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Showing posts from April, 2019

marvel - Why doesn't Blood stick on Wolverine's blades?

Wolverine has stabbed a number of opponents using his adamantium blades in the movies but every time he does so and takes out the blade from someones' body it's nice and shiny. There's not even a single drop of blood on his blades. Why does that happen? Answer Specific to the movies, in short, because the film makers don't want to depict too much blood and violence in the film. It probably has a lot to do with the US motion picture rating system . A film rated PG-13 for "intense violence" is given this rating if blood is present in a violent way An R-rated movie may have more blood, gore, drug use, nudity, or graphic sexuality than a PG-13 movie would permit. The following movies all have Wolverine in them: X-Men (2000) , X2 (2003) , X-Men The Last Stand (2006) , and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) , all of which received a rating of PG-13. I'd have to say that the rating system itself is still somewhat subjective-- it depends on how much leeway is giv...

harry potter - How Was the Legend of the Chamber of Secrets Established?

This is the second of a three-part question on the basilisk plot in Harry Potter and the 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 Professor Binns says, "The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course," he said. "Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible." ( CoS - page 151 - US Hardcover) Professor Binns also says, "Reliable historical sources tell us this much," he said. "But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing . Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so th...

tolkiens legendarium - What was the earliest point at which Saruman knew of the One Ring not being lost?

According to Tolkien canon (e.g. sourced from JRRT ot CT), what was the earliest point that: Saruman suspected that the One Ring was not fully lost and is recoverable Realized that the One Ring was found (by Bilbo). Answer According to Unfinished Tales In the Tale of Years the entry for 2851 refers to the meeting of the White Council in that year, when Gandalf urged an attack on Dol Guldur but was overruled by Saruman; and a footnote to the entry reads: ‘It afterwards became clear that Saruman had then begun to desire to possess the One Ring himself, and hoped that it might reveal itself, seeking its master, if Sauron were let be for a time.’ The Fellowship of the Ring set out in 3018. Unfinished Tales also states that Saruman had already been searching the Anduin and had found the Elendilmir and a golden case where Isildur had carried the Ring. Of course the Ring itself had gone centuries earlier.

the matrix - When Did the Machines Realize How Important Neo Was?

When Agent Smith catches Neo and takes him in for "questioning," they're interested in Morpheus and plant a probe in Neo to help them find Morpheus. They don't seem at all interested in Neo for himself, but only for his ability to lead them to Morpheus. At this point the Machines are not aware of how important Neo is in the long run. When do the machines realize just how important Neo is? Do they not realize this until Agent Smith can't kill him? Or is it at another time? Answer The Architect knows that eventually, someone like Neo must appear. It's kind of "built" into the system. So it's reasonable to assume that the machines keep watch (they never tire of boring tasks). What we know is that it must happen between the time after the Oracle meets Neo and Neo meets with the Architect. My speculations: The Oracle is (among other things) part of the security of the Matrix. We only know what she tells us, not what her complex relationship to the M...

Have any Star Trek space stations performed major maneuvers?

Have Star Trek Federation space stations ever performed major maneuvers? These could be for example a 180 rotation about an axis, move to a new location, avoid a collision, enter into an orbit, etc. (All Star Treks) Answer In the pilot episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, they use the station's thrusters and deflector field to move DS9 from orbit around Bajor XI (AKA "Bajor", the one that the Bajorans come from) to the mouth of the Bajoran wormhole. The wormhole is located in the Denorios belt between Bajor IX and Bajor X. Based on the distances between planets in our own solar system, this relocation was somewhere between 10 8 and 10 9 miles. Here is a map of the Bajoran system that someone might be able to use to glean more information about the distance involved. The numbers above the planets don't seem to refer to distance: Edit: according to Star Trek Star Charts, the Bajoran sun is a G2V class star with an absolute magnitude of 4.7, very similar to our own...

story identification - 1990s film, knockoff of Alien and Predator franchises, included a jetpack and a fanged frisbee

I remember a group of people (soldiers?) stuck in a jungle and attacked by two different sorts of aliens. One looked a lot like the Xenomorphs from the Alien movies, very bestial. The other was a humanoid armored creature like in Predator films which I remember had a jetpack, and might have had a thrown weapon that looked like a fanged frisbee. I distinctly remember the jetpack bit happened on a bridge. After that, my memory gets very fuzzy right up until the end credits which featured the aliens (both? Maybe just the Xenomorph ones) on a talk show. I vaguely remember TV Tropes mentioning this, and that vague memory suggests it was originally a Swedish movie. I would have watched it on TV somewhere between 1994 and 1998, possibly on a premium cable channel as I think I watched it while at All State Choir, where they bunked us up in hotels and frequently forgot to shut down the premium channels. I'm pretty sure that the English title had the word "Alien" in it, and I thi...

Short story set in the near future where all wars are settled on the moon using automated machines?

Plot Details/Summary Another one where I have only sketchy memories of the tale, I fear. The setting for this one is the near future (from the writer's perspective, which I think was the 1970s). Man's reached a point where bloodshed and loss of life are no longer necessary to settle conflicts. Instead, all disputes are settled through an annual combat held on the surface of the moon, using the best combat machines each nation can come up with. The protagonist, as I recall, is an engineer for the Americans. He recollects past conflicts, and the circumstances for this years fracas. Much of the combat is told from his observers' perspective. The actual conflict is a rather clever affair, with a description of each team's designs and all the tricks and gee-whiz things they built into them. The protagonist's team manages to prevail, when they managed to use an attack as a feint, with the real attack being a swarm of microscopic machines (they did not use the term nanites...

marvel - Could Wolverine's claws be prevented from unsheathing if his wrists are bent?

When retracted, Wolverine's claws are stored in his arms. In order to unsheathed them, they must pass though his wrist and move along the space between his knuckles. Due to the way Wolverine's claws come out of his hands, could they be blocked within his arm if his wrists are bent one way or the other? If yes, was this technique ever be used against him? Answer This depends on whether or not Wolverines claws are controlled by a set of muscles in his forearms or wrist that require the right position before they come out. If there are separate muscles which control his claws then it's very possible that a wristlock could keep them from coming out. Since his claws can cut through anything except his bones though they could come out of an area other than between his knuckles. So as long as a wristlock does not somehow incapacitate his triggering muscles (if they even exist) then he would still be able to have his claws come out and it would be painful.

Which Marvel TV episodes are related to the MCU movies?

I've kept up to date with the movies from the MCU, but I am grossly out of date with the TV series, of which I think there is only Agent Carter (not as relevant for the movies I think, besides that scene in Captain America 2), and S.H.I.E.L.D. (which from what I've seen seems more relevant, with Inhumans coming in phase 3). I've gained what I can from this answer . But I can't tell which of the episodes listed are relevant to the movies (clearly, it seems that none are essential), and which movies are relevant to the episodes. So which episodes are related? Answer Agents of SHIELD Phil Coulson is introduced in Iron Man ; he also appears in Iron Man 2 , Thor , and: The Avengers , where we learn why Grant Ward is so surprised to learn he's alive Iron Man 3 introduced us to Extremis; a refinement of Extremis, referred to as Centipede, is the major plot element for the first half of season 1 Thor introduces Lady Sif, who appears in the season 1 episode "Yes ...

star wars - How are hyperspace collisions avoided?

Han Solo explains to us that Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy! Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star, or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it. We also know that there are established hyperspace routes . In real life, aircraft must declare flight plans with aviation authorities. This helps prevent mid-air collisions. This doesn't seem to be the case in the Star Wars universe, as ships are always being asked for their intended destination. Calculating a hyperspace route around planetary bodies is fairly straightforward. They move in a prescribed motion and their position can be calculated accurately. But we see ships jumping into hyperspace with little prior planning (besides the requisite calculations), and coming out in seemingly random spots. How do ships traveling through hyperspace avoid collisions with other ships in hyperspace (or real space), and how do they avoid collis...

harry potter - What are the ways of someone identifying him/herself at Gringotts?

We know by hand for two possible ways of how someone can identify himself as the owner of a vault in Gringotts. The first one we know of, from the HP & PS were Harry goes to Gringotts with Hagrid and the second is giving Harry's vault key to the goblin. Also, on the same scene we can see that another type of identification is with a "letter" (I am talking about the letter that Dumbledore gave to Hagrid in order him to extract the Philosopher's Stone) but I guess because it was Dumbledore asking that it was a "special" case and that wouldn't happen with normal people. The third one we know is from HP & DH I-II at which point Harry, Ron & Hermione are going to Gringotts after using the Polyjuice potion and Hermione has the form of Bellatrix and the identification is being done by Bellatrix's wand. What other known ways do we know of for "customers" identifying themselves to the Goblins in order to get access to their vaults? Answ...

harry potter - Are there any important, extraordinary, or accomplished Hufflepuffs?

