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Forgot the title of the movie with a bad killer robot in a spaceship I remember I was watching the movie around 10 (?) years ago. It's probably a US movie (or UK or Australian) – I mean, not the Indian one or whatever. The storyline is really close to the one Saturn 3 has. But I have looked thru some screenshots of th...	Event Horizon (1997)
How could Thor's hammer Mjölnir be forged in the heart of a dying star? Mjölnir (literally, "that which smashes") is the hammer wielded by Thor, the Norse god of thunder. According to Marvel Universe the blacksmiths used the core of a star as a forge to construct Mjölnir. [at Thor's coronation] Odin : Thor Odins...	The material that would become the head of the hammer was therefore FORGED by the star itself dying, not by blacksmiths literally being inside the star as it died forging this.
TV's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. vs The Comic Books Without revealing any spoilers concerning information beyond that which has been televised thusfar, can someone please answer how closely related the TV show Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is to the comic books that the show is based off of? <Q> Agents of S.H.I.E...	Most of the characters in the show do not appear in the comics at all.
Would Nagini have become the master of the Elder Wand? Voldemort ordered Nagini to kill Snape in hopes of claiming the Elder Wand's ownership. Let's suppose that Snape was indeed the owner. In this scenario, would the Elder Wand's ownership truly pass to Voldemort? I ask this because, after all, the one who overpow...	I personally think no-one was truly the owner after Dumbledore's death as Dumbledore was never defeated properly - he let Malfoy disarm him and Snape
Would the first Avatar have been a Firebender? In The Legend of Korra the first element that Avatar Wan gained was fire from a Fire Lion Turtle, which he eventually mastered in the Spirit Wilds some time later with Dragons on the Spirit Oasis. Would this mean that the first Avatar (Wan) was a Firebender and that the A...	Therefore, since Wan first mastered firebending, and is also from a town with a fire lion turtle, he should be considered a firebender.
What happens to deceased clones? What happens when a clone soldier (clonetroopers and stormtroopers included) dies? Does the republic/empire have a mass body disposal facility? Do they bury the dead troopers? Is the equipment issued to this dead soldier salvaged and handed to one of his brothers? <Q> One of their numbe...	In the Star Wars book " Imperial Commando: 501st ", several Clone Commando warriors insist on a cremation for their fallen colleague.
The Walking Dead - Why do the dead in first episode not turn? I recently found out that in the series, somewhere at the end of season 2, that Shaneturned into a walker without being bit, and later Rick tells the group of what Dr Jenner had earlier confessed to Rick in private, that they "all had it in them", and by def...	It is shown (mostly on the graphic novel) that people don't necessarily turn the moment they die.
Can two people master the Elder Wand at one time? What would happen in a scenario where two people try to disarm the master of the Elder Wand at the same time? Would the wand change its allegiance to two people or would it's power be broken? I think the wand would change its allegiance to the more powerful wizard of ...	I would say it's pretty impossible for two people to disarm one, no matter what one of the spells would hit first and perform the actual disarming.
Why is it considered taboo for a Federation citizen to live on a primitive world? I understand the the Prime Directive strictly prohibits many things in regards to interference with other less technologically advanced cultures through artificial means. However, why does it seem to be taboo for a Federation citizen who...	Just the presence of an alien (such as a human) from an advanced culture (such as The Federation) can interfere with the development of the local civilization.
What exactly happened to Thranduil's face while he was arguing with Thorin? In the heated discussion between Thranduil and Thorin, for a moment, Thranduil's face suddenly turned very deeply scarred & wounded and then immediately returned to normal. What was this about? Is it a reference to anything that was cut out of ...	The book does not refer to any scar or to Thranduil being somehow disabled, but the movie makes it seem so ´cause the Movie!Thranduil has an extensive scar and an apparently blind eye as a result of the scarring (caused by the dragon fire).
What's in the box at the end of Lovecrafts's Reanimator? At the end of Herbert West: Reanimator , West has a box delivered to him which he incinerates. The contents of the box are never explicitly mentioned but is it implied as to what's inside? My guess is that it's Clapham-Lee's head but why would he send it...	Knowing West will suppose it to be his head and incinerate it, Clapham-Lee knows West will head directly down to the incinerator.
Do Hutts have a biological resistance to Force manipulation? The question Why was Jabba immune to Luke's powers of the Force in Return of the Jedi? posits that Jedi Mind Tricks do not work on Jabba because he is strong willed. This makes a good deal of sense, especially given Ben's quote. BEN: The Force can have ...	In the episode of Clone Wars The Hunt For Ziro (season 3), one of the Hutts mentions they TAUGHT their child to resist force mind tricks.
How did humans know about Thor and Loki? In Thor (2011), it's heavily implied or stated that Norse mythology is based on the Asgardians' battles with frost giants on Earth in the tenth century AD. How were gods like Thor and Loki part of the old stories--with their eventual personalities intact--when they were babies...	According to 'real' Norse mythology, Thor should have been at least a couple of hundred years old in 965 AD. Odin remembered his father Bor’s dying words to adopt the son of a father killed by his hands; Odin adopted Loki into his own family, raising Loki like a son along with his biological son, Thor.
Order of the Phoenix: Why did it hurt Voldemort to possess Harry at the end of the book? At the end of Order of the Phoenix , Voldemort possesses Harry and is hurting from the possession. I feel like the book suggested that it was his mother's love that protected Harry, but Voldemort by that time had taken Harry's blo...	The Dark Lord couldn’t stand possessing Harry when he was feeling so much love.
