Questions tagged [inspiration]
Use this tag for questions about the inspiration behind ideas (names, characters, objects, titles, etc.) in science fiction or fantasy works. Use [influence] for questions about how SF&F works have influenced other works or culture.
248
questions
0
votes
0
answers
113
views
Black Panther’s connection to the real king Mansa Musa
Is it true black panther was partially inspired by Mansa Musa, king of the Mali Empire? Wikipedia claims that, but did Stan lee and Jack Kirby confirm that or it was just one of the many opinions?
- 261
-4
votes
0
answers
58
views
What inspired the dime novel detective Nick Carter? [migrated]
What inspired the creation of the dime novel detective Nick Carter who was created by John R. Coryell and Ormond G. Smith?
- 261
4
votes
1
answer
89
views
Any real-world inspiration for the countries in the Black Magician series?
Trudi Canavan's Black Magician series, starting with The Magicians' Guild and continuing with the first trilogy and then a prequel novel and sequel trilogy, is set in a purely fantasy world consisting ...
- 133k
-1
votes
1
answer
108
views
Was Emmeline Vance's name inspired by the fantasy author, Jack Vance?
When I read Order of the Phoenix, Emmeline Vance's name stood out to me immediately. I find It unlikely that Rowling ever read Vance, but seeing a witch named "Vance" in a fantasy work tends ...
- 4,607
11
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Was Max Shreck's name inspired by the actor?
According to Batman wiki, Max Shreck is an original character created for the film by Daniel Waters, one of the screenwriters on the film.
The character of Max Shreck shares his name with the actor ...
- 2,481
2
votes
0
answers
90
views
What was the inspiration for the creation of the League of Assassins?
What was the inspiration for Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams in creating the League of Assassins?
- 261
11
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Did Tolkien use Mont Saint-Michel as the inspiration for Minas Tirith
I am aware that Peter Jackson used Mont Saint-Michel as the inspiration of Minas Tirith, within the Return of the King movie.
If there any evidence that Tolkien used the same place as inspiration for ...
- 2,933
1
vote
1
answer
100
views
Origin of T’Challa the Black Panther’s creation and Stan lee and Jack Kirby influences on creation of the character
What was the inspiration behind the creation of T'Challa the Black Panther? what influenced Stan Lee and Jack Kirby when they came up the character?
- 125
1
vote
0
answers
129
views
What was the inspiration for Doc Savage (the Man of Bronze)?
When Lester started writing the pulp hero Doc Savage, he portrayed the character as a genius, doctor, scientist, engineer, martial artist, etc.
Do we know what inspired the character’s concept?
- 125
40
votes
5
answers
8k
views
What story is Shrek's donkey from?
I saw a post on Reddit that implied (without sources) that Donkey was one of the bad boys from pleasure island (Pinocchio), which explained how he can talk.
But I couldn't remember or find online any ...
- 82.2k
1
vote
0
answers
76
views
Did Chester Gould actually confirm that breathless Mahoney was visually based on Veronica lake?
Breathless Mahoney from the Dick Tracy comic strip is said to be modelled after actress Veronica Lake.
Is it true or just people’s assumptions? Has Chester Gould ever confirm that?
- 31
3
votes
0
answers
91
views
What is the inspiration for Rappaccini’s daughter in the same-named novel
What was the inspiration behind Beatrice, the titular character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel Rappacinni's Daughter?
- 31
6
votes
1
answer
86
views
Inspiration for Red Impulse in Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
I've been rewatching Science Ninja Team Gathcaman and my wife, who is Japanese, asked if the character of Red Impulse and his team of formation flying red jets was inspired by or named after the ...
- 10.8k
7
votes
0
answers
113
views
Any acknowledged real-world inspiration for the Centauri - Narn conflict?
One of the major plots of the Babylon 5 series is the conflict between the Centauri (an ancient but declining empire) and the Narn (a rapidly industrialising former Centauri colony), represented on ...
- 133k
14
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Was it confirmed by anybody that an orc was modeled after Harvey Weinstein?
I just stumbled upon the story from 2021 that one orc in The Lord of the Rings from director Peter Jackson was modeled after Harvey Weinstein:
One orc among many in the Lord of the Rings movies was ...
- 15.5k
6
votes
0
answers
88
views
Was "Is this a pigeon?" from The Brave Fighter of Sun Fighbird, inspired by Bambi?
Is what has now become a famous meme, Yutaro Katori, a human android asks:
Is this a pigeon?
When seeing a butterfly, as they're still learning to recognise the difference.
On watching the much ...
- 82.2k
5
votes
1
answer
342
views
What inspired the fascist logo in the Doctor Who serial "Inferno"?
In the Doctor Who story "Inferno," the Third Doctor accidentally transports himself to an alternate universe, in which Britain has evidently been a fascist dictatorship since at least 1943. ...
- 90.9k
1
vote
0
answers
115
views
Was the firing squad scene in Hell Bent inspired by the similar situation in Carnage of Krell?
In the Doctor Who episode, Hell Bent, the Doctor is facing a firing squad, who are made up of those who respect him more than they respect the person giving them orders. In this case it is president ...
- 3,963
7
votes
1
answer
116
views
Cover art on Lafferty's collection Nine Hundred Grandmothers
A three-breasted woman is depicted on the cover, by artists Leo and Diane Dillon, of the 1970 first edition of the R. A. Lafferty collection Nine Hundred Grandmothers. Was this cover inspired by a ...
- 150k
25
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Was Douglas Adams specifically joking about British small talk?
There's this paragraph in the book:
“One of the things Ford Prefect had always found hardest to understand about humans was their habit of continually stating and repeating the very very obvious, as ...
- 409
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Similarities between The Wheel of Time and Tolkien's Legendarium
Did Robert Jordan ever remark on the similarities between The Wheel of Time and Tolkien's Legendarium? Especially names from The Silmarillion (Hurin, Huan &c.) and characters/themes (not names, ...
- 964
5
votes
0
answers
81
views
Was T-Bob inspired by astromech droids or something else?
One of the characters I remember most from M.A.S.K was T-Bob who always reminded me of R2D2.
The page on fandom states that Wikipedia used to have a whole page for the character making the connection,...
- 82.2k
2
votes
0
answers
136
views
Was "Men Without Bones" inspired by the Yara-ma-yha-who myth?
The story Men Without Bones by Gerald Kersh is very old and ends with the memorable line, "We are the Martians -- they are the men!"
According to legend the Yara-ma-yha-who is a:
creature ...
- 11.9k
-4
votes
1
answer
344
views
What is the first work to base Hogwarts uniforms on modern school uniforms?
The text of the first Harry Potter book describe the school uniform as a black robe with a black cloak, a hat, and dragon hide gloves when hand protection is needed, and I think that's pretty cool. ...
- 1,338
2
votes
0
answers
150
views
Was this Stargate SG-1 martial arts training montage inspired by The Karate Kid? [closed]
Was the Stargate SG-1 episode "Affinity" (S8E7) martial arts training montage inspired by The Karate Kid? Just wondering if anyone else was getting a Karate Kid vibe during the scene where ...
20
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Was Batman based on The Count of Monte Cristo?
I was just watching "So you haven't read" for Alexandre Dumas' "Count of Monte Cristo" (a bit ironic since not only have I read it, I did it in two different translations, English ...
- 339k
10
votes
1
answer
620
views
Has Tolkien ever commented on the similarity between the name "Baggins" and the French word for "ring"?
There is some discussion on the origins of the name Baggins in this question. However, it only revolves around whether or not it is related to Bilbo being a thief, and I am interested in something ...
- 5,488
3
votes
1
answer
225
views
Is the character Rigsy a nod to Banksy?
Rigsy was a one-off Doctor Who character who became a two-off when he appeared in both Series 8 "Flatline" and Series 9 "Face the Raven". Originally, he was a graffiti artist doing ...
- 133k
12
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Where did the title of the short story "Allamagoosa" by Eric Frank Russell come from?
The famous (anthologised and adapted for radio) Eric Frank Russell sci-fi short story "Allamagoosa" involves a misunderstood word:
However, the title is a complete, utter mystery to me. Is ...
6
votes
1
answer
196
views
What, if anything, is Eld Vintic Poetry based on?
In the Kingkiller books, Kvothe's friend Simmon studies Eld Vintic poetry.
Here's an excerpt:
Sought we the Scrivani word-work of Surthur
Long-lost in ledger all hope forgotten
Yet fast-found for ...
- 82.2k
1
vote
0
answers
69
views
Are the Black Terror and Knight-Wing based on any pre-existing fictional superheroes?
I just read the short story "The Black Terror Rides Again" by Thaddeus Howze. It's just a few-minutes read and much more interesting if you learn about the characters bit by bit through the ...
- 133k
6
votes
0
answers
196
views
Why is the protagonist of "Shortsighted" named Calvin Hobbes?
In the story "Shortsighted" by Thaddeus Howze, the protagonist's name is revealed to be Calvin Hobbes.
This seems a reference to the well-known cartoon characters Calvin and Hobbes. Was this ...
- 37.3k
3
votes
0
answers
57
views
Viridis and felodon: shared worldbuilding?
A recent question in the "Hal Clement challenge" asked if there was any meaning or significance to the name "felodon", an amphibian carnivore with large fangs that featured in ...
- 55.1k
2
votes
0
answers
74
views
Was Corman's The Day the World Ended cited as inspiration for 10 Cloverfield Lane?
The Corman movie has a man (and his daughter) living in a well-stocked house after a nuclear attack. However, unexpected people show up. In both movies, the "prepper" is ex-navy and Goodman ...
- 11.9k
10
votes
1
answer
212
views
Was Fenoglio based on any real author?
Cornelia Funke's fantasy series beginning with the novel Inkheart features a character named Fenoglio, an old man who wrote a fantasy novel called Inkheart.
Was Fenoglio based on, or inspired by, any ...
- 133k
6
votes
0
answers
109
views
Is "The Unsettling" inspired by "Manos: The Hands of Fate"?
In the TV series The Unsettling, the plot centers around a cult that worships a deity with heavy hand symbolism, in which the members are constantly saying that "the Hands that pull the strings&...
- 114k
30
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Was the name "Thanos" derived from "Thanatos", the name of the Greek god of death?
This is intended to be an out-of-universe question
I recently learned of Thanatos the Greek god of death, and I could not help but notice how similar the name Thanos is to the name Thanatos. This got ...
- 3,199
3
votes
0
answers
3k
views
Does the name of Shub Niggurath contain or reference a racial slur?
I've always thought that the name of the Lovecraft deity Shub Niggurath was intended to sound vaguely Semitic, but I recently noticed that it seems to encode a certain well-known English-language ...
- 19.1k
-1
votes
1
answer
287
views
Where did Saleem Haddad get his idea from for the story, Song of the Birds?
In his short story, Songs of the Birds, Saleem Haddad writes:
"Everything seems so still. You would never think that we are hurtling through the universe at a crazy speed."
"What's ...
- 1,297
9
votes
1
answer
650
views
Was Jean-Luc Picard inspired by Hornblower?
I have found the following in Fandom
The Star Trek characters James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard were originally also supposedly modelled after Hornblower by Gene Roddenberry. Nicholas Meyer, director ...
- 437
6
votes
0
answers
243
views
Is the Orville's Dann inspired by Babylon 5's Narn?
I haven't watched The Orville, but while scrolling through a three-year-old answer I noticed a picture of an alien whom I quickly identified as the character called Dann. The reason why his appearance ...
- 133k
2
votes
1
answer
94
views
Did David Drake imitate Hornblower or Aubrey
Had David Drake said publicly if his Lt Leary series is a deliberate take off of either Hornblower or Jack Aubrey? It seems to have elements of both.
- 2,968
12
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Was the Tumbler Nolan's creation or did something similar already exist?
I've grown up with the Batmobile having the long front and a jet engine in order to be fast. They always slightly changed in design but had the general look I knew from the cartoons:
Then, in Nolan's ...
- 15.5k
8
votes
0
answers
181
views
What was the inspiration for April O'Neils ultimate fate in the original TMNT Mirage comics?
I'm digging into the history of April O'Neil, and I've just found out how her story ends in the original Mirage comics, or if not 'ends' then a major story point for her.
Was this at all inspired by ...
- 82.2k
3
votes
0
answers
212
views
Was Star Wars' Coruscant inpired by Isaac Asimov's Trantor? [duplicate]
They are both the Capitol of their respective Galactic Empire.
Both Star Wars and Foundation trilogy have masters of the mind arts, Jedi and Psycohistorians.
- 944
22
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Did Total Recall inspire the famous red pill/blue pill scene?
In the 1990 film Total Recall, Dr. Edgemar tells Quaid he is suffering from a 'delusion caused by acute neurochemical trauma'; and the first step to wake up from this delusion is to swallow a red ...
- 22.8k
6
votes
2
answers
680
views
Was the Flame and the Void inspired by military techniques used in the Vietnam War?
I was reading recently about the US military assassin Carlos Hathcock, and specifically noticed the following:
Hathcock once said that he survived in his work because of an ability to "get in the ...
- 133k
2
votes
0
answers
198
views
Does Shohobohaum Za character allude to the USSR?
The ambassador Shohobohaum Za in The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks shows the following features.
He is a drunkard and has propensity to brawls – a known stereotype of a Russian.
He dismantles a ...
- 281
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Is there a shared inspiration for the 7 Dwarfs of Snow White and the 7 Dwarves (that received rings of power) from Tolkien's writings?
In The Lord of the Rings Tolkien writes that 7 Dwarves were given rings. I know that Tolkien took a lot of inspiration from different sources including ancient fables and stories, tales of the Pagan ...
- 19.3k
43
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Did Lucille Ball have a creative influence on Star Trek?
There are many articles on the role that Lucille Ball had in saving Star Trek from an early death and how she advocated for the show in its early days. Was her role limited to funding, politics, and ...
- 19.1k