The transcript for "The Matrix" makes Cypher's motives pretty clear; Not only does he want to re-enter the Matrix permanently but he alsowants to return to a state of blissful ignorance as a "blue-pill".

He fervently believes that the machines can remove painful memories and reinsert him into the Matrix as someone special .

With the arrival of Neo, his unrequited fantasies towards Trinity (arguably the only good thing he's got in his miserable life) have been crushed severing his final connection with Zionese culture.

CYPHER :

I don't want to remember nothing.

Nothing!

You understand?

And I want to be rich.

Someone important.

Like an actor.

You can do that,

right?

AGENT SMITH : Whatever you want, Mr. Reagan.

Cypher takes a deep drink of wine.

CYPHER :

All right.

You get my body back in a power plant, reinsert me into the Matrix and I'll get you what you want. and Cypher:

I know what you're thinking, 'cause right now I'm thinking the same thing.

Actually, I've been thinking it ever since I got here:

Why oh why didn't I take the blue pill and Cypher: You know, for a long time,

I thought I was in love with you .

I used to dream about you.

You're a beautiful woman, Trinity.

Too bad things had to turn out this way.

Also, you can never underestimate the appeal of a really good steak;

He wanted to reset his memory and forget about the Matrix.

There is no evidence that the "liberated humans" could do that to themselves.

It was also implied that he would be inserted in the Matrix as President Ronald Reagan (see, for example this ).

According to Wikipedia: Cypher has grown tired of the Man/Machine war within the real world.

Harshly disillusioned with the grim existence of living on a hovercraft and tired of following Morpheus and his blind faith in the Prophecy, he has begun to wish that he had never learned the truth and left the Matrix in the first place.

I agree with what the other answers are saying about why he wants to go back to the blissful state of the "blue pill".

As for why he betrays Morpheus, what he says when he reveals his betrayal indicates that he resents and feels betrayed by Morpheus.

Cypher : "He lied to us, Trinity.

He tricked us.

If you'da told us the truth, we woulda told you to shove that red pill right up your ass."

Trinity : "

That's not true, Cypher, he set us free."

Cypher : "

Free?

You call this free?

All I do is what he tells me to do.

If I had to choose between that and the Matrix, I choose the Matrix."

He feels like a slave to the person who has tricked him into a dystopian reality.

Because metaphor.

Neo represents every teenage boy; you are leet, you discover something secret but world-changing, you are initiated into a new world and the scales fall from your eyes.

It is a metaphor for becoming an adult.

Cypher represents defeatism, the impulse to give up and run away and be turned back into a little boy.

He is the embodiment of the moment after you are rejected by a potential partner for the first time.

I want to go home.

Morpheus, by contrast, is the father.

He is the one who affirms Neo's maturation and believes completely in him.

Why does Cypher betray Morpheus?

Because Morpheus' role to support the rite of passage into adulthood is worthless if it is better to remain a child, and Cypher rejects the truth.

Also, as an allegory it illustrates how futile it is to attempt to return to the child state; once we know, we cannot unknow.

Following the logic, this allegory is telling us that hedonism (satisfying the senses) is not sufficient for happiness; the story embraces purpose (and even ideas of destiny) over sensuality.

Certain physical pleasures like steak could presumably be reproduced in private simulations, but I think the restaurant scene was meant to illustrate his overall desire for "the good life" of a wealthy person in the Matrix, and a lot of the supposed appeal of great wealth

is interpersonal in nature, not just physical--like the desire for a shortcut to getting the respect of lots of people (including glamorous wealth-seeking mates), getting into certain high-profile "in-crowds", paying people for creative services like DJing your party or painting your portrait, being able to buy influence in politics or the media, etc.

None of these would likely be very satisfying if he was just in a private simulation with a bunch of simple simulated people like the woman in the red dress (and even if Zion had the ability to create more genuinely intelligent simulated people, they probably wouldn't because of fear that they would take the side of the machines in the Matrix and rebel from within).

Edited to add that this section of the Cypher's lines that Richard quoted above supports the idea that this was at least part of Cypher's motivation:

"And I want to be rich.

Someone important.

Like an actor.

You can do that, right?"

CYPHER : I don't want to remember nothing.

Nothing!

You understand?

And I want to be rich.

Someone important.

Like an actor.

You can do that,

right?

AGENT SMITH :

Whatever you want, Mr. Reagan.

Cypher takes a deep drink of wine.

CYPHER :

All right.

You get my body back in a power plant, reinsert me into the Matrix and I'll get you what you want.

Surely his reasoning is flawed when he says he wants to remember nothing, is getting your memory totally wiped not the same as being killed?

The Cypher who wakes up after such a procedure shares nothing with the old Cypher except his body

Question: The film demonstrates that Morpheus and the other liberated humans can enter the Matrix while in disguise, and in addition can generate their own virtual environments (eg, Neo and Morpheus sparring).  Doesn't Cypher have plenty of opportunities to enjoy a virtual steak and the other amenities of virtual life without betraying Morpheus?

Why did Cypher betray Morpheus?

Cypher's motives are clear - Not only does he want to re-enter the Matrix permanently but he also wants to return to  blissful ignorance  as a "blue-pill". He believes that the machines can  remove painful memories  and reinsert him into the Matrix as  someone special.  He feels like a slave to the person who has tricked him into a dystopian reality

Morpheus unplugs Cypher believing he is The One and he tells Smith he will surrender Morpheus to be plugged back into the Matrix with his mind reset.

Morpheus has searched for The One for a long time and believes Cypher is The One. He unplugs Cypher believing he is The One. He tells Smith he will surrender Morpheus to be plugged back into the Matrix with his mind reset.


Ark II

Here's a guess:

Ark II Three young scientists travel around the country in the 25th century after the world has been ravaged by pollution.

In their hi-tech RV, the titular Ark II, they study the land and help out those in need.

Go here and here for more details, episode guides and pics.

Watch a making-of documentary here .

Yet another possibility:

This is the Overlander from Terrahawks .

It's function is: an automated all-terrain vehicle similar to a rail-free train with multiple, articulated sections that brings supplies to Hawknest.

- ( Wikipedia )

This image is from David Sisson's page - a man who restored the original model.

In your question, you mention multiple sections , which the Overlander had.

And you mention mountainous terrain - which was exactly the terrain on which the Overlander drove.

See if the vehicle in this video looks familiar:

scifi.stackexchange.com/users/143/Reinstate Monica - Goodbye SE

This is almost certainly The Highwayman .

It was another cheesy Glen Larson series from the late 1980s or so, and depicted two quasi-law enforcement officers who drove trailer trucks that

(I kid you not) could convert into helicopters.

One of them had this ridiculous Australian accent, but I am uncertain if this was just acting or if he was someone famous from that continent or whatever.

I don't think it lasted a full season.

Here is an image I dug up on Google to confirm it:

Could you be thinking of Damnation Alley ?

Although produced and released as a theatrical movie, it made its way to TV fairly quickly.

IIRC, the TV version was broadcast in two parts, making it feel like a mini-series.

Practically another star of the show, the "Landmaster" was a custom-built articulated vehicle with a very unique wheel arrangement - the three-wheel clusters could rotate to climb over large obstacles.

The Landmaster was actually built full-scale and driveable, having a working drivetrain.

As for the "specialized sections", could you be thinking of the movie The Core ?

Sounds like Genesis II and/or Planet Earth .

These Gene Roddenberry TV movies involved a train system and the character name Dylan Hunt.

I think you might have a few shows mixed up

but I believe I have your answer.

I believe that you are referring to the second season of The Highwayman where they added the actor Mark Alexander "Jacko" Jackson who was a former Australian rules football player.

He had a different-styled (1/2-height) tractor that could separate, unlike the tractor that actor

, Sam Jones drove that had a helicopter that separated.

Here is a photo of Jacko's tractor-trailer:

Supertrain .

Supertrain is an American television drama/adventure series that ran on NBC from February 7 to May 5, 1979.

Nine episodes were made, including a 2-hour pilot episode.

Question: I seem to remember the intro to the show having the train-car traveling amongst some barren mountainous terrain.  I seem to remember that each section of the car-train had a different purpose, like the medical car, and the weapons car, etc.  I don't think it ran for more than a season, possibly not even completing a full season. It was live-action. It was on US television, and I don't remember any accents, so I am guessing it was American.

70s or 80s TV show, possibly post-apocalyptic with a massive train-like car

This may be Ark II, The Overlander from  Terrahawks, Supertrain, Damnation Alley, Generis II/Planet Earth or The Highwayman.

The name of the TV show is most likely one of the following: Ark II, Overlander, Supertrain, the Highwayman, Damnation Alley, Genesis II or Planet Earth.


In a word, no.

The patronus must take the form of something that creates positive feelings (a dementor is by definition the embodiment of unhappy feelings, primarily fear) and the shape of an animal with whom they share an affinity.

Not only would someone who had an affinity for a dementor be unable to create a patronus, it's also fairly questionable whether a dementor qualifies as a 'animal':

"This ancient and mysterious charm conjures a magical guardian, a projection of all your most positive feelings.

The Patronus Charm is difficult, and many witches and wizards are unable to produce a full, corporeal Patronus, a guardian which generally takes the shape of the animal with whom they share the deepest affinity" - Wonderbook : Book of Spells and

"A Patronus is a kind of positive force, and for the wizard who can conjure one, it works something like a shield, with the Dementor feeding on it, rather than him.

In order for it to work, you need to think of a memory.

Not just any memory, a very happy memory, a very powerful memory… Allow it to fill you up...

lose yourself in it...

then speak the incantation " Expecto Patronum " HP:PoA (Film)

This would be a bit ironic.

It would be hard, but I personally don't see a reason why it wouldn't be possible.

As @Richard said, a dementor is the embodiment of unhappiness, but there are some people who feel happy when they are depressed.

There are stranger ways people can feel/behave.

Another issue with a Patronus being a dementor is why the person creating this Patronus would need to create one, if he/she had an affinity with dementors.

In this case, I would imagine he/

she wouldn't have many happy memories to draw on, though, again, there are stranger things in this world than a person being happy and depressed at the same time.

Also, there are other creatures that get repelled by Patronuses, so even if the person didn't need to create one to battle dementors, he/she may need one for these creatures.

