Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Best Of Everything 100-day 100-question Star Wars Blogathon, Question 9


Welcome to newcomer to the Blogathon, Nancy and her husband! Nancy must have realized that even nine questions in, it's still anyone's Blogathon. And nice to see Michael Offutt's self-inflicted boycott can be broken by Jennifer Lopez's nipple. I knew repeating that phrase like a mantra would win. And people at my office acted offended!

On with the blogathon itself (official rules here, Nancy and other newbies)

As the old saying goes, "With Andrew Leon's kids in school, the gorgs will be small-sized amphibians found on several planets and favored as food by many humanoid species."

Grumpy Bulldog, who knows his way around a space-invasive-species (which is, of course, one of two ways an animal could be found on several planets, the other being convergent evolution, but convergent evolution is much rarer than some people would have you believe, which is why the people in the Star Wars universe either aren't human at all but merely look human, or the people in the Star Wars universe exist in the same universe as Cylons and accordingly humans on Earth were all created in a bathtub -- we're all Han Solos, now -- or Rusty's relativity theory is correct, but, then, saying "relativity is correct" is how scientists end all arguments now, including whether or not velociraptors ever actually existed (they didn't) so let's finish up the sentence I began with the clause "gets the 15 points."

In the Star Wars universe, evolution progresses at a phenomenal rate. Says the Wookiepedia:

There were many species of gorgs, including long-tailed, three-eyed, and four-eyed varieties. Different types of gorgs were eventually introduced to the populations of Naboo and its moon of Rori, where they evolved to become large, flesh-eating creatures. Gorgs were also known to be mutated by bio-engineers. One such mutation resulted in the successful growth of a chubafly. The chubafly was essentially a colorful gorg, but with wings that made it capable of flying.

I'm no scientist (I just play one on TV), but consider: no person alive has witnessed one life form evolving into another, and in fact some lifeforms (the coelacanth, for example) have stubbornly not evolved at all.

Now, that may be because their biological niches haven't changed enough to require them to adapt any further (or it may be that the Intelligent Designer isn't bothering to modify His work; Hello, Texan readers! I see you!) but Darwin's finches have remained Darwin's finches since Darwin saw his finches.

So we're back to Spontaneous Universes, with our slow-moving universe existing alongside the Hyperspeed Star Wars Universe.

And speaking of spontaneous universes, here's something for Starwarsophiles to ponder: while I don't know exactly when gorgs became a thing in the Star Wars universe, I do know when they became a thing in the Fraggle Rock universe:

On the outside of another exit from Fraggle Rock, through a well, live a family of Gorgs, giant furry humanoids standing 22 feet (6.7 m) tall. The husband and wife of the family call themselves the King...and Queen...of the Universe, with their son Junior ... as its Prince and their heir, but to all appearances working as simple farmers with a hut and garden patch. The second episode of the first season reveals that the Gorgs have never actually met anyone besides themselves in years ("I've never met a real subject before!"), suggesting that King and Queen of the Universe are self-bestowed titles. The Gorgs regard Fraggles as pests, which steal radishes from their garden. In one episode it is revealed that the Gorgs use radishes to make "anti-vanishing cream" that prevents them from becoming invisible. So the three main races of the Fraggle Rock universe — Fraggles, Doozers and Gorgs — are all dependent on the radishes for different reasons. While the King and Queen consider the Fraggles disgusting vermin, Junior enjoys chasing, catching and keeping them like a boy would lizards and bugs. Junior has no friends, and perhaps pursues the Fraggles just so he has someone to talk to.

(Wikipedia.)




So. There's that. I loved Fraggle Rock. Unfortunately for me, Mr F and Mr Bunches don't care for it, so I'm stuck watching Blue's Clues most days.

Today's question is worth 13 points. As always, the first correct answer in the comments gets it, but every comment is an entry in the Weekly Prize Drawing, which this week will include a Mystery Prize AND a copy of Rusty Webb's phenomenal book "A Dead God's Wrath" .

Here is the actual question, and it's about time:

Who was Obi-Wan's Delta-7 Copilot?

A. Anakin Skywalker
B. R5-P9
C. R4-P17
D. Qui-Gon Jinn.


Want to check the standings? Click here.

6 comments:

PT Dilloway said...

I guessed that even before looking it up.

Rusty Carl said...

B

Rusty Carl said...

Wait, it wasnt a Wookie, was it? No, Wookies don't have numbers.

Andrew Leon said...

Blogger seems to have removed the subscribe option from the pop up box. >:(

See, I even checked for your post before leaving for school this morning, but I was still too late.

And I don't think Grumpy gets up earlier than because he gets up earlier than me, if you get my meaning.

I take exception with calling an astromech a co-pilot.

Rusty Carl said...

Yes, exactly. Wookies are co pilots. Not robots. That's why I was confused.

Andrew Leon said...

I'd have to agree with Rusty.
Also Sullustans. (I think I spelled that correctly.)