Split (1)

train · 95.7k rows

source stringlengths 620 29.3k	target stringlengths 12 1.24k
How many dragons ever existed on Middle Earth? How numerous were dragons in the time before 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit'? How many dragons did Tolkien ever mention by name? <Q> As usual, Tolkien Gateway has the best compilation of info: <S> There were 4 named ones: <S> Glaurung — Father of Dragons, sla...	The LOTR wiki identifies 7 dragons by name (as well as a host of other dragons described but not named)
Did Bellatrix Lestrange have any affection towards Voldemort? In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , when Voldemort tries to kill Harry Potter and Harry Potter travel to the Deathly hallows, that is, Kings Cross Station and he later comes back. There it has been mentioned that Voldemort had also fallen down...	There are plenty of instances in the books of Bellatrix showing extreme affection for Voldemort.
Is Horace Slughorn head of Slytherin during his second term at Hogwarts? We know that the Potions master at Hogwarts is also the Head of Slytherin house. This Wiki entry tells us that Prof Slughorn indeed was the Head of Slytherin during his first term at Hogwarts. But what about his second term at Hogwarts when he...	During Harry's 6th year (Half Born Prince) Snape remained as Head of Slytherin.
Why do people traveling FTL using Mass Effect Relays not experience time dilation? I have a limited understanding of the physics of it, but as far as I know time dilates at higher velocities. Meaning that time essentially passes slower for objects moving at higher velocities. Why don't FTL travelers using Mass Effect...	I'm no physicist, but I would think that relativistic effects are dependent on the amount of energy used to propel something- and with no mass, no energy would be required to propel it.
Does any House in Westeros suffer a worse fate than this House? So (spoilers for all published ASOIAF books,) House Stark arguably suffers one of the worst fates of Westeros. Lord Eddard Stark is dead, so is his overlord Robert Baratheon; his wife and eldest son are slaughtered in the Red Wedding; all four of his re...	House Hollard arguably suffers a worse fate: There is also the destruction of House Reyne after they rebelled against House Lannister, immortalized in the Song " The Rains of Castamere " which plays an important part in the books and the show.
Book about a time-traveling dinosaur hunter I read a book back in the late 70's and here's what I remember: There were a group of people who 'bought a tour' to time travel back to the dinosaur era. They travel on a disc shaped platform. There is some trouble and some die. The main hunter/protagonist goes off and hunts...	You seem to be describing A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury.
How did the humans make "Transformium" come to life? I don't know if this was explained in Transformers 4: Age of Extinction or I missed it, but how did Joshua Joyce and his organisation make "Transformium" come to life? From previous Michael Bay Transformer movies, all technology and transformers not alive (active...	Joshua is led to believe that he is the one controlling the transformers he created by using computers, by Megatron who is manipulating Joshua to build himself a new body.
Why didn't Rose turn into a baby girl when she looked into the heart of TARDIS? Once a Slitheen looked into the heart of TARDIS, she became an egg (I am unable to find the episode name). But, when Rose looked into the heart of TARDIS, she possessed the entire Time Vortex and literally became a god (2005 season 1 fin...	In the transcript for Boom Town , The Doctor notes that TARDIS used its temporal energy to give the Slitheen a second chance because it sensed what to do when the it stared into the heart:
Why does Umbridge ask Harry where Sirius is? In Order of the Phoenix , while Umbridge thinks Harry is under veritaserum effect, she asks him where Sirius is hidden. Then, If she stills thinks Sirius is guilty and wants to kill Harry She should have interpreted Sirius using floo powder to get into Gryffindor Common...	So if she could somehow get Sirius and turn him in, it would help her ranks at the Ministry and also turn her into a kind of "hero."
Significance of the name "Lorien" In B5 Lorien is the name of a member of a very old (possibly the oldest) race in the galaxy. Though he can choose to appear humanoid he actually is more of a energy-field. He is very powerful and guides Sheridan through his near-death-dream state. In LotR Lorien is the name of a membe...	It is also the name of a godlike Vala (more properly named Irmo) in Tolkien's "The Silmarillion".
Movie with a man/woman fighting over a giant truck in the desert I saw this movie a while ago and I remember a lot of images of huge desert landscapes and a man/woman fighting over the control of a huge truck (or maybe they had a truck each and were fighting over something else, I can't remember straight). The truck ...	As you can see from the screenshots, the film was set in a post-apocalyptic desert. The 1984 film Starship , also released as Lorca and the Outlaws , and 2084 , does involve a fight over a giant truck in a desert landscape, although I feel like you would have mentioned the android.
What is the Witch King of Angmar's ring? What would be the name of the Witch King's ring? Elrond, Aragorn and many others have rings that are 'named', so what would the Witch King's be? What does the Witch King's ring look like? Include a picture if possible? <Q> Vilya , the Ring of Sapphire, wielded by Elrond. <S> ...	The One Ring : It's debatable whether this is even to be considered a name. The only named Rings are: The Three Elven Rings : Nenya , the Ring of Adamant, wielded by Galadriel.
When Angelus has his soul, why is he called Angel? When Angelus has his soul back he goes by the shortened form Angel. Is there an established in universe reason why he doesn't use his real name Liam? <Q> While this is never definitively stated within either of the two main shows (possibly within a comic or commentar...	When he gets his soul back and remember all the horrible things he's done (as Angelus), it's not that strange that he "creates" "Angel" as a way to keep his sould and un-soluled selfs apart.
