GEEKTIONARY

Geeks have always been attracted to certain kinds of movies and TV shows, particularly those in the fantasy and science fiction genres such as Lord of the Rings and Star Trek. Even in the 1960s, old school geeks loved such black-and-white TV shows as Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits . And when geeks love a movie, they focus on it with much more intensity than the average person. Hence, the Imperial Stormtrooper and Wookie-costumed patrons standing in line for days to be the first to see a Star Wars movie.

Today, mainstream movies have gone geek as they increasingly draw their stories from the comic-book world. The San Diego Comic-Con now seems to be more about movies than comic books. This trend will continue in the future in such flourishing franchises as Batman, Iron Man and Spider-man, and as the characters from the Marvel universe assemble in The Avengers.

adult puppeteering (noun)
Entertainment that uses puppets but deals with adult themes, such as The Muppet Show and Wonder Showzen.

I went to an ADULT PUPPETEERING show in Amsterdam and I haven’t been the same since.

Aint It Cool News (proper noun)
A website about comics, movies, and television. Started by Harry Knowles, it has a strong fan base, can influence a film’s success (after the site released a negative review of Batman & Robin , executives blamed its failure on Internet leaks), and is known for its insider information. The site got its name from a line John Travolta’s character speaks in the movie Broken Arrow: “Ain’t it cool?”

Alan Smithee (proper noun)
A pseudonym used by film directors when they want to disown and take their name off a project. First used in 1969, it has been used dozens of times since.

ALAN SMITHEE was used in Hellraiser: Bloodline. But it should have also been used in Look Who’s Talking, Look Who’s Talking Too, and Look Who’s Still Talking and Won’t Shut Up.

ambiguously gay duo (noun)
Derived from the Robert Smigel cartoon of the same name, a term used to describe two guys who are friends but appear to have a relationship that is more than meets the eye.

AMBIGUOUSLY GAY DUOS in history include Sacco and Venzetti, Leopold and Loeb, Holmes and Watson, and Batman and Robin.

Aquafag (proper noun)
Used in the show Entourage to refer to Vincent Chase’s portrayal in the fictional James Cameron movie Aquaman.

You call me AQUAFAG? The name is Aquaman, and don’t forget it. I assure you that the Justice League of America and I will put an end to you.

GEEK QUIZ

The holodeck has become synonymous with Star Trek, but it was not always around. The holodeck made its first appearance in which incarnation of Star Trek?

a. Star Trek: The Animated Series
b. Star Trek: The Original Series
c. Star Trek: The Next Generation
d. Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Ash (proper noun)
Main character and demon ass-kicker of the Evil Dead series, played by Bruce “the Chin” Campbell. His catchphrases include “Who wants some?” and “Hail to the king, baby.”

AT-AT (proper noun)
Short for All Terrain Armored Transport. An Imperial walker first seen in the battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. The AT-AT resembles a four-legged animal, and the designers modeled its walking style after that of elephants. The two-legged version is referred to as an AT-ST, or All Terrain Scout Transport.

An AT-AT and a mûmak enter the Thunderdome. Two will enter, one will leave.

AURYN (proper noun)
A talisman with magical powers given to Atreyu in The Neverending Story, it assists him in his quest to find the Childlike Empress.

In a battle between Atreyu and Frodo, who would win? The AURYN would probably be the One Ring’s bitch.

GEEK QUIZ

From the cantina scene to Jabba the Hutt’s palace, Star Wars is known for having scenes with a diverse crowd of aliens, and they all have names. Which is not the name of a Star Wars alien that has appeared in the movies?

a. Gamorrean
b. Kitonak
c. Utai
d. Rylan

away team (noun)
A term first used on Star Trek: The Next Generation for a starship team that beams down to the surface of a planet, usually to investigate strange phenomena.

Why do the most senior crewmembers always go on the AWAY TEAM? Why not send in a few red shirts?

Bad Robot (proper noun)
The production company founded by J. J. Abrams. Bad Robot has produced many geek favorites, including the TV shows Alias, Lost, Fringe, and the 2009 Star Trek film.

bah weep granah weep ninni bong (phrase)
The universal greeting in the original cartoon Transformers movie. Used by the Autobots to befriend the Junkticons.

How do you get a one-armed Autobot out of a tree? Say, “BAH WEEP GRANAH WEEP NINNI BONG” and wave at him. Just kidding, some of my best friends are Autobots.

Batman: The Animated Series (proper noun)
A cartoon that ran from 1992 to 1995, chronicling the adventures of the DC Comics superhero Batman. Considered one of the best cartoons ever made, the series was much more adult-oriented than most cartoons of the time, notable not only for its dark animated style but for being one of the first cartoons to portray real firearms (most cartoons at the time used laser weapons of some sort to heighten the unreality). To this day, it is still considered one of the definitive incarnations of Batman. Mark “Skywalker” Hamill voiced the Joker.

bat phone (noun)
A red-colored phone used by Commissioner Gordon to call Batman in the 1960s Batman TV show.

BAT PHONE can be used as a term for a private telephone call that is of high importance.

Battle Royale Act (proper noun)
As seen in the film Battle Royale, based on a novel by Koushun Takami In a fascist version of Japan, the authorities take one high school class each year and give them weapons. Then the students are forced to fight each other until only one student survives.

Fed up with his kids, the teacher came up with a new game for the kids to play, and the BATTLE ROYALE ACT was on.

Bender (proper noun)
The wise-cracking immoral robot in the TV series Futurama.

benders (noun)
A term used in Avatar: The Last Airbender for people (and sometimes even animals) that have the ability to manipulate one of the four elements: water, earth, air, and fire. Only the Avatar can master all four elements.

I wonder if there is a BENDER for the element of “heart,” like in Captain Planet.

GEEK QUIZ

Futurama is a show every geek should watch. From the jokes about science to the satire of modern technology, it is always on the money. What is not the name of a fictional TV show on the animated show Futurama?

a. Everybody Loves Hypnotoad
b. All My Circuits
c. Little House on Uranus
d. Entertainment and Alien Invasion Tonight

Boba Fett (proper noun)
A popular hero in the Star Wars universe who wears Mandalorian armor and works as a bounty hunter. The character first appeared onscreen in the 1978 Star Wars Christmas Special.

BOBA FETT is so popular that everyone knows about him. But did you know his helmet contains a retractable straw? No? Ha!

GEEK FACT

The first Boba Fett action figure advertised by Kenner could only be purchased through the mail and was advertised as having a backpack that fired a mini rocket. But due to safety concerns, later figures were released with the rocket permanently attached. The few figures released with the rocket-firing backpack have since become valued collector’s items, selling for well over $10,000.

Bodhi (proper noun)
Also known as Bodhisatva, the surfing leader of the bank robbing Expresidents and spiritual guru in the film Point Break, opposite FBI Agent, Keanu “whoa” Reeves.

I wish I could play BODHI in Point Break Live!, the live theatre version of Point Break.

Bog of Eternal Stench (proper noun)
As seen in the Jim Henson film Labyrinth, it is a gurgling and burping swamp that will make you smell bad forever even if you only put one toe in it.

I switched my ex-girlfriend’s body lotion with samples from the BOG OF ETERNAL STENCH.

Bossk (proper noun)
The Trandoshan bounty hunter in one scene of The Empire Strikes Back (the one that looks like a bipedal reptilian swine with a bad attitude). The other bounty hunters in the scene were Boba Fett, Dengar, Zuckuss, IG-88, and 4-LOM. Bossk was also seen in Jabba’s sail barge in Return of the Jedi.

Brannigan’s Law (proper noun)
On the TV show Futurama, a parody of Star Trek’s “Prime Directive. ” Named for Captain Zapp Brannigan, it states that one cannot interfere with an undeveloped planet. However, Brannigan himself admits that even he doesn’t understand it.

“BRANNIGAN’S LAW is like Brannigan’s love: hard and fast.” — Captain Zapp Brannigan

Broken Lizard (proper noun)
The comedy troupe responsible for hilarious films like Super Troopers and Beerfest.

Bruce Timm (proper noun)
An American animator and comic book artist, most notable for being one of the primary creators of Batman: The Animated Series, as well as other DC Animated Universe shows like Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and Justice League.

