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Reason for Aragog's Death in HP 6 In the 6th book/movie of Harry Potter Aragog the big giant spider dies. Why is this important to the story? <Q> In the novel (and the movie), Slughorn had shown a deep unwillingness to spend any time with Harry after their brief chat about Voldemort: <S> ‘Sir,’ Harry began, but Slug...	Once he died, there was no one to forbid the forest spiders from eating Hagrid or anyone else for that matter. This, I would argue, was able to in part prepare Harry and the reader for the loss of another major character later in the book, and other characters in the last book.
Where does the idea of replacing "Sir" with "Ser" in "A Song of Ice and Fire" come from? Is this something invented by Martin or did it originate elsewhere? More specifically, was there another fantasy author that used "Ser" as a noble title? I'm mainly asking because I cannot shake a feeling that I've read a book tha...	In his " Moon Moth ", Vance uses Ser for Sir.
Why are the Romulan and Klingon Empires "empires"? (Remotely related to Is there an in-universe explanation for the Roman Empire terminology used for the Romulans? ) The Romulan Empire and the Klingon Empire are led by a senate and a council with a chancellor, respectively. The position as chancellor is not inherited...	The short (and admittedly quite boring) answer is that both the Klingon and Romulan Empires are "Empires" because they're run, at least nominally by Emperors. The term empire is derived from the Latin term imperium (a rule, a command; authority, control, power; supreme power, sole dominion; military authority; a domini...
Can Shazam/Captain Marvel's transformation be prevented by a roof? On a normal day, Billy Batson transforms into Shazam (previously Captain Marvel) by saying "Shazam!" and being struck by lightning. Upon being impacted by the lightning, he switches between his two forms. But on several instances, he's shown to use th...	The lightning bolt which strikes young Billy Batson to transform him into Captain Marvel is not actually lightning - it is the physical manifestation of the Power of Shazam. So, a strong roof should prevent that. Afterwards, Billy found himself with even more power, and quickly learned that he could control the lightni...
Why did King Robb not return to the North via the alternate route through the Bay of Crabs? After his conquests in the Westerlands when King Robb returns to Riverrun, his first priority was retaking the North from Iron Islanders. His marriage to Jeyne Westerling had alienated the Freys and matters were further complica...	The Lannisters would have known where the Stark army was moving (through spies etc.), and moved their own army to cut them off. First of all, there are several reasons why the sea travel is not an attractive option: As you said in your question, it will be a much more lengthy travel. In order to retake the North they n...
Are bastard surnames permanent? In Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire, bastards have the last names such as Snow, Sand, Flowers, Hill, Pyke, Rivers, Stone, Storm, Waters. In the event that they are never legitimized what happens when these bastard children become adults? Do they and their offspring forevermore hol...	If a bastard sires trueborn offspring without getting legitimized themselves, their Children are not considered bastards and do not have to carry the bastard surnames.
Did Kaiju release toxins? In accordance to their increasing size and strength, the Defense Corps created a "Category" scale, classifying Kaiju on the basis of toxicity and water displacement. Referred from http://pacificrim.wikia.com/wiki/Kaiju Definition of toxicity is "The degree to which a substance (a toxin or ...	The blood of a Kaiju is highly acidic, corroding anything in its path.
What does Yoda mean by “Remember your failure at the cave!” At approximately 1:23:55 in Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back , Yoda is trying to convince Luke to stay and continue his training, and then implores Luke to Remember your failure at the cave! The exact script quote is here . Which failure is he refer...	In brief, by ignoring Yoda's admonitions and going in armed and fearful, Luke had failed to demonstrate the emotional mastery that was needed to inoculate against the temptations of the Dark Side.
Why did Vader need the cape at all? Why did Vader need a cape? I don't think it was something that his life was dependent on? Why have the cape, if all it is just a drawback, and hinders your movement. Does the canon explain this further? <Q> Vader was based on an old (possibly the first) costumed Supervillian from...	The cape also acted as a protective cloak designed to block fire and acid jets, thus helping protect the suit's electronics. The mask itself went halfway around Vader's head. There don't appear to be any reasons given to explain why Vader wears a cape, nor whether it has any use beyond the merely ornamental.
Help me identify this book that uses cloning for space travel I can't remember much, but hopefully this is specific enough to jar someone's memory. In this novel, the method of travelling to other planets involved something like cloning. The original person would stay on earth while a copy was essentially faxed to anot...	It's from a science fiction novels by American writers, Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson, called Saga of Cuckoo . Set some five hundred years in the future in a universe in which the United Nations Protectorate oversees a number of extrasolar planets settled by human beings, The original person would stay on earth whi...
Was Good Omens' character Crowley used as a template for Supernatural's Crowley? I've been watching the TV show Supernatural for years. Last year I listened to the audio book version of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens and was astounded by the similarities between the character named Crowley in both ...	As far as the similarity in names, there is a very prominent figure in recent occult history named Aleister Crowley, who shows up rather frequently in pop culture.
Why is Orthanc so indestructible? The tower of Orthanc is said to have been impenetrable: By the next day, only the tower of Orthanc remained, as it was hewn of one piece of impenetrable rock... - http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Orthanc . It survives an attack on it by the Ents and has seemingly lasted many thousand...	The implication is that it's made of some kind of heavy volcanic rock; For the main wall of the City was of great height and marvellous
book identification scifi/fantasy with talking human intelligence cat id needed for a Sci-fi/Fantasy novel....mid to late 1980's. The only thing I can remember was the book was set in the future. There was a guy (main character) who was on a quest. He had several companions with him. The one that stands out in my me...	This might be James Kahn s " World enough and Time " (which is 80s fantasy and has a cat/human hybrid).
Why did Snape looking at Harry Potter cause his scar to hurt? In The Philosopher's Stone , when Harry is at the start of year feast, he looks at the teachers' table and sees Quirell talking to Snape. Snape then looks past Quirell and at Harry, at which point Harry's scar hurts him. I was under the impression that Har...	In universe: Because Voldemort was there on Quirell's head, and at the moment Snape noticed Harry, Voldemort probably did as well. Probably some fear as well.
Do the Q fear the Borg? In episode Q2 of Voyager, Q tells his son : Q : If the Continnum's told you once, they've told you a thousand times. DON'T PROVOKE THE BORG!! If Q are omnipotent / immortal / all powerful, why would Q tell his son not to provoke the Borg? Q himself provokes humans (Janeway & Picard) qu...	The Q like to play, but they know there are lines they should not cross.
Why doesn't S.H.I.E.L.D. put Hulk on the index and lock him away? In Marvel Cinematic Universe, we see that S.H.I.E.L.D. puts dangerous and unstable supernaturals on the index and locks them away (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). Talking about Hulk, he is both dangerous and unstable. (Here, his being good is irreleva...	If The Hulk were to break out, it would also risk the escape/death of every other prisoner. I agree with Royal Canadian Bandit's answer that their motivations for keeping him around would have been the eventual potential for his help and cooperation as they did end up needing in the Avengers movie.
How long had the rebels been on Hoth before the Battle of Hoth? On the planet Hoth, when Luke gets attacked by the Wampa and Han goes to look for him, we have this snippet of dialog (emphasis mine): DECK OFFICER: Sir, Commander Skywalker hasn't come in through the south entrance. He might have forgotten to check in....	Consider that the Rebel Alliance needed time to construct the base and its defenses, including ice caverns, the power generator, the shield generator, the ion cannon, and other defensive installations. According to the Wookieepedia article on Hoth : The Rebellion operated out of Echo Base for about one year before it w...
Any hints that J might wed D? The answers in If J = L + R, why would his claim to the throne come before this Targaryen? suggests that J could still possibly ascend the throne. If J does equal L + R, then Daenerys is Jon's aunt, who also has claim to the throne, and is lacking an incestuous partner - something she ...	The main hints that this is possible are the frequent incestuous and/or polygamous marriages in the Targaryen family tree.
Is it ever explained how exactly the Others can threaten Westeros right around the Wall? The info I remember about the Wall was that it was built, using magic, by the Children of the Forest after the last long winter and Others invasion. It's purpose is to retain the Other should they return. No doubt the Night's Wat...	Nope, it's not been explained yet, all we can do is theorize: It's clear from the first attack on LC Mormount, we can see that the Walkers' wights cannot cross the Wall, they are held back by the magic which was used in creating it. There are giants north of the Wall, and I wouldn't find it surprising if the Others cou...
Are there feline creatures in the Star Wars Universe? I wonder if cats or creatures similar to cats exist in the Star Wars Universe.And if yes, what are these creatures, like humanoid cats or more like predators like tigers etc? Or are there any references that some species had cats or something else as pets? <Q> Yes....	Some cat-like sentient species, such as Orryxians and Catumen, were often nicknamed "Cats."
Where had Lupin taught before Hogwarts? In Prisoner of Azkaban , when Harry, Hermione, and Ron get on the Hogwarts Express, the only nearly empty compartment they can find is the one in which Remus Lupin is sleeping. They do not recognise him: “Who d’you reckon he is?” Ron hissed, as they sat down and slid the door ...	He very well may have been an outstanding DADA researcher with some think tank or "university" or MoM researcher like Unspeakables.
Is there any indication that someone is cast as Anakin in The Force Awakens? There is some recycled dialog in the second teaser for The Force Awakens , with a voiceover by Luke: The force runs strong in my family. My father has it… Assuming that the dialog is from The Force Awakens and not just lifted from Re...	As someone who has been actively seeking spoilers for the new trilogy, I can say with confidence that - so far - there has been ZERO evidence indicating that Anakin Skywalker will appear .
Why did the snow queen attack Marian/Zelena Specifically? Was there any reason behind Marian/Zelena being frozen during the Snow Queen's reign? Did she know that she was Zelena? Was she afraid of her powers? Why did she not reveal to the rest that it was her? On the other hand, why wasn't the all powerful Zelena able ...	Marian being the target was just opportunity as she happened to stop by the ice cream shop the day after Elsa showed up; the ultimate goal did not require any specific individual, just that someone was frozen and the town knew about it.
How did the Separatists get to Coruscant? At the beginning of Revenge of the Sith, we see a massive battle over Coruscant. It's pretty clear that this is the height of the Clone Wars. So how were the Separatists able to get so deep into Republic territory? <Q> Within minutes of their arrival, their (small number of) c...	Through the use of a secret hyperspace passage through the Deep Core supplied to them by Darth Sidious, the Separatists managed to jump right on top of the Coruscant Home Fleet, catching them completely by surprise. As the film's official novelisation says, this wasn't an invasion force, it was a " lightning raid " dee...
Why couldn't the Clone Gunship shoot down Count Dooku as he was escaping Geonosis? In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones , after chasing Count Dooku's speeder for several (miles?) in a Republic Gunship, Anakin asks the Clone Pilot to " shoot him down " and the Clone pilot responds that he cannot because they a...	The anti-personnel lasers would not be strong enough to destroy a ship and the beam lasers fire more down and to the sides. They are not interceptors meant to shoot down other aircraft, they are meant to provide support to ground troops by firing on ground based targets.
Do Daredevil's enemies know that he's blind? In the Netflix series, Daredevil wears what looks like a wool mask which completely covers his eyes. Towards the end, he goes for a costume mask which doesn't cover his eyes at all and you can clearly tell he's blind. What I'm trying to point out here is that not once in ...	It's easy to guess that he can't see through the mask. Since Daredevil's means of sight is based on what his radar sense and enhanced senses are able to detect, if anybody or anything around him does not exhibit any of these factors, then Daredevil would be unable to sense it.
When Frodo offers her the ring, is Galadriel really tempted, or just making a point? (Question sparked by discussion on Why does Frodo follow Galadriel and offer her the ring? ) When Frodo suggests that Galadriel should take the ring, she appears tempted: she gives a vision of the power she could wield if she took it...	She was really tempted .
Why do battle droids need to speak in Basic? You would think they would only need to communicate silently through internal transmissions. Having them have to communicate verbally seems pointless.What is the IN-UNIVERSE reason for this? <Q> In-universe, the most likely reason for programming the battle droids to speak...	While it would seem to make sense for droids to communicate with each other via some sort of binary language or wireless communication, it's possible that the Trade Federation simply cut costs by giving them a single, verbal communication method.
What was SHIELD doing during the Battle of New York? It's a common conceit of superhero movies that the threat has to be stopped by the hero, and the military doesn't play as large a role as it probably would in the real world. Out-of-universe, it's an understandable narrative device. That being said, given the role ...	As living weapons, SHIELD expects the Avengers to do their best to both limit casualties and direct their intelligence onto finding a way to stop the enemy without inflicting more casualties than the military would using conventional weaponry.
What's the reason behind "Beep Beep Richie"? In Stephen King's "IT", the characters often say "Beep Beep Richie". At first I thought it was whenever Richie talked too much but there were other points in the book when it would be said to other characters and I never quite understood what it meant. Is there something I'm...	From what I remember, it started out as a warning to Richie that he was going over the line (or too far) with something.
Have the Tyranids and Necrons ever engaged in a large scale battle? Have the Tyranids ever had an extended battle with the Necrons ? Are there any publications by The Black Library which cover this battle, if it happened? The Tyranids probably wouldn't be bothered attacking the Necrons when there are so many tas...	The Necrons awakened and used some weapon which caused a blast in space, and created a new star, which incinerated all the Tyranids in the system plus all the men on the system's worlds.
Why does Ambassador G'Kar become Citizen G'Kar and not just G'Kar? At first I thought this was a pejorative, the Centauri trying to insult G'Kar even more; but the more you watch, the more species you see calling him Citizen as if that is his official title. What I don't understand is why they don't just call him G'Ka...	As Citizen G'Kar, he becomes an anomaly and as such is both accorded respect of a previous title and can speak wholly for his people.
Since when did Eru forbid men from going to the undying land? I read it in the Silmarillion that the Valar forbade Númenóreans going to the undying land. Was this rule made by Eru himself and did he loved Elves more than Men? Both Elves and Men were the Children of Ilúvatar. I found it hard to explain to people that G...	There is certainly nothing to indicate that the Ban was commanded by Eru; it seems plain it is a rule of the Valar only.
Why is explosive decompression a guideline? In the Guardians of the Galaxy film, people repeatedly jump into space and float around a bit, for giggles. Why's this okay, and they don't, you know, die immediately? I vaguely remember a line similar to Her mods will keep her alive for a few minutes, but after that.... ...	Quill's nature and equipment left aside, the vacuum of space is not as immediately lethal as you might expect. You will not "explode". No Oxygen - You will choke to death, so basically as long as you can hold your breath is how long you got.
Why did Thor remain worthy to wield Mjolnir after he tried to kill Captain America? In Avengers movie, Thor attacked Captain America with Mjolnir. If Captain America didn't have a Vibranium shield, he could have died. Here, Thor tried to kill a noble man whose only crime was that he tried to stop an unnecessary fig...	Probably because Cap was perceived a dangerous foe that had to be beat, presumably a friend of Loki from Thor's point of view. Normally, when Thor is deemed unworthy, it is with the direct intervention of Odin that the hammer is stripped from him.
Can an inanimate thing lift Mjolnir? Can an inanimate thing can lift Mjolnir without the help of a living being (unworthy) Scenario 1 Mjolnir in a very light car with a sail attached to it, then a very strong wind blew and moved the car uphill. It is possible or not? Scenario 2 Can upward wind alone lift the Mjo...	Andy, the Mad Thinker's Amazing Android emulated Thor's worthiness and was able to lift Mjolnir.
About the absence of metal in machinery and buildings of the past In X-Men: Days of Future Past I see several things about absence of metal that I am a bit skeptical about. For example, Magneto is being held under the Pentagon and there should be no metal whatsoever hundreds of meters around him. But how do they pro...	Assuming of course that Magneto is limited to manipulation of magnetic (ferrous) material, the minimal use of copper wiring needed for traditional lighting and glass breakage sensors would not be enough for Magneto to use. There are various ways to "pump" light around; fibre optics, light pipes (mirrors and straight ru...
In Age of Ultron, Thor seems to know something he possibly shouldn't? Sorry for the cryptic title, but I realise the film has only just been released in the UK and Europe and is yet to be released in the US. I'll hide all substantial parts of my question, just in case. I don't want to spoil anything. At the end of A...	They do indeed appear to be the four you mentioned.