Is Darth Vader really afraid of the Emperor? In Episode VI, during their conversation before meeting the Emperor, Luke asks Vader to give up on the Emperor and join him instead, at which Vader replies: "You don't know the power of the Dark Side, I must obey my master". What does this mean? Is Vader somehow afraid of...	I think it's obvious that Vader would overthrow the Emperor if he felt that he could. Its not the fact that Vader is scared of the emperor, it's more due to him being Vader's master. Originally no, he did not fear it.
Why does Snape weaken Harry's protection against legilimency? In Deathly Hallows we learn Snape was in love with Lily, so he risked his life becoming a double agent in order to protect Harry. But in Order of the Phoenix , instead of strengthening Harry's protection against legilimency, he weakens it, granting Volde...	The intention was never to weaken Harry, but occurred because of Harry’s ineptitude and the way that Snape was teaching him.
Why does the T-1000 vanish at the hospital? While speaking to the receptionist at Pescadero State Hospital, the T-1000 glances into a mirror and sees police officers and Doctor Silberman approaching. It then morphs into the floor, leaving the receptionist befuddled as to where it went so quickly. Why did the T-1000 v...	I guess you could say that the T-1000 was hoping to "luck out" with one of the officers walking on the floor where it hid, as it happened in the movie, of course.
Who is the eponymous Jedi in Return of the Jedi? I had always assumed the Jedi in the title of Return of the Jedi referred to Luke Skywalker's return from defeat. But Jedi is its own plural -- could it be referring to the rebuilding of the organization/movement/religion that presumably occurs after the Empire is defe...	According to the official Starwars.com biography of Luke Skywalker , the film "Return of the Jedi" ends with the return of Anakin Skywalker .
What is the origin of Hikaru Sulu's last name? Although Hikaru is a Japanese first name, Sulu is not a Japanese last name, and no Japanese last name I know sounds remotely like Sulu. As a matter of fact, the Japanese translation of Star Trek spells Sulu using katakana as if it were an English last name. In some subs it...	Sulu is a Filipino surname, since Hikaru Sulu was meant to be Japanese-Filipino but representing all Asians, as commented by George Takei in an interview.
Why did Hagrid send Harry and Ron into the Forbidden Forest if he knew Aragog would want to kill and eat them? It just seems silly that he would put them in danger like that. Why didn't Hagrid just tell them that he didn't do anything in the slightest to attack muggleborns when they were talking in the hut? <Q> Hagri...	Hagrid had no reason to believe they would be hurt by Aragog.
What is the "airport" part of a space station called? In a huge space station where thousands of people live and work, the section where space ships dock, passengers wait to board, and goods are being unloaded, will very likely be separate from the working and living areas, just like an airport is separate from the fie...	In Star Trek, they're referred to as "Space Docks" (or Stardocks) where they're open to space or "Shuttle Bays" where they're enclosed behind in a forcefield On the Death Star, they're referred to interchangeably as "Hangar Bays" and "Docking Bays" in the script In Mass Effect, the embarkation area is referred to as si...
Why did Fëanor refuse to give even one of the Silmarils to Yavanna to revive the trees? Right near the beginning Of the Flight of the Noldor : Yavanna spoke before the Valar, saying: "The Light of the Trees has passed away, and lives now only in the Silmarils of Fëanor. Foresighted was he! Even for those who are mig...	Perhaps the Silmarils themselves caused Fëanor to not want to give up any of them.
Why did Melisandre not die by the poison in ACoK? In the prologue of A Clash of Kings, Maester Cressen tries to assassinate Melisandre with a cup of wine poisoned with the strangler .Melisandre seems to be aware of the poison and offers him to spill the wine, but Maester Cressen insists.She then drinks most of the win...	So she must have seen Cressen's attempt ahead of time and prepared herself accordingly - perhaps with an antidote, or magic related to the ruby at her neck.
Has there ever been a fight between Iron Man and the Hulk where one of them won? I've been thinking about, and I've read spin-off stories that talk about who would win in a fight: Iron Man or the Hulk. Iron Man has technology and speed on his side, but the Hulk has brute strength and would be able to reach the height I...	Iron Man has won against Hulk before.
Why do the temporal police of the 29th century Federation not correct the timeline when Spock creates an alternate reality? Why do the "temporal police" from the 29th century that appeared in Voyager (USS Relativity and all that) not correct the timeline when Spock creates a black hole with Red Matter and gets sucked b...	Spock may simply command enough respect in the Temporal Police force that they look the other way, especially since they know he's going to be mindful of damaging time.
Why did the T-1000 torture Sarah Connor in order to get her to call out to John? At the end of Terminator 2 , the T-1000 uses a needle-like finger to try and get Sarah to call out. However, we know from earlier on in the film, when John was talking to the T-1000 over the phone, that the T-1000 can emulate voices. Why ...	The T-1000 has already been foiled once, because it does not have enough information to imitate the behavior of a person - at least not enough to fool anyone but a total stranger.