BRUCE TIMM’S style of animation was influenced by the 1950s and 1960s art deco style.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (proper noun)
A character first seen in the 1982 film of the same name, Buffy achieved true fame in the ensuing TV series, which ran from 1997 to 2003. The show spawned the spinoff Angel, and even after the show’s cancellation, the story continued as a comic book series.

The TV series was cool, but the best part of the BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER movie was Pee-wee Herman as a vampire.

bullet time (noun)
A special effect, as seen in The Matrix series where time slows down or stops with the characters in dramatic or acrobatic positions.

When my comic collection began falling off the shelf, everything began moving in BULLET TIME.

bumps (noun)
Short fifteen-second breaks placed between commercials to state the title of a program and the name of the network.

GEEK QUIZ

The TV show The Big Bang Theory really gives some insight into the geek world. The two characters on The Big Bang Theory, Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, both work at:

a. Caltech
b. MIT
c. UC Berkeley
d. Harvard

Centauri (proper noun)
In The Last Starfighter movie, he was the inventor of the game Starfighter who recruited Alex Rogan to become a real starfighter to aid the Rylan Star League in its fight against the Ko-Dan armada.

CENTAURI’s car/starship and other effects in the movie were the earliest examples of CGI. And it shows.

CGI (noun)
Short for computer-generated imagery. Special effects created by a computer used in movies and television using programs like Maya.

CGI is responsible for revolutionizing the way movies are made — a curse and a blessing, because so many movies emphasize CGI over storytelling.

Chekhov’s gun (noun)
A technique commonly used in film and literature where an item that is introduced casually at the beginning of a story ends up playing a major role later on.

The first golden snitch that Harry Potter catches is a CHEKHOV’S GUN, because he opens it in The Deathly Hallows to reveal the Resurrection Stone.

Chewie (phrase)
The geek equivalent of calling out “Shotgun!” Because Chewbacca (Chewie) was Han Solo’s faithful copilot in the Star Wars movies and always sat to Han’s right, when three or more people are headed for the car, the geek who wants to ride in the front seat must call out, “Chewie!”

chick flick (noun)
A movie — usually a story dealing with romance, relationships, or horses — that appeals to a wide female audience. Men will watch chick flicks but generally do so only in the hopes of being suitably rewarded afterward.

Don’t know what a CHICK FLICK is? Go rent Under the Tuscan Sun, Dirty Dancing, Steel Magnolias, or The Horse Whisperer.

chick fu (noun)
Any movie or TV show that involves two or more women engaged in a martial arts fight — preferably while dressed in black leather.

Great examples of CHICK FU in recent years include the TV show Alias, the so-so movie Underworld, and Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

chicken walker (noun)
A type of mecha that has rear-facing knee joints and walks like a bird. Examples are Ed-209 and the AT-ST of Star Wars.

If you ever face a CHICKEN WALKER, remember that its weakness is being tripped, because it will not be able to get back up.

Colbert Report(proper noun)
A news show on Comedy Central starring Stephen Colbert as a parody of Bill O’Reilly.

Not many people realize that Stephen Colbert is actually much different, nicer, and quieter in reality than he is on the COLBERT REPORT.

cyberbrain sclerosis (noun)
A fictional disease that infects a person’s cyberbrain implant in The Ghost in the Shell series and causes memory loss and difficulty in speaking.

dark deco (noun)
The design style of Batman: The Animated Series — so called by the pro-ducers because of its art deco style combined with gothic imagery.

I am redesigning my cubicle to be DARK DECO to show the office that I am a tortured soul.

GEEK FACT

Etymology: “Batman” comes from the English word “bat,” meaning well, a bat, and the English word “man,” meaning, you know, “guy.”

Dark Passenger (proper noun)
The subconscious voice of Dexter Morgan that drives him to kill criminals in the HBO series Dexter. The Dark Defender is a comic book character based on Dexter and the Dark Passenger.

“I certainly don’t talk about it. But it’s there. Always. This DARK PASSENGER.” — Dexter

Dark Side (proper noun)
In Star Wars, the negative side of the Force, giving power through aggression, haste, and emotions like fear, anger, and hate. Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine are both masters of the Dark Side and use it to control the Empire.

Darth Maul (proper noun)
The apprentice of Darth Sidious in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Darth Maul wields a dual-edged lightsaber and kills Qui-Gon Jinn before being split in half by Obi-wan Kenobi.

DARTH MAUL was one of the coolest Star Wars characters. Too bad he dies so fast.

GEEK FACT

Darth Maul was played by actor and martial artist extraordinaire Ray Park, who would later go on to work in such films as Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, Bryan Singer’s X-Men, and the NBC hit series Heroes.

Darth Vader (proper noun)
Also known as the “Dark Lord of the Sith,” Darth Vader is the enemy of the Jedi, and master of the Dark Side. He wears cybernetic armor that keeps him alive and gives him a powerful deep voice that erases from our memory the whiny brat from the prequels.

DARTH VADER’s armor was influenced by the samurai helmet and the villain The Lightning, from the TV series, The Fighting Devil Dogs.

GEEK FACT

Geeks can wait in line for days. Even Twilight draws lines that last forever. When the Star Wars prequels came out, fans were known to start waiting in line six to seven weeks before the opening. When Revenge of the Sith was released, fans started lining up forty-six days before opening night at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Unfortunately for them, it was the wrong theatre.

Death Star (proper noun)
In the Star Wars universe, a giant space station shaped like a planet that is the ultimate weapon and can destroy a planet with a single blast.

In Kevin Smith’s movie Clerks, a character sympathizes with the innocent contract workers on the DEATH STAR when it was destroyed.

development hell (noun)
When a movie has been optioned for development but for some reason just can’t get past preproduction.

Movies that should have stayed in DEVELOPMENT HELL include The Bucket List and The Notebook.

GEEK QUIZ

Did you know that Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings films? But he is not the first actor to turn down famous roles. Steve McQueen is famous for doing just that. Which of the following films did Steve McQueen not turn down for the starring role?

a. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
b. Dirty Harry
c. Apocalypse Now
d. The Sting

deus ex machina (noun)
A plot device where a seemingly unsolvable problem is solved by an improbable last-second solution or act of god. The term is Latin and literally means “god from the machine.” It originates from Greek tragedy where a crane (the machine) would lower an actor (playing a god) into the scene.

A DEUS EX MACHINA is like a plant, you can’t wait for it to appear or it will never come.

GEEK FACT

Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films because he did not understand the script. When the films became smash hits worldwide, lauded by both audiences and critics alike, Connery regretted his decision — so much so that he accepted the role of Allan Quartermain in the movie version of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen — even though he admitted he didn’t understand this one either. League was panned by most critics, hated by most fans of the comic book, and did only modest business at the box office. Sean Connery announced his retirement shortly thereafter, saying it was due mostly to the “idiots now in Hollywood.”

Dimension X (noun)
Another dimension in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, home to Krang and the technodrome.

It is still unclear whether DIMENSION X is actually another dimension or just further out into outer space.

Doctor Who(proper noun)
The long-running BBC television show about the alien humanoid doctor who travels in the TARDIS through time and space. The doctor is also a Time Lord, and therefore can create a new body, which explains why there have been so many different actors playing the role throughout the run of the show. From 1967 to 1978, more than 100 Doctor Who episodes were wiped over by the BBC to make room for new material, with no other copies in existence.

“I’ll watch the last 24 minutes of DOCTOR WHO, although at this point it’s more like Doctor Why Bother.” — Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory

DreamWorks face (noun)
The face that all the main characaters in a DreamWorks computer-animated movie make, as seen on a multitude of movie posters, where one eyebrow is lowered in an exaggerated fashion and a sly smile is given.

Easter egg (noun)
A hidden message or joke left by the creator of a software program, game, movie, or DVD. Famous Easter eggs include Hitchcock appearing in his own films, or R2-D2 floating in space in the 2009 Star Trek film.

Surprisingly, there were no EASTER EGGS in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.

GEEK FACT

Apple computers had a problem early on with a company called Franklin Computers cloning their Apple II computer, but eventually won in a lawsuit. After that, Apple placed an ‘easter egg’ in the ROM in the form of a picture of a man behind bars with the message “Stolen from Apple,” which would appear if certain keys were pressed to prove the product was from Apple.

ED-209 (proper noun)
The heavily armed police bipedal robot that Robocop replaced after a malfunction resulting in the death of an OCP executive. Phil Tippett, who worked on the special effects of ED-209, was also a supervisor of special effects in the movies The Empire Strikes Back, Robocop, and Jurassic Park.