Also, there is the matter of creating one for fun/training, as Dumbledore's Army did in Order of the Phoenix .

Regarding a dementor being an animal, I'm not sure, but as they are (slightly) intelligent, I don't think they are "merely" animals,

in the same way humans aren't "merely" animals.

That being said, I don't believe J.K. Rowling ever said a Patronus has to be an animal.

I don't see why, for example, a Patronus couldn't be a human, or a giant, etc.

For narcissists, like Gilderoy Lockhart, I imagine they could have a Patronus in the form of themselves.

Dementors aren't animals so the answer is probably no.

To clarify they are amortal non-beings.

They are not animals or humanoids but spirts that are manifestations of despair.

In the book Patronus Charms are only Animals, And since Dementors are non-animals because of their sentience they would not be a shape found in a patronus.

Reading the previous answers, it should be possible.

Although I believe that it would be rare to the point of being so rare to survive the killing curse.

There are several answers above that state

the patronus is the creature it is because it is something that the person has a AFFINITY with.

This does not mean that the wizard/witch has to have memories with the dementor, but rather has similar traits as a dementor.

If one was to decribe a dementor, soulless is a good one.

To have less soul someone would need to make a horcrux, but with the horcrux come with less morals for the original soul.

If one was able to create a dementor patronus that wizard/witch would most likely have a horcrux.

The part that might deny this idea is 'can someone with less morals create a patronus at all?'

I believe

so if they could before.

If the person did not know their happy memory, then created a horcrux, they most likely would never be able to create a patronus.

Let's say Ermac the Evil (the only other known person to create a horcrux) was able to create a patronus before making a horcrux, there is a chance it would be a dementor.

Earlier someone said the Death Eaters don't use Expecto Patronum because they don't need to, not that they can't.

While it is most probable that Voldemort doesn't have a happy enough memory, doesn't mean other wizards/witches with horcruxes can't.

Another that could shoot it down would be 'can a dark wizard or witch use a patronus?"

Again yes, because Severus Shape , a known dark wizard, can.

Even if he is on the light side he still has the taint of dark magic, hence dark wizard.

And yes I saw that POTTERMORE says a dark wizard will conjure maggots that eat him/her.

But PotterMore is written by fans that INTERPRET the movies, books, and interviews.

People mess up and they make mistakes.

Even when Snape repents and goes good he still has the taint of dark magic.

If Shape had no taint on him he most likely would not be able to kill Dumbledore with the killing curse later that year.

Also he cast the patronus after casting the killing curse at Dumbledore to guide Harry to the forest to get the sword of Gryffindor.

Snape has dark magic taint.

Snape can use patronus before killing Dumbledore.

Snape can use patronus after killing Dumbledore.

There is a possibility that a dark wizard with a horcrux can create a dementor patronus.

FIN.

Given how a wizard in canon made a Patronus that was a giant, and then Dumbledore's own is a Phoenix

it's possible, just unlikely.

Now what I want to know is could a non-existent thing could be a patronus?

The rules just say it has to give a feeling of happiness, emphasized text not that it has to be a real or mythological animal.

Question: My question is simple. We know that a patronus can take the form of a magical animal (Dumbledore's phoenix patronus for example). So, can it take the form of a dementor? It would be a little bit ironic.  Perhaps there isn't any canon answer, but I'd like to know.

Can a patronus take the form of a dementor?

The patronus must take the form of something that creates positive feeling or happiness so no, this would not be possible.

It is possible though difficult to contemplate a patronus taking the form of a dementor. Moreover, Dementors aren’t animals and a Patronus generally needs to take the shape of an animal they have an affinity with which brings about happiness.

It is possible though difficult to contemplate a patronus taking the form of a dementor. Dementors aren’t animals and a Patronus generally needs to take the shape of an animal they have an affinity with which brings about happiness.


Stargate Universe takes place on the starship Destiny , a huge ship of The Ancients whose purpose is to explore the universe without Stargates.

The Destiny is capable of FTL and uses stellar plasma as fuel.

Destiny was preceded by Seed Ships which would scout ahead and manufacture and plant Stargates.

Whether this is how the rest of the Stargates were seeded, via automated starship, is unknown.

But it was likely using FTL drive to initially reach a planet and building a Stargate upon arrival.

The Ancients placed all of the gates in both the Pegasus as well as milky way galaxies.

They also had the ability to travel faster than light in large ships that could carry multiple star gates at a time to drop them off on planets that could potentially have life.

The Ancient's home galaxy was the galaxy the Ori remained in, and they most likely had already created the gate network in that galaxy before heading to the milky way.

Obviously, the builders of the stargates had starships that let them travel to all those planets and install the gates.

The same way the Goauld have starships.

You see one Goauld ship in the movie, and you see a lot of their ships in the series.

The Ancients seeded planets with stargates using superluminal ships.

One of these ships is the setting for the series Stargate: Universe .

One thing you need to remember is that even before the Destiny the Ancients (shown in Stargate Ark of Truth) used a giant spaceship to evade the Ori armies and flee to the Milky Way galaxy.

The had the capacity to seed worlds and merely (as mentioned in season 1 of SG-1) used the Stargate for convenience, not as a requirement for travel.

So the real question is not how without ships but which ship, the Destiny or some other ship; as others have stated this has never been made clear.

In contrary to @Himarm's answer: it is hard to say if the Ancients created the gates in the Ori galaxy.

Hints in SG-1 (Ancient story book) and Ark of Truth suggest that it was still in the idea phase when the ancients left, but that is also not clear.

We see in The Ark of Truth that the Ancients had large starships at the time that Amelius had the idea that would become the Stargates.

Therefore it's entirely reasonable to suppose that the Stargates made it to their planets via starship.

Furthermore (although this proves nothing about the Milky Way, Pegasus, Ida, or Ori-galaxy networks)

we see evidence of this in SGU in the form of the seed ships, whose purpose included constructing and delivering gates to planets.

scifi.stackexchange.com/users/1167/Lightness Races in Orbit

Question: Somebody put them there so they can travel quickly between planets, but how did they travel to the planet far away without a Stargate to build one there?

How did the Stargates get to the planets?

Destiny was preceded by  Seed Ships  which would scout ahead and manufacture and build Stargates.

The stargates are transported on starships or constructed and transported by means of seed ships, and are installed on far away planets. Furthermore, the gate network was most probably created by the Ancient’s in their home galaxy before they left for the milky way.

The stargates are transported on starships and installed on far away planets. Seed ships are used for the purpose of constructing and transporting gates to planets. The gate network was most probably created by the Ancient’s in their home galaxy before they left for the milky way.


In-universe, the explanation is simple: The Hobbit was Tolkien's translation into English of the original material from Common Speech, since the plot device is that both The Hobbit and LOTR are the writings of Frodo and Bilbo, that he (Tolkien) had access to and translated.

The Common Speech, as the language of the Hobbits and their narratives, has inevitably been turned into modern English .

In the process the difference between the varieties observable in the use of the Westron has been lessened.

Some attempt has been made to represent these varieties by variations in the kind of English used ...

( LOTR:

The Return of the King, Appendix F, "II.

On Translation" )

As such, it's a common thing with the translators to employ idiomatic translations instead of literal - and as a linguist, Tolkien surely was familiar with translation techniques.

As other answers noted, both Tolkien himself, as well as his intended audience (English speaking people of 20th century) knew what "like drums and guns" sounded - probably a lot better than whatever idiom was used by Bilbo in the Common language.

So, this is a very valid approach to the text.

One has indeed personally to come under the shadow of war to feel fully its oppression; but as the years go by it seems now often forgotten that to be caught in youth by 1914 was no less hideous an experience than to be involved in 1939 and the following years.

By 1918, all but one of my close friends were dead.

J.R.R. Tolkien, foreword to The Lord of the Rings Even though it was a translation from the original

, I am pretty sure this was only an image of speaking to make the modern people imagine how the roar really sounded like in his mind.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s service in the British Army during World War I may have influenced his fiction.

More here: JRR Tolkien and World War

I J.R.R. Tolkien in uniform, 1916.

I doubt this is what Tolkien had in mind, but the OED gives several obsolete meanings of "gun" which would make sense in a world with no firearms but does possess "blasting fire".

The first is used to describe any large engine of war.

R. Milward Selden's Table-talk 30

The word Gun was in use in England for an Engine to cast a thing from a man, long before there was any Gun-powder found out.

This would cover the tossing part, but not the roar.

A better fit is used to describe a blasting device.

Chambers's Cycl.

Suppl.

Gun is also a name given by the miners, to an instrument used in cleaving rocks with gunpowder.

It is an iron cylinder..

having..

a hole drilled through it to communicate with the inside of the hole in the rock.

A etymology search shows gun to come from gunne meaning war.

mid-14c., gunne "an engine of war that throws rocks, arrows or other missiles," probably a shortening of woman's name Gunilda, found in Middle English gonnilde "cannon" and in an Anglo-Latin reference to a specific gun from a 1330 munitions inventory of Windsor Castle ("...una magna balista de cornu quae Domina Gunilda ...

"), from Old NorseGunnhildr, woman's name, from gunnr + hildr, both meaning "war, battle.

First element from PIE *gwhen- "to strike, kill" (see bane); for second, see Hilda.

A key meaning is siege engine, aka catapult, ballista, or trebuchet, whose munitions produce a large roar or crash on impact, and would be recognizable to middle earth inhabitants.

Gunpowder hadn't really taken hold in ME at this point but it was used at Helm's Deep by the forces of Saruman to breach the wall.

This is opinion based of course

but one could reasonably suspect that the word was used for the readers benefit in describing Beorn's assault on the platoon of Bolg.

'The Hobbit' is written in a very different style to LotR. When he was writing 'The Hobbit', Tolkien didn't yet have the details of Middle-Earth and its history worked out, nor had he yet adopted the flowing, almost archaic style of writing that still characterises fantasy literature to this day.

He probably used the word because it was what came to his mind as a good description, without thinking about whether it fitted with the sort of world he was creating.

