82
votes
Accepted
Why did Dumbledore tell everyone that Voldemort had killed Cedric Diggory?
There's a few reasons for this so I will explain each one in turn.
Voldemort gave the order
When a leader gives the order to kill that kill is generally associated with them.
From far away, above his ...
- 144k
43
votes
In the movie Donnie Darko (2001), what was the symbolism or purpose of the obese girl?
Director Richard Kelly has stated that she represents an archetype of victimised teenhood. She was intentionally cast because she's not the typical 'outcast' trope character you often find in American ...
- 702k
41
votes
Accepted
How did Data not know what Aldebaran Whiskey was?
The screen direction in the original script indicates that Data was simply unable to read the label. Since the earlier direction is that the bottle is "very old" the implication would be that the ...
- 702k
34
votes
Accepted
How does the magic in "Liar Liar" work?
In the original script, we see that Fletcher's incapacity is that he can't say something that he knows to be untrue. This includes not being able to hand a (previously written) statement that he knows ...
- 702k
27
votes
Accepted
How many times has Dumbledore outright lied to Harry (or anyone)?
At least 18 times
First, let us note that Dumbledore is a very deceptive individual. Thus he undoubtedly has lied many more times than documented in the main series.
"Oh, did he now? And did he ...
- 117k
26
votes
Why does Weyland Yutani want a xeno for weapon when they have, for example, androids?
For the original movies, the company doesn't know precisely what the Aliens are all about. But they know enough to casually risk the lives of innocents, in the hopes that they will obtain some useful ...
- 1,374
25
votes
What did Han Solo experience while frozen in Carbonite?
Canonically, carbonite freezing someone without preparation seems to leave them in a semi-conscious state and subject to extreme pain.
The peculiar stasis qualities of carbonite have been known in ...
- 702k
23
votes
How does the magic in "Liar Liar" work?
My understanding of the movie is that the curse prevents him from saying anything he believes to be false, not that it magically prevents him from saying anything that's untrue.
(The latter would ...
- 104k
23
votes
Accepted
What did Han Solo experience while frozen in Carbonite?
Apparently, a scene was cut from Return of the Jedi (1983) where Han Solo says he had been conscious all the time. Here is the December 1, 1981 third draft version of the script that contains the ...
- 16k
21
votes
Why did Dumbledore tell everyone that Voldemort had killed Cedric Diggory?
It isn't as complicated as all that. It is true that Dumbledore was lying (he knew the truth; by that point, Harry had told the entire story in detail) but nonetheless his statement was essentially ...
- 17.9k
19
votes
Accepted
Why is Chevy Chase's clothing sometimes visible in "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" and sometimes invisible?
You effectively answered your own question, but I'll add some evidence.
First of all, these are the clothes Halloway was wearing when he was turned invisible. Of particular note are the white shirt, ...
- 124k
18
votes
Accepted
Does Rogue One create a plot hole in Return of the Jedi re Hyperspace Radio?
I don't know that anything canon ever rules out using communications while in Hyperspace. Reality is we don't see a lot of scenes where ships are in Hyperspace to begin with (I think ANH gives the ...
- 52.2k
18
votes
Why did Rey not change her clothes for 6 years (three movies)?
She did change her clothes...
The Force Awakens
The Last Jedi
The Rise of Skywalker
- 144k
16
votes
Why did Dumbledore tell everyone that Voldemort had killed Cedric Diggory?
Dumbledore assumed it was Voldemort
My answer is based on the books. So here it is.
In Chapter 35: Veritaserum, Harry returns with Cedric's body back at the entrance of the maze after narrowly ...
- 26.8k
16
votes
In the novel The Three-Body Problem, does the Sun's amplification of radio transmissions have a scientific basis?
As far as can be told, the 'solar mirror' phenomenon is a) normal within stars in this fictional universe and b) a purely fictional construct of the author.
There are literally pages of borderline ...
- 702k
16
votes
Why were wayfinder directions written on a dagger?
The artifact wasn't random.
The shape of the blade's edge matched the shape of the second Death Star's wreckage from a certain point of view. The crossguard had a piece that pulled out to point to the ...
