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Showing posts from November, 2019

star wars - How was the Chosen One meant to bring balance to the Force?

The legend of the Chosen One foretold the coming of a being who would restore balance to the Force. Now we know that Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One, but how exactly was he supposed to restore balance? Is a balance to the Force: eliminating all Dark Side users so that only the Light Side remains? reducing the Dark Side's influence to almost nothing, but still leaving some Dark Side users so that there is a balance of energies? (End of Episode VI, there are still Dark Side users in Legends) creating an equal presence on both sides? (for example, at the end of Episode III it appears that there are two Sith [Sidious and Vader] and two Jedi [Yoda and Obi-Wan]) Any other way not mentioned above? And whichever the legend means, has the prophecy been completed? Has the Chosen One restored balance to the Force at one point, or did he fail to fulfill the prophecy? So in short, What is the meaning of 'balance' when it is said that "The Chosen One will bring balance to the Fo...

star wars - What was Darth Vader's official role (or rank) in the Empire?

Darth Vader was a man of great importance. He carried out highly sensitive missions for the Emperor, ranging from killing Jedi in the Great Jedi Purge to retrieving the top secret Death Star plans in A New Hope . However, with his appearance and the fact that he doesn't try to hide his affiliation with the Empire, nor that he is a man of importance, he must have had some official role and/or rank within the Empire . A few other questions have touched on this, for instance Was Vader sincere with Luke in ESB? , Why was Darth Vader called Lord Vader? , How well known were the events of the original trilogy? and Why would the force become so mysterious in just 20 years? , but none of them really answered what I was wondering, and some even raised more questions. Public role This was my initial question, what was his public role in the Empire? It seems to me that while he may not be present in the capital, or even seen with the Emperor, he should have an official role or some sort o...

the matrix - What happens to a person taken over by an Agent once the agent voluntarily leaves?

What happens to a person (both their consciousness in the Matrix, and their body) once they are take over by an Agent program and then the Agent leaves, if nothing traumatic happened to the Agent while "wearing" them? The only examples I remember canonically can not shed any light on this since the person was damaged/killed while being taken over (helicopter pilot and truck driver in The Matrix ). I'm only looking for canonical examples.

avatar the last airbender - What happened to Zuko's mother?

In The Legend of Korra , Jinora asks Katara what happened to Zuko's mother, and in The Last Airbender , it is only revealed that she was banished for killing Fire Lord Azulon. Answer This is revealed in The Search , a comic book set after the events of The last airbender : Zuko's mother used to live in a simple village along with her boyfriend. Then the Fire Lord Azulon, upon finding the location, decided to marry her to his son, prince Ozai. This is because he found out that she was avatar Roku's daughter, and wanted to strengthen the royal bloodline. It seemed like Roku tried to hide her for that very reason. She couldn't refuse. Fast forward several years, she kept sending secret letters to her boyfriend in the village. She suspected that the letters were being intercepted, so she wrote a lie in one of these letters implying that Zuko is actually the son of her and the boyfriend, rather than Ozai's. As suspected, Ozai was indeed intercepting the letters; he was...

story identification - Tree-like aliens invade Glasgow using mind-control

The general idea of the book was that a race of aliens in the form of trees travelled through space visiting other worlds and using their ability to send their minds into the brains of the creatures living in these worlds so that they could explore without being intrusive or being discovered. They arrived on Earth and sent their minds into the animals they could sense and one found his mind in the body of a teenage boy in Glasgow, Scotland around the mid-to-late sixties. Having found himself in the teenager, he discovered the primitive mind of humans had him trapped and unable to return to his tree body. The story is a little comic and deals with the teenager finding his way in life and how he deals with things like his mother and girls while worrying the others on the ship would be coming for him as he was happy not to rejoin them.

In Snyder's "Sucker Punch," are Sweet Pea and Baby Doll the same character?

