Questions tagged [inspiration]
Use this tag for questions about the inspiration behind ideas (names, characters, objects, titles, etc.) in science fiction or fantasy works.
4
votes
1answer
80 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
307 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
133 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
votes
1answer
188 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.
0
votes
0answers
104 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 ...
7
votes
0answers
41 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
303 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
318 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 ...
5
votes
1answer
456 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
169 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
50 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 ...
18
votes
3answers
635 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
votes
0answers
136 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
158 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
103 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
votes
0answers
246 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
votes
0answers
87 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
221 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
203 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
520 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 ...
30
votes
5answers
8k 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 ...
-6
votes
1answer
221 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
votes
3answers
13k 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 ...
-4
votes
2answers
188 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
97 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
votes
0answers
116 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
votes
0answers
100 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
votes
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
votes
2answers
825 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.
31
votes
3answers
5k 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
1k 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 ...
5
votes
1answer
393 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:...
13
votes
2answers
493 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 ...
-3
votes
1answer
525 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
617 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 ...
5
votes
1answer
490 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
votes
1answer
266 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
262 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?
7
votes
1answer
832 views
What existing songs, if any, was the soundtrack of “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” based on?
The soundtrack to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt featured songs composed by Mikolai Stroinski, Marcin Przybyłowicz, Piotr Musiał, and the band Percival Schuttenbach (which takes its name from the character ...
3
votes
1answer
231 views
Was Legend inspired by North and South Korea?
In the Legend series by Marie Lu, there are two countries side-by-side in what used to be the U.S.
One is a hereditary military dictatorship that controls every aspect of its citizens' lives. The ...
39
votes
2answers
1k views
Is the Klingon Bird of Prey a Canada Goose?
While partly written to celebrate the 150th Birthday of Canada today, what follows is a serious question nonetheless.
The Klingon Bird of Prey is one of the iconic ships of Star Trek. In-universe, ...
4
votes
1answer
626 views
Which characters in Harry Potter are based on real people?
Which characters did J. K. Rowling base on real world people?
I'm interested only in cases where Rowling herself has said (or at least suggested) the character is based on a real world person. ...
1
vote
1answer
121 views
Has any science fiction been written that's set in the TRAPPIST-1 system?
I have an idea about a story set in the TRAPPIST-1 system. In particular, the main topic is about the three planets in the habitable zone. Now, I am not a writer, but I think I would really like to ...
8
votes
1answer
226 views
Is there evidence to suggest that Rogue One's Chirrut and Baze is a reference to the Hidden Fortress characters Tahei and Matashichi?
We know that George Lucas borrowed from A Hidden Fortress for his original Star Wars movie.
In particular we read:
The Hidden Fortress opens with two bickering peasants, Tahei and Matashichi, ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
What inspired Supernatural's 'The Colt' and Wynonna Earp's 'Peacemaker'? [closed]
In Reverse Chronological Order:
In Syfy's Wynonna Earp, the main character wields a demon-killing Colt Buntline Special dubbed 'Peacemaker'. 1
In CW's Supernatural, the main characters and assorted ...
4
votes
0answers
1k views
Was Governor Pryce's character inspired by Colonel Spalko?
Is there any official confirmation that the character of Arihnda Pryce, the governor of Lothal in Star Wars Rebels was inspired by the character of the KGB Colonel Doctor Irina Spalko in Indiana Jones ...
26
votes
1answer
1k views
Has GRRM ever confirmed that he named some ASOIAF characters after the Muppets?
In The World of Ice and Fire, we are introduced to few historical Tully characters, which are:
Lord Kermit Tully
Lord Elmo Tully
Lord Grover Tully
To those who may not be familiar with the Muppets, ...