In The Clone Wars movie, why can't Anakin understand Huttese? After returning his son to Jabba in his palace, the Crime Lord orders the Jedi to be executed immediately, the protocol droid dutifully translates this to the victims from Huttese and Ahsoka and Anakin react with a stereo "What?". I get the out-of-universe...	It is not unreasonable for Anakin to understand one Hutt and not understand another who may hail from another planet or even just another region where a regional difference may make the language barely understandable. Given a star-faring civilization, having an inability to understand a language, even when spoken by a ...
Did Gary Mitchell require food and water? After Gary Mitchell was transformed into a superhuman matter manipulator ("Where No Man Has Gone Before"), is there any evidence that he still required physical food and water to survive? The idea of that souped-up version of Mitchell having to take in nourishment seems strange...	Mitchell was still a man, and as such he still needed to take care of his human metabolism.
Do animals Transfigured to objects retain the ability to feel anything? This question is based on the idea that Slughorn's impersonation of an armchair in HBP might be a Transfiguration, as is listed in the HP wiki, and was also considered to be so in the highest rated answer to the recent Can you transfigure a human ...	Professor Slughorn partially transfigured himself into a sofa (or in some way put an illusion of a sofa around himself), But he could feel as a sofa, so I'd say that an animal as an object would feel, but it would depend on what they were.
Why are Dinobots so big, and why do they have dinosaur alt-modes? So, two questions here about the Dinobots, as shown in Age of Extinction : Why were the Dinobots so much larger than the Autobots? They were nearly five times the size of Optimus Prime, and Prime himself is almost 1.5 times the size of the rest of t...	The Dinobots in the movie have dinosaur forms because they were among the Legendary Knights, the first Transformers made and, as we see at the beginning of the movie, the Quintessons/Creators terraformed the Earth an eon ago and mutated the dinosaurs into the Dinobots.
As we know Crabbe and Goyle Sr were both Death Eaters: What were their jobs in the magical world? Did people know that Crabbe and Goyle Sr were Death Eaters? What were their jobs in the magical world? <Q> There's no canon info (I checked Accio Quote, searched the books, googled, checked Wikia, Pottermore and jkrowling....	I can guarantee that people didn't know they were Death Eaters - they were acquitted.
Why did Jedi in the prequel movies use the Force offensively? One of the Yoda's quotes which sticks in my mind most from the original series is A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, NEVER for attack! To back this up we see Vader and Sidious using the Force against Luke, Vader throws things against him to...	The Jedi are supposed to act peacefully, and only use their powers to defend, not attack, but were forced to do otherwise during the war. They use their powers when fighting against something that they believe to be wrong.
Is Dumbledore using Legilimency when he gives Harry a "piercing look"? At many points in the story, when Dumbledore asks Harry something, he gives him a piercing look. It makes me wonder if that is Dumbledore using Legilemency against him. Is he? <Q> ; he's just extremely smart, so he makes some educated guesses as to ...	Dumbledore's behaviour here is consistent with the use of Legilimency. He certainly seems to find some information when giving Harry these 'piercing looks', but he still doesn't know about Harry hearing the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, so I would say no
Why did the evolved form in "Evolution" come to be simian? In the movie Evolution (2001), alien cells evolve at a rapid rate. My question is, why did the aliens eventually come to a blue ape-like creature? With the many variations of creature none looked like mammals, so how could it arrive to simian creatures? <Q> T...	It was just to show how evolution works from single-celled organisms, to animals, to intelligent life.
How did Hagrid know about the Time-Turners? In Half-Blood Prince , Hagrid is upset that the trio haven't been to see him and then says they could've used the Time-Turners: “Ar, I always knew yeh’d find it hard ter squeeze me inter yeh timetables,” he said gruffly, pouring them more tea. “Even if yeh applied fer Time...	Although Hagrid doesn’t remember reading that the Time-Turners were destroyed, he may have learnt of or recalled knowledge about them from their mention in The Daily Prophet .
What human rights did the clone troopers have? The Clone Troopers in the prequel trilogy were genetically engineered to fight the Clone Wars. This question establishes that each trooper was individual and some excelled at different things. The cloners boasted about how the troopers were immensely superior to droids d...	So, as per canon, they don't seem to have many choices, or rights. False Despite their greater individuality as compared to droids, the genetic tampering that had been part of their creation, did mean that most of them were born with severe limitations when it came to being able to exercise free will - even the more au...
Why did Griphook stop working at Gringotts Bank? In the final Harry Potter movie we see that Griphook the goblin isn't working at Gringott's Bank. Is there an explanation why he doesn't he have a job there any more? <Q> Best if the goblins just explain it themselves, as they do in the book: <S> There was another ...	Griphook stopped working for Gringotts bank as the Ministry of Magic was controlled by one of Voldemort's followers (a Death Eater).
Why did Palpatine save Vader? Really, why did he? We see in the prequels (and even more so in Legends) how whenever a Sith becomes weak, he gets killed off by his own kind. One example is the Apprentice who becomes more powerful than the Master. Or as we can see in SWTOR trailers, Darth Malgus kills his badly injured ...	It has also been suggested that Vader still had the power to become very powerful. Also, the Jedis were exterminated or in hiding, so even if Vader was weakened he was unlikely to be in the position of having to fight for his life with a lightsaber. Especially in light of the fact that Obi-Wan inflicted them and Sidiou...
