103
votes
Accepted
Who is now the Lord of Casterly Rock?
Let's begin this answer with a quote from GRRM:
The short answer is that the laws of inheritance in the Seven Kingdoms
are modelled on those in real medieval history... which is to say,
they ...
- 48.3k
50
votes
Accepted
Can Cersei Lannister claim the Iron Throne and legitimize her act?
Cersei can't establish her claim on Iron Throne. She is the Dowager Queen and Queen Mother, nothing more than that. She has claimed the Iron Throne because she could.
Baratheon Claim
King Aegon V ...
- 48.3k
46
votes
Accepted
Is there a legal system in Middle-earth?
There does not appear to be a general method for resolving disputes between races1, suggesting a lack of universally-recognized legal system (or treaties between the systems of different races).
We ...
- 163k
46
votes
Are there any copyright laws within the "Star Trek" universe that prohibit certain things from being replicated without permission?
Yes, there are Intellectual Property (IP) laws in the Federation.
In the ST:VOY episode Author Author the EMH Doctor writes a holonovel, which he submits to a publisher. The publisher steals the work....
- 16.7k
41
votes
Does the Federation have the equivalent of Miranda rights?
Contrary to what you may think from watching TV, police officers are not required to issue the Miranda warning at the time of arrest; only before beginning an interrogation.
The duty to warn only ...
- 6,578
40
votes
Accepted
What are the advantages that come with knighthood in Westeros?
Being a Knight puts you above the smallfolk and opens up prospects but you are still beneath the landed nobility. You can say they are sort of a Quasi-Nobility (If they are not descended from nobility ...
- 48.3k
40
votes
Accepted
What's the meaning of "your life will be forfeit?"
Something perhaps worth emphasizing here is that that film dialogue is not a very accurate paraphrase of the book. As already noted in another answer, the book's quote, spoken by Faramir, is:
I ...
- 4,406
39
votes
Accepted
Which bastards in Westeros were automatically legitimized once their parents married?
Linda's referring to a detail from George's material that was cut from The World of Ice and Fire, but will be appearing in Fire and Blood, relating to a situation where Lord Hightower took up with his ...
- 1,291
37
votes
What is a Trial of Seven?
It's an Andal tradition that favors the well connected
The trial of Seven is best described in The Hedge Knight after a dispute between Prince Aerion Targaryen and Ser Duncan the Tall. Instead of ...
- 10.8k
33
votes
Accepted
How are the lands of the Shire governed?
As you might expect, Tolkien (that great world-builder) had considered these issues and covered them in some depth. From the prologue to The Fellowship of the Ring, section Of the Ordering of the ...
- 134k
32
votes
Accepted
If “spice” is considered an “illicit/illegal” drug in the Star Wars universe, why does the Empire mine it?
According to the canon novel Lords of the Sith, spice has non-recreational uses as well:
The Empire used spice — refined ryll, harvested from the countless mines that made Ryloth porous — and its ...
- 163k
32
votes
Accepted
S07E05: Would this person be the rightful heir to the Targaryen throne when born even if Viserys ascended to the throne before their birth?
Law of inheritance
The law is Agnatic Primogeniture, not Agnatic Seniority.
A Grandson by an elder son comes before a younger son in line of succession for a King.
If the elder son has no sons, the ...
- 48.3k
27
votes
Can Cersei Lannister claim the Iron Throne and legitimize her act?
Power resides where men think it resides.
You might remember Varys eloquently explaining this one. It's something of a theme of the story.
Cersei will claim the throne, because she's got nothing ...
- 10.9k
27
votes
Accepted
Would this character still be a bastard?
People knowing who Jon's parents are does not mean anything for his bastard status. One is born a bastard if he is born out of wedlock, regardless to who the parents were.
Him being son of Lyanna ...
- 48.3k
27
votes
Accepted
What was the Ludicrous Patents Office?
We don't know...
It appears to be an office in the Ministry of Magic, but nobody knows what it actually does in canon. As far as I know (I searched), JKR has not said anything about this.
