Questions tagged [inspiration]
Use this tag for questions about the inspiration behind ideas (names, characters, objects, titles, etc.) in science fiction or fantasy works.
189
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Why is her name Michael in Star Trek Discovery?
Star Trek: Discovery's lead female role was announced under the pseudonym "Commander Rainsford" but somehow that was changed. Why is her name Michael?
I see several explanations online, what was the ...
0
votes
1answer
542 views
Who inspired the Star Trek character Q?
What inspired the god-like being Q introduced in Star Trek:The Next Generation Encounter at Farpoint? Where did the show's creators get the name and inspiration for Q's character?
68
votes
1answer
7k views
Who inspired the character Geordi La Forge?
Fictional characters often are named and inspired by real people, for example Sonequa Martin-Green's character Michael Burnham is named after her biological father. Where did the Star Trek creators ...
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votes
0answers
180 views
It there a connection between Star Trek's Mycelial Network concept and real-world String Theory?
This Mycelial Network idea came into being, connecting the sciences of large fungal networks to astrophysics somehow. I would like to know if cosmic strings - the mathematical products of several ...
3
votes
0answers
60 views
Do the hypnotic moths in these works share a common origin?
In The Worst Witch TV series (2017), there's a creature called a hypnapillon. It's a moth, described as feeding off of people's "minds, fears, imagination," and it hypnotizes its prey with patterns on ...
4
votes
1answer
203 views
Were Hecate and Miss Cackle's personalities based on the books?
In the most recent iteration of the TV show The Worst Witch, two of the teachers are Hecate Hardbroom and the headmistress, Miss Ada Cackle. I couldn't help but notice that their personalities seemed ...
5
votes
1answer
264 views
What is the meaning of this drawing of a combine soldier holding a baby next to the word 'Caste' in Half Life 2?
I used to play the Half Life games a few years ago, and among the many screenshots I had taken, here is the most questionable one:
What is this picture about?
-4
votes
1answer
96 views
Meaning behind DC Raven's “Rachael Roth” name?
If you swap letters "CH" and "TH" and remove the "a" from "Rachael Roth" you get the words "Rathel Roch" which according to wikitionary "Rathel" has two meanings it's related to "raddle" which is ...
3
votes
1answer
312 views
Is there an intended relation between Baal and R'hllor?
In Essos, we see many worshipers of the Lord of Light, also known as R'hllor.
In Israel, time of Ahab, we see many worshipers of Baal, the personification of the sun.
I'm wondering. Baal worshipers ...
4
votes
1answer
101 views
What historical event was “A Grand Tour” in the Honorverse based on?
In the anthology More Than Honor (An anthology in the Honorverse, edited by David Weber), there is an author's note following A Grand Tour (By David Drake) claiming that the events are based on ...
4
votes
2answers
367 views
Are Hogwarts houses based on real life UK? [duplicate]
It’s been referred several times that Rowling modelled Hogwarts after standard UK structure for schools, which makes sense given she attended those.
Stuff like OWLS and NEWTs are modelled around ...
3
votes
1answer
153 views
Is Zam Wesell inspired by early Ralp McQuarrie Concept Art of Han Solo & Starkiller Hero?
I was recently looking at some early McQuarrie concept art (and my 30th anniversary action figures based on them) commissioned for George Lucas' second draft, which would eventually become A New Hope.
...
4
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1answer
223 views
Is the way wizard duel in Harry Potter based on fencing?
As in how they (like fencing) put their wand up to their face before they duel and how they have their stance.
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vote
0answers
140 views
Did Douglas Adams get the idea of communication/alien dolphins from “Stationary Orbit” by Peter Macey?
Inspired by this question/answer.
Given that the novel by Macey was written four years prior to the first broadcast of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and subsequent novelization, is there any ...
9
votes
0answers
64 views
Is Lord Grant based on an actual Jazz musician?
In Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series, Peter, the main character, has a father (Lord Grant) who was repeatedly almost famous. There are enough hints and descriptions of the various events, that ...
7
votes
3answers
380 views
Where did the idea of using bottle caps as money come from?
Being a fan of both the DuckTales and the Fallout series, I have only recently noticed that in the former there was an episode The Land of Trala La where the main characters introduce a concept of ...
9
votes
1answer
366 views
Where did the Prime Directive come from?