Question: In Chapter XVIII -  The Return Journey  of the book ' The Hobbit ', Tolkien uses the word  gun .   'The roar of his voice was like drums and  guns ; and he tossed  wolves and goblins from his path like straws and feathers'   As far as I know guns are not used as a weapon in Middle-earth and I don't remember them being mentioned neither in  The Hobbit  nor in  LotR .  Was this a mistake on Tolkien's part or is there another explanation?

The use of the word "gun" in The Hobbit

Both Tolkien and his intended audience (English speaking people of 20th century) knew what "like drums and guns" sounded like. Tolkien was translating Frodo and Bilbo's "Common Speech" into English.

The word gun was probably employed by Tolkien because it is descriptive and worked well as a translation of the original. Furthermore, Tolkien’s time in the army probably influenced his choice to use the word gun regardless of the context.

He probably used the word because it was what came to his mind as a good description, without thinking about whether it fitted with the sort of world he was creating.

The Common Speech, as the language of the Hobbits and their narratives, has inevitably been turned into modern English .

As such, it's a common thing with the translators to employ idiomatic translations instead of literal - and as a linguist, Tolkien surely was familiar with translation techniques.

As other answers noted, both Tolkien himself, as well as his intended audience (English speaking people of 20th century) knew what "like drums and guns" sounded - probably a lot better than whatever idiom was used by Bilbo in the Common language.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s service in the British Army during World War I may have influenced his fiction.

I doubt this is what Tolkien had in mind, but the OED gives several obsolete meanings of "gun" which would make sense in a world with no firearms but does possess "blasting fire".

In-universe, the explanation is simple: The Hobbit was Tolkien's translation into English of the original material from Common Speech, since the plot device is that both The Hobbit and LOTR are the writings of Frodo and Bilbo, that he (Tolkien) had access to and translated.

The word gun was probably employed by Tolkien because it is descriptive and worked well as a translation of the original. Tolkien’s time in the army probably influenced his use of the word gun.


This in answered in the Lord of the Rings chapter

The Council of Elrond , during a discussion between Glóin, Elrond and Glorfindel (with my emphasis):

But what then would happen, if the Ruling Ring were destroyed as you counsel?'

asked Glóin.

We know not for certain,' answered Elrond sadly. '

Some hope that the Three Rings, which Sauron has never touched, would then become free, and their rulers might heal the hurts of the world that he has wrought.

But maybe when the One has gone, the Three will fail, and many fair things will fade and be forgotten.

That is my belief.' '

Yet all the Elves are willing to endure this chance ,' said Glorfindel ' if by it the power of Sauron may be broken, and the fear of his dominion be taken away for ever .'

This is confirmed by Galadriel's words to Frodo later on in the chapter

The Mirror of Galadriel (again with my emphasis): The love of the Elves for their land and their works is deeper than the deeps of the Sea, and their regret is undying and cannot ever wholly be assuaged.

Yet they will cast all away rather than submit to Sauron: for they know him now .

The Elves' motive is therefore to achieve the destruction of Sauron's power, and loss of the power of their own Rings is a tradeoff that's acceptable to them in exchange for that.

Relevant to this are Elrond's words elsewhere in The Council of Elrond , where they discuss the possibility of using the Ring against Sauron: If any of the Wise should with this Ring overthrow the Lord of Mordor, using his own arts, he would then set himself on Sauron's throne, and yet another Dark Lord would appear.

And that is another reason why the Ring should be destroyed: as long as it is in the world it will be a danger even to the Wise.

For nothing is evil in the beginning.

Even Sauron was not so.

I fear to take the Ring to hide it.

I will not take the Ring to wield it.

This highlights that in the end the only realistic option was to destroy the Ring.

The three elven rings were much different then the other rings of power.

The 7 rings of dwarves and 9 rings of men had one major similarity, their main purpose was to enhance the power of the bearer .

Although forged by Cerebrimbor, the three elven rings served the main purpose to heal and preserve .

The three elven rings - Narya - Passed from Gil-Galad to Cirdan to Gandalf, helped Gandalf to inspire others to fight against evil and imbue hope into others' minds.

Nenya - Worn by Galadriel and used to protect Lothlorien.

Vilya

- Passed from Gil-Galad to Elrond, the mightiest of healers of his time.

It was responsible for helping Elrond protect Rivendell and also possibly for his magical abilities (although he may have some by birth).

The elven lords, when they were first given the rings by Celebrimbor, wore them but when Sauron tried to corrupt their minds they realized it and hid them.

Only after when the one-ring was cut off from Sauron's finger, they started using it to rebuild safe-haven's for all those elves still remaining behind (when the war was won by Last alliance of Men and Elves most elves decided to leave for Valinor).

When Sauron's power began to rise again they felt that it will not only destroy men and dwarves but also bring great harm to elven populace.

So, for self preservation and also to honor the great alliance with men

they joined the fight against Sauron (i.e. destruction of one-ring).

It is rightfully said, that once the One-Ring was destroyed the power of the three elven rings also withered away.

But then again, by that time most of the elves had decided to return to undying lands any way.

So the purpose of the three rings (to create pockets of elven safe haven such as Lothlorien or Rivendell and also to inspire the oppressed) were properly served.

Their only options were- Help destroy the Ring.

Abandon Middle-Earth and go to Valinor.

Stay and do nothing as they watch Sauron conquer all of Middle-Earth.

There was no other way to defeat Sauron and the Rings were not going to protect the Elven realms when Sauron put his full power against them.

The time of the Elves was on the verge of ending one way or another.

If Sauron regained the Ring the elves would've been utterly ruined as Gandalf said "all that has been wrought by those who wield the Three will turn to their undoing and their minds and hearts will become revealed to Sauron if he regains the One.

It would be be better if the Three had never been".

I may be wrong

but I've always thought that if Sauron regained his Ring then the 3 elvish ringbearers would become like the Nazgul, completely enslaved to Sauron.

The Three Rings were going to become useless no matter what else happened.

If the One Ring was destroyed, the Three would lose their powers and become ordinary pieces of jewelry.

If Sauron found the One Ring, the Elves would be forced to stop using the Three, because using them would lead to Sauron controlling the Elves who wore them.

This means that the Elves had to choose:

Help the Fellowship destroy the One Ring, thereby saving the world but losing the powers bestowed upon them by the Three; or do nothing, see the world being destroyed, and still lose their powers because they could no longer use the Three safely; or see the world being destroyed, keep using the Three, and become slaves to Sauron.

Given these options, the Elves clearly made the right decision.

scifi.stackexchange.com/users/44025/Wad Cheber stands with Monica

If Sauron gets his ring back.

Elves would deal with him again.

They might be thinking that to hit him while he is at his weakest and with the hardest hit (which is to destroy the ring) is wise.

They might also be trying to finish what they started.

Since humans took the ring and made the bearer corrupt, they might not want another incident like that.

Now the ring has been found, they have the chance to finish the job.

Question: In  Lord of the Rings , the rings preserve what you desire the most. The Elves have three rings preserving their kind's well-being, as well as preserving Rivendell. If the One Ring is destroyed, and this takes the Elves' three rings down with it, what motive do the Elves have to help?

Why would the elves help destroy the One Ring?

The Elves' motive is the destruction of Sauron's power, and loss of the power of their own Rings is an acceptable tradeoff.

By destroying One Ring, the elves save the world and destroy Sauron; otherwise Sauron may regain control over One Ring, thus rendering the Three Rings unusable, and subsequently destroy the elves.

The purpose of destroying One Ring is to destroy Sauron. If Sauron regains control over One ring, the elves will be destroyed. If One Ring finds its way back to Sauron, he will have full control over the elves who will need to stop using the Three Rings; otherwise they risk being Sauron’s slaves.


This sounds somewhat like the short story " It's Such a Beautiful Day " by Isaac Asimov.

Read online at the Open Library in Nightfall and other stories published 1969.

scifi.stackexchange.com/users/38970/This isn't my real name

Arthur C. Clarke's story The City and the Stars also comes to mind.

Do you have any more details about what may have happened in the story?

Brief synopsis of 'The City and the Stars':Story is set 1 billion years in the future on Earth - specifically in the city of Diaspar - which is fully enclosed.

No one in millions of years has arrived or left from this city.

A boy (Alvin) is born and is a bit unusual in that he feels compelled to try to leave the city.

Eventually he does and finds other humans on the planet.

Alvin continues to try to find out why the inhabitants of Diaspar are so afraid of leaving their city...

There is much much more to the story - i recommend reading it.

One of my favourites!

Well, not a boy, but there is "

The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury, first published in 1951.

In the year 2053 A.D, Leonard Mead likes to take long walks at night, something which no one else does.

Everyone stays indoors watching TV.

On one of his usual walks he encounters a police car which is possibly robotic.

It is the only police unit in a city of three million, since the purpose of law enforcement has disappeared with everyone watching TV at night.

Mead tells the car that he is a writer when asked about his profession, but the car does not understand, since no one buys books or magazines in the television-dominated society.

The police car or its occupants struggle to understand why Mead would be out walking for no reason and so decides to take him to the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies.

He is forced to get in the car.

As the car passes through his neighborhood, Leonard Mead in the locked confines of the backseat says, "That's my house".

There is no reply.

I think I remember a story like this...

It might be

The Machine Stops by E. M. Forster: The story describes a world in which most of the human population has lost the ability to live on the surface of the Earth.

Each individual now lives in isolation below ground in a standard 'cell', with all bodily and spiritual needs met by the omnipotent, global Machine.

Travel is permitted but unpopular and rarely necessary.

Communication is made via a kind of instant messaging/video conferencing machine called the speaking apparatus, with which people conduct their only activity, the sharing of ideas and what passes for knowledge.

The two main characters, Vashti and her son Kuno, live on opposite sides of the world.

Vashti is content with her life, which, like most inhabitants of the world, she spends producing and endlessly discussing secondhand 'ideas'.

Kuno, however, is a sensualist and a rebel.

He persuades a reluctant Vashti to endure the journey (and the resultant unwelcome personal interaction) to his cell.

Full story here

It's Such A Beautiful Day seems by far the likeliest.

The boy's mother is deeply humiliated when he catches a cold after going outside in the rain

(disease is almost unknown now) and is inclined to accept his schoolteacher's advice to have him treated with a psychic probe.

The boy's psychiatrist is vehemently opposed to this, and it is strongly hinted (though not flatly stated)

that he himself was once "treated" in that way for a similar "disorder".

