https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=172.69.34.160&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T08:06:20ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2848:_Breaker_Box&diff=327365Talk:2848: Breaker Box2023-10-31T03:46:18Z<p>172.69.34.160: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
added transcript and got to change the name of the thing that created the explanation incomplete tag WOHOOOOoO [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]]<sup>&#91;[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]&#93;[[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]]</sup> 02:25, 31 October 2023 (UTC)<br />
: can't help but notice the [[1590]] reference <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'">[[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]<sup>([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]&#124;[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]])</sup></span> 02:43, 31 October 2023 (UTC)<br />
Added explanation! Simple, but it'll do. How do I sign? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.159|172.69.34.159]] 03:42, 31 October 2023 (UTC)<br />
: four tildes (<code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code>) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'">[[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]<sup>([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]&#124;[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]])</sup></span> 03:08, 31 October 2023 (UTC)<br />
:: Thanks. I thought that I had tried it earlier and it hadn't worked, but I guess I was wrong. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.160|172.69.34.160]] 03:46, 31 October 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Just added headers, but not good enough with this stuff to add descriptions. go nuts <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'">[[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]<sup>([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]&#124;[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]])</sup></span> 02:52, 31 October 2023 (UTC)</div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2260:_Reaction_Maps&diff=186568Talk:2260: Reaction Maps2020-01-28T12:03:09Z<p>172.69.34.160: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
I can't find Jump, OH. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 23:19, 27 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I can't find a town named "A" in Clay County WV. Is there supposed to be one? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.136|162.158.214.136]] 23:35, 27 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Wiki sez: "Clay is a town in and the county seat of Clay County, West Virginia, United States.[6] The population was 491 at the 2010 census. It is the only incorporated town in Clay County." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.136|162.158.214.136]] 23:37, 27 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I looked for "A, Clay County, WV" and [https://goo.gl/maps/sUm6MtwEvpsBbfLX8 found this]. "B" and "C" also find places but "D" doesn't. It looks like Clay County is divided into A, B and C. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.53|141.101.99.53]] 08:11, 28 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I completely missed this one! In my defence, here in southern England ‘Tudor’ sounds much less like ‘two-door’, and ‘compact’ is much less commonly applied to cars... [[User:Gidds|Gidds]] ([[User talk:Gidds|talk]]) 23:44, 27 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Tip if you are doing a European version, and want to avoid F-Bombs: You can [https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Fucking,+%C3%96sterreich/Bad+Kissingen,+Deutschland/ replace "Fucking" by "bad Kissing"]. It is "only" a 430km reroute. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:47, 28 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Does that pun actually work in US English? In UK English, Tudor and two-door have totally different vowel sounds. The former is more "tew-der". {{unsigned ip|162.158.158.179|09:58, 28 January 2020}}<br />
:It does work with my weird accent (German, officially learned british English in school, tought by a German teacher who lived a while in Australia, and refined with watching Hollywood productions, travelling Ireland (and other places, but mostly Ireland), and working with Indians, Americans and Brits in an American company...) Slight difference between how I would pronounce two and "tu" of tudor. (more or less as tju(?)) --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:05, 28 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
:Yes, and in fact, Ford named several two-doored body styles in the interwar period "Tudor" (and, somewhat distressingly, dubbed the corresponding four-door styles "Fordor"). [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.160|172.69.34.160]] 12:03, 28 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== H.ON.D.A. ==<br />
<br />
<br />
This reminds of when I worked in a place with a very slow Internet connection, but I found one solution (sort of) which required about 40 minutes to get connected, but was very fast once I was connected. I called it Hurry-ON Driving Access (HONDA). The way it worked was that I got in my Honda Civic, and drove to a place with a better Internet connection...<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.20|172.69.34.20]] 03:14, 28 January 2020 (UTC)</div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2260:_Reaction_Maps&diff=186567Talk:2260: Reaction Maps2020-01-28T12:01:46Z<p>172.69.34.160: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
I can't find Jump, OH. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 23:19, 27 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I can't find a town named "A" in Clay County WV. Is there supposed to be one? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.136|162.158.214.136]] 23:35, 27 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Wiki sez: "Clay is a town in and the county seat of Clay County, West Virginia, United States.[6] The population was 491 at the 2010 census. It is the only incorporated town in Clay County." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.136|162.158.214.136]] 23:37, 27 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I looked for "A, Clay County, WV" and [https://goo.gl/maps/sUm6MtwEvpsBbfLX8 found this]. "B" and "C" also find places but "D" doesn't. It looks like Clay County is divided into A, B and C. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.53|141.101.99.53]] 08:11, 28 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I completely missed this one! In my defence, here in southern England ‘Tudor’ sounds much less like ‘two-door’, and ‘compact’ is much less commonly applied to cars... [[User:Gidds|Gidds]] ([[User talk:Gidds|talk]]) 23:44, 27 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Tip if you are doing a European version, and want to avoid F-Bombs: You can [https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Fucking,+%C3%96sterreich/Bad+Kissingen,+Deutschland/ replace "Fucking" by "bad Kissing"]. It is "only" a 430km reroute. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:47, 28 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Does that pun actually work in US English? In UK English, Tudor and two-door have totally different vowel sounds. The former is more "tew-der". {{unsigned ip|162.158.158.179|09:58, 28 January 2020}}<br />
:It does work with my weird accent (German, officially learned british English in school, tought by a German teacher who lived a while in Australia, and refined with watching Hollywood productions, travelling Ireland (and other places, but mostly Ireland), and working with Indians, Americans and Brits in an American company...) Slight difference between how I would pronounce two and "tu" of tudor. (more or less as tju(?)) --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:05, 28 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
:Yes, and in fact, Ford named several two-doored body styles in the interwar period "Tudor" (and, somewhat distressingly, dubbed the corresponding four-door styles "Fordor").<br />
<br />
== H.ON.D.A. ==<br />
<br />
<br />
This reminds of when I worked in a place with a very slow Internet connection, but I found one solution (sort of) which required about 40 minutes to get connected, but was very fast once I was connected. I called it Hurry-ON Driving Access (HONDA). The way it worked was that I got in my Honda Civic, and drove to a place with a better Internet connection...<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.20|172.69.34.20]] 03:14, 28 January 2020 (UTC)</div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2260:_Reaction_Maps&diff=186566Talk:2260: Reaction Maps2020-01-28T12:01:11Z<p>172.69.34.160: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
I can't find Jump, OH. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 23:19, 27 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I can't find a town named "A" in Clay County WV. Is there supposed to be one? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.136|162.158.214.136]] 23:35, 27 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Wiki sez: "Clay is a town in and the county seat of Clay County, West Virginia, United States.[6] The population was 491 at the 2010 census. It is the only incorporated town in Clay County." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.136|162.158.214.136]] 23:37, 27 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I looked for "A, Clay County, WV" and [https://goo.gl/maps/sUm6MtwEvpsBbfLX8 found this]. "B" and "C" also find places but "D" doesn't. It looks like Clay County is divided into A, B and C. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.53|141.101.99.53]] 08:11, 28 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I completely missed this one! In my defence, here in southern England ‘Tudor’ sounds much less like ‘two-door’, and ‘compact’ is much less commonly applied to cars... [[User:Gidds|Gidds]] ([[User talk:Gidds|talk]]) 23:44, 27 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Tip if you are doing a European version, and want to avoid F-Bombs: You can [https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Fucking,+%C3%96sterreich/Bad+Kissingen,+Deutschland/ replace "Fucking" by "bad Kissing"]. It is "only" a 430km reroute. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:47, 28 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Does that pun actually work in US English? In UK English, Tudor and two-door have totally different vowel sounds. The former is more "tew-der". {{unsigned ip|162.158.158.179|09:58, 28 January 2020}}<br />
:It does work with my weird accent (German, officially learned british English in school, tought by a German teacher who lived a while in Australia, and refined with watching Hollywood productions, travelling Ireland (and other places, but mostly Ireland), and working with Indians, Americans and Brits in an American company...) Slight difference between how I would pronounce two and "tu" of tudor. (more or less as tju(?)) --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:05, 28 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
== H.ON.D.A. ==<br />
:Yes, and in fact, Ford named several two-doored body styles in the interwar period "Tudor" (and, somewhat distressingly, dubbed the corresponding four-door styles "Fordor").<br />
<br />
This reminds of when I worked in a place with a very slow Internet connection, but I found one solution (sort of) which required about 40 minutes to get connected, but was very fast once I was connected. I called it Hurry-ON Driving Access (HONDA). The way it worked was that I got in my Honda Civic, and drove to a place with a better Internet connection...<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.20|172.69.34.20]] 03:14, 28 January 2020 (UTC)</div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1500:_Upside-Down_Map&diff=1862191500: Upside-Down Map2020-01-20T08:31:06Z<p>172.69.34.160: /* Explanation */ fix</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1500<br />
| date = March 18, 2015<br />
| title = Upside-Down Map<br />
| image = upside_down_map.png<br />
| titletext = Due to their proximity across the channel, there's long been tension between North Korea and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Southern Ireland.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic plays on the idea that maps with the {{w|South-up map orientation|south pole at the top}} will "change your perspective of the world". Most world maps orient north in the upward direction, placing the north pole as the top. Such an orientation is purely a matter of convention, as 'up' and 'down' don't apply in a planetary context. The north = up tradition probably emerged because most historical cartographers hailed from the northern hemisphere, and placed their own nations at the top. Some people and groups object that this convention subtly, but perniciously, advances the assumption that countries in the northern hemisphere are inherently more important than those in the southern hemisphere. This is especially sensitive because most of the wealthier and more powerful countries in the world are in the northern hemisphere, while relatively fewer southern hemisphere countries have as much wealth or global influence. <br />
<br />
To remedy this, some advocate the use of maps with the south pole oriented at the top. Some want such maps in common use, while others simply use them to encourage people to rethink their assumptions about how the world should be seen. Such a map can easily be achieved by simply rotating a normal map 180 degrees, though the text labels would also be upside-down and harder to read. A [https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&q=upside-down%2Bmap%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bworld Google Images] search reveals many examples of upside-down maps with the text oriented correctly for reading.<br />
<br />
This map is a comedic play on such maps, where each land mass is in the same position it would be in a traditional north-top map but rotated 180 degrees (presumably around some central point of the landmass) to the orientation it would have in a south-top map. Such a map is, of course, almost completely useless in real life, because it completely distorts the relative positioning of the landmasses. Moreover, it keeps the northern countries at the top of the map, which means one of the chief complaints about traditional maps is unaddressed. <br />
<br />
Note that individual islands are rotated about their own centers, rather than following the rotation of the neighboring continent; however, some are displaced as necessary to keep them from being overlapped by the rotated continents. For instance, {{w|Madagascar}} would be overlapped by the {{w|Sahara}} if it remained in position, but is instead displaced eastward to keep it in the Indian Ocean. On the other hand, all the islands of the {{w|Mediterranean Sea}} have disappeared under {{w|Asia}}.<br />
<br />
Asia is so broad that almost the entire {{w|Indochinese Peninsula}} (with for instance {{w|Vietnam}} and {{w|Thailand}}) has been rotated out of the top of the map. Similarly, the map omits {{w|Antarctica}} in the south.<br />
<br />
To keep their familiar shapes on a rectangular map, the continents would also have to be heavily distorted compared to their actual shapes, becoming much narrower (along the lines of latitude) near the poles and wider towards the equator. See also [[977: Map Projections]].<br />
<br />
The basic climates for several areas would be distinctly different. For example, the formerly-Central America area would be in the arctic zone, while Siberia would be subtropical.<br />
<br />
This arrangement of the world's land masses would have great advantages for trade, because there are (presumably navigable) straits between the {{w|Americas}} and between Africa and Asia, removing the need for the {{w|Panama Canal}} and the {{w|Suez Canal}}.<br />
<br />
The title text references the fact that, in this new map, the {{w|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|UK}} is now next to Asia &ndash; specifically the {{w|Korean Peninsula}}. {{w|North Korea}} is mentioned in the text as having a history of hostile relations with nearby countries. However, on this map North Korea would be the part of {{w|Korea}} we today know as {{w|South Korea}}. Furthermore, {{w|Northern Ireland}} is now at the south of the {{w|island of Ireland}}, so the UK's full name would need to change to The United Kingdom of Great Britain and '''Southern''' Ireland. There have been several wars concerning the {{w|English Channel}}, mainly, but not only, between {{w|England}} and {{w|France}}. Likewise there has been a history of animosity between Korea and {{w|Japan}}, separated by a similar body of water. Since, on this world map, a channel now exists between the UK and North Korea (the real world's South Korea) there could obviously have been many wars for the dominance over said channel.<br />
<br />
Along the same line of thinking, interesting speculations could be made about the following "new" facts:<br />
*{{w|Cuba}} is now off the east coast (formerly west coast) of {{w|Canada}} (and the {{w|USA}}).<br />
*{{w|Japan}} is next to the coast of {{w|Portugal}} and {{w|Spain}}.<br />
*Madagascar lies next to {{w|Morocco}} and {{w|Mauritania}} on the east coast (formerly west coast) of the Sahara.<br />
*{{w|Taiwan}} (officially called the Republic of China) is now next to {{w|France}}. This might be a game-changer for the {{w|Cross-Strait relations}}, an ongoing rivalry with {{w|China|China}} (officially called the People's Republic of China).<br />
*{{w|Greenland}} lies next to {{w|Mexico}}.<br />
*{{w|Sri Lanka}} is located next to the {{w|Yamalsky District}} of {{w|Russia}}.<br />
*{{w|Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego|Tierra del Fuego}}, an island just south of the southern tip of South America, which is divided between {{w|Argentina}} and {{w|Chile}}, is now located in a similar manner next to {{w|Colombia}} and {{w|Venezuela}}, so it would probably have been divided between these two countries.<br />
*The {{w|Falkland Islands}} (not named in the map &ndash; they are probably represented by the single island above the T in Tierra) where Argentina and the UK have an ongoing {{w|Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute|sovereignty dispute}}, could now be claimed by {{w|Ecuador}} or {{w|Peru}}.<br />
*The Mediterranean islands seem to have vanished entirely, as they are now in approximately the same place as {{w|Mongolia}}.<br />
*{{w|India}} is nowhere near the {{w|Indian Ocean}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Map of the world with all the landmasses rotated upside-down.]<br />
:[Four oceans and all the visible continents have been named in large letters in a bold font. The Pacific has been named both to the left and right. Several islands (large and small) have been designated with name but in grey and in a much smaller normal font. For all continents the names are written on them. For the island the name is written in the ocean except for Greenland.]<br />
<br />
:[Below the names on the map are given in the order they appear reading from left to right, first for the northern and then the southern hemisphere:]<br />
<br />
:[Northern hemisphere:]<br />
:'''North America'''<br />
:Cuba<br />
:Greenland<br />
:'''Atlantic Ocean<br />
:Iceland<br />
:UK<br />
:'''Asia'''<br />
:Sri Lanka<br />
:'''Europe'''<br />
:'''Arctic Ocean'''<br />
:Taiwan<br />
:Japan<br />
:'''Pacific Ocean'''<br />
<br />
:[Southern hemisphere:]<br />
:'''Pacific Ocean'''<br />
:'''South America'''<br />
:Tierra del Fuego<br />
:'''Africa'''<br />
:'''Indian Ocean'''<br />
:Madagascar<br />
:Indonesia<br />
:'''Australia'''<br />
:New Zealand<br />
<br />
:[Below the main frame:]<br />
:'''This upside-down map will change your perspective on the world!'''<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
Map projections are also the subject of [[977: Map Projections]]. In fact, if this comic was released later, it would certainly have "Bad Map Projection #''n''" on the top, and would be part of the category.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Geography]]<br />
[[Category:Maps]]</div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1172:_Workflow&diff=1861761172: Workflow2020-01-18T02:46:28Z<p>172.69.34.160: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1172<br />
| date = February 11, 2013<br />
| title = Workflow<br />
| image = workflow.png<br />
| titletext = There are probably children out there holding down spacebar to stay warm in the winter! YOUR UPDATE MURDERS CHILDREN.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Users will often try to work around bugs in software, and are sometimes able to get used to having the bugs around. Some bugs are even interpreted as features and users complain when the software authors fix them. A similar effect may be caused by other improvements, particularly those which involve changes in the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1770 user interface].<br />
<br />
This comic shows a somewhat extreme example. An unnamed application had a bug causing the CPU to overheat whenever the spacebar was held down too long. In version 10.17, this bug was fixed. Soon, LongtimeUser4 complained that they relied on the fact that the CPU overheats if the spacebar is held down. They had stumbled across this "feature" (which is, again, weirder than usual) and took advantage of it to streamline their workflow, and they wanted an option to re-enable it.<br />
<br />
{{w|Emacs}} (name originally derived from ''E''ditor ''MAC''ro''S'') is a text editor originally written at MIT in 1976 and adopted into the GNU project in 1984. The control key sees extensive use in Emacs, and since it's hard to reach, users often remap it to Caps Lock or some other key. LongtimeUser4 fixed the problem very clumsily ("horrifying," as the admin puts it) and is annoyed that their {{w|kludge}} no longer works. The moral of the story is that you can't please everyone.<br />
<br />
Examples of real life changes in software which, though often acclaimed by critics, caused great annoyance among existing user base include ribbons introduced in Microsoft Office 2007, Start screen of Windows 8 or Unity desktop manager bundled with Ubuntu since version 11.10. In the latter case, developers included an option to use the older interface; for the rest, applications emulating old behavior were developed by third parties.<br />
<br />
The title text makes a hyperbole to humorous effect; children will freeze to death during the winter because they won't be warmed by a rather unconventional heater. Making (or creating an illusion of) a connection between one's opinion and {{tvtropes|ThinkOfTheChildren|care for children's welfare}} is a common method of gaining public support, as such arguments are hard to deflect without sounding cruel and uncaring.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Changelog for version 10.17 of a piece of software.]<br />
:One change listed: "The CPU no longer overheats when you hold down the spacebar"<br />
:Comments: LongtimeUser4 writes: This update broke my workflow! My control key is hard to reach, so I hold spacebar instead, and I configured Emacs to interpret a rapid temperature rise as "control".<br />
:Admin writes: That's horrifying.<br />
:LongtimeUser4 writes: Look, my setup works for me. Just add an option to reenable spacebar heating.<br />
<br />
:Every change breaks someone's workflow. <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Emacs]]</div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2252:_Parenthetical_Names&diff=1857142252: Parenthetical Names2020-01-09T01:35:45Z<p>172.69.34.160: /* Explanation */ redundant</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2252<br />
| date = January 8, 2020<br />
| title = Parenthetical Names<br />
| image = parenthetical_names.png<br />
| titletext = I never got around to seeing that movie about the battle (of Midway).<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a PARENTHESIS. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This is another comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series.<br />
<br />
Parentheses are generally used in a sentence to add additional information that clarifies the topic. For example, in the sentence, "Barack Obama (the 45th President of the United States) is a Democrat," the parenthetical clause clarifies who Obama is, but is not strictly necessary to the sentence. On top of that, the use of parentheses is commonly used on {{w|Wikipedia}} to distinguish between different articles where the subject has the same name. Typing "Stealth", for example, would lead to suggestions such as {{w|Stealth (film)}}, {{w|Stealth (video game)}}, and {{w|Stealth (roller coaster)}}. Each of these parenthetical clauses clarifies the topic. However, in the comic, Randall uses parentheses when they provide essential information, inseparable from the topic. In particular, the name Jack does not immediately make one think of Jack the Ripper, so the sentence doesn't make sense without the parentheses. <br />
<br />
''{{w|Sonic the Hedgehog}}'' is a video game franchise featuring the eponymous Sonic the Hedgehog character. A film featuring the character titled ''{{w|Sonic the Hedgehog (film)|Sonic the Hedgehog}}'' is scheduled for release in February 2020. When the first trailer was released, the public reacted with shock and horror at the movie's design of Sonic, who was said to fall into the "{{w|uncanny valley}}" by being too anthropomorphic and not cartoony enough. The design was hastily re-developed, which was received much more favorably; evidently, Cueball has warmed to the movie and is asking his friends if they want to go see it. Sonic is also the name of a {{w|Sonic (train)|train}}, a {{w|Sonic Drive-In|restaurant franchise}}, and a {{w|Sonic (ISP)|Californian internet service provider}}, among other things Randall is trying to avoid confusing the movie with. Perhaps Randall's friends often go to see the restaurant.<br />
<br />
{{w|Jack the Ripper}} is the name attributed to a {{w|serial killer}} active in {{w|London}} in 1888. His true identity has never been confirmed, and he has been featured in {{w|Jack the Ripper in fiction|hundreds of works}}. {{w|Jack (given name)|"Jack"}} is one of the most-common given names for males in much of the Anglosphere, so Randall should not be using parentheses, as it is necessary to show that "Jack the Ripper" is a full proper name. <br />
<br />
American actor {{w|Robin Williams}} played {{w|Popeye the Sailor}} in the 1980 musical-comedy film ''{{w|Popeye (film)|Popeye}}''. Popeye the Sailor is the best-known character named "Popeye", so it is a little unusual that Randall would have to clarify ''which'' Popeye he is referring to. Other Popeyes include {{w|Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle}} from ''{{w|The French Connection}}'' and the criminal {{w|Popeye (Faulkner character)|Popeye}} from {{w|William Faulkner|William Faulkner's}} novel ''{{w|Sanctuary (Faulkner novel)|Sanctuary}}''. Like "Sonic", there is a restaurant chain named "{{w|Popeyes}}", which is the second-largest fast-food chicken restaurant chain in the world (after KFC). The founder of Popeyes claimed he named the restaurant after the ''French Connection'' character, and not the sailor, but from 1971 to 2006, Popeyes did license the cartoon characters and used them in promotions.<br />
<br />
The title-text alters the pattern slightly by discussing the {{w|battle of Midway}} (i.e. the X '''of''' Y). This case has additional humor because Randall clarifies which battle he is talking about, but not which of the several movies depicting the battle (although he was most likely referring to the film released in November 2019, simply called {{w|Midway (2019 film)|''Midway''}}).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Cueball stands, holding his phone. Text message boxes are above him.]<br />
<br />
:Do you want to go see Sonic (the Hedgehog)?<br />
:Why are there so many books about Jack (the Ripper)?<br />
:I didn't know Robin Williams once played Popeye (the Sailor Man)<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
<br />
:My Hobby:<br />
:Whenever I mention anyone called "<Name> the <X>," I like to put "the <X>" in parentheses, like I added it as a clarification.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Fiction]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]</div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2252:_Parenthetical_Names&diff=1857132252: Parenthetical Names2020-01-09T01:34:45Z<p>172.69.34.160: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2252<br />
| date = January 8, 2020<br />
| title = Parenthetical Names<br />
| image = parenthetical_names.png<br />
| titletext = I never got around to seeing that movie about the battle (of Midway).<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a PARENTHESIS. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This is another comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series.<br />
<br />
Parentheses are generally used in a sentence to add additional information that clarifies the topic. For example, in the sentence, "Barack Obama (the 45th President of the United States) is a Democrat," the parenthetical clause clarifies who Obama is, but is not strictly necessary to the sentence. On top of that, the use of parentheses is commonly used on {{w|Wikipedia}} to distinguish between different articles where the subject has the same name. Typing "Stealth", for example, would lead to suggestions such as {{w|Stealth (film)}}, {{w|Stealth (video game)}}, and {{w|Stealth (roller coaster)}}. Each of these parenthetical clauses clarifies the topic. However, in the comic, Randall uses parentheses when they provide essential information, inseparable from the topic. In particular, the name Jack does not immediately make one think of Jack the Ripper, so the sentence doesn't make sense without the parentheses. <br />
<br />
''{{w|Sonic the Hedgehog}}'' is a video game franchise featuring the eponymous Sonic the Hedgehog character. A film featuring the character titled ''{{w|Sonic the Hedgehog (film)|Sonic the Hedgehog}}'' is scheduled for release in February 2020. When the first trailer was released, the public reacted with shock and horror at the movie's design of Sonic, who was said to fall into the "{{w|uncanny valley}}" by being too anthropomorphic and not cartoony enough. The design was hastily re-developed, which was received much more favorably; evidently, Cueball has warmed to the movie and is asking his friends if they want to go see it. Sonic is also the name of a {{w|Sonic (train)|train}}, a {{w|Sonic Drive-In|restaurant franchise}}, and a {{w|Sonic (ISP)|Californian internet service provider}}, among other things Randall is trying to avoid confusing the movie with. Perhaps Randall's friends often go to see the restaurant.<br />
<br />
{{w|Jack the Ripper}} is the name attributed to a {{w|serial killer}} active in {{w|London}} in 1888. His true identity has never been confirmed, and he has been featured in {{w|Jack the Ripper in fiction|hundreds of works}}. {{w|Jack (given name)|"Jack"}} is one of the most-common given names for males in much of the Anglosphere, so Randall should not be using parentheses, as it is necessary to show that "Jack the Ripper" is a full proper name. There are lots of things named Jack, as it is a popular name (''the'' most popular name, in some countries and years), and so in this case it is quite reasonable to clarify which Jack it is that Randall has been reading so many books about.<br />
<br />
American actor {{w|Robin Williams}} played {{w|Popeye the Sailor}} in the 1980 musical-comedy film ''{{w|Popeye (film)|Popeye}}''. Popeye the Sailor is the best-known character named "Popeye", so it is a little unusual that Randall would have to clarify ''which'' Popeye he is referring to. Other Popeyes include {{w|Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle}} from ''{{w|The French Connection}}'' and the criminal {{w|Popeye (Faulkner character)|Popeye}} from {{w|William Faulkner|William Faulkner's}} novel ''{{w|Sanctuary (Faulkner novel)|Sanctuary}}''. Like "Sonic", there is a restaurant chain named "{{w|Popeyes}}", which is the second-largest fast-food chicken restaurant chain in the world (after KFC). The founder of Popeyes claimed he named the restaurant after the ''French Connection'' character, and not the sailor, but from 1971 to 2006, Popeyes did license the cartoon characters and used them in promotions.<br />
<br />
The title-text alters the pattern slightly by discussing the {{w|battle of Midway}} (i.e. the X '''of''' Y). This case has additional humor because Randall clarifies which battle he is talking about, but not which of the several movies depicting the battle (although he was most likely referring to the film released in November 2019, simply called {{w|Midway (2019 film)|''Midway''}}).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Cueball stands, holding his phone. Text message boxes are above him.]<br />
<br />
:Do you want to go see Sonic (the Hedgehog)?<br />
:Why are there so many books about Jack (the Ripper)?<br />
:I didn't know Robin Williams once played Popeye (the Sailor Man)<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
<br />
:My Hobby:<br />
:Whenever I mention anyone called "<Name> the <X>," I like to put "the <X>" in parentheses, like I added it as a clarification.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Fiction]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]</div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2252:_Parenthetical_Names&diff=1857122252: Parenthetical Names2020-01-09T01:34:18Z<p>172.69.34.160: /* Explanation */ disagree, should be using the full Jack the Ripper name</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2252<br />
| date = January 8, 2020<br />
| title = Parenthetical Names<br />
| image = parenthetical_names.png<br />
| titletext = I never got around to seeing that movie about the battle (of Midway).<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a PARENTHESIS. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This is another comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series.<br />
<br />
Parentheses are generally used in a sentence to add additional information that clarifies the topic. For example, in the sentence, "Barack Obama (the 45th President of the United States) is a Democrat," the parenthetical clause clarifies who Obama is, but is not strictly necessary to the sentence. On top of that, the use of parentheses is commonly used on {{w|Wikipedia}} to distinguish between different articles where the subject has the same name. Typing "Stealth", for example, would lead to suggestions such as {{w|Stealth (film)}}, {{w|Stealth (video game)}}, and {{w|Stealth (roller coaster)}}. Each of these parenthetical clauses clarifies the topic. However, in the comic, Randall uses parentheses when they provide essential information, inseparable from the topic. In particular, the name Jack does not immediately make one think of Jack the Ripper, so the sentence doesn't make sense without the parentheses. <br />
<br />
''{{w|Sonic the Hedgehog}}'' is a video game franchise featuring the eponymous Sonic the Hedgehog character. A film featuring the character titled ''{{w|Sonic the Hedgehog (film)|Sonic the Hedgehog}}'' is scheduled for release in February 2020. When the first trailer was released, the public reacted with shock and horror at the movie's design of Sonic, who was said to fall into the "{{w|uncanny valley}}" by being too anthropomorphic and not cartoony enough. The design was hastily re-developed, which was received much more favorably; evidently, Cueball has warmed to the movie and is asking his friends if they want to go see it. Sonic is also the name of a {{w|Sonic (train)|train}}, a {{w|Sonic Drive-In|restaurant franchise}}, and a {{w|Sonic (ISP)|Californian internet service provider}}, among other things Randall is trying to avoid confusing the movie with. Perhaps Randall's friends often go to see the restaurant.<br />
<br />
{{w|Jack the Ripper}} is the name attributed to a {{w|serial killer}} active in {{w|London}} in 1888. His true identity has never been confirmed, and he has been featured in {{w|Jack the Ripper in fiction|hundreds of works}}. {{w|Jack (given name)|"Jack"}} is one of the most-common given names for males in much of the Anglosphere, so he should not be using parentheses, as it is necessary to show that "Jack the Ripper" is a full proper name. There are lots of things named Jack, as it is a popular name (''the'' most popular name, in some countries and years), and so in this case it is quite reasonable to clarify which Jack it is that Randall has been reading so many books about.<br />
<br />
American actor {{w|Robin Williams}} played {{w|Popeye the Sailor}} in the 1980 musical-comedy film ''{{w|Popeye (film)|Popeye}}''. Popeye the Sailor is the best-known character named "Popeye", so it is a little unusual that Randall would have to clarify ''which'' Popeye he is referring to. Other Popeyes include {{w|Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle}} from ''{{w|The French Connection}}'' and the criminal {{w|Popeye (Faulkner character)|Popeye}} from {{w|William Faulkner|William Faulkner's}} novel ''{{w|Sanctuary (Faulkner novel)|Sanctuary}}''. Like "Sonic", there is a restaurant chain named "{{w|Popeyes}}", which is the second-largest fast-food chicken restaurant chain in the world (after KFC). The founder of Popeyes claimed he named the restaurant after the ''French Connection'' character, and not the sailor, but from 1971 to 2006, Popeyes did license the cartoon characters and used them in promotions.<br />
<br />
The title-text alters the pattern slightly by discussing the {{w|battle of Midway}} (i.e. the X '''of''' Y). This case has additional humor because Randall clarifies which battle he is talking about, but not which of the several movies depicting the battle (although he was most likely referring to the film released in November 2019, simply called {{w|Midway (2019 film)|''Midway''}}).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Cueball stands, holding his phone. Text message boxes are above him.]<br />
<br />
:Do you want to go see Sonic (the Hedgehog)?<br />
:Why are there so many books about Jack (the Ripper)?<br />
:I didn't know Robin Williams once played Popeye (the Sailor Man)<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
<br />
:My Hobby:<br />
:Whenever I mention anyone called "<Name> the <X>," I like to put "the <X>" in parentheses, like I added it as a clarification.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Fiction]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]</div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2252:_Parenthetical_Names&diff=1857112252: Parenthetical Names2020-01-09T01:31:47Z<p>172.69.34.160: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2252<br />
| date = January 8, 2020<br />
| title = Parenthetical Names<br />
| image = parenthetical_names.png<br />
| titletext = I never got around to seeing that movie about the battle (of Midway).<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a PARENTHESIS. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This is another comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series.<br />
<br />
Parentheses are generally used in a sentence to add additional information that clarifies the topic. For example, in the sentence, "Barack Obama (the 45th President of the United States) is a Democrat," the parenthetical clause clarifies who Obama is, but is not strictly necessary to the sentence. On top of that, the use of parentheses is commonly used on {{w|Wikipedia}} to distinguish between different articles where the subject has the same name. Typing "Stealth", for example, would lead to suggestions such as {{w|Stealth (film)}}, {{w|Stealth (video game)}}, and {{w|Stealth (roller coaster)}}. Each of these parenthetical clauses clarifies the topic. However, in the comic, Randall uses parentheses when they provide essential information, inseparable from the topic. In particular, the name Jack does not immediately make one think of Jack the Ripper, so the sentence doesn't make sense without the parentheses. <br />
