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In Doctor Who, why don't the Doctor and gang bump into other traveling Timelords? If all Timelords can travel back and forth through time, despite being wiped out of civilization, shouldn't the doctor and gang have bumped into one or two at this point? Pre Time War Timelords traveling pre Time War. And IF they have...	Also I think that Gallifrey must have some kind of protection against Time Travelers, to prevent travelling from another Time Zone, or from Gallifrey's future.
Did Gaiman make up "Loki Skywalker", or does he have a source for it? In Neil Gaiman's works, Loki has a tendency to refer to himself as "Skywalker" or "Sky Walker". Some examples: I am the mother to Odin's stallion, Sleipnir. I am the father of Fenrir sun-eater and of Hel half-rotted and of Jormungund the world-se...	Loki had many appellations including: Lokimotion, Loptr, Loke , the Sly One, the Trickster, the Shape Changer, and the Sky Traveler. It was in the second draft that he introduced Luke, as the son of the protagonist, Annikin.
Why the horrendous sci-fi sound after the T-1000 is hit with a slug and then tumbles into the molten steel? Towards the end of Terminator Judgement Day, the T-1000 emits a horrendous screech, as it tries to recover from the exploded slug and stumbles into the molten steel below it . What would cause it to do this and r...	A terrifying, inhuman siren of a scream, as all its molecules were searching for the right channels back into its proper structure, but the intense heat and volubility of the molten metal around it confused them. We only see splash on the surface but what if the force of the bullet is causing disruption deeper in the T...
Why didn't Ahsoka assist the Rebellion after Order 66? With the creation of The Clone Wars animated series, the characters introduced became canon. So I've been wondering, after the series ended, nothing is ever heard of of Ahsoka Tano. She simply leaves the Jedi Order behind and walks off into the sunset. But what...	She is a member of the Rebel Alliance. Since Ahsoka was the head of early Rebel Intelligence, she (and other Fulcrum agents) were supposed to keep their identities as secret as possible. After she walked away from the Order, we never learned what happened to her. She worked as Fulcrum for 14 years until she was thought...
Why did Gandalf get Narya, of all the Istari? Why did Cirdan choose Gandalf to wear Narya, of all the Istari? The reasoning for why he gave the ring at all doesn't seem to uniquely qualify Gandalf as the best recipient, unless Cirdan was being prophetic? "Take this ring, master," he said, "for your labours will be h...	Another possibility is that Círdan, who has been around for a long time and presumably has gotten pretty good at reading people, saw Gandalf's spirit.
Were there any democracies in Middle-earth? Most states in Middle-earth seem to be feudalish kingdoms; Gondor, Rohan, Númenor, Dwarves, and Elves were all ruled by hereditary nobles. Was there any state/society that was more of a democracy/republic? (Umbar perhaps?) If not, did Tolkien indicate why, other than most o...	The shire is a small democracy where they have a mayor (they are too humble in their simple lives to have a deeper government).
Why didn' t either Darth Vader or Obi-Wan use the force in their final battle? Why didn't either one use a force push, jump, or speed in their final battle? Were their powers no longer strong enough to use these in battle? It could have potentially been a match deciding move to use a force push or speed in this battle....	Obi-Wan was aged and Vader probably thought he could easily defeat him. I happen to think when Jedi/Sith fight, they are constantly using the Force to assess their opponent and to sense any and all threats.
What benefits did Vulcans get from Humans in the beginning? Vulcans have been assisting humans since before the formation of United Federation of Planets. Between first contact and mankind's first deep space mission, they provided mankind with substantial assistance in the development of warp drive and several other th...	The canon answer (courtesy of The Star Trek Book factbook) is that the Vulcan's interest in Earth was in fostering a relationship with Earth that was to Vulcan's advantage .
Are officers on Federation starships required to undergo serious physical training? I was just watching Star Trek: Into Darkness , and I noticed that James Kirk and Spock were both showing incredible feats of physical fitness. Both of them managed to climb obstacles with only their arms pulling up their entire body w...	And when you consider they have to be physically ready for anything because of the places they visit (extreme conditions, lighter gravity, heavier gravity, etc), they would pretty much have to keep in shape. There was at leat one episode of Enterprise where you saw some of the crew running treadmills as well.
When Did United Earth Switch to the Metric System? When the crew of the Enterprise are talking to the food replicators on board about a beverage, they state the temperature in Celcius. Is there any record of when United Earth as a whole adopted the metric system? <Q> Micah's answer reminded me of when I had recently wa...	So far as I can tell, nobody in Star Trek from the near future ever uses anything but the metric system . 2036, in the Voyager episode "One Small Step".
How force-powerful is Anakin? In the original trilogy, Emperor Palpatine was always presented as the ultimate bad guy. He was more powerful than Vader and appeared to have access to a far wider array of force powers, including lightning which he used against Luke in the final film. In the prequel trilogy, we're intr...	We could speculate that perhaps he was just never trained to his full potential as he converted to the dark side while still quite young, and I suspect Darth Sidious has no particular interest in helping him increase his powers further and become a threat to his own power. The Father, who is another god on the planet w...
How was the torpedo that Luke Skywalker shot into the first death star able to make the distance down to the reactor? How much fuel is in a proton torpedo ? How far is the maximum effective range of said torpedo? How far into the interior of the first Death Star (DS-1) is the reactor? Then there are the technical q...	Also, you have to accept the possibility of magnetic shielding within the port itself, which would automatically act as a guide for the torpedo, all the way to the core.