How is 'Iratus' Pronounced? In Stargate Atlantis, they creatures called Iratus bugs (what the Wraith evolved or mutated from), how do you pronounce 'Iratus', is it like I-RAT-US, E-RAT-US or E-RATE-US ? Because I've heard it pronounced all three. <Q> I'm not able to dig through actual SGA episodes at the moment to find...	The pronunciation on the show seems relatively flexible but as other posters have noted, the word iratus itself is a real world Latin word that means 'angry' and would be correctly pronounced (in the original Latin) as "ere-aah-tuss".
If Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy were the only humans in Narnia, how did the human population emerge? I'm going to rule out incest here, I don't suppose that's what Lewis had in mind. If I had to guess, I'd say that at some point between The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian other humans somehow m...	At the very beginning of Narnia (in The Magician's Nephew ), King Frank and Queen Helen (the cabby and his wife) were set to be the first King and Queen in Narnia.
If two humans enter Narnia through the Wardrobe with 10 years between them and come back to our world together, at what point in time do they arrive? I call it "the Wardrobe Paradox." Would they arrive independently at their respective time of entry, or would one of them arrive at the other's time? <Q> The only rule wh...	While it may be assumed that both points exist at the same point in our world's time, we don't know that for certain.
Which Infinity Stones have we seen so far in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Currently, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is setting up Thanos for later films, a mad Titan who is supremely powerful thanks to the Infinity Gauntlet, a device worn on the hand that is powered by 6 Infinity Stones or Infinity Gems. In the comic...	Confirmed as an Infinity Stone in Doctor Strange , and clearly maniuplates Time.
Is there any hint that some of the beings in Tolkien's lore may have survived into "our" times? In Tolkien's lore, they are many very old beings. Is there any indication that some or even one would have been truly immortal and survived into what we would call "our" history or Age? Galadriel, Cirdan, Ingwe, Bombad...	To add to the excellent previous answers, Galadriel herself says that some of the Elves may have lingered in Middle-earth, even into our own times. The Ainur (not Valar/Maiar): They are with Eru, also out of this world.
In "Aliens", why does Ripley attack the queen? OK, I'm watching "Aliens" for the umpteenth time, and it just now hits me - why does Ripley attack the Queen alien? Ripley has the kid, and the Queen just let her pass in return for not torching the eggs. Ripley could have just left at that point. After all, she knows th...	Ripley's only solution would be to blast away the eggs, creating pandemonium that would occupy the queen and minions long enough to give Ripley time to reach the ship. She wanted to get out with Newt alive, because she knew the entire facility was going up in a nuke explosion anyway.
Why is Gandalf upset when Frodo sees the script on the One Ring? Recently I watched the first Lord the of the Rings movie, Fellowship of the Ring. Gandalf takes a envelope and throws in the fire, and picks it up and gives it to Frodo and asks him if he can see any writing on the ring. Initially the script does not sh...	In the book Gandalf is not disappointed to find Frodo can see the letters because he already knows what the ring is.
What is the significance of Gandalf's Moth? When Gandalf gets imprisoned in Saruman's tower, Orthanc, a Butterfly/Moth comes to visit him and appears to tell him that something is about to happen. In this case a Giant Eagle comes and saves him. Is there an explanation to this? Does Gandalf give the moth a message to ...	Gandalf uses the moth to send a message to the eagles.
I'm looking for a fiction novel series about a submarine, being the USS Seawolf, finding the world in flames after a nuclear war. The first book in the series has the submarine returning to San Francisco, battling some white clothed people, and then taking off at the end of the novel to look for survivors. There is the...	U.S.S. Liberator—sailing the oceans of a nuclear-ravaged world on the most dangerous mission of all... survival! In the novel there is one other surviving submarine, USS Swordfish in the Atlantic, which sends a couple of messages but is otherwise not involved in the plot. Stingray Leviathan—the world's largest Typhoon-...
Was Durin's Bane a servant of Sauron? Just wondering if Durin's Bane was under orders from Sauron when he fought Gandalf and if Sauron would have the power to control a Balrog? Sauron did have servants in Moria but if the Balrog served him why keep such a powerful force in there? Wouldn't it make more sense to have him...	Sauron no doubt knew about balrogs, having been a servant of Melkor, who created them. No, the balrog was unrelated to Sauron.
Does Belgium or its inhabitants have any roles of note in DC or Marvel? As a Belgian myself, i sometimes wonder if Belgium is only known for their chocolates, fries and beer, or if Belgium has a significant presence in DC or Marvel comics outside of those (delicious) consumables. I know that Doctor Evil from Austin Po...	E.g., there's a Wolverine issue that has Belgium in its title.
Has Marvel commented on the extra Infinity Gauntlet? Way back in Thor , there was an Easter Egg Infinity Gauntlet in Odin's vault. They even brought that prop to Comic Con that year to show it off. Presently in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they're clearly building to an Infinity Gauntlet story, and they've shown...	Marvel has been intentionally vague about the nature and future of the Infinity Gauntlet, as it is expected to be the centerpiece Magnetic Plot Device of Age of Ultron.
Did anyone wonder why there was one planet fewer before beaming down to Ceti Alpha V/VI? In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (the one from 1982, not the recent remake), Khan yells "This is Ceti Alpha V!" and they're all like this is a big surprise, we didn't know. If they had previously charted the planet, wouldn't t...	It's possible also that the star chart could have mistakenly logged the surviving planet as Ceti Alpha VI and removed Ceti Alpha V as being destroyed.