Would Expecto Patronum work on Inferi? In Harry Potter, Inferi are reanimated corpses forced to do the bidding of dark wizards. They are repelled by heat. the Patronus charm is a conjured form of protection consisting of a witch or wizards best memory's and happy feelings. According to the wiki : "The Patronus Char...	Preserved indefinitely by Dark Magic, an Inferius can only be destroyed by fire , for no spell has been found to render dead flesh impervious to burning. The Patronus seems to be able to exert a physical force.
Old animated sci-fi movie about a family traveling on a starship When I was little, my dad rented an animated sci-fi movie, or perhaps a series. I guess it was around 1990-95. But I cannot say how old the movie was when I saw it. From what I remember about the story, it was about a family traveling on a starship. Pare...	It was a Romanian cartoon of 1989 (it should be by the same team that made another animated movie, that seem a bit more famous, which is Delta Space Mission ) The English translation of the title "Ultima Misiune" is Last Assignment or Last Mission
In the comics, who made Daredevil's costume? In an episode of the Netflix Daredevil TV series, we find out Daredevil commissions a suit from Melvin Potter, the man who makes the special, armored suits for Wilson Fisk. Which led me to wonder if a similar character developed Daredevil's outfit, or if Matt Murdock...	There has never been a canon answer for WHO made Daredevil's first costumes. The costume is said to have been created by SHIELD.
What's the name of the book where a girl is built into a spacecraft? There was a sci-fi book a book I saw about 10 years ago, that featured a society of people where (I think) some chose to become parts of spacecraft. I was very young at the time so i only remember fragments of the story. There was a girl who was on...	Eike Pierstorff's answer is entirely correct - that is the Brainship series (sometimes known as Brain & Brawn).
Can the Vision survive without the gem in his forehead? In The Avengers: Age of Ultron , we saw the newly introduced character Vision, whose creation partly involved the Mind Stone Infinity Gem being fused to his forehead. His possession of the Gem is used to explain a number of important aspects of his behavior. ...	So far, we have seen the powers of the Gem completely capable of changing aspects of reality, if the user is powerful and capable enough. While many fans expected it to be on the head of Adam Warlock and we have been given a glimpse of his cocoon in the hands of the Collector, it is speculated he will not have a role i...
Who is funding Avengers facilities? In Avengers: Age of Ultron , we learned that Avengers works like an organization separate from S.H.I.E.L.D. Avengers was also working together with NATO. Does that mean the government is funding Avengers? Or, Is this just Tony Stark? Having Stark Tower renamed as Avengers...	The amount of money characters like Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne spend to do the things they do would probably bankrupt the wealthiest real world billionaires.
What fighting style does Daredevil (Netflix) use? I've recently started watching the new Netflix version of Daredevil , and I'm very impressed with the fighting choreography. Obviously it's some sort of Martial Arts or a combination, but I'm not learned enough to pin-point which style it is. What fighting style do...	According to the fight choreographer, Philip Silvera, it's a mixture of styles : I suspect there is some Krav Maga, Russian Systema, as well as some of the "lost" arts that comprised the CQB aspects of Ninjutsu because it really seems to be battlefield MMA meant to deal with life or death situations.
What is the “Water of Sight” featured in Avengers: Age of Ultron? In Avengers: Age of Ultron , Thor jumped into Water of Sight to re-visit his dream. They talked something like that the pool is on every planet (or, every realm) which shows reflection of some light. What exactly is Water of Sight ? Anything fro...	Any traces of the Norn have been removed, and the Water can now provide Thor with strange, prophetic, and expository visions. The "Waters of Sight" plot device appears to be inspired by the Well of Wyrd which has appeared in previous Thor titles.
What is the benefit of a hover-car over a standard ground-car? I was thinking about Back to the Future 2 the other day and thought ‘What is the actual advantage of having a hover-car?’ It could remove the need for roads, which would allow easier access to utilities lying under the roads, or more houses to be built, ...	Off the top of my head there also seem to be some other benefits Reduced fossil fuels : The hovering tech appears to be powered by a compact fusion generator that can run on rubbish. So the third dimension and ease of re-routing roads is the bigger advantage here. Using hover cars, you can stack several “roads” over ea...
Has the Hulk ever broken a bone? I've read quite a few Hulk comics / comics where Hulk makes a guest appearance and AFAIK, he's never broken a bone in a fight, or at least it's never been made really obvious that he has. I guess he'd have to fight someone insanely strong, Silver Surfer , The Thing or Thanos maybe...	The Hulk doesn't get many broken bones due to his heightened regenerative abilities.
Does Captain America have more than one shield? I've always understood Captain America to only have one shield, as it's made of the incredibly rare vibranium alloy. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier , during the battle aboard the Lemurian Star, his shield appears to be colored differently. Rings 1 and 3 (outward...	Steve Rogers definitely only has one shield.
Why is Captain America's shield called indestructible if Vibranium can be broken down for microscopic applications? First, "if Vibranium is indestructible, how was Captain America's shield created (melting and hammering shouldn't work)?" type questions should be trivial. the answer would be similar to that of Adamantiu...	In the comic universe, Captain America's shield is made from an Adamantium-Vibranium alloy which on Earth is considered to be one of the most durable and nigh-indestructible things ever made on Earth.
Why was converting Luke to the dark side worth the Emperor's life? The Emperor and Vader try to convert Luke to the dark side. The Emperor keeps taunting Luke and it seems like he wants Luke to kill him. How is that a good thing for the Emperor? I know of the Rule of Two, but in Sith history, I believe it was always ...	Vader also needs Luke to turn to the dark side (and help him kill the Emperor), so Vader goes along with the Emperor's attempts to induce anger in Luke. Unfortunately for the Emperor, Luke did not turn to the dark side and defeated Vader.
