Science Fiction Trivia

[RockDoctor]

It's not explicitly infinite, although the possibility is implied: Rick Sanchez's microverse battery in the Rick & Morty episode "The Ricks Must Be Crazy".

Yes, I remember that episode. It's nicely regressive, but had only gone to 3 or 4 cycles IIRC. And there would be a significant setup time for each new recursion, for them to get fed up of cranking cranks or fitbitting fitbits or whatever the new level was set up to do, and to develop their own microverse battery technology. There's got to be some sort of time dilation there too, or else Rick is a lot older than he looks. But sorry, it only goes to a few cycles, so I'm afraid not.

[Disembodied]

Fair enough … how about this couch gag from the opening credits of The Simpsons? I would argue it's science fiction - there are aliens and a flying saucer - and although we only go through one cycle (the show has to start sometime) it's obviously a recursive infinite loop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycvlJ9XMd94

[RockDoctor]

Fair enough … how about this couch gag from the opening credits of The Simpsons? I would argue it's science fiction - there are aliens and a flying saucer - and although we only go through one cycle (the show has to start sometime) it's obviously a recursive infinite loop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycvlJ9XMd94

It's a nice one - have an MBP to go with your lunch - but it is essentially the same "solar system to atoms" linkage that we saw with the Men In Black plot line.

[spud42]

entropy has beaten regression.
we are witnessing the heat death of the trivia thread...... RIP

[Old Murgh]

entropy has beaten regression.
we are witnessing the heat death of the trivia thread...... RIP

The question was just too difficult. The holding quizmaster was never satisfied.

[spud42]

true plus hes AWOL.

[ffutures]

Anyone feel like setting another? Can't say I'm really feeling inspired right now...

[Old Murgh]

I suppose I could try one. Maybe more in the format of the thread's early days, just one brief clue, hopefully not too easy or impossible.. (though I can't shake the feeling that it has probably come up among the previous 432 pages)

Our protagonist finds himself aboard a ship embodied by Finnish grit.

Title and author, please.

[Old Murgh]

Since the Q evidently wasn't too easy, I'll expand the hint with diminished bragging rights and points awarded:

Having escaped a life of slavery, our protagonist finds himself in a free-trader community aboard a generation ship embodied by Finnish grit.

[Cholmondely]

Since the Q evidently wasn't too easy, I'll expand the hint with diminished bragging rights and points awarded:

Having escaped a life of slavery, our protagonist finds himself in a free-trader community aboard a generation ship embodied by Finnish grit.

No idea.

Crucial question: was there a Real Tennis court on board. And if not, why not?

[Old Murgh]

Crucial question: was there a Real Tennis court on board. And if not, why not?

Not as I recall, (though many years since I read it). Life on this generation ship was all hard work, no play. A tight knit clan community of (apparently) Finnish ancestry devoted to observing family traditions and interplanetary trade. Finns don't play (real) tennis, see. Zero-G hockey would make more sense.

[Cholmondely]

Crucial question: was there a Real Tennis court on board. And if not, why not?

Not as I recall, (though many years since I read it). Life on this generation ship was all hard work, no play. A tight knit clan community of (apparently) Finnish ancestry devoted to observing family traditions and interplanetary trade. Finns don't play (real) tennis, see. Zero-G hockey would make more sense.

Congratulations! First answer in over a month! You are now officially awarded the poisoned chalice!

[Old Murgh]

Congratulations! First answer in over a month! You are now officially awarded the poisoned chalice!

I welcome this award. A small sacrifice to keep the trivialities alive.

[spud42]

despite the possibility of the Poisoned Chalice being thrust into my possession i shall hazard a guess ,

Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert A Heinlein

if correct i should kick my self for having to resort to a little googling on this one, i recently ( within the past 18 months) have reread all of RAH's works. I hade to cross reference my Ebooks to see the starship SISU (Finnish grit,determination)

[Old Murgh]

despite the possibility of the Poisoned Chalice being thrust into my possession i shall hazard a guess ,

Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert A Heinlein

if correct i should kick my self for having to resort to a little googling on this one, i recently ( within the past 18 months) have reread all of RAH's works. I hade to cross reference my Ebooks to see the starship SISU (Finnish grit,determination)

Better than getting kicked your entire childhood while told to get yourself some damn sisu. Thankfully the members of this board seem to be spared from this conditioning to know the answer instantly. I thought there might be one or two among you.

You are completely correct and the coveted chalice is again yours.