The name ...
- 38.3k
22
votes
Accepted
Why is Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane still a knight?
In practice, the reason is of course that he was still useful to the Lannisters, who hold King's Landing and the Iron Throne. Lord Tywin might allow his faithful dog to be killed for the sake of ...
- 134k
22
votes
Accepted
Why are the Millennium Falcon and other civilian vessels allowed to have ship-mounted weapons?
According to the Star Wars Official Fact File #51, transport ships and licensed freighters like the Millennium Falcon were permitted to carry a certain amount of low-energy weaponry, presumably for ...
- 677k
22
votes
Are humpback whales granted civil rights?
I don't know about humpback whales specifically, but there are cetaceans of various species in Starfleet. Some of the larger ships have a cetacean ops section.
Star Trek Lower Decks has two beluga ...
- 16.7k
21
votes
Accepted
Why would Bilbo agree to arbitration in the Khuzdul language?
There's no answer given in the movie1, but there are a few equally plausible explanations:
He didn't read that far. When he reads the contract, Bilbo is more than mildly hung up on the liability ...
- 163k
19
votes
Accepted
Is Brienne a traitor for pledging fealty to Catelyn Stark? Why did she do it?
Brienne was already considered (or would have been) a traitor if she had stayed. Renly's death would have been pinned on her. Nobody (Except Catelyn, who was there to witness it) would have believed ...
- 59.6k
19
votes
Accepted
Do Starfleet regulations and general orders apply to non-Starfleet Federation citizens?
Most of us think of Prime Directive as just prohibition of interference with less developed society. But fact is that Prime Directive is a doctrine of total non-interference with the affairs of other ...
- 6,344
18
votes
Accepted
Is the Unbreakable Vow Legal?
No Official Canon Answer, But Probably (even if they are uncommon)
Wizards and Witches seem to be more cavalier with the ideas of 'personal safety' and 'lives' than Muggles (see: Love Potions being ...
- 1,296
18
votes
Accepted
Who is lord of the Dreadfort?
This is simply unknown as of now.
Lord Ramsay Bolton left no living children or siblings. His Father Roose Bolton is not known to have any immediate kins either. Therefore it is unclear whether a ...
- 48.3k
16
votes
Accepted
Could Gendry become Lord of House Baratheon?
Gendry is not an acknowledged bastard of Robert where as Jon was acknowledged by Eddard Stark to be his son. From GOT Wiki page:
Gendry is a bastard son of King Robert Baratheon, but is
...
- 48.3k
16
votes
What is a Trial of Seven?
What is Trial of Seven?
As already stated by Ram, Trial of Seven is another form of Trial by Combat. In it, Both the defenders and accusers are divided into two teams of Seven men each. They fight ...
- 48.3k
16
votes
Was Hagrid ever put on trial?
Case 1 - No, at least there is no canon evidence
As Hagrid was underage, he was dealt with by the school administration, i.e. expelled. He did not deny having a giant spider in his possession, but ...
- 12.9k
15
votes
Is there a legal system in Middle-earth?
The presence of contracts does not imply the presence of a legal system. Throughout the world and throughout history people have made formal agreements with each other based on nothing more than ...
- 983
15
votes
Did Captain Janeway commit human rights violations?
It's unclear if "deintegrating" Tuvix into Tuvok and Neelix is a violation of Tuvix's rights (indeed, if he has any) under the Constitution of the United Federation of Planets or the Charter of the ...
- 8,680
14
votes
Accepted
How did the Dumbledore brothers get away with Ariana's murder?
Her death was believed to due to illness
Doge stated that implies that Ariana Dumbledore died of some unspecified ailment:
Though Ariana had been in poor health for a long time, the blow,
coming so ...
- 115k
14
votes
Why is Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane still a knight?
Eddard proclaims this:
In the name of Robert of the House Baratheon, the first of his name,
King of the Andals and the first men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and
protector of the realm, I charge ...
- 48.3k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible