Science Fiction Trivia

[RockDoctor]

Which reminded me of this - not sure if it counts since it's something a character read about rather than actually occurring in the story. From the final episode of the first TV series of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

Ford Prefect : I read of one planet in the seventh dimension got used as a ball in a game of intergalactic bar billiards. Got potted straight into a black hole, killed ten billion people.
Arthur Dent : Madness. Total madness.
Ford Prefect : Yeah. Only scored thirty points too.
Arthur Dent : Where'd you read that?
Ford Prefect : Oh, a book.
Arthur Dent : What book?
Ford Prefect : The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy.
Arthur Dent : Oh. That thing.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1113232/ch ... /nm0228797

Hmmmm. Well, it certainly occurs in SF, if not on stage. But if we were to exclude offstage actions, then Hamlet's father could still be alive. In Brazil with Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern? And most of Agatha Christie's hecatomb of victims who generally die offstage, then events are reconstructed by one or other of her crop of nosy parkers. So that's blue to Disembodied via "H-head" and pink to ffutures for his dystopian picture of humankind's past, present and future.
That's three entries for ffutures - who is obviously keen to sup from the Chalice of Doom.

[ffutures]

Well, since nobody else seems to want to do it... grumble grumble.... bunch of wimps... grumble grumble....

In James Blish's Earthman Come Home (1955), part of the Cities In Flight series which I mentioned in the recent round on big bangs, the spindizzy drive can move anything at FTL speeds; the bigger the object moved, the greater the speed, if you can get enough power and engines.

At one point it's necessary to get the main characters and their city to Earth REALLY fast, to intercept an alien "orbital fort," basically a Death Star, which is about to attack Earth while pretending to be just another flying city. To do this they install spindizzy engines all over the planet they are currently working on, several thousand light years from Earth, switch them on, and spend the next few days catching up with the attacker... and eventually just crash into it, while it's on the far side of their planet from their city, and keep on going, separating from the planet several thousand light years further on and slowing down as it heads off towards Andromeda. Eventually the space police turn up with the mother of all dangerous driving charges, fortunately the hero has a cunning plan...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities_in_Flight

[RockDoctor]

And that's the black, and a three-ball break which rates an MBP.
I'd suggest that, as question-setter, ffutures sits out this round. "Drudge, jury and executioner" probably isn't a good look.

[ffutures]

And that's the black, and a three-ball break which rates an MBP.
I'd suggest that, as question-setter, ffutures sits out this round. "Drudge, jury and executioner" probably isn't a good look.

Happy to. Anyone got a good question?

Later - RockDoctor has suggested something on the subject of hats, which seems good to me.

Let's have five examples of odd hats in SF. The hats should NOT be survival equipment - no space helmets, armour, etc. - but should be something that is always associated with a particular character, race, etc., or that a particular character has worn memorably on at least one occasion. Evidence of this should be provided - e.g. a quote from a book, a picture, etc. For a Meaningless Bonus Point please include a picture of a hat of the appropriate type and someone relevant to the story wearing it - if it's comics, film or TV this should be pretty easy, for books etc. a picture of the type of hat, or something similar, will do.

For example, in a non-SF example all Smurfs wear weird caps, so a picture of a Smurf wearing one would be a good answer and earn an MBP.



As usual no two from the same author / universe / etc. and please give other people a chance to answer rather than posting several answers quickly.

[Nite Owl]

The 11th Doctor and his Fez.

[ffutures]

The 11th Doctor and his Fez.

Fezes are cool! One of the ones I had in mind when I set the question - have a MBP!

Four to go - and no more Doctor Who, Torchwood, Sarah Jane adventures etc., and no more Fezes!

[Cholmondely]

Does this count?

From Sector1/Digebiti - look under "fiction"
Other failed exports include the silk top hat, the tricorn and the pith helmet. Whilst hat-wearing is all the rage on Digebiti itself, and hats are worn by gentlemen of all ranks and none (not to mention the ladies), the particular fashions currently in vogue have proved of little interest to the sartorially inclined in other systems. There was a run on tricorns on some of the lobstoid worlds, but when the House of Lords came to understand that they were being used as knee-protectors, the trade was interdicted in a flurry of disgust and disbelief.

[RockDoctor]

a non-SF example all Smurfs wear weird caps, so a picture of a Smurf wearing one would be a good answer and earn an MBP.

Never having looked closely enough (Smurfette being a multiple-bag experience), I wonder why the Smurfs are wearing Phrygian caps. I suspect some horrendous reason in the distant past.

[Disembodied]

A man walks down the street in that hat? People know he’s not afraid of anything.

Jayne Cobb's cunning hat, from Firefly, which ended up producing real-world consequences.

[ffutures]

a non-SF example all Smurfs wear weird caps, so a picture of a Smurf wearing one would be a good answer and earn an MBP.

Never having looked closely enough (Smurfette being a multiple-bag experience), I wonder why the Smurfs are wearing Phrygian caps. I suspect some horrendous reason in the distant past.

Given it's a symbol used for socialism etc. it probably means that the Smurfs are godless communists preaching free love, the overthrow of the ruling classes (e.g. the wizard Gargamel, his cat Azrael, an ugly witch Hogatha, and Gargamel's godfather Balthazar), etc. etc.

Does this count?

From Sector1/Digebiti - look under "fiction"
Other failed exports include the silk top hat, the tricorn and the pith helmet. Whilst hat-wearing is all the rage on Digebiti itself, and hats are worn by gentlemen of all ranks and none (not to mention the ladies), the particular fashions currently in vogue have proved of little interest to the sartorially inclined in other systems. There was a run on tricorns on some of the lobstoid worlds, but when the House of Lords came to understand that they were being used as knee-protectors, the trade was interdicted in a flurry of disgust and disbelief.

OK, works for me. No MBP though since no pictures of the sartorial majesty involved. Three to go, and no more from Ooolite / Elite / whatever.

A man walks down the street in that hat? People know he’s not afraid of anything.

Jayne Cobb's cunning hat, from Firefly, which ended up producing real-world consequences.

Another good one, again one I was expecting might crop up. Have a MBP. Two to go, and no more from Firefly or other Joss Whedon franchises - but I will accept the Avengers universe if someone has something relevant, since Whedon isn't anything like the sole creator.

[MrFlibble]

- but I will accept the Avengers universe

Avengers... How could I resist?


On a more serious note:

Good old Parker.

[ffutures]

- but I will accept the Avengers universe

Avengers... How could I resist?


On a more serious note:

Good old Parker.

While some of the Avengers episodes were borderline SF, I'm going to have to go with Parker - he meets all the criteria as he's never seen without the hat while on duty, it's moderately distinctive, and the series is definitely SF. You've included a photo so have an MBP. One more to go, and no more Gerry Anderson series.

[ffutures]

Hints:

There is a good TV example from the mid 1980s onward.

There is a good YA novel example, the second of a series, from the mid 2000s

There's a good web novel example from the last decade

There's a good web comic example that is still in progress

[MrFlibble]

Redacted

[Cholmondely]

.....

Delete your post! Quick!

Do you have any idea at all as to what you are letting yourself in for? the Chalice of Doom?