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Did the prophets ever manifest themselves in the Star Trek universe? We know that Captain Sisko meets with the Prophets on multiple occasions and they appear to him as colleagues, but is there ever a time where they physically manifest themselves into humanoid beings either in DS9 or any other Star Trek canon? <Q> I wo...	My guess based on the number of times they've had to possess a corporeal being to do something, that they're not able to take physical form.
Recapturing the Zombies that have been Released? In the 2011 movie The Cabin in the Woods , how were the authorities and/or employees of the organization planning to recapture the zombies that they had released to kill the five friends? In general, how can they recapture any of the various deadly nightmares without ...	The most likely scenario seems to be that the device used to summon a specific Nightmare would be usable to also lure that Nightmare (or Nightmares) back to the containment cells.
Why did Sirius Black's family live among Muggles? Why did Sirius Black's family live among Muggles? The Black family were generational purebloods -- one of the "official" pureblood families -- and canon has demonstrated that they were vehemently anti-Muggle, aside from Sirius (One might argue Regulus as well, after hi...	The property may have belonged to the Black family long before Muggles moved in, therefore the Blacks may have unplotted the house from the Muggle neighborhood due to the Ministry's laws against attacking Muggles.
Why didn't James' love and sacrifice for Lily protect her? We know that Harry survived Voldemort's killing curse because Lily loved him so much that she sacrificed herself in an attempt to protect him. This resulted in a very powerful charm that pretty much rendered Harry immune to Voldemort (until Voldemort figured ou...	Lily chose to die for Harry; James wasn't given a choice. I think that perhaps the key to this could be that it was the mother-child bond - said to be the strongest bond in life. I think there are some differences in James' choice to die defending his family, and Lily's choice to die protecting her son.
Why do the other changelings look like Dr Mora? It is mentioned in The Forsaken (S1E17) that when he first took humanoid form, Odo mimicked the hairstyle of Dr Mora, the Bajoran scientist who was studying him. In a later episode, The Alternate (S2E12), we get to actually see the doctor, and indeed the resemblance i...	The Changelings frequently assumed a form similar to that of Odo; however, Odo's unique appearance was the product of his difficulty with assuming convincing humanoid forms, not mandated by his racial makeup.
What's the range of Magneto's powers? As the summary says, is the range of Magneto's powers mentioned anywhere? <Q> How does it sound "between 628,743,036 million km and <S> 928,081,020 million km apart"? <S> (In astronomical units the distance varies from 4.2 AU to 6.2 AU.) <S> In the events of " Avengers vs X-Men "...	He can manipulate the electromagnetic spectrum so that he may generate lightning bolts, emit vast amounts of infrared radiation or even manipulate the force of gravity.
A movie in which an alien with human form crashes and rebuilds his ship with a love story in between I can't put a name on a movie from the 80s or 90s. The alien is a nice-looking guy who has to reinvent most of the technology he needs to rebuild his spaceship. There's a scene when he feels dizzy inside an elevator, ...	The lead character ( Thomas Jerome Newton, played by David Bowie ) is feeling dizzy in the elevator because he wasn't used to the higher gravity on Earth (relative to his home world), which effects got worse when going up in a fast elevator. I think you're looking for The Man Who Fell to Earth . The one I saw was from ...
How do the Dune sandworms move? The sandworms of Dune are huge and powerful. But how exactly do they move beneath all that sand? They don't necessarily skim above the surface as they apparently only raise smallish (relative to their diameter) mounds as they move around. What about their physiology allows for such rap...	Some worms do stay close to the surface, but some go very deep; there are references in the third book (if I'm remembering correctly) to a worm going deep and sulking after being ridden hard.
How does Saruman the White compare in power to other beings? Was Saruman the White as powerful as Sauron without the ring? Was Sauron afraid of him? Could Saruman kill a Balrog? <Q> Regarding relative power, you could place him above all of the Elves, Dwarves and Men in his Valinorean incarnation; on Middle-Earth h...	Saruman was a Maia of the house of Aule; that makes him one of the beings who existed before the creation of the world (he would have participated in the creation, but not to such an extent as the greater Powers) which in turn makes him pretty damn powerful indeed. If he was to acquire the One Ring however, He could ha...
Origin of Darth Vader's name Who came up with the name Darth Vader ? According to Wiktionary (apparently Darth Vader now warrants a dictionary entry meaning "a malevolent, dominating and threatening force" :o): Derived from the fictional character, Darth Vader, itself derived from either Dar k Lord of the Si th ...	"Darth Vader" was Lucas's careful blend of Deathwater and Darkfather. The reasoning behind it was because he is the pinnacle of manipulation, terror and cruelty "Darth" is a variation of dark.
Why didn't the Fidelius charm on Shell Cottage stop the heroes from apparating there from Malfoy Manor? Considering Bill Weasley was the Secret Keeper for Shell Cottage, how did Harry and Dobby Apparate to the cottage? Or, for that matter, Luna and Ollivander? <Q> 2 <S> - The Fidelius charm wasn't cast until after the ...	There`s three theories going around for this: 1 - Ron has been made into an additional Secret-Keeper for Shell Cottage. Wizards cannot do this, house elves can.
Why did Justice League choose the Batcave to hide in? In the second-season finale of the Justice League animated series Starcrossed (last 3 episodes), the Justice League (minus Hawkgirl) was captured by Thanagarians. But they managed to escape the prison ship and decided to stay hidden until they came up with a bet...	the Batcave was the only place technologically advanced enough to offer any effective resistance to the Thanagarians.
