T’Pau
Known as a diplomat, judge, philosopher, and one of the most logical minds in her planet’s history, the Star Trek character T’Pau was born in 2122 on the planet Vulcan. During the mid-22nd century, she was one of the leaders of the Syrrannite movement, which helped to reform Vulcan society by bringing forth the true teachings of the ancient Vulcan philosopher Surak. T’Pau later became a high-ranking minister in the new Vulcan government. By 2267, T’Pau was well known on Vulcan, and was (at that time) the only individual who had ever turned down a seat on the Federation Council. In that same year, she officiated at Spock’s formal wedding.
T’Pau has been portrayed on television by two actress: originally played by actress Celia Lovsky in the original series episode “Amok Time” (1967), and by Kara Zediker in two Star Trek: Enterprise episodes, “Kir’Shara” and “Awakening,” both airing in 2004.
Talbot, Lawrence Stewart “Larry”
An innocent man who, after being attacked and bitten by a werewolf, turns into a half-wolf/half-human creature himself, cursed to attack other humans until the wolf’s bloodline can be severed. The tragic role was first portrayed on film by Lon Chaney Jr. in Universal Pictures’ 1941 horror classic The Wolf Man, and by Benicio del Toro in the 2010 remake The Wolfman.
Tam, River
Born on the terraformed planet of Osiris to Gabriel and Reagan Tam on December 19, 2500, River was a gifted prodigy, specializing in the fields of math, language and dance, when her parents sent her to an Alliance-run Academy to include her in a challenging curriculum. Starting at the Academy in 2515, River’s letters to her brother Simon Tam became cryptic, filled with memories that never happened. He determined that the letters were a code, and he deciphered River’s message as “They’re hurting us.” Using all his resources as a well-to-do surgeon, Simon got his sister out of the Academy, and spirited her away on board the Firefly-class freighter Serenity, piloted by Capt. Malcolm Reynolds. Over the course of the cancelled series and the show-inspired 2005 motion picture Serenity, River proved to be a conditioned and programmed weapon created by the covert staff of the Alliance. River was portrayed by Summer Glau in the 2002-03 Fox television show Firefly, as well as Serenity. She was also shown in flashbacks in the Firefly episode “Safe,” portrayed by Skylar Roberge, and in Serenity, played by Hunter Ansley Wryn.
Tam, Simon
Born in November 2490 to Gabriel and Reagan Tam of the terraformed planet Osiris, Dr. Tam attended the Medical Academy on Osiris in 2507. A gifted young surgeon, he graduated in the top 3% of his class. He completed his medical internship in only 8 months, and became a successful resident trauma surgeon in Capital City on Osiris, before disappearing. Dr. Tam is wanted by the Alliance for his alleged role in breaking his sister River Tam out of the Alliance-run Academy, where she was being studied as a potentially powerful weapon in the Alliance’s cause. The Tams were last seen in the company of Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, currently wanted in connection with several open cases of larceny. Portrayed by Sean Maher in the 2002-03 Fox series Firefly and the follow-up motion picture Serenity, and a young Simon (in a flashback scene) was portrayed by Zac Efron.
Tantalus
Tantalus was a favorite of Zeus, and the rest of Greek gods were favorable toward Tantalus, as well. He was frequently invited to the Olympus to dine with the gods. However, he did not prove worthy, since he committed several crimes and injustices against the gods. He stole ambrosia from Mt. Olympus, revealed very important secrets that Zeus himself had told him, shared divine secrets, with mortals. Finally, Tantalus hid Zeus’ favorite pet, his golden dog, for the known thief Pandareus, and then refused to return it. Although these crimes were pretty insulting to the gods, they did not punish him at first, thinking that he would learn from his mistakes and better himself; unfortunately, Tantalus did finally go too far. Tantalus invited all the gods of Olympus to a feast. Either because he wanted to test their intelligence or because he didn’t have enough food, Tantalus killed his own son Pelops, cut the body up, roasted the pieces, then served the meat to the gods. However, the gods knew what Tantalus was up to, and refused to eat. The only one who ate the meat provided by Tantalus was Demeter, who ate the shoulder of Pelops. According to the myth, Zeus decided to restore Pelops’ life, and Demeter gave him an arm made of ivory, to replace the shoulder she had eaten during the dinner. Tantalus’ act could not go unpunished, and the gods punished Tantalus: Zeus crushed him on a mountain and destroyed everything he had created, including his kingdom. Furthermore, Zeus brought Tantalus to the Tartarus. Like Sisyphus, Tantalus was given an eternal punishment: He was made to stand in a lake with a fruit tree above him, doomed to suffer from hunger and thirst eternally, with the fruit and water moving away from him whenever he reached for them. The myth of Tantalus is the origin of the English verb “tantalize,” which is to torment or tease someone with something that is unattainable.