Why did Thanos plan the Chitauri invasion when he only needed Tesseract? In the Avengers movie, Loki got the Tesseract from S.H.I.E.L.D., which he then used to open the portal. Since Thanos' primary objective was to obtain the Tesseract, which Loki already had and could have used to transport himself back to Thanos, ...	This clearly shows that the invasion was Loki's idea, and not Thanos's. Thanos was in it only for the Tesseract.
Could Basilisk be killed using Avada Kedavra? Provided that the release of the basilisk created a lot of terror in Hogwarts, I was wondering why it was a big thing for Dumbledore type wizards to hunt and kill the subject. Harry didn't know Avada Kedavra at that time, but could a basilisk be killed using Avada Kedav...	I would imagine Avada Kedavra would kill a basilisk; the difficulty is in casting the spell without dying yourself.
Can a non-warp capable ship travel at light speed by tucking in close to a warp capable ship? Given warp-field technology in Star Trek canon, is it possible for a non-warp ship to use the warp bubble of another (warp capable) ship to exceed light speed? A sort of nascar 'drafting' if you will. <Q> Yes, you can 'ride' i...	Presumably a small ship inside the warp field of a larger ship moving at the same speed and direction of the warp ship, should be able to "draft" the other ship's warp speed.
Does Batman use Linux? While reading a Windows 8.1 tips & tricks blog, I came across this conversation in the comment section where they were joking about the possibility of Linux being Batcomputer's choice of OS. Could it be true? A customized OS perhaps? Could the utility belt be running Java? I've searched for...	In order to interface with his own BatComputer, Batman must be quite proficient in using Cray's own unix-based operating system; UNICOS Therefore, it is entirely likely and possible that he uses a Linux distro of some sort.
Why are the holodecks on Voyager in use if they have energy issues? I'm watching the first two seasons of Voyager and various episodes have commentary on having energy limitations -- but we constantly see crew using extremely complicated holodeck simulations. Why would they allow use of the holodeck if they need to con...	There actually is a very practical reason for the holodecks to have an independent power source, The EMH. Given how much they hate Neelix's cooking, allowing liberal use of the holodecks could be the only practical way of improving morale.
When, why and how did Tom Riddle anagram his name? I am curious to know this. It must not have been easy. Did he use magic for this purpose? And why did he anagram it? Just keeping a new name would have been enough. Why did he need to maintain a link between the two names? Is such type of magic possible? What can ...	Canon doesn't indicate that there was any magic involved in the anagram; Tom Riddle uses only letters from the name Merope Gaunt gave to him to create "Lord Voldemort".
How did the huge dragon skulls get placed in the dungeon? How did the huge dragon skulls get placed in the dungeon of the Red Keep? In the TV series (Season 1) I didn't see any door large enough to accommodate them. <Q> In universe , IIRC from the books, the skulls used to be in the Throne Room. <S> They were moved in...	Assuming that it is customary to store large objects in the dungeon, it makes perfect sense to use a ceiling door, which allows you to use a crane or winch to bring objects up/down. Basically, I don't think it would be a stretch of the imagination for the servants of the Red Keep to move the skulls into the dungeon fol...
How do death curses work? This question contains spoilers from various books in the series. In order for a death curse to have a long lasting effect, it has to be anchored to something. For example Margaret LeFay had to anchor her spell to Harry via their blood relation to prevent Lord Raith from ever feeding agai...	All energy setting up a death curse has to come from a living being, burns every last bit of energy that living being has out.
Why does Neal Stephenson use the term Nipponese instead of Japanese? Is there any particular reason why Neal Stephenson consistently refers to Japan as Nippon, and the Japanese as the Nipponese? I first noticed this in the novel Cryptonomicon, again in Reamde, and finally in the Diamond Age, which I just finished. I ...	Actually the Japanese call our country "Nihon", "Nippon" is a very "patriotic" way of saying Japan.
Is Loki actually a god? In comics, Loki is nicknamed the God of Mischief for his casting of illusions. But is he really the God of Mischief in the comics , or is this simply a nickname given to him because he is the adopted brother and son of Thor and Odin, respectively (because Thor and Odin are gods)? <Q> Yes. <S> W...	To the Norse, Loki is a "God" - just as Thor and Odin are, but none of the Asgardians (much less the Giants of Jotunheim) are actually gods.
Can Transformers be manually upgraded? Barring near-mystical or supernatural methods like quantum surges , shoving two sparks into one body , leveling up via The Matrix of Leadership , or intervention by Unicron , can Transformers be manually upgraded? In Transformers: Prime, we see that biomechs (essentially or...	In the old ongoing Megatron gets a himself completely new body built by Shockwave and Soundwave (with a completely different alternate mode and arm canon) after being badly wounded. This really depends on the continuity/universe you're looking at.
What is the difference between an Autobot and a Decepticon The title 'Autobot' is explained to be the short version of 'Autonomous Robotic Organisms'. Wouldn't that mean all Cybertronions are Autobots? Why then do the good "Heroic Bots" lead by Optimus Prime call themselves Autobots while the bad "Evil Bots" lead by Me...	In the IDW comics continuity the Autobot moniker is given to the corrupt Cybertronian Empire by the galaxy's other races to describe these mechanical beings.