In what year does the epilogue of Deathly Hallows happen? The Epilogue is the last chapter of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . It shows an episode when Harry's children and Ron's children meet on a railway station to board the Hogwarts Express. The very first sentence of the epilogue says the Epilogue happen...	Seeing as book seven took place in 1997-1998, nineteen years later will either be 2016 or 2017. Harry was born 31 July 1980.
Do the Seven serve any purpose in Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire? It seems that the other religions have something substantial to say for themselves in ASOIAF. The fire priestess clearly operates on a level beyond your run-of-the-mill peasant; once in a while R'hllor resurrects someone; the Old Gods seem to h...	However, they are significant to the story as most of the people who live in the seven kingdoms (with the exception of the north) are followers of the Seven.
Fantasy novel begins with assassin being killed I read this book back in the 90s, I believe, but it could have been published earlier. It was a fantasy novel that begins in a city. I think it starts with an assassin who was going to kill a king or some royal. The assassin kills some guards and sets up in an old tow...	This sounds somewhat like the start of Silverthorn by Raymond Feist. One of the opening scenes is an assassination attempt by a "Wetboy" a kind of magical assassin against the Godking as he punishes units of soldiers that performed poorly in the invasion.
How does one found a house in Westeros? What's to stop any old smallfolk from declaring himself Lord of (his dwelling), making a simple drawing, taking a last name, and sharing that name with all members of his family and their descendants? And even if that's not recognized, how would a highborn person do the same? <Q>...	My guess would be that men knighted by high lords and kings are often also granted nobility and a surname, which would limit the number of nobility. You have to find a area that no one owns. You have to be able to defend the position you say you have.
Why doesn't the Enterprise ever hit an asteroid? The USS Enterprise and other related starships travel around using fusion engines, and using warp to travel great distances in a short space of time.Thing is, they never actually hit anything (besides from a couple of times, and the obvious exception of the warship in ...	The deflector arrays do as they sound, deflect, they were made for travel to deflect particles away from the ship as something microscopic hitting the enterprise at warp would blow the ship up.
Do no hedge knights have last names? All the hedge knights that I can think of introduced in the series so far - Ser Illifer the Penniless, Ser Duncan the Tall, Ser Pate of the Blue Fork, Ser Shadrich of the Shady Glen, etc. - don't have last names, at least that we know of. The one exception I recall is Ser Creighton ...	It is only a nobleman, that belongs to a noble house, who can have a proper last name denoting his lineage.
How to aim with a phaser? Look at this phaser design: Why this design? Okay, it is very compact, but aiming precisely with such a thing should be almost impossible. Is there a reference where this design explained or justified? Maybe these devices aim themselves so no precise aiming is necessary. Who invented this de...	You aim simply by pointing and shooting at the desired target.
How effective is the Kobayashi Maru as a training exercise when everyone knows it is an unbeatable scenario? From Star Trek 2: Wrath of Khan: SPOCK: The Kobayashi Maru scenario frequently wreaks havoc with students and equipment. ... KIRK: Self-expression doesn't seem to be one of your problems. ...You're bothere...	In The Wrath of Khan , it's clearly explained that the intended purpose of the exercise is to see how people perform in a no-win scenario, and when facing death.
Why did Dumbledore leave Harry on the Dursleys' doorstep? Note: This is NOT a question about why Dumbledore left Harry with the Dursleys, which he himself answers pretty well. But I've always wondered about the manner of how Dumbledore left Harry with the Dursleys. In seems like it would have been pretty easy of Dum...	In short, I think Albus had a pretty good guess at how Petunia would react. We know that it was quite hectic that night and that Dumbledore was probably between the ministry, and the order of the phoenix verifying laying plans in motion to take out the followers of Voldemort before it was 100% certain he was gone.
Star Trek episode where old people have to die? I'm looking for a Star Trek episode, I think it's from Voyager, where the crew encounters an alien race where the elderly have to die. I know of one scene where Janeway (?) talks to a healthy and intelligent man who has to die because of this law. I've been poring over a...	You're referring to TNG " Half a Life ".
Is the Enterprise crew terrified of Q? If not, should they be? Though Q has shown great powers in basically all of his encounters with the Enterprise, the crew of the flagship doesn't seem to show much fear when dealing with him. I realize that they're professionals and everything, but with the exception of Data, shoul...	While Q is one of the most powerful entities in the known galaxy the enterprise crew especially has grown accustomed to his interference, and show little fear towards him. Theoretically they should fear him as he holds the power basically of a God over them.
What's the point of this creepy scene in The Great Hunt? In Chapter 10 of book 2 (tGH), there's this really weird scene where Rand goes into a house in a village and the scene changes every time he blinks. It flickers back and forth between the following scene: A smiling, bald-headed man in rough clothes laid a slice...	The most likely explanation for what happened is that someone set a trap for Rand, which he was only able to break because of his channeling.
Why didn't the Marauder's Map identify Barty Crouch Jr.? It is a major plot point in Goblet of Fire that the Marauder's map identifies Bartemius Crouch Jr. as simply Bartemius Crouch; therefore leading to the confusion that Bartemius Crouch (Sr.) was the person searching Snape's office. This has always bothered me a...	One of the Map's possible flaws lies in the fact that it cannotdifferentiate people who bear similar names (the shared names aren'tgiven a Junior or Senior at the end) At the risk of stating the obvious, the map appears to be designed to show the full forename and surname of each person in range.
