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Is Borg adaptation only temporary? It seems like Borg adaptation, at least in terms of battle, is temporary. In every episode and movie I can think of, the initial attack against the Borg is effective. Unless the countless species across the galaxy are all using different weapons, including within the Federation itself...	The thing is, Borg are just being economical, shields use lots of energy, they don't want to waste it by constantly holding up energy field on every ship and every individual drone. The Borg can often figure out within a few shots what kind of frequency their opponent is using, and switch their shield frequencies aroun...
What is the physical difference between a male Moclan and female Moclan? At the beginning of The Orville , we are told that Moclans are an entirely male species. However, the third episode reveals that, in rare cases, Moclans are born female and that corrective surgery is performed to make them physically male. This b...	The differences between male and female Moclan seems to be about the same as the difference between male and female humans
In Toy Story, are toys the only inanimate objects that become alive? And if so, why? In Toy Story, the toys are alive. Do any non-toys display this characteristic as well? I don't believe so. If it is true that only toys can come alive, is it ever explained exactly why toys, and only toys become alive? Why not toilets...	The reason that most of the things that have a secret life are toys, is that toys are designed to attract the affection of children.
In-universe, why does Doc Brown program the time machine to go to 1955? The night on the first part at the Two Pine mall and when all the ruckus happened, Doc Brown already programmed the time machine to go to Nov 05 1955. Why so? I mean, I don't recall if there is a reason for that or it was only chance or no reason ...	The date was already personal and memorable to Doc, because it was the date he invented time travel:
Is there any detail about ambulances in Star Wars? As of September 2019, We've seen fire engines: Click image to enlarge. And also police cars: Click image to enlarge. I am currently struggling to find an image (or a detailed source on Wookieepedia ) about ambulances. Any help? <Q> The articles on Wookieepedia o...	Medlifter troop transports were airspeeders used in the Clone Wars to transport troops to medical facilities. And from the movies themselves, the closest that's been seen so far is Palpatine's Theta-class shuttle : (source: Wookieepedia )
Are there any instances of members of different Hogwarts houses coupling up and marrying each other? Being a casual fan of the books, it occurred to me that in most cases, the couples I have seen in the Harry Potter stories all seem to come from the same house, with Harry and Cho Chang being an exception. This makes ...	Remus Lupin , a Gryffindor, married Nymphadora Tonks , a Hufflepuff.
Why is the T-1000 humanoid? If the liquid metal T-1000 can become anything it touches, why does it choose to be humanoid most of the time? Humans aren't very efficient; is there anything stopping it from becoming some other thing that can shoot more guns at a time and run faster? <Q> While it probably can make itself i...	In-universe, the T-1000 is a nigh-invincible war robot, but as we see in the movie, it's not bulletproof, nor indestructible. As a Terminator its primary mission is infiltration and assassination. The T-1000 has no compunction about being non-humanoid (or at least not possessing the statistically usual number of arms, ...
Has Batman ever unintentionally/accidentally killed someone? Batman is known for his "code" of not killing as he never wants to cross that line. Although he is completely okay with killing mindless aliens (in the comics, animated series and movies as well), he refrains from taking a human life. In the main continuity...	After reviewing the evidence, we can pretty confidently say that Batman is the superhero who holds the record for "accidentally" crushing the most folks to death in junkyards, an oddly specific scenario that so far has taken the lives of three Gotham City residents (that we know of).
Wouldn't Kreacher have been able to escape even without following an order? In Chapter Ten of Deathly Hallows we are presented with the story of Kreacher's escape from Voldemort's cave: “How did you get away?” Harry asked, and he was not surprised to hear himself whispering. Kreacher raised his ugly head and look...	I don't think there is a specific canon-based resolution for this one way or the other, but it is entirely possible for a Master's order to be a supremely high and over-riding form of magic, allowing house elves to do otherwise "impossible" magical things without even meaning or willing themselves to. So he was obedien...
Is there an in-universe reason Harry says this or is this simply a Rowling mistake? In Order of the Phoenix , after Sirius dies, Harry, sitting in Dumbledore's office, thinks: Harry turned his back on Dumbledore and stared determinedly out of the window. He could see the Quidditch stadium in the distance. Sir...	The most likely in-universe explanation is that Harry doesn't remember the second quote, as it is two years ago for him, and he was just fighting for his life and lost Sirius.
What was the deeper meaning of Hermione wanting the cloak? In Deathly Hallows: “I think you’re right,” she told him. “It’s just a morality tale, it’s obvious which gift is best, which one you’d choose —” The three of them spoke at the same time; Hermione said, “the Cloak,” Ron said, “the wand,” and Harry said, “t...	It makes the most sense logically that the cloak would be the most desirable hallow of the three, and Hermione being driven by logic rather than emotion or whim would not only chose the cloak but assume anyone else with one bit of logic or intelligence would also chose the cloak.
Do the villains know Batman has no superpowers? We, the readers, know Batman has no superpowers. I have no idea if the villains know that. Several superpowered heroes use technology to augment their capabilities, so it is not a wild guess to say that the Bat might have superpowers too. Do the villains know for sure t...	Nobody among the common criminals knows who the Batman is, or if he is human or meta-human or even if he is just one guy.
Can or has the Spider-Sense ever been used offensively? Rated as a mental power, Peter Parker's Spider-Sense rates as a 3 or 4 out of 7, depending on the card series. There have been discrepancies in explanations of how it works exactly, with someone claiming it's everything from: a simple highly-developed synaptic...	Spiderman used his spider-sense to find [gain a mental advantage on] a guided missile [an armed force] and aggressively project that missile into The Finisher's car, so he could kill The Finisher [obtain an objective] .
Sci-fi movie with one survivor and an organism(?) recreating his memories I watched this movie some time ago. Actual info about plot: There is a man waking up in spaceship/space station. He is awoken by an ex-girlfriend/wife(?). She asks him a couple of times if he remembers her (something had happened between them b...	There's an episode of The Outer Limits , "Tempests" , that deals with a crashed crew survivor and two realities.
What did the Federation give the Prophets in exchange for access to the wormhole in DS9? DS9 revolves around a unique trade route between the Alpha and Gamma quadrants. The route was an artificial wormhole built and controlled by the Prophets. At the wormhole's accidental discovery Sisko was inside making some negotiat...	The Prophets didn't receive anything in trade from the Federation or any other organization in exchange for use of the wormhole. They gave them Sisko, their chosen Emissary .
What was possible during the Dark Age of Technology? We always hear that in DAoT, there was technology enabling humans to basically do everything. Some examples are named, e.g. the Men of Iron and Artificial Intelligence . Are there more examples of what was possible? For the peak of other races, we also have examp...	The main thing that was possible was the ability to create and make new STC's, develop new tech and ideas and investigate the limits of technological advancements. There are a few examples of devices used by Men of Iron (an autonomous AI that rebelled some time during the DAOT) that you can find: apparently they had sp...
Book about a space marine who control suit settings with his tongue I read that book 20+ years ago and I am trying to find its title. The story is about space marines who visit various worlds and encounter new species. One original element of the story is a space marine can adjust some settings of the suit by moving s...	As others have said; The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman.
Sci-fi story about aliens with cells based on arsenic or nitrogen, poisoned by oxygen I'm looking for a science-fiction short story, probably written by either Isaac Asimov or Poul Anderson . (I was binging on short stories collections from these two authors around the same time, 5 to 10 years ago, and I'm pretty ...	The 2001 movie Evolution is a sci-fi comedy about a meteor that crashes into Earth that brings an alien lifeform that begins to evolve on Earth itself. They are a race of hydrogen breathers, who normally don't get into contact with oxygen breathers that much. The story you are looking for might be "Hostess" by Isaac As...
Why didn't Trudy wear a breathing mask in Avatar? In the first excursion into the jungle, only Trudy and one other soldier are in their human bodies. The soldier has a breathing mask on but Trudy doesn't. How is she able to breathe in the toxic atmosphere? <Q> Military vehicles are sealed from Pandora's atmosphere. <...	The cockpit seats four and is sealed from the outside atmosphere. Other emergencyequipment is standard: built in fire suppression system, portable fireextinguishers, emergency beacons, trauma medical kit, survivalrations, portable comm system with throat mikes, and a variety of handweapons.
Why did Batman design Robin's suit with only the underwear without pants? I mean, Batman's Batsuit has his underwear on the outside, but why didn't he give Robin some pants for his costume? <Q> Robin isn't just wearing underwear, he is wearing a leotard. <S> Dick was part of a circus and his mum and dad were the trapez...	The name "Robin the Boy Wonder" and the medieval look of the original costume were inspired by The Adventures of Robin Hood.
70's/80's story about a high ranking prisoner of war on a prison planet Basic plot is a galactic war between two factions, but that's backstory not the focus. The protagonist's side is human, I don't recall the enemy as they weren't really the focus of the story as I remember it. They might have been human as well. Th...	Sten was recorded as a prisoner under another name ("Horace" something, don't recall the last name) because his friend Alex had switched his dog tags as their ship lost power and and enemy started to pour in through the many rents in the hull I have a memory of forests and maybe tree houses, with that sort of 'wood bas...
How did Ron get five hundred Chocolate Frog cards? In Harry's first year on the train to Hogwarts, Ron doesn't have the money to buy something when the woman with the cart comes. Ron’s ears went pink again and he muttered that he’d brought sandwiches. Harry bought, among other things, some Chocolate Frogs. What ...	We see evidence elsewhere that people give cards to each other, presumably when they themselves don’t collect them or when they already have a particular card.
In "Avatar: The Last Airbender" can a metalbender bloodbend if there is metal in our blood? In "Avatar: The Last Airbender" bloodbending was invented and it was discovered through water in a human's blood which allows a bloodbender to control someone using bloodbending. There is one problem with how the creators said ...	The metal present in blood forms no metallic bond, instead is bound inside an organic molecule, that can not be considered a metal in any definition I know of.
Why do spaceships in Star Wars have wings? Many of the spaceships in Star Wars , e.g. X-wings, have wings as part of their design. If there's no air resistance in space, why would wings be at all beneficial? Wouldn't it be better to have a small, compact shape to a make a star fighter easier to cram through small spac...	You often see capital ships not having wings, as those use flexible turrets, while star fighter type ships use fixed gun emplacements with a high amount of manouverability. Whilst Star Wars as a whole plays with physics, most spaceships do have to fly in a planet's atmosphere. PH: If you need to, you could say the inte...
Why do space marines value their gene-seed surviving? In several books I've read recently an emphasis is put on saving the gene-seed of specific individuals. In Soul Hunter , Talos comments about possibly not saving the gene-seed of specific brothers seemingly because he does not like them personally. In Pharos ch...	When an especially heroic Marine dies, it's very important to the Chapter that his gene-seed is harvested, so some part of the Marine can live on in the Chapter. A gene-seed represents the cumulative past of the Chapter, possibly all the way back to the founding the the Chapters parent Legion.
