Questions tagged [laws]
Questions relating to in-universe laws of a work.
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UFO Legality piece from 1970s-1980s analog
I am looking for a story that highlights what would happen to UFOS/Aliens if they landed on the planet from a legality standpoint, including the UN and immigration status. I remember reading it from ...
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Are humpback whales granted civil rights?
The events of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home establish that humpback whales are sentient beings with their own language, and that this language is at least in theory learnable by non-whales (e.g. the ...
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Did the ruling in "Measure of a Man" have any effect beyond Data?
In light of later episodes and Picard, I am confused as to whether the effect of the ruling of the hearing in the TNG episode "Measure of a Man" was strictly confined inter partes or if it ...
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Are there any copyright laws within the "Star Trek" universe that prohibit certain things from being replicated without permission?
I haven't seen any information or thoroughly researched this idea or question. I'm not even sure it's an actual problem, but I'm wondering if certain replicated items infringe on copyright laws in ...
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Why did the world of the Republic tolerate the Jedi at all?
This just occurred to me as a shower thought the other day, but why, in Star Wars, do planets of the Republic during the era of the Old Republic even tolerate the Jedi in the first place? The Jedi are ...
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Are joined Trills responsible for the crimes of their predecessors?
I was watching the Star Trek: Deep Space 9 episode, "Dax", wherein a hearing is conducted about whether Jadzia Dax should be extradited for murder and treason committed by Curzon Dax.
I know ...
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Can an individual apply to become a Federation citizen?
It's a plot point in Deep Space Nine that Nog, as a non-Federation citizen, requires a waiver to attend Starfleet Academy. That leads to the question of how one can become a Federation citizen if one ...
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Why is Guinan allowed to have a non-Starfleet issued rifle?
In the Star Trek TNG episode: Night Terrors, we see Guinan using a rifle in order to break up a brawl at Ten Forward:
In a hilarious piece of dialog she immediately admits that this rifle is not ...
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Can a person be released from vows of the Night's Watch on the grounds of being unaware of his true identity? [duplicate]
Consider case of Jon Snow. Let's assume if it turns out that
Could he petition to be released from his vows? If Daenerys finds out (In the eventuality that she makes it to Westeros) could she make ...
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Are Federation citizens and/or Starfleet officers allowed to replace healthy organs with bionics if they choose to?
Throughout Star Trek's run we see common use of medical bionics to replace unhealthy organs: Picard has a artificial heart where his was stabbed by a Nausicaan, Geordie has artificial eyes to ...
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What does Psi Corps say about scanning the minds of people?
What are the laws that the Psi Corps have about a Telepath scanning the minds of people?
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What firearms regulations exist in the Star Wars universe?
Was there any regulation of hand-held blasters, slug-throwers and other weapons?
I know that according to this question Han illegally modified his blaster, so surely there are some regulations on the ...
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Why are the Millennium Falcon and other civilian vessels allowed to have ship-mounted weapons?
First things first, let's just pretend the hyperspace ramming in the Last Jedi didn't happen, because hyperspace ramming means every FTL-capable vessel in the galaxy is a deadly weapon capable of ...
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Are underage wizards also sent to Azkaban?
If an underage wizard breaks the law in a way that requires an imprisonment in Azkaban, will they be sent there even though they're underage/children? If not, who will be arrested instead?
Can the ...
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Is there a general right to bear arms in the Federation?
In the TNG episode "The Most Toys", the Varon-T disruptor is specifically mentioned as being illegal in the Federation because of its particularly cruel method of killing. Singling out a specific ...
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What's the meaning of "your life will be forfeit?"
In The Two Towers film, Faramir is told that if he releases Frodo and Sam, he will "forfeit" his life.
Gondorian Ranger: You know the laws of our country, the laws of your father. If you ...
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What is the penalty for unlawful possession of Romulan Ale in the Federation?
Romulan Ale is illegal in the Federation for decades, but both Kirk and Picard and their senior crews are seemingly able to acquire it without too much difficulty, implying that enforcement of the ban ...
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Does the Star Wars universe have immigration laws?
In Star Wars, we see the main characters more or less traveling freely between various planets. Characters that are wanted by a faction (e.g. the Empire, Confederacy, etc.) do face challenges sneaking ...
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Do Cylons have any concept of law?
The Cylons have left Colonial space and formed their own organized society. Yet, there are several moments when we see one of them killing another. Of course murder can be considered less of a crime ...
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Do Starfleet regulations and general orders apply to non-Starfleet Federation citizens?
While preparing an answer to this question, I started to wonder if Starfleet regulations apply to non-Starfleet Federation citizens.
I am aware that during its 50+ years, the terms "Starfleet" and "...
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Did Captain Janeway commit human rights violations?
In Star Trek: Voyager Season 2 Episode 24, "Tuvix", there was an accident that following an away mission to collect some orchid samples. Only one molecular pattern rematerialized, and formed a healthy ...
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Does a widow retain her married last name after her spouse's death?
I'm reading the books at the moment. I'm around the part where Lysa is ruling the Vale. It says something along the lines of
All the knights were trying to marry her so they could gain power, ...
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Could Batman be arrested for driving an unregistered car without a license?
Batman frequently drives his Batmobile on the public roads of Gotham. Is it unregistered? And does he actually have a license for it that he could show if Commissioner Gordon or another cop decided to ...
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Which bastards in Westeros were automatically legitimized once their parents married?
I was watching a discussion between Elio and Linda, co-authors of The World of Ice and Fire and founders of Westeros.org, on Annullments in Westeros, in light of recent developments in the show.
...
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The law wagon? in Analog?
I recall a story which I believe appeared in Analog back in the 60s, but which I can't find. A police department takes delivery of a new "law wagon", which assists the police by keeping complete ...
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S07E05: Would this person be the rightful heir to the Targaryen throne when born even if Viserys ascended to the throne before their birth?
In S07E05 of Game of Thrones
Since Jon was born after Rhaegar Targaryen and the Mad King were killed, at the time of his birth, Viserys Targaryen was the only surviving son of the king, so Viserys ...
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Are King in the North and Lord of Winterfell two different entities now?
In S07E03, Sansa said
She doesn't say that He's King in the North, which implies that she accepts that Jon is KitN and that's final. But at the same time, she believes that the above mentioned ...
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How did Renly expect Robert to set aside Cersei and take Margaery as queen instead?
We know that Renly wanted Robert to set aside Cersei and take Margaery Tyrell as his Queen instead.
He had this weird idea that Margaery looked like Lyanna and Robert who was still in love with ...
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Similar proposals to the Muggle Protection Act?
In the book Chamber of Secrets there are references to the Muggle Protection Act proposed by Arthur Weasley, aimed to protect the non-magic population against harmful or cursed artifacts made or ...
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Was Hagrid ever put on trial?
Hagrid was accused twice of having one of his creatures (Aragog specifically) attack students at Hogwarts.
The first was during his time as student when Moaning Myrtle was killed. Hagrid ended up ...
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Does the Federation have the equivalent of Miranda rights?
I am watching DS9 for the first time (almost at the end of season 4) and it struck me that whenever a character is arrested, it seems that they are never told their rights and/or what they're being ...
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Who is lord of the Dreadfort?
In the Tv show Sansa is married to the Bolton bastard son (Ramsay) who gets legitimised by a decree of the King. Ramsay then kills his father and "becomes" lord of Dreadfort. That same "bastard" (...
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novel with a controlling gov't, including (minor-ish) scene where food is a controlled substance
It is a minor part of the whole novel, but the thing I remember most clearly is a scene where the protagonists end up in a cafeteria area - there is some exposition about how these cafeterias exist ...
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If “spice” is considered an “illicit/illegal” drug in the Star Wars universe, why does the Empire mine it?
So the first Star Wars (1977) film drops a few solid reference to the drug called “spice” which is described in the Star Wars wikia as:
“Spice was the name for a type of illicit substance or ...
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Was Elena ignorant or forgetful of "The Law of Death" when she performed her summoning?
In Stephen R. Donaldson's series The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Book 2, The Illearth War, chapter 25 "The Seventh Ward," High Lord Elena
But she soon learns of the mistake:
So the ...
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How did Ro Laren join Starfleet?
As I was reading:
Can non-Federation members join Starfleet?
I wondered, "What about Ro Laren?" (after all, Bajor was not under Federation "tutelage" at that time). So I checked the Memory Alpha ...
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Who are the Crownlands Houses loyal to?
The Crownlands is an independant region of Westeros, under the rule of the Crown, hence independant of which House is occupying the Iron Throne.
The noble Houses of the Crownlands (e.g. Mallery, ...
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What was the Ludicrous Patents Office?
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, one of the departments in the Ministry of Magic referred to is the "Ludicrous Patents Office".
“Level seven, Department of Magical Games and Sports, ...
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How did Daemon Waters take the name Blackfyre?
Daemon Waters was a bastard son of King Aegon IV Targaryen, so when he was legitimized, he should have taken the name Targaryen (and be one of the latest siblings) correct? Like Ramsay Snow who took ...
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Why is being an unregistered animagus against the law?
The wizarding world also has invisibility cloaks, disillusionment charms and polyjuice potions - using those a wizard can also disguise himself. All of those seem legal. An unregistered animagus, ...
user68762
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Is the Unbreakable Vow Legal?
Although the Unbreakable Vow spell is done voluntarily, it is possible that it results in one's death.
Based on that - is the spell legal in the magical world? Consciously endangering one's life is ...
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Where did the allegiance of Baratheon swords lie and why aren't they bulk of Royal Forces?
I am just generally confused about the Baratheon army during season 1 and 2 of Game of Thrones. As far as we know there isn't a single Baratheon troop in King's landing during season 1. We see that ...
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Short story about lawyers fighting cases through hallucinogens
I recall this strange little gem of a story that I read years ago:
It opens with two opposing lawyers amicably greeting, then one is asked to choose the drug to be used. They are both dosed with a ...
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What is a Trial of Seven?
There is a type of trial by battle called a Trial of Seven in Westeros.
I'd like to know:
What is it
What are its rules
Who can demand one, and who can participate
How is it different to a regular ...
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What is the status of human slavery in the WH40K universe?
It's pretty wide question, which, for sure, contains innumerable sub-questions.
For example, is it legal for planetary government to enslave distinguishable part of planet's population (not criminals!...
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Why is Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane still a knight?
In episode 6 of season 1, "A Golden Crown", the Hand of the King, Eddard Stark, declared Ser Gregor Clegane an outlaw and stripped him of basically everything, and sentenced him to death on top of ...
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What conditions are allowed for a decree of legitimisation or inheritance?
Marriages are automatically conditioned on certain past events or lack thereof. If one's supposedly married partner turns out to be a psychopath, one has grounds for annulment.
If one's supposedly ...
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Annulments in Westeros: What are the laws for annulment and could Robb have his marriage annulled?
Update S07E05: Thank you Gilly! Haha
Westeros has annulments right? It's a pretty theocratic place so I guess there's no distinction of legal vs sept.
I mean what's the law with the old gods? The ...
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Could Gendry become Lord of House Baratheon?
At the end of Season 6, The Northern Houses...
So, with that as precedent, when we look at House Baratheon:
Given all that, is it possible for Robert Baratheon's one openly acknowledged bastard to, ...
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How did the Dumbledore brothers get away with Ariana's murder?
Some of you might insist that it was not a murder, as we know that a rebounding spell had hit Ariana, as shown in this answer.
However, a death in such a well known family would not go uninvestigated,...
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