<br />
''{{w|Sonic the Hedgehog}}'' is a video game franchise featuring the eponymous Sonic the Hedgehog character. A film featuring the character titled ''{{w|Sonic the Hedgehog (film)|Sonic the Hedgehog}}'' is scheduled for release in February 2020. When the first trailer was released, the public reacted with shock and horror at the movie's design of Sonic, who was said to fall into the "{{w|uncanny valley}}" by being too anthropomorphic and not cartoony enough. The design was hastily re-developed, which was received much more favorably; evidently, Cueball has warmed to the movie and is asking his friends if they want to go see it. Sonic is also the name of a {{w|Sonic (train)|train}}, a {{w|Sonic Drive-In|restaurant franchise}}, and a {{w|Sonic (ISP)|Californian internet service provider}}, among other things Randall is trying to avoid confusing the movie with. Perhaps Randall's friends often go to see the restaurant.<br />
<br />
{{w|Jack the Ripper}} is the name attributed to a {{w|serial killer}} active in {{w|London}} in 1888. His true identity has never been confirmed, and he has been featured in {{w|Jack the Ripper in fiction|hundreds of works}}. {{w|Jack (given name)|"Jack"}} is one of the most-common given names for males in much of the Anglosphere, so it is understandable that Randall would need to disambiguate which Jack he is referring to. There are lots of things named Jack, as it is a popular name (''the'' most popular name, in some countries and years), and so in this case it is quite reasonable to clarify which Jack it is that Randall has been reading so many books about.<br />
<br />
American actor {{w|Robin Williams}} played {{w|Popeye the Sailor}} in the 1980 musical-comedy film ''{{w|Popeye (film)|Popeye}}''. Popeye the Sailor is the best-known character named "Popeye", so it is a little unusual that Randall would have to clarify ''which'' Popeye he is referring to. Other Popeyes include {{w|Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle}} from ''{{w|The French Connection}}'' and the criminal {{w|Popeye (Faulkner character)|Popeye}} from {{w|William Faulkner|William Faulkner's}} novel ''{{w|Sanctuary (Faulkner novel)|Sanctuary}}''. Like "Sonic", there is a restaurant chain named "{{w|Popeyes}}", which is the second-largest fast-food chicken restaurant chain in the world (after KFC). The founder of Popeyes claimed he named the restaurant after the ''French Connection'' character, and not the sailor, but from 1971 to 2006, Popeyes did license the cartoon characters and used them in promotions.<br />
<br />
The title-text alters the pattern slightly by discussing the {{w|battle of Midway}} (i.e. the X '''of''' Y). This case has additional humor because Randall clarifies which battle he is talking about, but not which of the several movies depicting the battle (although he was most likely referring to the film released in November 2019, simply called {{w|Midway (2019 film)|''Midway''}}).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Cueball stands, holding his phone. Text message boxes are above him.]<br />
<br />
:Do you want to go see Sonic (the Hedgehog)?<br />
:Why are there so many books about Jack (the Ripper)?<br />
:I didn't know Robin Williams once played Popeye (the Sailor Man)<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
<br />
:My Hobby:<br />
:Whenever I mention anyone called "<Name> the <X>," I like to put "the <X>" in parentheses, like I added it as a clarification.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Fiction]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]</div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=890:_Etymology&diff=185444890: Etymology2020-01-03T18:33:48Z<p>172.69.34.160: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 890<br />
| date = April 25, 2011<br />
| title = Etymology<br />
| image = etymology.png<br />
| titletext = For some reason, my childhood suspension of disbelief had no problem with the fact that this ancient galaxy is full of humans, but was derailed by language. There's no Asia OR Europe there, so where'd they get all the Indo-European roots?<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic references one of the scenes from the sci-fi classic ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' set in {{w|Mos Eisley Cantina}} at the spaceport on {{w|Tatooine}}, a wretched hive of scum and villainy.<br />
<br />
In this scene {{w|Obi-Wan Kenobi}} (with the beard) and {{w|Luke Skywalker}} on the left are trying to get off the planet secretly and they enlist help from {{w|Han Solo}} and {{w|Chewbacca}}.<br />
<br />
Han Solo tells Luke he is captain of the famous ship the ''{{w|Millennium Falcon}}''. When Luke asks what that is, Han brags "It's the ship that made the {{w|Millennium_Falcon#Kessel_Run|Kessel Run}} in less than 12 {{w|parsecs}}!" But it turns out that what Luke asks about is what a {{w|falcon}} is.<br />
<br />
{{w|Etymology}} is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time. [[Randall]] wonders what Luke would say to Han if he had no idea what a falcon was.<br />
<br />
Normally in sci-fi aliens would have some familiarity with Earth and the things you can find on it, such as falcons. However, Star Wars takes place "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" where nobody knows Earth even exists, thus how could the Millennium Falcon be named after an animal they have no knowledge about? This could be an example of a translation convention made for the sake of the audience; presumably, fast birds of prey exist in the ''Star Wars'' universe, one of which is the namesake of Han Solo's ship, which is then artistically translated from Basic to English as "Falcon". Likewise with the parsec, which is a unit defined by the distance of a star from the Earth which experiences a '''par'''allax of one arc'''sec'''ond when viewed six months apart (i.e. it is the length of a triangle with a base of 1 AU and the opposite angle of 1 arcsec). A galaxy which is home to space-faring civilizations will have units of similar magnitudes, which are converted into parsecs for our convenience.<br />
<br />
In the Star Wars novelization, this joke is made in reference to a duck: [http://www.galaxyfaraway.com/gfa/2006/04/kenobi-and-the-extraterrestrial-duck/]<br />
<br />
<blockquote><br />
Kenobi: I understand you are quite a pilot yourself. Piloting and navigation aren’t hereditary, but a number of the things that can combine to make a good small-ship pilot are. Those you may have inherited. Still, even a duck has to be taught to swim.<br />
<br />
Luke: What’s a duck?<br />
<br />
Kenobi: Never mind.<br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
Having grown up on a desert world, Luke would have no idea of what a duck or any other kind of waterfowl is, while Obi-Wan Kenobi could have seen such creatures during his time as a Jedi. Perhaps Luke would have understood if Obi-Wan had used a desert bird as an analogy.<br />
<br />
In the title text, Randall muses over the fact that he as a child did not have any problems dispensing his disbelief in a distant galaxy full of humans, but was still derailed by the language. It would seem unlikely that another galaxy has creatures so similar to humans, while at the same time being filled with so many other types of creatures.<br />
<br />
The bit about {{w|Indo-European}} roots is another reference to etymology. English is a language descended from a language called Proto-Indo-European, or PIE (along with most languages in Europe, West and South Asia), thus many words in these languages can ultimately be traced back to PIE. Randall wonders how the vocabulary in Star Wars can also be traced back to PIE despite the lack of Europe or Asia in that universe.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Four people are sitting around a small round table in a room with large windows. The four are Obi-Wan Kenobi in a cloak and with beard, Luke Skywalker with black hair down his forehead and down his neck, Han Solo with shorter black hair and the hairy creature is Chewbacca. On the table is two cylinders, a white and a smaller black. Outside the window is two alien creatures walking by. Closest is a creature looking like a Rodian (like Greedo) and further back is a creature with two black horns on top of a regular Cueball like appearnce. They walk in a street outside with buildings behind.]<br />
:Han Solo: Han Solo. I'm captain of the ''Millennium Falcon''. <br />
<br />
:[Zoom in on Luke:]<br />
:Luke Skywalker: What's that?<br />
<br />
:[Zoom in on Han:]<br />
:Han: It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs!<br />
<br />
:[Zoom in on Luke:]<br />
:Luke: No, what's a falcon?<br />
<br />
:[Zoom in on a silent Han. Beat panel.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Wars]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]] <!-- Falcon --></div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1771:_It_Was_I&diff=1854431771: It Was I2020-01-03T18:31:10Z<p>172.69.34.160: /* Transcript */ copyedit</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1771<br />
| date = December 12, 2016<br />
| title = It Was I<br />
| image = it_was_i.png<br />
| titletext = It me, your father.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic starts with a scene from ''{{w|Return of the Jedi}}'', with Emperor {{w|Palpatine}}, {{w|Luke Skywalker}} (drawn as an xkcd character) and {{w|Darth Vader}}. The original scene in the movie had a tense mood as the hero faces the villains. The comic's version of the scene, however, descends into a silly debate of grammar rules.<br />
<br />
Initially Palpatine begins saying "It was I who..." in accordance with traditional {{w|linguistic prescriptivism|prescriptive}} English grammar. The verb "to be" is a {{w|Indo-European copula|copula}}, meaning that in a sentence of the form "A is B", both A ''and'' B are treated like the subject of the sentence. In most Indo-European languages, subjects use the {{w|nominative case}} (''I'', ''he'', ''she'', and ''we'') while objects use the {{w|accusative case}} (''me'', ''him'', ''her'', ''us''). This rule is still strong in languages like German, where speakers still use cases and therefore are familiar with how they work.<br />
<br />
The case system in English has almost died out, and only a few fossils of nominative case pronouns still remain. English's case system is so weak that most people have reduced the rule to "''I'' goes before a verb, ''me'' comes after a verb or preposition". This gives the correct result in sentences like "It saw me". By extension, speakers therefore often say "It was me" ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNgxyL5zEAk here's a famous example from Vince McMahon]) even though this is not true to the traditional rules. Luke thinks that there's nothing wrong with this modern sense. It's possible the intent was to portray a {{w|linguistic descriptivism|descriptivist}} approach to grammar. His words could also be said to be prescriptivist in a different way, as he is objecting to Palpatine's grammar for not being modern enough.<br />
<br />
Darth Vader counters by pointing out that regardless of the grammatical correctness of "It was I", it is a {{w|set phrase}} with a good archaic ring to it suitable for a dramatic revelation from an Emperor. Vader and the Emperor using English archaisms has canon basis in ''Star Wars'', with Vader asking "What is thy bidding, my master?" in ''The Empire Strikes Back''. Using the archaic form would be more consistent with the Emperor's speech pattern.<br />
<br />
Palpatine finally decides to take a third option, and uses "[http://www.papermag.com/it-me-you-and-everyone-we-know-a-look-at-the-webs-most-ambiguous-meme-1427655235.html it me]", a popular meme on Twitter in 2016. Darth Vader, out of embarrassment, begs him not to talk like that again.<br />
<br />
One of [[Randall]]'s themes is that grammar pedants apply rules to correct other people long after those rules have fallen out of actual usage. Luke is here being an anti-grammar-pedant, asking the Emperor to disapply the rule. See [[890: Etymology]] for another instance of Luke failing to notice semantics.<br />
<br />
Characters concentrating on the linguistics of other characters speech while they deliver dramatic revelations, or the overall situation being already critical, [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YouMakeMeSic is a classical joke]. But characters interrupted for grammatical remarks typically ignore it or just blame the interrupter for not focusing on the important subject. Here, Randall goes one step further by having the other characters join the grammatical argument instead.<br />
<br />
The title text runs with the joke in the final panel, applying the same meme to Darth Vader's iconic quote "No, I am your father." It could be said that such a phrasing robs the moment of all gravitas, but then again, Yoda managed to coin a phrase like "Do or do not; there is no try", and still be taken seriously.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Emperor Palpatine, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader in throne room]<br />
:Emperor: It was I who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the shield generator.<br />
:Luke: You mean "It was ''me''." You're following an archaic grammar rule.<br />
<br />
:[Zoomed in on Darth Vader, with the Emperor speaking off panel]<br />
:Emperor: It was ''me'' who allowed the-<br />
:Vader: No, my master, an archaic tone is appropriate here. The sentence sounds-<br />
<br />
:[Zoomed in on Luke Skywalker, with the Emperor speaking off panel]<br />
:Emperor: It was ''I'' who allowed-<br />
:Luke: Come on, the accusative case is fine. Nominative pronouns are-<br />
<br />
:[Zoomed in on the Emperor, with Darth Vader responding off panel]<br />
:Emperor: '''''It me'''''<br />
:Emperor: '''''I allowed it'''''<br />
:Vader: My master,<br />
:Vader: Please never say that again.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Wars]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]<br />
[[Category:Pedantic]]</div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2245:_Edible_Arrangements&diff=1851192245: Edible Arrangements2019-12-25T08:40:06Z<p>172.69.34.160: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2245<br />
| date = December 23, 2019<br />
| title = Edible Arrangements<br />
| image = edible_arrangements.png<br />
| titletext = Any arrangement is an edible arrangement if you're hungry enough.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Needs expansion, Requires an analysis of the rhyming used to come up with the alternatives to "Edible Arrangements"}}<br />
<br />
{{w|Edible Arrangements}} is a company that sells fruit, and other edible items that have been cut and arranged to look like flower bouquets. They can be ordered and sent to a given recipient for a variety of purposes. Flower arrangements are typically not eaten.{{Citation needed}} <br />
<br />
In the first panel, [[Cueball]] seems to find the concept incongruous, and wonders how it came about. [[Megan]] points out the easy answer: picking out a gift for someone (this comic was released two days before Christmas) can be difficult, but a tasteful meal is always welcome so long as it's something the recipient can eat safely, and the visual appearance of an edible arrangement offers further appeal.<br />
<br />
Shortly afterwards, Megan uses the same incongruity of eating a floral arrangement to make puns. '''Vore of the Roses''' is a play on the '''War of the Roses''', either the {{w|Wars of the Roses|English civil war}} or the 1989 [[imdb:tt0098621|movie]] of the same name. 'Vore' is a word part referring to eating, as in carnivore (meat eater), herbivore (plant eater), voracious (hungry or eating a lot), etc. The pun is particularly disturbing to Cueball because of the connection to {{w|Vorarephilia}}, which uses the term vore to refer to the sexual ingestion of another human.<br />
<br />
Cueball is disturbed by the thought (or perhaps disturbed that Megan would anthropomorphize her food so) and probably in pain because of the bad pun and says he will cancel the edible arrangement that he had bought for Megan. She tries to convince him otherwise by providing alternative names, which are evidently not any more to his liking. Mouth Blossoms, Juicy Bouquet, and Oral Floral are all combinations referencing the eating of a floral arrangement. In theory, these combinations could be good names for a band, or possibly a tumblr blog. (https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1025:_Tumblr)<br />
<br />
The title text also makes reference to the fact that many flowers that are often found in floral arrangements, such as roses, violets, tulips, daisies, lavender and many more, are items that a human can eat. Such flowers are safe to consume but usually unappetizing; Randall makes the point that if a person is sufficiently hungry and thus doesn't care how appetizing their meal is, any floral arrangement can be eaten.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and Megan are sitting on opposite sides of a leafless tree. They are silhouetted.]<br />
:Cueball: I don't get how Edible Arrangements is a thing.<br />
<br />
:[Zoomed in on Cueball and Megan leaning against the tree]<br />
:Megan: That's easy &mdash; picking out presents is hard and fruit is delicious.<br />
:Cueball: Yeah, true.<br />
<br />
:[Megan gestures with an open hand]<br />
:Megan: But my question is, why did they call it "Edible Arrangements" and not "Vore of the Roses"?<br />
<br />
:[Pan to just Megan. Megan turns to face Cueball]<br />
:Cueball: Just for that, I'm going to cancel the one I got you.<br />
:Megan: Nooo! I want my Mouth Blossoms! <br />
:Megan: My Juicy Bouquet! My Oral Floral! <br />
:Megan: Hey, come back!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category: Food]]</div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2243:_Star_Wars_Spoiler_Generator&diff=1848862243: Star Wars Spoiler Generator2019-12-19T02:55:45Z<p>172.69.34.160: /* Table */ ce link</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2243<br />
| date = December 18, 2019<br />
| title = Star Wars Spoiler Generator<br />
| image = star wars spoiler generator.png<br />
| titletext = The heroes seem to be gaining the upper hand until Darth Juul manages to flip the switch on the car wash control panel from 'REGULAR' to 'PREMIUM.'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by DARTH KYLE}}<br />
On December 20, 2019 (2 days after the publication of this comic), the final movie of the "Skywalker saga" of ''Star Wars'' films, ''{{w|Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker}}'', will be released. It received a world premiere in Los Angeles on December 16, so there are lots of spoilers online, and also lots of people who want to avoid spoilers. Randall has created a flowchart that generates "spoilers" to the film, but as Randall probably has not seen the film (or, if he has, he doesn't actually want to spoil us), all of the so-called spoilers are nonsensical.<br />
<br />
The formula for each spoiler is as follows: "In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain '''[villain name]''' with help from their new friend '''[friend name]'''. Rey builds a new lightsaber with a '''[color]''' blade, and they head out to confront the First Order's new superweapon, the '''[superweapon name]''', a space station capable of '''[evil plan]'''. They unexpectedly join forces with their old enemy '''[character]''' and destroy the superweapon in a battle featuring '''[strange event]'''. P.S. Rey's parents are '''[character]''' and '''[character]'''".<br />
<br />