The Prime Directive is the main principle that Starfleet/the Federation follows, barring them from interfering with the development of another less developed civilization. The question I am asking is ...
6
votes
1answer
749 views
Was Edna Mode's “No Capes!” rule inspired by Dollar Bill?
In The Incredibles, Edna Marie "E" Mode" famously voices her opinion on capes.
These examples are hardly the first cases of what TV Tropes calls a "cape snag". (...
2
votes
1answer
187 views
What is the significance of the Red Lotus?
The theme of a Red Lotus seems to show up in various fantasy works. For instance:
In Ice Fantasy, where the Red Lotus seems to a magical flower of great power.
In The Legend of Korra, where it is an ...
2
votes
0answers
51 views
Does this “collecting royal souls” plotline have a common origin?
A few works seem to share a rather specific plotline, regarding the collection of the souls of various royal bloodlines.
For instance, in The Bone Witch and its sequels, by Rin Chupeco, part of the ...
19
votes
3answers
674 views
Are there any clear predecessors to the idea from Harry Potter of wands with special cores?
It now seems like a common idea, perhaps one with a long reaching tradition. But my Google results seem to be solely dominated by Harry Potter references. I've found references to wands with different ...
41
votes
3answers
8k views
Were any Star Wars aliens based on national stereotypes?
Many reviews and scholars have suggested that George Lucas seems to have based certain species in Star Wars human ethnicities, and particularly on stereotypes thereof. For instance, the Toydarians (...
7
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0answers
152 views
Did Iain Banks ever acknowledge Hermann Hesse as an inspiration?
To an outside observer it seems that the game of Azad, from the empire of the same name featured heavily in The Player of Games, bears strong similarities to the Glass Bead Game from Hesse's 1943 ...
2
votes
1answer
243 views
Does Captain Ronald Tracey resemble a particular figure from U.S. history? [closed]
In the Star Trek episode "TOS: Whom Gods Destroy" (1969), I consider the character Garth a George Washington figure (whether consciously intended or not). He was a great military leader; also, his "...
1
vote
1answer
107 views
The traitor Bamu Cormorant - historical inspiration for the “favorite method”?
In The Traitor Bamu Cormorant a significant development near the end happens when
Has there been an historical analog to this?
3
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0answers
267 views
Was the Monks storyline a Brexit metaphor?
TV Tropes claims that the Monks storyline on Doctor Who (seen in "The Pyramid at the End of the World," etc.) is an allegory for Brexit:
...the actual Who Brexit allegory story (the Monks trilogy) ...
3
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0answers
99 views
Inspiration for Ulysses 31?
What surprised me most about Ulysses 31 was its use of Greek mythology in a futuristic setting. For example, the protagonists encountered Zeus (amongst other mythological characters):
What inspired ...
6
votes
1answer
315 views
Did Robert Heinlein write about his real-life cats?
Robert Heinlein must have known and loved many cats. Pete, in The Door into Summer is a fully realized character, and Pixel in two of the Lazarus Long books is also memorable.
The title of The Door ...
1
vote
1answer
215 views
Do Aes Sedai wear tallitot?
The tallit is a Jewish garb, which has a lot of resemblance to the Aes Sedai shawl:
It's a shawl
It's got fringes
The fringes are (or at least were) dyed blue
However, I couldn't find any reference ...
11
votes
2answers
628 views
Identifying a story similar to Black Mirror “Christmas Special” episode
I'm trying to identify a short story on which the Black Mirror episode "White Christmas" might have been based. Or at least is very similar.
In the story, the protagonist was regularly visiting a ...
32
votes
5answers
9k views
Are there any real-life parallels to the Night's Watch and their fall from prestige? [closed]
In A Song of Ice and Fire (and also in the series Game of Thrones), the Night's Watch is a peculiar institution: Regardless of its actual usefulness, it serves a supposedly "vital" function which was ...
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votes
1answer
292 views
Is Ender's game inspired by 1984?
I read Ender's Game recently and found that Ender reminded me of Winston in 1984. I was wondering if this was a coincidence or not.
73
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3answers
15k views
Was the mythology in “Moana” based on an established myth?
I just recently finished watching the film Moana. The plot includes the Realm of Monsters, complete with upside down giant crabs, a shape-shifting demigod with a magical hook, a giant lava monster, a ...