In the last sentence, the psychiatrist himself decides to walk home because "it's such a beautiful day".

Question: I am trying to locate a sci fi story, probably written in the 50's, most likely by Bradbury or Heinlein, about a dissatisfied boy who breaks the rules in a future society where no one goes outside anymore because technology has eliminated the need to do so. Any ideas?

Dissatisfied boy breaks the rules in a future society, technology has eliminated need to go outside

This sounds like the short story " It's Such a Beautiful Day " by Isaac Asimov. However, "The Machine Stops"  by E. M. Forster is another suggestion.

The possibilities are "It’s Such a Beautiful Day" written by Isaac Asimov and "The Machine Stops" written by E.M, the former being the most likely.

The likeliest answer is "It’s Such a Beautiful Day" written by Isaac Asimov though "The Machine Stops" written by E.M. Forster is also a contender.


It's explained in Game of Thrones Season 5:

Inside the Episode #10 .

Start watching from 4:50 to get your answer.

In short: The ring is "bread crumb" to point the direction that she's been taken.

Why the tv-script writers thought she should drop her ring, who knows.

It does sound like Nika's answer is the official story.

I would like to add some things, and a few thoughts.

It does seem like this is an homage to Lord of the Rings, when Merry and Pippin are abducted by orcs, and leave a piece of jewellery behind as a way to signal their friends.

GRRM is fond of homages, and his books are full of them.

Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall.

If this is the case, it is rather weak, in my opinion.

Aragorn and Legolas had extraordinary abilities, and followed a given track.

This was in the middle of nowhere.

If she expects anyone to find it, she is optimistic on the verge of delusional.

If this is an actual plot line that is going to happen, it is rather far fetched.

Another explanation might be that she would get rid of evidence of her new marriage to Hizdahr, or her old marriage to Khal Drogo.

However, seeing as she was discovered because she was flying a dragon, the chance of any such ruse to work would be microscopic indeed.

Say, perhaps she is some other girl riding a dragon.

No.

However...

SPOILER Season 6, and/or

ADWD/TWOW -- Mystery spoiler, be warned! as the script writers are not unaware, this is when Mirri Maaz Duur's prophecy starts to come true: "When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east," said Mirri Maz Duur.

"When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves.

When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child.

Then he [Drogo] will return, and not before."

As described here , the following things have happened in the books: - Dorne has "risen" in Westeros, and Quentyn died in Mereen, "The Suns Son" -

The Dothraki sea -- the vast grasslands around Mereen -- have gone dry with the coming winter - Rhaegal and Viserion broke free and destroyed pyramids (mountains) in Mereen - Daenerys' womb quickened when she had her "moon blood" (menstruation)

Not idly do the leaves of Lorien

fall

she was leaving something for jorah and daario to track.

No... she dropped the ring because this is the original army she was with when she was married to drogo... and according to their tradition... she couldn't get married again.

hence why she dropped the ring

So who was this army that immediately surrounded our new favorite dynamic duo?

If the books are any indication, they are none other than a khalasar Dothraki army, led by Khal Jhaqo, who was a former lieutenant of Drogo’s before his untimely death.

So, naturally, this is bound to make things a little awkward for all parties involved, given that a Khaleesi is traditionally supposed to live with the crones of the Dosh Khaleen shortly after her Khal dies.

Since Dany failed to do so, they may be a little curious (and more than a little upset) if they catch wind of what she’s been up to instead.

Like the fact that she got married again to a nobleman of Meereen, Hizdahr zo Loraq.

Hence why she dropped her ring out of sight as the army approached her.

Question: In the episode of Game of Thrones "Mother's Mercy" (S5 E10) when    Daenerys is surrounded by a Khalasar,    she drops a ring into the dirt.  Do we know the significance of this ring? Is it meaningful that she dropped that particular piece of jewelry into the dirt?

Why did Daenerys drop her ring?

The ring may be an indicator of the direction that she has been taken.  Another explanation might be that she is getting rid of evidence of her new marriage to Hizdahr, or her old marriage to Khal Drogo.

The reason Daenerys drops the ring is either to help anyone searching for her, including her friends, to find her or to get rid of any evidence she is or was married. However, the fact she drops the ring into dirt is not significant.

Daenerys drops the ring so that anyone looking for her, including her friends, knows where to find her. Daenerys drops the ring to erase any evidence of her last marriage to Drogo and/or her current marriage to Hizdahr. It is not meaningful that Daenerys drops her ring into dirt per se.


Using cover designs as a reference, I rarely found the Dragonriders of Pern to show males and fire lizards (tiny shoulder sitting dragons) on the same cover.

But if we're talking about an old series which showed a male, in a science fiction setting, with a dragon-like pet, Flinx and Pip have more covers depicting the requested elements.

Pip and Flinx have been around since the early 1970s.

It's a pretty common idea.....

If it were Fantasy, I'd guess the Earthsea novels; they are called harekki , and an image that sticks with many people is of one of the side character's little sister with one that curls around her wrist.

And, of course, recently, people have become familiar with Daenerys Targaryen's little ones.

Since you say science fiction, tho, could it be from one of the Pern books?

The well known dragons started as little Fire-lizards and were genetically engineered for greater size, eventually becoming the dragons everyone is familiar with.

Take a look (at your own risk; it's TvTropes, and you can lose hours of otherwise productive time there) at the TvTropes page on Shoulder Sized Dragons .

One of them might be what you are looking for.

Dragonrider's of Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey.

The small ones that sit on the shoulder are called Fire Lizards

Pip & Flinx by Alan Dean Foster?

Dragon Drums has some versions of the cover where a young man has a dragon (fire lizard) on his shoulder.

If you don't remember space ships I'd go with this one.

If there are ships it may be the Pip and Flinx series by Alan Dean Foster.

It has a young man with a flying snake on most of the covers that can be miss remembered as a small dragon.

Most of Andre Norton's protagonists have animal sidekicks.

Forerunner, one of her books I read recently-enough to remember a bit, has ones more bat-like than dragon-like.

She wrote more than sixty books, so I think there's a good chance of a shoulder-dragon in there somewhere! ...

But, OTOH, a quick look at all the covers of her books that I could find on Bing, showed no such shoulder-dragons.

Question: An old series that had a young man with a small dragon that sat on his shoulder. Not a magic type book, more science fiction. I can't believe I can't remember the author.  Thanks.

Science fiction book where the protagonist has a tiny shoulder-sitting dragon

Suggestions include Pip & Flinx, the Earthsea novels, one of the Pern books (possibly Dragonriders), or Dragon Drums.

The Pip and Flint series by Alan Dean Foster or the Pern series by Anne McCaffrey are the most likely choices in the genre of science fiction. However, in the genre of fantasy, the Earthsea novels are a frontrunner. Finally, a young man with a dragon — or a fire lizard — on his shoulder is depicted on some of the front covers of Dragon Drums.

It is thought that the book may be from the Pip and Flint series by Alan Dean Foster or the Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. The genre of science fiction encompasses both the Pip and Flint series and the Pern series. In the genre of fantasy, one possibility is the Earthsea novels. Some versions of Dragon Drums depicts a young man with a dragon — or a fire lizard — on his shoulder.


This was the magic system in Changeling , by Roger Zelazny, and its sequel Madwand .

From the Wikipedia article: The strands he can use to perform magic are everywhere around him

In Knights of Dark Renown by David Gemmell (1989), magic is tapped from "threads" of different colours accessible, with training, only by the "gifted".

The main character spies on a craftman-magician and eventually becomes his apprentice.

Green thread is nature-related and used for healing, black for Earth and for example used to make a sort of "boots of speed", and so on.

I was googling the same terms looking for a specific book, which I eventually found!

The Homecoming Saga by Orson Scott Card.

I highly recommend this book.

Quote from Wikipedia: Hushidh Luet's older sister, she is a raveler: able to see the relationships between people manifested as threads in her vision.

This gives her remarkable insight into what people are thinking, as well as the ability to know what well-chosen words will break weak threads.

That sounds like the magic system in the Chapel Hollow series by Nina Kiriki Hoffman.

The Thread That Binds the Bones is probably the one in question, it was published in 1993 and had a male protagonist.

He can shift his vision to see colored threads that he can manipulate and pull or weave to perform the equivalent of magic in the setting.

Could this be Bad Magic by Stephan Zielinski (2004)?

Magic is real.

Strange forces and uncanny creatures abound.

Cosmic evil is loose in the world--especially around San Diego--along with transcendent evil, primordial evil, simmering evil, objective evil, and specific evil.

The main character created a cloak of invisibility by pulling threads of invisibility from the homeless.

(Not so much being invisible but, unnoticeable like people couldn't focus on you.)

Also, he would go to the hospital burn wards and pull out red threads of pain from the patients.

One to help ease their pain but

, He would also use them for offensive means.

I think he ran a shop and ended up getting pulled into some war between light and dark forces.

Question: I read this book between 1989 and 1998, I can't remember its title, book cover, or author. The only thing I can remember is a loose idea on how the magic system worked.  In this book the main character could see strands/threads of various lengths and colors in the environment. The character could pull on one of these threads to tap into the power. The color represented a specific element while the length represented the amount of power that could be pulled from the thread.

Fantasy book where character can see visible magic elemental threads of different colors and lengths

This may have been the magic system in Cageling or Madwand by Roger Zelazny; Knights of Dark Renown  by David Gemmell; The Homecoming Saga  by Orson Scott Card; the Chapel Hollow series by Nina Kiriki Hoffman; or Could this be  Bad Magic  by Stephan Zielinski.

The book may be from the Chapel Hollow series by Kiriki Hoffman or is potentially one of the following: Changeling by Zelazny; Knights of Dark Renown by Gemmell; The Homecoming Saga by Scott Card; or Bad Magic by Zielinski.

The book is potentially one of the following: Changeling by Zelazny; Knights of Dark Renown by Gemmell; The Homecoming Saga by Scott Card; or Bad Magic by Zielinski. It may also be a book from the Chapel Hollow series by Kiriki Hoffman.


A few years ago, considerable research was done into Khan, the development of his character, and the making of "Space Seed" by sociologists Maria Jose and John Tenuto, leading to a six-part interview with them by the official Star Trek web site.