The {{w|First Order (Star Wars)|First Order}} is the main antagonist group in the ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy series. In ''{{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}}'', they use a superweapon in their base, Starkiller Base, to destroy the planetary system housing the headquarters of the New Republic, the democratic government which was formed after the Empire's defeat in ''{{w|Return of the Jedi}}''. <br />
<br />
"Building a {{w|lightsaber}}" is one of the rites of passage for becoming a Jedi Knight. In the prequel trilogy, new Jedi build lightsabers as an official part of the journey towards Knighthood, and in the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker builds a lightsaber between ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi'' as part of his training with Yoda. Rey has used the lightsaber that Anakin Skywalker made and used (which Luke also used when he was a new Jedi) for the first two movies of the sequel trilogy, and so it would be thematically appropriate for her to build her own prior to the trilogy's final entry. Most Jedi's lightsabers are either blue or green, with a few notable exceptions (e.g. Mace Windu's purple lightsaber signifies his incredible combat prowess). Kyber crystals are aligned with the Light Side of the Force, so Sith must overpower and "bleed" their crystals before they will function for them, which causes their distinctive red color. Having a lightsaber of a color other than blue, green, or red is often seen in the ''Star Wars'' fandom as a sign of being a "Mary Sue", which is an accusation which has been made of Rey.<br />
<br />
Another common plot point in ''Star Wars'' media is the construction, use, and destruction of a superweapon. These are inspired by stories and media of World War II, in which militaries sought to find, attack, and destroy critical elements of their enemies' resources and infrastructure, and meanwhile would construct elaborate defenses for themselves. The attack on the Death Star in particular is inspired by {{w|Operation Chastise}}, the "bouncing bomb" attack on Germany's hydroelectric power plants; Operation Chastise was dramatised in the 1951 book and 1955 film ''The Dam Busters'', which was [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNdb03Hw18M very thoroughly homaged] by ''A New Hope''. The original trilogy of movies only had two Death Stars, but superweapons quickly became a staple of the Expanded Universe fiction, to the point that one book had Han Solo make fun of the Empire's tendency towards building superweapons, proposing such ridiculous names as "Galaxy Destructor" and "Nostril of Palpatine".<br />
<br />
Redemption and making allies of old enemies is also a common plot point in ''Star Wars''. Anakin Skywalker fell to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader, but eventually returned to the Light Side to protect his son, and Han Solo was initially a morally ambiguous character who was eventually convinced to join the Rebellion.<br />
<br />
{{w|Rey (Star Wars)|Rey}}, one of the main characters in the sequel trilogy series is an orphan, who was left behind on the planet Jakku as a child. As Rey is Force-sensitive and adept at using a lightsaber, there is much speculation among Star Wars fans as to the identity of her parents. Many major characters in ''Star Wars'' have unexpected heritages of great portent, most famously Luke, who was very distressed to learn that Darth Vader did not ''kill'' his father, as Obi-Wan had told him, but ''is'' his father. In ''{{w|Star Wars: The Last Jedi}}'', villain Kylo Ren tells her that she is the child of "filthy junk traders", but many fans speculate that he was lying to her.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the bottom option of the [strange event in battle] section. Apparently Lord Juul (or Darth Juul) is fighting the heroes in the Sith car wash. It is unclear what "flipping the switch" from Regular to Premium would do, but it seems to be beneficial to Darth Juul. A "premium" car wash usually has more features than a regular car wash, e.g. more cleaning brushes, waxing the car, cleaning the tires, etc.<br />
<br />
This is the second false fact generating comic, after [[1930: Calendar Facts]].<br />
<br />
==Table==<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! Entry<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | New villain<br />
|-<br />
| Kyle Ren<br />
|Kyle Ren is one letter away from {{w|Kylo Ren|''Kylo'' Ren}}, the adopted "Sith name" of Ben Solo, son of Han and Leia Solo. Kylo is one of the antagonists of the first two movies in the sequel trilogy, and presumably will be so in the third, but there's nobody in the films named "Kyle". (There are a handful of ''Legends'' characters named Kyle, most famously Kyle Katarn, protagonist of the ''Star Wars: Jedi Knight'' video game series.)<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Malloc}}<br />
| Malloc is a function used in the C programming language to allocate more memory in the running of a program. Malloc may sound similar to {{w|Darth Malak|Malak}}, the antagonist of the ''{{w|Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic}}'' video game.<br />
|-<br />
|Darth Sebelius<br />
| {{w|Sebelius}} is the last name of several US people. {{w|Kathleen Sebelius}} is a former state representative and governor of Kansas who was Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services under President Obama. Randall may have chosen this surname as it sounds similar to {{w|Darth Sidious}}, the overarching villain in the first 6 Star Wars films, who is rumored to return in the upcoming film.<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Theranos}}<br />
|Theranos was a medical technology company founded by {{w|Elizabeth Holmes}} which claimed to have developed revolutionary blood tests that could produce more data from limited volumes of blood than ever before. They were eventually found to have engaged in fraudulent activity, having tricked investors into thinking their technology was performing better than it actually was or ever could, which resulted in fines for Holmes and Theranos president {{w|Ramesh Balwani}} and the bankruptcy of Theranos. Theranos also sounds similar to {{w|Thanos}}, the main villain of the Infinity Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.<br />
|-<br />
|Lord Juul<br />
|{{w|Juul}} is a brand of e-cigarettes. In addition to the broader controversy surrounding electronic cigarettes, Juul has been investigated for its sale of flavored additives for their cigarettes, which are alleged to be particularly attractive to minors.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | New friend<br />
|-<br />
| Kim Spacemeasurer<br />
| May be a parody of the name {{w|Luke Skywalker}}, one of the main characters in the original trilogy of films. Other "Nounverber" names in ''Star Wars'' include Starkiller, Luke's original last name which was later applied to Starkiller Base in ''The Force Awakens'', and Biggs Darklighter, Luke's childhood friend and fellow Rebel pilot who died in the attack on the original Death Star.<br />
|-<br />
|Teen Yoda<br />
|{{w|The Child (Star Wars character)|The Child}}, commonly called "Baby Yoda" by fans and the media, is a breakout character from the Disney+ series ''{{w|The Mandalorian}}''. Randall envisions a "teenage" version of this character teaming up with the main characters.<br />
|-<br />
|Dab Tweetdeck<br />
| A {{w|Dab (dance)|dab}} is a dance move which is many decades old but was made popular by that name in the late 2010's. {{w|TweetDeck}} is an application for managing Twitter accounts. Taken together, "Dab Tweetdeck" could be a character name proposed by clueless Disney executives to attract "the kids" to see ''The Rise of Skywalker'', although one would think that this name would be heavily promoted and thus not a spoiler in that case.<br />
|-<br />
| Yaz Progestin<br />
| Yaz sounds like the first name of {{w|Maz Kanata}}, a supporting protagonist in the sequel trilogy. {{w|Progestin}} is a type of medication which imitates the effects of {{w|progesterone}}, a female sex hormone. They are used for various purposes, including birth control, fertility, and appetite stimulation.<br />
|-<br />
| TI-83<br />
| Droids in the Star Wars universe typically have names with letters and numbers, such as R2-D2, C-3PO, BB-8, etc. Randall has created a new character called "TI-83". In real life, the {{w|TI-83}} is a common model of graphing calculator manufactured by Texas Instruments. This mirrors the origin of the name "R2-D2", which was inspired when Lucas was working on ''{{w|American Graffiti}}'' and was asked for Reel 2, Dialog Track 2, which was abbreviated "R-2-D-2". He remarked that it would be a "great name" and included it in his then-in-development script for ''Star Wars''.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Lightsaber colors<br />
|-<br />
| [beige/ochre/mauve/aquamarine/taupe]<br />
| These are different colors, none of which is a "traditional" color for a lightsaber. {{w|Beige}} is a pale-grayish yellow. {{w|Ochre}} is a clay earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brown. {{w|Mauve}} is a pale purple color. A purple color has been used for a lightsaber in the prequel trilogy series, by Jedi Master {{w|Mace Windu}}. {{w|Aquamarine (color)|Aquamarine}} is a blueish green color. {{w|Taupe}} is a dark brown color between brown and gray.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Superweapon names<br />
|-<br />
|Sun Obliterator<br />
| There was an Expanded Universe superweapon called the "Sun Crusher", which would infiltrate a star system and shoot a special torpedo into the star to make it go supernova.<br />
|-<br />
|Moonsquisher<br />
| There were no ''Star Wars'' superweapons with the word "Moon" in their title (or "squisher"), but in the no-longer-canon ''New Jedi Order'' series, Chewbacca was squished ''by'' a moon that was intentionally de-orbited by invading Yuuzhan Vong.<br />
|-<br />
|World Eater<br />
| Possibly a reference to {{w|Alduin}}, the main villain of the popular game {{w|The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim}}. In the Expanded Universe, the Empire used World Devastators, massive machines that would strip-mine planets with tractor beams and make weapons and spacecraft from the extracted resources.<br />
|-<br />
|Planet Zester<br />
| A {{w|zester}} is a cooking tool for zesting citrus fruit, that is, scraping off the outer layer of a citrus fruit to obtain the flavorful outer layer of its skin. Zesting a planet would be devastating to anything built or living on its surface.<br />
|-<br />
|Superconducting supercollider<br />
| A {{w|supercollider}}, or particle accelerator, is a machine used to accelerate charged particles to very high speeds, for testing in particle physics. The {{w|Superconducting Super Collider}} was a proposed accelerator which was to be constructed in Texas, but was cancelled partway through construction.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Station capabilities<br />
|-<br />
|blowing up a planet with a bunch of beams of energy that combine into one<br />
|This is how the {{w|Death Star}} was depicted in ''{{w|Star Wars: A New Hope}}''. Many beams converged together to form one energy beam. The superweapon was used to destroy the planet Alderaan, as an intimidation tactic against Princess Leia.<br />
|-<br />
|blowing up a bunch of planets with one beam of energy that splits into many<br />
|This is how the superweapon on Starkiller Base was depicted in ''{{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}}''. A single energy beam split into several beams, allowing it to attack many planets. The superweapon was used to destroy the planets in the Hosnian system, the headquarters of the New Republic.<br />
|-<br />
|cutting a planet in half and smashing the halves together like two cymbals<br />
|Jango Fett's "seismic charge" weapon, which he used in a dogfight against Obi-Wan Kenobi in ''Attack of the Clones'', produced a plane wave that cut asteroids in half; presumably a larger weapon of this kind could do the same to a planet.<br />
|-<br />
|increasing the CO<sub>2</sub> levels in a planet's atmosphere, causing rapid heating<br />
|This seems to have occurred on the planet {{w|Venus}}. Venus is 97% carbon dioxide, and is also the hottest planet in the Solar System, due to a greenhouse effect, preventing the planet from cooling.<br />
|-<br />
|triggering the end credits before the movie is done<br />
|The {{w|closing credits}} or end credits of a film is the list of cast and crew who were involved in the making of the film. It would be quite strange to show the end credits of the film before it has concluded, although it is one of the [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CreditsGag types of credits gag] used in other media. This entry is considerably less damaging to a planet{{Citation needed}} than the other 4 entries in this section, but if early audiences are left unsatisfied by the movie, they might tell everyone else not to see it, which would put the ''Star Wars'' franchise in a perilous financial situation. This would negatively impact the villains as well as the heroes, but they might consider this a worthwhile trade if it is their best option at harming the heroes. <br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Old enemy/new friend<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Boba Fett}}<br />
| Boba Fett is a famous bounty hunter introduced in the ''{{w|Star Wars Holiday Special}}'' and made popular by ''{{w|The Empire Strikes Back}}''. On the Empire's orders, he helped capture Han Solo as part of a plot to capture Luke Skywalker. He later tried to prevent Luke from rescuing Han, but was knocked into a sarlacc pit, where he was presumed eaten. In the Expanded Universe, he survived and did eventually join the protagonists against extragalactic invaders; his survival has not been confirmed by Disney's new canon, but he would be a plausible character to bring back in ''The Rise of Skywalker''. A Mandalorian (not Boba Fett, but a bounty hunter from the same planet) is featured in the new Disney+ series, ''The Mandalorian''.<br />
|-<br />
|[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Salacious_B._Crumb Salacious Crumb]<br />
| Salacious B. Crumb is a Kowakian monkey-lizard who was Jabba the Hutt's jester. He wasn't exactly a major adversary, but he did pull one of C-3PO's eyes out. He was last seen on Jabba the Hutt's sail barge, which was made to explode after Han, Luke, and the rest of the heroes escaped from it, and is presumed dead.<br />
|-<br />
|[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Exogorth The Space Slug]<br />
| In ''The Empire Strikes Back'', Han Solo pilots the Millennium Falcon into a giant cave to evade pursuit and get time to effect repairs. He is interrupted when the cave turns out to be the mouth of a giant space slug, which the Falcon barely escapes. A giant space slug might be a powerful ally in a battle against a giant space station.<br />
|-<br />
|The bottom half of {{w|Darth Maul}}<br />
| Darth Maul was cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi at the end of ''The Phantom Menace''. His "upper half", attached to mechanical legs, has returned as a villain in the ''Clone Wars'' TV series and ''{{w|Solo: A Star Wars Story|Solo}}''. Given that Maul was a Sith and Kenobi a Jedi, who trained Luke, who trained Rey, it would be extremely unexpected for his "bottom half" to join forces with the heroes, although presumably his bottom half would have to be attached to something, which might be better disposed towards Jedi.<br />
|-<br />
|YouTube commenters<br />
| The sequel trilogy has received more mixed reviews from watchers than Disney might like, and many vocal non-fans have taken to commenting on YouTube (via videos and comments) on what they don't like about the new movies and new characters. If ''The Rise of Skywalker'' fully wins the crowd, an alliance between the heroes and their former critics would be extremely powerful.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Battle feature<br />
|-<br />
|a bow that shoots little lightsaber-headed arrows<br />
|May be a reference to the [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Bowcaster bowcaster], a laser crossbow weapon used by the Wookie {{w|Chewbacca}}. It is unclear if the lightsaber-headed arrows are actually lightsabers in itself, as that would seem difficult to produce.<br />
|-<br />
|X-Wings and TIE fighters dodging the giant letters of the opening crawl<br />
| The {{w|Star Wars opening crawl|"opening crawl"}} is a signature motif used in all the main Star Wars films, to explain the backstory and context of each film. {{w|X-Wing}}s and {{w|TIE fighter}}s are fighter-type spaceships used by the Rebels (and Resistance later on) and the Empire (and First Order), respectively. A dogfight scene during the opening crawl would involve {{w|Fourth wall|breaking the fourth wall}}, as the opening crawl is not presumed to be part of the universe of the films.<br />
|-<br />
|a Sith educational display that uses Force lightning to demonstrate the dielectric breakdown of air<br />
|[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Force_lightning Force lightning] is a power that Force users can use to generate electric energy from the user's hands. It was first used in ''Return of the Jedi'' by Emperor Palpatine (Darth Sidious) when Luke Skywalker refuses to give in to the dark side of the Force. Palpatine attempts to kill Luke with Force lightning, but Darth Vader saves Luke by throwing Palpatine down a reactor chute. Palpatine also used Force Lightning on Mace Windu and Yoda during their battles at the end of ''Revenge of the Sith''. None of these uses of Sith lightning were intended to be educational on the nature of {{w|lightning}}, although they could have been very educational on the pain, cruelty, and "unlimited power!" offered by the Dark Side of the Force.<br />
|-<br />
|Kylo Ren putting on another helmet over his smaller one<br />
|Kylo Ren is famous for wearing his helmet in ''The Force Awakens'', which he styled after Darth Vader's helmet. Putting on another helmet over it would require a comically large helmet that might be compared to Dark Helmet, a character from the parody film ''{{w|Spaceballs}}'' who parodies Darth Vader.<br />
|-<br />
|a Sith car wash where the bristles on the brushes are little lightsabers<br />
| While an unexpected car wash finale scene seems unlikely, it is not without precedent in cinema; ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolescence_of_Utena Adolescence of Utena]'' featured the title character unexpectedly entering a car wash and transforming into a car (followed by a segue into a car race sequence). <br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Rey's parent #1<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Luke Skywalker|Luke}} <br />
| Luke Skywalker is the main character of the original Star Wars films. Of all of the characters presented here, he is the one with the greatest likelihood of being Rey's father. When Maz gave Rey Luke's lightsaber, she said "[t]hat lightsaber was Luke's, and his father's before him, and now, it calls to you." Luke does not seem to recognize Rey as his child (or as anybody in particular), but Darth Vader did not recognize Luke or Leia as his children -- and indeed did not know that he had any living children -- until they were grown. However, unlike Anakin Skywalker, or the Luke Skywalker from the pre-Disney Expanded Universe, no canon materials have presented anyone with whom Luke has fallen in love or fathered a child.<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Princess Leia|Leia}} and {{w|Han Solo|Han}}<br />
|Princess Leia and Han Solo are the other main characters of the original Star Wars films. It is unlikely that Leia or Han are Rey's parents as they did not seem to recognize Rey in any of the sequel trilogy films, nor is there any indication that they have had more than one child (Ben Solo, AKA Kylo Ren).<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Obi-Wan Kenobi|Obi-Wan}}<br />
|Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the main characters in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. He, along with Qui-Gon Jinn, discovered Anakin Skywalker, who later became Darth Vader. Kenobi dies at the end of ''Star Wars: A New Hope'', sacrificing himself to allow Luke, Leia, and Han to escape the Death Star. Marriage and parenthood were forbidden by the Jedi Order, and Obi-Wan generally adhered to the Order's rules more closely than Anakin did; Obi-Wan did feel some mutual romantic attraction with Duchess Satine of Mandalore, but they both chose to remain in their respective organizations rather than pursue a relationship.<br />
|-<br />
|a random junk trader<br />
|This is who Kylo Ren claims that Rey is descended from: worthless, random junk traders.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Rey's parent #2<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Poe Dameron|Poe}}<br />
|Poe Dameron is one of the main characters of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. He is a pilot in the Resistance. He appears to be of a similar age to Rey, and thus is most likely not her father.<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|BB-8}}<br />
|BB-8 is an astromech droid owned by Poe Dameron. It is unlikely that Rey is descended from a (non-living) droid.<br />
|-<br />
|[ {{w|Amilyn Holdo}} /Laura Dern]<br />
|Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, portrayed by Laura Dern, was a leader in the Resistance. She dies at the end of ''The Last Jedi'', sacrificing herself by jumping to light speed straight into the First Order's pursuing starship. Randall presents both Admiral Holdo, the character, and Laura Dern, the actress, as separate options for Rey's mother, but the former is not supported by any story material and the latter is impossible (Dern is alive here and now, not "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away").<br />
|-<br />
|a random junk trader<br />
| (see above)<br />
|-<br />
|that one droid from the Jawa Sandcrawler that says ''Gonk''<br />
|This is [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/GNK_power_droid a droid] from ''Star Wars: A New Hope'' that says "Gonk". As in the BB-8 entry, it is unlikely that Rey is descended from a droid.<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
:<big>Star Wars Spoiler Generator</big><br />
<br />
:[Shown below is a branching flowchart of sorts that begins at the phrase "In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain...", then flows through various paths to build up a story.]<br />
<br />
:In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain...<br />
::Kyle Ren<br />
::Malloc<br />
::Darth Sebelius<br />
::Theranos<br />
::Lord Juul<br />
<br />
:...with help from their new friend...<br />
::Kim Spacemeasurer<br />
::Teen Yoda<br />
::Dab Tweetdeck<br />
::Yaz Progestin<br />
::TI-83<br />
<br />
:Rey builds a new lightsaber with a...<br />
::beige<br />
::ochre<br />
::mauve<br />
::aquamarine<br />
::taupe<br />
<br />
:...blade, and they head out to confront the First Order's new superweapon, the...<br />
::Sun Obliterator<br />
::Moonsquisher<br />
::World Eater<br />
::Planet Zester<br />
::Superconducting Supercollider<br />
<br />
:...a space station capable of...<br />
::blowing up a planet with a bunch of beams of energy that combine into one<br />
::blowing up a bunch of planets with one beam of energy that splits into many<br />
::cutting a planet in half and smashing the halves together like two cymbals<br />
::increasing the CO<sub>2</sub> levels in a planet's atmosphere, causing rapid heating<br />
::triggering the end credits before the movie is done<br />
<br />
:They unexpectedly join forces with their old enemy...<br />
::Boba Fett<br />
::Salacious Crumb<br />
::The Space Slug<br />
::the bottom half of Darth Maul<br />
::Youtube commenters<br />
<br />
:...and destroy the superweapon in a battle featuring<br />
::a bow that shoots little lightsaber-headed arrows<br />
::X-Wings and TIE fighters dodging the giant letters of the opening crawl<br />
::a Sith educational display that uses Force Lightning to demonstrate the dielectric breakdown of air<br />
::Kylo Ren putting on another helmet over his smaller one<br />
::a Sith car wash where the bristles on the brushes are little lightsabers<br />
<br />
:P.S. Rey's parents are...<br />
::Luke<br />
::Leia<br />
::Han<br />
::Obi-Wan<br />
::a random junk trader<br />
<br />
:...and...<br />
::Poe<br />
::BB-8<br />
::Amilyn Holdo<br />
::Laura Dern<br />
::a random junk trader<br />
::that one droid from the Jawa Sandcrawler that says ''Gonk''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Star Wars]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] <!-- Laura Dern --><br />
[[Category:Programming]] <!-- malloc --></div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2243:_Star_Wars_Spoiler_Generator&diff=1848852243: Star Wars Spoiler Generator2019-12-19T02:54:53Z<p>172.69.34.160: /* Table */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2243<br />
| date = December 18, 2019<br />
| title = Star Wars Spoiler Generator<br />
| image = star wars spoiler generator.png<br />
| titletext = The heroes seem to be gaining the upper hand until Darth Juul manages to flip the switch on the car wash control panel from 'REGULAR' to 'PREMIUM.'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by DARTH KYLE}}<br />
On December 20, 2019 (2 days after the publication of this comic), the final movie of the "Skywalker saga" of ''Star Wars'' films, ''{{w|Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker}}'', will be released. It received a world premiere in Los Angeles on December 16, so there are lots of spoilers online, and also lots of people who want to avoid spoilers. Randall has created a flowchart that generates "spoilers" to the film, but as Randall probably has not seen the film (or, if he has, he doesn't actually want to spoil us), all of the so-called spoilers are nonsensical.<br />
<br />
The formula for each spoiler is as follows: "In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain '''[villain name]''' with help from their new friend '''[friend name]'''. Rey builds a new lightsaber with a '''[color]''' blade, and they head out to confront the First Order's new superweapon, the '''[superweapon name]''', a space station capable of '''[evil plan]'''. They unexpectedly join forces with their old enemy '''[character]''' and destroy the superweapon in a battle featuring '''[strange event]'''. P.S. Rey's parents are '''[character]''' and '''[character]'''".<br />
<br />
The {{w|First Order (Star Wars)|First Order}} is the main antagonist group in the ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy series. In ''{{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}}'', they use a superweapon in their base, Starkiller Base, to destroy the planetary system housing the headquarters of the New Republic, the democratic government which was formed after the Empire's defeat in ''{{w|Return of the Jedi}}''. <br />
<br />
"Building a {{w|lightsaber}}" is one of the rites of passage for becoming a Jedi Knight. In the prequel trilogy, new Jedi build lightsabers as an official part of the journey towards Knighthood, and in the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker builds a lightsaber between ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi'' as part of his training with Yoda. Rey has used the lightsaber that Anakin Skywalker made and used (which Luke also used when he was a new Jedi) for the first two movies of the sequel trilogy, and so it would be thematically appropriate for her to build her own prior to the trilogy's final entry. Most Jedi's lightsabers are either blue or green, with a few notable exceptions (e.g. Mace Windu's purple lightsaber signifies his incredible combat prowess). Kyber crystals are aligned with the Light Side of the Force, so Sith must overpower and "bleed" their crystals before they will function for them, which causes their distinctive red color. Having a lightsaber of a color other than blue, green, or red is often seen in the ''Star Wars'' fandom as a sign of being a "Mary Sue", which is an accusation which has been made of Rey.<br />
<br />
Another common plot point in ''Star Wars'' media is the construction, use, and destruction of a superweapon. These are inspired by stories and media of World War II, in which militaries sought to find, attack, and destroy critical elements of their enemies' resources and infrastructure, and meanwhile would construct elaborate defenses for themselves. The attack on the Death Star in particular is inspired by {{w|Operation Chastise}}, the "bouncing bomb" attack on Germany's hydroelectric power plants; Operation Chastise was dramatised in the 1951 book and 1955 film ''The Dam Busters'', which was [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNdb03Hw18M very thoroughly homaged] by ''A New Hope''. The original trilogy of movies only had two Death Stars, but superweapons quickly became a staple of the Expanded Universe fiction, to the point that one book had Han Solo make fun of the Empire's tendency towards building superweapons, proposing such ridiculous names as "Galaxy Destructor" and "Nostril of Palpatine".<br />
<br />
Redemption and making allies of old enemies is also a common plot point in ''Star Wars''. Anakin Skywalker fell to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader, but eventually returned to the Light Side to protect his son, and Han Solo was initially a morally ambiguous character who was eventually convinced to join the Rebellion.<br />
<br />
{{w|Rey (Star Wars)|Rey}}, one of the main characters in the sequel trilogy series is an orphan, who was left behind on the planet Jakku as a child. As Rey is Force-sensitive and adept at using a lightsaber, there is much speculation among Star Wars fans as to the identity of her parents. Many major characters in ''Star Wars'' have unexpected heritages of great portent, most famously Luke, who was very distressed to learn that Darth Vader did not ''kill'' his father, as Obi-Wan had told him, but ''is'' his father. In ''{{w|Star Wars: The Last Jedi}}'', villain Kylo Ren tells her that she is the child of "filthy junk traders", but many fans speculate that he was lying to her.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the bottom option of the [strange event in battle] section. Apparently Lord Juul (or Darth Juul) is fighting the heroes in the Sith car wash. It is unclear what "flipping the switch" from Regular to Premium would do, but it seems to be beneficial to Darth Juul. A "premium" car wash usually has more features than a regular car wash, e.g. more cleaning brushes, waxing the car, cleaning the tires, etc.<br />
<br />
This is the second false fact generating comic, after [[1930: Calendar Facts]].<br />
<br />
==Table==<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! Entry<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | New villain<br />
|-<br />
| Kyle Ren<br />
|Kyle Ren is one letter away from {{w|Kylo Ren|''Kylo'' Ren}}, the adopted "Sith name" of Ben Solo, son of Han and Leia Solo. Kylo is one of the antagonists of the first two movies in the sequel trilogy, and presumably will be so in the third, but there's nobody in the films named "Kyle". (There are a handful of ''Legends'' characters named Kyle, most famously Kyle Katarn, protagonist of the ''Star Wars: Jedi Knight'' video game series.)<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Malloc}}<br />
| Malloc is a function used in the C programming language to allocate more memory in the running of a program. Malloc may sound similar to {{w|Darth Malak|Malak}}, the antagonist of the ''{{w|Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic}}'' video game.<br />
|-<br />
|Darth Sebelius<br />
| {{w|Sebelius}} is the last name of several US people. {{w|Kathleen Sebelius}} is a former state representative and governor of Kansas who was Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services under President Obama. Randall may have chosen this surname as it sounds similar to {{w|Darth Sidious}}, the overarching villain in the first 6 Star Wars films, who is rumored to return in the upcoming film.<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Theranos}}<br />
|Theranos was a medical technology company founded by {{w|Elizabeth Holmes}} which claimed to have developed revolutionary blood tests that could produce more data from limited volumes of blood than ever before. They were eventually found to have engaged in fraudulent activity, having tricked investors into thinking their technology was performing better than it actually was or ever could, which resulted in fines for Holmes and Theranos president {{w|Ramesh Balwani}} and the bankruptcy of Theranos. Theranos also sounds similar to {{w|Thanos}}, the main villain of the Infinity Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.<br />
|-<br />
|Lord Juul<br />
|{{w|Juul}} is a brand of e-cigarettes. In addition to the broader controversy surrounding electronic cigarettes, Juul has been investigated for its sale of flavored additives for their cigarettes, which are alleged to be particularly attractive to minors.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | New friend<br />
|-<br />
| Kim Spacemeasurer<br />
| May be a parody of the name {{w|Luke Skywalker}}, one of the main characters in the original trilogy of films. Other "Nounverber" names in ''Star Wars'' include Starkiller, Luke's original last name which was later applied to Starkiller Base in ''The Force Awakens'', and Biggs Darklighter, Luke's childhood friend and fellow Rebel pilot who died in the attack on the original Death Star.<br />
|-<br />
|Teen Yoda<br />
|{{w|The Child (Star Wars character)|The Child}}, commonly called "Baby Yoda" by fans and the media, is a breakout character from the Disney+ series ''{{w|The Mandalorian}}''. Randall envisions a "teenage" version of this character teaming up with the main characters.<br />
|-<br />
|Dab Tweetdeck<br />
| A {{w|Dab (dance)|dab}} is a dance move which is many decades old but was made popular by that name in the late 2010's. {{w|TweetDeck}} is an application for managing Twitter accounts. Taken together, "Dab Tweetdeck" could be a character name proposed by clueless Disney executives to attract "the kids" to see ''The Rise of Skywalker'', although one would think that this name would be heavily promoted and thus not a spoiler in that case.<br />
|-<br />
| Yaz Progestin<br />
| Yaz sounds like the first name of {{w|Maz Kanata}}, a supporting protagonist in the sequel trilogy. {{w|Progestin}} is a type of medication which imitates the effects of {{w|progesterone}}, a female sex hormone. They are used for various purposes, including birth control, fertility, and appetite stimulation.<br />
|-<br />
| TI-83<br />
| Droids in the Star Wars universe typically have names with letters and numbers, such as R2-D2, C-3PO, BB-8, etc. Randall has created a new character called "TI-83". In real life, the {{w|TI-83}} is a common model of graphing calculator manufactured by Texas Instruments. This mirrors the origin of the name "R2-D2", which was inspired when Lucas was working on ''{{w|American Graffiti}}'' and was asked for Reel 2, Dialog Track 2, which was abbreviated "R-2-D-2". He remarked that it would be a "great name" and included it in his then-in-development script for ''Star Wars''.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Lightsaber colors<br />
|-<br />
| [beige/ochre/mauve/aquamarine/taupe]<br />
| These are different colors, none of which is a "traditional" color for a lightsaber. {{w|Beige}} is a pale-grayish yellow. {{w|Ochre}} is a clay earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brown. {{w|Mauve}} is a pale purple color. A purple color has been used for a lightsaber in the prequel trilogy series, by Jedi Master {{w|Mace Windu}}. {{w|Aquamarine (color)|Aquamarine}} is a blueish green color. {{w|Taupe}} is a dark brown color between brown and gray.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Superweapon names<br />
|-<br />
|Sun Obliterator<br />
| There was an Expanded Universe superweapon called the "Sun Crusher", which would infiltrate a star system and shoot a special torpedo into the star to make it go supernova.<br />
|-<br />
|Moonsquisher<br />
| There were no ''Star Wars'' superweapons with the word "Moon" in their title (or "squisher"), but in the no-longer-canon ''New Jedi Order'' series, Chewbacca was squished ''by'' a moon that was intentionally de-orbited by invading Yuuzhan Vong.<br />
|-<br />
|World Eater<br />
| Possibly a reference to {{w|Alduin}}, the main villain of the popular game {{w|The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim}}. In the Expanded Universe, the Empire used World Devastators, massive machines that would strip-mine planets with tractor beams and make weapons and spacecraft from the extracted resources.<br />
|-<br />
|Planet Zester<br />
| A {{w|zester}} is a cooking tool for zesting citrus fruit, that is, scraping off the outer layer of a citrus fruit to obtain the flavorful outer layer of its skin. Zesting a planet would be devastating to anything built or living on its surface.<br />
|-<br />
|Superconducting supercollider<br />
| A {{w|supercollider}}, or particle accelerator, is a machine used to accelerate charged particles to very high speeds, for testing in particle physics. The {{w|Superconducting Super Collider}} was a proposed accelerator which was to be constructed in Texas, but was cancelled partway through construction.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Station capabilities<br />
|-<br />
|blowing up a planet with a bunch of beams of energy that combine into one<br />
|This is how the {{w|Death Star}} was depicted in ''{{w|Star Wars: A New Hope}}''. Many beams converged together to form one energy beam. The superweapon was used to destroy the planet Alderaan, as an intimidation tactic against Princess Leia.<br />
|-<br />
|blowing up a bunch of planets with one beam of energy that splits into many<br />
|This is how the superweapon on Starkiller Base was depicted in ''{{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}}''. A single energy beam split into several beams, allowing it to attack many planets. The superweapon was used to destroy the planets in the Hosnian system, the headquarters of the New Republic.<br />
|-<br />
|cutting a planet in half and smashing the halves together like two cymbals<br />
|Jango Fett's "seismic charge" weapon, which he used in a dogfight against Obi-Wan Kenobi in ''Attack of the Clones'', produced a plane wave that cut asteroids in half; presumably a larger weapon of this kind could do the same to a planet.<br />
|-<br />
|increasing the CO<sub>2</sub> levels in a planet's atmosphere, causing rapid heating<br />
|This seems to have occurred on the planet {{w|Venus}}. Venus is 97% carbon dioxide, and is also the hottest planet in the Solar System, due to a greenhouse effect, preventing the planet from cooling.<br />
|-<br />
|triggering the end credits before the movie is done<br />
|The {{w|closing credits}} or end credits of a film is the list of cast and crew who were involved in the making of the film. It would be quite strange to show the end credits of the film before it has concluded, although it is one of the [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CreditsGag types of credits gag] used in other media. This entry is considerably less damaging to a planet{{Citation needed}} than the other 4 entries in this section, but if early audiences are left unsatisfied by the movie, they might tell everyone else not to see it, which would put the ''Star Wars'' franchise in a perilous financial situation. This would negatively impact the villains as well as the heroes, but they might consider this a worthwhile trade if it is their best option at harming the heroes. <br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Old enemy/new friend<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Boba Fett}}<br />