ED-209, when turned over and unable to get up, acts and sounds like a little harmless baby.

GEEK QUIZ

What is the name of the actor who played Gilligan, the goofy red-shirt wearing first mate of the SS Minnow, in the 1960s TV show Gilligan’s Island?

a. Alan Hale, Jr.
b. Jim Backus
c. Bob Denver d. Sherwood Schwartz

Falkor (proper noun)
A giant luck dragon that looks like a dog but is actually very friendly and will fly you anywhere you want to go, as seen in The Neverending Story.

I had a dream I was flying on FALKOR while music by Enigma was playing and we were on our way to Candy Land.

fanwanking (noun)
1.The attempts of fans of anime to try to fill plot holes in a work. These attempts are not canon. 2. The inclusion in a movie or TV show of what the fans desire just to make them happy.

Including Boba Fett in the prequels is an obvious case of FANWANKING because he is so popular among Star Wars fans.

Firefly(proper noun)
A science-fiction television show created by Joss Whedon, it was noted for being a mix of the science fiction and Western genres. Despite being much beloved by fans, critics’ reactions were mixed, and the show failed to find a wide audience and only lasted one season before being cancelled. Fans of the show refer to themselves as “Browncoats,” after the Western-style duster worn by the show’s main character.

After FIREFLY was cancelled, Whedon took the story to the movies with the film Serenity. The movie was generally well received by critics but had a disappointing box office run.

five-point palm exploding heart technique (noun)
A type of death touch portrayed in the movie Kill Bill where the attacker touches certain pressure points, causing death after the victim takes five steps.

The Bride: “What, pray tell, is a FIVE-POINT PALM EXPLODING HEART TECHNIQUE?”
Bill: “Quite simply, the deadliest blow in all of the martial arts. He hits you with his fingertips, at five different pressure points on your body. And then he lets you walk away. But once you’ve taken five steps, your heart explodes inside your body, and you fall to the floor dead.”

Fizzbin (proper noun)
A card game created by Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series with an intentionally complicated rule set used to distract his captor, so that he can escape.

GEEK FACT

What are some imaginary games played in sci-fi? There is Tri-Dimensional Chess in Star Trek, Dejarik (holographic chess) in Star Wars, Stealth Chess in Discworld, Pai-Sho in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Sabacc, the card game Han Solo was play-ing when he won the Millennium Falcon,

flux capacitor (noun)
In the Back to the Future films, a device used in Doc Brown’s time machine that is shaped as an upside down Y with three flashing lights. It is what makes time travel possible.

Forbidden Planet(proper noun)
A 1956 movie, considered to be one of the greatest science-fiction films ever made. It is essentially a re-imagining of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The movie had a huge influence upon the genre and was one of the primary inspirations for Gene Roddenberry in creating Star Trek.

The Force (proper noun)
In the Star Wars universe, a mystical “force” that gives the Jedi their power. The Force has both a light and a dark side.

“The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” — Obi-Wan “Old Ben” Kenobi

frak (noun)
A term used on the television show Battlestar Galactica to censor the word that begins with an F and ends in U-C-K. And no, it’s not “firetruck.”

Holy FRAK! A group of Cylons want to settle this dispute in a street-level dance off!

Frat Pack (proper noun)
The group of comedians often seen in the same movies together, including Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Will Ferrell.

Other famous “Packs” other than the FRAT PACK are the Rat Pack, the Brat Pack, and the Putz Pack (Justin Bieber, Ashton Kutcher, Clay Aiken).

Freaks and Geeks(proper noun)
An hour-long TV show about high school students in the early 1980s. It was produced by Judd Apatow and ran for a year starting in 1999. Despite being critically acclaimed (it still makes critics’ lists of one of the best TV shows of all time), the show never fared well in the ratings and only lasted one season. It has since gained a cult following.

FREAKS AND GEEKS starred Apatow regulars Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and James Franco — all of whom lead better lives than you.

frill (phrase)
In the Sci-Fi Channel (now Syfy) series Farscape, the substituted word for the word that begins with an F and ends in U-C-K. And we’re still not talking about “firetruck.”

Fritz the Cat(proper noun)
The most famous comic strip of Robert Crumb, about a cat and his adventures, many which are sexual in nature. Adapted into a hit film in 1972 by Ralph Bakshi. The film earned an X-rating.

FRITZ THE CAT, and especially later strips by Robert Crumb, were aided by his use of LSD.

Futurama(proper noun)
A science-fiction TV sitcom created by Matt Groening (one of the creators of The Simpsons). The show lasted four seasons on the Fox network before being cancelled, but thanks to the show’s huge following made a comeback on DVD. New episodes premiered on Comedy Central in 2010.

The main character on FUTURAMA is Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery guy who inadvertently locked himself in a cryogenic booth in the year 2000 and woke up in the year 2999.

Game of Death(proper noun)
Bruce Lee’s final film, left unfinished, where Bruce would have to make his way to the top of a pagoda, fighting martial arts experts like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the way.

The tracksuit worn in GAME OF DEATH, which was yellow and black, inspired Uma Thurman’s fashion in Tarantino’s Kill Bill.

Gene Roddenbery (proper noun)
Eugene Wesley “Gene” Roddenberry was an American screenwriter and producer, most famous for creating Star Trek.

After his death, GENE RODDENBERRY’S ashes were launched into space aboard a Pegasus XL rocket. Other remains onboard included the ashes of Timothy Leary.

General Grievous (proper noun)
The cyborg general in command of the Separatists in Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith. Grievous has four arms that each wield the lightsaber of a Jedi he has killed.

GENERAL GRIEVOUS was created by George Lucas to foreshadow Darth Vader, by creating a cyborg character.

Genesis Device (proper noun)
Introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the device had the ability to “create life from lifelessness.” Although intended for good, the film’s villain seeks to use it for his own nefarious schemes.

Terraforming is a staple of many science-fiction stories, but what those stories did over decades, the GENESIS DEVICE did in minutes.

George Pal (proper noun)
Born György Pál Marczincsak, George Pal was a Hungarian-American filmmaker responsible for some of the most beloved science-fiction films of all time, especially the 1953 version of The War of the Worlds and the 1960 version of The Time Machine (both based upon stories by H. G. Wells).

Although he is best remembered for the live-action films he produced, GEORGE PAL began his career as an animator.

Glasgow smile (noun)
A facial cut caused by slicing each sides of someone’s mouth, as seen by the torture-loving character Kakihara in the manga and live action movie Ichi the Killer. Also seen in the Joker as played by Heath Ledger.

go motion (noun)
A type of stop-motion animation developed by Industrial Light and Magic for the Star Wars movies, where instead of having a model remain still in a stop-motion frame, the model will be moving slightly to give a more fluid effect.

GO MOTION was going to be used for Jurassic Park before Steven Spielberg decided to use CGI.

Gobots (proper noun)
A toy line and cartoon in the ’80s that was a competitor with the Transformers. Included robots such as Cy-Kill, Cop-Tur, and Leader-1.

It was always awkward trying to integrate GOBOTS and Transformers toys together into a play session. It always seemed a little wrong.

grindhouse (noun)
A movie theatre that shows low-budget exploitation cinema. The films often contain sex, violence, and bizarre plots.

We the authors are too young to have appreciated porno theaters and GRINDHOUSES, but I have been to a few and let me tell you, losing them was a real loss to American culture.

guerrilla filmmaking (noun)
A type of filmmaking shot on a very low budget using friends of the filmmaker and whatever props were on hand.

gun fu (noun)
The use of a gun in a special way, derived from martial arts, as seen in many John Woo films, where the characters wield a gun in each hand, or in Equilibrium where it is called “gun kata.”

The most advanced technique in GUN FU involves holding the pistol sideways like a gangsta.

Hab sosli quch (phrase)
Klingon for “Your mother has a smooth forehead!” The worst possible insult.

You dare to cut off my Klingon Bird of Prey without signaling? HAB SOSLI QUCH!

GEEK FACT

More Klingon “Yo mama” jokes:

• Yo mama’s so ugly, it would take 100 light-years for her to couple with a Gorn.

• Yo mama’s so nasty she brings her own crabs to the Crab Nebula.

• Yo mama’s so hairless you can see what’s on her mind.

hack the Gibson (verb)
To break into a computer from a remote location and steal information. Used in the movie Hackers, the Gibson is a supercomputer named after William Gibson, author of Neuromancer.