Why did Snape leave Gryffindor's sword in an icy lake? Why did Snape have to place Gryffindor's Sword in a lake? It was cold enough for ice to form, and so Harry's life was in risk (from hypothermia). It was obvious that Snape had to place the sword himself for Harry to find only after Harry and Hermione were already ...	Because Harry had to retrieve the sword in dangerous circumstances. Gryffindor’s sword owes something to the legendof Excalibur, the sword of King Arthur, which in some legends must bedrawn from a stone by the rightful king.
What is Starfleet protocol for disposing of an unclaimed body? In the ST:TNG episode "Heart of Glory", an Enterprise away team rescues three Klingons from a battle-damaged, derelict freighter. One of the Klingons soon dies from his injuries, prompting the two other Klingons and Worf to howl heaven-ward in the Klingon ...	As far as what Dr. Crusher would do, my guess is that since it would be impractical to follow the general Klingon pattern of destroying the body with a disruptor beam, she would place the Klingon's body into a bodybag and have it beamed off the ship as an energy pattern , neatly disposing of it with the minimum of fuss...
The use of the word "gun" in The Hobbit In Chapter XVIII - The Return Journey of the book ' The Hobbit ', Tolkien uses the word gun . 'The roar of his voice was like drums and guns ; and he tossed wolves and goblins from his path like straws and feathers' As far as I know guns are not used as a weapon in Middl...	The word Gun was in use in England for an Engine to cast a thing from a man, long before there was any Gun-powder found out. He probably used the word because it was what came to his mind as a good description, without thinking about whether it fitted with the sort of world he was creating.
Does the royal family know about the Wizarding World? In Half-Blood Prince , it's revealed that the Minister of Magic tells the MugglePrime Minister about wizards and witches. Does the M.O.M. also tell the King and Queen of Britain, about the Wizarding World? <Q> Book Canon <S> There are no canon confirmations (wit...	Since a major part of his/her formal role is to keep the King or Queen apprised of the "matters of the day" that affect the UK, it would be surprising if he/she wasn't made aware.
People in a white room in space shrinking So I watched this movie when I was younger (early 2000, I guess) and the only thing I remember is this one scene. There were some people exploring the space and somehow they ended up in this white room and they shrank and in they were looking for someone in this form. And that...	I believe you are thinking of the movie 'innerspace'. All of the rooms were white.
Pre-1978 sci-fi novel involving life under an Asian occupation of US Just in case: it's not the "Man in the High Castle"! ;) -- which was published much earlier. This science fiction story (may have been a novella), from what little I recall, involved the aftermath and description of at least a partial occupation of t...	The protagonist is a farmer, and the first part of the book takes place on his farm as the occupying forces begin converting the country over to a socialist government.
Are there any benevolent warp beings who help the Imperium? I know the warp houses all the psychic and emotional energy created by all the psychic races in the galaxy, and that energy taken to the extreme by the nature of the warp caused the emergence of all the daemon, dark gods and other warp entities that plague the...	Well, if you are thinking of immaterium creatures that never been corporeal (like gods and demons) that would be bening to humans the answer is "not likely" - the war between Old Ones and Necrons/C'than turned Warp into hell, birth of Slaanesh that wiped almost all Eldar gods (which wouldn't be too nice to humans eithe...
What is the origin of elves (and fairies and Vulcans) having pointy ears? Related: Do Tolkien's elves have pointy ears? and Why do Vulcans have pointed ears? I doubt Tolkien is the origin. How far back in literature or mythology does it go? <Q> With regards to Tolkien elves pointy ears: <S> It's a tradition tha...	The faeries in these old pictures all had pointy ears, and Tolkien retained that trait; in the old versions of his legendarium, the faeries of England were either degenerated descendants or misguided representations of Elves of Middle-Earth, so there were some traits shared between the two. Personally, I'd point to Dis...
Where does magic actually lie: In wizards or wands? I always thought about this whenever I saw Harry Potter movies or read books, that where exactly magic lies? Is it in wizards or wands? As mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , Harry is able to make the glass disappear. Then in Harry Potter and the...	Magic is with the wizard and not the wand, the wand serves only as a foci.
Why did Severus not want the best of him revealed? In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book, Severus says: But never - never tell, Dumbledore! This must be between us! Swear it! I cannot bear... especially Potter's son... I want your word! Dumbledore replies: My word, Severus, that I shall never reveal the be...	That any part of James Potter (even his son) might like him, might feel indebted and try to be kind or even befriend him, Snape could not stand that. To have this revealed would be to expose his weakness and his loss. It was because of his hatred .
Do Bothans make a physical appearance in Star Wars? A haunting quote from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is "Many Bothans died to bring us this information." I love how the actress portraying Rebel leader Mon Mothma looks as she delivers this line, as if she is remembering specific individuals that were lost. From...	Bothans do not appear in any of the movies.
Why did Voldemort never seek the Hallows? Why did Voldemort never seek the Hallows before the events of the second wizard war? It seems it would have been much easier for him to retrieve them. James had the cloak, Regulus had the resurrection stone(not sure if I remember that correctly, I could be wrong), and Dumbled...	The Elder Wand wasn't known by Voldemort as one of the Three Hallows, as he wasn't aware of the fact that there were three.