How old is Arthur Fleck in Joker? Halfway through the recently released Joker movie, Joker , it was revealed that Arthur is Thomas Wayne and Penny Fleck’s illegitimate child. However, soon it is cleared out that Arthur was simply adopted and neither his parents’ names nor his actual name is left unknown. ...	He is either 32 or 33 years old.
Why didn't Petunia know that Harry wasn't supposed to use magic out of school? In the beginning of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry scares Dudley into thinking that he is allowed to do magic out of school. However this should have never scared Dudley as Petunia should have known from Lily's time as a stu...	Petunia’s sister Lily had used magic at home, so she’d have little reason to believe that Harry wouldn’t either.
80s Mad Max-esque space movie with really long name One night when I was a kid, in the mid eighties, I saw a Sci-Fi movie late night on TV. I seem to remember it had a really long name. It opened with the main character on his spaceship (which was kind of a piece of junk), drunk, and talking to his lawyer over radio ab...	Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983).
Have aliens contributed any technology to humanity? The United Federation of Planets supposedly works on a principle of mutually shared advancements. In TOS: Arena they say UFP works on “the principles of universal liberty, rights, and equality, and to share their knowledge and resources in peaceful cooperation, scie...	The point of the Federation of Planets is to share knowledge and work together to better everyone as a whole.
When was the first time Iron Man incorporated Heads Up Display (HUD) into his suit? The Iron Man suit, since its first appearance in Tales of Suspense #39 in 1963 had the helmet with slots for the eyes; both in the first Iron Man gray suit ( Tales of Suspense #39) and the first red and yellow suit ( Tales of Suspens...	It's not really a HUD, but in Avengers #201 (1980), Iron Man's mask is depicted as having a little digital clock by the right eye slit: I believe this suit first appears in Tales of Suspense Issue 40 (April 1963).
Comic strip: Time traveling schoolboy and Easter Island aliens This was a weekly two pages in a UK comic in the late 1960's/early 1970's, I can't recall the comic....Victor Hotspur Rover Topper Beezer etc, I read them all. This schoolboy either invented or inherited from a scientist relation a time machine, every few ...	It's "Danny Jones - Time Traveller"; the story you remember ran in the 1965/04/24 and 1965/05/01 issues. "Kelly's Eye" first appeared in Fleetway's Knockabout before moving to Valiant when the two merged.
Why does the Joker do this to Bob? Near the end of Batman (1989), the Joker kills his trusted henchman Bob with Bob's own weapon. This occurs right after Batman has done away with Joker's poison-filled balloons. Why? It seems like Bob was fairly capable. I guess it's probably because Joker was crazy. <Q> Accor...	Killing Bob shows that the Joker is completely losing control.
How does AT-AT deploy troops? In Star Wars franchise, AT-AT walker is described as "All-Terrain Armored Transport". Its primary function is to carry and deploy troops. But how exactly does it deploy troops? Do they jump out using some equipment that slows down descent? Or does it provide ladders, ramps, etc? Canon an...	Boom racks extend to drop combat troops and equipment over the side. It is also possible forthe troopers to rappel down drop lines from the AT-AT, though they arevery vulnerable doing so.
How did the T-850 still function after it removed its second battery? In T-3, the T-850 removes its backup battery and shoves it in the T-X’s mouth. It then says “You’re terminated” while still holding on to the T-X’s wires. How did the 850 keep functioning for so long after its second battery is removed? Do terminato...	Endoskeleton components have emergency power sources In the original script (on which the film's official novelisation is based), the fuel cell seems to be still wired to the Terminator right up to the point that it exploded.
What are those two silvery objects resting on Ben Kenobi's table when R2-D2 plays Princess Leia's message? In "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope", when R2-D2 plays the holographic recording of Princess Leia at Ben Kenobi's house, Leia's image is projected on a round stone table where two silvery objects, that look like ...	There is no direct reference to these items anywhere else I can find, and even this description is vague, possibly referring to there being 3 items in one shot, then only 2 in another. They simply match the atmosphere and tone of the movie, and serve no special purpose in SW universe. Swan figures are frequently availa...
Does the Force travel through space-time? If I were a Force user and were to cast a Force push targeted at another person standing so far away, would they have the ability to dodge it or would the person, no matter how fast they reacted, still be affected and hit by it? To put in a crude manner: does the Force behave ...	As an energy with no mass, it should take no "time" to "travel" anywhere.
Do any Star Trek characters play rock band instruments? We see quite a few Star Trek characters play orchestral instruments - Riker plays the trombone (although jazz rather than classical is his thing), Data plays the violin, Kim plays the clarinet and later takes up the saxophone. Are there any characters who play "ro...	Depending on your definition of 'Star Trek character' - we do see a presumably holographic member of Vic Fontaine's band playing an electric guitar in the DS9 episode " His Way ". Commander Daren plays an electric piano in TNG: Lessons, but we only see it used as a classical piano
Body swap, then building it back to health I read this in the 80s, but it might have been from the 70s. Our hero agrees to swap bodies with some rich, unhealthy slob, to pay his debts (or he lost a bet, or was tricked, something like that). The theme/moral of it was that a few months later, his original body had becom...	The story "Chateau d'If" , first published as "New Bodies for Old" , by Jack Vance has the hero, Roland Mario, tricked into a body exchange (which he actually has to pay $8000 for) by the promise of adventure. In the end, the jailer of the discarded bodies turns out to be the first, now reasonably trimmed down, origina...
Novel where a serial killer lives (almost) forever by swapping bodies I read this book very long ago, I forgot most of it. In this novel, magic works, but it is very close to "our" world. Some historical figures are common with ours. Some guy tried some magic that did not work as he had hoped, and a curse fell on him...	Bodies that he inhabits grow fur, but he uses a body-swapping spell to flee the curse, poisoning his old bodies to prevent discovery. The story starts in modern times, spends most of the story in early 1800s London but flits back to the 1600s for a chapter or two.
Short story/novella about old-school Biblical angels wrecking the world I feel like this was a short story or novella, no timeframe really coming to mind. I don't think it is Angelfall by Susan Ee, as in my memory, the protagonist never meets an angel, or the angels never are characterised fully as they are in Ee's b...	The novelette is set in a world where the existence of God, souls, Heaven, and Hell are obvious and indisputable, and where miracles and angelic visitations are commonplace—albeit not necessarily benevolent. Another possibility (with a more humorous vibe) could be Isaac Asimov's The last trump .
What is the communications range of a standard Starfleet combadge? This has been suggested to pretty far, even light-years, plus have been turned into a subspace beacon or transponder especially if damaged to aid in finding the owner either to rescue a survivor or to recover the body in the event of death. Has someone ...	Communication range is limited to 40,000 km intership, similar to the standard communicator badge. Approximately 500 km (ground-to-ground)
TV Pilot or Movie, 80s, misfit team with powers I'm trying to identify a show I saw on TV in the 80s (in the US). It was a single viewing, and felt like a television pilot rather than a standalone movie; ISTR the final scene dangled the possibility of further adventures. The plot resolved around a handful of people w...	The show concerned super-powered humans and their madcap adventures.
Do gray aliens exist in Star Trek? Do gray aliens as reported in alien abduction accounts exist in Star Trek? If so, has it been mentioned in Star Trek canon that these are the same aliens that people have reportedly encountered ? <Q> The closet visually would probably be Barash <S> An alien who abducted / held Ri...	The only mention of any race of alien that "abducts" humans is in the Voyager Episode
Why wasn't Vader's armour made of Beskar? As we see in The Mandalorian , the Empire had quite the reserve of Beskar : A random imperial bureaucrat (as it seems at the moment) has enough of it for the Mandalorian to create a whole armour. It would've been easy for Vader to get enough to make his armour of it. Why d...	On Cloud City, we not only see Vader block Han's laser blasts with his gloves (which some sources say are actually made of Beskar), but we also see that his armor prevents Luke from further damaging his arm when Vader fails to deflect a lightsaber strike. Additionally, it's quite possible that Vader's armor is already ...
Author of a postapocalyptic novel about climate change I am looking for the title and author of a novel about a post apocalyptic Earth after a drastic climate change. The plot is similar to the movie The Day after Tomorrow , but, instead of a happy ending, the geologist ends up in a small group led by a woman (his par...	Possibly False Dawn (1978) by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.
Are there indications of a loss of past historical records in Star Trek universe? I can vaguely remember several hints in various Star Trek episodes of one (or more?) turmoils in the past of the series universe, during which historical records were lost. This does not seem to affect periods that are common in the serie...	In Star Trek Discovery S02 E14 it is hinted that Discovery's existence is removed from Federation Records:
Is there any forbidden technology in the Star Wars universe? Is there any forbidden technology in the Star Wars universe? In other sci-fi works, such as Dune , computers and associated technology is banned, but is there anything not allowed in the current canon of Star Wars ? Lightsabers were illegal during the rule...	In the greater universe, Super-sentient AI is strictly taboo according to the Vong. It could be also be possible that Slicing tools would be illegal, as they can be used to break through encryption allowing access to restricted areas and data.
What is the meaning of "wiped my face with a planet"? In Avengers: Endgame (2019), Tony Stark says about Thanos: Tony Stark: I didn't fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet ... while the Bleecker Street magician gave away the store. What is the meaning of "wiped my face with a planet"? <Q> "...wiped my ...	The object Thanos brings down is one of Titan's moons.
Is there a reason "Hoopy" is rarely used in The Hitchhiker's Guide? “Hey, you sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There's a frood who really knows where his towel is." (Sass: know, be aware of, meet, have sex with; hoopy: really together guy; frood: really amazingly together guy.)” As a child reading Hitchhiker's Guide, it...	It's clear that this sentence is supposed to be hitchhiker slang, and we simply don't see many real hitch-hikers who would talk among themselves in slang in the novels.
What are the earliest instances of a virus causing large-scale mutations? The Resident Evil series of movies and video games regularly features grotesque monsters created from the exposure of humans and animals to the T-virus/G-virus/C-virus. Obviously the way this is portrayed is unrealistic, with a mad scientist ...	An alien spaceship is discovered in rural Maine and "the spacecraft begins to release an invisible gas into the atmosphere that gradually transforms people into beings similar to the aliens who populated the ship."
Do the Jovians in "Victory Unintentional" exist in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series? In the book Foundation and Earth I think it is stated that no other alien life had been found in the galaxy that didn't originate from earth. However, in the story "Victory Unintentional", collected in The Rest of the Robots , ther...	It was the one story written in the Foundation universe (whether part of the Foundation series or not) in which there were extraterrestrial intelligences.
Which was the first story to feature force fields? In science fiction series and movies like Star Trek, Star Wars, The war of the worlds, Independence Day (1996) , Macross (1982) , spaceships and/or robots use force fields to protect the mechas from being damaged. The concept is very popular and widely used in many sto...	It was in Pal's 1953 WoW that force fields show up. The concept of a force field goes back at least as far as the 1920s, in the works of E.E. 'Doc' Smith and others; in William Hope Hodgson's A Love Story (1912; cut 1921), humanity's Last Redoubt is defended by the "Electric Circle" which generates the "Air Clog ... an...
Why didn't Voldemort just switch back to his old wand? In the final battle between Harry and Voldemort, Harry apparently wins because the wand Voldemort is using is actually under Harry's allegiance: Harry saw Voldemort's green jet meet his own spell, saw the Elder Wand fly high, dark against the sunrise, spinning ac...	While Voldemort's old wand would've worked in that duel against Harry, because Harry wasn't using his own wand since it was broken by Hermione, he probably didn't have the time to switch wands.
How did Kylo Ren travel to the other planet in the TIE fighter? Near the end in amongst the battle, Kylo Ren lands next to his ship that Rey stole. I understand that at a stretch (or through the will of the Force) Kylo found a TIE Fighter in the wreck he was in, but to my understanding those TIEs would not have had hyp...	Another possibility is that Ren traveled in a carrier ship and then took a TIE fighter down to the surface. This provides some precedent that there may be additional off-screen ships that drive the plot in some manner.
Why did Rey kiss this person? Towards the end of Rise of Skywalker Rey shares a kiss with Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, just before he dies. Why do they kiss? Admittedly, his turning to the Light Side of the Force would inevitably have created a bond of some sort between them but romance between them never seemed to b...	It was a platonic kiss. Glad to be with him in this moment. Kinda like the famous real world portrait called V-J day in Times Square . There might be one when novelizations come out, or when this is discussed in the expanded universe or in a future movie, if any ever gets made. but as the story carries on, she begins t...
Kobayashi Maru - Any known connection to a real person or incident? While looking up something about the Truk Lagoon, I found that the Japanese naval base there during World War II was commanded by Vice Admiral Masami Kobayashi. He did indeed face a kind of "no-win situation" - Japanese intelligence learned that th...	There is an actual container ship called the Kobayashi Maru from Japan.
Why didn't Vader execute Piett? In The Empire Strikes Back Darth Vader has little to no compunction toward executing screw-ups such as Ozzel and Captain Needa, but at the end when the Millennium Falcon escapes to hyperspace despite Admiral Piett's assurances the Falcon's hyperdrive was sabotaged Vader simply walks aw...	Vader doesn't kill mindlessly and he doesn't kill flunkies who've done nothing wrong. Now, if Vader asked Piett to have his men "destroy the hyperdrive" and they instead disabled it, then perhaps he would have a reason to kill him but in this case all they did was temporarily damage the hyperdrive which R2-D2 was able ...
Is it possible to skip The Last Jedi and still make sense of Rise of Skywalker? Having watched Rise of Skywalker , it's apparent there's not a lot of material in The Last Jedi that's actually relevant to the storyline itself. Aside from Luke's death/Force Ghosting , which can be hand waved away (pun intended), ...	There are a number of events that tie directly into Rise of Skywalker that would be baffling to someone who hasn't seen The Last Jedi So my suggestion is that you ignore people telling you to skip TLJ completely and give it a watch. Leadership of multiple galaxy-shaking factions has changed hands.
Is Geralt a "Ladies man" in the books series? The videogame series depicts Geralt to be a ladies man, bedding every tavern girl in every village he stays in. Is this behavior also present in the books, or something that is introduced only in the games? <Q> Geralt is a womanizer also in the books. <S> He was an handsom...	Geralt could not care less about fame or popularity, he is a man on a mission and doesn’t chase after skirts (except for Yennifer) probably cause of the Jinn.
Why didn't Palpatine do what he threatened to do? At the end of Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker , Palpatine tells Rey... ...that if she kills him, he and all the Sith will possess her. Rey decides... ...not to kill Palpatine. But then decides to kill him about 10 minutes later using the power of all the Jedi....	She is not so much lashing out in violence against him but defending herself and deflecting the lightning back to Palpatine. His speech as he does so leads me to believe that this was the plan from the beginning. He slaughters the Sand People that he considers responsible for the death of his mother.
Tony sent Pepper to get some files off his work computer. Why couldn't he do that himself? In Iron Man 1, around 1:30:00, Tony sends Pepper into his office to download some files off his work computer. Why couldn't he do that himself? Why couldn't he connect to it remotely over some kind of corporate VPN? I'd think...	In addition to the accepted answer: After Tony announced that Stark Industries was exiting weapons production he was ousted as CEO by his own Board of Directors, who secured an injunction to lock him out.
Why does Kylo Ren repair his helmet? Near the beginning of The Rise of Skywalker , Kylo Ren reforges his helmet with the help of some lackeys. A couple of First Order personnel comment on his helmet, but as far as I remember, he doesn't give any reason for recovering and reforging the pieces, especially given that he ...	The reforged helmet carries the luminous webwork of Sith alchemy - its fused shards mirror the breaking and rebuilding of Kylo's identity. The mask ultimately highlights the transition between Ben Solo and Kylo Ren, good and evil. He takes this mantle, but he knows there is still much work to be done.
Who found the assassin's body in the 5th episode of the Mandalorian? At the end of the episode 5 of the Mandalorian some mysterious figure approaches the body of the dead assassin. It doesn't seem it was ever explained (even though the season ended), who that person was. Is there something I have missed, that explained...	It's all speculation at this point, but I think it's possible that it is the titular Mando himself
Which was the first sci fi story to feature self incorporated teleportation? Many sci fi stories have the idea of teleportation or instant transmission. This question in Sci-Fi SE has covered the first use of teleportation using a machine (aka transporter). But how about self incorporated teleportation or instant tr...	In March 1912, the short story "Under the Moons of Mars" appeared in All-Story Magazine .