I tried to HACK THE GIBSON and got arrested, but Angelina Jolie didn’t come to save me like she did in the movie.

HAL 9000 (proper noun)
Short for Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic Computer. An artificial computer that serves as an antagonist in 2001: A Space Odyssey. HAL manages to kill all but one of the crew before being deactivated by the one survivor.

The name HAL is thought to come from IBM because the position in the alphabet of the letters I-B-M each occur exactly one letter after the letters H-A-L.

Hamsterdam (proper noun)
On the HBO series The Wire, the urban area where drugs were legalized under a renegade police major.

The cops don’t bother us at all even though they know we party. It’s like our own personal HAMSTERDAM.

Harley Quinn (proper noun)
A villain created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for Batman: The Animated Series. Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel was a psychologist who fell in love with the Joker and joined him in a life of crime, taking the name “Harley Quinn,” which is a play on the word “harlequin.” The character proved to be so popular that she was adopted into comic books, video games, and the Birds of Prey TV show, and has been rumored to be featured in upcoming Batman films.

Want to attract the romantic attention of your favorite geek? Show up at his house in a HARLEY QUINN costume.

GEEK FACT

How popular is Harley Quinn among geeks? Famed geek filmmaker Kevin Smith named his daughter Harley Quinn.

Hawk the Slayer(proper noun)
A 1980 sword & sorcery film. It was almost universally panned by critics but gained a huge cult following after multiple late-night viewings on Showtime. The film was noted for its Morricone-inspired discoesque soundtrack. Along with John Milius’s Conan the Barbarian film, Hawk the Slayer probably inspired more D&D campaigns in the ’80s than any other movie. Rumors of a sequel, Hawk the Hunter, have sprouted in recent years, but nothing has come to fruition so far.

I probably watched HAWK THE SLAYER at least fifty times when I was a kid. Favorite character? Crow the elf. Orlando Bloom’s Legolas had nothin’ on Crow!

GEEK FACT

John Terry, the actor who played Hawk the Slayer, rose to geek fame again on the TV series Lost, where he played Jack Sheppard’s father.

Heisenberg (proper noun)
Famous physicist responsible for the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, also the black-hat-wearing alter ego of scientist and drug kingpin Walter White on Breaking Bad. The Heisenberg uncertainty principle, posited by Werner Heisenberg in 1927, states that it is impossible to determine both the position and velocity of a quantum object such as an electron with any certainty. This principle is not based upon a lack in measuring capability, but instead refers to the fundamental nature of quantum mechanics

I would explain to you what the HEISENBERG uncertainty principle is in detail, but the truth is I’m not really certain.

holodeck (noun)
A room in a Star Trek starship that simulates reality according to the user’s desires.

GEEK FACT

The transporters in Star Trek: The Next Generation are able to overcome the issues that exist as a result of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle by the use of “Heisenberg compensators.” In 1994, when Star Trek technical advisor, Michael Okuda, was asked by Time magazine “How do the Heisenberg Compensators work?” he responded “It works very well, thank you.” This illustrates a typical device used in hard science fiction, where such impossibilities as faster-than-light travel are acknowledged but vaguely explained away.

hoverboard (noun)
In the movies Back to the Future II and III, the hoverboard was the successor to the skateboard, and it used hover technology rather than wheels.

GEEK FACT

Being civilized Starfleet officers, the crew of the Enterprise most often used the holodeck to play detective. However, the geekiest geek on the Enterprise, Lieutenant Reginald Barkley, is the only one to use the holodeck to pick up women. Imaginary women, true, but you gotta hand it to the geek for having his priorities straight. The character of Lieutenant Barkley was played by Dwight Schultz, who also played the geekiest geek on the TV series The A-Team.

Imaginationland (proper noun)
In South Park, a land where everything that imagination has created lives. Some residents are Count Chocula, John Wayne’s character from True Grit, and Dick Tracy.

Who would you like to meet in IMAGINATIONLAND? All of the Disney princesses.

inverse ninja law (phrase)
The law that states that ninjas in larger groups are weaker, as seen in many movies where ninjas attack the hero one at a time, and are always easily dispatched, whereas a single ninja is much harder to defeat.

Back off, there is only one ninja here. Don’t you know the INVERSE NINJA LAW? He must be a worthy foe if he is by himself.

J. J. Abrams (proper noun)
Writer, director, producer, and composer. He either created or helped to create such geek favorites as the TV shows Alias, Lost, and Fringe . Abrams directed the 2009 reboot Star Trek film.

J. Michael Straczynski (proper noun)
Fondly known as JMS in geekdom. A prolific writer of many geek favorites. He created the TV series Babylon 5 and Jeremiah, wrote the screenplay for the Clint Eastwood film Changeling, and has written acclaimed comic books for Marvel, DC, and other publishers. He was also commissioned to write the screenplay for a Silver Surfer movie, which even he admits will probably never be made, and a remake of the classic Forbidden Planet.

J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI supposedly wrote the script for Ninja Assassin in only fifty-three hours. Considering it was a Wachowski movie, that was probably fifty-one hours too long.

Jedi (proper noun)
The mystic warriors of the Star Wars films who use the Force and wield lightsabers.

“I was once a JEDI knight, the same as your father.” — Obi-Wan “Old Ben” Kenobi

GEEK FACT

The origin of the word “Jedi”is from the Japanese jidai geki, which basically means a period adventure drama. Japanese cinema, especially the films of Akira Kurosawa, were a huge influence on George Lucas in the creation of Star Wars. Interestingly, Akira Kurosawa was strongly influenced by western filmmaker John Ford.

Jedi mind trick (noun)
A tactic used by a Jedi to make a weak-minded individual obey a Jedi’s wishes.

Joss Whedon (proper noun)
Writer and director of such geek favorites as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, and several comic book series. He is slotted to direct the Avengers movie.

kaiju (noun)
Translated from Japanese, it means “strange beast.” They are seen as giant monsters that terrorize cities in Tokusatsu films, which are live-action sci-fi or fantasy Japanese films. Mothra and Godzilla are kaiju.

Kessel run (noun)
In the Star Wars universe, a smugglers’ route used to move glitterstim spice out of Kessel, made difficult because one needs to evade detection by Imperial starships.

Han Solo made the KESSEL RUN in less than twelve parsecs (a unit of distance) by taking a short cut past the Maw black hole cluster.

key grip (noun)
In filmmaking, a person who works on lights, the movement of the camera, and placing the camera in its appropriate place on dollys and cranes. They help in safety monitoring, construction, and other administrative duties.

No one has figured out what a KEY GRIP does until now. Finally, the mystery is solved! Now onto what the Best Boy does.

Khan (proper noun)
Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically altered human being and Captain Kirk’s greatest enemy. First introduced in the original Star Trek episode “Space Seed,” he returned in glory in Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan. Played by Ricardo Montalban, Khan is considered to be one of the best onscreen villains of all time.

GEEK FACT

According to Nicholas Meyer, the director of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, those were indeed Ricardo Montalban’s real pecs.

Kobayashi Maru (proper noun)
A test in the Star Trek universe given to cadets in Starfleet Academy to determine their character strength in a no-win situation. Captain Kirk is the only cadet to have ever passed the test, which he did by cheating.

My girlfriend wants me to watch either Steel Magnolias or Beaches. It’s a lose-lose KOBAYASHI MARU situation.

lanista (noun)
A manager of gladiators as represented in the movie Spartacus and Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand by the character Batiatus.

I am not surprised the gladiators revolted with Spartacus, consider-ing the way their LANISTA treated them.

GEEK QUIZ

What 1960s television science-fiction series opened with strange visuals of an oscilloscope display?

a. The Outer Limits
b. Science Fiction Theatre
c. Dark Shadows
d. The Twilight Zone

late-night wars (noun)
The backstage political maneuvering that occurs with late-night talk show hosts, as seen when Johnny Carson retired and Jay Leno and David Letterman were both up for the spot.

The LATE-NIGHT WARS were in the news recently when Jay Leno came and took over for the funnier Conan O’Brien.