In Interstellar, do people age while in cryo-sleep? When Brand and Cooper return to their ship from Miller's planet, Brand sees the aged Romily and says 'why didn't you sleep?' Later, on Mann's planet, Dr. Mann says he didn't specify an end date the last time he went into cryo-sleep. Would Dr. Mann have eventually di...	The implication is that as Murphy reached the end of her life, she went into Cryo-sleep so she would still be alive if/when Cooper was found.
Trilogy of books about dragon souls inhabiting humans normally warriors It has been a long time since I read the first book but will remember what I can. There were dragons, but they could not survive alone; they needed human hosts, and were beneficial to the human. There was a war going on. I remember, at the end of t...	The humans share a soul with dragons and can shape shift into them. Also a good deal of the second book happens in a land that resembles China A series of books that come to mind are a trilogy by Joanne Bertin;
How much heat can a Fire Pokemon withstand? Say that a Fire Pokemon (like a Charizard) is placed inside a box which is heated until it reaches a theoretical infinity. At what point does it 1.) feel pain 2.) burn 3.) die. If anyone has any canonical feats that would answer this, that would be great. <Q> I can't think of...	It can be assumed that since all Pokemon take damage from fire-type attacks unless they have the ability Flash Fire, that they can't take arbitrarily high temperatures of heat.
Can the turtles go inside their shells? It's been a while since I read the comics or watched the animated show, or the original movies, but have the turtles ever been able to retreat into their shells like normal turtles do? <Q> They certainly can in the films; In the original 1990 Ninja Turtles film, Michaelangelo ...	In the older Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, all 4 of the turtles withdrew their entire bodies into their shells, but only for comedic reasons (such as being afraid of a roach), rather than defensive ones (such as avoiding being crushed). Raphael does this at least once, when one of Leatherhead's booby traps flie...
Why Was Severus So Rude To Almost Everyone? I understand why Severus is rude to Harry, but why to everyone else? Snape is rude to Harry, over a grudge between him and James Potter, but he is also bitter to many Gryffindor students as well. This sentence from Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch player backs up this questio...	Last, but not least, he has a specific image to maintain, to ensure his success as a spy. He must be seen as uber-Slytherin, hateful to other houses - especially Gryffindor - and "evil".
Why did the events of The Purple Wedding not occur earlier? In Game of Thrones , Olenna Tyrell waited until the Purple Wedding to to assassinate Joffrey. Why wait until then? <Q> I don't think this is explicitly stated in the books or TV show, but my interpretation was this: Lady Olenna knew from her conversati...	After all, the assassination would have done little good to Littlefinger if Sansa was imprisoned for the assassination and beyond his reach or for the Tyrells if Lady Olenna was accused.
Why wasn't Restricted Section of the library better protected? The Restricted Section of the library of Hogwarts contained dangerous books. Why wasn't it locked or protected by some kind of spell? Certainly, Filtch (or Madam Pince,) wasn't a good protection against a rogue wizard who could easily stun or kill him befo...	In my opinion the restricted section of the library was already as protected as it should be It was inside Hogwarts, which already makes it protected enough from outside wizards
How do you obtain unicorn horns and tail hair? In Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, Firenze and Harry have a conversation whilst he brings him back to Hagrid after saving him. Firenze says that slaying a unicorn is a monstrous thing and that only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit ...	Regarding the tail hairs : From Goblet of Fire, during the weighing of the wands Mr. Ollivander said the following of Cedric's wand: "... nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail."
What/Who is Randall Flagg? Randall Flagg appears in several Stephen King books (and implied in some others) What is he? Satan? Some evil spirit? In the movie version of the Children of the The Corn" He Who walks behind the rows" is called "God of the Old testament." Could Randall be God? <Q> From his entry in wikiped...	http://stephenking.wikia.com/wiki/Randall_Flagg Flagg is described as "an accomplished sorcerer and a devoted servant of the Outer Dark" with general supernatural abilities involving necromancy, prophecy, and unnatural influence over predatory animal and human behavior.
80s animation, three witch sisters sharing an eye, blue-faced bad guy with a large moustache Had to be '84 or '85 when I watched it on VHS, but I specifically remember an ANIMATED fantasy movie where there was a protagonist who was dealing with three witch sisters who shared one eye (as in, popping it into a socket, th...	This sounds a lot like Disney's Hercules , although it's from 1997. The Black Cauldron (1985) contains a scene with the three weird sisters, but otherwise it isn't a very close match (they don't share an eye in the movie). You've got three "witches" (the Fates ) who share one common eye
Why does Tinker Bell need fairy dust to fly given that she has wings? My daughter keeps asking me this good question. She is watching Disney's Tinker Bell movies, in which fairies are producing and using fairy dust to be able to fly. Is this only the case in the Tinker Bell movies? If they have wings why would they ne...	Without wings, a fairy can't fly.
How would the Jedi Order enforce the "no attachment" rule? We know that the Jedi impose a rule of no emotional attachments on themselves - as Yoda puts it: Attachment leads to jealousy, the shadow of greed, that is. Which then in turn could lead to Sith rule, evil galactic empires and the likes. But what could the...	The biggest way of avoiding attachment was when the Jedi was taken from their family in infancy.