Why does the Batmobile have a "NO STEP" sign? This (silent) video shows the Batmobile in the new Batman v Superman movie: However, 14 seconds in we see: Why would the Batmobile need to have "NO STEP" on the side? Batman knows the risk and it's not like he's running a taxi service. Is Batman worried about gettin...	It could be a bit of engineer's humor on the part of Batman or the actual builder of the batmobile, like this notice on the Space Shuttle Carrier aircraft : It's a precaution. Causing thousands of dollars of damage to his funky new Batmobile for the sake of a 1$ stencil is not a good tradeoff.
Has Wolverine ever beaten The Hulk in a fight? Wolverine and Hulk are two Marvel characters that have incredible powers of healing/recovery, making them extremely difficult (potentially impossible) to kill. In addition, both of them have super-human levels of strength and power (Hulk because of his anger-based strength...	There are other numerous examples in Marvel universe where Hulk has faced off with Wolverine, most of the time wolverine has backed off from fight after being reminded the trauma faced at the hands of Hulk.
What happens if the Sith Master dies by some means other than at the Apprentice's hand? The Rule of Two holds that there are only ever two Sith Lords; one master and one apprentice. When the apprentice becomes powerful enough to defeat the master, the apprentice slays the master and becomes the new master. At any poi...	Well, there is a chance that the apprentice could become as powerful as the master as we see in Darth Bane Rule of Two . Although Kylo Ren is not a Sith , he managed to find a Sith-ish Master to teach him the ways of the Dark Side.
Is "Infinity Stones making the name of Thanos" true? I am listening to rumors (or, facts?) these days that Infinity Stones discovered in the MCU are making the name Thanos: T: Tesseract (Captain America, Avengers) H: ? A: Aether (Thor 2) N: ? O: Orb (Guardians of the Galaxy) S: Scepter (Avengers,...	If you are an old school fan of Marvel, you may have noticed the Infinity Gems are differently colored today than they were in the past. The Infinity Gems are six precious stones of cosmic origin that give the possessor mastery over a certain power. I can't imagine this to be true.
How does Tony Stark control the Hulkbuster Suit? I noticed watching Age of Ultron, when the Hulk and Tony are fighting, that the Hulkbuster suit is much bigger than Tony is. Obviously in the regular Iron Man suits it fits around his arms and legs and he can move them around using his own limbs. But from the size of t...	The suit reads the users brain-waves & accordingly translates them to move the suits parts The suits limbs are sufficiently heavy that a human hand/leg wouldn't be able to move it by themselves. Finally, even the regular iron man suit can't really move without power, as we also see in Iron Man 3. Think of it like a ver...
Why didn't Tony control the Hulkbuster armor remotely? In Iron Man 3, we saw that Tony was able to control Mark 42 armor remotely. Talking about the Hulkbuster armor used in Avengers: Age of Ultron , it was very dangerous because Hulk's unpredictable rage could rip it apart any time. Why didn't Iron Man simply contr...	For that matter, we do not see Tony operate any suit remotely in the movie at all, not even his regular MK43. Because he wants to and is borderline addicted to it. Finally, if a remote controlled version of Hulkbuster did exist, it would have fallen into the hands of Ultron.
Book (or book series) about huge spaceship that feels like a space Noah's Ark sort of thing? My aunt loves sci fi books and when I was young, she would tell me the stories. There was one with this sort of plot: There was a HUGE spaceship that held 2 exemplars of all species in the entire universe/galaxy, placing them...	The Ship is a Noah's Ark type craft, carrying an entire race of people originally intended to populate another world. Garden of Rama has them arriving at a Node, which from memory is substantially larger than the Rama craft. It was made into a radio drama for X Minus One and Dimension X.
Seoul, Korea, no 'South'? In Avengers: Age of Ultron , at one point, we see Seoul. However, the subtitle that introduces where we are, simply states 'Seoul, Korea'. In real life, Seoul is in South Korea, but in the film, there's no 'South'. Does this mean that in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, North and South Korea...	When one says Korea without specifying either North or South, it is understood that you are talking about South Korea.
What's with the privacy with Captain America? In Avengers: Age of Ultron movie, There's a scene in which Steve Rogers and Tony Stark are chopping woods. Then, Hawkeye's wife comes and asks Tony to fix the tractor. But, it turns out to be a guy with eye patch near the tractor. Now, the question is: Why did Nick F...	Makes sense that Fury would want to have this conversation with just the two of them present.
What is the surname of Brienne? I realize that this seems like a ridiculous question, because Brienne's father is Lord Selwyn Tarth, and as his daughter she will be known as Brienne Tarth. But in every single reference I have found to her she is known as Brienne of Tarth. Even searching on the wiki for Brienne Tar...	On the one hand, you are correct - her surname, as member of a minor house, is "Brienne Tarth".
How did Luke know Vader needed his helmet to survive? At the end of Return of the Jedi , Darth Vader asked Luke to help him take off his helmet. "But you'll die," Luke said. How would Luke know this? Furthermore, was that even true? In The Empire Strikes Back , Vader is shown for a short period without his mas...	According to the Return of the Jedi Junior Novelisation , it was already apparent to Luke that Vader's helmet and chestplate were part of a " breathing apparatus ". I would be able to know that a person is on life support if he/she walks past me in a cool big black suit with buttons and a mask.