From

The Evolution of "Space Seed"

, Part 5 , we have the following notes regarding the costuming for the episode: The costumes of the original Star Trek were largely the result of the talents of William Ware Theiss...

He had served for four years in the United States Navy before turning his attention to costume design.

Like all artists on Star Trek , Theiss had to regularly deal with many limitations, including budget, time and network rules, and

"Space Seed" was a unique challenge.

The costumes had to demonstrate the regality of Khan that was familiar to the audience, yet also be futuristic in their design.

Despite these limitations, Theiss’ output on "Space Seed" is remarkable for its iconic nature and its interesting symbolism...

Theiss’ three original designs all have a common element: ovals.

Khan's cryogenic outfit is entirely constructed of these ovals, interlocking together symbolically to mimic perhaps DNA helix strands...

The interconnecting ovals again appear on Khan’s dress dinner jacket, a design that showcases Montalban’s physique and Khan’s superiority.

The tunic / dinner jacket is an original construction by Theiss, designed to display royalty and futuristic notes at the same time, as mentioned above.

That is to say, it is not exactly an existing Earth garment.

But given Khan's ethnic origins in the Indian subcontinent, Theiss likely took some inspiration from traditional dress of that region, namely the achkan , Nehru jacket , and sherwani , as others have noted.

There also exist action figures of Khan wearing the tunic:

Unfortunately, the packaging for the figures doesn't have anything to say about the tunic.

Finally, as for purchasing a (life-size) version of the tunic, it doesn't seem to be a particularly popular item.

I cannot find a vendor that has made exact replicas of it.

Furthermore, the current location of the actual tunic worn on set by Ricardo Montalbán is unknown.

(This is in contrast to his cryogenic-sleeper suit, which has been auctioned several times —

see the Star Trek Prop & Costume Authority .)

I think it's called a Sherwani, a "long coat-like garment worn in South Asia, very similar to an Achkan or Polish żupan."

Here's an image from the link above:

I'm Indian.

Singh is a Sikh name.

This looks very similar to what the groom wears at a Sikh wedding.

You can definitely buy one, just be aware that Indians are going to look at you funny.

While it's not a religious garment per se, I've never seen one outside the actual wedding ceremony.

The bride & groom usually change into something else for the wedding reception.

I don't know the name of the type of jacket, not being fashion conscious.

But it does sort of resemble a Nehru Jacket, named after the prime minister of India.

I think that a Nehru jacket would have had a bigger collar worn straight up.

In an attempt to recreate this jacket for the Star Trek Cruise, with the help of answers on this page, I found out a little more about this outfit.

The pattern is based on the Nehru jacket, but with the Sherwani length and collar.

I obtained a vintage pattern on Etsy.

The fabric is Luna Camel Gold Chenille Oval Texture Upholstery Fabric.

No longer manufactured or sold online (as far as I could tell).

[ The trim is unknown and after searching through thousands of samples, I have not found anything that comes close.

In my costume, I replaces the oval fabric with a hex pattern and a trim from India my seamstress found.

Question: Star Trek TOS "Space Seed":   What is the above garment Khan is wearing called? Is it a jacket? Is it a shirt? Does it have a more specific name?   I thought maybe it might be European, but I've never seen anything like it in the USA. Since we have people from all over the world on the site I thought somebody else might have a more specific description of what it is.   Is there a way to procure one now in our universe?

Can anyone identify the upper body garment Khan Noonien Singh is wearing in the Star Trek episode "Space Seed"?

This garment is an original construction but it appears to be very similar to a Nehru jacket or a Sherwani, which might be very similar to what a groom would wear at a Sikh wedding. It does not seem to be a very popular garment but it is certainly possible to buy one, although probably not an exact replica of the one in question.

The jacket resembles traditional garments such as the Sherwani in India and it has many decorative features aimed at communicating the character of Khan.

The jacket and its decorative elements were designed as part of a complex exercise to develop and portray the character of Khan.

The jacket is based on a garment known as a Sherwani or Nehru jacket in India or a zupan in Poland.

The jacket is very similar to what the groom wears in a Sikh wedding.


The special material which makes vibroblades resistant to lightsabers is cortosis .

However, cortosis was scarce and the Jedi restricted its use: Close at hand sat a stubby treddroid tasked with monitoring the progress of a mining probe that was sampling a rich vein of cortosis ore at the bottom of a deep shaft.

A fabled ore, some called it -- owing to its scarcity , but even more for its intrinsic ability to diminish the effectiveness of the Jedi lightsaber.

For that reason, the Jedi Order had gone to great lengths to restrict mining and refinement of the ore .

If not the bane of the Order’s existence, cortosis was a kind of irritant, a challenge to their weapon’s reputation for fearsome invincibility.

Legends

novel Darth Plagueis , p. 10

(emphasis added) Since cortosis was mostly unavailable, vibroblades were unsuitable as a weapon against a Jedi.

Blasters aren't much better since Jedi can deflect blaster bolts, but at least they put some distance between the user and the Jedi's lightsaber (Jango Fett, for example, proved how effective blasters could be against a Jedi, and how important it was to maintain one's distance from a Jedi).

Finally, clone troopers and stormtroopers weren't intended to fight Jedi in most situations (especially clone troopers, who until Order 66 were allied with the Jedi).

Consequently, there was little reason to equip them with vibroblades (especially since it would be far too expensive to equip an entire army with cortosis-weave vibroblades, given the scarcity of cortosis).

Well an out of universe reason is that the idea was not yet developed when the movies came out, but I hate out of universe answers.

In universe: Well the primary weapons of all clones is blasters, as they are fighting droids who are also using blasters mostly.

A vibro blade would not be an effective weapon in that situation.

If anyone should be using one it would be droids, but it was not really in the movies, with some exceptions: -In

the cartoon Clone Wars they added agile droids that used bladed sword like weapons which I assume are vibro blades. -In

episode two and three(possibly)

there were droids wielding bowstaffs that were electrified on both ends.

These were made of a material that could have been used for vibro blades. -In

some video games

you could carry a small combat knife/vibro blade type weapon.

But then they attacked the Jedi, and in that situation vibro blades could perhaps be useful.

Consider though troopers were not generally trained for vibro blade use so any 1v1 attack on a Jedi would fail.

Blasters were fairly effective it seemed though, so vibro blades were not really necessary.

During the old republic vibro blades were very common.

Due to the number of force users and lightsabers being used, a counter to lightsabers was produced.

As the sith were defeated and the number of forcer users slowly diminished, weapons to counter force users were less in demand, leading to the disappearance of such weapons.

I am not saying vibro blade type weapons are not at all used around the time of movies, they are just uncommon and not shown in the movies.

In the Star Wars: The Clone Wars novel by Karen Traviss, vibroblades are used by the troopers of the 501st Legion during the Battle of Teth, though this is not shown during any of the TV show episodes or the movie.

Coric snatched the rifle from the crippled droid as it tottered backward; Nax grabbed a lump of masonry and battered another droid until its head caved in.

Rex ejected the vibroblade from his forearm plate and jumped onto a droid, tipping it off balance and gouging out its photoreceptors.

As it flailed blindly, he severed all the control cables to its head.

Perhaps other Clone Trooper units made use of these weapons.

According to Wookieepedia, Vibroblades continued to be of use from the Old Republic on.

I can personally remember the lead miniatures, such as of the Gamorreans in front of Jabba's Palace, being called out as having vibroblades on their halberds, and the RPG sourcebooks include vibroblades as standard.

What had changed by the time of the first two trilogies is that "the cortosis-weave became less common when the probability of fighting a lightsaber-wielding opponent decreased.

By the time of the Galactic Civil War, knowledge of the cortosis-weave had faded, and the cortosis mineral itself had become exceedingly rare."

As to why the clone troopers didn't use any, presumably it was because they were primarily trained to use energy weapons as a formation rather than to engage in individual melee.

As the fighting force moved to Stormtroopers, melee weapons would be further discouraged because, just as with our history, it's easier to teach someone to fire a gun than it is to teach them to be a competent melee fighter.

To give a real-world comparison, think about how many soldiers you see running around with swords.

Not only do they have little practical use,but the effectiveness of the clone troopers would also be drastically reduced by the split time between swordplay training and conventional training.

Overall, equipping the standard infantryman with vibroblades would not be worth the effort.

Specialty units such as ARC troopers or assassins, on the other hand, would be worth the time.

Although I can't answer the question regarding Clone equipment, I can say that vibroblades existed in some quantity until at least 20 years after the destruction of the second Death Star. From the new canon novel Bloodline , set ~20 years after Return of the Jedi , and just before the rise of the First Order:

In the stark-white training chamber, he remained stock-still, poised with the quarterstaff in his hand.

His formfitting gray workout gear had been drenched with sweat for a long time now, but Ransolm remained determined to press on.

Most people neglected training with non-powered weapons; these were the same people who got themselves killed because their blasters ran out of charge.

He intended to be able to fight with whatever was at hand, whether as sophisticated as the latest model of vibroblade or as brutish as a long stick.

- Star Wars: Bloodline

scifi.stackexchange.com/users/44025/Wad Cheber stands with Monica

Question: It is known in the  Knights of the Old Republic  series that vibroblades were made from a special material that couldn't be cut by lightsabers. Then, why aren't the clone troopers using any?

Why didn't the Clones use vibroblades to fight against lightsabers?

The most likely reason why clone troopers do not use vibroblades is probably because they weren't intended to have 1-on-1 battles with Jedi. As a result, there was no need to train or equip them with more expensive weapons that would not provide them with much of an advantage in normal situations. It's also the case that the ore used to make vibroblades was extremely restricted and scarce. There are examples of clone troopers using vibroblades in the Star Wars books, however, this does not appear in any film or TV release.

A number of reasons, including the restricted availability of cortiosis for making them and their limited usefulness compared to gun type weapons.

The material is cortiosis and it is very rare and access to it is limited.

Stormtroopers were not intended to fight Jedi and therefore were not given lightsabres

Either because the idea was not developed in the early movies or because stormtroopers used blasters, which were more effective.

Stormtroopers were not trained for blades - they used blasters.

Viboblades are used in The Clone Wars novel but not in TV episodes or movies.