How did Hagrid put Fluffy in the room in the third floor? Fluffy is a large, vicious, three-headed dog who was once cared for by Rubeus Hagrid. Fluffy's greatest weakness is the inability to resist falling asleep to the sound of music. Hermione: "That thing has a name?" Hagrid: "'Course he's got a name, he's mine." ...	They would use magic or possibly in Hagrids case strength. Hagrid placates him with music, and a teacher/several teachers shrink him to a manageable size. In the same vein, Fluffy may not have been fully grown at the time he was guarding the stone, yet still have been very, very big, but manageable for Hagrid.
Why was Toothless toothless? When Hiccup first meets Toothless, he is menaced by a mouthful of sharp teeth. The next time they meet, Hiccup notices that Toothless appears to have no teeth (leading to his name), only to have a full mouthful of teeth spring out from the gums. It seems they are retractable, but that see...	Toothless gets his name from his sets of retractable teeth. The great white shark has rows of teeth behind the main ones.
Why can only Decepticons fly in robot mode? In all continuities, the Autobots and Decepticons were originally one race which split into two factions. In some, this was largely a civilian vs military split; others were a bit more ambiguous. In many of the continuities, the Decepticons are capable of natural flight whi...	Other theory was that the the makers of the cartoon realized that the Autobots wouldn't use their land vehicle forms if they could travel by flight. Because of this some writers have decided to include these abilities in their stories. Thus the only reason why it always looks that they don't have it is an out of univer...
Novels set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? I've recently started reading some of the Star Wars extended universe novels, and have really started to enjoy them. I'm also a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the storylines and characters in the films. Are there any novels set in this universe? If so, where...	Iron Man: I Am Iron Man I know that there are novelizations of the Iron Man movies.
Did Obi-Wan need to sacrifice himself to Vader? As far as I understand it, Obi-Wan Kenobi's motivation for engaging Darth Vader in combat and allowing himself to be slain was to buy time for Luke et al to escape from the Death Star. After the battle, he urges Luke, "Run, Luke, run," indicating that he is concerne...	So we can assume that if Obi-Wan hadn't died then and there, that Luke would've stayed behind, been captured, and taken in by either Vader or the Emperor, then corrupted to the dark side of the force (or just executed on the spot). The Jedi were the only real threat to Vader and the Emperor.
Why didn't Batman tell Harvey Dent that he tried to rescue Rachel? In The Dark Knight by Christopher Nolan, Harvey Dent blames Batman and Gordon for the death of Rachel. Harvey: The world is cruel. And the only morality in a cruel world is chance. Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Fair. His son's got the same chance she had:...	Because Batman does feel responsible for Rachel's death Batman may have chosen to go and save Rachel after the interrogation, but that doesn't mean that he put his responsibilities "at ease" when he found out later, that the Joker had lied to him.
Was V blind in the film "V for Vendetta"? During the film V for Vendetta , the character Delia Surridge recounts her experiences at Larkhill in her journal. She describes V developing abnormal abilities and kinesthesia, and when encountering V while the facility is burning to the ground, writes "...he looked at me, no...	In the comic book, a line in Dr Delia's diary makes it clear that he can still see at the time of his escape;
What does the different coloured smoke in Once Upon a Time mean? In Once Upon a Time, when you use magic we usually see that magic looks like colored smoke/mist like in this picture. Is there a symbolic meaning behind the different colors when using magic or is it just for show? E.g. Rumplestilskins magic looks red,...	Each magic user seems to have their own personal color that tinges the magic they do, but if there is any deeper meaning to those colors it has not been specifically addressed. The colors do seem to be chosen intentionally to represent the person that uses them.
What is the difference between Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man movies I would like a bit of history here, meaning I would like to know the difference in terms of creator, producers (or publishers of the comic if needed to explain the differences) and some explanation around the need of having two types of Spider-...	One of the main differences between the two series, is the fact that in The Amazing Spiderman , it showed more of a personal storyline of Spiderman and a strict detail of all of his actions in The Amazing Spiderman movies.
How could a memory (Tom Riddle) have performed Avada Kedavra? In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , after Harry kills the Basilisk, one of the Basilisk's fangs becomes impaled in Harry's arm. Tom Riddle, who is still a memory from the diary Horcrux, mocks Harry and tells Harry he is going to die, and that Tom R...	Intense pain may cause death which may be achieved by Sectumsempra, the Cruciatus curse etc. Moreover Tom Riddle was technically more skilled at dueling than Harry who was a mediocre wizard (at the age of 12) compared to Riddle. Voldemort split his soul multiple times ; the diary receiving the largest part (1/2), Volde...
Is Avada Kedavra the only way to kill a wizard in a one-on-one duel? Inspired from How could a memory (Tom Riddle) have performed Avada Kedavra? , is Avada Kedavra the only way to kill a wizard in a one-on-one duel? <Q> Based on what we've seen in the books, no, Avada Kedavra is not the only way to kill a wizard (or...	being that magic is flexible i would bet based on the creativity of a Torquemada-esk evil wizard there would be many ways to kill another wizard in a duel.
Why was the memory of Tom Riddle not killed by the Basilisk's glare? Why was the memory of Tom Riddle not killed by the basilisk's glare? Even as a memory/horcrux, he is able to perform magic, and hence shouldn't he be affected by magic, magical objects and beasts too? Was it that he was careful enough (like Harry) n...	It's just that a memory isn't corporeal or alive in the true sense of the word.
