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1500 questions
211
votes
11 answers
Hogwarts: So why aren't the kids "doing it"?
So you've got Hogwarts, with several hundred adolescents obviously suffering from raging hormones, living in sexually integrated housing, and the incidence of hanky-panky beyond snogging is apparently zilch. Huh? How can this be?
The out-of-canon…
WhatRoughBeast
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208
votes
3 answers
Are E.T. and Star Wars in the same universe?
An answer about the Star Wars timeline, uses the appearance of E.T.-like creatures in the Star Wars universe as a frame of reference for dating the sagas relative to our present day.
I remember noticing, and discussing the E.T.-like creatures when I…
Flimzy
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207
votes
9 answers
Was Yoda fully sane on Dagobah?
Our (and Luke's) original impression of Yoda is by no means flattering. He looks like a crazy hungry green thing that unfortunately has the ability to speak. Yoda digs through Luke's stuff, eats Luke's food, and, obsessed with that awesome little…
Peter Cassetta
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199
votes
7 answers
Why does the Death Star have a trash compactor?
During one of the most iconic scenes of A New Hope, the protagonists end up in a trash compactor.
Why does the Death Star have one? Why not just blow uncompacted trash into space? And why a mechanical one, when they could also use a directed energy…
steenbergh
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197
votes
3 answers
Why did Douglas Adams pick 42 as the ultimate answer?
Star Trek often refers to 47 and Star Trek made a sport out of finding real or imagined references to 47. Why did Douglas Adams pick 42 as the ultimate answer in the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy?
Hendrik Brummermann
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196
votes
8 answers
Was the Millennium Falcon too slow?
I've always been puzzled by the speeds of space craft in Star Wars. The Millennium Falcon was said to travel at "point 5 beyond the speed of light" - which I guess is 1.5c:
HAN: She'll make point five beyond the speed of light. She may not look…
Reinstate Monica - Goodbye SE
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188
votes
3 answers
Does Batman use Linux?
While reading a Windows 8.1 tips & tricks blog, I came across this conversation in the comment section where they were joking about the possibility of Linux being Batcomputer's choice of OS. Could it be true? A customized OS perhaps? Could the…
Renae Lider
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188
votes
6 answers
Was Aragorn's claim to the throne legitimate?
In a recent post to The Toast, Austin Gilkeson argues that Aragorn, son of Arathorn's claim to Gondor's throne is invalid. The author goes into various details, but the core argument is:
Gondor’s own laws and rulers even recognized how ridiculous…
user1027
183
votes
9 answers
What does Gandalf mean by "Secret Fire", "Flame of Anor" and "Flame of Udûn"?
In Moria, when Gandalf confronts the Balrog on the bridge of Khazad-dûm, Gandalf says the following:
I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass! The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the…
bazz
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183
votes
23 answers
Is the basic premise of humans as a power source in The Matrix reasonable?
In The Matrix the machines "grow" humans to provide a source of power. Is this really feasible from the perspective of power generation (never mind all the business of growing/feeding people)? Wouldn't the machines just use nuclear power?
Edit: For…
Ken Liu
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180
votes
18 answers
What order should Asimov's Foundation series be read in?
I believe that Asimov himself recommended reading them in chronological order, however I read them in the order that they were published and think that this is the best way to do it.
What is the correct order?
aceinthehole
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176
votes
2 answers
What is the origin of the "Riker Chair Maneuver"?
A video compilation of Commander William Riker sitting down has recently been going around the Internet. It demonstrates something that I had never noticed before: Riker has a rather... unusual approach to chairs on the Enterprise.
Is there any…
Beofett
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175
votes
14 answers
Why didn't the basilisk bite in Chamber of Secrets destroy the Horcrux?
As the title asks, why didn't the basilisk bite received in the Chamber of Secrets destroy the Horcrux inside the bitten person?
Yes, I know Fawkes quite quickly healed the bite wound with his phoenix tears, but when Harry used the basilisk fang to…
Slytherincess
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174
votes
11 answers
Where did Harry's parents get all of their money from?
So, at the beginning of Harry Potter, Harry is found to have a large vault of gold at Gringotts. Where did all of that money come from? What did James (I assume it came from him, as Lily was muggle-born, and they were both young) do to get all of…
PearsonArtPhoto
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173
votes
2 answers
What did Yoda do on Dagobah?
Leader of the Jedi Council, Yoda was. For centuries, a Jedi.
To Dagobah he went. For twenty years, lived there did he. Bored, he might be.
Do what, did he?
enderland
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