It seems like getting sorted into Hufflepuff is a pat on the head and a kindly expectation that you'll never accomplish much. Has anyone disproved that stereotype? Answer Adding to freaknsick's answer , there were some other Hufflepuffs those surely earned a good name for their House: Pomona Sprout : Head of the Hufflepuff house and a Herbology teacher. Nymphadora Tonks : She was an accomplished Auror, and also a member of the second Order of the Phoenix. Then, before Harry Potter's age, there were: Bridget Wenlock : He was a famous thirteenth-century Arithmancer, and the first to establish the magical properies of the number seven. Newton Scamander : He was a famed Magizoologist and author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. and lastly, there was: Helga Hufflepuff herself, who was one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I assume she accepted students on the basis of traits that defined her personality, which mean, had she been ...

marvel - How fast can Quicksilver run?

In the movie X-Men: Days of Future Past , it looks like Quicksilver runs so fast that everything is almost at a standstill. Just how fast can he run? Speed of light? There is a scene where he takes care of the security at the Pentagon. He threw a plate at the security officer and the plate flies a bit then stops (or he speeds up even more). At whatever speed he runs and throwing an object at that speed, I would imagine that plate will go right through the security officer. This also ties into how fast he is going IF he sped up after throwing the plate, then he must have increased his speed by a lot since the plate he threw should be traveling at a high velocity to begin with. Also I read in the wiki that he is the son of Magneto... I guess that's not the case in the movie? Answer In the comics Marvel's site states: Quicksilver possessed superhuman speed, and could travel on foot at speeds exceeding the speed of sound for hundreds of miles before tiring; he could "fly...

the lord of the rings - Doesn't Radagast care about trees?

In the book The Two Towers , Treebeard refers to Gandalf as "the only wizard that really cares about trees" . But in Fellowship of the Ring , we met the wizard Radagast the Brown, whose special focus is on animals, especially birds. Of course, animals aren't trees, but it is difficult to imagine a person loving animals without also caring deeply about trees - especially when that person loves birds most of all, and so many birds are so dependent upon trees for their survival. More generally, Radagast seems like an all-around nature lover, and this too suggests that he "really cares about trees". This leads me to imagine several possibilities: Treebeard doesn't know Radagast (this seems unlikely - they have both been around for thousands of years, so surely they have bumped into each other at some point) Treebeard forgot about Radagast, possibly because he was annoyed at Saruman and a bit angry at the time Radagast actually doesn't care about trees Is the...

magical theory - Wouldn't Aunt Petunia know that Harry couldn't use magic outside school?

The answers to this question got me thinking. Aunt Petunia probably spent her childhood with Lily and though she was bitter, was probably in close contact with her at least until she finished Hogwarts. Wouldn't she have known beforehand that they weren't allowed to use magic outside of school? Answer Lily actually broke the rules several times and did magic outside of school. As Petunia screams in Philosopher's Stone : "Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that – that school – and came home every holiday with her pockets full of frog-spawn, turning teacups into rats.” JK Rowling was apparently asked about this enough that it became an FAQ on her website , in which she reveals that Aunt Petunia was telling the truth. Lily really did do magic outside of school. Aunt Petunia is exaggerating a little; you have to allow for her state of mind when she started shrieking these things. However, just like her son, Lily was not averse to testing the limi...

marvel - Where can I read the full version of "The Bent Bullet Report", an immersive article used in the promotion of "X-Men: Days of Future Past"?

Back in 2013, when promoting the then-upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past movie, the commercial team released a trailer for a "mutant conspiracy" around JFK's assassination. [embedded content] They followed up with a full-fledged article entitled "The Bent Bullet Report", which narrated how Magneto supposedly altered a bullet's trajectory, effectively killing JFK. It was a truly astounding piece of marketing which provided quite the immersion into the movie's setting. I wanted to read it again, but unfortunately, the website it could be read on now redirects to 20th Century Fox's website. Is there any transcript of the whole article somewhere, in a companion book perhaps? Bonus question: if the site being taken down was voluntary, was it explained why? (Given that other promotional material is still up, see below.) Research done: the Wayback Machine , obviously. Unfortunately, out of all 212 snapshots, the 30ish I've tried at random either red...

In the Battle of Department of Mysteries, why were only 5 Order members sent to rescue Harry Potter?

In the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, there were more than 12 Death Eaters, why were only 5 Order members (Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks) sent to rescue Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger, and Ginny Weasley? Where were the other Order members? Surely there were more than 5 guys in the Order, right?

star wars - Why is Coruscant the galactic center?