What iron-clad reason did Dumbledore have for believing Snape was on his side What iron-clad reason did Dumbledore have for believing Snape was on his side? Maybe he was a good actor and a double agent. Was it just that he loved (or pretended to) Lily or he used legilimency? <Q> Dumbledore didn't have "iron clad" r...	Dumbledore believed Snape because he saw how devastated he was after having betrayed Lily.
If a death eater had sacrificed themselves for Voldemort - would that offer a protection to him similar to the one given by Lily for Harry? Related questions: 1) Why didn't James' love and sacrifice for Lily protect her? 2) Would Neville Longbottom Have Survived If Voldemort Had Marked Neville For Death Rather Than...	If Voldemort couldn't love, then he wouldn't be able to receive love and comprehend it. We don't know enough from canon to say (books nor interviews nor pottermore).
How much volume can a single transporter transport in a single transport? It was demonstrated in the movie 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home' that the transporter system aboard a Klingon Bird-of-Prey could be used to transport two adult humpback whales (George and Gracie) plus a massive 18,000 cubic feet of sea water in...	The Bird of Prey contain several transporters and these can be used in " site to site " mode to transport a very considerable volume if they're all tied in together and used at the same time.
Does Bruce Banner/The Hulk suffer from dissociative personality disorder? When I read questions, see comments, and in general when anyone talks about Bruce Banner and The Hulk these days, there's always a separation of identity between the two. There's "The Hulk" and "Bruce Banner", but they're not treated as the same...	There have been so many different versions of the Hulk, it's difficult to say what the definitive answer is to this question; however, during Peter David's run on The Incredible Hulk, it became clear that this particular conception of the Hulk had some degree of dissociative identity disorder , largely caused by the ab...
"Potter for President" - President of what? Not sure, whether to ask here, or at English.SE, but at Harry's first Quidditch match his friends held up a banner saying: " Potter for President ". What does it mean? I'm sure it must be some kind of cheer. But is it a common thing to say? Or does have it anything to do wit...	Anyhow, I don't think there is any great significance to the phrase "Potter for President". Generally, "Someone for President" is a common cheer to promote a special person and it jokingly refers to the person becoming the President of the United States of America.
Was Wheatley initially corrupt? On my most recent playthrough of Portal 2 , I couldn't help but notice something. This is Wheatley: We all know him, right? But I noticed, that's not what he looks like at the start of the game. Notice how his blue "eye" is not cracked here! In fact, it's only after GLaDOS grabs hi...	Wheatley is just incompetent at the beginning, but also kind (he tried to help Chell escape). Also, there seems within the Portal universe to be a strong suggestion that power is a huge corrupting influence on AIs.
(film) At Buckbeak's execution scene, how was Dumbledore in on the plan that he wouldn't set in motion until hours later? In the Buckbeak execution scene, I'm almost certain that Dumbledore is in on the mission for the hippogriff's "break-out"; The scene makes it very clear that Dumbledore is purposely stalling the Min...	Dumbledore already knew about Hermiones' Time Turner.
How did they expect to repopulate the world with Humpbacks after 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'? The Humpback whales, George and Gracie, were brought back to the future in order to save earth and repopulate the species. How was this accomplished? While Humpback whales have a life expectancy of 45-50 years, George and...	Artificial insemination might be the best option with some genetic manipulation to extrapolate the genome and make sufficiently large genetic differentials to avoid potential problems (defects), and possibly with some cloning in the mix too.
Surrendering rebel in Return of the Jedi wearing scout trooper armor? At 1:36 in Return of the Jedi (on my DVD, at least) there is a scene in which rebels on Endor are surrendering to Imperial forces. One of them appears to be wearing scout trooper armor without a helmet. When did this happen?? Prior to the Imperial...	As they do this, behind Han, Leia etc you can see a person dressed as a Scout Trooper (by Han's leg) standing at the doorway facing outwards, adjusting his helmet as he pulls it on - presumably a rebel waiting at the doorway in case any other Imperials turn up.
What 80s sci-fi series features a distant planet populated by ancient Egyptians? I am trying to remember a science fiction series from the '80s where humans travel to a distant planet/galaxy using a new kind of fuel source. When they arrive at their destination, they find the planet is already inhabited by Egyptian typ...	The original Battlestar Galactica had the heroes find the lost planet of Kobol.
Why did Sirius succumb to the Dementors without resistence? In the Prisoner of Azkaban , Sirius in his Animagus form, after driving away Lupin in his werewolf form, goes after Pettigrew who escaped in his Animagus form in the meantime. But Harry finds him shortly thereafter turned back into human form and crouching wi...	I don’t know a canon answer, but I can come up with some plausible explanations: Casting a Patronus was probably impossible for Sirius.
Why did Professor Quirrell have to maintain eye contact to curse Harry during Quidditch? TL;DR: Why did Quirrell have to maintain eye contact with Harry when he tried to jinx Harry during the Quiddtch match? Are there other spells, jinxes, or curses that require eye contact? In Philosopher's Stone , Harry, Ron, and H...	Hermione says "You've got to keep eye contact" for the spell to work, but maybe that is just in practice, while in theory maybe, if you're really good at focusing, you could do the spell without looking at the target at all, or just keep him/her in your peripheral vision every once in awhile.