- 5,484
16
votes
Was there ever a "flu season" in the Flintstones original TV show or in subsequent works?
The 'Bedrock Bug' (basically a flu-like illness that lasts for 24 hours) made an appearance in the Xmas special, A Flintstone Christmas Carol (1994).
Captain Caveman ...
- 702k
15
votes
Accepted
Has a hard SciFi story addressed launching from Venus and its high-density atmosphere, especially after 1967?
Becalmed in Hell by Larry Niven addresses this.
The ship uses a nuclear ramjet/chemical rocket propulsion system, and the fuel is kept in a "blimp tank".
Our ship hung below the Earth-to-...
- 52.1k
15
votes
Accepted
What was the explanation for the existence of the Klingon sleeper ship in the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” episode “The Emissary?”
We don't know and, apparently, no-one does not even K'Ehleyr.
As it says in a discussion between Worf and K'Ehleyr:
WORF: According to the library computer, the captain of the T'Ong is K'Temoc. But ...
- 24.3k
14
votes
Accepted
Why is Ocarina of Time the splitting off point for the Zelda timeline?
The Split Timeline concept is one that has existed since 2002. Eiji Aonuma first mentioned in an interview that Ocarina of Time had two endings, one where Link returned to his childhood (the one we ...
- 20.3k
14
votes
Accepted
What is the status of the Infinity Stones post Avengers: Endgame?
NOTE: this answer is totally wrong! The Russo brothers have confirmed that alternate realities are created without removing Infinity Stones from the timeline.
It just means that there's now an ...
- 32.4k
14
votes
Accepted
What happened after the first video conference between Jason and Sarris?
Per the show script, Mathasar's crew fired on Sarris' ship, damaging it and causing Sarris personal injury. We can reasonably assume it took some time to recover from this.
But he is interrupted by ...
- 702k
13
votes
Accepted
Why did Imhotep think Evie was Anck-Su-Namun reincarnated?
Imhotep doesn't believe Evie to be the reincarnation of Anck-Su-Namun. In fact, Imhotep raised the mummy of Anck-Su-Namun using the Book of the Dead while Evie was still alive, so it's impossible for ...
- 4,186
13
votes
Accepted
Why did Poe leave his jacket?
To answer the question "Why did Poe leave his jacket?", I always assumed he didn't leave it purposely, he tells Finn he was thrown from the crash and when he woke up later, the ship and Finn were gone....
- 1,972
13
votes
Accepted
What did the old woman say in "73 Yards"?
According to Russell T Davies, the writer and showrunner:
You will never know. I’m never gonna tell you what she says. It’s kind of up to you to sit there and think, 'well, what could someone say ...
- 10.9k
12
votes
Accepted
How exactly did the Millennium Falcon transition from attack speed to a complete stop in “The Empire Strikes Back?”
There's an oblique reference to this in Zahn's Heir To The Empire:
Luke clenched his teeth. This was going to be dangerous but he'd run
out of choices. And he had heard stories of this working ...
- 12k
11
votes
Accepted
When was the Illudium Q-36 Space Modulator first depicted?
The first reference to the Modulator
The first reference to the Q-36, which is referred to as the "Uranium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulator", because Looney Tunes is nothing without its ...
- 164k
11
votes
Why didn't Newt Scamander just release the Thunderbird the moment he arrived in New York City?
Because that wasn't the real reason he came to New York.
This is a somewhat popular fan theory which I feel was best explained by John Granger of Hogwartsprofessor.com over here.
Basically the ...
- 95.3k
10
votes
Why didn't Newt Scamander just release the Thunderbird the moment he arrived in New York City?
Newt Scamander cares about Frank and indeed all of the creatures he works with. As you said, his sole purpose was to take Frank to Arizona.
So he aimed to take Frank all the way there. As happens in ...
- 13k
10
votes
Accepted
Did the Obliviate-in-the-rain spell with the Thunderbird at the end of Fantastic Beasts affect those who were indoors?
Yes, it apparently affected them through the water supply.
We see someone in the bathtub be affected by the Swooping Evil venom. Their face goes blank in a way that implies the venom took effect. We ...
- 106k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible