe in the early 80's. I remember in the first chapter a volunteer is injected with ...	It sounds like The R-Master by Gordon R. Dickson.
Why hasn't Michonne turned in The Walking Dead? (If you haven't seen season 3, episode 6 this question contains some small spoilers!) In season 3, episode 6 we see Michonne getting shot in her leg, shortly afterwards we see her gutting a zombie with her sword resulting in the intestines of the zombie to cover most of ...	Its possible that not enough zombie blood, if any at all, could have gotten in. Everyone else that's turned has had to die first, and each of them that have turned (aside from Shane, of course) have died from bleeding out/shock/etc.
How are the Green Lantern Corps Sectors arranged? How are the Green Lantern Corps Sectors arranged? I know 0001 is Oa, but how are they arrayed through the universe? Are they amorphous shapes like terrestrial geography or is there some uniformity in spatial size? <Q> Despite the name of the Guardians (who call themselv...	The 3600 sectors they protect are centered on Oa (the center of the Universe, or so the Oans tell us) and are triangular wedges which originate from this location.
Which Broom Company Makes the Firebolt? Which broom company makes the Firebolt? THE FIREBOLT: This state-of-the-art racing broom sports a streamlined, superfine handle of ash, treated with a diamond-hard polish and hand-numbered with its own registration number. Each individually selected birch twig in the broomtail...	The Firebolt was developed in secret, and is still made is small quantities.
What was Peter Parker’s college major? In which area did Peter Parker major in at university? Did he ever show any computer hacking skills or other computer-related interests (computer science)? <Q> The Marvel Universe Wiki reads: Peter Parker graduated high school and earned a science scholarship to Empire State U...	In various 1960s issues such as Amazing Spider-Man #31 , #45 and #47 , it was stated or otherwise indicated that Peter was a science major at ESU.
After the past is altered in Source Code movie what would happen if Sean Fentress possessed by Colter Stevens Dies? Colter Stevens takes over the body of Sean Fentress for every 8 minutes. Every time Sean Fentress (possessed by Colter Stevens) dies, he wakes up in the program, but he is able to change the past by avoid...	He would be dead.
Does it break a rule for a first year to play Quidditch for his/her house team, or is it simply tradition? Is it against the Hogwarts rules for a first year to play Quidditch, or is it simply an unspoken tradition that first years never make their house team? ‘You’re joking.’ [Ron said] It was dinner time. Harry had ...	There is nothing mentioned that first years are not allowed to play Quiddich, but they would have to use a school broom, if the school even permits to use those brooms for Quiddich.
Significance of the White Stag and Hunt in The Hobbit I am re-reading Tolkien's The Hobbit (in anticipation of the movie), and was wondering if there was some further significance to the appearance of the white stag/deer. In the chapter "Flies and Spiders" after the dwarves and Bilbo ford the enchanted stream they h...	in the Hobbit i would suggest that it was akin to this legend that the dwarfs shoot at the thing ... and then encounter bad luck with the elves, it is also symbolically linked to the journey quest - the dwarfs are righting great wrongs in the history of middle earth by questing after the dragon in the Hobbit.
Which book/film ended this way? I read a book (I'm sure it was a book) ages ago. It ends with a character floating aimlessly through space. They are alive (or still have power) and floats for millennia to the point where time becomes irrelevant and they witness the birth and death of stars and galaxies. etc... All I ...	As Wayfaring Stranger suggests , the last volume of James Blish's Cities in Flight series ( The Triumph of Time ) also has this plot element. This is a classic, mostly remembered for its ending.
To whom was Yoda referring when he said, "There is another?" In the original trilogy Yoda refers to another hope: Obi-Wan : "That boy is our last hope." Yoda : "No...there is another..." The assumption being after seeing Return of the Jedi (Episode VI) that the other was Leia. If, however, you consider the preq...	Thematically, it makes no sense for Yoda to be referring to Leia, other than to state that the Jedi have no idea what they are talking about, which they certainly do not if they are referring to Leia.
What was the "Watcher in the water"? In the Fellowship of the Ring , our heroes encounter a creature called "The Watcher in the water" which was guarding the Doors of Durin, the ancient and abandoned entrance to the Mines of Moria. What was it? It isn't revealed in the trilogy. Is it explained in any of Tolkien's not...	In A Tolkien Bestiary, David Day calls the Watcher a kraken; however, he also implies that there are some differences between the kraken of Scandinavian folklore and the Watcher in the Water.
What did Toothless draw? In How to Train Your Dragon , Hiccup is sitting on a rock drawing a picture in the sand with a stick. The picture he draws is clearly of Toothless - the Night Fury dragon. Toothless looks at the image and then drags a huge tree branch over and begins drawing in the sand also. I thought tha...	Considering that hiccup drew Toothless immediately beforehand, Toothless attempting to draw Hiccup shows staggering intelligence on his behalf.
Why are nuclear weapons rare in the Star Wars universe? I am reading the book Darth Plagueis , and when an assassination attempt is made on him by use of a nuclear bomb, the book states that nuclear weapons are scarcely available. I searched briefly but found nothing on this and wondered if an explanation is availab...	At the time of Plagious the Republic had lived in peace for so long that there was not a great trade in weapons or need for Military grade weaponry.
Doctor Who: Big Bang 2.0 is driving me crazy In Doctor Who 2005: Big bang 2.0, the Doctor appears with a hat or something and a mop in his hand to rescue himself and Amy Pond after he is sealed shut inside the Pandorica. How can the Doctor come out of the Pandorica to do this? What event triggered this? Is it the act...	He can't get out of the pandorica unless his future self rescues him, and his future self can't rescue him unless he gets out ! Yes, it's a paradox wherein the effect is the cause and vice versa.
What Kind of Weapon Do the Giants Use In The Film 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2'? What kind of weapon do the giants use in the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 ? I thought at first the weapon might be a scythe, but it's clearly not. It's like half a circle of iron mounted on a mast...	This is a Chinese weapon called a "Monk's Spade".
How was Nearly Headless Nick unpetrified? In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets we see that Nearly Headless Nick is petrified (for lack of better description) at one point by the basilisk: It was Nearly Headless Nick, no longer pearly-white and transparent, but black and smokey, floating immobile and horizontal...	I reckon they would do something like spray the potion into his mouth or turn it into vapour. We notice after Nearly Headless Nick is petrified that: McGonagall conjured a large fan out of thin air, which she gave to Ernie with instructions to waft Nearly Headless Nick up the stairs.
Has the Doctor ever snapped his fingers to open the TARDIS since early series 5? When The Doctor first meet with River Song, she pretended he could open the TARDIS by snapping his fingers : [...] But not "my" Doctor. Now my Doctor, I've seen whole armies turn and run away. And he'd just swagger off, back to his TARD...	The Eleventh Doctor also does this at the end of "The Eleventh Hour", when revealing the newly regenerated TARDIS interior to Amy Pond; he then does it again in "Day of the Moon". This ability seems to be unique to the Doctor, though, as he said Time Lords cannot do that.
What is the time frame for Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises? In The Dark Knight Rises it is made clear that it is eight years on from the fallout of The Dark Knight , and Batman Begins was at least a year before The Dark Knight , so what year was each movie based in? Batman Begins was r...	The Dark Knight Rises: 2016. Batman Begins: 2007.
Why rebuild the bat signal in The Dark Knight Rises? At the end of The Dark Knight Rises we see Jim Gordon run his hand across a new bat signal, but as far as he knows Batman is dead and no more. So what was the purpose in building a new bat signal? Whilst it was implied that Robin would become Batman, there was no w...	In short, Wayne arranged for Blake to take over as Batman (by giving him directions to the Batcave) and for Jim Gordon to be made aware that someone had taken the place of the original Batman (by installing a new bat-signal).
Why does the T-1000 do this? Just today I was watching Terminator 2 Judgement Day and I remembered a question that I had never asked on here: why does the T-1000 use a rod to pierce through the T-800's power cell instead of just forming sharp objects to jab at the T-800? In many of the scenes including the end, you see...	A brittle metal is more likely to snap if used as a lever, thus the T1000 was simply using the best available tool to hand.
What Is the Correct Pronunciation of Beauxbatons? What is the correct pronunciation of 'Beauxbatons'? I was wondering about Beauxbatons this morning. In the Goblet of Fire movie, Dumbledore pronounces Beauxbatons as "Bo-ba-tins." It's been many years since I've taken French, but I've always pronounced Beauxbatons in...	The french pronunciation of Beauxbatons is "Bo-ba-ton" with the ending sounding almost the same as the english word "bond" without pronuncing the "d" The standard pronunciation form is : /bɑ.tɔ̃/
Would Harry still be a Parselmouth at the end of the Deathly Hallows? Near the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows : Voldemort "kills" Harry, destroying the part of his own soul that was in Harry. Dumbledore tells us before this that: Part of Lord Voldemort lives inside Harry, and it is that which gives...	I think it's important to remember that when Harry spoke Parseltongue -- particularly in Chamber of Secrets -- it didn't sound like anything other than English to him.
Were there any Vulcans serving on the Enterprise D? In the TNG episode The Enemy , Worf ends up being the only viable donor available to save the life of an injured Romulan. Crusher: "Worf, you are the only one who can save his life." Worf: "Then he will die." Surely a Vulcan would be a superior match for obtai...	Given the Vulcans relatively insular nature, it is not difficult to believe there may not be one onboard the Enterprise all the time, despite its flagship status.