Why did the chambers in Philosophers Stone let people pass? More specifically Severus's chamber. One part of his riddle read: One among us seven will let you move ahead, If the whole point of guarding something, is so someone couldn't get it, why let or give someone the chance to advance, to get the object? It does...	Professor Dumbledore wanted to use the Philosopher's Stone as a lure for a clever trap, so that he can find out more about who is determined enough to go through all the traps.
How come the Vulcans were not able to detect the Enterprise in First Contact? In the movie " First contact ", near the end: We see Cochrane, Riker and Laforge in "The Phoenix" for humanity's first warp drive launch. This action will lead to first contact with the Vulcans, who are passing through the sector at the...	Again, the Vulcans could likely detect the away team's use of transporter technology, but they were unlikely to be looking for it; they were surprised to find Earth using primitive warp technology, and the transporter is significantly more advanced. They have no interest in Earth, as the inhabitants are too primitive.
60s-70s novel written from a werewolf's point of view Long ago I read a paperback novel that was written before 1981 (I'm guessing sometimes in the 60s or 70s). The story was written from the main character's point of view, who was a human male who could transform into a werewolf. When in wolf form, the author descr...	The werewolf is a creature of the night, a solitary, fur-covered thing.
In Doctor Who's The Time of the Doctor, how is sound heard in outer space? The premise of the episode is that hundreds of different spaceships from different alien species are brought to one place (Trenzalore, attracted to there from an unknown message sent throughout the galaxies in a sound pulse... but how can they h...	The message is not described as a sound; it's described as "projected through all of time and space on a repeating cycle" and "received throughout the universe."
1980s sci-fi book club trilogy about a rich, space-faring multi-generational family I'm looking for the title of 1980s sci-fi book club trilogy about a multi-generational family. The covers had faces on them and the matriarch had a white streak in her hair. Rich family, space-faring and it had family trees in it. I got...	It's possible that you're referring to Dame McCaffrey's The Rowan series. Jack the Bodiless (1991) is the first book of the trilogy proper, followed by Diamond Mask (1994), and Magnificat (1996). A Root Tale to the Galactic Milieu and a Vinculum between it and The Saga of Pliocene Exile (1987).
What strategic value does the treasure hoard of Erebor have that makes it so desirable for so many factions? What strategic value does the treasure hoard of Erebor have that makes it so desirable for so many factions? Will the gold be used for trade and industry by the parties involved? Is it merely greed or a symbol o...	For the Orcs it's not about strategic value, it's about good old revenge.
Would Dumbledore and Severus really expel Harry? In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , Harry and Ron fly Arthur's flying car to Hogwarts. They get into severe trouble, and both Dumbledore and Severus tell them that they could be expelled. (Severus being rather nasty about it) Severus: Most unfortunately, you...	They need to discourage Harry from such actions to try to protect him from himself, at the very least. It could be a bluff.
1980's children's illustrated book where we are given a tour of other planets I am looking for a children's book from most likely the late 80's. I was born in 87 and remember reading the book as a kid. It was an illustrated book where we are given a tour of other planets and their strange alien inhabitants. I remember...	It had a "What if..." section that had drawings and descriptions of what life on other planets might look like. I think the book maybe Alien World: The Complete Illustrated Guide published 1980 (the link gives a slide show of the contents).
Why did Vader need to freeze Luke in carbonite? In retrospect, Vader's whole plan to encase Luke in carbonite seems like a big waste of time: Vader didn't even know if the carbon-freezing thing would even work safely on humans when he arrived on Bespin (Lando tells Vader that the procedure "might kill [Luke]"). He the...	Quite simply, he wanted to keep Luke from being dangerous while being transported to the Emperor. Based solely on what we see in the films, I'd say it's because it's the only way to safely transport a hostile Jedi.
Movie about a teenager discovering time travel I remember watching a movie quite a few years ago, where a teenager in high school was trying to find out about possibilities of time travel. I think towards the end he did manage it, but it was really weird. Unfortunately, there's not much I remember. Some other infos I ...	He is actually able to use time travel a few times through the movie, using it to try to prevent bad things from happening at all. In addition to Donnie Darko, this also sounds slightly like The Butterfly Effect , starring Ashton Kutcher from 2004 (but had a lower budget, grittier feel that made it look/feel older). Fi...
70s scary stories youth anthology. Very eerie black-and-white drawings. a ghost saves a kid from drowning I'm looking for a book or books that I used to check out of my school library in the early 70s. It was an anthology of short spooky stories for 'tweens or teens. It had several ery eerie black-and-white drawings, ...	It was illustrated with some very chilling black and white watercolors and several of the stories involved hauntings.
Who plays the Auctioneer? In the film The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, who plays the role of the Auctioneer who is in charge of disposing of Bilbo's house and belonging? Was it Ian McNiece from Doc Martin or someone else? <Q> According to the DVD subtitles, the person who Bilbo meets going up the hill is W...	Going off the cast listing here and the mentioning of the auctioneer in charge of the selling of Bilbo's possessions here , I would say that the auctioneer was played by Merv Smith (as mentioned by EricSSH in the comments).
Late 1980s-1990s book about a kid trapped in a video game found on his front porch A good friend of mine is looking for a copy of a book he read when he was a kid, and I want to help so I figured I would ask you guys and see if anyone is familiar. From what I understand, the book is from the late 80's or early 90's, ...	Based on the description of the cover, I was thinking it was Killobyte by Piers Anthony.
