Science Fiction Trivia

[Cholmondely]

OK... Well spotted. It is indeed With the Night Mail, which was one of two stories set in a 21st century airship utopia by Kipling. As it happens the first release of my Forgotten Futures RPG was based on them, so I have both on my web site in a rather nice illustrated PDF version:

http://www.forgottenfutures.com/game/ff1/nm-abc.pdf

Have a point for finding the stories, but the actual COMPANY is the Standard Dig. Co. of Millwall and Buenos Ayres - Dig. is short for dirigible. The first story was published as an excerpt from a 21st century magazine with other articles, ads, ec., including two for Standard Dig Co., so no bonus point ;-(



The "A.B.C." mentioned in the bit you quoted was the nearest thing these stories have to a global government - the Aerial Board of Control, whose job is to make sure that the airships run on time and only occasionally finds it necessary to stage 200-airship raids on American cities...

Just to say - thank you for this! The stories are most enjoyable - and the illustrations and advertisements really add to the experience!

[ffutures]

OK, more clues. This time a little more about the sources:

2: Founded by an American anthropologist, this company is a global leader in robotics but unfortunately not always good at keeping them under control, with catastrophic consequences when a government defense initiative goes wrong. The company name is an anagram of another, much better known, from the same fictional universe. The founder of the company has a first name more often seen as a surname. Originated in comics, also at least one film.

3: Possibly the world's unluckiest airline, this company has suffered numerous crashes and disasters including several with SF-related causes, and has appeared in Futurama although that is not its original source. Owes some of its history to re-use of stock footage. TV and film from 1997 to the present day, their most famous flight was seen in the first episode of a TV series that ran for several years, and in numerous flashbacks later in the series.

5: A paper company that's actually the cover for an intelligence organization, whose premier agent must eventually work against their agenda to protect his family. Has a back story complicated by repeated use of time travel and precognition. multi-season TV series, followed by comics and a TV mini-series set several years later.

[Disembodied]

5: A paper company that's actually the cover for an intelligence organization, whose premier agent must eventually work against their agenda to protect his family.

I think this is probably Primatech Paper Co., from the TV series Heroes. Based in Odessa, Texas, it's actually the front for The Company, an organisation that tracks and monitors superheroes.

Ahem …

[ffutures]

5: A paper company that's actually the cover for an intelligence organization, whose premier agent must eventually work against their agenda to protect his family.

I think this is probably Primatech Paper Co., from the TV series Heroes. Based in Odessa, Texas, it's actually the front for The Company, an organisation that tracks and monitors superheroes.

Ahem …

Sorry, the comments about the ABC story came in and started a new page, and I missed that your reply was there.

Primatech is absolutely right - Have an MBP for knowing the source, function of the company, etc.

Two to go!

OK, more clues.

2: Founded by an American anthropologist, this company is a global leader in robotics but unfortunately not always good at keeping them under control, with catastrophic consequences when a government defense initiative goes wrong. The company name is an anagram of another, much better known, from the same fictional universe. The founder of the company has a first name more often seen as a surname. Originated in comics, also at least one film. To clarify this, the surnames of the company founders are anagrams of each other, and the rest of the company name is the same.

3: Possibly the world's unluckiest airline, this company has suffered numerous crashes and disasters including several with SF-related causes, and has appeared in Futurama although that is not its original source. Owes some of its history to re-use of stock footage. TV and film from 1997 to the present day, their most famous flight was seen in the first episode of a TV series that ran for several years, and in numerous flashbacks later in the series. Their first flight was in an unrelated 1996 technothriller film.

[ffutures]

And even more clues

2: Founded by an American anthropologist, this company is a global leader in robotics but unfortunately not always good at keeping them under control, with catastrophic consequences when a government defense initiative goes wrong. The company name is an anagram of another, much better known, from the same fictional universe. The founder of the company has a first name more often seen as a surname. Originated in comics, also at least one film. To clarify this, the surnames of the company founders are anagrams of each other, and the rest of the company name is the same. The film version of this story involves time travel, apocalyptic genocide, and non-metallic robots.

3: Possibly the world's unluckiest airline, this company has suffered numerous crashes and disasters including several with SF-related causes, and has appeared in Futurama although that is not its original source. Owes some of its history to re-use of stock footage. TV and film from 1997 to the present day, their most famous flight was seen in the first episode of a TV series that ran for several years, and in numerous flashbacks later in the series. Their first flight was in an unrelated 1996 technothriller film involving an attempt to board an airliner in flight. Plots involving this airline in its many incarnations have included hijacking, bioterrorism, and numerous crashes. It's alleged that there is an earlier appearance of this airline in episodes of Flipper (1965) but I haven't been able to verify it.

