The average or expected lifespan of Hobbits, Men and Dwarfs is easily found but I can find no definitive answer for the 'expected' lifespan of an Orc. All I can find so far is, 'unknown'. Answer In the 10th volume of The History of Middle-earth (specifically in the "Myths Transformed" essay) it's written that Orcs had short lifespans in relation to the Númenóreans , which would mean that they weren't immortal. But at least Orcs could live a long life. The proof for that is Bolg , who died 140 years later than his father, Azog . Of course it may vary among different breeds of Orcs.

I'm trying to remember the name of a novel/series I read back in the mid-eighties. I can't remember the author other than that it was a known older author. I initially thought maybe Saberhagen or Harrison, but can't find it in their bibliographies. It involved a collection of 4-5 people from different times/places. The distinctive bit I can remember was that one of them (not the main character) was a cyberpunkish woman from the "future" of 1999 who spoke in futuristic dialect of English that the other characters, including the protagonist, from the "present" (from the eighties) could not understand. Unfortunately, I don't remember much else of the plot other than that they were making their way through ruins. Answer I think you're referring to Philip Jose Farmer's "The Dungeon Series - a collection of six books written by various authors under PJF's name . This steampunk-ish story revolves around Clive Folliot's search for his ...

We know that Wall-E finds the pea plant and Auto goes out of his way to destroy the evidence. But it looks a bit like those procedures had already been formed in the past. This begs the question: had life been found on Earth again previously and each time destroyed by the autopilot? Perhaps this is not the first time, but instead the first time the information has successfully been transmitted to the captain and the rest. Answer There are a few contextual clues to suggest that the plant was the first life that any EVE probe has returned, period. The Captain notes that it's the first time in his tenure that a probe has returned positive. AUTO seems compelled to tell him, if only to turn off the warning light. AUTOPILOT: Probe One has returned positive. CAPTAIN: Positive? CAPTAIN: But...no probe's ever come back positive...before. The Operation Manual is covered with a thick layer of dust, suggesting it's been unused for centuries As we pan away at the end of the film,...

I remember reading a story about 25 to 30 years ago regarding being trapped on a sailing ship alone and slowly noticing a fungus that creeps over everything, eventually consuming the narrator. The story is not "The Voice in the Night" by William Hope Hodgson, but very similar in theme. The differences are that the narrator of the story I'm looking for is alone, there is no fungus island, and the story is novel-length, not a short story.

I have a vague recollection of the plot but I can't remember the title of the book or the author. It was about a boy who was stuck being tested on. He had new chemical products tested on him. I remember a length description of how his legs burned and he had to climb a ladder to get to his bed. Then somehow he escapes or something and can see this monsters that no one else can see. Except this group of other young people find him because they can see the monsters too. And him and the group end up fighting this invisible monster/aliens together.

My question is related to the one about what older episodes to watch , but comes from a total beginner's point of view. I've heard wonders about Doctor Who and I've become interested in watching it. But there are lots of seasons with different Doctors, and I don't know where to start. Where would you recommend starting and what are the definitive episodes/seasons I should watch? Answer As a TOTAL beginner, I'd suggest you start with the 2005 reboot, and watch them in the order they aired. It's both easier to get a hold of, and more modern. Plus once you're caught up, you can easily watch the new episodes as they're released. In addition, if you're enjoying the modern Doctor Who series, I'd recommend watching Torchwood as well; preferably in the sequence it aired, as there are tie-ins with Doctor Who. However, if you subsequently wish to watch some of the more "landmark" classic episodes, I'd suggest you go for 2nd, 3rd or 4th doct...

This is the first of a three-part question on the basilisk plot in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets . Out of all the Harry Potter books, Chamber of Secrets is the most problematic for me as far as continuity and plot goes. I have issues with the whole basilisk plot. I have a set of three questions regarding Chamber of Secrets that I'm looking for CANON COMPLIANT explanations for. By "canon compliant", I mean within the spirit of canon, answers directly from the book(s), or quotes from J.K. Rowling.¹ In Chamber of Secrets the basilisk moves about the castle through the plumbing. However, if Hogwarts was built 1000+ years ago, that would precede indoor plumbing. How can this be explained, that the castle has original indoor plumbing? How could the Founders have anticipated this innovation? The basilisk is described as very large: "as thick as an oak trunk" ( CoS - page 318 - US Hardcover) and "able to grow up to fifty feet long" ( FBAWTFT ...