Lebowski Fest (noun)
An annual gathering to celebrate the movie The Big Lebowski. People dress as characters from the movie, drink White Russians, and participate in various games and events.

ludicrous speed (noun)
From the Mel Brooks’ film Space Balls, it is a parody of science-fiction tropes like “light speed” or “hyperspace” (from Star Wars) and “warp speed” (from Star Trek). When light speed is too slow, ludicrous speed is the fastest speed possible, and results in everything going plaid.

Colonel Sandurz: “Prepare the ship for light speed.”
Dark Helmet: “No, no, no. Light speed is too slow.”
Colonel Sandurz: “Light speed too slow?”
Dark Helmet: “Yes. We’re gonna have to go right to LUDICROUS SPEED.”

Luxo Jr.(proper noun)
An award-winning computer animated short by Pixar featuring a desk lamp character.

The LUXO JR. lamp is seen in the Pixar title card that opens each Pixar film.

Lycan (noun)
Werewolves in the Underworld movies that are immortal and whose bite spreads the Lycan virus, which causes the bitten to become a Lycan. Lycans are different than werewolves in that they have a greater ability to control their transformation from human to wolf and back again. The first Lycan was played by Michael Sheen, who also played David Frost in Frost/Nixon. “Lycan” is derived from lykos, the Greek word for “wolf.”

If all LYCANS looked like Kate Beckinsale, they’d be much more popular.

Lynchian (adjective)
A movie or scene that is strange, weird, and shows the underlying macabre nature of the ordinary world, much like a David Lynch film.

The most LYNCHIAN recurring shot is a close-up of a cigarette as it burns, a metaphor for something really profound or something — like a burning cigarette.

GEEK FACT

Best David Lynch Movies:
Blue Velvet
Wild at Heart
Eraserhead

MacGuffin (noun)
Sometimes spelled “Maguffin,” it is a plot device used to advance a story, popularized by Alfred Hitchcock. It is the center of the plot and what is being pursued by the protagonist.

Famous MACGUFFINS are the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the glowing contents of the briefcase in Pulp Fiction, and the continuum transfunctioner in Dude, Where’s My Car? All three great movies btw.

MacGyver (noun)
Word for a person who has a talent for taking mundane objects and making them useful, as seen on the television show MacGyver, where MacGyver could escape any situation using everyday objects such as an empty bottle and a paper clip.

Madmartigan (proper noun)
The greatest swordsman that ever lived, played by Val Kilmer in the movie Willow, opposite Warwick Davis, who played the Ewok Wicket in the Return of the Jedi.

Val Kilmer’s portrayal of MADMARTIGAN falls into what film critics call Kilmer’s “pre-fat-disgusting-pig” years as an actor.

Manson lamps (phrase)
In The Sopranos, it is the term Tony Soprano uses to describe Richie Aprile’s glare — a reference to infamous cult leader and murderer Charles Manson. Can be used to describe any crazed, maniacal glare.

Masturbating Bear (proper noun)
A character on the Late Night with Conan O’Brien. A bear wearing a diaper that masturbates.

Matrix of Leadership (proper noun)
A powerful talisman that is given to the leader of the Autobots, who receives the title Prime.

Whenever the MATRIX OF LEADERSHIP is opened, ’80s heavy metal music begins to play.

matte painting (noun)
A detailed painting used in movies as background scenery. The large government warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Statute of Liberty in Planet of the Apes were really matte paintings.

Matt Foley (proper noun)
A motivational speaker on Saturday Night Live played by Chris Farley, who’s “livin’ in a van down by the river!”

The substitute teacher was so crazy and sweaty he was going all MATT FOLEY on us.

MCP (proper noun)
Short for Master Control Program. The evil artificial intelligence in the movie Tron that ruled over programs with an iron fist and attempted to take control over other computers and companies in the real world.

Meatwad (proper noun)
The main character of Aqua Team Hunger Force. A childlike ball of meat that can change into many different objects, such as Samurai Abraham Lincoln and an igloo.

Tip for MEATWAD: If you look like a ball of meat, it’s a good thing to be able to transform into something else.

Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho (phrase)
A magic phrase spoken on Pee-wee’s Playhouse.

Paul Reubens probably wishes he could say MECCA LECCA HI MECCA HINEY HO and magically get his career back.

GEEK FACT

The character Cowboy Curtis on Pee-wee’s Playhouse was played by actor Laurence Fishburne. In the episode “The Cowboy and the Cowntess,” Miss Yvonne asks Cowboy Curtis out on a date. Cowboy Curtis is very nervous, and Pee-wee decides to help him out by dressing up as a girl so Cowboy Curtis can role-play the date beforehand.

midi-chlorians (noun)
Introduced in Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace, microorganisms that flow through every living thing and are in communication with the Force.

When MIDI-CHLORIANS were introduced in The Phantom Menace, I knew that Star Wars had Nuked the Fridge.

Milton (proper noun)
Cartoon shorts by Mike Judge that served as the inspiration for the movie Office Space, which included the character of Milton, played by Stephen Root, who believes that someone has his stapler.

“Now, MILTON, don’t be greedy. Let’s pass it along and make sure everyone gets a piece.” — Office Space

model sheet (noun)
Used by animators, it is a sheet of drawings of a character in different positions and poses, used as a reference.

My MODEL SHEET would include me in all of my various positions, including my seventeen different ways of sitting on a couch.

moment of Zen (noun)
1. A moment where one achieves the state of no-mind. 2. The last segment on The Daily Show that shows a funny video.

monolith (noun)
A device built by aliens that grants organisms wisdom. Responsible in 2001: A Space Odyssey for helping prehistoric hominids discover tools and weapons, and an astronaut evolve into the Star Child. Its dimensions are 1×4×9 (the squares of the first three integers).

Don’t understand the MONOLITH? Don’t worry. No one else does either. It’s kind of like most Pink Floyd songs — only people who are really high understand it — and then they no longer care.

most atypical (phrase)
Amazing. From the movie Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

No, that outfit does not make you look fat. It makes you look MOST ATYPICAL and bodacious.

motion capture (noun)
“Mocap” for short. A technique in which someone is hooked up to sensors so that his or her body’s movements are tracked, fed into a computer, and used to animate a digital character.

Actors have made a living being MOTION CAPTURE specialists, including Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings.

moviegating (noun)
The art of following closely behind another vehicle to watch a movie playing on a television in the vehicle.

There are many activities that can prolong your life — exercise, eat-ing healthy, regular visits to the doctor — but MOVIEGATING is not one of them.

MST3K(proper noun)
Short for Mystery Science Theater 3000, a television show that featured a viewer and two robots watching and making fun of bad movies from the 1950s and ’60s.

Necron-99 (proper noun)
A robot assassin in the 1977 Ralph Bakshi movie Wizards. He travelled the countryside killing fairies and little bunny wabbits. In the film, he is later “reprogrammed” by the good wizard Avatar and renamed Peace.

NECRON-99 was voiced by David Proval, who went on to play Richie Aprile on The Sopranos.

GEEK FACT

Fans have speculated that Necron-99 was an inspiration for the Star Wars character Boba Fett, who debuted in the much-derided made-for-TV 1978 Star Wars Christmas Special. Although even the most die-hard Star Wars fans are embarrassed by the Star Wars Christmas Special, the animated sequence with Boba Fett was actually pretty cool.

neutral zone (noun)
The area between two territories belonging to different powers. If entered, it was considered a hostile act. Seen in Star Trek, it usually caused conflict between some combination of the Federation, Klingons, and the Romulans.

In the original Star Trek series, the Klingon NEUTRAL ZONE was also known as the Organian Neutral Zone, after the inhabitants of Organia IV, who established the area.

Nosferatu (proper noun)
The original vampire from the 1929 German film of the same name. He is known for being bald, all white, and having pointy ears and long, sharp fingers.

nuking the fridge (noun)
A point in a movie that is so outrageous that it lessens the impact of subsequent scenes. The phrase supposedly originated on the Internet Movie Database message boards and was taken from the movie Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull when Indiana escapes a nuclear blast by enclosing himself in a fridge that is hurled for miles, after which Indie gets out without a scratch.

Number 6 (proper noun)
The main character in the British TV show The Prisoner played by Patrick “Longshanks” McGoohan. Number 6 was trapped in The Village for unknown reasons, most likely a secret he knows, and prevented from escaping by Rovers, or large balloons.

The actor who played NUMBER 6 later went on to play Edward I in the movie Braveheart.

OCD (noun)
Short for obsessive Cullen disorder. Referring to Edward Cullen of the movie Twilight.