[spud42]

#3: Oceanic Airlines
1996 film Executive Decision and the TV reference is that it was the name of the airline that crashed in LOST ...

[ffutures]

#3: Oceanic Airlines
1996 film Executive Decision and the TV reference is that it was the name of the airline that crashed in LOST ...

Abso-fragging luteley. Have a MBP for the correct origin and most famous appearance.

Just no.2 to go. REALLY very surprised nobody has got this one. A final hint: The founder of the more famous company mentioned in the clues has the same surname as a famous (but pseudonymous) crime writer who published gritty thrillers, 28 books in a single series between 1962 and 2008. Under his real name and several other pseudonyms the author also wrote comic novels, SF, and many other genres.

2: Founded by an American anthropologist, this company is a global leader in robotics but unfortunately not always good at keeping them under control, with catastrophic consequences when a government defense initiative goes wrong. The company name is an anagram of another, much better known, from the same fictional universe. The founder of the company has a first name more often seen as a surname. Originated in comics, also at least one film. To clarify this, the surnames of the company founders are anagrams of each other, and the rest of the company name is the same. The film version of this story involves time travel, apocalyptic genocide, and non-metallic robots.

[ffutures]

OK, I think it's time to end this one, since nobody seems to have a clue.

2: Founded by an American anthropologist, this company is a global leader in robotics but unfortunately not always good at keeping them under control, with catastrophic consequences when a government defense initiative goes wrong.

This is TRASK INDUSTRIES, a company in the Marvel universe most notable for developing the Sentinels, giant robots programmed to seek out and destroy mutants. It was founded by BOLIVAR TRASK, an anthropologist, who saw mutants as a threat.

Going through the additional clues I gave:
The company name is an anagram of another, much better known, from the same fictional universe.
To clarify this, the surnames of the company founders are anagrams of each other, and the rest of the company name is the same.
Trask is, of course, an anagram of STARK, and Stark Industries is the more famous company.
The founder of the company has a first name more often seen as a surname.
e.g. Simon Bolivar, a famous Venezuelan leader
Originated in comics, also at least one film.
The film version of this story involves time travel, apocalyptic genocide, and non-metallic robots.
Primarily X-Men comics, and the film X-Men, Days of Futures Past
The founder of the more famous company mentioned in the clues has the same surname as a famous (but pseudonymous) crime writer who published gritty thrillers, 28 books in a single series between 1962 and 2008. Under his real name and several other pseudonyms the author also wrote comic novels, SF, and many other genres.
Richard Stark, one of the pseudonyms of crime and SF writer Donald E. Westlake

OK, so the last correct answer was given by Spud42, who inherits the question master's chair. Your turn to tear your hair out at everyone's obtuseness!

[Cholmondely]

OK, I think it's time to end this one, since nobody seems to have a clue.

...

OK, so the last correct answer was given by Spud42, who inherits the question master's chair. Your turn to tear your hair out at everyone's obtuseness!

Who says we didn't know? Maybe it's just desperate avoidance of the cankerous chalice of contaminating choice!

[spud42]

and here i was thinking it was safe to get the 4th answer... DOH!!

ok ths shoulkd be easy for you lot... what are these.. hint they are all on a single theme anchored by the 5th answer. what are the first 4 objects and there reference.

1. big green and versatile
2. has a birds name
3. this colourful vehicle has a 3 letter acronym
4. this on is an organisation not in the light
5. and the thing that ties them all together.......

[ffutures]

Would no.3 be SPV?

[Cmdr James]

4 must be shado (I believe without the w)

[RockDoctor]

and here i was thinking it was safe to get the 4th answer... DOH!!

Quickly diving for the 3rd answer then,

5. and the thing that ties them all together.......

"Ash nazg" (something unpronouncable) "and in the darkness bind them" - being the One Ring ?

[Disembodied]

So "Big, green and versatile" is probably Thunderbird 2?

[spud42]

ffutures is correct on #3
Cmdr James is correct on #4
Disembodied is correct on #1
RockDoctor sorry well off the mark on that one.

so we have 3/5 correct and there should be enough of a trend to identify the last 2 items #2 and #5