Why did McGonnagall ask Filch to find Peeves before the Battle of Hogwarts? Extract from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: The aged caretaker had just come hobbling into view, shouting "Students out of bed! Students in the corridors!" "They're supposed to be you blithering idiot!" shouted McGonagall. "Now go a...	Peeves is the biggest troublemaker in the history of Hogwarts, since he is a poltergeist. Given that we know that peeves is probably intelligent enough to tell the difference between students and death eaters, the decision to use him makes perfect sense.
What is the on the Enterprise main viewer before they say "on screen" This clip indicates that it is just a wall. And admittedly, what you want to look at may not be right in front of you. But why would you ever just have a wall showing? <Q> Based on watching a random selection of TNG episodes (Deja Q, A Matter of Pe...	To me this implies a default view of looking forwards , with the command "on-screen" suggesting a re-focusing, or re-orienting, towards a specific goal. In the Abrams universe, the Enterprise main viewer actually is just a window; it's very thick glass, and from the bridge, we can actually see the saucer hull (which is...
How did Voldemort know that Harry would be the one to get the Triwizard Cup? Voldemort made the Triwizard Cup a Portkey to the cemetery, so that the first person who touched it would come to him in the graveyard. But what if somebody else got the Cup? What if Harry had died in the maze? <Q> The contest was hardly fair....	It was specifically part of the Dark Lord’s plan that Barty Crouch Jr. would have to make sure Harry was the one who got to the Triwizard Cup first.
Who knows about Loki's parentage? Loki is the second son of Odin, All-Father of the Asgardians. However, Loki is not an actual Asgardian, nor the natural born child of Odin and his wife Frigga. It is ultimately revealed that he is actually a Frost Giant of Jötunheim, the mortal enemies of Asgard. Aside from the As...	As far as we know, the only people who know that Loki is not the natural-born son of Odin are Odin, Frigga, and Thor.
Why does Ultron hate Tony Stark? In Avengers: AOU, Ultron seems to have a programming-related reason to want to wipe out humanity. He hates the Avengers as a unit, & wants to annihilate them. But what reason does Ultron have for hating Tony specifically? This is further reinforced by Vision when he says "Ultron hates...	Ultron hates Stark more than he hates humanity in general because Stark thought he could create, develop, and harness artificial intelligence under human control. We find out that Ultron fears Jarvis, as Jarvis could stop his plans (and ultimately did). He embedded an inresistablly tasty piece of advance technology to ...
How could Ron possibly believe that "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow..." is a real spell? In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone , George convinces Ron that the following nonsensical poem is a spell: "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow." But Ron has grown up in a wizarding home,...	Most likely he believed it because it is a real spell .
How much do hobbits weigh? In the book The Fellowship of the Ring , Glorfindel puts the injured Frodo on his horse. The other hobbits then have trouble keeping up with the horse, Glorfindel, and Strider. That got me wondering how much hobbits weigh, and why Glorfindel didn't put all four of the hobbits on the one ho...	Hobbits in LOTR should have been closer to four feet tall - A fine-boned male elf probably wouldn't weigh more than a slim human male of the same height. Glorfindel is not described as carrying any gear, so with his clothing, he might weigh 160 lbs.
Who is shown as being faster: X-Men Quicksilver or MCU Quicksilver? Based solely on on-screen feats , who is the Quickersilver ? Quicksilver from the Marvel Cinematic Universe Quicksilver from the live-action X-Men Universe? I’m not looking for opinion-based answers, but answers based on things we actually see th...	I think the Quicksilver in AoU was faster and stronger.
Why couldn't Dumbledore be the DADA teacher? In Order of the Phoenix , Dumbledore can't find a new DADA teacher, so they get Umbridge. But if he is the Headmaster, and the only one Voldemort ever feared, why couldn't he take up the teacher? He does seem like the most qualified person. <Q> Several reasons spring to min...	Although Dumbledore is a competent wizard, and one of the few people who Voldemort fears, it would be silly to place himself in harm’s way by taking the position and subjecting himself to the curse. He has other, more important, things to do.
Can multiple ponies have the same special Talent? Can multiple ponies (especially unicorns) have the same talent? Could another unicorn have Twilight's talent for magic, for example? <Q> Yes, to an extent. <S> Ponies can have very similar talents, with very similar cutie marks. <S> However, since everypony is unique ...	So in the example you gave of Twilight, I would say that other ponies could share a similar talent for magic (with perhaps even a similar cutie mark) as Twilight, but nopony could have the exact same talent for magic that Twilight has, and similarly, no two ponies could ever share the exact same cutie mark.
What, if anything, is the name FRIDAY an acronym for? At the end of Age of Ultron , Tony Stark activates an AI named FRIDAY for the final battle in Sovokia against Ultron, as a replacement for JARVIS. JARVIS is an acronym for for Just A Rather Very Intelligent System . What is FRIDAY an acronym for? <Q> I don’...	It's not really an acronym for anything that I'm aware of.
Who is guarding the Infinity Gauntlet in Odin's chamber? In Thor , Odin’s Trophy Room (which includes an Infinity Gauntlet) is guarded by the Destroyer, which is later destroyed by Thor. Considering the importance of the Gauntlet and other relics in this vault, who is guarding that chamber now? <Q> Whatever it is, it...	If the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Destroyer is similarly indestructible, it is likely to still be on duty in Asgard.
Looking for the title/author of story about snail-like creatures Trying to find title/author of story I read many years ago, around 1964. Story was written from the point of view of a snail like creature. The central character describes (stream-of-consciousness?) himself and other characters moving along a path in a co...	Originally published in the April 1963 issue of Galaxy and widely anthologized .