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votes
2answers
205 views
What was one of the inspiration sources of Harry Potter? [closed]
I wanted to know this because I was curious what triggered J.K. Rowling to write this.
6
votes
1answer
116 views
Is the Fuaran based on a real-world legend?
Sergei Lukyanenko's Night Watch series already has some links to real-world mythology via the character of Gesar, and possibly also Zabulon. This made me wonder about the in-universe legend of the ...
2
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0answers
123 views
What influenced the novel 'Definitely Maybe' by the Strugatsky's?
For those who have read Definitely Maybe by the Strugatsky brothers or know a bit about 1970's Russia, the Brezhnev Era or how the Mikhail Kheifets case with Boris Strugatsky testifying as a witness:
...
2
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0answers
110 views
Where does this rhyme about Quatermass come from?
I found this rhyme about Quatermass II. I'm trying to find out who wrote it and whether there's an expanded version somewhere. Does the rhyme have a real-world origin?
There was a man from outer ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Are there any specific examples in Lord of the Rings that are influenced by WWII?
I know that Tolkien is greatly influenced by folklore of many cultures and WWI directly. However, I wonder if there are any specific examples that show influence from WWII?
The best conjecture so far ...
2
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0answers
58 views
Origin of a custom of deceased attending their own wakes?
In the first book of the Amra Thetys series a charming local custom is described in which the deceased attends his own funeral banquet:
I was a little late. They’d already had the ceremonial meal ...
7
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2answers
1k views
How influential was Dune in the creation of Star Wars? [closed]
There are claims that Dune has been influential in, and an inspiration for the writing and creation of Star Wars.
In what ways is that evidenced? Please give examples.
32
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3answers
6k views
Was Daenerys Targaryen based on Cleopatra?
Was Daenerys Targaryen based on Cleopatra Philopator, queen of ancient Egypt?
They have many commonalities.
Royal Birth
Both women were born into royal families.
Cleopatra the VII was born into ...
7
votes
1answer
4k views
Is the monster Godzilla based on an old myth/legend?
In the 1998 Roland Emmerich-directed film Godzilla,* a Japanese sailor who survived an attack by the monster early in the film identifies the creature as "Gojira."
Later in the film, news reporter ...
8
votes
2answers
695 views
Is there any evidence that this Yoda quote was inspired by Romans 5:3-4?
Yoda famously said that "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
This seems to fit just a little too well with Romans 5:3-4, as rendered in some translations of the Bible:...
14
votes
2answers
572 views
Was Tolkien explicitly referencing C.S. Forester's “Captain Hornblower”?
In The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien named a couple of Hobbit families (Hornblower and Bracegirdle) with names that also appear in the Hornblower novels by C.S. Forester.
Horatio Hornblower is ...
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votes
1answer
587 views
Is Cersei's pregnancy realistic (age wise)? [closed]
In episode 5 of season 7, Cersei tells Jaime that she's pregnant. Some have pointed out that this does not seem to fit Maggy the Frog's prophecy, but there is another issue.
In the same season, ...
3
votes
1answer
865 views
What are the inspirations for “The Expanse” novels?
The Expanse novels are set in multiple locations and tell of different situations; many of them have a vague familiar feel, like in example
the whole Miller neo-noir subplot and Ceres has points of ...
6
votes
1answer
631 views
Has Brent Weeks talked about copying from the Wheel of Time series in the Night Angel Trilogy?
I have just finished reading the Night Angel Trilogy and while it is a fun read I couldn't help but feel large parts of the world were copied from the Wheel of Time series.
Female "Casters" are ...
11
votes
1answer
2k views
Are Grey Wardens from “Dragon Age” inspired by Night's Watch from “A Song of Ice and Fire”?
Does anyone know if BioWare used the Night's Watch as an inspiration for their Grey Wardens?
Duncan could be Benjen Stark and the Human story could be right out of A Song of Ice and Fire.
In ...
5
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1answer
294 views
How much is W40K inspired from the Incal series?
I discovered Warhammer 40K quite late, and something struck me:
There is a french comic called the Incal, set in a Sci-Fi world led by a "perfect imperoratriz", a supposedly perfect androgynous ...
8
votes
1answer
299 views
Which Valérian and Laureline stories is Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets based on?
There are some 29 short stories and albums in the Valérian and Laureline series. Which does the film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets take elements from?