If Snoke was a clone, who was the source? After reading this question ( Was Snoke an individual or a puppet? ), the follow-up thought occurred to me that if Snoke is a clone, his source DNA had to originate from somewhere, so where did it come from? It would be easy to assume that Snoke is a clone of Palpatine, but ...	I don't think any answer has been given as to Snoke's origins, other than that he was made by Palpatine and there are multiple copies of his body in Palpatine's laboratory. Snoke is an adept Force user (he overwhelms both Rey and Kylo Ren at the same time in The Last Jedi ). The Sith spirit urns in Darth Sidious's coll...
How did Finn learn to understand Chewie so quickly? When Finn meets Chewie, he's astounded that Han can understand him - and I can see where he's coming from: it all sounds the same to someone who didn't grow up with those phonemes, i.e. we can't tell where one meaningful sound-unit ends and another begins. But in Rise...	This evidently includes learning conversational Wookiee. Poe has become a general and is now coordinating military activities, Rey has been training as a Jedi and Finn has been immersing himself in the study of weapons, tactics, leadership and languages . Such immersion is also actively encouraged at the Foreign Servic...
Why wasn't an army of Force-sensitive beings created? In The Rise of Skywalker we learn that Snoke was cloned by Palpatine. This shows that it's possible to clone Force-sensitive beings. We also know, thanks to the Clone Wars show, that it's possible to Force complete obedience of a clone with a bit of tinkeri...	Snoke's powers came from Palpatine, so Palpatine couldn't make limitless copies of the clone without spreading himself thin. Palpatine could not even bear to look upon such disappointing ordinariness. During the Empire he did have inquisitors, but there weren't many of them and they were far weaker than him. It's not u...
Why didn't Luke use the force to lift Darth Vader into the Imperial shuttle? On Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi we see Darth Vader dying next to an Imperial shuttle as he speaks with Luke. Why didn't Luke use the Force to move Vader onto the shuttle? I assume he was capable of this since he moved C-3PO aroun...	Either Luke did use the Force to move Vader's body onto the shuttle, or he didn't need to. Mind, they could have made his usage of the Force just as much of an exertion, but there's something more personal and tactile about him physically dragging Vader.
Why did the Knights of Ren attack their leader? At the end of The Rise of Skywalker , when Kylo Ren shows up at the Sith Temple on Exegol, he is attacked by the Knights of Ren. This doesn't make a lot of sense to me. As far as I'm aware, the Knights of Ren serve Kylo Ren, not Emperor Palpatine. They didn't hesitate or...	Kylo Ren certainly thought that he was their leader and that the Knights of Ren were personally loyal to him. It is possible that they were always under the control of Palpatine, given some information about Snoke that we learn in the movie. Since they had spent a good amount of time with him, given that he was their l...
Why could these characters use Force heal but not Anakin? In Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker we see Force heal used at multiple points by Light Side users. However in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith it seems that this is a Dark Side exclusive power. Anakin doesn't know how to use it and Palpa...	In the Legends novel Shadows of the Empire , Darth Vader does use Force Healing.
Book about a girl who can communicate telepathically with an orange cat I’ve been looking for a certain book now for at least 5 years. It was a hardcover edition, with a mostly grey cover and a girl with an orange cat sitting. The book’s setting was in an apocalypse, or post-apocalyptic setting. The story was about ...	The story takes place in a post apocalyptic world (the world has been devastated by nuclear winter), the main character is a girl, Elspeth Gordie, capable of telepathic communication with her cat Maruman (and a variety of other psychic powers), and she is taken away from her orphanage home, declared a Misfit (i.e. a mu...
What is the earliest instance of "Dark Elves" in modern Fantasy? In many different modern fantasy settings, Dark Elves as a race share some common traits, and can be considered to be an archetype of sorts from which each setting adapt some features to better fit in the specific fictional world. Just as examples of s...	It can argued that dark elves appeared before in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons , though the 1977 Monster Manual states that "The 'Black Elves', or drow, are only legend".
First sci-fi based explicitly on the Hiroshima bomb? Reading the synopsis of Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965), it involves a feral child who was affected by the bombing of Hiroshima. (It really sounds kind of intriguing despite apparently goofy aspects and production values.) Although earlier movies had "atomi...	A very early (1947) example of a story that turns out to have a lot to do with the consequences of an early nuclear explosion (although it was the Trinity test in New Mexico, not one of the bombs dropped on Japan in 1945) is " The Figure " by Edward Grendon (a pseudonym for the psychologist Lawrence LeShan).
Has Black Widow ever been imbued with Spider-Powers? I'm aware that there are many Spider-People of various flavors (see Into the Spider-Verse ) and all kinds of storylines where others have been temporily imbued with Spider-Powers. Lo and behold, Black Widow is named after a spider... Have there ever been any story...	No, she never has had spider powers in canon, (to my knowledge) but in the mighty avengers run she wore a version of the iron spider suit.
What is the "Valley of Plenty" referenced in "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher"? In the Netflix series "The Witcher", S1 E2, Jaskier the bard composes and sings a song "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" which references the "Valley of Plenty". What is this "Valley of Plenty" that Jaskier is referring to? Lyrics from this red...	The "Valley of Plenty" are "the people that the Witcher has helped".