Where does Mat's luck come from? This might sound like a silly question, since he's ta'veren, but read on! As early as book 1 of WoT (at least by the time they meet Loial), we know that Rand, Mat, and Perrin are all ta'veren. I assume this is something you're born into, so they must always have been ta'veren. This sho...	I think that Mat has above average luck as the people from the horn call him the gambler so in his past lives he was always lucky, Now being a Ta'veren just amplified his luck.
Why didn't the Enterprise attempt to fire on Nagilum? In "Where Silence Has Lease," the powerful Nagilum declares its intention to do experiments on the crew, so that it can learn more about the concept of death. It claims that up to one-half of the Enterprise's crew may be killed. Captain Picard and Commander Riker ...	There was this strange void which encompassed the ship (may have been an artifact created by Nagilum rather than Nagilum itself). Firing weapons and/or coming up with ever more innovative solutions simply prolongs the game.
Can Aquaman's trident cut through Superman's flesh? Zack Snyder sort of intervened in a radio show stating the following: [...] The cool thing is, with Aquaman his trident (people don't realize this) that could cut the flesh of Superman, if they come in contact. That's a thing that's in the canon. He's super stron...	Superman is known to be especially vulnerable to magic weapons, especially when that magic relates to the " essence " of one of the Gods:
How did Slytherin win the House Cup so many years in a row/ Why doesn't Ravenclaw win every year? It has been previously established that Slytherin won the House Cup for six years in a row before Philosopher's Stone. We also know that there are two sources of House Points: those awarded (or deducted) by teachers, ve...	I don't have a quote with me at work, but I know the Quidditch wins are a very heavy weight in your house's total points
What is the one glaring omission Vala talks about? In episode "200" of SG-1 , Vala says about Sci-Fi programs on TV: ... and apart from one glaring omission, it doesn't seem to be that bad. What is that glaring omission? <Q> I always assumed, considering she is reading the "Wormhole eXtreme" script, she was talki...	Um, I've been looking at this, and there doesn't seem to be any mention of a sexy female alien… anywhere!
Is Herpo the Foul still alive? Herpo the Foul is one of the earliest known dark wizards. He was the first person ever to create a Horcrux. Did someone take the pains to destroy his Horcrux or is he still alive? <Q> Unknown. <S> I am not aware of anything that describes whether Herpo’s horcrux was destroyed, or whet...	All in all I can say we can safely assume that Herpo the Foul died sometime in the past, as A. his horcrux was known, B. he is in history books, and C. good wizards always win.
Who/what is the dying infant-like creature in the limbo King's Cross, around the end of Deathly Hallows? When Harry has been hit with the killing curse, he ends up in an imaginary King's Cross, with Dumbledore, and an infant-like creature that can be heard crying. What is this creature? <Q> Part of Voldemort’s soul. ...	It was part of Voldemort's soul that resides in Harry's body.
Why do the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wear masks? This is something I don't understand. Are they trying to hide their identities? How many turtles are there that can stand on their feet? Is it because they are ninjas? Again the shell is a big give away. <Q> To add a little bit on this. <S> The original TMNT as of the...	So during the first sketching game one of the creators must have decided to instead inverse the entire outfit, leaving some resemblance of how ninja's look without any parts of the actual ninja outfit thus answering why the ninja turtles wear masks instead of ninja outfits.
Did Harry Potter ever intentionally kill? I've read and read the books but I can't seem to find any place where Harry kills another person. My question is does he? And where? And who? <Q> It depends on what you mean by "intentionally kill." <S> Did Harry ever cast the Killing Curse, or kill someone with a spell? ...	The biggest point to this question is intent , Harry showed clear intent that he wanted Voldemort to be able to be killed. In the end, no, Harry never intentionally killed anyone.
Are the various Star Trek species composed of different races? On earth, the real earth, the human species is made up of many different races. In Star Trek, are Ferengis, Romulans, Andorians, Gorn, etc., composed of different races? This seems likely, though I don't recall any canon statements concerning this. Is ther...	There is canon referring to all humanoid races been derived from one species.
When to start watching HBO's Game of Thrones when reading the books? I've started reading George R. R. Martin's " A Song of Ice and Fire " book series, and I intend to watch HBO's television series based on it at some point. I wonder about two things: Should I start watching the series before having finished all the ...	The 100% guaranteed way to ensure the show doesn't spoil anything from the books is to read them all first.
How could the Marauder's Map detect something which Death could not? According to this article on the Marauder's Map, and from the general knowledge acquired through the books and movies, it is quite clear that nothing is hidden from the map. This includes even the invisibility cloak, as this quote from a related qu...	So maybe the magic that's in the Marauder's Map can somehow identify someone through their footprints.
Did many of the Jedi fall to the dark side during the Clone Wars Did many of the Jedi fall to the dark side during the clone wars? As most of the Jedi didn't go on a lot of missions before the war. Then being thrusted into nonstop conflict, leading clones armies, befriending them and then watching them die. <Q> I reali...	In Legends, there were numerous Jedi who fell to the Dark Side during the Clone Wars. Dark Disciple Pong Krell Krell sought to become Count Dooku’s apprentice, so I think we can say he was pretty fallen.