Coruscant is considered both the economic and political capital of the Galaxy. What historical factors caused Coruscant to be determined as the galactic center as opposed to, say, Alderaan or Corellia? Answer It was a combination of geography (on of the central Core world), spacefaring geography (hyperlane crossroads), and history (see below) Coruscant was a planet located in the Core Worlds. Located at the intersection of numerous major hyperlanes— including the Perlemian Trade Route, the Corellian Run, the Metellos Trade Route, the Koros Trunk Line, and the Leisure Corridor—its hyperspace coordinates were (0,0,0) which effectively made it the center of the galaxy. ( src ) As far as history, "The New Essential Chronology" states that The planet was considered by many to be the Human homeworld, and was known as Notron early in its history. It has been speculated that at some point, the Celestials transplanted humans from Coruscant in order to populate Corellia and other hum...

Did Stephen Baxter or Arthur C. Clarke's estate ever comment on continuing "A Time Odyssey"?

2007 book "Firstborn", the third and last book of " A Time Odyssey " trilogy by Stephen Baxter and Arthur C. Clarke - an "orthoquel" to "2001: A Space Odyssey" - ends with a cliffhanger which obviously implies continuation: Myra said, “My God.Charlie? ” Bisesa stared. “Who is ‘we’?” “ We call ourselves the Lastborn. We are at war. We are losing .” She held out her hands. “Please. Come with me now.” Bisesa and Myra, still hugging each other, reached out their free hands. Their fingertips touched Charlie’s. A clash of cymbals. However, sadly, Sir Arthur died in 2008, with no further books forthcoming. Did Stephen Baxter or Arthur C. Clarke's estate ever comment on continuing "A Time Odyssey" after 2008? Wikipedia has no info: The 2008 Gollancz edition of the most recent book describes itself on the cover as the "Conclusion" of the series, but the plot is not concluded in the book. The immediate threat is averted but the enem...

tolkiens legendarium - Was the Stone of Minas Tirith still dangerous after Sauron was destroyed?

In the sad chapter of The Return of the King in which the Fellowship parts for the last time, Pippin says he wishes that they could use Palantiri to keep in touch. Aragorn dismisses this idea: Only one now remains that you could use, for you would not wish to see what the Stone of Minas Tirith would show you. But the Stone of Orthanc the King [of Rohan, i.e., Eomer] will keep, to see what is passing in his realm, and what his servants are doing. - The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book VI, Chapter 6: "Many Partings" Aragorn doesn't say "I won't let you use the Stone of Minas Tirith", he says "You would not wish to see what it would show you", which sounds much more sinister - it gives me the impression that it would show Pippin something awful. But why? We know that Sauron manipulated the Stone of Minas Tirith to show Denethor things which made him despair, and this is why Denethor became so screwy before he died; but Sauron is dead...

the lord of the rings - When did Gandalf become a Maia?

Obviously in the final legendarium, Gandalf was always a Maia as he is Olórin, one of the Ainur who was present at the singing of the Music. What I want to know is: did Tolkien always consider Gandalf a Maia? If not, at what point did Gandalf become Olórin the Maia, instead of just an unattached Odinic wandering wizard? It could have been in the Hobbit, LOTR, during later work on the Silmarillion, etc. Answer In The Treason of Isengard, Christopher Tolkien states the first known conception that Gandalf is actually one of the Emissaries from the West, and thus a Maia: The page that I give first begins with the note 'Wizards = Angels', and this same note is found on the other two pages also. I take it to be the first appearance in written record of this conception, i.e. that the Istari or Wizards were angeloi, 'messengers', emissaries from the Lords of the West: see Unfinished Tales pp. 388 ff., and especially my father's long discussion in Letters no. 156 (4 Novemb...

story identification - Urban fantasy. A chase that lasts a hundred years. Printing machine

I read this in the 1980's in the UK but the story was set in USA. (Think it was a hardback) IIRC the protagonist worked at a printers in the 19th century but got on the wrong side of some "hidden city" gangsters and somehow ended up in modern times. The hunters chased him to the year but then had to find him. He has taken a job at his old works and is now the expert on the big old steam powered printing machine, he knew it when it was brand new. The printing machine is now ran by a failing newspaper and their main competitor is the one who has the time chasing hoodlums working for him. He runs a sleazy tabloid press. I think he gets asked about a brass bell that occasionally pops out the side and he informs them this is the "perfection indicator" that shows the machine is at optimum performance. I also recall there being something about a bridge. Not sure if it was in the title or maybe only mentioned in the book cover/blurb, possibly how the time jumps happened...

the lord of the rings - What exactly are the Watchers that guard the Tower of Cirith Ungol in Mordor?