Why did Smaug gather a treasure of gold and other precious objects? In The Hobbit , the Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf are on a mission to rob Smaug . But why did he have so much to steal from? He's a Dragon! He is not the kind of dragon that eats gold and gems . He doesn't need wealth to buy a luxury cavern and/or pay ...	Dragons steal gold and jewels , you know, from men and elves and dwarves, wherever they can find them; and they guard their plunder as long as they live (which is practically forever, unless they are killed), and never enjoy a brass ring of it . Collecting something you value is an intrinsically motivated act.
Where Did Dolores Umbridge Get Her Evil Quill? Where did Dolores Umbridge get her evil quill? I would doubt she bought her evil quill at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop in Hogsmeade (If Scrivenshaft's were in Knockturn Alley I'd have a different opinion.). Would this kind of item be issued by the Ministry of Magic? Or did...	The only conclusion I find then is that Umbridge an old hag a senior witch, most likely crafted the item herself.
Back To The Future: Time Travel Paradox In Back to the Future , to get Marty back to 1985, it looks to me like the Doc connects a cable to the pole with the weather vane on top of the clock tower and fastens the other end to a light pole on the other side of the road. They need the power of the lightning to transport ...	The clock was not working in the alternate timeline, because Doc wrapped the cable around the hands of the clock (so he could slide down on it).
Why does Hermione whisper Levicorpus? In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Chapter 26: Gringotts , when: Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook are trying to get Helga Hufflepuff's cup from Bellatrix's vault. We see that: [Hermione] raised her wand, pointed it at Harry and whispered, ' Levicorpus .' However i...	Now then, given how skilled Hermione was with non-verbal spells, it is likely that she knew about such side-effect, thus, the answer to your question: Hermione used it to lift Harry in a more comfortable manner
What Does the Title "Ama" Mean in Wicked? The novel Wicked has a handful of adult characters given the title "Ama" (e.g. Ama Clutch). It never explains what significance this title is meant to confer. Is there an official source or interview anywhere that could clear this up? <Q> While never fully explained, the Amas...	The Amas are the people who choose roommates, introduce people, and make sure that the girls are well cared for.
In the potterverse, how do giants procreate with humans? Inspired by the specie-ism discussion in a recent question about Hagrid, how did Hagrid's parent and other mixed human/giant species manage to reproduce? I am not sure of what the average giant dimensions are, but Hagrid's brother is massive enough to suggest s...	However, biologically, usually animals from two different species have the wrong numbers of chromosomes to result in offspring.
If Sauron had won, would the Valar have intervened? In the First Age, when the Elves first awoke and were terrorized by Morgoth, the Valar came to help as soon as they learned of it, defeated and captured Morgoth. When the Noldor went against the will of the Valar and followed Morgoth to Middle-earth, and were eventua...	The Valar mostly abandoned the people of Middle Earth to their fate. The Valar didn't really directly intervene since bringing the Elves to Valinor and the first capture of Melkor; they were essentially powerless during the events leading to the capture of the Silmarils and the Flight of the Noldor, they sent a lesser ...
When is a raven like an eagle? When it's on the Ravenclaw house crest I saw an image macro on facebook the other day that started me thinking; I tried to look into it and I found two separate styles. Pottermore Style Book Style Neither of these to me looks anything like a raven, besides being bird shaped. Is th...	The eagle is meant to represent that Ravenclaws "soar where others cannot climb"
How long do the dragons of Middle Earth live? Do the Dragons of Tolkien's works die a natural death, or are they like the elves and can only be killed in battle? <Q> Thorin's speech at the beginning of The Hobbit suggests that it might be possible for dragons to die a natural death: <S> "Dragons steal gold and jew...	Tolkien never actually writes about a dragon who dies of old age.
Why Did Sauron Believe Pippin Had the One Ring? When Pippin looked into the Palantir of Orthanc, why did Sauron believe Pippin was the ring bearer? I'm just a couple of chapters into The Return of the King , and it isn't clear to me from the movie, so I'm not sure why Sauron thought Pippin had the One Ring just becau...	Sauron knew that a halfling (aka Hobbit) had the ring, and a halfling touched the Palantir.
Are there any comic book heroes (DC or Marvel preferably) that served in the US Navy (not marines)? I have been looking all over the internet to answer this question and I can't find anything. There's plenty of Air Force superheroes, but I can't find any Navy. This is the start of a gift idea for a friend of mine who ...	Red Son, Hal Jordan is part of the US Navy as commander , under the presidency of Lex Luthor, as a intent for fight back Superman. The anti-Captain America was a Navy SEAL.

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