Science Fiction Trivia

[Disembodied]

OK, I'll allow Stargate - although the Goa'uld don't mess with terrestrial humanity's evolution as such, they do alter human biology to create the Jaffa offworld. Plus, there's the whole humanity-as-offshoot-of-the-Ancients thing too. So it's over to spud42 (without the whole enchilada prize for five print-based sources, though).

Other possibilities could have included: Larry Niven, Protector - humanity as evolved Pak breeders; or - still in Niven's Known Space - most biological life in the galaxy (including the Pak) having evolved from Slaver food yeasts; or H. P. Lovecraft's Elder Things, from At the Mountains of Madness, who (according to the Necronomicon, anyway) created all organic life on Earth "as a jest or a mistake"; or David Weber's Empire from the Ashes series, where we're all descended from the survivors of a mutiny aboard a moon-sized starship (guess where it is?) …

[Cody]

<chortles> Empire From the Ashes - damn, should've thought of that one! For anyone interested, it's free to read here.

[Commander_X]

Two more movie suggestions to Big D's list:

Prometheus (2012) *
Jupiter Ascending (2015)

*Prometheus would drag the whole Alien(s) (and as it has been connected later -- Predator) series into the mix.

[Disembodied]

On the TV side there could also be Battlestar Galactica - it's pretty much the whole premise of the show; Star Trek, from the TNG episode "The Chase", where all humanoid life is descended from a single species; and (I think) Babylon 5 featured Vorlon and possibly Shadow diddling with our ancestors, too. It would need research to confirm but I wonder if this trope is more common to film and TV than to written fiction … perhaps in part because it helps explain why all the aliens look like humans.

[Cody]

I wonder if this trope is more common to film and TV than to written fiction … perhaps in part because it helps explain why all the aliens look like humans.

<nods> Almost certainly - and it's annoying! A few bony skull ridges, funny eyes or ears - aliens!

[spud42]

i did contemplate Prometheus, and even wrote it down but decided it was a little vague... i mean an Engineer drinks something and dies. his DNA gets into the water supply and eventually humans have a genetic memory of a star system which we trace to Prometheus...... unless i totally missed something in the begining of the movie...

OK, we have predominantly used books , and a little TV/Movie scifi. rarely Sci Fi games.

I Have in my hands a computer game box. this game has "Professor Zorg's starmap trivia quiz" as its anti piracy mechanism.

this should be easy... name the game.

[spud42]

<chortles> Empire From the Ashes - damn, should've thought of that one! For anyone interested, it's free to read here.

thought i recognised that author , i have read the Honor Harrington series .

[DredgerMan]

That'd be Star Control 2, my first VGA graphics space game!

[spud42]

DredgerMan wins a cigar smoking coconut...

my boxed copy has a whopping four 3 1/2" floppy disks.

Supports IBM AT + 100% compatibles
VGA,MCGA
Requires 640K ,Hard drive
Recommends 20MHz 386
optional joystick

would try to get it going in a VM but i dont have any way to read the disks...lol

[Cody]

i have read the Honor Harrington series

Good stuff, is that - Hornblower in space!

[DredgerMan]

Cheers, spud.

OK, since it is the month of St. Nicholas and linked with that were presents with little poems and rhyme with sometimes cryptic clues to what the presents were, here's the following.

It is the right tiMe
for a nonSensical rhyme,
the solUtioN, i am sure
will fOrever endure.
Modern it is not, and will not be for ever more.
Enjoy this riddle, and may thee find thine lore.

Key: Amsterdam and Reykjavík (amongst others).

MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Norby]

That'd be Star Control 2

would try to get it going in a VM

Cool game, the melee mode was oftenly used in my University dorm in nineties. Then a few years ago I played through the nice single player story in the PC version named to Ur-Quan Masters, so no need to use a VM.
A HD remake is also built but the gameplay is different. Available in android version too.

[DredgerMan]

The key is the key,
and if that doesn't pleasure thee,
one may find a link so strong
in this rather un-christmassy song.

[Cody]

<scratches head - grins> Star Gazer.

Levity aside, something else is needed - book, TV, film?

[DredgerMan]

If one needs another sound
Latin letters are abound
You may not have this in your home,
But it most definitely is a tome