How is faeces processed in stillsuits? Kynes studied the underarm seals, adjusted one. “ Motions of the body, especially breathing,” he said, “and some osmotic action provide the pumping force .” He loosened the chest fit slightly. “Reclaimed water circulates to catchpockets from which you draw it through this tube in ...	The urine filter is bigger to accommodate larger quantity at once and greater needs of cleaning, the stool is heated and pressed to pull away moisture for sterilization and to sterilize the dry stool for dropping.
1980s robot cartoon. A boy, girl and a baby robot, they were red bodied with white heads Does anyone remember an obscure short lived cartoon in the 1980s. I remember it had 3 characters, boy, girl and a baby robot. Red bodies, white head, yellow belts and yellow and blue shoes. They made toys of them and when you used ...	Following up with an expanded version of t.k.'s answer : This may be the cartoon adaptation of the Robotman character, Robotman & Friends . And yes, there were toys . The soundtrack included keyboard work by John Woloschuk.
Do the elves have pity for other races? It is made obvious many times that they are far more beautiful, skilled, tall , and physically strong than everyone else. Considering this, did they 'look down' upon all the other peoples? In the 'Inheritance Cycle' (a different book series by another author), there is at least ...	At worst the Elves scorned and strongly disliked other races.
1980s fantasy film with bat-like creatures that wrapped their prey in their wings? Does anyone know the title of a 1980s fantasy film which had creepy black creatures with bat like wings which they wrapped wound their victims and then digested them, and all that was left was a pile of bones and goo. I thought it migh...	I think this is the "Dead Tree" scene from "Beastmaster".
Why has the octopus become the representative animal of the Steampunk genre? Recently I have ventured into the adventures of Alexia Tarabotti and I came upon the steampunk classic symbol - Octopus. The Order of the Brass Octopus has itas their mark. I remember a Giant Squid in Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea . O...	Where Steampunk (or any other genre) blends in Lovecraftian influences there might be a case to say that the Octopus or Squid is representative of that sub genre.
Did the Council of Elrond know that destroying the Ring would destroy Sauron? Did they decide to destroy it simply because they were Wise and knew it was dangerous to wield? Did they create the Fellowship simply because they were heroic; and decided to face Sauron after the Ring was destroyed? Or did they know that de...	They knew he poured so much of himself into the ring, that destroying it would destroy him with it.
Why did the Mithril coat fail to stop Shelob's sting? Did Frodo take it off? Or was the fell spider's sting simply too strong to be stopped by Mithril? If it is the latter, that would be pretty surprising, because that would mean Shelob could possibly sting a sleeping dragon! (I remember Gimli saying "Mithril... hard ...	We see Shelob stinging Frodo from the front (since he turns to face her just before getting stung) and we can clearly see his neck is unhurt, so that's not the place.
Is The Sorcerer's Apprentice inspired by Harry Dresden? I just read a transcription of a conference Q&A session with Jim Butcher wherein he makes this comment: I'm willing to forgive Hollywood for the first iteration of the DF and the Sorcerer's Apprentice. When I look up the movie I can't find any link betwee...	"The first iteration of DF" may be a reference to the American television series that was picked up by SciFi (or Syfy, Ciphi, or whatever they call themselves these days).
Do vampires exist in the Potterverse? Do vampires exist in the Harry Potter universe? Characters mention them at a few places, but we never meet an actual vampire, and I'm starting to think they are only a legend even in that universe. We've had lots of opportunities for vampires to turn up, even for just an insi...	Aside from passing mentions, therefore, the only vampire whom Harry meets in the books is Sanguini in Half-Blood Prince, who makes a faintly comic appearance at a party.
Was there any mention in Star Trek canon or non-canon novels of any encounter between the Borg and Klingons or Romulans? As far as I remember, when Borg cubes attack the alpha quadrant, they always engage the Federation and Earth is their primary target. Have there been any mention of any encounter between the Borg and...	Yes, during the Borg Invasion of 2381 , there are non-canon invasions of the Borg attacking the entire Alpha Quadrant including the homeworlds of the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Star Empire and other planets.
Do "life support belts" exist outside of ST:TAS? In the first episode of the animated Star Trek series, Beyond the Farthest Star , an away-team investigates an alien ship using "life support belts," which appear to protect the wearer with a force-field type of space suit. They are also mentioned by Uhura later in t...	Although used exclusively in TAS, the life-support belt was invented during the run of Star Trek: The Original Series.
What were the typical punishments for violating different Federation laws? Earth and other Federation planets were often depicted to be somewhat utopian in nature, however there are cases where domestic crimes have been depicted at various points throughout Star Trek . Were there any standard laws and punishments for...	By the 24th century, the death penalty was non-existent in the Federation. Some Federation worlds, per the respect of the UFP to local and independent customs, had laws of their own which put citizens to death. Some planets had the death penalty.
If the Federation crew was able to beam aboard Borg cubes, why didn't they destroy it from the inside? Many times Federation personnel beamed on board Borg Cubes, so if they were unable to destroy the Borg Cube by their torpedoes and other weapons why not simply plant a high energy destruction bomb from the inside and ...	Typically, Federation crews would be unable to beam aboard Borg ships as if they were close enough to a cube to be within transporter range, as they would be in combat and subject to the limitations above.