Can Reverse Flash kill Flash? Can Reverse Flash kill Flash? Does that mean they can kill each other at any time? Or is there some particular time point, before which they can't irreversibly damage one another. Is this time related to a "Missing Flash" newspaper? <Q> After the Reverse Flash was stranded in the past,...	The Reverse Flash can kill the Flash, but he does not want to.
In Age of Ultron what exactly did Thor do to Vision? When Thor returns to the tower having learned much from the waters he finds that Stark and Banner were attempted to upload Jarvis's remnents into the body in the Cradle of Life. Other team members including Quicksilver (sort of team member at that point) fight to...	In the film, we see that Ultron had himself connected to the cradle while in the back of the truck. This is supported by the power gauge for the cradle, which was focused on several times during the process and argument, first shows "Power Critical" when Quicksilver pulled all the cables loose then shooting up into the...
Where did the Iron Man suits come from in Age of Ultron? At the end of Iron Man 3 , all of the Iron Man suits are destroyed with the very strong indicator that they will not be re-done — rather, Tony Stark will go it alone without the suits. However, in Age of Ultron , there are clearly Iron Man suits. Where did the...	The newest suit we saw in Iron Man 3 is the Mark XLII, but a Hot Toys announcement of a new figurine for Age of Ultron reveals that he's using the Mark XLIII in Age of Ultron .
Why are the Borg able to adapt so quickly to phaser fire but not to a punch? In multiple episodes drones adapt quickly to phaser fire. Within a few shots they develop a shield that can block phaser blasts. How is it possible that they are susceptible to a physical punch? Data and other officers have punched and phy...	Any time that a regular schmoe has tried to assault a Borg drone physically they have typically either been killed or assimilated.
Why didn't the Asgard use their own beam weapons? In the last episode of Stargate SG-1 , the Asgard gift humans with all their knowledge and fit key systems onto the human ship Odyssey . One of those key systems was an advanced beam weapon capable of penetrating Ori ship shields and destroying the ship in 3-4 shots....	Once the war with the Replicators began beam weapons would not help them. Asgard either didn't develop or installed the beam technology to their warships. On the time of Asgard's demise, they gave their technology including Asgard beam to humanity, which is after the space battle at the supergate.
What is the group of thanes surrounding a king? I'm writing a fantasy book and it suddenly occurred to me that I had forgotten the name of the group of thanes that surrounded the king in Anglo-Saxon (or was it Celtic?) culture. As far as I know, how it worked was that the King would have a group of notable warriors in ...	In the classic Beowulf (Lesslie Hall translation), they're literally referred to as the King's "thanemen"
Do any of the Avengers know that Agent Coulson is alive? One of the ongoing plot points of season 1 of Agents of SHIELD is that everyone still thinks Coulson is dead. For example, in the episode where Sif comes to Earth, the agent asks her to not reveal to Thor that she knows he is still alive. However that hasn't re...	No, none of the Avengers know that Coulson is still alive.
Do Force 'mind tricks' work on Droids? Just wondering following from this and this question, do we actually ever see (or have evidence of) Jedi successfully (or even attempting) to use their 'mind tricks' on Droids? <Q> In the Star Wars novel The Truce at Bakura , Luke Skywalker is able to extract a deadly parasit...	In the Clone Wars cartoon series, several of the Jedi Masters are able to dismantle droids and use their nuts and bolts to rip through them.
Older movie about crew sent to research abandoned spacecraft This is a long shot but I am looking for a movie I saw in the early 90's. It involved a ship sent to research an abandoned ghost ship. They go through "hyperspace" and find the ship. The ship they find looks like pole with a ball on the end and it is spinn...	A Soviet crew is sent to Jupiter to find the Discovery, the ship that was abandoned after the events of 2001.
When did Khan meet Chekov prior to The Wrath of Khan? I recently watched Star Trek season 1 episode 22, Space Seed , which is the first appearance of Khan Noonien Singh . I didn't see Chekov anywhere in that episode, and I was waiting for him to show up and have some interaction with Khan. You can see from the clip...	No he wasn't on the show in the first season when Space Seed was made. All we know (from the exchange in WOT) is that Khan and Chekov obviously encountered each other at some point on the ship.
In the view at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, where is Mordor? This is a screenshot near the end of the movie Fellowship of the Ring: Frodo said: "Mordor...". I think he was talking about the area in front of him. Was the mountains area in front Mordor? Was Mordor at the back of the scr...	Mordor itself stands behind those distant mountains, where we can see the faint red glow in the clouds.
Are there businesses in Mordor? This is a fairly straightforward question. In The Two Towers , it is revealed that Sauron pays his armies. When Merry and Pippin are abducted by Orcs, the Orcs argue about what to do with them. An Orc from Mordor suggests bringing them to a nearby Nazgul, and another Orc scoffs, sayin...	Sauron forged all of the weapons and armor for his armies from the mines in Mordor.
Are Gorn and Tamarian related? Are the Gorn species and the Tamarian species related in the Star Trek Universe or other non-canon Star Trek references? I see some visual similarities between the two species. <Q> Technically, probably yes. <S> (But we don't know for sure) <S> According to a TNG episode <S> " The Cha...	Aside from the fact that there seems to be almost no visual similarity between them in the pictures posted by Daft, the Gorn wiki article mentions that an updated version of a Gorn was shown in an Enterprise episode, "In a Mirror, Darkly Part II", and they weren't depicted as looking anything like the Tamarians:
Is "Apparition" (in the sense of 'traveling') a specifically Harry Potter concept? What the question says... Is the concept of " apparition " (as a means of transport from one place to another) introduced by the Harry Potter novels or did it exist prior to it ? Googling for "apparition" sans Harry Potter provides ghos...	While it hasn't been used in most media, the Harry Potter usage is in line with the basic definition, and could be called teleporting if Harry Potter was scifi, but since it's fantasy, it needs a spooky twist.