OME, it’s Robert Pattinson! I didn’t know he was also in Harry Potter!

GEEK QUIZ

Which comedic television actor developed the technique of filming TV comedies before a live audience, which is still in use today?

a. Steve Allen
b. Dick Van Dyke
c. Desi Arnaz
d. Alfred Hitchcock

Knick-knack PADAWAN, give the bantha a bone. This ol’ Tusken Raider went howling home.

GEEK FACT

Much like the knightly orders of the Middle Ages, there are many ranks among the Jedi. The youngest children are Initiates, or “Younglings.” The next rank above Initiate is the Padawan, or “Apprentice.” After many years of training, a Padawan becomes a Jedi Knight, the rank of the overwhelming number of Jedi. Only the truly wise and powerful attain the rank of Jedi Master.

Paul Dini (proper noun)
An Emmy Award–winning American writer, most notable for being one of the primary creators of Batman: The Animated Series, as well as other DC Animated Universe shows like Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League, and the comic book Jingle Belle, about the adventures of Santa Claus’s rebellious teenage daughter. He later joined the writing team of the ABC TV series Lost.

Besides being one of the most lauded writers in all of geekdom, PAUL DINI is also an amateur stage magician.

Pee-wee’s Playhouse (proper noun)
A Saturday-morning kids show starring Paul Reubens’s childlike alter ego Pee-wee Herman. During its run, the show received fifteen Emmy Awards and received rave critical reviews, including from kids show icon Bob Keeshan (better known as “Captain Kangaroo”), who wrote, “With the possible exception of the Muppets, you can’t find such creativity anywhere on TV.”

During the first season of PEE-WEE’S PLAYHOUSE, the character of Captain Carl was played by Phil Hartman.

phaser (noun)
A handheld energy weapon used in the Star Trek universe. Derived from the phrase “photon maser” because lasers were not commonly known at the time of the original series.

plant (noun)
An employee of a company or studio who writes a positive review of a movie on a website while claiming to be an unbiased anonymous source.

Any pre-release-date positive review is a PLANT, a spy! Kill the plants! Give them no water! Let them rot!

plot crowbar (noun)
When something unrealistic happens in a movie for the sole purpose of moving the plot along.

GEEK FACT

Examples of plot crowbars:
Debra Winger’s character dies of cancer in Terms of Endearment.
Truman Capote writes In Cold Blood in the movie Capote.
Pretty much every third scene in The Matrix.

pon farr (noun)
From the Star Trek universe, it is the Vulcan term used to describe the biological state in which Vulcans must either mate or die.

PON FARR … mating every seven years, which would be a 100 percent increase for many Trekkies.

popcorn flick (noun)
A movie that has little depth, almost no social or artistic meaning, but is loads of fun from beginning to end. Most tend to be action films and dominate the summer and holiday season release schedules.

Calling a movie a POPCORN FLICK isn’t so much damning it with faint praise as it is praising it with faint damnation.

President Frankenstein (proper noun)
The name of David Carradine’s character in the Roger Corman film Death Race 2000, a film about a race whose goal was to run over as many people as possible.

In the remake of Death Race, the PRESIDENT FRANKENSTEIN character was played by Jason “The Transporter” Statham.

GEEK FACT

Roger Corman is known for his cheap B-movies, but many famous filmmakers started their career with him including: Martin Scorcese, Francis Ford Coppolla, James Cameron, Jack Nicholson, and Robert DeNiro.

the prestige (noun)
Magic tricks have three steps: the pledge, the turn, and the prestige. The pledge is the magician’s reveal of something ordinary, the turn is to make something ordinary extraordinary, and the prestige is the final effect. A movie was made based on the book by Christopher Priest, starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, two illusionists at odds with each other.

Prime Directive (proper noun)
In the Star Trek universe, the Prime Directive is Starfleet General Order 1, which forbids Starfleet personnel from interfering in the development of societies that have not yet achieved sufficient technology to achieve interstellar travel. The Prime Directive was first defined in the original Star Trek episode “Bread and Circuses” as: No identification of self or mission. No interference with the social development of said planet. No references to space or the fact that there are other worlds or civilizations.

“A star captain’s most solemn oath is that he will give his life, even his entire crew, rather than violate the PRIME DIRECTIVE.” — Captain James T. Kirk, in the Star Trek episode “The Omega Glory”

proof of concept (noun)
A presentation that proves that a project will work in the desired way. Used by filmmakers to prove they can accomplish a difficult task.

PROOF OF CONCEPT has been used by Pixar for their movies and by Robert Rodriguez for Sin City.

proton pack (noun)
In the film Ghostbusters (one of the greatest movies of all time), it is the primary weapon of the Ghostbusters. An unlicensed nuclear accelerator used to capture ghosts by firing a proton stream that polarizes negatively charged energy.

“Why worry? Each of us is wearing an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his back.” — Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters

GEEK FACT

The Ghostbusters’ weapons are indeed proton packs in the script. But in the movie no one ever actually says the term “proton pack.” Not once. The closest they come is when Venkman is tallying up the bill for the hotel manager after they catch their first ghost, and he charges him for “proton recharge.”

Rabbit of Caerbannog (proper noun)
A deadly rabbit in Monty Python’s Quest for the Holy Grail that kills many men before being killed by the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.

rage (noun)
A genetically engineered virus that causes an outbreak of running zombies in 28 Days Later.

GEEK FACT

Geekphosophy
Why are the genetically engineered “mistakes” in movies always bad? What about a genetically engineered virus that makes you just a little taller, smarter, and better looking?
Guess that wouldn’t be a very compelling movie.

Raoul Duke (proper noun)
Hunter S. Thompson’s alter ego, the main character in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Played by Johnny Depp in the film.

Much like RAOUL DUKE, I also have an alternate identity when I go to Las Vegas.

Ray Harryhausen (proper noun)
A special effects master who specialized in using stop-motion to animate movie monsters. His credits include the original Clash of the Titans, Mighty Joe Young, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and Jason and the Argonauts.

RAY HARRYHAUSEN’s Mighty Joe Young is the only stop-motion animated tear jerker ever made.

The Razzies (proper noun)
The Golden Raspberries. An award ceremony founded in 1981 with “worst of” categories such as “worst movie” and “worst actor.”

Past RAZZIE winners include Halle Berry for Catwoman and Tom Green for Freddy Got Fingered. They both showed up at the ceremony to accept their awards.

red-band trailer (noun)
A movie trailer that displays a red rating card instead of a green one. It is not allowed for general audiences due to R-rated content such as profanity, nudity, and violence.

red or blue pill (phrase)
Making the choice between the painful truth of enlightenment or comfortable ignorance. The same choice that Neo had to make in The Matrix.

You know, if Morpheus were smart he would not have offered Neo the RED OR BLUE PILL. He’d have been much smarter to offer the red cherry or blue suppository.

Red Dwarf(proper noun)
A comedic science-fiction TV series from Great Britain that aired on the BBC from 1988 to 1999.

RED DWARF … only on the BBC could you name the hero Ace Rimmer and get away with it.

red shirt (noun)
Stock member of a Star Trek starship. Members of security, they wore a red shirt and always seemed to be the first to die.

GEEK QUIZ

Which of the following films was not produced by famous Hungarian- American animator and film producer George Pal?

a. Destination Moon
b. Them
c. When World’s Collide
d. The War of the Worlds

In order to determine whether an individual is a REPLICANT or a human, the Voight-Kampff machine is used to test his or her emotional responses to stimuli.

GEEK FACT

Geek Note
Voight-Kampff is not to be confused with Mein Kampf.

Robby the Robot (proper noun)
A very tall robot that was in the 1956 movie Forbidden Planet and has since become a sci-fi icon and appeared in the Twilight Zone, The Phantom Menace, Futurama, and The Addams Family.

ROBBY THE ROBOT was designed by Robert Kinoshita, who also designed Robot B-9 for the TV show Lost in Space.

Rolo Tomasi (proper noun)
A name created by Ed Exley for the killer of his father in the fantastic 1997 film L.A. Confidential . The police never caught the man who killed Exley’s father, so he invented a name for the murderer: Rolo Tomasi. Later in the movie, using the name helps Exley identify the traitor within the police force.

ROLO TOMASI was created exclusively for the movie and did not appear in the novel.

rotoscope (noun)
A technique in animation where live-action film frames are traced over frame by frame for 2D animation.