Why did the team members come flying through the gate when arriving on Destiny? It has been well established in the Stargate universe that anything entering the gate will exit on the other side with the same velocity (speed and direction) as it entered. In the opening scene of Stargate Universe , as the various peopl...	It was almost certainly down to the fact that there was an explosion as they left the platform, injecting additional energy into the outgoing wormhole.
Is Data's brain more akin to organic neural networks, or software running on hardware? I know Data's brain is 'positronic', but what does that mean? It was invented by Asimov, right?Sometimes they talk about creating new connections, such as in an organic network, but other times they talk about running subroutines.Jus...	In reality, "positronic" means almost absolutely nothing; it's pure fiction first written about by Isaac Asimov in his books about robots.
Why is The Red Viper called Prince? Prince Oberyn "The Red Viper" Nymeros Martell is a member of House Martell . The Martells are one of the Great Houses of Westeros and the Ruling House of Dorne . Dorne is one of the seven regions of the Kingdom of Westeros, which means that they are under the Rule of the Iron Thr...	It should be noted that in the real world, in early European feudal societies, a prince wasn't necessarily the son of the king, but a ruler of a territory .
What is the difference between the Confundus Charm and the Imperius Curse? Throughout my many readings of the Harry Potter series, I have wondered about the Confundus Charm. There isn't much said about it, but it is used several times throughout the books. My question here is about the usage of the Confundus Charm, an...	Confundus can probably go to the point that you believe the story someone tells you, but not to the point that you act against your will. The Imperius Curse is used to control another mind.
What are the rules of Trial by Combat in Game of Thrones? What are the rules, as specified in the canon, for a Trial by Combat. Specifically: Is Trial by Combat a fight to the death? In what situation is a Prosecutor and/or Defendant allowed to nominate a Champion to fight for him/her? In what situation does...	I think only the defendant can require trial by combat. It is less grievous to deny a choice of champion if, say, the champion is unable to arrive for the trial in a reasonable amount of time, or is unfit to fight, especially if there are other champions more readily available to the accused. If the accused is a royal,...
Why did Tywin allow Shae to be a witness at the trial? I was thinking after the most recent Game of Thrones episode - it was clear that Tyrion was going to be found guilty anyway according to Tywin's plan. He drove Jaime into making the deal he was planning to make all along, which in turn would make Tyrion plead for m...	In addition, Tywin has a very low opinion of Tyrion's courage. Now that Tywin knows the truth, he may have arranged to call Shae as a witness to teach his son a lesson as well as to punish him for disobeying a direct order.
What is Guinan and Picard’s history? In the show they often allude to the history between Guinan and Picard but, to my knowledge, there has never been anything more than allusions. What exactly happened that created this bond between the two? <Q> " Time’s Arrow " Parts 1 & 2 [126th and 127th episodes] show how Gui...	In this book, although it may not be canonical Star Trek, their friendship begins when, as a member of the crew of USS Stargazer, Picard saves Guinan from bounty hunters
Old cartoon / anime about a spaceship that transforms in to a robot For quite a while I've been trying to identify the name of an old cartoon / anime I used to watch as a kid during the 1980s (Canada / US). I've tagged this as both cartoon and anime because I'm not certain whether it was of Japanese or American or...	I'm thinking that it could be: Bravestarr Transformers Challenge of the Gobots Fantastic Max Ninja Robots I'm willing to put money on it being this Cartoon, Saber Rider.
Is the story of Fiona based on an actual fairy tale? The story of Shrek and its sequels contain and reference many different fairy/folk tales. However, I am not familiar with the story of Fiona - a woman imprisoned in a dragon-guarded castle who is cursed to transform into an ogre every night, and will only settle on a...	In the film, the female protagonist is cursed to take the form of an animal (a hawk) by day and a woman by night.
Story about space travelers who stumble across an alien civilization only to realize it is heaven and God has gone insane Does anyone know what book or series I am thinking of? Honestly, this may be a movie, a book, a short story, etc. I can't quite remember. I just remember someone describing a story in which space tr...	The PrintSF subreddit " The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay " was the answer posted there.
Why do they drink synthehol in the Star Trek Universe? Synthehol is a chemical variant of alcohol. It appears to have the same taste and smell as "real" alcohol to most individuals, but none of the intoxicating effects associated with alcohol. This being the case, why drink it? <Q> Gene Roddenberry spoke about the bene...	It is functionally and flavorfully identical to alcohol with one difference: the effects of intoxication can be literally willed away. Just like real world naval vessels, it's quite likely that Starfleet personnel are prohibited from drinking alcohol even off-duty while serving aboard an active ship, since even off-dut...
How do Juliette and Nick only have one bedroom? Right through Grimm season two, I was thoroughly confused by Nick sleeping on the couch. They have quite a large house, so how is there room for only one (relatively small) bedroom upstairs? <Q> This is a common TV Trope known as Exiled to the Couch . <S> The man has t...	There are two bedrooms and two baths in the first floor.
Could Aragorn have been featured in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey? Sometime during the quest of Thorin's Company for Erebor, the group stops at Rivendell and stays for a few days. The whole quest takes place within the year T.A. 2941. Ten years before, Aragorn is born, and at his age of two, his father fell, where ...	So, at the time of the Hobbit, Aragon is a young Numenorean boy living in Rivendell, and is going by the name Estel. He won't be told his true name until 2951 - a decade after the Hobbit.➀ From a script point of view, an inclusion would lack recognizability for the non-geek, due to difference of name and difference of ...