While researching for this question , I came across a couple of conflicting images of Superman in space. First we have him in space with no helmet - and talking to another character. As far as I can tell, this scan is from Superman/Batman Volume 1, Issue 13, published in October 2004 . But then we have him in space with a helmet. This scan seems to be from Superman Volume 1, Issue 677 - published in August 2004 Now, you could easily argue that the helmet wouldn't really do much there as there is no oxygen tank, but the image still implies that he needs to breathe. The first image, however, really contradicts that though. I found other images of him speaking in space without a helmet, but I think the one image demonstrates the point well enough. So, which is it? Answer Superman's powers have been inconsistently shown since his inception. The best way to keep track of his ability to breathe in space is to consider the depiction of the character and the time period. Most modern ...

In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , the Enterprise reached the self-proclaimed God who seemed to be stuck at the center of galaxy. He even needed a starship to escape. Spock even asked why he needed starship if he was God, but "God" dodged the question. Has this mystery ever been resolved in the canon (novels etc)? Do we ever learn the true identity of that being? Answer No. In the movie novelization , it was revealed that this being had been imprisoned there, leaving the crew wondering, "what being was so powerful that it could have imprisoned this one!" That answer was never revealed. All that was revealed was that the being wasn't "God", just a being that was able to touch Sybok's mind. It claimed to be God, because that's what would motivate Sybok to seek it out, giving it a chance to escape. However, in non-canon books ... According to the non-canon Q Continuum series of novels by Greg Cox, the Sha Ka Ree entity was known as "The ...

So I remember reading this book in the early 2000's, and I'm pretty sure it was placed in my classroom, so it was obviously geared toward young adults. It was about a girl who wakes up one day with a birthmark (I think it might have been crescent-shaped). At some point, it is revealed that she was either cloned or genetically engineered and that there are several duplicates of her, all with the same birthmark. Its possible that the bad guys (who cloned/bred/grew her) want her back and try to take her from her parents, but I'm not sure. One thing I do remember is that the girl finds one of her twins or duplicates or whatever, and she's a Russian ballet dancer. I think it was a pretty short book, part of a much longer series that I couldn't find at the time, and I'd love help digging it up again. Answer Replica by Marilyn Kaye. From the wikipedia page (the title is the link): "Replica" is a children's science fiction series about Amy Candler, a yo...

In what issue did Batman survive the vacuum of space? I heard this a long time ago while watching Death Battle. Answer JLA: Welcome to the Working Week

Stardust can refer to: Although the underlying storyline is the same in both the book and the film, there are numerous differences in the details of the plot. I'm looking for a list of all these. What are the main differences between the novel and the film? Answer In the book: Our hero's name is Tristran, and he has other family besides his father. He's also has a slight inhuman look. The Wall is guarded, but mainly to prevent anyone who might not know about it from wandering through, or to keep the truly reckless out. A regular rotation of village men consists of the guard. Market is a semi-regular trade fair that sets up in the clearing right through the portal, and is marked as an occasion for the village, both for the wonder of what can be for sale and for the many travelers that come to town for business. Tristran intentionally sets off to find the star, and is let through the Wall after a short aside between his father and the guards. Shortly into his journey he co...

During Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it's clear that Captain America and the Winter Soldier are able to fight one another on a pretty even level, with Cap's shield frequently negating the advantage Bucky's metallic arm provides. As I understood it, the super-soldier serum that granted Steve Rogers his powers was one-of-a-kind; major effort went to rediscovering (and failing to find) it. Did Bucky Barnes receive some off-brand super-soldier serum? Or was the original formula replicated during Cap's time in the ice? How is Bucky able to fight on Cap's level? Answer Bucky Barnes does not have superhuman abilities. But neither does Steve Rogers. Instead, Steve is simply at peak physical fitness for a human being (to the point where he may appear to be superhuman). It would seem that after Captain America: The Winter Soldier , Bucky also shares these traits. In Captain America: The First Avenger , Steve Rogers (Captain America) rescues Bucky Barnes (The Winter S...

In the LotR movies, Aragorn did not make his identity as a descendant of the rulers of Gondor and Arnor known to the general public after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, when his actions at the Houses of Healing sparked rumours of who he truly is. Prior to that, however, which individuals are aware of his lineage? Answer Loads of people To be fair, he wasn't exactly keeping it a secret; he announces it pretty much everywhere he goes: Aragorn himself, obviously, Arwen Almost certainly Aragorn's Ranger buddies Everybody at the council of Elrond : 'And who are you, and what have you to do with Minas Tirith?' asked Boromir, looking in wonder at the lean face of the Ranger and his weather-stained cloak. 'He is Aragorn son of Arathorn,' said Elrond; 'and he is descended through many fathers from Isildur Elendil's son of Minas Ithil. Fellowship of the Ring Book II Chapter 2: "The Council of Elrond" Merry and Pippin presumably find out shortly af...

I read the story over ten years ago while I was still trying to learn English, so I can only vaguely remember that the story is about a cop trying to track down a criminal who had superhuman abilities. Some of his abilities were pyrokinesis, using his mind to form a golem from earth and roam around while he stays in the room and stopping time. Eventually the cop was able to catch the criminal and shot him dead. If anyone could identify the book I would be very grateful. I'd love to read it for nostalgic purposes. Answer The author is Dean Koontz. It was published in 1993, so well over ten years ago. The protagonists are police officers. The book features a supernatural criminal with quite a variety of powers. He can form a golem from earth : In Jewish folklore there was a creature called a golem. Made of mud in the shape of a man, endowed with a form of life, it was most often an instrument of vengeance. Bryan could create an infinite variety of golems and through them stalk his ...

Does anyone know about an old movie (I think it's black & white) in which an alien that crashes to Earth loses its hand. The thought has occurred to me that this may not be a movie, but a TV show episode. The hand then crawls away from the crash site to become a stow-away in a woman's car. The alien's hand is cut just above the wrist and veins or tendons trail from it as it crawls. It has thin fingers. The setting is the daytime when it gets into the woman's car. When she gets home, the hand crawls into the house and hides in the closet where it crawls up to the top shelf and then jumps on the woman when she opens the door and strangles her. I think it goes on to hurt more people. It is not the movie title, The Hand .

Questions about Muggle parents getting onto Platform 9¾ are addressed Who gets Muggleborn students onto Platform 9¾ , where it's verified that Muggle parents and siblings can indeed get onto the platform, so are able to cross that magical barrier ( DH ). I cannot find a canon reference to any known Muggle parents visiting Hogwarts. It seems unfathomable that any parent would send their child(ren) off to a boarding school — a magical one no less — without reassurance they would have access to their child(ren) as needed. A few things: In Goblet of Fire , Hermione explains that Muggles cannot see Hogwarts: ‘[Hogwarts is] bewitched,’ said Hermione. ‘If a Muggle looks at it, all they see is a mouldering old ruin with a sign over the entrance saying DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE.’ Goblet of Fire — page 148 — Bloomsbury — chapter 11, Aboard the Hogwarts Express Does this mean Muggle parents simply cannot see the outside of Hogwarts, or does it mean Muggle parents, if somehow led inside H...

Even though the texts of The Song of Ice and Fire series do not confirm whether or not the various gods exist, there are certainly many magical acts claimed on their behalf by their adherents. The gods of Essos very clearly have acts claimed by their adherents, and the Old Gods are seen as active in the north (though I'm not sure if it's explicitly stated that they are responsible for the skinchangers.) Does the series ever present any magical acts as being caused by The Seven? And though the Ironborn gods are nowhere near as prominent, the same can be asked for them: are any magical acts claimed to be their work? Answer No, up to this point in the series there are no magical acts that are attributed to The Seven. We never see any magic from the Drowned God either, although Aeron Greyjoy credits the god with saving each of the men that he has drowned as part of their initiation into the faith: Another one returned. It was a sign of the Drowned God's favor, men said. Ever...

I've seen some people claiming (and some repeating it) that Gene Roddenberry intended TOS to be excluded from Star Trek canon after making the first episodes of TNG. I failed to find any evidence regarding The Original Series, supporting this claim. I think, in order to make a statement of such magnitude, there should be some quotes that clearly support this attitude. I mean, it does make sense if we think about how much he hated making TOS compatible for the masses, but I always thought he managed to slip in his messages pretty well, while still disguising it as the western show he was supposed to deliver. So, announcing it was non-canon would also contradict the effort they took up to preserve continuity when creating TNG. Answer Here's some quotes from Wikipedia's article on Star Trek canon (Bolding mine): People who worked with Roddenberry remember that he used to handle canon not on a series-by-series basis nor an episode-by-episode basis, but point by point. If ...

In Avengers: Age Of Ultron , Tony Stark is the first member of the Avengers to get inside Baron von Strucker's castle, where he takes down a room full of soldiers before stepping out of his suit and travelling down a secret passage. Why does he take off his suit in the middle of an enemy base when it might have protected him against Scarlet Witch's magic, or at the very least helped him better search the passageway with Jarvis' HUD? Answer 1. The Avengers were unaware of the second enhanced at the moment: When Tony breached the shield and entered the castle, the Avengers knew only of "the blur". They later found out about Wanda. And since rest of the Avengers were already tackling "the blur", Tony let his guard down. 2. Greater maneuverability/Convenience: Tony wanted to check out the entire lab & all the computers, and the Iron Man armour isn't quite the tool to do it with. He had already run a thermal scan of the entire area, and since it w...

Has there been an official reason why Dracula wanted to go to England, and hadn't gone sooner in the 300 years he’d been alive? In any form of writing? His reason he explained to Harker in the original novel was obviously a lie.

Do Wizards get to choose which animal their Patronus will be? If they don't get to choose, what determines their Patronus animal? EDIT - I didn't recall that there were any duplicate animals among the ones that were mentioned. Answer There is no indication in the books that a conscious decision is made. We see a significant number of students find their Patronus throughout the series, none of whom are noted as making a decision. There are also cases of duplicates - both James and Harry Potter are noted as having a stag as their Patronus, for instance, and Snape and Lily share a doe Patronus. The closest indication we get of significance in the Patronus itself, other than some unconscious desire, is animagi - the two cases where we see both form and Patronus, they are identical: James Potter and Professor McGonnagal.

In Return of the King, we learn that Sauron keeps the road from Barad-dur to the Cracks of Doom in very good condition. Since Oroduin errupts every so often, lava and rocks have to be cleared off and the road has to be repaired. Why does he keep maintaining this road? As far as we know, he did not do any craftman's work in the fires of Mount Doom after he forged the One Ring. There is no indication that he used it for creating weapons or armor. As it turned out, the well kept road was a big advantage for the exhausted Frodo and Sam. Indeed, without it they probably would not have managed, since they didn't have an idea where the entrance was. Now Gandalf tells us that the thought that someone would try to destroy the Ring had not yet entered Sauron's darkest thoughts. This explains why Sauron did not actively destroy or guard the road, but it does not explain why he maintained it so well. Answer Brief overview : He ' used the fire that welled there from the heart of t...

In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , Sybok captures the Enterprise and confines Kirk, Spock and Bones to the brig. Inside the brig there is sign on the wall in the background that reads "Do not use while in spacedock" Although at this point its not clear what the sign relates to. Shortly afterward, Kirk pushes a square metal button under the sign and a seat slides out of the wall. Why exactly are they not allowed to use this seat while in a spacedock? What could possibly happen? Answer In this instance there are a few things going on in the scene, some more obvious than others. In universe Kirk is siting on a closed toilet. The implication here is that the head (toilet) in the brig vents directly into space . If it's used while in spacedock it will cause mess to the landing platform/connectors. Out of Universe Since the 1950s and 1960s, American TV censors have valiantly fought to guard public virtue by keeping toilets off the airwaves, demanding that any visual indica...

Is has been established that Logan takes place in 2029 . And, as can be seen from the trailers 1 and 2 , it takes place in desert terrain in Oklahoma, Texas, and Mexico. So most things are old and dusty. But, for example, the cars and objects in the gas station store don't appear to have been modified to appear to be from our future. Besides the obviously sci-fi elements (cybernetic mutants and their weapons, for example, which in the X-Men universe are not necessarily futuristic) is there anything else that would indicate that this is 12 years into the future? Edit: Follow on question: What are the non-contemporaneous items or design choices in Logan?