Spoilers. I recently watched "Sucker Punch" and came across some interpretations of the movie on IMDB; the one I favor views the stepfather and asylum scenes as the movie's reality and the brothel and action game scenes as the main character(M. Rease)'s attempt to cope with the her past and present through psychodrama sessions guided by Dr. Gorski. I believe that the girls in the brothel world are conjured in M. Rease's imagination. Though we see the girls in the theater as she first enters the asylum, there are no scenes in "reality" which hint at an interaction between M. Rease and these other girls. This claim can be supported by these clues: a) According to Wiki's page on Psychodrama, the tool "is most often utilized in a group scenario, in which each person in the group can become therapeutic agents for one another's scenes. Psychodrama is not, however, a group therapy, and is instead an individual psychotherapy that is executed from wi...

tolkiens legendarium - When was the sword of Elendil reforged in Jackson's movie?

From the Tolken's LotR series it is mentioned that the Sword of Elendil was forged anew before Frodo departed from Elrond's house, but if my memory serves me correctly, in the Peter Jackson's rendition of the LotR movie, it was reforged at the end of The Two Towers, after Saruman was destroyed. My question is, am I right with regards to Peter Jackson's movie? When in the movie was the Sword of Elendil reforged? Answer You are correct on both counts; in the movie Arwen requests that her father Elrond reforge the sword and he brings it to Aragorn at the Rohirrim muster at Dunharrow just before he sets off to the Land of the Dead. In the book it is forged before they depart from Rivendell: The Sword of Elendil was forged anew by Elvish smiths, and on its blade was traced a device of seven stars set between the crescent Moon and the rayed Sun, and about them was written many runes; for Aragorn son of Arathorn was going to war upon the marches of Mordor. Very bright was th...

star wars - Why does Darth Vader need to use a targeting grid on his Tie Advanced in ANH?

When Darth Vader - one of the best pilots and shooters in the Galaxy thanks to being a powerful Force user and Sith Lord - is hunting for rebel starfighters above Death Star in his Tie Advanced x1 fighter, why does he rely on his fighter's targeting system instead of The Force? Obviously, out of universe, showing the process of locking onto a target is good action movie visual. But was that retconned in-Universe? Answer If he had been the younger version of himself with his limbs intact, he would not have needed a targeting computer. Not even against Luke. He did pod racing and flew a fighter straight into a Trade Federation ship while dodging a lot of enemy fire. He did all that while he was a kid with no Jedi training. But when he is controlling his prosthetic limbs, no midichlorians are involved. As with any prosthetic, his motor nerve signals will be picked up by sensors in his stumps. Then they'll be converted to electrical impulses that drive the servos of his arms and ...

dc - Does Wonder Woman need to use her bracers?

Does Wonder Woman need to use her bracers to deflect attacks or could she simply withstand the attacks she normally deflects, e.g. bullets? Does she use the bracers just as a polite formality? Answer The characterization of Wonder Woman has varied widely over the decades since her creation. In the beginning of the character's existence, she was NOT bulletproof and her bracelets were necessary to deflect bullets. Wonder Woman was created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston. The character first appeared in All Star Comics #8 in December 1941 and first cover-dated on Sensation Comics #1, January 1942. REF: Wikipedia - Wonder Woman In her second comic cover appearance she was seen deflecting bullets fired from machine guns... Since she was not bullet-proof in 1941 she absolutely needed to deflect bullets with her bracelets. Reading through many of her early adventures, Wonder Woman seemed to always be using this particular power to defend innocents from e...

star wars - Why did Han Solo say "That's not how the force works"?

A certain interaction between Han Solo and Finn has really been bothering me lately. While infiltrating Star Killer Base, just before they go in to rescue Rey, Finn reveals to Han that he doesn't actually know how to lower the shields like he had promised. Han is obviously upset by this, and the dialog is as follows: Han Solo: People are counting on us. The galaxy is counting on us. Finn: Solo, we'll figure it out. We'll use the Force. Han Solo: That's not how the Force works! My problem is that this is exactly how the Force works, and Han Solo knows it! In fact, for the majority of the original films, it is hypothesized that Han uses the Force (whether he realizes it or not) in situations exactly like this. And in The Force Awakens, we learn that Han does believe in the Force, and he must understand that the Force has been with him in most, if not all, of his past adventures, including his most recent escape from the Guavian Death Gangs. For the sake of clarity, let me...

harry potter - How big were the houses at Hogwarts?