What was Wolverine doing during X-Men:First Class? In the 2011 superhero movie X-Men: First Class, Wolverine has a cameo while, in my own words, Magneto and Prof X are out recruiting X-Men. First Class is set in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis . But around that time, Wolverine was supposed to be out fighting th...	Also, part of Days of Future Past (the only X-Men film that I have not seen yet; any information I have is courtesy of Wikipedia) takes place in 1973. I would personally say that 1973 is the maximum limit for how late Wolverine met Stryker (since it is near the end of the Vietnam War), meaning that '64 should be the mi...
What is Rocket Raccoon's expected lifespan? Aw, what the hell, I don't got that long a lifespan anyway. Typically, a terran raccoon in the wild has an average lifespan of up to three years , or 20 if living in captivity. Rocket , however, has been genetically modified via implants and experimentation. What is Rocke...	In addition, he was uplifted by an unknown alien race whose technological experimentation on him and dozens of other animals by adding genetic manipulations and cybernetic implants was likely to change that lifespan depending on their level of sophistication in these sciences. Rocket was the Chief of Security, hence hi...
Why teleportation isn't the primary intra-ship transport mechanism? As it seems to be possible to teleport people between two parts of the ship (e.g. TNG: Gambit, Part II), why the Transporter, instead of the Turbolift, isn't the primary mechanism to transport people to different parts of the starship? <Q> Because it i...	There are a limited number of transporters available and such energy is more vital to other services on the ship such as shields or the warp engines. Star Trek production illustrator Doug Drexler, when discussing the next (next) generation of Starfleet vessels identified that the Enterprise-J would use transporters as ...
What was the reason behind Kes being removed from Star Trek Voyager? I remember reading in an interview, that the producers of Star Trek Voyager were planning to remove Garrett Wang ( Harry Kim ) from the show but after he was voted one of the " 50 Most Handsome Men " they were forced to change their decision and ins...	From what I've read on reddit and the Star Trek wiki, she was removed due to a budget deficit and to improve ratings. At least one character has been removed in every single Star Trek series.
Why did The Doctor become Gollum-like creature when The Master increased his age to 900 years? In the season 3 finale, The Master suppressed the regeneration ability of 10th Doctor and increased his age to 900 years which made him a Gollum-like creature. From Last of the Time Lords episode transcript : MASTER: Wh...	It's not really clear that the Master was simply accelerating the natural way the Doctor would have aged over a much longer period, as opposed to manipulating his biology in some artificial way to "age" him in a way that would not be normal for a Time Lord.
Does the Sorting Hat speak only to the person wearing it? My question is straightforward. Does the Sorting Hat speak only to the person wearing it, or to the Great Hall? Did all of the students hear it say, "Not Slytherin, eh?" when Harry used it? <Q> The Sorting Hat can whisper . <S> "Not Slytherin, eh?" said...	It seems very likely from what we know that the Sorting Hat has these muttered conversations with every student he sorts, and only yells when he’s chosen their house.
Why are McGonagall, Hagrid and Flitwick allowed to stay at Hogwarts after Voldemort took power Why indeed? McGonagall and Hagrid are active members of the Order of the Phoenix. Flitwick is not but is obviously affiliated with them. Same goes for the other teachers - while they are not members, they surely sympathize w...	Voldemort knows that given the choice of fighting him, or teaching children, the children are their number 1 priorities.
Book about a girl whose hair changes with the seasons I read this book probably early 2000's but it would of been published in the 90s. (I think) In the story it's a girl who has to go journey somewhere (I don't really remember the main bits of the book) and her hair literally changes every time the seasons change... ...	Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood by Meredith Ann Pierce.
How does the Fantastic Beasts film series fit into the Harry Potter Canon? More or less exactly what it says on the tin: How does the released and upcoming Fantastic Beasts film series, written by JK Rowling, fit into the existing Harry Potter canon? Do they have the same level of authority as the books, the utter lack...	Since we haven't seen the movie yet, it's impossible to assess its authenticity in comparison to the Harry Potter movies, but I would suggest that perhaps Fantastic Beasts might have a higher level of authenticity within the wizarding world's canon (which stands alone from Harry and his story) because it's a stand alon...
Why didn’t anybody recognise Major Bill Cage? So Major William Cage is railroaded as a new recruit into the UDF by some butt-hurt General who issues some orders with a bogus story that he's one Private Bill Cage who is a deserter that was caught impersonating an officer, and no one believes him when he says he's actu...	It's hard to recognize people. It didn't matter whether some American J-Squad soldiers recognized him, because he was branded a deserter, which combined with his reputation as a B-list CNN media flack, would not endear him with soldiers on the front line.
During the Time War why didn't the Daleks blow up at least one TARDIS while in the Time Vortex? From the Cracks in time and space story arc it's known that if a TARDIS is blown up (possibly while in the Time Vortex) it rips creation itself apart. Also, from the Stolen Earth / Journey's End we learn the Daleks' masterpl...	The fracturing of time and space by exploding a TARDIS doesnt appear to be a guaranteed thing in the slightest. They could not destroy time and everything else without escaping the time locked war first.
Are hand motions required to use the Force? In almost every canon (that is, visual) source, Force users typically wave a hand to invoke the Force to move or manipulate objects, people and thoughts. I get out-of-universe this is a visual cue that the Force is being used, but in-universe is it strictly necessary? (The o...	No Hand movements are not necessary.