I do remember that there was an episode of Clone Wars where Obi-Wan used some procedure to alter his bone structure to disguise as a prisoner. I have multiple questions pertaining to the bone structure alteration: In which episode(s) did the bone alteration occur? Was there a name to this procedure? Were there any known side effects to the procedure (i.e. was it temporary, did it come at the cost of bone diseases, etc?) Answer The episode involved Obi-Wan posing as a bounty hunter to gain intelligence on a plot to assassinate Palpatine. As part of going undercover, he fakes his own assassination at the hands of a bounty hunter named Rako Hardeen, and then steals the man's identity (and appearance). [embedded content] The procedure he undergoes is only referred to as a "facial transformation", and it is completely reversible (and is reversed a few episodes later). This is the only episode in which the procedure appears (though Obi-Wan lives as Hardeen for four episodes i...

Its a 50s B&W film where the aliens come to earth in small meteorites and from memory are like mushrooms/spores and when a human gets close it bursts and takes them over. One scene I remember at the end is the alien somehow forms in a nuclear reactor and get huge and people are trapped in the control room and there is blood coming out of a small access pipe as the alien absorbs humans. Its been bugging me for days so any help appreciated Answer Could it be Quatermass II from 1957? It features meteorites that release gas and take over the mind of anyone who gets sprayed, and eventually it's revealed there's a giant alien life form living inside a giant pressure dome which you might have misremembered as a nuclear reactor. [embedded content] The movie was an adaptation of an earlier TV serial with the same story.

In The Last Jedi , Finn and Rose are tasked with finding "the master code breaker" by Maz. They travel to the city of Canto Bight and after searching think they found him by the unique lapel pin he wears. However, they are then apprehended by the local security and thrown into jail where they meet another character (played by Benicio del Toro, I think the character is DJ?) who seems to fit the role of master code breaker based on his actions. Then later once aboard the First Order ship DJ betrays Finn and Rose by selling them out. Which seems out of character for someone loyal to Maz. So my question is who was the "real" master code breaker that Maz has told Finn and Rose about? The one they thought (based on lapel pin) or the one they actually ended up with? Answer The real Master Codebreaker is a genuine person, at least according to the film's Visual Dictionary . His true identity is apparently concealed behind layers of (unbreakable?) encryptions but there...

In the various superhero universes, has there been any superhero who has deliberately committed suicide because they have had enough? I will accept any answers where any superhero has committed suicide, along with their reasons to do so.

There seem to be (so far) 7 X-Men films (as per Wikia): 1.1 X-Men (2000) 1.2 X2 (2003) 1.3 X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) 1.4 X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) 1.5 X-Men: First Class (2011) 1.6 The Wolverine (2013) 1.7 X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) Clearly, the first 3 are canon with each other. Where do the other 4 stand as far as being canon relative to the first 3 and each other? I would accept the answers based on "word of God" canon, however, for this question, I'm far more interested in "practical" canonicity, that is: Are important events and facts from the earlier films referenced in later films? Are plots building on earlier films? Are there major contradictions between films that would lead one to consider them not-same-canon (similar to Star Trek: Lens Flares being a "reboot")? Is there continuity?

This other post alludes to my question, but doesn't ask it directly. In Avengers: Endgame , Nebula, War Machine, Hawkeye, and Black Widow all traveled back in time together to the planet Morag, where the Power Stone was located, and then Hawkeye and Black Widow took a ship to Vormir to get the Soul Stone. My question is, why did they travel together? Couldn't they just have time traveled directly to Vormir, rather than take the ship? Answer They were all going to the same time (2014), so the quantum tunnel was set to deposit them on Morag, from where Nat and Clint would use the shrunken Benatar ship to fly to Vormir. I expect that they chose Morag because they knew when Quill would be there and that allowed them to target a specific time period, but the actual point at which they got to Vormir was less relevant as Thanos wasn't going to be getting the Soul Stone in 2014. It's not stated outright in the film, but I got the impression that if you were travelling to a ...

In the 2009 version of Star Trek, Nero and the Romulans come back through time via Blackhole and kill Kirk's dad and the original Star Trek timeline is altered creating a whole new reality. Why would Abrams not just stick to the timeline given by Roddenberry instead of altering it? Answer TL;DR. Because he never especially cared for the original Star Trek and because he felt restricted (as a Director) by the existing canon universe: Abrams: I was, frankly, never really a fan. I never really got it. I never really cared much about it. Most of my friends who loved it were, without question, smarter than I was. I kept trying... and I couldn’t get it. I didn’t care about it. It felt stilted. It is ironic because a lot of the tone and techniques and some of the writers as well were from The Twilight Zone. When you watch it, you’d go, ‘God, there is that same kind of melodramatic vibe.’ A lot of the writers were the same writers. You’d think someone who loved The Twilight Zone as muc...

In Star Trek: Generations when the crew are in the holodeck for Worf's promotion ceremony at the start, Captain Picard gives a command for the exit to appear. The exit appears in the middle of the holodeck, and he then walks out and leaves. The exit is surrounded on all sides by people on the holodeck. Previously, when the holodeck is shown the exit appeared on a wall somewhere, or it made it clear it was on the wall of the holodeck. Given that the holodeck is an advanced hologram used in conjunction with an omnidirectional treadmill...how could the exit appear in the middle of a room with people on all sides? When Picard walks out into the hallway, he is in the same space as people in the holodeck. The people behind the exit are not just programs, as there were crewmen standing on all areas of the ship before this scene.

How do the Jedi go about locating Force-sensitive children (infants)? It is mentioned several times in the movies and Legends books that very young children who are Force-sensitive are taken to the Jedi Temple, but how do they go about locating them in the first place? Is it just observation by a Jedi who happens to be nearby? Do they go on recruitment searches? Do they have some big galaxy scanning device like they use in X-Men to find mutants? Answer It's stated in the Force-sensitive portion of the Star Wars Wikia: The main form of detecting the Force through midi-chlorian count was lost to the Jedi because of the Empire's destruction of documents and the Great Jedi Purge. The head of the New Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker, discovered a different way to reveal Force-sensitivity. In Leia's quarters in the abandoned Emperor Palpatine's Imperial Palace on Coruscant, Luke and his twin sister Leia Organa Solo were doing some tests on the inner defenses of her brain. Luke ...

Can you help me identify a story by this poorly recollected plot line? I probably read the story when I was 12 so 50+ years ago. Aliens arrive on a dead planet earth and begin to resurrect various long dead humans. A cave man and a man who died drunk in a car wreck and finally a human who disappears as soon as he is resurrected. Turns out earth had been surprised by a radiation belt that wiped out everyone because of its huge size. The aliens tried to eliminate the last human they had brought back but couldn't. All was trending well for the humans when the story ended. Poor description from a poor memory but I would appreciate it if anyone knows where I could read the story again

In Asimov's short story A Feeling of Power knowledge of even simple arithmetic has been lost because everything is run by computers. Earth is at war with Deneb but because both sides use identical computers a stalemate has resulted, and the stalemate is broken when a scientist rediscovers arithmetic and humans can start controlling the war. The story I am trying to find is very similar, but it is a humble janitor who rediscovers arithmetic, and in the story it is specifically long division that they rediscover.

At the Battle of the Blackwater Rush, King's Landing is being assaulted by Baratheon forces under Stannis. Tywin Lannister shows up leading his host from Harrenhal and most of Renly's army as well. They attack and rout Stannis's army from the rear. During the battle, many soldiers report seeing "Renly's Ghost" riding alongside Tywin Lannister and Loras Tyrell. The knight is described as wearing green armor very similar to King Renly's with golden antlers coming form the head. Who is the knight wearing this armor? Is it ever revealed? Did such a knight even fight in the battle or was it a mass hallucination / popular rumor started by a few? Answer It was Garlan Tyrell . Loras Tyrell confesses it to Jaime Lannister during their conversation in the White Room of the Kingsguard. From A Storm of Swords , Jaime's POV, page 759: "It's said you fought magnificiently in the battle... almost as well as Lord Renly's ghost beside you. A Sworn Brot...