Recently a friend and I got into a short argument about the relative size of the four Hogwarts houses. For some reason I remember there being one line in one of the books that mentions "Gryffindor being the smallest house" (or something to that effect). My question is, do the books or the movies at any point make mention of the size of the Hogwarts houses? I do not need absolute numbers any mention of the size of any house (e.g biggest, smallest, smaller than...) is completely sufficient. Answer Looking at books it appears that the population of the houses depend on the year, and the sorting hats choices. From what we see in the books the houses typically appear to be about equal with the hat sending around 8 students to each house give or take. Rowling doesn't appear to have given us full rosters of students for the houses while Harry was in school, and im not finding any interviews addressing it either. Its also hard to answer given the 6 years Harry attends and the ...

Is the humanoid appearance of most alien species in the Star Trek universe ever canonically addressed?

The vast majority of intelligent species in the Star Trek universe are bipedal, humanoid creatures. From the lot I've seen of TOS, TNG, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise, and the movies, it seems that this coincidence goes largely unquestioned. Metaknowledge grants that it is much easier to have human actors portray human-like beings, and so this was probably done due to budgetary/technological limitations. However, I'm wondering if an in-universe reason for this was ever given or explored? Answer Yes. In Star Trek: The Next Generation 's " The Chase ", the Federation, Klingons, Cardassians, and Romulans are all on what amounts to a treasure hunt: Representatives of all three races are together when all the pieces are put together and it turns out to be a program that takes over a tricorder and projects an image of an ancient alien who tells them that they found the galaxy empty, other than themselves, so they spread seeds of DNA throughout so there would be other races...

harry potter - What happens if an Unbreakable Vow is unable to be fulfilled?

In Harry Potter, the Unbreakable Vow seems to work like so: Two people consent to make an Unbreakable Vow (you can't just thrust an Unbreakable vow on someone without them knowing) One of those people tells the other to do something That person then must do the thing, or else they will die. There's been some debate on the time-frame for an Unbreakable Vow (like if the person can just kill so-and-so a year later), but my question is: what if an Unbreakable Vow cannot be completed? If Snape made an Unbreakable Vow to kill Dumbledore and Dumbledore fell down the stairs and died before Snape could get to him, what would have happened to Snape? Would he just have been freed of the vow, or would he die? Answer The canon evidence on this point (as already discussed in the comments, and see the spoiler block below) is slightly ambiguous, but it seems to follow the general principle of Harry Potter magic: that it is sensitive to intent, and tends to act almost as if it were self-aware...

dc - Is kryptonite made of the element krypton?

According to the official sources, is the radioactive green crystal that serves as Superman's Achilles' heel actually composed of the noble gas krypton, or is it supposed to be made out of some other substance? If so, what is that substance? Answer No, kryptonite is not composed of the element krypton. Composition of Kryptonite The composition of Kryptonite varies depending on the source material. In the Silver to Bronze Age stories as well as in the "Green, Green Glow of Home" episode of Lois & Clark New adventures of Superman Kryptonite is a stable transuranic element (element 126) that finally decays to iron. However in Superman III (1983) it is said that Kryptonite is a alloy made up of 15.08% plutonium, 18.06% tantalum, 27.71% xenon, 24.02% promethium, 10.62% dialium, 3.94% mercury, and 0.57% of an unknown substance. A Post Crisis story in Action comics #591 (Aug 87) also made Kryptonite an alloy.

tolkiens legendarium - How well-known is the theology of Middle-earth, in Middle-earth?