Have the creators of Penny Dreadful acknowledged their debt to League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? How has this show even been allowed to air, without a substantial royalty cheque being whisked to Alan Moore? I'm no copyright lawyer, but its pretty obvious that Penny Dreadful is more than just a little derivative of...	No, and there's no reason for them to do so. The characters are public domain, and the character mashing trope was hardly new when League of Extraordinary Gentlemen began publication.
How did the Bozeman come 90 years into the future in "Cause and Effect"? How is that, during the events of " Cause and Effect " the Enterprise-D got trapped in the temporal causality loop for only 17.4 days when the USS Bozeman was in that loop for 90 years? What was keeping the Bozeman inside the loop before the ...	The episode is not entirely clear about whether the Bozeman was caught in the same causality loop for 90 years as opposed to 17 days, or whether it happened into a time warp that landed it in the Enterprise's path 90 years later.
First known author to use the concept of "Bigger on the inside" Who namely known author used the concept of being bigger on the inside first? A holodeck is bigger on the inside, the TARDIS is, on Diskworld the Home of Death and Rincewind's Luggage are, Hermione's handbag is... Or think of this beautifully crafted excam...	Not sure if earliest, but Master and Margarita by Bulgakov used the trope.
Why is King Tommen Baratheon the "First of his Name" rather than at least third? Tommen ascends to the Iron Throne after his brother Joffrey's death, and at least in the TV series is referred to as being the "First of his Name". However, there were already at least two Lannister Kings of the West, or the Westerlands, o...	The Westerlands used to be an independent kingdom, and it had several Lannister kings named Tommen.
What is the correct pronunciation of "Shannara"? I have a question regarding the book "The sword of Shannara", by Terry Brooks.What is the correct pronunciation for it (regarding its emphasis)? Shànnara or Shannàra? I tried searching the web, but I didn't found any references for it.I am Italian, and any one of the tw...	The Word of God answer (from a recent Reddit AMA) is that it's pronounced ' shanner-ruh ' (ʃănărŭ) with the harder accent on the last syllable.
Were the rest of the Imperials (Stormtroopers, etc…) in on Vader's plan? In Star Wars: A New Hope , Vader first tells Tarkin to not worry about Leia and Obi-Wan escaping, as Obi-Wan has no intentions of escaping. (Though, Obi-Wan's intention of not escaping doesn't mean Leia didn't intend to.) From the script TARK...	Tarkin is not entirely comfortable allowing a high-profile prisoner like Leia escape (with the plans, no less) but Vader convinced him that they could track the Falcon back to the hidden Rebel base and then destroy it. Only Vader and Tarkin need be aware of the ruse. Imperial troopers, and even junior officers, are tra...
Teens on an island, forced to kill each other, collars prevent cooperation This is something I heard mentioned in passing several (around five?) years ago, so I haven't read the book, nor have I watched the movie. I think I heard about the movie, but I believe it's based on a book. It's really more horror than sci-fi...	This is Battle Royale , which is often cited by fans as the basis of The Hunger Games. It was originally a novel by Koushun Takami, and was later turned into a manga, and later a film. Each student is fitted with a collar which can be used to track and monitor students and explode if they tamper with it.
Havoc and Cyclops current fox franchise of X-Men At first I was only slightly aware that Cyclops had a brother. I had watched a bunch of the cartoons growing up, read a few of the comics, and Cyclops was one of my favorite characters. I watched all the movies, I own every single X-men movie, I will admit here are alway...	In the altered timeline, Warren Worthington could be born in a different time to become a Horseman in the 80's set Apocalypse story to the one who appeared in Last Stand, indeed his family would have a different life once Trask was incarcerated and his father would likely take over the work.
Are Black Widow and Hawkeye an "item"? I believe it is hinted at in the first Avengers movie that Hawkeye and Black Widow are going to have (or currently have) a thing but in the new Captain America movie, Black Widow and Captain America are hanging out together and things seem to be getting a bit steamy between them...	" The two are introduced as lovers in the same comic series , five issues apart, Black Widow was still working as a Soviet spy at the time, and Hawkeye was introduced as a villain.
Why were all of Doc Brown's clocks slow? At the start of Back to the Future there is an exchange between Doc Brown (on the phone) and Marty, who is in Doc's lab, during which all of Doctor Brown's clocks start to chime. Doc Brown explains that he had had done an experiment which set all of his clocks 25 minutes behin...	Doc Brown has been experimenting with his time machine. And, somehow, he set his clocks, all of them, to go off exactly 25 minutes slow despite not having been there for days if his other equipment is any indication. I think Doc went back in time first, an staged all of this to teach Marty a lesson an so he would not m...
Aliens from different races hunt a weapon-lifeform that has gone rogue I am looking for a SF book based in the far future. All planets with life forms have formed a formation (like the European Union but universal) A weapon-life-form has gone berserk and is killing humans at a certain base. It flees away to a far a...	Yes, there is a group of aliens that are hunting this. Nimrod Hunt is a science fiction novel by Charles Sheffield. It might be "Berserker" by Fred Saberhagen.
What's the deal with Guinan's hat? Guinan dons two hats, if I recall correctly (pictured below). My question is: are these hats something special to El Aurians, something special to 24th century bartenders, or something else? I don't recall ever seeing anyone else wearing either type of hat in TNG (and I've seen it...	Guinan's hats durign the TV series are most likely her own style, since as you pointed out we never see anyone else wearing ones like them.
Have there been any exceptions to starfleet's prime directive in Star Trek lore? I know that Captain Picard of Star Trek - The Next Generation TV series went as far as to bring the intervened civilization's entire tribe into the holodeck to preserve the illusion of non-intervention while rescuing them from a doomed p...	There have been several breaches of the Prime Directive by Star Fleet officers in Star Trek's long history.
Does the Iron Bank have the strongest army in the world? If not, why doesn't some other army overthrow the current rulers of the Iron Bank, and keep the gold for themselves? <Q> The headquarters of the Iron Bank is located in Braavos, a city-state built on a group of small islands in a shallow sea. <S> As such it is v...	What's a much bigger deterrent is the fact that the Bank is considered such a stable and universal form of currency that they can essentially "buy" whatever military support they need from anywhere in the world.
Are Aragorn and Arwen cousins? I was looking at the Noldor House of Finwë descendancy and on one side it shows Arwen, daughter of Elrond as we all know. But I didn't know this part: the other side breaks off into Aragorn as a descendant of Elros - Elrond's twin brother. Does that make them cousins? <Q> The short answ...	Very distant first cousins, many many times removed.
How intelligent is the average humanoid in the Star Trek universe by today's measure? Every character we see whether Starfleet or civilian seems to have the ability to perform amazing feats of intelligence and knowledge. They seem have a near perfect recall and understanding of everything they're exposed to. They can r...	- I think, from what we've seen in the Star Trek Universe, we'd have to say that they would score somewhat higher than 100. As has been stated, what we see in Star Trek are mostly highly qualified and trained people - StarFleet would be selecting above average (by 24th century standards) candidates and educating/traini...
What anthology story (maybe Poul Anderson) features a perfect battery? I read a story in a science fiction anthology wherein the major scientific discovery was a perfect battery, which led to numerous advances in communications, transportation, and even social issues, etc. I feel like it was a Poul Anderson story fr...	It’s Snowball all right – and you weren’t wrong about the battery. Let There be Light (1940) – a quick story on the research and development of the Light Panels, which can store and use solar energy in a highly efficient manner.
How strong does a person get when infected by Borg nanoprobes? In one TNG episode, Data lifts something that three other people could not. In the film First Contact and episodes with Borg, Data destroyed Borg with his bare hands. How strong do people get after being infected by Borg drones? <Q> Both Data and Worf have...	Being flesh and blood humanoid but with nanite augmentation, the average Borg are a bit stronger than human and roughly on the strength level of a Klingon, though some would be stronger and some weaker depending upon their base and secondary function as well as originating species.
What word did Brienne scream out? At the end of A Feast for Crows, Chapter 42 , Brienne and her group are hanged by the Brotherhood Without Banners. But then she screamed a word. Apparently this saved her, since we see her again in the next book. What was that word? <Q> This can be inferred from the text, s...	According to this article , GRRM confirmed: the word brienne screamed was “sword”; lady stoneheart gave brienne the choice of either swearing her sword to her or being hung, saying “sword or noose”, and as brienne was being hung she screamed “sword”
Which individual Superhero role has been portrayed by the highest number of individuals? In a single fantasy universe, which Superhero character has had the most individuals portray themselves as being(secretly temporally substituting for) the Superhero, or have actually taken over the role of the Superhero? For inst...	I think Batman easily tops the Phantom .
What timeline is the post-credit scene at the end of The Wolverine in? Through the X-Men film universe ( X-Men 1-3 , X-Men: First Class , X-Men: Days of Future Past , X-Men Origins: Wolverine , and The Wolverine ), we see at least three distinct timelines/alternate realities. The "Original" Timeline Through X-Me...	The solo Wolverine movie takes place in the X3 timeline (flashbacks to Logan killing Jean and all that), and some time after the end credits scene, Magneto gave Logans' claws a new coating As far as I am concerned, the timeline of the original trilogy and future Days of the Future Past are the same.
Trying to find an anime I watched in my childhood about samurai/swordsmen Don't recall too much about the show except for several things: The anime opening was really energetic and sung by a male who stated sometime in the song "My home" with it being stressed One of the main characters goes blind, he is a swordsman/...	There are very few anime with an orange haired samurai as the main protagonist. The story revolves around the first match between the one-armed swordsman Fujiki Gennosuke and the blind samurai Irako Seigen and deals with the circumstances that led the two to participate in Tokugawa's tournament. In episode 20, they int...
Is it just the Milky Way the Reapers attack? At the end of Mass Effect 2 we see the Reapers outside the Milky Way approaching and during Mass Effect 3 in the Galaxy Map they seem to appears on the edges and make their way inward. I am wondering, do the Reapers just sit and wait outside the Milky Way wanting for th...	Reapers sleep in the dark space somewhere outside the Milky Way galaxy.
Who was the AI in transcendence the movie? In the movie "Transcendence" one of the lead characters is the AI itself: A scientist's drive for artificial intelligence, takes on dangerous implications when his consciousness is uploaded into one such program. After Will Caster was uploaded and the AI came online, on...	The AI entity was made up of both Will and Pinn. It could not possibly be identical to the original Pinn, because it was heavily modified in the attempt to upload Will's personality.