In BSG when do we learn the assigned Cylon numbers for the models? In BSG when do we learn the assigned Cylon numbers for the models? As a latecomer to the series, I hear people refer to cylon model numbers, but I am curious what episode those designations (e.g. Sharon = #8) started appearing. <Q> Caprica six explains ...	The first time a model is indicated by number is during the mini series that kicked off the show. In the TV series the human-form Cylon models are revealed slowly (both their appearance and their model number), this was done deliberately to preserve the mystery/tension and give the viewer a Colonial-viewpoint (they don...
Why didn't anyone break the Elder Wand? The Elder Wand is an extremely powerful artifact that many a wizard would lie, cheat, steal and kill for. Dumbledore had hoped that he might die undefeated as it's owner, so that the wand's power would be broken. In the end of The Deathly Hallows, Harry too put it away in the hop...	Perhaps the wand cannot be destroyed by any human or wizard means, even if someone wanted to deliberately do so.
Did Zelazny give a reason for using the name "Amber"? Did Roger Zelazny ever give a reason for using the name "Amber" in the Chronicles of Amber series? I'm looking for his out-of-universe thinking. If anyone can find the in-universe history of the name "Amber," that would be interesting too. <Q> Zelazny wrote in...	Second, it referred to characters embedded like insects in amber – “individuals frozen in timeless moments of some particular passion or phase of their lives, as though contained like one of those insects.” So "Amber" was probably just a name he pulled out of thin air; at most, he may have conceived of the punny title ...
Casting "Riddikulus" on a Dementor? In Prisoner of Azkaban , Harry is prevented from casting "Riddikulus" by Professor Lupin's interception, hence making the boggart change its form. If Lupin didn't intercept it and Harry did cast the spell, what would the end (humourous) result be? My intial thoughts were that it w...	There is an instance in canon where Harry uses the Riddikulus charm on a Dementor Boggart with success.
Was Stark a special kind of Banik / Stykera? In Farscape, Stark is a Stykera, which is a variation of the Banik species. He has the ability to remove his mask and expose the incorporeal part of his being to others, in order to help them cross over into death, or to share thoughts and memories. Stark also has the abilit...	My read on that is that at least the Stykera, and possibly the Banik themselves, are truly made of the glowing energy we see under Stark's mask, and the fact that he is Stykera gives him the psychic abilities that we see in the show. The race could hide memories from interrogators, even from the Aurora Chair and could ...
Why is it possible to get hurt in the Matrix? In The Matrix , we can see that it is possible to make simulated worlds or rooms in which the characters can train their minds. We also learn that these worlds/rooms, as well as the Matrix, are not real. If these worlds are not real, it is possible to bend them as we see f...	The mind makes any injuries that occur in the Matrix also occur in reality, because the mind is inseparable from the body.
Confusion with the Alien's death at the end of Alien 3 I'm confused by the end of Alien 3, when they drown the Xenomorph in molten lead. The Xenomorph manages to survive being plunged into boiling hot lead, but previous Xenomorphs were killed by and gravely scared of flamethrowers. Why? As the lead is poured, some s...	For all we know, Xenomorph insides could contain a chemical compound that explodes when it reacts with lead, due to some lead on its exoskeleton and water causing its heated exoskeleton to cool and become brittle, it could in conjunction with pressure changes blow it apart if atmospheric conditions were just right. Thi...
When did Ripley get infected with the parasitic Xenomorph? At the end of Aliens, Ripley stows away in the pod with the young girl, and goes into stasis. In Alien 3, we discover that there was actually a face-hugger on board. Ripley later finds out that she's got a parasite inside of her. However, her stasis pod was in...	Before the escape vehicle was jettisoned, the glass casing of her pod could be seen to be broken. I know it's a late response but in the opening scenes we can see the facehugger attempting to break into Ripley's chamber.
Since when do the members of Torchwood know about the existence of the Doctor? Captain Jack Harkness once show great trust about the Doctor when Gwen Cooper asked in what circumstances would he open the rift of Cardiff and Jack replied :"With the right Doctor." I assume Ianto Jones and Gwen Cooper knew about him after...	As far as the staff of Torchwood Three during the course of the series: Jack, of course, had known about The Doctor since his introduction in the Doctor
Trying to recall a sci-fi book I read in the '70s When I was a teen, in the '70s, I recall reading a sci-fi book about an arctic discovery. I seem to recall that explorers had found the remnants of an ancient civilization, and I think had found one of the ancient people frozen. I think there may have been a sort of pyr...	It seems to share many elements, including an (ant)arctic expedition, remnants of an ancient civilizations in the ice, and ancient creatures reawoken.
Where does the treasure in the troll cave come from? Having just watched The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey for a second time I only just realised something; I don't know where the treasure in the troll-cave comes from. I had assumed that as the trolls have traveled to their present location they were still on the move...	The treasure in the Troll cave was gathered over time by waylaying travelers and by looting villages and farms.
How heavy is Superman on Earth? Jor-El says in Superman I that Kal-El will not be like the humans of Earth. That he will have super strength and that he will be much denser than a man. Being denser means you have more mass which means you are heavy relatively speaking compared to a man. How heavy is Clark then as he is...	I've not found references to Krypton's gravity force, but Wikipedia suggest it as "massive" comparatively to the Earth, wich suggest that Superman would probably weight several metric tons on Earth (and it would easily explain why he's so strong and thought).
How was Obi-Wan felled by such minor injuries? I'm pretty confused. During the fight between Obi-Wan and Count Dooku on Geonosis, Obi-Wan is doing fine until he gets a little cut on his arm, and a little cut on his leg. Then he's down. I don't get it. If Obi-Wan was such a great Jedi, how did such little injuries bring...	Dooku was a master of Form II lightsaber combat , a more dueling centric form of lightsaber combat than the Form III lightsaber combat Obi-wan employed, and these wounds showed his complete mastery over the Jedi. Also, I think that the fact that Obi-Wan had fought the battle of Geonosis just before his duel with Dooku,...
Was the Doom of Mandos a curse or a prediction? In the Silmillarion, Mandos says: Tears unnumbered ye shall shed; and the Valar will fence Valinor against you, and shut you out, so that not even the echo of your lamentation shall pass over the mountains. On the House of Fëanor the wrath of the Valar lieth from the We...	"Doom" is another word for "judgment," and knowing the elves better than they know themselves, he is predicting what will come.
Why is the original "self" lost through death in The 13th Floor and replaced by the virtual one? In "The 13th Floor" person A experiences a simulation of person B's body and world. If person B dies while person A is experiencing their world, person A's sense of self is destroyed and person B then takes their place and ...	The idea in the movie seems to be that the download link (person) in the simulation has been programmed to occupy 2 minds at the same time.
What was this Giant wall in Space? I read What is the largest (engineered) physical object dreamed of in science fiction? and it reminded me of an episode in Star Trek where the Enterprise faces a giant wall in space. So big that it would take a very long time to pass it even at Warp speed. I recall that the wall ...	Your description of metal with round doors sounds like the Dyson sphere encountered in Relics .
If Gollum had the One Ring so long, how did he not have more power? Is it as simple as "he didn't know what to do with it"? <Q> "The Ring's primary power was control of the other Rings of Power and domination of the wills of their users.[5] <S> In the same way, it amplified any inherent power its owner possessed.[5]" ...	The Ring also conferred power to dominate the wills of other beings whether they were wearing Rings or not — but only in proportion to the user's native capacity. As Andres F. said in his comment, Gollum's power level was too low to start with for the ring to have conferred much in the way of additional power.
How far could the characters in Wreck-it Ralph travel from Game Central Station? In the movie Wreck-it Ralph , characters can move from game-to-game using the (dodgy) power-board known as 'Game Central Station' : Are we to believe that every game in the arcade is plugged in to this one power board? (eye-twitch) O...	It wouldn't be too much to assume that a game character could traverse the power grid, eventually traveling to any directly connected device, though with no guarantee that it would stay connected. On a side note, we learn that Sugar Rush is a vanishingly rare 'import' game and that other Wreck-It Ralph machines are alm...
What are the size limits of a Federation replicator? Are there any size limits on the items that a replicator can produce? Has there been shown any different sizes of replicators capable of replicator large objects? What are the smallest and largest things we know to have been replicated? <Q> There are two types of re...	I imagine there are software limitations to replicating objects larger than would fit within the replicator unit.
Is the Doctor still married? In “The Snowmen” the Doctor kisses his new-found companion-to-be... but isn't he still married to River Song? Is he essentially cheating, was there another purpose to it, or is there something else I've missed? I did wonder if it was something to do with the timelines getting mixed, but fr...	The Doctor is still married and technically the soon-to-be companion is the one who did the kissing, not the Doctor, he just stood there, kind of surprised, looking all doctor-ish...
In the opening sequence of the walking dead, what are the crows feasting on? I've watched the opening of The Walking Dead countless times, but I can't identify the white-ish animal the crows are eating on the road. My fiancé and I jokingly call it the rabbit/cat/teddy bear. <Q> I'm pretty sure it's a cat. <S> You can't...	It looks like a juvenile cat - it has the foot pads of a cat, as well as the hind leg joints and ears of a cat. It is definitely not a rodent of any kind since the head shape is wrong for it. It's the teddy bear that was in the beginning of the first episode of Season 1.
What (if any) is the relationship between Gwyneth and Gwen Cooper? Watching episode 3, "The Unquiet Dead" of Series 1 of the new Doctor Who , it seemed the parlor maid, Gwyneth, was familiar. A quick Google revealed the actress as Eve Myles , also known for playing Gwen on Torchwood . This seemed too much of a coin...	According to Russell T Davies, "It's not familial as we understand it. Many long-running TV shows have been known (coughtrek) to reuse actors, especially science-fiction and procedural ones (Law & Order apparently).
How do the Daleks Build Anything, without themselves having hands? I understand that Daleks can kill, but they don't have any hands. How do they build those huge ships they fly around in? The only logical conclusion I can come up with is they have a huge slave population of humanoids that work for them, since I doubt ...	In other episodes they've had a " nano cloud " which can convert biological matter into Dalek technology
When to use a runabout or a shuttle in a mission? In TNG and DS9, we often see the use of shuttles and runabouts. What is the deciding factor of which one to use? How come we only see one use of a runabout in TNG? Is it only about the crew size on board? Yet shuttles have been shown to carry quite a number of people to...	Shuttlecraft are short range craft used on starships and space stations to ferry people from place to place where the transporter is either a poor or impossible choice.
Is Quorra human now? As a corollary to my other question I was wondering about this: Once Quorra enters the real world does she become human or is she something else? i.e. Is she a living, breathing, human being with blood, sweat, and tears, is she some kind of human appearing 'alien', or is she a synthetic creation...	Perhaps she is a new lifeform that takes on the shape of a human.
Has any Milky Way native traveled outside our galaxy? The galaxy is a big place. But the universe is much bigger. Still, most of Star Trek canon seems restricted to exploring our own galaxy - and even then, only a small part. Sure, there's limitations to exactly how fast Federation ships can travel. But there h...	Enterprise-D traveled to Triangulum Galaxy (sent by The Traveler , in TNG: "Where No One Has Gone Before")
What was the particular risk in the road out of the Isenmouthe? Some days after they venture into Mordor, Frodo and Sam run into an Orc army and are forced into its ranks. They manage to get away quite near to the Isenmouthe, and then the head east beside the road that leads from the Isenmouthe to Barad-dur. After a wh...	The only risk I can think of that Frodo could know and Sam could not is discovery by Sauron himself through magical means (such as the Minas Ithil Palantír).
The Angel Paradox; Is it possible to see an Angel move under the following circumstances? Consider the following scenario: The Doctor is in a location where there is an Angel present. While walking down a (ahem, well-lit) corridor, he turns a corner and sees an Angel, which is also facing his direction and is now awa...	The Angel will freeze as soon as the tiniest sliver of it is visible by the Doctor - even though that sliver may be too small for the Doctor to actually notice its presence.
What happens to the food that Commander Data digests or drinks? Even though Data does not need food or drink, many times it has been shown that he does consume foods and drinks. What happens to the food after digestion? Given that he was created as a "fully functional android", should we assume that he gets rid of wast...	I always assumed that since the food he digests is replicated it would simply recycle itself, he might even have had a mechanism for it (I recall him saying somewhere that he does have a "stomach").
Can and did the Q ever give their powers to mortal beings (aside from Riker)? In an episode of TNG, Q gave Riker God-like powers. Aside from this incident, did the Q ever give/lend their powers to mortal beings? If one receives the powers, would he be considered a Q? <Q> Technically in <S> TNG: Deja Q , Q starts off ...	Aside from Riker there are no canon (i.e. TV or movie) examples of a mortal being given the Q power, although it is possible to be born with them.
How did V gain access to the Fate super-computer? In V for Vendetta (comic) how did V gain access to the Fate super-computer? Is it established at some point or is it something that is never explained? <Q> It's not explained in either the film or the comic series. <S> That said, there are some pretty big clues. <S> I...	I myself have a pet theory that V's past life was as the chief designer of the Fate computer, which made him a witness to the regime's best-kept secret- I think that Alan Moore left that detail to the imagination of the reader.
Were there any plans for Dr. Noonian Soong to create a mate for Data? Has it been shown anywhere that Dr. Noonian Soong had in mind any plans for creating an android mate for Data? Or when he created him as a "fully functional" android, he had in mind that he would be able on his own to find a mate? Which for me is dif...	Data was likely made "fully-functional" to allow him to mate, or at least be intimate, with biological humanoids, not to mate with other androids, which would be rather pointless.
If I want to replicate say three apples in a replicator, will they be exactly the same to the molecule or there would be slight variance? As far as I know, the replicator reads files from the computer library and based on that pattern it creates the object or food. If it is just materializing objects to the molecule ba...	Like making a copy of anything, there is some data lost or change in the reproduction of the stored item.
What scifi novel with an eco-theme had a separate, primitive species of humans and a kind of insect hive mind? I'm trying to recall a novel that I read in the 80s/early 90s. Unfortunately I can't remember either the title or the author. Here's what I can remember: There was a separate race of human being that lived i...	Raen hides from the slaughter of her family in a Blue Hive and is, as the story develops a hive master.
James T. Kirk: Why "Tiberius"? Considering the relatively exotic nature of " Tiberius ", is there a story behind James T. Kirk 's middle name? Do we perhaps know what the professions of his parents were? <Q> This is also true (as you'd expect as Nero's arrival comes after Tiberius Kirk was born) in the 'rebooted' univ...	Tiberius was the first name of Kirk's Grandfather . I received James because it was both the name of my father’s beloved brother as well as that of my mother’s first love instructor.
Why didn't the rebels on Hoth use X-Wings to fight AT-ATs? This question and answers do a good job explaining why the Imperial forces didn't have fighter protection for their ground force on Hoth. But nothing there explains why the Rebels didn't use X-Wings to easily dispatch the AT-ATs and buy more time. They obviou...	Further, there is little indication that the X-Wings would have fared much better - they're just as fragile, probably have trouble † at the mid-speeds of ground engagement, and would have used their limited proton torpedo supply on a delaying action. The point of the Battle of Hoth was to have enough time to evacuate, ...
Why did Ambassador Jeffrey Sinclair not want Garibaldi to join him and others on War Without End mission? In the episode "War Without End": Jeffrey Sinclair, Commander Ivanova, Ambassador Delenn, Marcus and Captain Sheridan travel back in time to Babylon 4. I did not understand the reasoning explained in a scene ...	So Garibaldi would not have survived another trip there and back through the time field, or at the very least he would have aged like Sinclair did, since both of them were previously exposed to it without any protection.