How does Willy Wonka deliver? Supposedly after a 4 year hiatus, the Chocolate Factory re-opens. It remains locked according to Grandpa Joe but continues to pump out more delicious candy than ever before. The Oompa Loompas remain a secret so clearly they aren't the truck drivers and if the factory is locked it can't all...	They come out through a special trap door in the wall, all packed and addressed, and they are picked up every day by Post Office trucks.’
Is this the first actual death in the Asterix books? Asterix and the Chieftain's Daughter is the 38th book in the Asterix series, and the fourth to be written by Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrated by Didier Conrad. Although Asterix is full of peril and Roman-bashing, the possibility of actual fatality always seems rem...	As with the shark above, these deaths happen offscreen and indeed may not happen.
Is the Dark Side evil, or only users of the Dark Side? The Sith and other users of the Dark Side of the Force are unambiguously portrayed as evil (at least in the movies). It's taken as axiomatic that even if someone resorts to the Dark Side for good motivations, they will become corrupted and evil before long. The Dar...	Another point which strengthens this interpretation is that Rey is (similar to Luke) shown to partially giving in to the dark side without losing control, thus becoming another kind of Jedi, a kind that does not neglect or suppress the dark side, but accepts and harnishes it.
Were these titles ever really used? Titles like "First of his name" or "Fifth of his name" are a very original construct on Martin's side. However, I am curious, were these titles ever used in history for true? Edit: I think people misunderstood my question. I know people have added numbers "the first, the second or t...	In English names, if people are named after an ancestor (usually a parent), a roman numeral is appended to their name to distinguish them.
Was there a Biggs Darklighter scene on Tatooine in "A New Hope"? I was recently watching Star Wars: A New Hope on DVD with my grandson. Biggs Darklighter spoke to Luke in the hangar bay and I was asked "Who is he, grandpa?" I explained he's the one who was with the girl in the cafeteria on Tatooine, they were teasin...	Thanks to that book, for the longest time I thought that scene had been included in the theatrical run, but got cut whenever the movie was shown on TV. There were a lot of stills featured in magazines like Starlog, and cut footage such as original Jabba, Biggs, Luke watching the opening space battle from the ground etc...
Didn't Voldemort also survive the killing curse? In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry and his parents were attacked by Voldemort and Harry's parents died. But Harry survived because his mother had died to save him and as a result Voldemort's killing curse had rebounded upon him. But that is weird because ...	So, you are right in thinking that Voldemort too survived the killing curse (because of his horcruxes) and - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 33 (The Death Eaters) Though it remains a rare occurrence, it is true that Harry was not the only one in history to survive the Killing Curse. Now when Barty Crouch J...
Animation film with giant sphere-like bad "robot" Asking community to help identify anime (animation film) from my childhood. By the style of that animated cartoon it seems like it was from 70s or 80s, and it had Japanese picture style to it. I saw it approx. in 1994 on some local TV channel that does not exist any mo...	This film is very memorable due to the broad range of odd flying machines, including a squadron of small ones that look like chariots with dragonfly wings replacing the wheels. The segment I refer to has a giant war robot hatching from an immense egg; it scans with a single large eye, as I recall, and fires a what amou...
What happened to the plans for a 3D re-release of Star Wars? Back before Disney bought the franchise, Lucasfilm was working on re-re-remastered versions of the 6 Star Wars films that were supposed to be released in theaters - this time in 3D! If I remember right, Episode I was released but I lost track of the project...	The Phantom Menace was released in 3D as you mentioned, and I can confirm this personally as well; I saw it in theaters.
Why can only some of the Pokémon speak English I recently saw the 1998 film Pokémon: The First Movie (I can't recommend it), which from my understanding is a direct tie-in to the show. What I don't understand about this film is that all of the Pokémon can only talk using their name... except for two. Mewtwo can talk,...	All Pokémon seem to be able to understand human speech, but simply don't know how to replicate it.
Were Data and Lore created as a 'pair'? We know of three Soong-type androids , B4 , Data and Lore . It is possible there were others. We know in Picard 1x01 "Remembrance" - that the type of Synth that Dahj and Soji are, are created in pairs. Jurati says it would be possible to create a female android from Da...	Data was created after Lore with different programming. Because of Julianna Soong's inability to conceive children, Data has at least five robotic siblings (two of which are Lore and B-4).
Dystopia of a world where old people get killed I am pretty sure this was a short story in a collection of sci-fi stories. It was written from the perspective of one of the people whose job was hunting down and killing people that grew too old, after he himself reached that age. IIRC, he is hunted by his own protege....	The story follows the actions of Logan, a Sandman charged with enforcing the rule, as he tracks down and kills citizens who "run" from society's lethal demand—only to end up "running" himself. This sounds like it could be Logan's Run , which published in 1967 and made into a film in 1976. As soon as they turn twenty th...
Did Leto I know about the Gom Jabbar test given to Paul? In the beginning of Dune, Paul is threatened with being killed if he fails the test of the Gom Jabbar. Jessica knew about it, but did Leto? If so, why did he allow it? <Q> I did not know about the Gom Jabbar test on Paul. <S> It would be safe to say that given e...	It is never mentioned in the book itself so on the surface, no Leto As with any long term experiment involving humans the loss of secrecy would likely have been fatal to the breeding program or at the very least would have allowed recalcitrant Houses to use their gene lines for political leverage over the Sisterhood.
90s (or earlier) computer game where a troll turns you into a frog This was a game I played in school aged 5 or 6 (in year one or two), which would be in 1991. I believe it was on a BBC Acorn, though it might have been some other computer; it seemed old fashioned to me at the time, anyway, so probably something from th...	"Camelot Warriors" is a platform game for ZX Spectrum and some other 8 bits computers with a fantastic medieval setting in which the character must take a series of modern objects (a light bulb, a soda can) to a series of final mages in each phase.
Are there any occurrences of a Stormtrooper betraying the Empire? In Star Wars: A Force Awakens , we see that Finn (FN-2187) abandons his position as a Stormtrooper for the First Order and joins the rebellion. He also betrays the First Order by sharing some secrets about the Starkiller Base. Are there any similar occ...	He joined the Imperial Navy and through a few hoops was sentenced to death but escaped and became an outlaw. Depending on your interpretation of events you could say he betrays the Empire, especially since he ends up joining the Rebellion.
Why did Jack Torrance only write "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"? I watched Stanley Kubrick/Stephen King's The Shining (1980) recently and the thing I didn't get is: was there a reason behind Jack typing " All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy " for his book? Was it just getting inspiration? Was he...	From there, we get into speculation, since this was invented for the movie, does not appear in the book, and never gets explicitly explained, but my suspicion is that after having typed the phrase once, Jack failed to be inspired, and so he wrote it a second time, and kept repeating it in hopes that it would unlock som...
Would lightning be an effective weapon against Cybermen? I've heard humans now have the technology to change weather patterns, like dispersing chemicals into cloud formations to make it rain. Would electricity from lightning kill Cybermen or would it do nothing to them? <Q> Yes, it was very effective. <S> In the Do...	There is at least one instance (in the TV Episode "The Age of Steel" ) where a Cyberman is electrocuted and, following that, disabled.
Why haven't the Borg tried to assimilate the Talosians from Talos IV? As this answer eloquently states, the Talosians have a lot to offer, both in terms of their leftover tech from before they were driven underground and in terms of their ability to project illusions light-years away. Assimilated Talosians would make ...	The Talosians would be a particular threat because the Borg would be basing their information on data they're receiving from their drones, and if the drones are being subverted, there'd be a real threat they could put the entire Collective at risk due to bad data.
Is The Doctor really this person? In the episode The Timeless Children (S12E10), it's stated that The Doctor is The Timelss Child, a being who has always existed and can infinitely regenerate. Is this a safe assumption? <Q> The simple answer is we don't know for sure . <S> Hopefully Season 13 will clarify it, ...	He may be lying, or even be mistaken.
How does CyberMaster regeneration work? How does the regeneration energy in the CyberMasters not destroy them? Aren't they completely made of steel? What happens to the organic matter inside of a cyber Time Lord? Does it regrow as rotting flesh, or is it as if the Time Lord inside is not dead? How can a CyberMaster...	A Time Lord regenerates at the point of death - not injury.
What does "Et In Arcadia, Ego" refer to? Episodes 9 and 10 of season 1 of Star Trek: Picard are titled "Et In Arcadia, Ego" parts 1 and 2, respectively. One does not use a Latin title like that without it meaning something. What does the title refer to? (My limited Latin gives the word-for-word translation "and in A...	Written in Latin, the words ‘Et in Arcadia Ego’ roughly translate to ‘even in Arcadia I’ or ‘And in Arcadia I go’. It's a reference to a rather mysterious phrase used by several painters
Technically speaking, was the Millennium Falcon ever used for piracy? While reading some Cinefantastique magazines from late 70s that contained interviews of the production crew of Star Wars: A New Hope , I noticed that some of the interviewees like Jon Berg (special-effects artist) and Joe Johnston (effects illustrat...	Of course, this would only be technically piracy, and not what people usually think of when they hear the word, and the term "pirate ship" implies a ship used primarily for piracy, not one occasionally so used. " I think we can safely ignore the 'at sea' part, but while the Millennium Falcon did participate in multiple...
What's the point of Super Star Destroyers? To my knowledge, a regular Imperial Star Destroyer is a massive source of firepower and will intimidate most opposition in to not even trying to fight back. As for the few that would try and fight back, they can be stopped by fielding even more Imperial Star Destroyers. With ...	But seeing such a massive weapon with such immense firepower would bring fear and terror to the galaxy… downside on the other hand (something Admiral Thrawn warned about in Legends ) is that if it gets destroyed it is a MAJOR morale boost towards the enemy. A more detailed answer, is that it is an efficient use of reso...
Old short story about time travel: not physical, just as onlookers I’m trying to find a science fiction short story I read in the late 70s/early 80s, possibly in an older anthology: it was likely written in the 50s or 60s. It’s about time travel and its limits: basically, humanity has found a way to travel backward...	Very low likelihood of what you are looking for but in the "Fuller's Apprentice" by Angela Holder, mages dispensed justice by using spells to go back in time to witness prior events.
Does any Spider-Man villain other than Dr. Octopus and the Lizard have a PhD? I am particularly curious about Norman Osborn. Any universe is fine, as long as you state about which universe you are answering for. <Q> <A> The Norman Osborn in the Ultimate Universe (1610) is listed as having a "PhD in various sciences" ...	Jackal , the Spider-Man villain behind the notorious "Clone Saga," was a professor of biochemistry and has a PhD according to Wikipedia.
Why is it that despite Worf being a traitor to Klingons, Gowron was cooperative with Worf more than Duras Throughout the episode "Reunion", Gowron at least makes an effort to cooperate with Worf, and even shows him courtesy, despite the fact that Worf is seen officially as a traitor to the Klingon Empire. Duras, on the...	Gowron would gain nothing from being belligerent to the officer of the Arbiter of Succession (Picard), so he merely keeps to the code in objecting to Worf's presence. Duras was Gowron's rival for power.

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