Over time, the blades became obsolete and people forgot the technology and it was easier to fire a gun than use a blade, as is the case in real world battles


BB-8 woke him up, but like his typical snarky self, he took a while to get out of bed.

There's an article by Entertainment Weekly which recounts a post-screening Q&A with Abrams and co-writers Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt.

It explains how R2-D2 came to have part of the star map: “BB-8 comes up and says something to him, which is basically, ‘I’ve got this piece of a map, do you happen to have the rest?’”

Abrams said.

“The idea was, R2 who has been all over the galaxy, is still in his coma, but he hears this.

And it triggers something that would ultimately wake him up.”

The director acknowledges that R2’s sudden “awakening” at the end was designed to be an emotional storytelling utility: “While it may seem, you know, completely lucky and an easy way out, at that point in the movie, when you’ve lost a person, desperately, and somebody you hopefully care about is unconscious, you want someone to return.”

So for those let wondering:

BB-8’s earlier question rattles around inside R2’s dome for a while.

Those old astromechs must just take a while to boot up again.

That's a far less satisfying explanation than anything involving the Force, or R2-D2 detecting the Force in Rey – but that's the answer from the filmmakers.

It seems like a coincidence to us because it occurs straight after the main events of the film end.

We don’t know how much time surpasses between the destruction of Starkiller Base and R2-D2’s awakening.

If he really was in low power mode, he might have sat there for days before finally realising what BB-8 was trying to say.

(PS

When I read this the first time, I expected the paragraph starting “The director acknowledges” to continue “that R2-D2’s awakening is a huge deus ex machina”, but apparently not.)

I think, and this is just a guess, that R2 was activated by Luke using the Force.

It has been shown before that in some ways the Force is used over great distances, like feeling when a planet is exploded.

My theory is that Luke deliberately put the map in R2 and that he was going to activate it when he wanted to be found.

It was very clear that Luke didn't want to be found

and I think that if he still didn't want to be found now he could hide easily.

But Luke now either sensed the Starkiller station being destroyed, Han dying or Rey becoming more Force-sensitive and in need of training or maybe a combination of both and therefore decided that he didn't want to hide anymore

My guess is Rey is

Luke Skywalker’s child and R2-D2 sensed “the Force” in her.

Or at least somehow recognized her visually or by sound when she was nearby.

C-3PO makes it very clear that R2-D2 has been in self-imposed “low power mode” (aka: deep droid depression) since Luke went into hiding.

Heck, R2-D2 is covered with a sheet when BB-8 first finds him.

Then R2-D2 suddenly “snaps out of it” when who arrives?

Rey!

She’s

Luke’s daughter.

’s choice to go into “low power mode” and cover himself with a sheet all day was his choice.

And when Rey shows up he senses something familiar and snaps back to life!

Hooray!

And past that… Lo and behold…

The darn droid has a HUGE map of the galaxy (?) including areas that are apparently uncharted?

Or perhaps BB-8’s missing piece was the only uncharted part the galaxy?

Where did R2-D2 get those chunks from?

It would have made more sense if Rey salvaged some data storage device from the wreckage on Jakku and then Rebellion analysts were able to recover data from that.

Which is also all to say

… You are kidding me that data such as maps—or plans to the Death Star—can’t be copied as easily as we copy data today.

Unless the devices that contain that data in the Star Wars universe have some kind of encryption or biometrics or something?

We can only guess.

Here is what I think happened.

Kylo Ren said that they had the missing part of the map to find Luke.

That they found it on some information from the Empire.

So when the planet that housed Starkiller base started to explode, maybe they started transferring all their data to other place and R2-D2 was able to intercept the map data from them.

Then since R2-D2 had found some way to get to his master, he activated.

They did mention that he was in Low Power Mode or something like that.

It's just a guess.

It was not explained how R2-D2 got that info in the movie.

Another possibility Earlier in the movie BB-8 mentions that the remainder of the map might be in R2-D2s memory banks.

It seemed to imply that the map had been erased or deleted somehow.

Is it at all possible that his low power mode was not just because of droid depression, but instead he was trying to recover that map from his memory and it required all his attention.

Low power mode meant he wasn't receiving any new information to overwrite any part of his memory.

It fits in with the loyal droid idea, that he would devote all his time and energy to finding his master.

Question: During  The Force Awakens , BB-8 tries to wake up R2-D2, but is unsuccessful.  At the end of the movie, R2-D2 wakes up.  I didn't catch anything really explaining why he would activate just at that time. So, what did happen to make him wake up?

What made R2-D2 reactivate in “The Force Awakens?”

It's not exactly clear what caused R2-D2 to wake up at this particular moment and any answer would be speculative. It could be that the force awakened him or it could be that he was in a self-controlled low-power mode and would have awoken at some point in any case. The director has acknowledge that this was put at the end of the story for emotional storytelling purposes.

The most compelling explanation is from the film's writers who said it was a plot device with no real explanation to back it up, but fans have nonetheless come up with a number of possible explanations.

The film's writers themselves say that the idea was to have a slow wakening up for R2-D2 for emotional storytelling reasons.

R2 may have been activated by Luke using the Force.

R2 was possibly in a low power mode and activated once he saw a way of getting the vital map data to his master

Perhaps R2 was non-responsive for so long because he needed all of his power to recover the important map data needed by his master.


The "west that is forgotten" is the Undying Lands.

I imagine that over the years, the idea of a place where the Elves rest for eternity would retreat into legend since Elves became more introverted among mortal Men and the knowledge of their existence and fate was less known.

Especially to men who aren't necessarily of Numenorean descent.

I think you're parsing that wrong.

It's not the West that is forgotten, but Gandalf's youth there.

Taking it as written, it is the West that is forgotten.

It's a similar construction to "blade that was broken."

I took it to mean the majority of regular folk, hobbits, non-noble dwarves, and men of Gondor and Rohan, and all those who live beyond the edges of Tolkein's map, do not know about the Undying Lands.

(Although most of the characters we become intimate with: wizards, kings, elves, and more-sophisticated hobbits, have not forgotten the West and know its importance, it "is forgotton" by most folk living at the end of the Third Age.)

To me it also hints at Gandalf's understanding that such knowledge will eventually be completely forgotten by all who remain in Middle Earth.

The decline and fall that is a strong theme of Tolkien's work.

And if you take the tales of Middle Earth at their stated (by the author) purpose, as millennia-old tales of a mythic Britain, he's talking about our days, long after all the Elves left, and dwarves and hobbits faded or merged with Men.

No doubt I'm reading too much into such a brief expression.

The only people who care about Valinor ("the West") in The Two Towers are the remnants of the Noldorin exiles in Rivendell, Loth-Lorien and the Grey Havens.

We know from Frodo's accounts that some of these elves have been traveling through the Shire on their way to the Grey Havens to catch the last ships into the West, and we know that their leaders leave soon after the events of the Lord of the Rings.

The remaining elves -- the Moriquendi -- have no first-hand knowledge of the West, and no desire to travel there (unless, like Legolas, they glimpse the sea and are overcome by sea-longing ).

Thus, except for the very few Noldorin exiles left after the last ship sails into the West, Valinor will be completely forgotten --

as indeed it would have been, if the Red Book of Westmarch had not been written cataloging these stories.

I always interpreted it as Gandalf's youth (in the West) that was forgotten, since all Elves and Dunedain remembered Valinor.

Any elf who had not definitely refused the call to go to Valinor - planning to say in Middle-earth and fade away instead - intended to go to Valinor someday in the near or very distant future.

The elves had been told time and time again that it was their destiny to go to Valinor or else fade, and they could see the world becoming less and less hospitable to them over the millennia.

Galadriel was the only exile who was still forbidden to return to Valinor at the time of LOTR, and she certainly had not forgotten Valinor.

She sang about wondering if a ship could ever now come to carry her back across so wide a sea.

And the Dunedain could not forget about Valinor without forgetting the reason for the downfall of Numenor, the most important part of their origin myths and legends.

In Gondor they still stood in silence and gazed at the west before meals, looking toward Numenor that was, Elvenhome that is, and Valinor that ever shall be.

The west was not forgotten but was a vital part of the intellectual and spiritual lives of millions of elves and Dunedain and non Dunedain Gordorians -

the population of Gondor should have been a few million.

But certainly even Elven and Dunedain lore masters would seldom have mentioned or thought about the deeds of Olorin in Valinor, since he mostly worked unseen by elves.

Gandalf's (relative) youth as Olorin in the West was largely forgotten and at most barely a footnote in Middle-earth.

Added 08-14-2019.

See also here:

When did Bilbo and Frodo learn that Gandalf was a Maia? 1

And here: Who in Middle-earth knows the Istari's origin?

And here: Why does Gandalf say "the West that is forgotten"?

Why does Gandalf say "the West that is forgotten"?

There are also remarks in "Unfinished Tales" and "The Silmarillion" concerning the Istari (Wizards) and specifically, but briefly, Olorin (Gandalf).

In the Undying Lands he was of the race of beings that were worshiped by the Elves.

I had always assumed that as Gandalf in Middle-earth

he was "clothed" in a human form, and that that necessitated a lessening of his power and knowledge.

Note his curious lack of memory when he first returns from death and meets with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli in the eaves of Fangorn.

Question: Inspired by this  question  and namely by this passage (emphasis mine):   “Many are my names in many countries: Mithrandir among the Elves, Tharkûn to the Dwarves; Olórin I was in my youth in the  West that is forgotten , in the South Incánus, in the North Gandalf; to the East I go not.”   Why does Gandalf say that West is forgotten? What does he mean?

Why does Gandalf say "the West that is forgotten"?

Gandalf speaks of "the West that is forgotten" to refer to the Undying Lands. It appears to be that other characters, mainly the elves, have no first-hand knowledge of "the West" or aren't aware of them at all. However, it is also possible that Gandalf refers to the west as "forgotten" because he himself cannot recall his memories of it.

The "West that is forgotten" most likely means the lands in the West where the elves now live which have been forgotten by many of the other creatures in Middle Earth.

The west was not forgotten but was a vital part of the intellectual and spiritual lives of millions of elves and Dunedain and non Dunedain Gordorians -

the population of Gondor should have been a few million.

The "west that is forgotten" is the Undying Lands.