| Boba Fett is a famous bounty hunter introduced in the ''{{w|Star Wars Holiday Special}}'' and made popular by ''{{w|The Empire Strikes Back}}''. On the Empire's orders, he helped capture Han Solo as part of a plot to capture Luke Skywalker. He later tried to prevent Luke from rescuing Han, but was knocked into a sarlacc pit, where he was presumed eaten. In the Expanded Universe, he survived and did eventually join the protagonists against extragalactic invaders; his survival has not been confirmed by Disney's new canon, but he would be a plausible character to bring back in ''The Rise of Skywalker''. A Mandalorian (not Boba Fett, but a bounty hunter from the same planet) is featured in the new Disney+ series, ''The Mandalorian''.<br />
|-<br />
|[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Salacious Crumb Salacious Crumb]<br />
| Salacious B. Crumb is a Kowakian monkey-lizard who was Jabba the Hutt's jester. He wasn't exactly a major adversary, but he did pull one of C-3PO's eyes out. He was last seen on Jabba the Hutt's sail barge, which was made to explode after Han, Luke, and the rest of the heroes escaped from it, and is presumed dead.<br />
|-<br />
|[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Exogorth The Space Slug]<br />
| In ''The Empire Strikes Back'', Han Solo pilots the Millennium Falcon into a giant cave to evade pursuit and get time to effect repairs. He is interrupted when the cave turns out to be the mouth of a giant space slug, which the Falcon barely escapes. A giant space slug might be a powerful ally in a battle against a giant space station.<br />
|-<br />
|The bottom half of {{w|Darth Maul}}<br />
| Darth Maul was cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi at the end of ''The Phantom Menace''. His "upper half", attached to mechanical legs, has returned as a villain in the ''Clone Wars'' TV series and ''{{w|Solo: A Star Wars Story|Solo}}''. Given that Maul was a Sith and Kenobi a Jedi, who trained Luke, who trained Rey, it would be extremely unexpected for his "bottom half" to join forces with the heroes, although presumably his bottom half would have to be attached to something, which might be better disposed towards Jedi.<br />
|-<br />
|YouTube commenters<br />
| The sequel trilogy has received more mixed reviews from watchers than Disney might like, and many vocal non-fans have taken to commenting on YouTube (via videos and comments) on what they don't like about the new movies and new characters. If ''The Rise of Skywalker'' fully wins the crowd, an alliance between the heroes and their former critics would be extremely powerful.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Battle feature<br />
|-<br />
|a bow that shoots little lightsaber-headed arrows<br />
|May be a reference to the [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Bowcaster bowcaster], a laser crossbow weapon used by the Wookie {{w|Chewbacca}}. It is unclear if the lightsaber-headed arrows are actually lightsabers in itself, as that would seem difficult to produce.<br />
|-<br />
|X-Wings and TIE fighters dodging the giant letters of the opening crawl<br />
| The {{w|Star Wars opening crawl|"opening crawl"}} is a signature motif used in all the main Star Wars films, to explain the backstory and context of each film. {{w|X-Wing}}s and {{w|TIE fighter}}s are fighter-type spaceships used by the Rebels (and Resistance later on) and the Empire (and First Order), respectively. A dogfight scene during the opening crawl would involve {{w|Fourth wall|breaking the fourth wall}}, as the opening crawl is not presumed to be part of the universe of the films.<br />
|-<br />
|a Sith educational display that uses Force lightning to demonstrate the dielectric breakdown of air<br />
|[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Force_lightning Force lightning] is a power that Force users can use to generate electric energy from the user's hands. It was first used in ''Return of the Jedi'' by Emperor Palpatine (Darth Sidious) when Luke Skywalker refuses to give in to the dark side of the Force. Palpatine attempts to kill Luke with Force lightning, but Darth Vader saves Luke by throwing Palpatine down a reactor chute. Palpatine also used Force Lightning on Mace Windu and Yoda during their battles at the end of ''Revenge of the Sith''. None of these uses of Sith lightning were intended to be educational on the nature of {{w|lightning}}, although they could have been very educational on the pain, cruelty, and "unlimited power!" offered by the Dark Side of the Force.<br />
|-<br />
|Kylo Ren putting on another helmet over his smaller one<br />
|Kylo Ren is famous for wearing his helmet in ''The Force Awakens'', which he styled after Darth Vader's helmet. Putting on another helmet over it would require a comically large helmet that might be compared to Dark Helmet, a character from the parody film ''{{w|Spaceballs}}'' who parodies Darth Vader.<br />
|-<br />
|a Sith car wash where the bristles on the brushes are little lightsabers<br />
| While an unexpected car wash finale scene seems unlikely, it is not without precedent in cinema; ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolescence_of_Utena Adolescence of Utena]'' featured the title character unexpectedly entering a car wash and transforming into a car (followed by a segue into a car race sequence). <br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Rey's parent #1<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Luke Skywalker|Luke}} <br />
| Luke Skywalker is the main character of the original Star Wars films. Of all of the characters presented here, he is the one with the greatest likelihood of being Rey's father. When Maz gave Rey Luke's lightsaber, she said "[t]hat lightsaber was Luke's, and his father's before him, and now, it calls to you." Luke does not seem to recognize Rey as his child (or as anybody in particular), but Darth Vader did not recognize Luke or Leia as his children -- and indeed did not know that he had any living children -- until they were grown. However, unlike Anakin Skywalker, or the Luke Skywalker from the pre-Disney Expanded Universe, no canon materials have presented anyone with whom Luke has fallen in love or fathered a child.<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Princess Leia|Leia}} and {{w|Han Solo|Han}}<br />
|Princess Leia and Han Solo are the other main characters of the original Star Wars films. It is unlikely that Leia or Han are Rey's parents as they did not seem to recognize Rey in any of the sequel trilogy films, nor is there any indication that they have had more than one child (Ben Solo, AKA Kylo Ren).<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Obi-Wan Kenobi|Obi-Wan}}<br />
|Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the main characters in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. He, along with Qui-Gon Jinn, discovered Anakin Skywalker, who later became Darth Vader. Kenobi dies at the end of ''Star Wars: A New Hope'', sacrificing himself to allow Luke, Leia, and Han to escape the Death Star. Marriage and parenthood were forbidden by the Jedi Order, and Obi-Wan generally adhered to the Order's rules more closely than Anakin did; Obi-Wan did feel some mutual romantic attraction with Duchess Satine of Mandalore, but they both chose to remain in their respective organizations rather than pursue a relationship.<br />
|-<br />
|a random junk trader<br />
|This is who Kylo Ren claims that Rey is descended from: worthless, random junk traders.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Rey's parent #2<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Poe Dameron|Poe}}<br />
|Poe Dameron is one of the main characters of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. He is a pilot in the Resistance. He appears to be of a similar age to Rey, and thus is most likely not her father.<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|BB-8}}<br />
|BB-8 is an astromech droid owned by Poe Dameron. It is unlikely that Rey is descended from a (non-living) droid.<br />
|-<br />
|[ {{w|Amilyn Holdo}} /Laura Dern]<br />
|Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, portrayed by Laura Dern, was a leader in the Resistance. She dies at the end of ''The Last Jedi'', sacrificing herself by jumping to light speed straight into the First Order's pursuing starship. Randall presents both Admiral Holdo, the character, and Laura Dern, the actress, as separate options for Rey's mother, but the former is not supported by any story material and the latter is impossible (Dern is alive here and now, not "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away").<br />
|-<br />
|a random junk trader<br />
| (see above)<br />
|-<br />
|that one droid from the Jawa Sandcrawler that says ''Gonk''<br />
|This is [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/GNK_power_droid a droid] from ''Star Wars: A New Hope'' that says "Gonk". As in the BB-8 entry, it is unlikely that Rey is descended from a droid.<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
:<big>Star Wars Spoiler Generator</big><br />
<br />
:[Shown below is a branching flowchart of sorts that begins at the phrase "In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain...", then flows through various paths to build up a story.]<br />
<br />
:In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain...<br />
::Kyle Ren<br />
::Malloc<br />
::Darth Sebelius<br />
::Theranos<br />
::Lord Juul<br />
<br />
:...with help from their new friend...<br />
::Kim Spacemeasurer<br />
::Teen Yoda<br />
::Dab Tweetdeck<br />
::Yaz Progestin<br />
::TI-83<br />
<br />
:Rey builds a new lightsaber with a...<br />
::beige<br />
::ochre<br />
::mauve<br />
::aquamarine<br />
::taupe<br />
<br />
:...blade, and they head out to confront the First Order's new superweapon, the...<br />
::Sun Obliterator<br />
::Moonsquisher<br />
::World Eater<br />
::Planet Zester<br />
::Superconducting Supercollider<br />
<br />
:...a space station capable of...<br />
::blowing up a planet with a bunch of beams of energy that combine into one<br />
::blowing up a bunch of planets with one beam of energy that splits into many<br />
::cutting a planet in half and smashing the halves together like two cymbals<br />
::increasing the CO<sub>2</sub> levels in a planet's atmosphere, causing rapid heating<br />
::triggering the end credits before the movie is done<br />
<br />
:They unexpectedly join forces with their old enemy...<br />
::Boba Fett<br />
::Salacious Crumb<br />
::The Space Slug<br />
::the bottom half of Darth Maul<br />
::Youtube commenters<br />
<br />
:...and destroy the superweapon in a battle featuring<br />
::a bow that shoots little lightsaber-headed arrows<br />
::X-Wings and TIE fighters dodging the giant letters of the opening crawl<br />
::a Sith educational display that uses Force Lightning to demonstrate the dielectric breakdown of air<br />
::Kylo Ren putting on another helmet over his smaller one<br />
::a Sith car wash where the bristles on the brushes are little lightsabers<br />
<br />
:P.S. Rey's parents are...<br />
::Luke<br />
::Leia<br />
::Han<br />
::Obi-Wan<br />
::a random junk trader<br />
<br />
:...and...<br />
::Poe<br />
::BB-8<br />
::Amilyn Holdo<br />
::Laura Dern<br />
::a random junk trader<br />
::that one droid from the Jawa Sandcrawler that says ''Gonk''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Star Wars]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] <!-- Laura Dern --><br />
[[Category:Programming]] <!-- malloc --></div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2243:_Star_Wars_Spoiler_Generator&diff=1848842243: Star Wars Spoiler Generator2019-12-19T02:51:09Z<p>172.69.34.160: /* Table */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2243<br />
| date = December 18, 2019<br />
| title = Star Wars Spoiler Generator<br />
| image = star wars spoiler generator.png<br />
| titletext = The heroes seem to be gaining the upper hand until Darth Juul manages to flip the switch on the car wash control panel from 'REGULAR' to 'PREMIUM.'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by DARTH KYLE}}<br />
On December 20, 2019 (2 days after the publication of this comic), the final movie of the "Skywalker saga" of ''Star Wars'' films, ''{{w|Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker}}'', will be released. It received a world premiere in Los Angeles on December 16, so there are lots of spoilers online, and also lots of people who want to avoid spoilers. Randall has created a flowchart that generates "spoilers" to the film, but as Randall probably has not seen the film (or, if he has, he doesn't actually want to spoil us), all of the so-called spoilers are nonsensical.<br />
<br />
The formula for each spoiler is as follows: "In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain '''[villain name]''' with help from their new friend '''[friend name]'''. Rey builds a new lightsaber with a '''[color]''' blade, and they head out to confront the First Order's new superweapon, the '''[superweapon name]''', a space station capable of '''[evil plan]'''. They unexpectedly join forces with their old enemy '''[character]''' and destroy the superweapon in a battle featuring '''[strange event]'''. P.S. Rey's parents are '''[character]''' and '''[character]'''".<br />
<br />
The {{w|First Order (Star Wars)|First Order}} is the main antagonist group in the ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy series. In ''{{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}}'', they use a superweapon in their base, Starkiller Base, to destroy the planetary system housing the headquarters of the New Republic, the democratic government which was formed after the Empire's defeat in ''{{w|Return of the Jedi}}''. <br />
<br />
"Building a {{w|lightsaber}}" is one of the rites of passage for becoming a Jedi Knight. In the prequel trilogy, new Jedi build lightsabers as an official part of the journey towards Knighthood, and in the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker builds a lightsaber between ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi'' as part of his training with Yoda. Rey has used the lightsaber that Anakin Skywalker made and used (which Luke also used when he was a new Jedi) for the first two movies of the sequel trilogy, and so it would be thematically appropriate for her to build her own prior to the trilogy's final entry. Most Jedi's lightsabers are either blue or green, with a few notable exceptions (e.g. Mace Windu's purple lightsaber signifies his incredible combat prowess). Kyber crystals are aligned with the Light Side of the Force, so Sith must overpower and "bleed" their crystals before they will function for them, which causes their distinctive red color. Having a lightsaber of a color other than blue, green, or red is often seen in the ''Star Wars'' fandom as a sign of being a "Mary Sue", which is an accusation which has been made of Rey.<br />
<br />
Another common plot point in ''Star Wars'' media is the construction, use, and destruction of a superweapon. These are inspired by stories and media of World War II, in which militaries sought to find, attack, and destroy critical elements of their enemies' resources and infrastructure, and meanwhile would construct elaborate defenses for themselves. The attack on the Death Star in particular is inspired by {{w|Operation Chastise}}, the "bouncing bomb" attack on Germany's hydroelectric power plants; Operation Chastise was dramatised in the 1951 book and 1955 film ''The Dam Busters'', which was [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNdb03Hw18M very thoroughly homaged] by ''A New Hope''. The original trilogy of movies only had two Death Stars, but superweapons quickly became a staple of the Expanded Universe fiction, to the point that one book had Han Solo make fun of the Empire's tendency towards building superweapons, proposing such ridiculous names as "Galaxy Destructor" and "Nostril of Palpatine".<br />
<br />
Redemption and making allies of old enemies is also a common plot point in ''Star Wars''. Anakin Skywalker fell to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader, but eventually returned to the Light Side to protect his son, and Han Solo was initially a morally ambiguous character who was eventually convinced to join the Rebellion.<br />
<br />
{{w|Rey (Star Wars)|Rey}}, one of the main characters in the sequel trilogy series is an orphan, who was left behind on the planet Jakku as a child. As Rey is Force-sensitive and adept at using a lightsaber, there is much speculation among Star Wars fans as to the identity of her parents. Many major characters in ''Star Wars'' have unexpected heritages of great portent, most famously Luke, who was very distressed to learn that Darth Vader did not ''kill'' his father, as Obi-Wan had told him, but ''is'' his father. In ''{{w|Star Wars: The Last Jedi}}'', villain Kylo Ren tells her that she is the child of "filthy junk traders", but many fans speculate that he was lying to her.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the bottom option of the [strange event in battle] section. Apparently Lord Juul (or Darth Juul) is fighting the heroes in the Sith car wash. It is unclear what "flipping the switch" from Regular to Premium would do, but it seems to be beneficial to Darth Juul. A "premium" car wash usually has more features than a regular car wash, e.g. more cleaning brushes, waxing the car, cleaning the tires, etc.<br />
<br />
This is the second false fact generating comic, after [[1930: Calendar Facts]].<br />
<br />
==Table==<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! Entry<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | New villain<br />
|-<br />
| Kyle Ren<br />
|Kyle Ren is one letter away from {{w|Kylo Ren|''Kylo'' Ren}}, the adopted "Sith name" of Ben Solo, son of Han and Leia Solo. Kylo is one of the antagonists of the first two movies in the sequel trilogy, and presumably will be so in the third, but there's nobody in the films named "Kyle". (There are a handful of ''Legends'' characters named Kyle, most famously Kyle Katarn, protagonist of the ''Star Wars: Jedi Knight'' video game series.)<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Malloc}}<br />
| Malloc is a function used in the C programming language to allocate more memory in the running of a program. Malloc may sound similar to {{w|Darth Malak|Malak}}, the antagonist of the ''{{w|Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic}}'' video game.<br />
|-<br />
|Darth Sebelius<br />
| {{w|Sebelius}} is the last name of several US people. {{w|Kathleen Sebelius}} is a former state representative and governor of Kansas who was Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services under President Obama. Randall may have chosen this surname as it sounds similar to {{w|Darth Sidious}}, the overarching villain in the first 6 Star Wars films, who is rumored to return in the upcoming film.<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Theranos}}<br />
|Theranos was a medical technology company founded by {{w|Elizabeth Holmes}} which claimed to have developed revolutionary blood tests that could produce more data from limited volumes of blood than ever before. They were eventually found to have engaged in fraudulent activity, having tricked investors into thinking their technology was performing better than it actually was or ever could, which resulted in fines for Holmes and Theranos president {{w|Ramesh Balwani}} and the bankruptcy of Theranos. Theranos also sounds similar to {{w|Thanos}}, the main villain of the Infinity Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.<br />
|-<br />
|Lord Juul<br />
|{{w|Juul}} is a brand of e-cigarettes. In addition to the broader controversy surrounding electronic cigarettes, Juul has been investigated for its sale of flavored additives for their cigarettes, which are alleged to be particularly attractive to minors.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | New friend<br />
|-<br />
| Kim Spacemeasurer<br />
| May be a parody of the name {{w|Luke Skywalker}}, one of the main characters in the original trilogy of films. Other "Nounverber" names in ''Star Wars'' include Starkiller, Luke's original last name which was later applied to Starkiller Base in ''The Force Awakens'', and Biggs Darklighter, Luke's childhood friend and fellow Rebel pilot who died in the attack on the original Death Star.<br />