Other starships that can undergo saucer separation? I know that the Enterprise-D was capable of saucer separation (this was displayed in several episodes including The Best of Both Worlds , Encounter at Farpoint and in the film Generations ). I also know the Prometheus class was capable of saucer separation (a...	This Memory Alpha article suggests that the following ships / classes are also capable of seperation although it is never shown directly in a movie or episode: Enterprise-A / Constitution class (only as last resort) Enterprise-B / Excelsior class Enterprise-C / Ambassador class Enterprise-E / Sovereign class According ...
Why does a phaser sometimes vaporize organic matter and sometimes not on a maximum setting of kill? It appears that a phaser vaporizes organic matter on maximum setting. Remember that in this episode several lower settings barely phase Yuta but the maximum setting completely vaporizes her with no visible remains in the...	It's unclear from watching whether the incidents where targets aren't disintegrated are due to a less-powerful model of phaser or if the person firing the weapon simply chose a lower setting for some reason. So things that were formed with more energy requires more energy to vaporize.
Why was Luna held at Malfoy Manor? In Deathly Hallows , the Death Eaters kidnap Luna to stop her father Xenophilius publishing more provocative Quibbler issues. Harry, Ron, and Hermione learn this when they visit the Lovegood house, ending in Xenophilius unsuccessfully trying to hand the trio over to the Death Eater...	By keeping her completely isolated, they can stop anybody finding out what’s happened to her. Having Luna in Azkaban meant risking that someone not loyal to the regime would see her and start asking questions (though the general climate of fear might have already precluded this). It's not in-canon, but I'm speculating ...
Can Spider-Man climb ice walls? Can Spider-Man climb ice walls with his hands and/or his web? Are there examples where Spider-Man encountered ice, or other evidence of his superpower under cold conditions? <Q> The Marvel Universe Wiki describes the wall-clinging ability as a "ability to mentally control the flux of ...	NO Spider-Man cannot climb ice walls because his grip hairs freeze off.
How could "cryonics" be "just a fad"? In "The Neutral Zone", the Enterprise happens upon a number of 20th century individuals who have been frozen as sent drifting in space to be hopefully found later and healed. They are easily ... unfrozen and healed. But Data states: Actually the process of cryonics was never ...	In short, most people probably started to realize that the odds were that either they'd never be revived or they'd be miserable once revived. Rather than the cryonics actually falling out of favor in the 21st century, let's consider an alternate theory - no one really care about living on because life sucked and when t...
What’s going on with the War Boys in Mad Max: Fury Road? In the new Mad Max: Fury Road , a major starting event is that Max is being used as a "blood bag" for one of the War Boys. It seems to be implied later on that the war boy has some sort of terminal illness (indicated by the two strange lumps on his colla...	In this post-apocalyptic world, probably brought on by nuclear war, pretty much everyone has been exposed to lots of radiation and it seems many of the War Boys have cancer. They probably have lymphedema, anemia, maybe leukemia, since that is also treated by blood transfusion.
Was Bilbo Baggins an actual burglar? This is assuming that Gandalf did not have a sixth sense about Bilbo having a much bigger role to play in the quest; and ignoring the fact that Hobbits are generally more difficult to be detected compared to other races. To try and support this question, I recently read a post on a...	Hobbits are naturally quiet, sneaky people as their feet don't make a lot of noise when they walk. Your retention of someone else's property, knowing who the owner is, and the certainty that the property is in fact in your hands, makes Bilbo a thief.
Why did Ceti Alpha VI explode? In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Khan explains to Chekov and Captain Terrell that "Ceti Alpha VI exploded six months after we were left here. The shock shifted the orbit of this planet and everything was laid waste." Why did it explode? <Q> It's not explained. <S> The closest we ...	It was something to do with tectonic instability
What actor has portrayed the most comic book/science fiction superhero characters with some sort of special abilty and/or capabilities? The following question asks about the actor that has appeared in the most comic book movies: Stack Exchange question: Actor with the most comic-book movie roles? I'd like to know, wh...	Raptor in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (reptilian race with shapeshifting and other abilities) Baraka in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (a demon-Outworlder hybrid with superhuman fighting abilities) Captain America (super soldier) Lucas Lee from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Skipjack (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) Joh...
How does one fight the Nazgûl? In Fellowship of the Ring , it is said in several places that Aragorn, Glorfindel, and perhaps even a few other people, were able to fight off Nazgûl; they can't fend off all nine at once, but if they only encounter a few at a time (the maximum number of Nazgûl each character can handle...	As I understand it, they can feel some amount of pain hence them running after Aragorn burned them, and it is mentioned that no man can slay a Nazgûl therefore letting Éowyn kill the Witch king of Angmar. Well, simple, don't be affected by their "weapons". This is a common theme in Tolkien's writings, a lot of the "mag...
Why does Gandalf think he's not strong enough to reveal himself to Sauron via the palantir? We know Aragorn is strong enough to reveal himself (due to being rightful owner of the palantir) but why is it that Gandalf does not think he could endure Sauron? Does he, in the back of his mind, think if he reveals himself he ...	He knows who Gandalf is, and possibly his greatest fear is that Gandalf will claim the ring for himself ( it never occurs to Sauron that the council would try to destroy the ring, for him it was a question of who would claim the ring first ). Aragon is the safer choice, going for shock and awe, the bloodline & the blad...

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