When Sam attempts to rescue Frodo from the Tower of Cirith Ungol his path is initially blocked by the Two Watchers and he has to use the phial of Galadriel to pass them: He drew Sting and ran towards the open gate. But just as he was about to pass under its great arch he felt a shock: as if he had run into some web like Shelob's, only invisible. He could see no obstacle, but something too strong for his will to overcome barred the way. He looked about, and then within the shadow of the gate he saw the Two Watchers. There is no mention as to what exactly the Watchers are, only some insinuation that they contain some kind of evil force. Is a description of what the watchers are made in any of the literature outside of the Lord of the Rings? Answer No, we never receive any further information about the Watchers other than what is in LotR. There are roughly three scenarios: They were built and magicked into sentience by the Gondorians when the Tower was first built, then corrupted wh...

story identification - Robot trapped on moon after human extinction travels to earth to find man's killers

Looking for short story about robot trapped on moon after human extinction travel to earth to find man's killers. The robot builds a craft to get to earth to try to find out why the people are no longer sending instructions to the moon. Robot find that all humans are dead. Robot organizes other robots to look for man's killers. Over time the search for man's killers expands across the galaxy. Robot gets new bodies over time to extend its lifespan. Far in the future robot archeologists report to the robot that started the search that evidence shows humanity destroyed itself - in response the robot destroys the evidence so that the search will continue. Story was published in 1960's +/-(?).

history of - When was the first alien invasion to feature more than one alien species?

More often than not, when an alien species invades they do so alone. Or they do so and bring their pets/creations in. I remember back when I played Xcom: Enemy unknown, you face an alliance of aliens all intent on invading and taking over earth. Is this the first time an alien alliance or a group of separate alien species are seen invading earth? For definition purposes: Invasion (sometimes interchangeable with Conquest) is a military offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a territory , forcing the partition of a country, altering the established government or gaining concessions from said government, or a combination thereof. My emphasis on the important part. Answer I believe the earliest published visitation story by multiple alien species is Voltaire's ...

"Wheel of Time", Perrin's PLOD

I just came across this term, what does Perrin's PLOD mean? I'm guessing it's during the time he was single-mindedly tring to rescure Faile. But I'm still curious what the PLOD stands for. Answer Plot Line of Doom According to this website , yes, it does refer to the time he spent trying to rescue Faile. It may have originated with Leigh Butler, in her WoT rereads. For example : And the Plotline of Doom officially kicks off. DUN.

star trek - Is there any significance of the colors of Starfleet Uniform?

Starfleet has the three uniforms - blue, gold and red in TNG onwards. I know that these each represent different areas, but is there a canon reason for why these colors were used for each area? e.g. why science is given blue? Please note - I am not asking about the change of uniform, but instead am asking about the canon significance of these colour in the ST universe. Answer In the TNG Era, based upon the DS9 Tech Manual Red for operations in TNG is given as the color of starfleet uniforms in general. Blue for sciences was retained/returned from prior eras. Gold¹ was returned because it was the traditional third color, but since Red replaced it for Operations, Technical services got gold instead. While there's no official canon on it, the licensed games have spoken to it, citing that there were complaints that it was too broad to use just the 3 colors. We see a large number of different colors in TWOK and later - the left sleeve cuff stripe and the right shoulder strap are in ...

story identification - Little boy who is lonely, meets future mom

Looking for the name of the show/episode/story about a young boy who is living with his parents who are not really seen. He is becoming lonely and one day he meets a pregnant woman who tries to comfort him and tells him his parents love him but they are busy. I remember one scene when the refrigerator disappears and cookies come flying out of a pantry. Subsequently, a man comes to his home and tells him it's time to be born . . . of course the woman turns out to be his mom.

harry potter - How many students attended Hogwarts?

While re-listening to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (audiobook), I noticed that after Sirius tried to get into the Gryffindor common room, and everyone goes to the Great Hall, Dumbledore only creates hundreds of sleeping bags, implying less than 1000 students. Is there any way to know how many students attended Hogwarts, or how many students are in each house? Answer This is a surprisingly difficult question to answer. J. K. Rowling once said in an interview that there are about 1000 Yet, this analysis concluded that there are around 280. This count is based on what the films show. You can also try this reddit thread which discusses this question. Finally though, I'll paste a small part of this interview here. These are J. K. Rowling's own words: Then I've been asked a few times how many people and because numbers are not my strong point, one part of my brain knew 40, and another part of my brain said, “Oh, about 600 sounds right.” Then people started worki...

Looking for an old SF tv short story about blue men staging the future

Does anyone know a SF TV short story in which there were blue men who helped "stage" our world- at least the parts we saw, on a minute by minute basis. So, at each minute, everyone would be in the "world" that was built for that minute, then they would go on to the next "minute world". The blue men were in the future minutes building most of reality, but only the parts that would be looked at at that minute (to save work, I think - why build something that will not every be "used") And they were in the past tearing down all the previously lived minutes. It was kind of a behind the scenes look at why when you set your keys down and come back to them, they aren't there. Then you look again a few minutes later and they are there. The reason in the show was that the blue men building that minute forgot to include your keys, but the next group got it right. Years later, my wife and I still refer back to that show, so I would like to find out what ...

tolkiens legendarium - What happened to the Rangers of the North after the War of the Ring?

In The Return of the King , Halbarad and at least two dozen other Rangers of the North come to Aragorn's aid. Halbarad, and possibly some others, die in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and it is possible that more may have died in the Battle of the Morannon. Later, when Gandalf and the hobbits return to Bree, Butterbur the Innkeeper laments the departure of the Rangers, which had led to a significant deterioration in living conditions throughout the region. Gamdalf comforts Butterbur by saying that the Rangers have returned to the area, riding with himself and the hobbits. But the hobbits are the only people riding with Gandalf, so it appears that Gandalf is referring to the hobbits. All of this led me to wonder what happened to the Rangers after the war, where they went, and if they had returned to the north before Gandalf and company, why they didn't do anything about Sharkey and his goons. Note: Here is the conversation in question. Just before this, Butterbur mentions ho...

star wars - Why didn't Chewbacca get a medal after the battle of Yavin?

At the end of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , there is a medal ceremony where Princess Leia awards Luke and Han each a medal for their heroism. Why didn't Chewbacca receive one? Note : While Chewbacca's Wookipedia entry states that he did receive one, this information is not Disney/G-canon since he did not receive one on the Blue-ray version, making the absence of medal canon. Answer Although not depicted in the film, according to the Star Wars movie novelization ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster and the comic adaptation , Chewbacca did receive a medal. From the comic: From the novel: She placed something heavy and golden around Solo's neck, then Chewbacca's--having to strain to do so--and finally around Luke's. Since from the Expanded Universe's perspective, Chewbacca did receive a medal, you are unlikely to see an explanation outside of the films for why Chewbacca does not receive a medal on-screen. If you want documented evidence of Carrie Fisher placin...

orphan black - Which clones were involved in the Helsinki incident?

By the end of season 2 of Orphan Black , we learn of the Helsinki incident (or the Helsinki solution). It involved the "cleaning" of a number of clones, apparently in Helsinki, by order of (some faction of) Dyad. Do we know which clones were involved? Were they Leda clones, Castors, or another, unknown line of clones altogether? Answer TV Show Episode 3x01 "The Weight of this Combination" It wasn't actually until the beginning of season 3 when we learn about Helsinki: There was an incident in 2006 † . Helsinki. Ferdinand gives Sarah mores specifics (thinking she's Rachel) "The Helsinki girls were eradicated in 24 hours. 6 clones, 32 collateral." † = In the comics these events took place in 2001. Given that the clones are established to be teenagers when Helsinki occurs, the 2006 previously stated in the show should now be considered effectively retconned. This has been addressed directly by The Hive : Our props department was tasked with finding...

In Star Trek Discovery why can't Saru triangulate their position from the stars?

In the Star Trek Discovery Episode S1:E9 Into The Forest I Go , Saru tells Captain Lorca: I have no idea where we are. Today we have GPS navigation systems and sonar, but naval navigators of today have a passing understanding of our constellations, and can at least use them to orient themselves. We know that in Star Trek their movements are generally limited to our Galaxy. In the 23rd Century (as today), all the stars in our Galaxy would have a distinctive signature. It seems reasonable that Saru could look up the signatures of all the visible stars on his database , and from that triangulate his position. The only extra piece of information we have is that Captain Lorca entered the coordinates before the Spore drive jump. My question is: In Star Trek Discovery why can't Saru triangulate their position from the stars? Edit : there was a request for detail on the triangulation method. Agree that spectrospcopy is insufficient, and pulsars are a slight possibility , but the position...