Does Emperor Palpatine have a first name? Has the first name of Emperor Palpatine been mentioned in any Star Wars work? <Q> UPDATE on the origin <S> As per James Luceno's interview on "Star Wars With Friends #21" Podcast: <S> The name came directly from George Lucas <S> It was invented a long time ago, for ...	No first name for the Emperor has been revealed to date. A few days ago at the "A New Dawn" panel at New York Comic Con, it was revealed that the upcoming novel Tarkin , written by James Luceno, will finally reveal Palpatine's first name.
Were there (or are there) any Dark Wizards who were Sorted into the Hufflepuff House? I just finished watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone on DVD. Not my first time seeing in the movie by a long shot, but Quirrell captured my attention during the film. He was a servant of Lord Voldemort I ha...	Overall, I’d say it’s pretty likely that Hufflepuff have turned out some Dark wizards and witches, but they probably pale in comparison to the number and notoriety of those turned out by Slytherin, hence they don’t tend to get mentioned much.
Is the Teen Titans Robin Tim Drake or Dick Grayson? In DCAU ( DC Animated Universe ), Dick Grayson was much taller and older when he left Batman and Tim Drake went crazy when The Joker kidnapped him, so is the Teen Titans Robin the third Robin? <Q> He is Dick Grayson. <S> In one of the episodes, I clearly remember seei...	In one flash-forward in TTG, we see him as Nightwing, which suggests that he is Dick Grayson.
Story where one man chosen to represent all earth interviewed by alien galactic empire Here's the story and you'd think if I could remember all this detail I'd know the name: A man is selected by some random process to represent all of Earth and he's being interviewed by an alien galactic empire. The powers on earth,...	Brian Aldiss, from the Space, Time and Nathaniel collection.
Why did Sting glow blue when Orcs were near by? Out of all the ancient blades made by Elvish weapon-smiths in Gondolin, why was Sting given a distinctive and unique glow whenever an Orc was close by? Secondly, why would they put it on such a relatively small weapon, as opposed to Orcrist or Glamdring? <Q> Orcrist an...	Every sword made in Gondolin should indeed glow blue and the elves of Gondolin were not worried that the goblins would see them coming.
Why does Bilbo change? In The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey the 50 year old Bilbo Baggins is played Martin Freeman and when he gets to his 100's (at the start of the movie and in The Lord of the Rings) Ian Holm plays a older grey haired version of Bilbo. In the LOTR book it is said Time wore on, but it seemed to ...	Bilbo did change, he did show signs of age, but just not as much as would have been expected .
Would a lightsaber melt or vaporize a bullet? Related: Why would a slug thrower be more effective against a lightsaber/Jedi than a blaster? Assuming that a lightsaber is a magnetically-contained tube of plasma (although theories are abound as to how this is achieved) and the typical bullet is made of either lead o...	Their guns shoot bullets and when you block them they just disintegrate. The Force Awakens (novelization)
How on Earth did the Dursleys get off "The Rock?" In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (or Sorcerer's Stone), Hagrid Tells Harry he "flew" when asked how he'd gotten to the rock, but the two take the boat back to the mainland leaving the Dursleys on the rock in the little shack without transport back to the main...	Either the island had some other boat, or Coastguard (or whateverthehell Limeys call it) chanced upon them and rescued them. Perhaps they were spotted by the toothless old man with the wicked grin when he came looking for his boat later. I was just thinking about this and here's my theory: Hagrid and Harry left the boa...
Why was Dumbledore worried by the cut in Harry's arm? In the Goblet of Fire , Harry is cut in the arm by Pettigrew.When Dumbledore learns it, he's extremely worried and wants to check Harry's arm. Why? When Harry told of Wormtail piercing his arm with the dagger, however, Sirius let out a vehement exclamation and D...	Probably,by taking a look at Harry's cut arm,he wanted to make sure if his blood had indeed been used to rejuvenate Lord Voldemort.
How can Odo speak? So we know that Odo has no respiratory system or digestion system, but given this how it that has a voice box and can speak? Are we suppose to assume that he designed (for lack of a better word) his humanoid form to have a voice box? Wouldn't that be too hard for him to form, or did he do it despite ...	In short, Odo has learned to function himself a functioning voicebox and vocal cords using his shapeshifting skills.
What spell did Dumbledore use against Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic? In the Order of the Phoenix , Dumbledore uses a spell against Voldemort. The following dialogue ensues: Voldemort: "You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore? Above such brutality, are you?" Dumbledore: "We both know there are other ways of ...	I would guess it might be a spell that caused Voldemort to feel remorse which, because of his fractured soul, would have been so painful it might have caused Voldemort's death (if there weren't the Horcruxes).
SG-1 A matter of time Why did the Gate closed when the SG-10 Team opened it from their side but did not close when homebase dialed into the black hole planet? Supposedly its drawing power from both sides, it should have the same effect right? <Q> I believe the in-episode explanation was that when SG-10 dialed, the bl...	Perhaps it (the Stargate) passed some sort of threshold where it started absorbing direct power (enough to sustain itself) from the black hole between these two events .
Why did Lieutenant Dirige let Arcadia go? In the third book of the original Foundation series, Second Foundation , Arcadia Darrell tries to escape from Kalgan and get to Trantor. In the spaceport, she is confronted by Police Lieutenant Orum Dirige who was ordered to look for her. After seeing her papers, though, and r...	I think the main reason for influencing Dirige, when they knew it would be detected, was part of the plan to set up Anthor and deceive the Foundation into thinking they'd found the Second Foundation on Terminus.