Are Vulcans spiritual at all? Do Vulcans have any beliefs that could be considered spiritual, beyond their obvious adherence to logic and empiricism? <Q> They don't just believe... <S> they have proof Canonical <S> In ST II, we see Spock place his Katra into McCoy. <S> In ST III, we see Spock's Katra placed into his...	The Archer incident (Ent Eps 83-85) establishes that, at least amongst a subset, belief in the soul is present in Vulcan culture.
Who did the Doctor see in his room? In series 6 of the new Doctor Who series, The God Complex episode, there is a room for everyone (maybe even Rory, we don't know for sure). Amy saw herself waiting for The Doctor as a child. It scared her and reminded her of her faith in The Doctor and made her reach for her faith, ...	As far as I'm aware there is no clue in either that episode, another, or wider canon. " it could be the War Doctor (John Hurt). The Doctor saw the crack in Room 11, as shown clearly in Time of the Doctor. I think the Doctor saw all of his companions that passed because of him and the War Doctor, who he was afraid of an...
Can Erfworld be read skipping the text-only-updates? Erfworld is a fair great web comic. I really enjoyed Book 1. But after book 1 it suffered repeated misfortune with the artists.For various reasons the artists were unable to produce comics at regular intervals. This lead to the other author to publish "Text-Updates...	I personally enjoy the text updates and would like to see more, as they provide a heap of more information, such as the thoughts and some explanation to the actions of the characters.
Why is Federation Space divided? I was curious to see a map of the Star Trek universe galaxy. I found quite a few good images. Naturally, many did not look similar to each other, and some were even confusing because they showed Federation space divided by a large portion of Romulan and Klingon Space. Federation Space ...	The reason why your map makes it look like the Federation is split in two is because you're viewing a single slice of a three dimensional object.
Does an Animagus's animal form change along with their Patronus? In the two examples shown of an Animagus capable of casting a corporeal Patronus (Minerva McGonagall and James Potter) both had the same animal as their Patronus and as their Animagus animal. Now, it is also shown that extreme circumstances can change on...	No, but uncertain The animal into which one turns, if an Animagus, seems always to be that which becomes the Patronus.
What is the earliest case of modern published speculative fiction where evil wins? What is the earliest case of modern (1840+) published speculative fiction where evil wins? I mean, not just that the hero dies or some tragedy takes place. I really mean a story in which the evil guy or the evil force (clearly delineate...	"Run For The Stars" has an antihero drug addict/petty criminal (Benno Tallant) on a planet being attacked by an alien species, the Kyben.
Two humans from another planet, lovers from a long time ago I read this book from the mid to late 90s. There were humans on Earth but these two specific humans were from another planet. They were lovers from a long time ago, possibly thousands of years ago. They would lose each other periodically and then find each ot...	Orion Among the Stars (1995) The Last Vampire stories, "Red Dice" to be exact. This book is broken into several sections building to a final age in a distant future then brought back to the original timeline at the end.
interrupted soap opera finished by alien producer I remember an episode (probably Twilight Zone) where a drunk retired actor is hired by a young producer to film a conclusion for a long ago interrupted soap opera. The producer turned out to be from an alien distant planet where our radio waves with the show just arrive...	Sounds like "Distant Signals" from Tales from the Darkside, an episode based on the short story of the same name by Andrew Weiner.
Short film from 70s or early 80s; Child hides and light pours through a keyhole In public school in the early to mid 80s I saw a short film that (as best I can recall) ends with a kid hiding in the dark behind a door as extremely bright light from the other side of the door streams through its keyhole. Perhaps the door...	It was almost the same as the later Ray Bradbury Theater version. I showed that short educational film, “Zero Hour” many times as a middle school English teacher 1970s - 2008. At the end of the film her parents are hiding in the attic when aliens invade through the keyhole.
Was A Song of Ice and Fire inspired by Chinese History, and if yes, to what extent? I have noticed a few striking parallels between China's history and George R. R. Martin's epic fantasy, "A Song of Ice and Fire" series: The Ice Wall resembles the Great Wall of China. Both are meant to keep out the "outsiders" The C...	It's not so much a case of China/England/Rome inspired the "A Song of Ice and Fire world" but more all the countries of this world inspired that world.
Which comes first: The Sarah Connor Chronicles or Terminator 3? I'm trying to figure out the progression of the Terminator timeline. It's pretty clear up until the end of T2. Afterwards, we have two Terminators in different timelines sent back by Skynet to influence the timeline- the TX (in T3) and Cromarty (in TSCC). ...	Well, alternate timelines and craziness involving time travel aside, technically speaking SCC is before T3.
Why does Buffy not come back as a vampire? In Buffy The Vampire Slayer (TV Series), during the Season 1 Finale Buffy gets bitten by The Master. Why does she not either turn into another vampire? Or die suddenly? I know that Xander performed CPR on her, but that wouldn't heal a bite. In other Vampire universes, once...	I believe that the rules in the Buffy universe require that the person dies (from blood loss) - and they are then reborn as a vampire on some future night. In the event that Xander's CPR hadn't worked, she would simply have stayed dead.