I imagine that over the years, the idea of a place where the Elves rest for eternity would retreat into legend since Elves became more introverted among mortal Men and the knowledge of their existence and fate was less known.

Especially to men who aren't necessarily of Numenorean descent.

Taking it as written, it is the West that is forgotten.

It's a similar construction to "blade that was broken."

I took it to mean the majority of regular folk, hobbits, non-noble dwarves, and men of Gondor and Rohan, and all those who live beyond the edges of Tolkein's map, do not know about the Undying Lands.

(Although most of the characters we become intimate with: wizards, kings, elves, and more-sophisticated hobbits, have not forgotten the West and know its importance, it "is forgotton" by most folk living at the end of the Third Age.)

To me it also hints at Gandalf's understanding that such knowledge will eventually be completely forgotten by all who remain in Middle Earth.

The decline and fall that is a strong theme of Tolkien's work.

And if you take the tales of Middle Earth at their stated (by the author) purpose, as millennia-old tales of a mythic Britain, he's talking about our days, long after all the Elves left, and dwarves and hobbits faded or merged with Men.

No doubt I'm reading too much into such a brief expression.

The only people who care about Valinor ("the West") in The Two Towers are the remnants of the Noldorin exiles in Rivendell, Loth-Lorien and the Grey Havens.

We know from Frodo's accounts that some of these elves have been traveling through the Shire on their way to the Grey Havens to catch the last ships into the West, and we know that their leaders leave soon after the events of the Lord of the Rings.

The remaining elves -- the Moriquendi -- have no first-hand knowledge of the West, and no desire to travel there (unless, like Legolas, they glimpse the sea and are overcome by sea-longing ).

Thus, except for the very few Noldorin exiles left after the last ship sails into the West, Valinor will be completely forgotten --

as indeed it would have been, if the Red Book of Westmarch had not been written cataloging these stories.

I always interpreted it as Gandalf's youth (in the West) that was forgotten, since all Elves and Dunedain remembered Valinor.

Any elf who had not definitely refused the call to go to Valinor - planning to say in Middle-earth and fade away instead - intended to go to Valinor someday in the near or very distant future.

The elves had been told time and time again that it was their destiny to go to Valinor or else fade, and they could see the world becoming less and less hospitable to them over the millennia.

Galadriel was the only exile who was still forbidden to return to Valinor at the time of LOTR, and she certainly had not forgotten Valinor.

She sang about wondering if a ship could ever now come to carry her back across so wide a sea.

And the Dunedain could not forget about Valinor without forgetting the reason for the downfall of Numenor, the most important part of their origin myths and legends.

In Gondor they still stood in silence and gazed at the west before meals, looking toward Numenor that was, Elvenhome that is, and Valinor that ever shall be.

But certainly even Elven and Dunedain lore masters would seldom have mentioned or thought about the deeds of Olorin in Valinor, since he mostly worked unseen by elves.

Gandalf's (relative) youth as Olorin in the West was largely forgotten and at most barely a footnote in Middle-earth.

There are also remarks in "Unfinished Tales" and "The Silmarillion" concerning the Istari (Wizards) and specifically, but briefly, Olorin (Gandalf).

In the Undying Lands he was of the race of beings that were worshiped by the Elves.

Note his curious lack of memory when he first returns from death and meets with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli in the eaves of Fangorn.

It's not the West that is forgotten, but Gandalf's youth there.

It means the undying lands where the elves now live but which men and other creatures have forgotten.

It refers not to tge forgotten West but to Gandalf's forgotten youth in the West.


Wonder Man From the X-Men continuity

, Wonder Man is a talented TV actor.

His invulnerability allows him to portray his own stunts.

Here we see him in 'House of M' #02 being interviewed on daytime television.

Dazzler

Although she's more famous as a singer, Dazzler was briefly rebooted as a wannabe actress, culminating in the one-shot comic " Dazzler: The Movie ".

Silk Spectre

Within the world of the Watchmen , Sally Jupiter (AKA Silk Spectre)

parlays her popularity as a vigilante into a series of low budget films including a heavily fictionalised version of her life story and a number of deeply 'kitsch' films masquerading as superhero films but in reality, little more than bondage porn.

Captain Avenger

From the hit film, 'Hero at Large', actor Steve Nichols takes on the role of Captain Avenger .

While doing publicity for the film, Steve foils a robbery and gets hired by the mayor to help him gain support for an upcoming election.

At the end of the film, Steve becomes a true hero by rescuing a young child from a burning building.

Quite how this film missed the Oscar nomination is beyond me.

Captain America

For much of his early career, Captain America was an actor working on behalf of the US govt to help sell war bonds.

He evidently also made some Hollywood productions.

Johnny Cage Mortal Kombat was an actor before defending earth realm from invasion by Outworld forces.

Depends on whether or not you'd call him a superhero.

And technically he wasn't an actor anymore after he became a hero but kept with the whole "defending the world" thing.

In Gaiman's reboot of The Eternals, Sprite has become an actor with the legal name of Colin and the stage name of Sprite and star of

"It's Just

So Sprite".

"Colin" Being interviewed on the set of "It's Just

So Sprite":

Blue Devil was a stuntman and special effects specialist who actually became a superhero on set (exoskeletal suit, released demon, magical attack, suit bonded permanently to him).

Animal Man /Buddy

Baker of DC comics is an actor as well as a superhero.

In the 2011-2015 New 52 series, he won an Oscar for his part in a Birdman-esque film

After Cordelia Chase graduated from high school ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 3)

she tried acting ( Angel season 1), but got nowhere; before long her life was consumed by supernatural struggles.

She acquired some superpowers, though not a costume or pseudonym.

Zenith https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenith_(comics) from 2000AD's stories originally used/publicised his super-human abilities to promote his pop-star career (which is close enough to being an actor for your purposes, I hope).

Eventually circumstances pushed him to act as a more traditional "superhero", but he remained neutral in outlook.

Beast Boy

/Changeling from Teen Titans.

I believe he played in a Star Trek type show.

Charlie Vicker played Green Lantern on television, and his brother Roger mistaken for a real one when he was subbing for Charlie, and killed.

Charlie Worked with the Lanterns to find the criminals, and Hal Jordan assigned him a Power Ring from a fallen Corpsman as battlefield promotion.

Vickers performed so well he was made a full corpsman.

Question: Does anybody know if there is a superhero who is a professional actor when he or she is not on superhero duty?   For instance, Clark Kent (Superman) is a newspaper reporter when he is not saving the world and Tony Stark (Iron Man) is an inventor and entrepreneur. Is there any superhero who is an actor in the same way?

Is there a superhero who is an actor when not on superhero duty?

There are a few examples of superheroes being actors when not in their superhero guise. Dazzler played an actress in the one-shot comic "Dazzler: The Movie" and in the film "Hero at Large", actor Steve Nichols takes the role of Captain Avenger. It's also the case that Captain America was an actor for much of his early career.

There are many examples of superheroes who work as actors in their normal lives, e.g. Captain America.


Per J.K. Rowling's interview, "Telling us Professor Snape's patronus and boggart would give too much away" , over at Accio

Quote :

Ernie : I wonder if you can let us know what form will Professor Snape's Boggart and Patronus take?

I am very curious.

JK Rowling :

Well, I'm not going to tell you Ernie, but that's because it would give so much away .

I wonder whether Ernie is your real name?

(It was my grandfather's).

Emphasis mine Since Snape's Patronus is a doe , as a reflection of his love for Lily, and since the Patronus would "give too much away" along with the boggart, we might suggest the latter to be several things: Dead Lily.

For obvious reasons - Snape thinks he failed her, since he pleaded with Voldemort to spare her, and the latter didn't.

Dead Harry - less likely, but still possible.

Snape sees Harry as his ways of retribution for Lily's death, and a homage to her.

Thus, Harry failing his great mission and dying would strike Snape hard.

Shampoo , as suggested by a Reddit user Neville being a Potions professor.

Oh, wait...

We don't know, but we can guess.

Ernie: I wonder if you can let us know what form will Professor Snape's Boggart and Patronus take?

I am very curious.

JK Rowling:

Well, I'm not going to tell you Ernie, but that's because it would give so much away.

World Book Day Chat

Up to the moment of her death, it was almost certainly Lily's death.

After that, it was probably everyone finding out his secret shame (e.g. that he caused Lily to be killed) or possibly Harry's death (e.g. the destruction of his last link to Lily).

As Edlothiad has already pointed out, according to Lego Harry Potter (Years 1-4)

it was Voldemort.

Although probably not a very good canonical answer, LEGO Harry Potter:

Years 1-4 had a lot of the characters

have Lord Voldemort as their boggart, including Snape.

However on another note, a very interesting essay on Quora suggests although it's likely to be Lily's corpse immediately after her death, aftr

it may have been: the faces of all of Hogwarts, the students, faculty and staff (and "...especially Potter's son...") all having discovered that James’ death had been Snape's greatest wish and it had come true at the cost of Lily Potter's life.

At this point, this is probably just a superfluous answer, but could it also have been himself?

As he was when he had been a teenager and tormented by James Potter and company.

How many of us possibly hated our formative years as a teenager, especially if we had been tortured and tormented as he had?

As he was when he realized he had caused Lily's death.

That scene seen in his memory when he comes upon Lily's body and realizes what he has done.

How many of us have mistakes for which we wished we had a time turner?

If we could only go back in time and change that one thing?

Not the mistake, but everything leading up to it.

As he was when he called Lily a mudblood.

It is , in canon, his worst memory .

Anyway, I'm just throwing the possibility out there since we don't know the canon answer, but at times, we are our own worst enemy, and in the case of Snape, this may be truer for him than it is for most .

My guess: Voldemort .

What we know about boggarts is that they are more likely to represent perceived dangers, rather than things that happened in the past.

And that they do not necessarily represent morbid phobias - in fact, judging by Lupin's moon boggart, Hermione's McGonagall, Harry's dementor, Ron Weasley's spider, etc.

, they are likely to represent specific dangers (although there are exceptions).

As for Snape, I think it's easy to see what the shape of his specific danger might be.

He is one of the few people who knew Voldemort - probably enough to have been terrified of him - and rejected him.

In fact, he considered him such a threat that he put his life on the line in a thankless attempt to stop him.