Do other wizarding schools have different houses? At Hogwarts, there are four houses: Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Do any of the other wizarding schools, like Durmstrang or Beauxbatons, sort their students into separate houses? <Q> There is no known canon evidence that any of the other wizarding s...	So NO, I don´t really think that other countries have schools with separated Houses like Hogwarts. In a new piece on Pottermore , JK Rowling revealed that Ilvermorny, the North American school of magic, was heavily influenced by Hogwarts and included the idea of four houses:
The place where the Bene Gesserit dare not look What is this place that the Bene Gesserit are not able to look and why? Also why is it so terrifying? <Q> The Bene Gesserit can only bear to look at the feminine but cannot bear to look at the masculine. <S> The Kwisatz Haderach will be able to see both feminine and mascu...	The place a Reverend Mother dare not look is the ancient force that "takes" Masculine and Feminine are broken down into a more fundamental concept, Creation and Destruction.
Fantasy/Sci-Fi kids book: boy and telepathic owl/bird - in space/other planets setting I'm on the endless hunt for a book/series of books (can't remember) I read as a kid. I would have been in elementary/middle school - so I would have read it between 1983-1993. All I remember is that it was about a boy and he had ...	To me, the details suggest an Andre Norton book Catseye . In the books, when the main characters have turned into an animal, they communicate through telepathy. The four books are Galactic Warlord Deathwing Over Veyna Day of the Starwind Planet of the Warlord
Where does the background story in A Song of Ice and Fire come from? As I can read, the author of the series created several books in the series starting with the book A Game of Thrones . I'm watching the series on TV (I haven't read the books). When I watched something in the show that I do not fully understand or w...	In short: The books have a TON of content pertaining to backstory, especially the first book. All info about the world of A song of ice and fire comes from the author in one way or another.
Are there any episodes of Star Trek: TNG where they actually go to a star? Quoting from an episode of Community: Why don't they call it "Planet Trek"? [They] never go to a star. Not one episode. But I'm fairly sure that in at least one episode they're deliberately visiting a star before something spacey happens t...	In TNG Suspicions the Enterprise flies to a star named Vaytan to facilitate a meeting of guest scientists to learn about a new shield that would allow a vessel to enter a star's corona.
Did Voldemort ever stand a chance of killing Harry? Up until recently I thought that the night Voldemort went to kill baby Harry, Lily had stepped in front of the killing curse aimed at Harry. I now realise that Voldemort cast separate curses on Lily and Harry and that it was a direct Avada Kedavra curse which Harry s...	At any point in Harry's life, if Voldemort used non-magical means, Ibelieve he could have easily killed Harry.
How does Wolverine's healing factor work? I am interested to know how exactly Wolverine's body regenerates/heals from wounds. From what I understand about the 'human' body's healing is that it uses a complex system of metabolism and other processes 1 ; but Wolverine's healing is powered by his healing factor 2 or Hy...	The source of these "healing factors" ranges from genetic mutation to artificial enhancement to magic.
What do wizards read for fun? Do people read literature in Harry Potter ? Fiction books are rarely mentioned in the series, and none of the characters seem to read novels. We understand that a majority of teenage students aren’t prone to pick up Chaucer just for the fun of it, but you would think a bookworm like Hermi...	As mentioned in another answer, Ron read a comic called The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle .
Why is Hufflepuff House called Hufflepuff? Gryffindor obviously is a reference to griffins, Slytherin obviously is a reference to snakes, Ravenclaw is both a raven and a claw all at once... And then there's Hufflepuff. Helga Hufflepuff of course was the founder of the house, contributing her last name and her affinit...	In reality, the houses are all named after their founders: Salazar Slytherin , Helga Hufflepuff , Godric Gryffindor , and Rowena Ravenclaw . I believe the names of the houses do have symbolic meaning.
Can a phaser beam be deflected by a mirror? According to the Memory Alpha article on phasers , they work by releasing a beam of subatomic particles called "rapid nadions", which are then refracted ("rectified") through superconducting crystals. Think advanced particle beam laser. This being the case, shouldn't a mir...	There is at least one canon reference to a phaser beam being blocked by a substance with mirror-like qualities in the Voyager episode " Phage ".
If Godzilla feeds off of radiation, why is he considered an alpha predator? In the new Godzilla , Godzilla is said to have feed off radiation and hibernates in modern times, feeding off radiation from the core as there is no longer enough radiation in the modern world to satisfy him. Yet the scientists describe him as...	Godzilla is an alpha predator because he's the biggest*, meanest, killingest thing out there, ever, bar none.
What is the Difference Between "Lothlórien" and "Lórien?" Is "Lórien" just a short form of "Lothlórien" or does each one apply to something unique? <Q> It's the same thing. <S> Lórien is the shortened Lothlórien. <S> Actually, it was first known as Lindórinand . <S> Tolkien had given many names for the specific ...	"Lórien" is just an even shorter version.
What’s the difference between the Room of Requirement and the Room of Hidden Things? In Harry Potter , there is the Room of Requirement and the Room of Hidden Things; are they both the same ? <Q> Sort of. <S> The Room of Hidden Things is merely one form that the Room of Requirement can take, for people who have a n...	The Room of Hidden Things is located at the same place where the Room of Requirement is.

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