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1500 questions
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4 answers

When did the red shirt careers change to yellow shirts in Star Trek and why?

In the original Star Trek engineers and security officers wore red shirts but in ST:TNG engineers and security officers wore yellow shirts and command officers wore red shirts. Was it ever explained why there was a uniform color change?
Clay3981
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Why would the Terminator ask for a weapon that surely only exists in the distant future?

There's a scene in the first Terminator movie where the Terminator visits a gun shop and among other firearms, asks for a "plasma rifle in the 40-watt range". Then, once he's told there's no such weapon at that shop, he asks for other (conventional)…
sharptooth
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What effect would the One Ring have on other people?

We know that for hobbits, the One Ring makes them invisible. But, at least according to the movie, Sauron was not invisible when he was wearing the ring. What effects would the ring have on other types of people: Dwarves, Elves, magic users, or any…
PearsonArtPhoto
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Are there any more races in Middle-earth?

Not counting orcs, Balrogs, and the like. Are there any more diplomatic races found in the history of Middle-earth? Any singular or group of historical significance? The ones we're obviously aware of: Hobbits Elves Men Dwarves
riv_rec
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9 answers

Why doesn't either side in the Wizarding War use Felix Felicis?

I was thinking about an answer to an older question about HBP, and it dawned on me: merely getting a confirmation that there were 7 Horcruxes was important but hardly the most critical endeavour of the entire War (actually getting and destroying…
DVK-on-Ahch-To
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4 answers

Was Jumanji intended to be a co-op game?

I have recently rewatched a classic 1995 movie "Jumanji", surprised how well this movie aged. What bugged me during the entire movie, though, was if the Boardgame was intended to be cooperative. Sure enough, that's how the players played it, but…
VienLa
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Asimov's story where a man's speech contains no information

I am trying to remember the name of a tale or novel by Isaac Asimov. I am positive I've read this some years ago, but for the life of me, I can't recall the name. In the story, one of the characters, some kind of diplomat, speaks profusely. Only…
houcros
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4 answers

Was the Lonely Mountain, where Smaug lived, a volcano?

Was the Lonely Mountain in The Hobbit a volcano? If not, how did the dwarves get enough heat to run the huge forges? I am asking about the books, not the movies.
user89104
65
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1 answer

Short story read ~25 year ago where changing person's name prevents a war

I believe I read this short story in a collection. A man's wife goes to a consultant to improve his career. The consultant says include your middle initial (I think). The story goes though the effects this has, in the end averting a war. The end has…
Bert
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Could Tom Bombadil have defeated Sauron?

There is evidence that Tom Bombadil is unaffected by the One Ring's power and he has magical ways about him that can't be explained. It seems that Tom did not participate actively in the War of the Ring, even though he was clearly more powerful than…
202
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How does one ride a broom in Harry Potter films?

I was wondering, after watching the Harry Potter films several times earlier, the way the witches and wizards fly on brooms is quite impossible the way I see it. Sitting on such a thin broom is awfully uncomfortable and difficult, there’s no way…
SovereignSun
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Do lightsaber blades/blaster bolts cast shadows?

Do lightsaber blades and/or blaster bolts cast shadows? (I know it's possible to see a blade's shadow on the ground during Episode VI, but that was clearly due to technical limitations, not intentional.) I'd appreciate an answer that lines up with…
Legoman
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Did Ducktales actually ever rewrite history?

The Ducktales Song (C'mon, sing it with me) Life is like a hurricane Here in Duckburg Race cars, lasers, aeroplanes It's a duck-blur! Might solve a mystery Or rewrite history! Did Ducktales ever actually rewrite history? I know they time traveled;…
TheAsh
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Trying to identify "I will measure the dust" story

I have a distant memory of a story which involves a person conversing with an intelligent space probe before it's launched on a long-term mission. As I recall it, their conversation goes something vaguely like this: What will you do when you…
timday
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Why did Voldemort kill Lily Potter instead of stunning her?

Voldemort offered Lily Potter mercy at Snape's request, demanding that she get out of the way so he could kill Harry. When she refused, why didn't he simply stun her or put her in a full body-bind or something like that? It seems obviously…
EJoshuaS - Stand with Ukraine
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