Ok, I have a couple of questions regarding Quicksilver, but it's all linked so... Are the two Quicksilver characters from the X-Men movies and Avengers: Age of Ultron the same person? I thought Quicksilver had already made an appearance in X2 , and was captured in X-Men Origins: Wolverine . I understand that in the Marvel Comics universe, Quicksilver was raised by Magneto , but how will his origin or background be explained in Avengers: Age of Ultron when the X-Men are not in the cinematic Avengers universe? (And, if I remember correctly, the X-Men are deemed as outcasts/vigilantes by S.H.I.E.L.D. etc.) Maybe this is something that's explained in the X-Men vs Avengers books which I haven't read. How come both Marvel and Fox have the rights to Quicksilver? I'm assuming Magneto or the X-Men won't be referenced in the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron . I look forward to your answers and sources. Thanks in advance. Answer As discussed here and here , the X-Men and...

In Regeneration Starfleet learns about a culture that we (as audience) know as The Borg . According to TNG, the Federation doesn't seem to know anything about these beings when they "first" meet them . Although Archer's crew doesn't learn the name of the Borg, it would be reasonable that the Federation would inherit the information about such a menacing enemy and it would also be reasonable to assume the crew of the Enterprise-D to be able to match their encounter with their databases' information. Obviously, out-of-universe the explanation is that the scripts weren't written in chronological order, but how can the apparent obliviousness about the Borg be explained in-universe?

Given that Harry was one of the Horcruxes, it is not in Voldemort's interest to kill him. Harry is one of the keys to Voldemort's own survival. Why is Voldemort so bent on killing Harry despite Harry being so important to his own survival? Answer Unlike the Horcruxes he created, the Dark Lord had no intention of placing a piece of his soul in Harry Potter. When he tried to kill Harry and his Killing Curse rebounded, it caused a piece of his soul to split off without his intention or knowledge, and attach itself to Harry. His soul was already weakened due to him having him split his soul so many times to make the Horcruxes he had intentionally created, so when his curse rebounded, it caused his soul to split. “You were the seventh Horcrux, Harry, the Horcrux he never meant to make. He had rendered his soul so unstable that it broke apart when he committed those acts of unspeakable evil, the murder of your parents, the attempted killing of a child. But what escaped from that ro...

The strength of a phaser blast can be adjusted, at least on the Enterprise-D (and probably the other ships with which we're familiar). In "Galaxy's Child," for example, the space entity is shot with a phaser beam that is only at 3% strength. In "The Ultimate Computer," phasers are initially at low intensity during the training exercise. Can the strength of the photon torpedoes also be adjusted? Answer Yes. Data does just that while he is in command of the Sutherland in the TNG episode Redemption, Part II . Data is part of a sensor net blockade tasked with preventing cloaked Romulan Warbirds from sneaking supplies to the Duras faction in the Klingon civil war. The Romulans fire a massive tachyon burst to disable the sensor net long enough to slip past the blockade, but Data figures out a way to expose them, using torpedoes set to a low-power yield that will not damage them, but will expose their presence. DATA: Overlay display with tachyon emissions. Highl...

OK, so we know you can't conjure up food out of thin air. But Wizards do conjure up other things at various times. Even more commonly they seem able to quite easily repair damage or otherwise change objects to suit their liking. They're certainly able to create temporary illusions of things as desired. So: why does Ron have to put up with his horrible dress robes for the Yule Ball? Why can't he conjure up some new ones, transform or repair the ones he has into something new, or cover them in a less embarrassing illusion? This leads on to a wider question: again, we know you can't conjure certain things. But you'd have thought it possible for wizards to adjust the majority of their positions to their taste. At the end of Fantastic Beasts, for instance, a few Aurors rebuild the entire center of New York! So why is anyone in the Wizarding world "poor" in the muggle sense? (I'm aware that the real answer is "because it reads better that way". I...

According to some books, procreation on Gallifrey was handled through "looms", a kind of machine that produced offspring. Looms were supposed to create fully grown adults. In the 50th Anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor", we see children on Gallifrey - and one of the key questions asked of the Doctor is "How Many Children were there on Gallifrey when you ended the time war?" Also, in David Tennant's final story, we see a woman who has been confirmed as the Doctors Mother. Given that these are inconsistent and contradictory, I'm wondering: Are there any TV-canon references to Looms? or is this something referenced only in books? Answer tl;dr: Looms have no reference on screen, and are contraindicated by the presence of Time Lord children. First, there is no canon. Canon in Doctor Who is something the producers ignore and the fans fight over. "Canon" implies that some authority with the power to make official declarations about t...