One thing that is notably absent in Middle-earth is any mention of temples, churches, priests or religious rites. There are passing mentions of Men who would "worship" Sauron, but generally the world of Middle-earth seems much less religious than medieval Europe, or even classical antiquity. One never hears about "the cult of Aule" or "the cult of Yavanna," although historically there were many "cults of Athena" or "cults of Poseidon." Aragorn doesn't (to my memory) make an offering to Tulkas before battle, nor does he pray to Eru Ilúvatar for victory, and all the holidays and solemnities seem to commemorate historical figures, not religious ones. This is especially strange in a world where there are still living witnesses, like Galadriel, to the actions of the Valar and other "divine" beings, and where there are still Maiar wandering around talking to people and putting on flashy firework shows. Now, a lot of people talk ...

story identification - Sci Fi action movie where an elite group of people control business through a game they play online

I saw a movie where people are running from a group of powerful killers or a naughty company/organization. A woman was hired to find the entity/company. A very overweight Asian man talks to them on line at one point. (When I say overweight, I mean 400 pounds plus) He talks to a virtual dolphin and tells it he is sorry but he cannot play with the dolphin that day. Eventually, the people find the fat guy in real life. He is sitting on a Chinese style boat in a river (I think it was a river). (He is sitting in the rear of the boat. The boat is rather small. He is wearing a loin wrap like a sumo wrestler. In fact, I should most likely call him a sumo wrestler to describe the look.) He had implants and wires coming out of his head like the Borg Queen did. There is another part in the movie, where he replies to someones concern, saying, "I live a life of wonder..." (or something similar). By the time the movie is over, the evil force has caused his death. A team of Yakuza style (mi...

Story with mythical Beast being a... tank

I am trying to find a book, that was part of the series - I've only read the first volume and never had a chance to find the rest. Action takes place probably in the future, in Europe but technology is medieval again and there is some basic magic Main character accidentally finds the legendary Beast, which is in fact a still operational tank (although without any ammo) Current ruler is a typical Evil Overlord - there is a small scale rebellion that (so far unsuccessfully) tries to overthrow him, they rally behind the main character and the Beast I remember a village that had two magic stones: one allowed you to open any door, second was used to summon lightning. I've read it probably in the early 90s. Answer I believe you're thinking of the Empire of the East series by Fred Saberhagen . Specifically the first book, The Broken Lands . The series is set in a future version of Earth. Years ago, mankind stopped a nuclear war by deploying devices which changed the laws of na...

story identification - Fantasy book series (perhaps trilogy) with elite soldiers flying on birds

I'm trying to remember the name of an adult fantasy series I read recently and would appreciate any help. Some things I remember (all from very near the beginning so as to avoid spoilers) are: three royal siblings are separated - a brother is in a monastery (name begins with K), another brother training as an elite soldier (name begins with V), and sister remaining in capital (name perhaps begins with A) the siblings have glowing eyes the main religion in the capital is based around light/fire the royal "palace" is a huge spire coming from the ground the soldiers fly on warrior birds in squadrons called Wings and are training on a remote island the monastery is in a desert, worshipping a "blank" god their father, the emperor, dies and chaos ensues across the land Target audience is definitely adult - they don't shy away from the gore of battle and deal with adult themes including sexual assault. I don't know when they were published, but if there were th...

star wars - Are the Knights of Ren a reference to the Seven Samurai?

George Lucas is well known to be a fan of Kurosawa's work and has attested to its influence upon Star Wars — in particular, the influence of The Hidden Fortress . Kurosawa references have crept into other parts of Star Wars , too. I was looking at this image of the Knights of Ren from Rey's vision in The Force Awakens : Exactly seven Knights of Ren appear in the vision, as confirmed by the novelization of the film. These figures and their pose remind me somewhat of the Seven Samurai of the eponymous Kurosawa film : Are the Knights of Ren, as seen in The Force Awakens , intended to be a reference to the Seven Samurai? Answer Most probably. In the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Press Conference , Lawrence Kasdan, co-writer of The Force Awakens , admitted that Kurosawa is one of his most influential film makers: Mindy Kailing : Is there any movie that you look to or thought about when you were writing this one? Lawrence Kasdan : Oh yeah. All the movies of Akira Kurosawa have in...

tolkiens legendarium - Why Did Boromir Succumb to the One Ring?