What is the meaning of "The seed is strong"? In ASOIAF, Jon Arryn repeated several times while dying, "The seed is strong": Eddard : "Was there nothing else? No final word? Pycelle : "When I saw that all hope had fled, I gave the Hand milk of the poppy [...] He whispered something to the king and his lady wife, a bl...	He was referring to the seed of Robert Baratheon.
Why didn't the Douwd make scarier illusions? In "The Survivors," the Douwd tries to scare away the Enterprise using a re-creation of the imposing Husnock ship. Why not use something more intimidating, such as a Borg Cube or the Crystalline Entity? Perhaps two or three Romulan Warbirds? <Q> Uxbridge had just seen his wi...	Perhaps the presence of the Borg or the Romulans in orbit around a Federation colony world would have invited further intervention from the Federation, something the Douwd wanted to avoid. The Husnock battleship image was still fresh in his mind and was probably the easiest threat to recreate due to recency and the emo...
Why don't the Borg use shields or a cloaking device? Though Borg Cubes are extremely powerful and durable, it seems that having shields would add even more to this. And yes, the Borg have their EM field, but why could they not use this in tandem with shields? Heck, even Pakleds use shields! Also, undoubtedly the Borg ...	The Borg are so powerful that stealth / cloaking technology isn't needed.
How did Eddard Know the True Parentage of Joffrey, Tommen and Myrcella? I get that the dark-haired seed is strong and we can infer that the three Baratheon-Lannister children are not Robert's. But how did Eddard correctly guess that the real father was Jaime, and not some other random guy that Cersei was with? Bran co...	Once it was clear that Cersei was cheating on Robert and bearing another man's children, it'd be a pretty good guess that Bran caught them in the act. Ned knows that Jaime and Cersei are close, and according to this description of Jaime's appearance: Jaime has the quintessential Lannister look, with bright green eyes a...
Why don't non-Jedi carry lightsabers as tools? If lightsabers can cut through anything , why don't more people (especially bounty hunters) carry lightsabers as a simple cutting tool? It has been proven here why non-Jedi don't carry lightsabers as weapons . However, this questions asks whether there are non-weap...	There are also cases of non-Jedi carrying a lightsaber, but in such cases the lightsaber is typically employed as a weapon.
Why didn't Clara die when traveling outside of the Tardis? In the episode Utopia , Captain Jack rides on the outside of the Tardis as it travels to the end of the universe. The end result is that he is dead by the time they reach Utopia. As common as that is for Jack, a death is a death. Now, in the Time of the Do...	The TARDIS also must have protected Clara, so this is more likely to be the primary reason. Utopia is (on a time scale) much further away than Trenzalore (the furthest point in time possible after all). The out of universe explanation is that they needed a way for her to get back after he had significantly aged.
Can an Imperial-class Star Destroyer land? In Episode III, you see that Venator-class Star Destroyers can land, load troops and perform other logistical operations and in Episode II, you see the same with Acclamator-class cruisers. Does this apply to the Imperial-class Star Destroyers too? They are bigger than both th...	Given the repulsor-based vertical takeoff abilities of Star Wars ships, and given that the Star Destroyer has sufficient repulsor capabilities to hover very close to the ground (and presumably attain orbit thereafter), it seems very likely that it would be able to physically land on a planet. Victory class were the las...
What does the ministry do with those who have been kissed by dementors? The ministry seems to use the Dementor's Kiss as a last and ultimate punishment for its criminals, like Sirius Black and to a certain extent, Barty Crouch Jr (even if his death was unsanctioned). If this method of "execution" is used, then, what ha...	If they didn't have magic, organ donation would probably be a good guess.
Why didn't The Doctor regenerate just before he rebooted the universe? In season 4 finale, when The Doctor was about to meet Rose (who came from parallel universe), he was shot by a Dalek, which triggered his regeneration process. In season 5 finale, when reality was collapsing and The Doctor was talking about Big Ban...	Mortal injuries that do not in the end kill the doctor do not themselves trigger a regeneration.
How long is the train in the Snowpiercer? I could not find any information on how long the train is in Snowpiercer. I know there is a Graphic Novel the movie is based on. Is there any indication in the graphic novel as to the length of the train. <Q> So if you make an assumption that the snowpiercer train carriage is b...	The snow piercer train is 1001 carriages long - http://www.onemetal.com/2014/03/08/snowpiercer-volume-1-escape-by-jacques-lob-and-jean-marc-rochette/
Is it possible to enroll in Starfleet Academy as an adult? What would happen to a person who wants to join Starfleet but is too old to be a regular student at Starfleet Academy? Could they still enroll at the Academy and take classes? If you were in your late 40s or something.. <Q> Of course they could enter the Academ...	It is normal to enter aged eighteen after graduating from high school.
When did the Doctor become an extra thousand years old? Near the end of Deep Breath, the Doctor says I'm the doctor. I have lived for over 2,000 years, And not all of them were good. Wasn't Matt Smith's Doctor just above a thousand years old? Did he pick up another thousand years in Trenzalore, or is this somethi...	"Tales of Trenzalore" states that he spent a total of 900 years on the planet, but as that story also depicts him with a missing leg (a development that was cut from the original script for "The Time of the Doctor"), the relevance of that book is debatable. He spent centuries (probably a thousand years in fact) in his ...

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.