Disney used the ROTOSCOPE technique in many of its early films. So did Ralph Bakshi for his version of The Lord of the Rings, although some of the scenes looks like he might have been doing it with his eyes closed.

The Schwartz (proper noun)
A powerful force in the universe, as explained by Yogurt in Spaceballs . A parody of the Force from the Star Wars films.

serial (noun)
Serialized films popular from the silent era to the ’50s that were adventurous in nature, much like the pulp fiction of the time, and usually ended in a cliffhanger. Served as an inspiration for both the Indiana Jones and Star Wars films.

shark-repellent bat spray (noun)
An over-the-top utility belt item in the 1966 Batman movie. It is used to deter a rubber shark attacking Batman while he is hanging onto a helicopter ladder.

shot for shot (noun)
A technique in filming a comic book adaptation where scenes from the comic book are recreated shot for shot, sometimes ditching a storyboard altogether and using the comic as a guide.

show runner (noun)
A person who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of a television show. Did you know that the show runners for The Simpsons in its first two seasons were Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon? No wonder it became a classic.

What do you call a SHOW RUNNER who doesn’t make it to work? A “No Show!”

Skynet (proper noun)
The super-sophisticated computer system in The Terminator films, created by Cyberdyne Systems, that is responsible for creating the sentient robots that try to exterminate humanity.

Other things created by SKYNET: The Clapper and the hovering hula hoop. Just stand there as it goes around you … no movement necessary.

GEEK QUIZ

Sometimes movie titles, once translated into other languages, become unintentionally hilarious in the original language. Which of the following is not a movie title as it has been translated to another language?

a. The Young People Who Traverse Dimensions While Wearing Sunglasses (The Matrix), France

b. One Night, Big Belly (Knocked Up), China

c. Captain Supermarket (Army of Darkness), Japan

d. Multiply the Children, One by One (Cheaper by the Dozen), Germany

sleeper hit (noun)
Any form of entertainment that is unexpectedly successful.

Some sensational SLEEPER HIT smashes are There’s Something about Mary, The Shawshank Redemption, and Shark Tale.

slimed (verb)
To have green goo thrown over one’s head on the Nickelodeon show You Can’t Do That on Television. Also, in the movie Ghostbusters, to be covered in ectoplasmic goo after a too-close encounter with a ghost.

Smurf (proper noun)
Besides being the name of the little blue characters on the Smurfs cartoon, the word “smurf” can mean almost anything, such as “to be” or “to make.”

Space Jockey (proper noun)
In the 1979 movie Alien, a fossilized extraterrestrial seen sitting in the pilot’s seat of a derelict spaceship. The Space Jockey was obviously the victim of a Xenomorph.

My brother Joel got crusty and dirty from playing World of Warcraft so long that now he looks like the SPACE JOCKEY.

space opera (noun)
A genre of science fiction that emphasizes the dramatic elements and major sci-fi tropes and downplays the scientific elements.

Star Wars is the most famous SPACE OPERA because of its epic scale and story involving starships, melodrama, and heroes and villains.

spaghetti western (noun)
Italian-produced westerns made with a mostly Italian cast and crew and typified by low budgets. They often dealt with issues involving Mexico and the United States. Examples are Savage Guns, Navajo Joe, A Fistful of Dollars, Django, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever made — and rightly so!

spatial anomaly (noun)
A term commonly used in the Star Trek universe to describe any number of things, from a wormhole to an intelligent quasar bent on testing the intelligence or morality of the ship’s crew.

I once found a SPATIAL ANOMALY in a pile of trash in my closet.It was a peace-seeking A.I., but I had to destroy it for the greater good, to clean my room.

Spider-Pig (proper noun)
The name for Plopper, a pig in The Simpsons Movie.

Spirited Away(proper noun)
A Japanese animated film by Hayao Miyazaki about a girl who works at a bathhouse for spirits. Won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and has made more money than any other film in Japan.

SPIRITED AWAY is a tale that combines the Japanese love of bath-houses with their love of spirits.

The Spirit of Christmas(proper noun)
A precursor to South Park, made by Trey Parker and Matt Stone in 1995, which featured the cast of South Park and a fight between Jesus and Santa. It spread quickly after a limited number of friends were given the video as a gift.

spoiler alert (noun)
A warning to readers of a review that there will be information that may ruin the surprises in a film, TV show, or comic book. If necessary, always use a spoiler alert.

Starscream (proper noun)
A screeching Decepticon Jet that was second in command to Megatron and known for treacherous behavior in the Transformers cartoon. He was attempting to gain Megatron’s leadership position when he was killed. He was later reborn as a “spark.”

Both STARSCREAM and Cobra Commander in the G.I. Joe cartoon were voiced by Chris Latta.

Steamboy(proper noun)
The most expensive Japanese animated movie ever. Set in the steampunk genre, it is about a boy who has a knack for building Victorian era-inspired mechanical devices, such as a flying machine that runs on steam.

There is also a Korean movie called STEAMBOY that follows one young boy’s dream to open his very own dry cleaners.

Stephen Colbert (proper noun)
Host of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report and arguably one of the most successful geeks in pop culture. Besides being an avid player of D&D as a young geek, he can still recite Aragorn’s lineage for at least four generations.

Kids have Dora and Boots. Their parents have Jon Stewart and STEPHEN COLBERT.

stop motion (noun)
A type of animation used in claymation or Ray Harryhausen films where a miniature is filmed frame by frame with incremental movements. In the final film the miniature appears to move on its own.

STOP-MOTION characters have been giving me nightmares for years: talking ventriloquist dolls, giant monsters from Sinbad movies, and Gumby.

stormtrooper effect (noun)
Derived from Star Wars and coined by Roger Ebert, this is the phenomenon in movies where, despite all logic, enemy fighters are unable to hit the outnumbered heroes.

Without the STORMTROOPER EFFECT, movies would be about five minutes long and end with the hero dying.

Strike Team (proper noun)
The tactical antigang police unit led by Vic Mackey in the television show The Shield. To achieve their goals, they used illegal methods such as robbing gangs and giving protection to gang members.

When there is something strange in the neighborhood, who you gonna call? The STRIKE TEAM!

Stripperella(proper noun)
A cartoon created by Stan Lee about a secret agent who is also a stripper, voiced by Pamela Anderson.

The plot of STRIPPERELLA differs from the classical tale of Cinderella in that instead of Prince Charming there’s Prince Old Sweaty Guy with Lots of Cash.

suicide booth (noun)
A machine that assists the user in committing suicide. Forms of this machine have appeared in many works of fiction, including Star Trek and Futurama.

In Futurama, the SUICIDE BOOTH resembles a phone booth and costs one quarter per use.

Super Friends(proper noun)
A cartoon in the 1970s and 1980s based on the Justice League of America. It starred Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, among others, and even Wonder Dog.

Best part of SUPER FRIENDS? “Wonder Twin powers … activate! Form of … a bucket of water!”

GEEK FACT

The narrator of Super Friends was none other than Ted Knight from Caddyshack and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Sword of Omens (proper noun)
The name of Lion-O’s sword on Thundercats that gives him “sight beyond sight.”

If I could choose between the SWORD OF OMENS and He-Man’s power sword, I would choose the power sword because it appears to give you a tan and cool red underpants.

tachyon particles (noun)
Subatomic particles in the Star Trek universe that usually can be used to solve any problem in a display of deus ex machina.

I tried to reconfigure the main sensor array to emit a constant stream of TACHYON PARTICLES to save my last relationship. Didn’t work.

Takashi Miike (proper noun)
A filmmaker from Japan who creates twisted and controversial films. Ichi the Killer and Audition are shocking and yet high quality.

TARDIS (proper noun)
Short for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. A time machine used by Doctor Who and created by the Time Lords in the shape of a 1950s British police box.

I need to take a TARDIS and travel to an alternate universe where Doctor Who is on TV all day, every day!

Ted McGinley curse (noun)
Named for the patron saint of jumping the shark, actor Ted McGinley. According to the curse, any time Ted McGinley is added to the cast of a TV show, it is doomed for cancellation.

Behold, the power of the TED MCGINLEY CURSE! Is there any way we could get McGinley on American Idol and Survivor?

GEEK FACT

Being geeks of science, let us consider the evidence for the Ted McGinley curse:

• Happy Days. One of the most successful sitcoms of the late ’70s. McGinley joins the cast in the early ’80s, and the show is soon cancelled.