Why was Boromir corrupted by the One Ring when the other members of the Fellowship of the Ring were not? What was it about Boromir that he was so susceptible to the evil powers of the One Ring and the other members, while certainly aware of the temptation and allure of the One Ring, were not lured in by its evil? Did Denethor's pressure drive Boromir to claim the ring? Boromir is described in Fellowship of the Rings as a pretty big guy -- tall, very strong -- not unlike Aragorn. So why did he not have the inner strength to resist temptation when it came to the One Ring? Answer Boromir's downfall was pride. He was proud of the power both in himself and in Gondor, and the Ring played on that resulting in Boromir attempting to take it by force because he thought he knew best. As Boromir himself states of his pride of Minas Tirith: True-hearted Men, they will not be corrupted. We of Minas Tirith have been staunch through long years of trial. We do not desire the power of wizard...

story identification - Book Ident.? About kids getting sucked into video game

The book starts with the main character (a boy) living, I think it's like a foster home or boarding school. He doesn't have much money, however he manages to get ahold of a video game. This video game has a competition running, where the 5 lucky winners get to trial the new game! The main character wins the competition with 4 others, and it turns out that the video game has developed into a universe of its own! The game's creator has a daughter who is very sick and dying. To save the little girl, the 5 kids must go into the game and find a vial to make her better. This was the plot for the FIRST book. Also in the books: There was like a bit where the kids wanted to buy a map, and they couldn't figure out WHY the USED maps were more expensive than the new... then they realized that because on the game, a used map means its discovered more of the area. One of the children (a girl) takes the potion for looking beautiful Later in the OTHER BOOKS you find out the main charac...

star trek - Why was Crusher replaced with Pulaski who was replaced by Crusher?

In season 2 of TNG, Dr. Crusher was replaced with Dr. Pulaski. In season 3, Dr Crusher came back. The best information I can find is "On Star Trek TNG, why was Crusher replaced by Pulaski? And...?" on Yahoo Answers . But there must be better more complete information out there. Answer From "The Child": WESLEY: It's going to be hard leaving the Enterprise. PICARD: Mixed feelings for all of us. It's always difficult leaving any ship, just as it was for your mother when she left to become head of Starfleet Medical . When she returned, not a lot was said, but in "Evolution" it's implied that she may have returned because it was difficult to be separated from Wesley: PICARD: If you're concerned about Wesley, I see no evidence that there's a problem. BEVERLY: I know. In a funny kind of way...that's exactly my point. We talk. We smile. It's almost too polite. PICARD: Beverly, this is simply a matter of time. I know how difficult it ...

star trek - Is the Voyager episode "Threshold" considered canon?

The Star Trek: Voyager episode "Threshold" is a popular target of ridicule. Its treatment of the warp scale appears to be inconsistent with the rest of the franchise, and its treatment of evolution is also inconsistent with science and common sense.                                What? JANEWAY is evolving!                 JANEWAY evolved into... ???! I've seen many quotes from cast and crew expressing regret about that episode. However, I've also seen a more extreme claim frequently repeated online: that the episode was considered so bad, and so nonsensical, that the writers later struck it from canon altogether -- the only time that this has ever happened to a Star Trek episode. Is there any evidence to support this claim? This could include comments from the crew, or evidence from later episodes. Also, if true, is this the only Star Trek episode that has been treated like this, or does anybody know of other episodes also be retconned out of existence?

harry potter - Why does pronunciation of spells matter?

Obviously, spells in Harry Potter can be cast nonverbally as well as verbally. In the first year Charms class, they haven't gotten up to nonverbal spells yet. But as they are trying to cast Wingardium Leviosa , Hermione tells Ron that the reason he can't cast the spell is because he's pronouncing it incorrectly. If the spell can be cast nonverbally, and therefore with no pronunciation at all, why should pronunciation matter for the verbal spell? If you can cast spells by only thinking something, why does the pronunciation matter if you talk while you think it? Answer Yes pronunciation maters. “STUBEFY !” Neville shouted again, pointing his wand at each Death Eater in turn, “STUBEFY ! STUBE —” At this point we know neville is competent enough to use stupefy but because of his broken nose he cant pronounce it right, and nothing happens. I believe that when producing non-verbal spells the caster is also THINKING the incantation in their head. will update with a link to confi...