|-<br />
|Teen Yoda<br />
|{{w|The Child (Star Wars character)|The Child}}, commonly called "Baby Yoda" by fans and the media, is a breakout character from the Disney+ series ''{{w|The Mandalorian}}''. Randall envisions a "teenage" version of this character teaming up with the main characters.<br />
|-<br />
|Dab Tweetdeck<br />
| A {{w|Dab (dance)|dab}} is a dance move which is many decades old but was made popular by that name in the late 2010's. {{w|TweetDeck}} is an application for managing Twitter accounts. Taken together, "Dab Tweetdeck" could be a character name proposed by clueless Disney executives to attract "the kids" to see ''The Rise of Skywalker'', although one would think that this name would be heavily promoted and thus not a spoiler in that case.<br />
|-<br />
| Yaz Progestin<br />
| Yaz sounds like the first name of {{w|Maz Kanata}}, a supporting protagonist in the sequel trilogy. {{w|Progestin}} is a type of medication which imitates the effects of {{w|progesterone}}, a female sex hormone. They are used for various purposes, including birth control, fertility, and appetite stimulation.<br />
|-<br />
| TI-83<br />
| Droids in the Star Wars universe typically have names with letters and numbers, such as R2-D2, C-3PO, BB-8, etc. Randall has created a new character called "TI-83". In real life, the {{w|TI-83}} is a common model of graphing calculator manufactured by Texas Instruments. This mirrors the origin of the name "R2-D2", which was inspired when Lucas was working on ''{{w|American Graffiti}}'' and was asked for Reel 2, Dialog Track 2, which was abbreviated "R-2-D-2". He remarked that it would be a "great name" and included it in his then-in-development script for ''Star Wars''.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Lightsaber colors<br />
|-<br />
| [beige/ochre/mauve/aquamarine/taupe]<br />
| These are different colors, none of which is a "traditional" color for a lightsaber. {{w|Beige}} is a pale-grayish yellow. {{w|Ochre}} is a clay earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brown. {{w|Mauve}} is a pale purple color. A purple color has been used for a lightsaber in the prequel trilogy series, by Jedi Master {{w|Mace Windu}}. {{w|Aquamarine (color)|Aquamarine}} is a blueish green color. {{w|Taupe}} is a dark brown color between brown and gray.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Superweapon names<br />
|-<br />
|Sun Obliterator<br />
| There was an Expanded Universe superweapon called the "Sun Crusher", which would infiltrate a star system and shoot a special torpedo into the star to make it go supernova.<br />
|-<br />
|Moonsquisher<br />
| There were no ''Star Wars'' superweapons with the word "Moon" in their title (or "squisher"), but in the no-longer-canon ''New Jedi Order'' series, Chewbacca was squished ''by'' a moon that was intentionally de-orbited by invading Yuuzhan Vong.<br />
|-<br />
|World Eater<br />
| Possibly a reference to {{w|Alduin}}, the main villain of the popular game {{w|The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim}}. In the Expanded Universe, the Empire used World Devastators, massive machines that would strip-mine planets with tractor beams and make weapons and spacecraft from the extracted resources.<br />
|-<br />
|Planet Zester<br />
| A {{w|zester}} is a cooking tool for zesting citrus fruit, that is, scraping off the outer layer of a citrus fruit to obtain the flavorful outer layer of its skin. Zesting a planet would be devastating to anything built or living on its surface.<br />
|-<br />
|Superconducting supercollider<br />
| A {{w|supercollider}}, or particle accelerator, is a machine used to accelerate charged particles to very high speeds, for testing in particle physics. The {{w|Superconducting Super Collider}} was a proposed accelerator which was to be constructed in Texas, but was cancelled partway through construction.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Station capabilities<br />
|-<br />
|blowing up a planet with a bunch of beams of energy that combine into one<br />
|This is how the {{w|Death Star}} was depicted in ''{{w|Star Wars: A New Hope}}''. Many beams converged together to form one energy beam. The superweapon was used to destroy the planet Alderaan, as an intimidation tactic against Princess Leia.<br />
|-<br />
|blowing up a bunch of planets with one beam of energy that splits into many<br />
|This is how the superweapon on Starkiller Base was depicted in ''{{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}}''. A single energy beam split into several beams, allowing it to attack many planets. The superweapon was used to destroy the planets in the Hosnian system, the headquarters of the New Republic.<br />
|-<br />
|cutting a planet in half and smashing the halves together like two cymbals<br />
|Jango Fett's "seismic charge" weapon, which he used in a dogfight against Obi-Wan Kenobi in ''Attack of the Clones'', produced a plane wave that cut asteroids in half; presumably a larger weapon of this kind could do the same to a planet.<br />
|-<br />
|increasing the CO<sub>2</sub> levels in a planet's atmosphere, causing rapid heating<br />
|This seems to have occurred on the planet {{w|Venus}}. Venus is 97% carbon dioxide, and is also the hottest planet in the Solar System, due to a greenhouse effect, preventing the planet from cooling.<br />
|-<br />
|triggering the end credits before the movie is done<br />
|The {{w|closing credits}} or end credits of a film is the list of cast and crew who were involved in the making of the film. It would be quite strange to show the end credits of the film before it has concluded, although it is one of the [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CreditsGag types of credits gag] used in other media. This entry is considerably less damaging to a planet{{Citation needed}} than the other 4 entries in this section, but if early audiences are left unsatisfied by the movie, they might tell everyone else not to see it, which would put the ''Star Wars'' franchise in a perilous financial situation. This would negatively impact the villains as well as the heroes, but they might consider this a worthwhile trade if it is their best option at harming the heroes. <br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Old enemy/new friend<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Boba Fett}}<br />
| Boba Fett is a famous bounty hunter introduced in the ''{{w|Star Wars Holiday Special}}'' and made popular by ''{{w|The Empire Strikes Back}}''. On the Empire's orders, he helped capture Han Solo as part of a plot to capture Luke Skywalker. He later tried to prevent Luke from rescuing Han, but was knocked into a sarlacc pit, where he was presumed eaten. In the Expanded Universe, he survived and did eventually join the protagonists against extragalactic invaders; his survival has not been confirmed by Disney's new canon, but he would be a plausible character to bring back in ''The Rise of Skywalker''.<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Salacious Crumb}}<br />
| Salacious B. Crumb is a Kowakian monkey-lizard who was Jabba the Hutt's jester. He wasn't exactly a major adversary, but he did pull one of C-3PO's eyes out. He was last seen on Jabba the Hutt's sail barge, which was made to explode after Han, Luke, and the rest of the heroes escaped from it, and is presumed dead.<br />
|-<br />
|[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Exogorth The Space Slug]<br />
| In ''The Empire Strikes Back'', Han Solo pilots the Millennium Falcon into a giant cave to evade pursuit and get time to effect repairs. He is interrupted when the cave turns out to be the mouth of a giant space slug, which the Falcon barely escapes. A giant space slug might be a powerful ally in a battle against a giant space station.<br />
|-<br />
|The bottom half of {{w|Darth Maul}}<br />
| Darth Maul was cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi at the end of ''The Phantom Menace''. His "upper half", attached to mechanical legs, has returned as a villain in the ''Clone Wars'' TV series and ''{{w|Solo: A Star Wars Story|Solo}}''. Given that Maul was a Sith and Kenobi a Jedi, who trained Luke, who trained Rey, it would be extremely unexpected for his "bottom half" to join forces with the heroes, although presumably his bottom half would have to be attached to something, which might be better disposed towards Jedi.<br />
|-<br />
|YouTube commenters<br />
| The sequel trilogy has received more mixed reviews from watchers than Disney might like, and many vocal non-fans have taken to commenting on YouTube (via videos and comments) on what they don't like about the new movies and new characters. If ''The Rise of Skywalker'' fully wins the crowd, an alliance between the heroes and their former critics would be extremely powerful.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Battle feature<br />
|-<br />
|a bow that shoots little lightsaber-headed arrows<br />
|May be a reference to the [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Bowcaster bowcaster], a laser crossbow weapon used by the Wookie {{w|Chewbacca}}. It is unclear if the lightsaber-headed arrows are actually lightsabers in itself, as that would seem difficult to produce.<br />
|-<br />
|X-Wings and TIE fighters dodging the giant letters of the opening crawl<br />
| The {{w|Star Wars opening crawl|"opening crawl"}} is a signature motif used in all the main Star Wars films, to explain the backstory and context of each film. {{w|X-Wing}}s and {{w|TIE fighter}}s are fighter-type spaceships used by the Rebels (and Resistance later on) and the Empire (and First Order), respectively. A dogfight scene during the opening crawl would involve {{w|Fourth wall|breaking the fourth wall}}, as the opening crawl is not presumed to be part of the universe of the films.<br />
|-<br />
|a Sith educational display that uses Force lightning to demonstrate the dielectric breakdown of air<br />
|[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Force_lightning Force lightning] is a power that Force users can use to generate electric energy from the user's hands. It was first used in ''Return of the Jedi'' by Emperor Palpatine (Darth Sidious) when Luke Skywalker refuses to give in to the dark side of the Force. Palpatine attempts to kill Luke with Force lightning, but Darth Vader saves Luke by throwing Palpatine down a reactor chute. Palpatine also used Force Lightning on Mace Windu and Yoda during their battles at the end of ''Revenge of the Sith''. None of these uses of Sith lightning were intended to be educational on the nature of {{w|lightning}}, although they could have been very educational on the pain, cruelty, and "unlimited power!" offered by the Dark Side of the Force.<br />
|-<br />
|Kylo Ren putting on another helmet over his smaller one<br />
|Kylo Ren is famous for wearing his helmet in ''The Force Awakens'', which he styled after Darth Vader's helmet. Putting on another helmet over it would require a comically large helmet that might be compared to Dark Helmet, a character from the parody film ''{{w|Spaceballs}}'' who parodies Darth Vader.<br />
|-<br />
|a Sith car wash where the bristles on the brushes are little lightsabers<br />
| While an unexpected car wash finale scene seems unlikely, it is not without precedent in cinema; ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolescence_of_Utena Adolescence of Utena]'' featured the title character unexpectedly entering a car wash and transforming into a car (followed by a segue into a car race sequence). <br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Rey's parent #1<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Luke Skywalker|Luke}} <br />
| Luke Skywalker is the main character of the original Star Wars films. Of all of the characters presented here, he is the one with the greatest likelihood of being Rey's father. When Maz gave Rey Luke's lightsaber, she said "[t]hat lightsaber was Luke's, and his father's before him, and now, it calls to you." Luke does not seem to recognize Rey as his child (or as anybody in particular), but Darth Vader did not recognize Luke or Leia as his children -- and indeed did not know that he had any living children -- until they were grown. However, unlike Anakin Skywalker, or the Luke Skywalker from the pre-Disney Expanded Universe, no canon materials have presented anyone with whom Luke has fallen in love or fathered a child.<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Princess Leia|Leia}} and {{w|Han Solo|Han}}<br />
|Princess Leia and Han Solo are the other main characters of the original Star Wars films. It is unlikely that Leia or Han are Rey's parents as they did not seem to recognize Rey in any of the sequel trilogy films, nor is there any indication that they have had more than one child (Ben Solo, AKA Kylo Ren).<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Obi-Wan Kenobi|Obi-Wan}}<br />
|Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the main characters in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. He, along with Qui-Gon Jinn, discovered Anakin Skywalker, who later became Darth Vader. Kenobi dies at the end of ''Star Wars: A New Hope'', sacrificing himself to allow Luke, Leia, and Han to escape the Death Star. Marriage and parenthood were forbidden by the Jedi Order, and Obi-Wan generally adhered to the Order's rules more closely than Anakin did; Obi-Wan did feel some mutual romantic attraction with Duchess Satine of Mandalore, but they both chose to remain in their respective organizations rather than pursue a relationship.<br />
|-<br />
|a random junk trader<br />
|This is who Kylo Ren claims that Rey is descended from: worthless, random junk traders.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Rey's parent #2<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|Poe Dameron|Poe}}<br />
|Poe Dameron is one of the main characters of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. He is a pilot in the Resistance. He appears to be of a similar age to Rey, and thus is most likely not her father.<br />
|-<br />
|{{w|BB-8}}<br />
|BB-8 is an astromech droid owned by Poe Dameron. It is unlikely that Rey is descended from a (non-living) droid.<br />
|-<br />
|[ {{w|Amilyn Holdo}} /Laura Dern]<br />
|Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, portrayed by Laura Dern, was a leader in the Resistance. She dies at the end of ''The Last Jedi'', sacrificing herself by jumping to light speed straight into the First Order's pursuing starship. Randall presents both Admiral Holdo, the character, and Laura Dern, the actress, as separate options for Rey's mother, but the former is not supported by any story material and the latter is impossible (Dern is alive here and now, not "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away").<br />
|-<br />
|a random junk trader<br />
| (see above)<br />
|-<br />
|that one droid from the Jawa Sandcrawler that says ''Gonk''<br />
|This is [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/GNK_power_droid a droid] from ''Star Wars: A New Hope'' that says "Gonk". As in the BB-8 entry, it is unlikely that Rey is descended from a droid.<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
:<big>Star Wars Spoiler Generator</big><br />
<br />
:[Shown below is a branching flowchart of sorts that begins at the phrase "In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain...", then flows through various paths to build up a story.]<br />
<br />
:In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain...<br />
::Kyle Ren<br />
::Malloc<br />
::Darth Sebelius<br />
::Theranos<br />
::Lord Juul<br />
<br />
:...with help from their new friend...<br />
::Kim Spacemeasurer<br />
::Teen Yoda<br />
::Dab Tweetdeck<br />
::Yaz Progestin<br />
::TI-83<br />
<br />
:Rey builds a new lightsaber with a...<br />
::beige<br />
::ochre<br />
::mauve<br />
::aquamarine<br />
::taupe<br />
<br />
:...blade, and they head out to confront the First Order's new superweapon, the...<br />
::Sun Obliterator<br />
::Moonsquisher<br />
::World Eater<br />
::Planet Zester<br />
::Superconducting Supercollider<br />
<br />
:...a space station capable of...<br />
::blowing up a planet with a bunch of beams of energy that combine into one<br />
::blowing up a bunch of planets with one beam of energy that splits into many<br />
::cutting a planet in half and smashing the halves together like two cymbals<br />
::increasing the CO<sub>2</sub> levels in a planet's atmosphere, causing rapid heating<br />
::triggering the end credits before the movie is done<br />
<br />
:They unexpectedly join forces with their old enemy...<br />
::Boba Fett<br />
::Salacious Crumb<br />
::The Space Slug<br />
::the bottom half of Darth Maul<br />
::Youtube commenters<br />
<br />
:...and destroy the superweapon in a battle featuring<br />
::a bow that shoots little lightsaber-headed arrows<br />
::X-Wings and TIE fighters dodging the giant letters of the opening crawl<br />
::a Sith educational display that uses Force Lightning to demonstrate the dielectric breakdown of air<br />
::Kylo Ren putting on another helmet over his smaller one<br />
::a Sith car wash where the bristles on the brushes are little lightsabers<br />
<br />
:P.S. Rey's parents are...<br />
::Luke<br />
::Leia<br />
::Han<br />
::Obi-Wan<br />
::a random junk trader<br />
<br />
:...and...<br />
::Poe<br />
::BB-8<br />
::Amilyn Holdo<br />
::Laura Dern<br />
::a random junk trader<br />
::that one droid from the Jawa Sandcrawler that says ''Gonk''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Star Wars]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] <!-- Laura Dern --><br />
[[Category:Programming]] <!-- malloc --></div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2242:_Ground_vs_Air&diff=1847812242: Ground vs Air2019-12-18T02:05:34Z<p>172.69.34.160: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2242<br />
| date = December 16, 2019<br />
| title = Ground vs Air<br />
| image = ground vs air.png<br />
| titletext = Water is thinner than both, and fire is *definitely* thicker.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a THICK FIRE. More on the general thickness of the "ground", especially on the oceans and at the thickest parts. Needs more about the actual data portrayed.}}<br />
This comic depicts a map of the world using the {{w|Winkel tripel projection}}, comparing the thickness of the ground, which refers to the {{w|lithosphere}}, to the "thickness" (or height) of the air above it, which refers to the {{w|atmosphere}}.<br />
<br />
In an inserted figure, Randall defines the thickness using three boundaries. At the top is {{w|space}}, defined by the {{w|Kármán line}} at an altitude of 100 km (≈ 62 mi). Below that is the atmosphere which goes down to the ground, where [[Cueball]] is standing, including the ocean down to the seafloor as indicated on the left side. Beneath the surface is the lithosphere, comprised of the Earth's crust along with the rigid upper part of the mantle, and beneath this is the {{w|asthenosphere}}, the partially melted, highly viscous region of the {{w|upper mantle}} just below the lithosphere. The lithosphere is variable in thickness, averaging about 100 km, but the oceanic lithosphere is much thinner than the continental lithosphere (oceanic crust is thinner and denser than continental crust). The two measurements are between space and the surface, and the surface to the asthenosphere.<br />
<br />
The map shades in the parts where the thickness of the ground is thicker than the thickness of the air. This almost only occurs over continents, and certainly only where the continental plates are located (which can stretch into the shallow parts of the oceans). But there are several sections, such as in the Caribbean, northernmost Canada, and the Sea of Japan, where the ground is thicker even being below sea level.<br />
<br />