Is the pink goo Princess Bubblegum? In Simon and Marcy, we see that the pink goo is sentient because it helps Simon out in getting soup. I suspect that it could be Princess Bubblegum because of the 'facial' similarity, the color scheme, and because of her age. <Q> The wiki entry says: <S> Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum...	There's some interesting info on this in the Princess Bubblegum entry on the Adventure Time wiki--apparently Princess Bubblegum did originate from the pink goo we see in Simon and Marcy, but the goo continued to exist afterwards, and she referred to it as "my parents".
Any short-haired, skin-head or bald Klingons out there? Following this question and after watching entire Voyager, six seasons of The Next Generation and a few episodes from Deep Space Nine, I can't recall any short-haired, skin-head or bald Klingon. I even have feeling, that all Klingons have dark long hairs, whi...	Upon further reflection, the vast majority of Klingons during TOS had short hair.
Old illustrated childrens book with clues to puzzles hidden in the drawings? Hi everyone I'm wondering if anyone could help me find a set of books I used to take out of my local library years ago, I'm guessing the early 90's. Sadly I don't remember that much about them, they feautured double page, fantasy style illust...	For people interested this is a book where you had to look in all the pictures and find the four animals hidden in it, if you needed help there were hints on the explanation page on the left hand side, both in the text and in an illustration.
Is Peeta's name a reference to pita bread? Related to, but not a duplicate, of Were there any other names that were plays on words in The Hunger Games? as far as i can tell. Peeta is the son of the baker. His name sounds almost exactly like "pita", a kind of bread. Is there any canonical evidence that this is an ...	However, the fan consensus is that Peeta's name is a reference to the fact that he comes from a family of bakers.
In Stargate SG1, why don't the teams ever bring back dead Jaffas for study? I've just started watching the series and noticed that on numerous occasions SG1 kill Jaffa just outside the Stargate, but their bodies are never brought back for study. They obviously have never done this because Teal'c often tells his team to...	There is not much to learn from a dead Jaffa
What is the first occurrence of a pre-teen female superhero in comics? I am looking for the first appearance of a female heroine that would generally be considered a super-human and who is under the age of 13. Wonder Tot comes to mind, but is this the first? <Q> (Pippi Långstrump in Swedish), a 9-year-old girl with ...	Mary Marvel , First Appearance in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 (December 1942)] The Pippi comic books (in Swedish) started in 1957 according to Drawn & Quarterly . Maybe Astrid Lindgren's famous character Pippi Longstocking
Why does Wall•E have recording equipment? I can't see how being able to record sound would be useful to a portable rubbish compactor. Bonus points for explaining why it seems to be analogue! <Q> I can’t find any interviews explaining why he has the audio recorder, so here are two of my guesses: Having some canned me...	Since R2-D2 (famously) has recording equipment, it stands to reason that Wall•E has to have it as well.
What was wrong with Denna? In The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, when Kvothe is in Tarbean towards the end of the book, he's in a bar when suddenly a couple comes in seeking help. Kvothe rushes in and helps, calling the wind to give the woman a breath. We then find out that the woman was Denna. I am complete...	While its questionable how much Denna tells the truth, the scene where she can't breathe sounds a lot like some kind of asthma attack .
Why are Hermione's efforts to free the House-elves so incompetent? As I understand it, if you don't own the House-elf, then you can't set it free. This means that Hermione's hats would not have freed the elves, as she didn't own them; Hogwarts did. Only the Headteacher, or maybe the staff, could have freed the elves. ...	Hermione's efforts betray a general lack of understanding about the role of House-elves as well as her youthful (but largely useless) enthusiasm. She just thinks that giving freedom to the elves will repair a great injustice (true) and that this is the best thing that could happen to them (completely false).
Are there any instances of Blanks serving as Space Marines? Are there any instances in literature of Blanks/pariahs serving as Space Marines? Surely they'd be unstoppable when facing warp entities. I know assassins can be blanks and they're rare, etc. <Q> No. <S> in order for a human to be inducted as a scout and later...	A Blank couldn't bee screened by the psykers and therefore not be eligible for becoming a Space Marine.
Are spells in Harry Potter invented or discovered? Are the spells in the magical world of Harry Potter invented or discovered? Maybe someone just said “Avada Kedavra” and the rest is history. <Q> While thinking over this question, I think spells must have been discovered . <S> As we know, wizards and witches can perf...	I think most of the spells in the magical world were invented.
Has the Enterprise-D really travelled twice as much as other Federation ships? In the beginning (teaser) of " Starship Mine " episode Geordi LaForge says, that Enterprise-D was travelling in warp twice as much as all other Federation ships. They've flown in warp, during five years, similar number of kilometres as all...	" There's a few ways: It was Galaxy Class , which at the time of TNG was the most advanced ship the Federation had ever built.
How do non-officers communicate on board Federation ships? In the middle of " Starship Mine " Captain Picard pretends that he is Mr. Mot, a barber. When terrorists finds his comm-badge, they say to each other that he certainly isn't a barber, he must be a Starfleet officer. I'm surprised to find out that non-offic...	DS9 shows Jake and Nog can communicate and receive personal live communications. essentially, civilians use the same ship communication system, but just don't activate it through the com badges they lack.