story identification - 1980s movie/series on PBS about a man & his psychiatrist in a post-apocalyptic world

First, a word about the format - I don't know whether this was a movie or a TV series, b/c I saw it aired in pieces on PBS back in the 1980s. I don't even recall if it was originally voiced in english, dubbed over, or subtitled. I'll just call it a movie for now. The movie seemed to be set in Europe in what looked like the 1960's or 70's, where almost all the people were gone. The protagonist was probably a 20-something man, who routinely visited a psychiatrist. I think the protagonist also had a girlfriend, but most of the dialogs seemed to be between the man and the doctor. It was kind of a mystery where all the people had gone, and I think the man was nominally seeing the doctor to cope with the stress of it all, or had amnesia and suspected he knew The Truth. However, it turns out that the doctor discovers that the man is somehow the key to the reality that the characters share, and during hypnosis sessions, discovers he can manipulate the man and thereby realit...

story identification - What short movie was about humans having a 7-day lifespan?

I've seen this short movie when I was a kid, but I don't remember the title. The story is that humans live underground, and have a lifespan of seven days. They train a newborn on his first day and send him on a quest to open some door that will lift the curse. On his way he battles with some monsters, plays some kind of chess with some other monster, and on the seventh day opens the door. I remember that the short movie had animatronics, and even some CGI (this was around the late '80-ties, I think), but I can't find it anywhere. Answer Could it possibly be Quest (1984) ? On a distant planet, descendants of a crashed spaceship are subjected to mysterious forces that cause them to age and die in just eight days..

Short story where advanced civilization doesn't understand their technology

I've been trying to find a Ray Bradbury short story I read a number of years ago. The details are a little fuzzy in my mind, which is why I want to find it, but the gist is this: Some explorers come across a civilization with highly advanced technology, but none of its users understand how it works. I believe the idea was the technology was built by machines, which were built by other machines, which were built by their ancestors long dead. This dependency on technology they don't understand makes the explorers think this civilization will be easy to conquer, but they are mistaken. Any ideas?

star trek - Do we ever see a 0-G environment on a Holodeck?

I was reading the TNG Bible and found the following excerpt about Holodecks: In the holodecks, almost any kind of recreation, training or exercise can be simulated, especially since these same decks can also make potent use of the starship's gravity control system. This also permits, for example, the challenge of skiing any real or imaginable slope or engaging in a variety of mid-air low gravity games and contests. Now, the thought struck me; I don't ever recall seeing a 0-G (or even reduce gravity) environment simulated on the Holodeck in TNG . Are there any instances in TNG of a simulate environment with changed gravity conditions? If there are no instances from TNG , instances from DS9 or VOY will also be accepted. Answer In Conundrum , we see: Dr. Beverly Crusher tending to Kristin, a crewmember injured cliff-diving on the holodeck that holodeck program was Holodeck Program 47-C . So, although we don't observe it in TNG , we assume that in TNG the holodek coul...

time travel - What Star Trek work takes place the furthest into the future of the Federation?

Star Trek: Enterprise turned out to be a cool series, with some convoluted time-travel story arcs. In one, you see the Federation far in the future fighting a battle against the sphere builders . I haven't read any of the Star Trek novels and I was wondering if any of them go any further into the future of the federation. Are there any published Star Trek works that address the far future of the Federation ? Answer In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds IV , there is a TOS short story Tears for Eternity , that is set in the 523rd Century (about a new generation of Horta , sequel to The Devil in the Dark ). However, (a) this perhaps isn't canon, and (b) I don't believe there's any reference to the Federation at that point. In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds II , there is a TNG short story I Am Become Death , that is set in the 44th Century (about a future with many Datas, prequel to Brothers ). However, (a) this probably isn't canon either, and (b) I haven't read ...

the wheel of time - How does the White Tower pay for everything?

In The Wheel of Time, the Aes Sedai seem to travel throughout the entire main continent (up to the Aiel Waste), and from what I have seen, have absolutely no concern for money. They also seem to be tasked with bringing back any women with the potential to channel the One Power to the White Tower in Tar Valon. In the White Tower, the recruited women are trained to use the One Power, and the ones who complete the training go on to be Aes Sedai. This training process can easily take over a decade on its own, depending highly on the ability the woman has with the One Power. We never hear Moiraine or anyone at the White Tower discuss tuition with the girls that I remember. Given the way Moiraine discusses how few novices they have, and the lack of payment mentioned, I assume that the White Tower pays for the teaching while one is an Novice and Accepted (if not paying for the women afterwords). I'm thinking the White Tower must have a large amount of money. The only other remotely plausi...

star wars - Can lightsabers ever bend?

Mandalorian Crushgaunt is so resistant to lightsabers, that they can hold/stop lightsaber blades (source: comments on Why did Vader choose to take potshots from Han ). Does that mean with lightsaber resistance armor, that a lightsaber blade can be bent? Perhaps its length would be truncated if thrust into Mandalorian Crushgaunt? Answer UPDATE : To answer the subject line of the question (as opposed to the substance of the body of it, which the original answer did): Yes and No . No, a regular lightsaber's blade can't typically bend (at least around known solid materials that don't generate super-intensive magnetic fields) - see the original answer below. Yes, a lightsaber can theoretically bend if constructed for the purpose - more specifically, a version of lightsaber called " Lightwhip " had a flexible blade by design. ORIGINAL ANSWER : No, Mandalorian Crushgaunts did NOT "bend" the lightsaber blades, but instead absorbed the energy of the blade an...

star trek - Why does the Borg Queen have a gender?

As I just answered , Borg don't have sexual reproduction. The Borg Queen seems to have replaceable bodies. So why does she even have a gender (e.g. Borg Queen vs. Borg Leader)? She does have one - aside from the name; She keeps trying to turn males into her consorts (Locutus/Picard, then Data ). One possible guess is that show creators trying to parallel her to an insect queen. But this seems inconsistent - she should have been genderless. Answer There's no in-Universe answer. The Borg Queen was simply there to be a temptress and, yes, to draw parallels to insects as you pointed out. One speculative thought is this: Whatever Species 0 (original Borg species) was, she was a member and was the driving force behind their creation of the Collective. The bodies fashioned for her could then be patterned on her original form, and she could be the 'personality' of the Collective. It's speculation, but it's the only explanation I can think of that fits the facts.

game of thrones - How does a baby who is turned into white walker grow into an adult White Walker?

Season 4 Episode 4, Oath Keeper Craster's last son is taken away by a white walker and the Night King takes the boy and puts his finger to his face. The baby's eyes turn the color of those of the White Walkers, bright blue. [embedded content] We know they are not Wights so they are something else other than reanimated corpses. So what happens to the babies? Do they grow like normal humans? Or is the process something different and something else happen? Answer It is simply unknown as of now. Others are a mysterical species who are most certainly not dead. One key aspect of life is growing up . Quoting GRRM: The Others are not dead. They are strange, beautiful… think, oh… the Sidhe made of ice, something like that… a different sort of life… inhuman, elegant, dangerous. Following is the compilation of available info and inferences drawn on that info from both Canons: Books In Books, there is no explicit indication of what exactly do Others do to the offered children. But it i...

story identification - CoCo 2 Fantasy Computer Game - Real-time, puzzles - Had a sequel

I'm trying to remember a Tandy CoCo 2 fantasy adventure game, from somewhere in the 1980s. It was a largely puzzle-based game. I don't remember any combat in it, just puzzles that you had to solve with the items you found. It started out with you on a mountain top, having to confront something at the gap between two rocks. Somehow, that resulted in you being up in a tree-top with the way out blocked by a fire. I remember the solution involved warding off a snake (I don't remember how) and using a bucket lowered on a rope to fetch water to put out the fire. Somewhere after that was the first timed puzzle of the game. I remember you had to light a torch to burn a rope to make something swing towards you, but you also needed that torch to fend off the green slime at the bottom part of the map to get to the next section, and it only lasted for a few seconds. After that, I don't clearly remember things. Some of my memories are from watching my older brother play. I know that...