Randall has mainly used a work by Conrad and Lithgow-Bertelloni from 2006 to estimate the thickness of the "ground", and he gives the reference to the paper [https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2005GL025621 DOI.1029/2005GL025621]. Basically, Randall has taken their map and shaded the blue areas. It is the second comic in a row with a citation, after the footnote in [[2241: Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect]].<br />
<br />
[[Randall]] always uses the Kármán line as the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space. He has previously mocked the alternative definition of the atmosphere boundary (at 80 km ≈ 50 mi) used by US Air Force and NASA in the title text [[1375: Astronaut Vandalism]]. That definition would, of course, have resulted in a significantly different picture where the ''air'' is thicker than the ''ground'' only inside small areas around mid-ocean ridges. This is despite the fact that there are good scientific justifications for the lower Air Force boundary. Although most authorities use the FAI definition of the Kármán line since it is the international organization of record for aeronautics, there are good scientific reasons for the U.S. Air Force definition. The Kármán line is named for {{W|Theodore von Kármán}}, who originally calculated the height at which a vehicle would have to travel faster than orbital velocity to generate lift from wings (therefore making the vehicle a spacecraft in orbit rather an "air"craft using aerodynamics for flight). Von Kármán originally calculated this height as 51.9&nbsp;miles (83.6&nbsp;km) - closer to the Air Force definition. Additionally, the boundary between the {{W|Mesosphere}} and the {{W|Thermosphere}} is traditionally taken to be 52.7&nbsp;miles (85&nbsp;km), also close to the Air Force definition. <br />
<br />
The title text refers to the ancient four {{w|classical element}}s: earth, water, air, fire. The lithosphere, or ground, is earth, the oceans is water, the atmosphere is air, and fire would thus be the hot, plastic rock of the Earth's mantle. (Randall is likely referring to how the mantle is frequently represented in drawings as fiery red molten rock, even though the mantle is solid--none of it is magma or otherwise "on fire" except in small volumes at locations very close to the crust.) See [[913: Core]]. The water layer on Earth is never more than 11 km deep, even at the deepest part of the ocean in the {{w|Mariana Trench}}, and thus cannot compare to the thickness of the atmosphere or the lithosphere. An expansive definition of "fire" to include the rest of the Earth below the lithosphere puts the fire layer at 6000 km thick, much thicker than the other layers.<br />
<br />
In [[977: Map Projections]] the [[977:_Map_Projections#Winkel-Tripel|Winkel-Tripel projection]] is the fifth projection which is linked to the {{w|Hipster (contemporary subculture)|hipster}} subculture.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Caption above the drawing]:<br />
:Which is thicker—the ground or the air?<br />
<br />
:[The drawing shows a Winkel tripel projection of the Earth. The features of the main map is unlabeled, with only the outlines of the landmasses present. Various parts of the map are labeled with "Air" (four times) or "Ground" (5 times). Areas marked as "Ground" are differentiated with gray shading. These are always over large landmasses or close to them. They cover most of North America (labeled), the northern part of South America (labeled), Northern Europe and most of Asia (labeled), Japan, most of Australia and part of the Indonesia, Western Africa, sub-equatorial Africa (labeled), and finally the central parts of Antarctica (labeled). Air is written on the West Coast of the United States, in the Atlantic Ocean, over the central part of Africa and in the Pacific Ocean, near the Philippines.]<br />
:[Over West Coast of the United States]: Air<br />
:[Over North America]: Ground<br />
:[Over Atlantic Ocean]: Air<br />
:[Over South America]: Ground<br />
:[Over the central part of Africa]: Air<br />
:[Over the southern part of Africa]: Ground<br />
:[Over Asia]: Ground<br />
:[Over Pacific Ocean]: Air<br />
:[Over Antarctica ]: Ground<br />
<br />
:[A small diagram is present in the Pacific Ocean left of South America. The diagram depicts several labeled layers of Earth and its atmosphere, listed below. Cueball, a body of water, and several mountains are shown on the flat surface part of the diagram, with the ocean floor lower than where Cueball stands. Above is a line representing the border to space. The line beneath the surface is much more curved going both up and down. Two double arrows representing the thickness of the atmosphere and the lithosphere are drawn between the surface and the layers above and below. Another curved double arrow is pointing to each of these distances and it is marked with a question mark in the middle of the line.]<br />
:Space<br />
:Atmosphere<br />
:Lithosphere<br />
:Asthenosphere<br />
:?<br />
<br />
:[In the bottom right corner of the comic with gray text is a reference:]<br />
:<font color="gray">Based mostly on Conrad and Lithgow-Bertelloni (2006) DOI.1029/2005GL025621</font><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Maps]]<br />
[[Category:Geology]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2242:_Ground_vs_Air&diff=1847802242: Ground vs Air2019-12-18T02:03:07Z<p>172.69.34.160: /* Transcript */ fix</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2242<br />
| date = December 16, 2019<br />
| title = Ground vs Air<br />
| image = ground vs air.png<br />
| titletext = Water is thinner than both, and fire is *definitely* thicker.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a THICK FIRE. More on the general thickness of the "ground", especially on the oceans and at the thickest parts. Needs more about the actual data portrayed.}}<br />
This comic depicts a map of the world using the {{w|Winkel tripel projection}}, comparing the thickness of the ground, which refers to the {{w|lithosphere}}, to the thickness of the air above it, which refers to the {{w|atmosphere}}.<br />
<br />
In an inserted figure, Randall defines the thickness using three boundaries. At the top is {{w|space}}, defined by the {{w|Kármán line}} at an altitude of 100 km (≈ 62 mi). Below that is the atmosphere which goes down to the ground, where [[Cueball]] is standing, including the ocean down to the seafloor as indicated on the left side. Beneath the surface is the lithosphere, comprised of the Earth's crust along with the rigid upper part of the mantle, and beneath this is the {{w|Asthenosphere}}, the partially melted, highly viscous region of the {{w|upper mantle}} just below the lithosphere. The lithosphere is variable in thickness, averaging about 100 km, but the oceanic lithosphere is much thinner than the continental lithosphere (oceanic crust is thinner and denser than continental crust). The two measurements are between space and the surface, and the surface to the asthenosphere.<br />
<br />
The map shades in the parts where the second measurement is thicker than the first. This almost only occurs over continents, and certainly only where the continental plates are located (which can stretch into the shallow parts of the oceans). But there are several sections, such as in the Caribbean, northernmost Canada, and the Sea of Japan, where the ground is thicker even being below sea level.<br />
<br />
Randall has mainly used a work by Conrad and Lithgow-Bertelloni from 2006 to estimate the thickness of the "ground", and he gives the reference to the paper [https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2005GL025621 DOI.1029/2005GL025621]. Basically, Randall has taken their map and shaded the blue areas. It is the second comic in a row with a citation, after the footnote in [[2241: Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect]].<br />
<br />
[[Randall]] always uses the Kármán line as the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space. He has previously mocked the alternative definition of the atmosphere boundary (at 80 km ≈ 50 mi) used by US Air Force and NASA in the title text [[1375: Astronaut Vandalism]]. That definition would, of course, have resulted in a significantly different picture where the ''air'' is thicker than the ''ground'' only inside small areas around mid-ocean ridges. This is despite the fact that there are good scientific justifications for the lower Air Force boundary. Although most authorities use the FAI definition of the Kármán line since it is the international organization of record for aeronautics, there are good scientific reasons for the U.S. Air Force definition. The Kármán line is named for {{W|Theodore von Kármán}}, who originally calculated the height at which a vehicle would have to travel faster than orbital velocity to generate lift from wings (therefore making the vehicle a spacecraft in orbit rather an "air"craft using aerodynamics for flight). Von Kármán originally calculated this height as 51.9&nbsp;miles (83.6&nbsp;km) - closer to the Air Force definition. Additionally, the boundary between the {{W|Mesosphere}} and the {{W|Thermosphere}} is traditionally taken to be 52.7&nbsp;miles (85&nbsp;km), also close to the Air Force definition. <br />
<br />
The title text refers to the ancient four {{w|classical element}}s earth, water, air, fire. The lithosphere, or ground, is earth, the oceans is water, the atmosphere is air, and fire would thus be the hot, plastic rock of the Earth's mantle. (Randall is likely referring to how the mantle is frequently represented in drawings as fiery red molten rock, even though the mantle is solid--none of it is magma or otherwise "on fire" except in small volumes at locations very close to the crust.) See [[913: Core]]. The water layer on Earth is never more than 11 km deep at the {{w|Mariana Trench}}, and thus cannot compare to the thickness of the atmosphere or the lithosphere. An expansive definition of "fire" to include the rest of the Earth below the lithosphere puts the fire layer at 6000 km thick, much thicker than the other layers.<br />
<br />
In [[977: Map Projections]] the [[977:_Map_Projections#Winkel-Tripel|Winkel-Tripel projection]] is the fifth projection which is linked to the {{w|Hipster (contemporary subculture)|hipster}} subculture.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Caption above the drawing]:<br />
:Which is thicker—the ground or the air?<br />
<br />
:[The drawing shows a Winkel tripel projection of the Earth. The features of the main map is unlabeled, with only the outlines of the landmasses present. Various parts of the map are labeled with "Air" (four times) or "Ground" (5 times). Areas marked as "Ground" are differentiated with gray shading. These are always over large landmasses or close to them. They cover most of North America (labeled), the northern part of South America (labeled), Northern Europe and most of Asia (labeled), Japan, most of Australia and part of the Indonesia, Western Africa, sub-equatorial Africa (labeled), and finally the central parts of Antarctica (labeled). Air is written on the West Coast of the United States, in the Atlantic Ocean, over the central part of Africa and in the Pacific Ocean, near the Philippines.]<br />
:[Over West Coast of the United States]: Air<br />
:[Over North America]: Ground<br />
:[Over Atlantic Ocean]: Air<br />
:[Over South America]: Ground<br />
:[Over the central part of Africa]: Air<br />
:[Over the southern part of Africa]: Ground<br />
:[Over Asia]: Ground<br />
:[Over Pacific Ocean]: Air<br />
:[Over Antarctica ]: Ground<br />
<br />
:[A small diagram is present in the Pacific Ocean left of South America. The diagram depicts several labeled layers of Earth and its atmosphere, listed below. Cueball, a body of water, and several mountains are shown on the flat surface part of the diagram, with the ocean floor lower than where Cueball stands. Above is a line representing the border to space. The line beneath the surface is much more curved going both up and down. Two double arrows representing the thickness of the atmosphere and the lithosphere are drawn between the surface and the layers above and below. Another curved double arrow is pointing to each of these distances and it is marked with a question mark in the middle of the line.]<br />
:Space<br />
:Atmosphere<br />
:Lithosphere<br />
:Asthenosphere<br />
:?<br />
<br />
:[In the bottom right corner of the comic with gray text is a reference:]<br />
:<font color="gray">Based mostly on Conrad and Lithgow-Bertelloni (2006) DOI.1029/2005GL025621</font><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Maps]]<br />
[[Category:Geology]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>172.69.34.160https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2242:_Ground_vs_Air&diff=1847792242: Ground vs Air2019-12-18T02:02:34Z<p>172.69.34.160: /* Transcript */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2242<br />
| date = December 16, 2019<br />
| title = Ground vs Air<br />
| image = ground vs air.png<br />
| titletext = Water is thinner than both, and fire is *definitely* thicker.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a THICK FIRE. More on the general thickness of the "ground", especially on the oceans and at the thickest parts. Needs more about the actual data portrayed.}}<br />
This comic depicts a map of the world using the {{w|Winkel tripel projection}}, comparing the thickness of the ground, which refers to the {{w|lithosphere}}, to the thickness of the air above it, which refers to the {{w|atmosphere}}.<br />
<br />
In an inserted figure, Randall defines the thickness using three boundaries. At the top is {{w|space}}, defined by the {{w|Kármán line}} at an altitude of 100 km (≈ 62 mi). Below that is the atmosphere which goes down to the ground, where [[Cueball]] is standing, including the ocean down to the seafloor as indicated on the left side. Beneath the surface is the lithosphere, comprised of the Earth's crust along with the rigid upper part of the mantle, and beneath this is the {{w|Asthenosphere}}, the partially melted, highly viscous region of the {{w|upper mantle}} just below the lithosphere. The lithosphere is variable in thickness, averaging about 100 km, but the oceanic lithosphere is much thinner than the continental lithosphere (oceanic crust is thinner and denser than continental crust). The two measurements are between space and the surface, and the surface to the asthenosphere.<br />
<br />
The map shades in the parts where the second measurement is thicker than the first. This almost only occurs over continents, and certainly only where the continental plates are located (which can stretch into the shallow parts of the oceans). But there are several sections, such as in the Caribbean, northernmost Canada, and the Sea of Japan, where the ground is thicker even being below sea level.<br />
<br />
Randall has mainly used a work by Conrad and Lithgow-Bertelloni from 2006 to estimate the thickness of the "ground", and he gives the reference to the paper [https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2005GL025621 DOI.1029/2005GL025621]. Basically, Randall has taken their map and shaded the blue areas. It is the second comic in a row with a citation, after the footnote in [[2241: Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect]].<br />
<br />
[[Randall]] always uses the Kármán line as the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space. He has previously mocked the alternative definition of the atmosphere boundary (at 80 km ≈ 50 mi) used by US Air Force and NASA in the title text [[1375: Astronaut Vandalism]]. That definition would, of course, have resulted in a significantly different picture where the ''air'' is thicker than the ''ground'' only inside small areas around mid-ocean ridges. This is despite the fact that there are good scientific justifications for the lower Air Force boundary. Although most authorities use the FAI definition of the Kármán line since it is the international organization of record for aeronautics, there are good scientific reasons for the U.S. Air Force definition. The Kármán line is named for {{W|Theodore von Kármán}}, who originally calculated the height at which a vehicle would have to travel faster than orbital velocity to generate lift from wings (therefore making the vehicle a spacecraft in orbit rather an "air"craft using aerodynamics for flight). Von Kármán originally calculated this height as 51.9&nbsp;miles (83.6&nbsp;km) - closer to the Air Force definition. Additionally, the boundary between the {{W|Mesosphere}} and the {{W|Thermosphere}} is traditionally taken to be 52.7&nbsp;miles (85&nbsp;km), also close to the Air Force definition. <br />
<br />
The title text refers to the ancient four {{w|classical element}}s earth, water, air, fire. The lithosphere, or ground, is earth, the oceans is water, the atmosphere is air, and fire would thus be the hot, plastic rock of the Earth's mantle. (Randall is likely referring to how the mantle is frequently represented in drawings as fiery red molten rock, even though the mantle is solid--none of it is magma or otherwise "on fire" except in small volumes at locations very close to the crust.) See [[913: Core]]. The water layer on Earth is never more than 11 km deep at the {{w|Mariana Trench}}, and thus cannot compare to the thickness of the atmosphere or the lithosphere. An expansive definition of "fire" to include the rest of the Earth below the lithosphere puts the fire layer at 6000 km thick, much thicker than the other layers.<br />
<br />
In [[977: Map Projections]] the [[977:_Map_Projections#Winkel-Tripel|Winkel-Tripel projection]] is the fifth projection which is linked to the {{w|Hipster (contemporary subculture)|hipster}} subculture.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Caption above the drawing]:<br />
:Which is thicker—the ground or the air?<br />
<br />
:[The drawing shows a Winkel-Tripel projection of the Earth. The features of the main map is unlabeled, with only the outlines of the landmasses present. Various parts of the map are labeled with "Air" (four times) or "Ground" (5 times). Areas marked as "Ground" are differentiated with gray shading. These are always over large landmasses or close to them. They cover most of North America (labeled), the northern part of South America (labeled), Northern Europe and most of Asia (labeled), Japan, most of Australia and part of the Indonesia, Western Africa, sub-equatorial Africa (labeled), and finally the central parts of Antarctica (labeled). Air is written on the West Coast of the United States, in the Atlantic Ocean, over the central part of Africa and in the Pacific Ocean, near the Philippines.]<br />
:[Over West Coast of the United States]: Air<br />
:[Over North America]: Ground<br />
:[Over Atlantic Ocean]: Air<br />
:[Over South America]: Ground<br />
:[Over the central part of Africa]: Air<br />
:[Over the southern part of Africa]: Ground<br />
:[Over Asia]: Ground<br />
:[Over Pacific Ocean]: Air<br />
:[Over Antarctica ]: Ground<br />
<br />
:[A small diagram is present in the Pacific Ocean left of South America. The diagram depicts several labeled layers of Earth and its atmosphere, listed below. Cueball, a body of water, and several mountains are shown on the flat surface part of the diagram, with the ocean floor lower than where Cueball stands. Above is a line representing the border to space. The line beneath the surface is much more curved going both up and down. Two double arrows representing the thickness of the atmosphere and the lithosphere are drawn between the surface and the layers above and below. Another curved double arrow is pointing to each of these distances and it is marked with a question mark in the middle of the line.]<br />
:Space<br />
:Atmosphere<br />
:Lithosphere<br />
:Asthenosphere<br />
:?<br />
<br />
:[In the bottom right corner of the comic with gray text is a reference:]<br />
:<font color="gray">Based mostly on Conrad and Lithgow-Bertelloni (2006) DOI.1029/2005GL025621</font><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Maps]]<br />
[[Category:Geology]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>172.69.34.160