Is Eli blind, or can he just read braille? In the Movie " The Book of Eli " we discover at the end that the Bible Eli has been carrying the entire movie is written in Braille. Does this imply that he is blind (and has been living completely "by faith" his entire life) or is the punchline of the movie that he is the s...	He was partially blind, not blind.
Whose blood is being written with on the walls in Chamber of Secrets? Several times during The Chamber of Secrets a message is written on a wall in blood. We learn at the end that this was Ginny Weasley's doing while under Tom Riddle's control. What is never explained, at least in the movie version which I just watche...	Though it does not explicitly say so, the book implies that it was red paint.
Why isn't Harry Potter punished for using magic outside of Hogwarts in Prisoner of Azkaban? At the very start of the movie adaptation of Prisoner of Azkaban , Harry attempts the spell Lumos Maxima in his bedroom. He then inflates his Aunt Marge and makes her float in the air. How come he is doing this outside of Ho...	Underage wizards aren't allowed to use magic at home -- CORNELIUS FUDGE The reason Harry isn't punished in Prisoner of Azkaban is because he is the Chosen One. He is not punished for Aunt Marge's incident as it was accidental magic.
Was Lan ever really dead? One of the key climactic scenes in A Memory of Light involves two majors characters fighting and apparently killing each other: Lan manages to kill Demandred by "sheathing the sword", that is, allowing Demandred to land a blow in order to land one of his own. In this case, both strikes ap...	He never died, although it seemed like it. That it actually was NOT a fatal blow was quite surprising but as stated by some before a strike does not have to be "lethal" in nature.
How does the Movie, "The Seeker - The Dark is Rising" compare to the books by Susan Cooper? I've not seen the movie, but I really enjoyed the books as a child and I am getting a literature unit ready for my daughter using the books. I wondered how faithful the movie is to the books in considering whether to plan on wa...	It is a good movie if you haven't read the books but also a bit disappointing because of the vast differences in the plotline and the details.
Were the NX-01 or any other major elements of Enterprise referenced in an earlier series? With the obvious exception (for the most part) of the 2012 film, Star Trek movies and TV series generally stay pretty true to canon in terms of in-universe history. So I began to wonder, as I'm now watching through the Enterprise...	I believe the reason there was never any mention of the NX-01 USS Enterprise prior to the television series was due to a slight change in the timeline after the events in Star Trek First Contact. There are several references retconned into the events of Enterprise from TNG and the films, notably the appearance of the p...
Has Starfleet ever made First Contact with a pre-established space-faring species oblivious to alien intelligence? I've seen a fair majority of the material which comprises primary Star Trek canon. I've watched all the TNG-era shows, all the movies (as far back as The Motion Picture), and am currently working throug...	The closest I can find was The Probe from Star Trek IV which was from an intelligent race that had warp tech for a long time, but they knew intelligent life existed outside themselves.
Why was Terok Nor renamed Deep Space Nine? Terok Nor, the Cardassian space station in orbit of Bajor, was abandoned when the Cardassian occupation ended. This left the Bajorans in control of the station and they assumed ownership of it. Shortly thereafter the Bajorans petitioned for entry into the Federation and reques...	The Bajorans, probably wanting to distance themselves from what Terok Nor represented and not having a better name at the time, would have approved the name change to avoid confusion. As Starfleet has overall authority over running the station, it's not surprising that Starfleet would refer to it with their own name. P...
When and why did the Asari begin referring to themselves as female? While it is probably quite arguable whether or not the Asari are actually female, I think a separate question remains open as to when and why did they begin calling themselves female. Though they do appear distinctly feminine, they are only so in co...	I would imagine that not only did Asari immediately identify more with females of different species, but different species would instantly view them as female as opposed to male or monosexual, because of both their general demeanor, and their ability to carry children. I would imagine it was after they branched out and...
Are the Weeping Angels immune to seeing themselves? Is there any canon proof (written or televised) that shows Weeping Angels to be immune from seeing themselves? It stands to reason since they cover their eyes (seeing their hands would quantum lock them), but I don't remember it actually saying. Edit: Each individual...	In " The Time of the Doctor ", a Weeping angel is revealed to actually not be completely immune to seeing its own form, as shown by the mirror the Doctor places with the message attached; "WITH LOVE FROM THE DOCTOR!".
Could Voldemort have died a natural death with his horcruxes intact? A more general question is: Can a witch or wizard die a natural death as long as her/his horcruxes exist? Looking for canonical answer only. Rowling's interviews etc are welcome, too. <Q> No, they cannot, nor can Voldemort: <S> ‘Well, you split yo...	No, Voldemort could not have died a natural death while his horcruxes were intact.
80's story about siblings going to another realm, one falls ill in the real world and must be saved through the other one. It was about a boy who went into some other realm with his brother (I think), his brother got ill or was wounded there and was now dying in the real world. The brother had to go back to the other r...	One of the boys is kidnapped into the faerie realm and replaced with a changeling, and his brother has to go into the realm to rescue him. at one point the brother and sister are separated, the sister gets quite ill and then has to go and rescue the brother.
Did Voldemort ever practice being nice on his followers? We know that Voldemort is VERY good at seeming all sugar and spice and everything nice when he wishes to (Hepizbah Smith, Headmaster Dippet, Gray Lady). This makes perfect sense, since such an ability is a typical trait for sociopaths [ citation needed ]. Most ...	Obviously, Voldemort cannot afford to lose his charm by doing something trivial such as being nice.
Why did Draco Malfoy support Viktor Krum in the Triwizard Tournament? I understand why Draco wouldn't support Harry¹, but I don't understand why he wouldn't throw his support to Cedric, a fellow Hogwarts student, a well-liked guy in general, and also a Seeker, like Viktor, Harry, and Draco himself. I glanced through G...	Malfoy did support Diggory; the badges he and the Slytherins wore said "Support Cedric Diggory" (as well as "Potter Stinks").
Since computers normally start counting from zero, was there a city before Machine City 01? In The Matrix (and Animatrix), the machine city is called 01 (Zero One). From what I've read, this is the only city the machines have. If this is the first city built by machines, wouldn't it be called 00, since you typically ...	The name "01" refers to the Machine City seen in the Animatrix segment the "Second Renaissance" and latterly in the film "Revolutions".
Why couldn't red pills be used instead of running towards a ringing telephone? In The Matrix trilogy, it was common practice for outsiders to exit using a hardwired telephone, for which they also went to lots of trouble. Why couldn't they simply use a Red Pill to interrupt the matrix signal and awake in the real wor...	Repeated red pill use causes an inability to interface with the Matrix and would be counter productive.
What do Aurors do? Granted, Aurors are supposed to be the Wizarding World's vanguard against Dark Lords and whatnot, but unless the Potterverse is under siege by one Dark Lord after another, that doesn't leave them with much to do in peacetime. Now, I would normally argue that Aurors function like some kind of a polic...	Aurors seem to be exactly what you suspect; they are a team of highly-skilled and specialised wizards who are capable of dueling Dark Wizards as well as apprehending them.
Are there any other weapons designed using lightsaber technology? I know Darth Maul used a lightsaber staff which was basically two lightsabers end to end. I had thought that lightsaber nunchaku would be amazing, but the fact that you'd rather quickly lose your own hand during a change over would be problematic!! So...	According to legend, the ancient Sith used massive kyber crystals to create superweapons; during the Clone Wars, the Geonosians revived the superlaser design.
Would it be possible to create a ship to ship weapon based on lightsaber technology How large could a weapon based on lightsaber technology be? Could one be designed for ship based attacks i.e. a lightsaber ram. Would there be power issues with this or would the crystal size be the biggest problem? I assume that while...	A lightsaber would need to be large to be an effective weapon (to be able to impale a ship without literally crashing into it, for example). By rights lightsabers shouldn’t have been able to cut through meter-thick durasteel and yet they could, which lent credence to the notion of their being augmented by the Force its...
Is Fury still a Colonel? Nick Fury holds the military rank of colonel in the original canon of the Marvel universe. In the new Marvel Movie Universe, is Fury still Colonel Fury? I only remember him being referred to as "Director Fury" in the Avengers film. <Q> Short Answer : probably not. <S> Long Answer : <S> The c...	Fury is the one who is a colonel, having served in WW2.
Could a nonhuman-Xenomorph offspring be queen? After the queen dies in the "Alien vs Predator" game, Specimen 6 becomes the new queen because she is the strongest living female left in the area, if I am correct. My question is: what if the only female left was a Predator-Xenomorph or an animal-Xenomorph, like in Alien ...	I think that non-human Xenomorph queens would be able to produce more dangerous offspring, especially in the case of a PredAlien.
How exactly does the world-hell transition work in Constantine? John Constantine explains that water acts as some sort of lubricant to facilitate the transition into the hell dimension. However, I don't see how exactly this works. In particular the film left open some questions: What does it take for a human to make ...	It seems that the first time someone goes to Hell via this ritual they should be fully submerged and suffer a death. The mystic journey is often "lubricated" by immersion in water; in induces an altered state of consciousness in many cultures.
Couldn't Tony Stark cure his palladium poisoning by taking the ARC reactor out of his chest? In Iron Man II Tony Stark is being slowly poisoned by the palladium in the ARC reactor in his chest. But the only thing that needs to be in his chest is the electromagnet that stops the shrapnel from entering his heart. The A...	The arc reactor simply needs to be inside his chest because it is powering the electromagnet keeping him alive.
Why is Terminator able to destroy himself in Rise of the Machines but not in Judgment Day? Near the end of Judgment Day movie the T-800 Terminator is to be melted and he says he can't destroy himself and so asks John and Sarah to press the button. Near the end of Rise of the Machines T-850 Terminator is fighting T-X a...	I can only assume that something in the T800's programming differentiates between letting yourself be terminated and self termination. In the first case it is to prevent any remaining technology from being discovered which could possibly lead to the creation of Skynet.
Why did the astronauts use completely glassed helmets? In Prometheus , why did all the astronauts use helmets completely made of glass? I mean, is the idea that a person will look out the back of his head? Is it not safer to have helmets like astronauts have nowadays? <Q> The more glass, the easier it is to see aroun...	Using a single material surface would also reduce the number of material interfaces which can be more likely to fail/leak (different thermal expansion and elasticity properties and requiring a matrix/glue) and be more difficult to see failures--and a transparent helmet might make damage more obvious.

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