So, I think it's a fair guess that his boggart would take Voldemort's shape.

Of course, it would be kind of lame for a boggart to have the shape of the main villain.

Plus, as per Rowling's quote in a couple of the other answers, it would give so much away.

So we never see it.

Question: Is there any canonical mention of the form taken by a boggart in Snape’s presence? One would assume that Lily’s dead body would be the most likely answer, but I’m just curious if JKR has ever explicitly mentioned it.

What form would a boggart take for Snape?

There is no explicit information that would answer this question and any answer would be merely speculative. However, suggestions include Lily's death or Voldemort.

It's all guesswork as JKR provides no confirmation, but possible candidates include Lily's death, Harry's death, Snape's secret shame and Voldemort.

We do not know but we can guess that it was Lily's death - at least up to the moment of her death. After than it could have been Harry's death or Snape's own secret shame.

It could have been Snape himself, as he was so tortured and tormented in his teenage years.

It could be Voldemort - and that would explain why JKR kept it secret, as revealing it would give so much away.


The rakghoul plague.

The rakghoul plague or rakghoul disease was a disease engineered by the ancient Sith Lord Karness Muur, it could turn most nearby sentient beings into a mindless rakghoul, a Sith-spawned mutant.

The virus-like plague, carried by every rakghoul in existence at the time, could be spread to another being by a bite or a scratch from a rakghoul's claw.

The victim would then suffer through an incubation period lasting approximately six to forty-eight hours before being transformed into a rakghoul, one fully capable of spreading the Sith-made disease on to further victims.

- Wookieepedia

Like with many serious diseases in real world, there have been cases of it being cured in early stages of incubation, but once one turned into rakghoul, it was incurable.

This is in Legends.

The Blue Shadow Virus was an artificially produced virus, created by the CIS on Naboo, during The Clone Wars tv show.

I remember there being a three or four-part episode around it.

It was deadly to most organisms.

Does this count?

Hive viruses were a broad category of highly contagious viruses which would remain dormant in the host for some time before symptoms began to appear.

A hive virus in its dormant stage is still contagious, and thus the virus could spread rapidly through a group before it became obvious that anyone was sick.

In the Legends continuity, a hive virus was responsible for the loss of the Katana fleet .

By the time they realized that an epidemic was underway, the virus had spread throughout the crews of all of the 200 dreadnaughts in the fleet.

The virus drove the crews insane and eventually killed them, leaving the fleet abandoned in an unknown location.

In the X-Wing series (part of Star Wars Legends), the Imperial Director of Intelligence engineers the Krytos virus, and the New Republic has to devise a cure while using vast amounts of bacta to keep the victims alive (if I recall correctly, bacta can stave off the symptoms, but not cure the virus).

It's mostly mentioned in the third book of the X-Wing series, The Krytos Trap .

The Legends novel Legacy of the Force: Betrayal features a man named Movac Arisster who is dying of incurable cancer.

I'm a nobody

and I'm dying.

In six months, incurable cancers of the lungs and other organs, probably caused by a radiation leak I experienced on a trip many years ago, will kill me.

Another example is Jedi Master Taria Damsin , who is dying from Borotavi syndrome .

It is basically described as cancer, including terminology like 'remission'.

So,” said Taria, once they were seated in a private booth with bowlsof steaming bean soup and fresh, crusty bread.

The dining hall’s airwas warm and scented with good food.

Scattered, cheerful conversationsprovided a backdrop of sound.

“To make a long story short, Ahsoka,it’s called Borotavi syndrome.

It’s not contagious but it is terminal.

Eventually.”

Ahsoka felt her mouth suck dry.

Terminal?

But—but—She’s

so young andstrong and amazing.

So alive.

“How did you get it?”

“I ate the wrong kind of shellfish on Pamina Prime.”

With a wry smileTaria stirred a pinch of salt into her soup.

“Turns out it’s theblue-shelled mollusk with the green stripe you need to watch out for.

Blue mollusks with black stripes you can eat till you burst.”

She satback.

“Just a little tip to stand you in good stead, if ever you findyourself on Pamina Prime.” Star Wars Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth

Question: Are there any serious diseases in the Star Wars universe, like cancer or other diseases which are incurable?

Are there any serious diseases in the Star Wars universe?

There are a number of serious diseases mentioned in the Star Wars universe. These include the Rakghoul Plague, the Blue Shadow Virus, Hive viruses and Borotavi syndrome.

There are many serious diseases in the Star Wars universe, including rakghoul plague, blue shadow virus and hive virus, and there is also cancer.

The rakghoul plague is a serious disease which can transform the sufferer into a rakghoul within 48 hours.

Blue shadow virus - an artificial virus produced by CIS on Naboo in the Clone Wars TV show - it is deadly to most organisms.

The deadly hive virus which is contagious in its dormant phase and can spread through an entire population before becoming active and driving sufferers insane before killing them.

The krytos virus which has been engineered artificially and can be staved off with huge amoungs of bacta, but never cured.

In the Legends novel  Legacy of the Force: Betrayal, a man named  Movac Arisster is dying of incurable cancer.

Borotavi syndrome, which resembles cancer and is caught by blue-shelled moluscs that are found on Pamina Prime.


A good candidate is the 1913 (Published 1914) novel by H.G. Wells, The World Set Free .

Synopsis of the novel : The novel tells the prophetic story of man’s harnessing of the (at that time) newly-discovered power of the atom, and how this power nearly destroys civilization in a catastrophic war.

In a sense, however, as we note below, it ended up being a self-fulfilling prophecy!

The World Set Free is a remarkable example of how science and science fiction can interact with and build upon each other.

It goes on to detail the effects of the bombs, and how the world takes steps to prevent new outbreaks.

Wells's "atomic bombs" have no more force than ordinary high explosive and are rather primitive devices detonated by a "bomb-thrower" biting off "a little celluloid stud.

They consist of "lumps of pure Carolinum" that induce "a blazing continual explosion" whose half-life is seventeen days, so that it is "never entirely exhausted," so that " to this day the battle-fields and bomb fields of that frantic time in human history are sprinkled with radiant matter, and so centres of inconvenient rays ." "Never before in the history of warfare had there been a continuing explosive; indeed, up to the middle of the twentieth century the only explosives known were combustibles whose explosiveness was due entirely to their instantaneousness; and these atomic bombs which science burst upon the world that night were strange even to the men who used them."

His solution (A common theme for him) was a unified world government: Wells viewed war as the inevitable result of the Modern State; the introduction of atomic energy in a world divided resulted in the collapse of society.

The only possibilities remaining were "either the relapse of mankind to agricultural barbarism from which it had emerged so painfully or the acceptance of achieved science as the basis of a new social order."

Wells's theme of world government is presented as a solution to the threat of nuclear weapons.

"From the first they had to see the round globe as one problem; it was impossible any longer to deal with it piece by piece.

They had to secure it universally from any fresh outbreak of atomic destruction , and they had to ensure a permanent and universal pacification.

(All emphases mine)

Robert A. Heinlein's Solution Unsatisfactory , published in 1941, details the lead-in to nuclear war and its immediate aftermath (using radioactive dust, not bombs).

The story resulted in a government investigation into John Campbell, the editor who accepted and published the story, as well as Heinlein himself, before those doing the investigating decided it was a coincidence, based on known science, and better to let stand (as opposed to quashing the story and possibly giving enemies a clue into weapons research that was only just beginning).

"By the Waters of Babylon" was published in 1937.

It doesn't explicitly mention a nuclear war, but the description of the war and that only knowledgeable people can safely handle artifacts from the destroyed cities certainly make it sound like there was a nuclear war.

That, and that the cities themselves were "poisonous" for generations.

So, not explicitly a nuclear war but

most likely describing the aftermath of one.

The story is science fiction doing what it does best.

At the time it was writen, nuclear bombs didn't exist.

There was research into nuclear power going on, though.

The author took that idea of the current research, and mankind's tendency to make weapons out of everything, and combined them.

Then asked (and answered) the question of where it could lead.

Tomorrow Sometimes Comes by Francis G. Rayer in 1951 predates 1959.

In it, a nuclear bomber base commander (Rawson) is in a medically induced hibernation for an operation when the "atomic Holocaust" is unleashed.

He wakes decades later to find his name is a swearword, and in the wasteland mindreading mutants rule.

A new city is ruled by a (massive mechanical and valve driven) supercomputer.

The Stars, Like Dust was published in 1951, after atomic bombs had been seen in use.

It mostly takes place off earth, but opens there.

Also consider On the Beach , published a bit later (1957).

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin was published in 1921 and: The action of We is set at some time after the Two Hundred Years' War, which has wiped out all

but "0.2 of the earth's population".

The war was over a rare substance only mentioned in the book through a biblical metaphor; the substance was called "bread" as the "Christians gladiated over it" — as in countries fighting conventional wars.

The war only ended after the use of weapons of mass destruction, so that the One State is surrounded with a post-apocalyptic landscape.

However, perhaps this is my post-atomic brain equating WMDs to atomic weapons.

Question: The first one I know of is A Canticle for Leibowitz, 1959.  Are there any earlier ones?

What was the first work set in a post nuclear war earth?

One story which features a similar scenario to a post-nuclear war earth is HG Wells' "The World Set Free", published in 1914. Other potential candidates for the first book to feature this scenario include "Tomorrow Sometimes Comes" by Francis G. Rayer or "The Stars, Like Dust".

A number of pre-1959 novels depict the Earth in a period after a nuclear war. The earliest may be The World Set Free (1914) by H.G. Wells, followed by Robert A. Heinlein's  Solution Unsatisfactory (1941), Tomorrow Sometimes Comes by Francis G. Rayer (1951), The Stars, Like Dust (1951) and On The Beach (1957).

The novel by H.G. Wells, The World Set Free (1914) describes attempts to rebuild after a war fought with nuclear weapons.

Robert A. Heinlein's  Solution Unsatisfactory (1941) details the lead-in to nuclear war and its immediate aftermath.

Tomorrow Sometimes Comes by Francis G. Rayer (1951) depicts a post nuclear holocaust world with a city ruled by a supercomputer.

The Stars, Like Dust (1951) and On The Beach (1957) both depict post nuclear war Earth.