Why do the dwarves and elves hate each other? In nearly every single medieval story Elves and Dwarves hate each other, or at least are very unfriendly towards each other. As I have read, watched and played many a lore of the medieval genre it just seems natural that Elves and Dwarves have a mistrust, at least, between ...	It comes down to mostly philosophical reasons, they don't have a true animosity towards each other but rather an uneasy relationship.
Why did Obi-Wan Kenobi choose to die which could screw the grand plan? There were three founders and secret holders of the grand plan established in the end of Return of the Sith : Bail Organa, Master Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. When Obi-Wan Kenobi confronted Darth Vader on Death Star, Bail Organa was already dead by th...	Well, what Obi-Wan did makes perfect sense... from a certain point of view. He wanted to be more powerful so he was able to teach Luke better, showing him that the force is very powerful in many ways and that he still could achieve more knowledge of the force even through death. Under the circumstances, it's only a mat...
What states did the 2 extra stars on the American flag represent in Star Trek TNG "The Royale"? In the Star Trek TNG episode "The Royale" , the away team find the remains of an astronaut, his uniform had an American flag with 52 stars On the sleeve is a version of the United States flag with 52 stars Digging a bit...	It is never answered in canon.
Why didn't Snape keep or secure his copy of Advanced Potion-Making? Advanced Potion-Making (by Libatius Borage!) was used for sixth year Potions classes. Canon does not make clear whether it was also used for seventh year Potions, so I'm going to presume it was only the sixth years' textbook. Slughorn passes out two b...	To Snape, it's probably just an old textbook he took some notes in, long ago. There was probably never a risk that a student would get that book in one of Snape’s classes, and the possibility only opened up when Slughorn took over the class.
Why is there an "End Transmission" message after long range communication? Why after finishing any distant Federation communication, there is an "End Transmission" text: Shouldn't it be: Transmission's End, End of Transmission, Transmission has Ended or something different "End Transmission" sound much more li...	I would say its to let the recipient know the transmission is over, instead of being lost etc.
Why didn't Dumbledore tell Harry what Snape was going to do? Why didn't Dumbledore tell Harry that Snape was going to kill him? I do realise that this would be a very harsh thing to say to Harry, however, wouldn't it have made it easier for Harry in the end to know that Snape was on his side? Did he not te...	Dumbledore had to keep certain things hidden from Harry just in case Voldemort read his mind.
Why didn't 10th Doctor cut and keep a body part after regeneration? When 10th Doctor first regenerated after being shot by a Dalek, he kept his body same (using his old body part preserved by Captain Jack Harkness) because he had vanity issues at that time. Just after regeneration, why didn't he cut his hand (or any...	So there likely is no canon answer (for whatever that's worth in Doctor Who). So, based on that explanation, the most likely reason is that he had no regeneration energy left -- he was forced to discharge all of it, immediately, to stop the regeneration, so if he severed another limb, it would not grow back.
80s (or earlier) book with children who have magical powers imbued by wearing stones around their neck I believe I first read this in the mid/late 80s. Here what's I can recall: It involved a boy and a girl - I believe 7-10 years old - I don't recall if they were friends or brother and sister They were given a "ston...	Led by the evil Mr. Wilberforce, the slug monsters were now bent on destroying Earth and only the twins' emerging psychic abilities could turn them back.
Does Hal Jordan / Green Lantern have green skin? I was watching the recent Green Lantern movie and noticed several references to Hal Jordan having green skin when he summons the Green Lantern costume. I am badly color-blind and would not have noticed the color change on my own. My question: is this part of the standar...	Different costumes for Green Lanterns can also give the impression (particularly because of their skin-tight nature) that their skin has turned green when they activate their costumes.
In Interstellar, how can 60-year-old robots interface with the new Ranger spacecraft? Correct me if I'm wrong but in the movie the main character due to relativity spends 60+ years away from the rest of the world. When thay start the journey they take the robots with them. 60 years later that same model and type of r...	Again, nothing solid to support this, but it is entirely plausible. There is nothing in canon to support this, but he may have upgraded the robot to be compatible.
Is there a group in Dresden Files that keeps the supernatural world secret? In the Dresden files universe is there a group or organization that keeps the supernatural world secret and cleans up the mess? Like, for instance, the cleaners in Underworld and Charmed, or Obliviators in Harry Potter etc. <Q> Harry Dresden ...	Officially no, its pretty much self regulating as to much mundane involvement would be bad for the metaphysical community.
Can non-British wizards attend Hogwarts? Is there any evidence of non-British wizards attending Hogwarts? <Q> I don't remember any direct statement in the books saying that some student does not come from Britain. <S> Draco says that he considered going to Durmstrang but his mother opposed because it was too far away...	There is some canon evidence that wizards can attend foreign schools though. Though the vast majority of Hogwarts students are British, Leta Lestrange attended Hogwarts, despite her father, Corvus Lestrange Sr., being French.
White Walkers and the cold In the books of A Song of Ice and Fire as well as in the HBO adaptation, A Game of Thrones , whenever the white walkers make an appearance, it suddenly becomes really chilly and cold and everything turns into ice around them (water, trees, etc.). Are they responsible for the low temperatur...	So it seems that, in the TV show at least, the White Walkers are responsible for the cold.
How do we know the Flash is faster than Superman? I have heard from many people that the Flash is faster than Superman. But how do we know this? Have we ever seen them head-to-head? <Q> It's already been established that all of the Flashes can move past light-speed via the Speed Force. <S> As for Superman, he's never ...	Flash can outrun Superman because Superman does not need to run, therefore he is not used to it.
Short Story: Space probe (Voyager?) discovered by aliens? I read this story a few years ago in an anthology, but I'm sure it was written in the 70s or 80s. It was only a few pages long and explored a number of scenarios that could occur if aliens were to discover one of our probes. I'm certain there were more, but t...	It then goes on to show the probes fate in these alternate realities. It may very well have been inspired by "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" though.
How was Vanko not crippled by being crushed repeatedly between a Bentley and a wall? In the introduction of Anton Vanko in Iron Man 2, he stands ready to strike the helpless Tony Stark, who is saved by the timely arrival of Pepper Pots and Happy in a Bentley. They crush Vanko against a nearby wall twice, but he emerges...	Vanko IS wearing an exoskeleton which enhances his strength but the region below the belt is covered by his very baggy and unflattering pants. The airbags don't deploy until the very last time that they crash into him, so it seems like Happy was hitting the brakes before the actual collision, presumably attempting to p...
Why didn't the machine kill Neo after he was ejected? After Neo chose the red pill and was ejected from The Matrix, a large machine came to unplug him. Why didn't it kill Neo? <Q> It did try to kill him (or <S> at least recycle him) <S> As a matter of fact, the Doc Bot did attempt to kill him almost immediately a...	Similar to a previous question about seemingly senseless behavior on the part of the machines, the answer is two-fold: The Docbot's Programming It's possible that the docbot figures anyone who's "carrier signal" is disrupted must be dead, and just watches for them and throws them out.
80s/90s TV show: girl with strange (robotic?) voice talks to a "Zordon", maybe in a ship of some kind What is the TV show from the 80s or 90s that had a short haired girl talking in a strange voice, maybe even robotic? It was part of the show, but I can't remember what else the show was about. Maybe she was talking to ...	Out Of The World (1987-1991) is a show about a half-alien teenage girl living with her mother on Earth.
How many Vaults are there in Fallout game universe? In the Fallout lore, I have gathered information that there are 112 vaults. But is that all of them or just the vaults that have been released as in-game content? Wouldn't there be other vaults in the other countries across the Atlantic? So overall, how many Vaults...	As far as I know, there are a total of 122 Vaults in the US in the Fallout Universe.
Were there any overweight people in the Matrix? I don't reckon I saw any, so my question is: were there any? If not, how come people in the Matrix can't get weight in their perspective. I mean, no one tried to gain some? <Q> There were more than a few extras who were substantially above the average BMI The Matrix ...	It would be quite possible for a fat person to exist in the tube, outside of glandular or metabolic disorders, etc., because frequently to try and gain performance a computer/machine/sentient robot may try a new algorithm as part of an effort to improve efficiency/speed/etc. Dying or being injured in the Matrix has ill...
How strong are vampires in The Vampire Diaries? What is the strength level of vampires in The Vampire Diaries universe? What feats of strengths have been shown? <Q> The strength level of the vampires in the show is not always consistant, and also seems to vary depending on several factors (how old they are, how well-fe...	TVD vampires don't really have strong "lifting" feats of strength or at least anything really definitive. Their bodies have to have a certain amount of toughness. When Elena was first turned into a vampire she jumped off of a 100 foot cliff. They routinely snap people's necks with ease, and punch their fists through pe...
Why didn't the Death Eaters capture Harry Potter at the end of the Half-Blood Prince? I was watching the Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince movie recently and when Harry tries to take down Snape at the end (after Snape kills Dumbledore) it was a perfect opportunity for the Death Eaters to take Harry to Vold...	Voldemort had an established history of ordering his underlings not to interfere when it came to bringing harm to Harry -- he wanted to do it all himself.
In Interstellar, how could you build a space colony without bringing the Blight with you? In Interstellar, there is a Blight destroying all the world's crops. If Plan A involves launching a space colony, presumably full of crops, etc., how could they avoid bringing the Blight with them? At the end of the film we see...	As long as you observe strict quarantine and thoroughly de-Blight everything and everyone that comes off Earth, it should then be possible to have a Blight-free growing environment in space.
Science fiction story about political acumen I vaguely remember reading a science fiction story in which the character was introduced as a unambitious government official (a bureaucrat). I believe in the story it mentions that while his superiors had come and gone, he always remained due to his unoffensive nature. Thro...	The major plot is driven by powerful aliens who are attempting to regain a member of their species who was 'kidnapped' as an infant; it may be the protagonist's pet.
Mystique replicating a target's attire, how does it work? I have always wondered how Mystique's transformation works. Please spare me as I don't read many Marvel comics, just those random ones which I can get. From what is seen in movies, she can instantly transform into anyone once she gets a clear look at him/her. ...	According to the wiki : Mystique is a mutant shapeshifter with the ability to psionically shift the formation of her biological cells at will to change her appearance and thereby assume the form of other humans and animals. However, it may be that Mystique doesn't have to see a target in order to transform into them. I...
Can Mystique replicate a person by just looking at a photograph? I have always wondered how Mystique's transformation works. If Mystique has never seen a person, but gets his/her photo with only face visible (passport sized). Can she still replicate him/her? If Yes, how does she recreate the body, by her own imaginat...	If she has seen them live and interacting with other people, she can create a near-perfect replica, lacking only their memories to draw from.

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