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1500 questions
61
votes
2 answers
Why doesn't Harry live with the Weasleys?
As we know, whenever school ends, Harry is sent back to live with the Dursleys, where he suffers from abuse. He would much prefer to live with the Weasleys, and often visits there before returning to school. It stands to reason that they probably…
user53987
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60
votes
6 answers
Was Sauron aware of what Gandalf was?
Is there any evidence that Gandalf's maia origin was known to Sauron. Not many of the elves even knew (Cirdan, Galadriel and Elrond maybe)
This quote makes me think not.
'So!' said the Messenger. 'Then thou art the spokesman, old greybeard? Have we…
user46509
60
votes
3 answers
Why model Smaug after a cat?
In the 1977 animated film version of the Hobbit, the dragon Smaug is drawn similar to a cat- the shape of his head is distinctly feline (complete with whiskers), and his posture when awoken from his rest by Bilbo is reminiscent of a housecat coming…
Nu'Daq
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60
votes
4 answers
How much would a ticket to Jurassic World cost?
Do we know the price of a standard ticket to Jurassic World?
I can't remember if it's ever mentioned in any of the films.
Daft
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60
votes
5 answers
What caused HAL 9000 to go mad?
Was it the monolith trying to stop humans from further exploring space or was HAL really malfunctioning?
Fábio
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60
votes
1 answer
Novel about a spacefaring mission trying to reestablish contact with Earth
Looking for a novel I read in the early 90s; it came from a local library so it may be quite a bit older. Might've been a YA novel, as it was in the same shelf as a bunch of William Sleator novels. All my memory detailed below.
A spacefaring…
Radhil
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60
votes
4 answers
Unknown feature on Middle-earth's map?
On Christopher Tolkien's map of Middle-earth, one feature has always caught my eye, and to my knowledge has never been explained: The mass in the middle of the Sea of Rhûn:
Has this ever been talked or written about? Is it an island? Is it a rocky…
Django Reinhardt
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60
votes
4 answers
Why was Darth Vader given a downgraded version of General Grievous's mechanics?
Darth Vader was given obsolete technology for his suit, as can be seen in this question. It seems odd that he wouldn't have been given similar technology. Why was this done?
PearsonArtPhoto
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60
votes
7 answers
Was Gimli the last of his race?
In the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, dwarves play a fairly central role: They drive the entire plot of The Hobbit, and much of Fellowship is centered upon Moria, the dwarven stronghold.
We see scattered references to dwarven kingdoms still…
Jeff
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60
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3 answers
Why didn't Tom Riddle kill Harry Potter in Chamber of Secrets?
In the Chamber of Secrets, Tom used Harry's wand to cast Flagrante to spell out ‘Tom Marvolo Riddle’ and unscramble it to ‘I am Lord Voldemort’. If he was able to cast any spell with Harry's wand, why didn't he try to stop Harry from destroying the…
Mani
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60
votes
5 answers
How did Jabba become such a powerful crime lord?
After re-watching Return of the Jedi recently, I started to wonder about Jabba and his criminal empire.
All the sources I've read agree that Jabba is immensely powerful, and his influence was such that even the Imperial forces were reluctant to…
Beofett
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60
votes
11 answers
Did Sauron give any care to Saruman or was he just a pawn?
Did Sauron make any sort of promise or guarantee to Saruman to gain his fealty? Did Saruman consider himself an equal to Sauron?
He seemed to control a reasonable Orc army, but were they actually independent or ultimately under control of Sauron?
Nick T
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60
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13 answers
Does the intro sequence to the Game of Thrones TV series have any meaning?
The intro to Game of Thrones episodes includes a model mechanical world sprouting up buildings at Kings' Landing, Winterfell, and other key locations. Does this have any significance other than something cool to look at?
Nick T
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60
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4 answers
Where did "you shall not pass" come from?
One of the most memorable lines from the Lord of the Rings movies is when Gandalf stands before the Balrog and says "you cannot pass". It's commonly quoted as "you shall not pass" because he says that afterwards.
He doesn't actually say that in…
3nafish
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60
votes
3 answers
Why did Gandalf chase the Balrog down?
From the Fellowship of the Ring:
From LotrWikia:
Neither he nor the Balrog was killed by the fall, and Gandalf pursued the creature for eight days until they climbed to the peak of Zirakzigil. Here they fought for two days and nights. In the end,…
mort
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