• The Love Boat. Ditto.

• Sports Night. The critically acclaimed show (the one Aaron Sorkin did before The West Wing). McGinley joins, and the show is soon cancelled. Perhaps Sorkin learned his lesson, because McGinley only appeared in three episodes of The West Wing.

test screening (noun)
A preliminary screening held by producers for a special audience to test a movie and get feedback so that changes can be made before wide release.

I once went to a TEST SCREENING for a movie called The Haunting. Before my valuable input, the ending was completely different.

theremin (noun)
An electronic musical device that creates the eerie siren sound used in 1950s sci-fi movies. The THEREMIN was used in The Day the Earth Stood Still, The She Creature, and Queen of Blood.

Hey, someone turn down the friggin’ THEREMIN. It’s creeping me out!

Thundarr the Barbarian(proper noun)
A Saturday morning cartoon of the early ’80s, chronicling the adventures of Thundarr the Barbarian and his companions Princess Airel (a sorceress) and Ookla the Mok (an obvious rip-off of Chewbacca). It contained tropes of both fantasy and science fiction.

GEEK FACT

“Ookla” was supposedly taken from how UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) is pronounced.

GEEK QUIZ

Fictional spacecraft are as big a part of sci-fi as fictional alien races. Every geek should know his starships. What is the name of the spacecraft in the movie Alien that is towing mineral ore from Thedus to Earth?

a. Alexei Leonov
b. Nostromo
c. Nemesis
d. The Schwanschtüppen

Thundercats(proper noun)
A cartoon in the 1980s about a group of anthropomorphic cats and their battle against Mumm-Ra and the mutants of Plun-Darr. Like other ’80s cartoons, there was also an awesome toy line, which led to great times for American children.

The voice actor for Lion-O, leader of the THUNDERCATS, was Larry Kenney, who has also voiced Count Chocula and Sonny the Cuckoo Bird.

torture porn (noun)
The term to describe horror movies where the characters are subject to horrible and over-the-top torture solely for the entertainment of the viewing audience. Examples are Hostel, Saw, Wolf Creek, and The Devil’s Rejects.

Transformers (proper noun)
A cartoon, comic, toy line, and movie series about a group of “robots in disguise” from the planet Cybertron who can transform into vehicles such as a cars, jets, and trucks with flame-designs. The Autobots are the good Transformers, lead by Optimus Prime, that fight against the Decepticons, the evil Transformers, lead by Megatron.

The first TRANSFORMERS movie was a cartoon, and was world-shattering in a child’s eye because many of the original Transformers were killed.

Trek band (noun)
Star Trek-themed bands such as Klingon heavy metal bands.

Some of the best TREK BANDS include Earth, Solar Wind, and Fire, The Stone Temple Space Pilots, and the Insane Klingon Posse.

Trekker (noun)
Pretty much the same thing as a Trekkie, only Trekkers want to be taken more seriously. Good luck with that.

Famous TREKKIES include Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander, Frasier’s Kelsey Grammer, and actor/comedian Ben Stiller.

Treknobabble (noun)
The scientific explanations in the Star Trek universe that are not necessarily completely scientific but seem plausible enough to move the plot forward.

Supposedly on Star Trek: The Next Generation, when the story needed some science, the script would have a note written as <tech> where TREKNOBABBLE would be inserted at a later time.

GEEK FACT

The Star Trek universe includes alcoholic beverages such as Tranya, which appeared in the original series. Romulan Ale was given to Kirk by Bones in The Wrath of Khan. Once you take a sip of Romulan Ale, you become instantly drunk, maybe that’s why it is illegal.

tribble (noun)
From a famous Star Trek episode, “The Trouble with Tribbles.” Cute, tiny, and furry aliens that reproduce very quickly in high volumes and soon overwhelm the ship.

Triumph (proper noun)
The insult comic dog, played by Robert Smigel, that often appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and insulted Star Wars fans waiting in line for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

Tru Blood (proper noun)
From the HBO Series True Blood, it is synthetic bottled blood sold legally for vampires as an alternative to real blood, which led to vampires coming out into the public eye.

TRU BLOOD’s slogan is, “Friends don’t let friends drink friends.”

GEEK QUIZ

What is the name of the rival town to Springfield on the TV show The Simpsons, which included a dispute over the location of a lemon tree?

a. Shelbyville
b. Ogdenville
c. North Haverbrook
d. Butano Gardens

“One dark and cold night, my wife made me watch Twilight. Since then I have never been the same. I became a TWIGUY. Jacob!”

I used to make fun of Twilight until I saw it. I am more than a TWI-HARD now.

twist ending (noun)
A secret reveal at the end that changes how the story is perceived — used often in literature and M. Night Shyamalan movies.

The best TWIST ENDINGS were in The Sixth Sense, The Usual Suspects, and The Ten Commandments. The Red Sea parting? Who would have seen that coming?

Unicron (proper noun)
A giant Transformer planet that is the main antagonist in the Transformers Movie from the 1980s.

Uwe Boll (proper noun)
Generally regarded negatively as a director of such crappy video game adaptations as Alone in the Dark and Bloodrayne.

UWE BOLL supposedly uses German investors for his films, who get tax write-offs for their investments, which would be offset if the movie makes money. So they are better off making a box office bomb à la The Producers. Now it all makes sense.

verisimilitude (noun)
A measure of the realism or “truthiness” of a movie or other art form.

Vulcan mind meld (noun)
In the Star Trek universe, a Vulcan technique involving physical contact where thoughts and experiences can be shared between two individuals.

I met this hot chick at a Star Trek Convention and later we had a total VULCAN MIND MELD!

walk-off (noun)
A street-level modeling competition in the movie Zoolander, where two models compete with each other in walking the runway.

Welcome to the dark underbelly of the modeling world: a WALK-OFF judged by David Bowie.

GEEK QUIZ

What is not a blooper that was in the original Star Wars movie and caught by fans?

a. Darth Vader’s chest plate is on backwards when he is fighting Obi-Wan Kenobi.

b. A stormtrooper hits his head on the top of a door frame when he is entering the control room.

c. On the Jawa’s transport vehicle, an eye is visible through an eye hole in R2-D2.

d. In the Millennium Falcon, a soda can is seen on the floor in the hallway.

wampa (noun)
The creature in The Empire Strikes Back that resembles the abominable snowman and takes Luke Skywalker hostage before having his arm cut off by a light saber.

Wilhelm scream (noun)
A stock sound effect of a man screaming that has been used in over 200 films since 1951. Credits include Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and The Lord of the Rings.

The Wire (proper noun)
A famed HBO television series set in Baltimore, Maryland, that was created, produced, and primarily written by former police reporter David Simon. While it won critical acclaim, it never gained as much popularity as The Sopranos during its five seasons.

Lessons learned from THE WIRE include: you cannot do more with less; in a bureaucracy, those who put their careers ahead of their jobs will advance, those who don’t will not; and collaboration is usually more profitable than fighting.

wire fu (noun)
Hong Kong action films where the actors who are fighting are obviously floating around on wires.

GEEK QUIZ

The Emperor was a mysterious Jedi Master in the original Star Wars movies and was revealed to be Palpatine in the prequel movies. But did he have yet another title? What is the Sith title of Emperor Palpatine?

a. Darth Sidious
b. Darth Maul
c. Darth Tyranus
d. Darth Malak

worst ever (phrase)
From the Comic Book Guy in The Simpsons, the phrase “Worst ___________ ever” can be used to describe any number of horrible things.

Xenomorph (noun)
An extraterrestrial creature featured in the Alien movies. Its blood is strongly acidic and it has an extra protruding mouth.

Z movie (noun)
A movie of such low quality that it falls below even a B or C movie. Examples include Plan 9 from Outer Space and Manos: The Hands of Fate.

zoom, enhance (verb)
Commonly seen in television and movies where a blurry image is sharpened to the point where an important clue is found.

Wait, focus on sector A5. ZOOM, ENHANCE. My God! ’Twas Professor Plum in the library.

GEEK QUIZ
Match the dark side with the country responsible:
1. Germany	a. Making us watch those “Ricola” commercials over and over again
2. Japan	b. Holocaust, invention of industrial music
3. Switzerland	c. Every bad foreign policy decision 1945-present
4. United States	d. Bataan Death March