Tantalus field
An effective weapon shown in the original October 6, 1967 Star Trek episode “Mirror, Mirror,” the Tantalus field was an implement of surveillance and execution, with which the “mirror universe” Enterprise‘s Captain Kirk could monitor his enemies, and vaporize them with the touch of a button.
TARDIS
Also known as “Sexy,” “The Blue Box” and “Old Girl,” the TARDIS (short for Time And Relative Dimension In Space) is a ship from the series Doctor Who in which the time lord known as The Doctor travels. The TARDIS can travel to any point in all of time and space, and, due to its trans-dimensional engineering, is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. It includes a library, a swimming pool, a large boot room, an enormous chamber jammed with clothes, and many more nooks and crannies. The exterior was originally designed to blend in with its surroundings, conforming to a new environment within a moment of arriving at each destination, but The Doctor’s chameleon circuit developed a fault. Since then, the TARDIS has retained the outer appearance of a British police box. The TARDIS is sturdier than it appears, and has survived missile attacks, extreme temperatures, gunfire and alien onslaughts.
Tardy the Turtle
A living puppet – or “fabricated American,” as they prefer to be called – on the 2002 Fox television series Greg the Bunny, Tardy was a bit … slow. With insightful outbursts like “Crayons taste like purple!” and “I made a smelly in my shelly,” Tardy was a fan favorite on the show.
Taskbar
Introduced with Windows 95, the task bar spans the bottom of a computer’s display screen and contains the Start button on the left side, the system tray on the right. Also called a toolbar, the taskbar can hold shortcuts to programs directly to the right of the Start button and also typically includes the current time on the far right side. Taskbars for different systems can include different features, such as Back and Forward buttons, a Home button, and a web address field. Some browsers allow users to customize the items in the taskbar.
Tasmanian devil
The youngest of all the Looney Tunes characters, the Tasmanian Devil only appeared in five Looney Tunes sketches before Warner Bros. Cartoons shut down in 1964. Appearing later in marketing and television appearances, “Taz” reached a new level of popularity in the 1990s. Creator Robert McKimson based the character’s carnivorous nature and voracious appetite on the real-life feisty mammal. The character’s speech, peppered with growls, screeches, and raspberries, is provided by Mel Blanc. Only occasionally would Taz actually speak, usually to utter some incongruous punchline (e.g., “What for you bury me in the cold, cold ground?”), and yet the character is capable of writing and reading.
After the Tasmanian Devil’s first short – McKimson’s “Devil May Hare,” first released on June 19, 1954 – entered theaters, producer and head of the Warner Bros. animation studio Eddie Selzer ordered McKimson to shelve the character, feeling it was too violent for children and parents disliked this. After a time with no new Taz shorts, studio head Jack Warner asked what had happened to the character. Warner saved Taz’s career when he told Selzer that he had received “boxes and boxes” of letters from people who liked the character and wanted to see more of him. McKimson would go on to direct four more Tasmanian Devil cartoons, beginning with “Bedeviled Rabbit” (released on April 13, 1957). McKimson would also pair Taz with Daffy Duck in “Ducking the Devil” (August 17, 1957) before pitting him once again against Bugs in “Bill of Hare” (June 9, 1962) and “Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare” (March 28, 1964). His last two appearances done by the classic Warner Brothers directors, writers and voice actors were in Bugs Bunny’s Looney Christmas Tales, appearing in “The Fright Before Christmas” segment. He then appeared in the 1983 movie Daffy Duck’s Fantastic Island as Yosemite Sam’s first mate.
Taung
The Taung, later known as the first Mandalorians, were a gray-skinned humanoid race that dominated the planet Coruscant in the Star Wars universe for centuries before the appearance of humans on the planet. The Taung were a strong warrior species during their lifetime, and together with the thirteen native human nations, better known as “Zhell’s Batallions,” ended up fighting for the control of Coruscant. The Zhell won the battle, and expelled the Taung from Coruscant. The Taung first settled in Roon, where they remained for millenia until the Taung, under the leadership of the legendary Mandalore the First, conquered another planet, which was renamed in honor to their leader, “Mandalore.” It was then that the species took on the name “Mandalorians.”
Taylor, Col. George
Cynical NASA astronaut in the 1968 motion picture based on Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel Planet of the Apes, and the film’s first sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes in 1970. Launched from Earth in 1972 with three other astronauts for deep space travel, Taylor is roused from suspended animation, when he discovers that they have crash-landed after traveling through a time warp, and are now living in the year 3978. He soon realizes that the planet he now resides on is populated by intelligent apes with the power of speech, but that the humans are mute. As the only intellectual human, Taylor is feared, studied, put on trial, and eventually escapes to learn a horrifying truth about the planet. In both films, Taylor was portrayed by Charlton Heston.
TCP/IP
See Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
Team Black
See Team Jacob.
Team Cullen
See Team Edward.
Team Edward
Also known as Team Cullen (both names being in reference to the character Edward Cullen), a faction of fans of the Twilight series of novels and films. The members of this faction prefer to see the heroine Bella with Edward Cullen over Jacob Black and/or prefer vampires over werewolves, since Edward is a vampire and Jacob is a werewolf.
Team Jacob
Also known as Team Black (both names being in reference to the character Jacob Black), a faction of fans of the Twilight series of novels and films. The members of this faction prefer to see the heroine Bella with Jacob Black over Edward Cullen and/or prefer werewolves over vampires, since Jacob is a werewolf and Edward is a vampire.
Techno
A style of dance music, characterized by very fast synthesizer rhythms, heavy use of samples and a lack of melody.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Originally a 1987-96 animated TV series, later spawning into comic book and feature film adventures, these four turtles were transformed into humanoids by a strange nuclear ooze, and were trained as ninjas by a human martial arts master, Hamato Yoshi, himself transformed by the same ooze into a humanoid rat named Splinter. Allied with reporter April O’Neil, they fought against evil in the world, particularly Shredder and Krang.
Donatello (“Donnie”), the smartest turtle of the bunch, has the unique ability to figure out how things work and to invent necessary items for the team. Leonardo (“Leo”) is serious and responsible, leading by example and not by giving orders. Michelangelo (“Mikey”) is a natural athlete, a practical joker and a lover of pizza. Raphael is by far the most fearsome and fearless fighter of the group, although he has trouble mastering his temper at times.
The Ninja Turtles inspired self-titled TV series in 1987, 2003 and 2012, video games in 1989 and 2007, as well as the motion pictures Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990, with a rebooted version in 2014), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993), and the rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series (2003). Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, the sequel to the 2014 film, was released in 2016.
Telekinesis
The theoretical movement of physical objects solely by mental manipulation.
Teleportation
The theoretical ability, act or process of moving one’s own body from one geographic location to another by means of telekinesis. Also known as teletransportation.
Telepresence system
A specific set of highly integrated technologies which allow a person, via multi-monitor, multi-microphone and multi-channel speaker systems, to feel as if he or she is present, to give the appearance of being present, or to have an effect, via telerobotics, at a place other than their true location.
Teletransportation
See Teleportation.
Telophase
The final stage of both mitosis and meiosis, during which chromosome separation is completed by the separated chromosomes reaching the opposite poles of the dividing cell, and the nuclei of the daughter cells form around the two sets of chromosomes.
Temporary memory
See Volatile memory.
Terabyte
Abbreviated TB or TByte, a measure of computer storage capacity equal to 1,024 gigabytes (GB) or 1,099,511,627,776 bytes. The prefix tera- is derived from the Greek word for “monster.”
Terminator
Programmable cyborg assassin from the James Cameron film The Terminator (1984) and its sequels Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Terminator Salvation (2009), Terminator Genisys (2015) and Terminator: Dark Fate (2019). The original terminator, model T-800, was portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger and by Brett Azar. The more advanced shape-shifting T-1000 model was portrayed by Robert Patrick in Terminator 2 and by Byung-hun Lee in Terminator Genisys. The powerful T-X model was played by Kristanna Loken in Terminator 3. Characters from the film series also spawned a 2008-09 television series entitled Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, starring Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker and Summer (Firefly) Glau.
Tesla, Nikola
After studying at the Polytechnic Institute in Graz, Austria and the University of Prague during the 1870s, Tesla (born July 10, 1856) moved to Budapest, where the idea for the induction motor came to him. After several years of trying to gain interest in his invention, Tesla went to America at age 28, arriving in 1884 with only a letter of introduction to famed inventor and business mogul Thomas Edison, whose DC-current-based electrical works were fast becoming the standard in the country. Edison hired Tesla, and the two men were soon working shoulder-to-shoulder, making improvements to Edison’s inventions. The two soon parted ways, however, due to a conflicting relationship, attributed by historians to their incredibly different personalities: while Edison was a power figure who focused on marketing and financial success, Tesla was commercially out-of-tune.
In 1887, Tesla’s AC system caught the attention of American engineer and businessman George Westinghouse, who was seeking a solution to supplying the nation with long-distance power. Westinghouse purchased Tesla’s patents in 1888 for $60,000 in cash and stock in the Westinghouse Corporation. As interest in an alternating-current system grew, Tesla and Westinghouse were put in direct competition with Thomas Edison, who was intent on selling his direct-current system to the nation. Tesla, for his part, continued in his work and would patent several more inventions during this period, including the “Tesla coil,” which laid the foundation for wireless technologies and is still used in radio technology today. The Westinghouse Corporation was chosen to supply the lighting at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and Tesla conducted demonstrations of his AC system there. Two years later, in 1895, Tesla designed what was among the first AC hydroelectric power plants in the United States, at Niagara Falls. The following year, it was used to power the city of Buffalo, New York, a feat that was highly publicized throughout the world. With its repeat successes and favorable press, the alternating-current system would quickly become the preeminent power system of the 20th Century, and it has remained the worldwide standard ever since. In addition to his AC system and coil, throughout his career, Tesla discovered, designed and developed ideas for a number of other important inventions—most of which were officially patented by other inventors—including dynamos (electrical generators similar to batteries) and the induction motor. He was also a pioneer in the discovery of radar technology, X-ray technology, remote control and the rotating magnetic field—the basis of most AC machinery.
In 1901, Tesla started on a bold project to build a global, wireless communication system—to be transmitted through a large electrical tower—for sharing information and providing free electricity throughout the world. He built a lab with a power plant and a massive transmission tower on a site on Long Island, New York, but when doubts arose among his investors about the plausibility of his system and his rival, Tesla had no choice but to abandon the project. Two years later, Tesla declared bankruptcy and the tower was dismantled and sold for scrap to help pay the debts he had accrued.
After suffering a nervous breakdown, Tesla eventually returned to work, primarily as a consultant. But as time went on, his ideas became progressively more outlandish and impractical. He also grew increasingly eccentric, devoting much of his time to the care of wild pigeons in New York City’s parks. He even drew the attention of the FBI with his talk of building a powerful “death ray,” which had received some interest from the Soviet Union during World World II. Poor and reclusive, Tesla died on January 7, 1943 in the Hotel New Yorker, where he had lived for the last ten years of his life. Over 2,000 people attended his state funeral in New York City, including several Nobel Laureates. Telegrams of condolence were received from many notables, including the first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Vice President Henry A. Wallace. Tesla’s legacy he left behind him lives on to this day.
Tetris
A worldwide video game craze in the 1980s and early 1990s, Tetris was designed by puzzle-loving Russian software engineer Alexey Pajitnov, who created the video game in 1984 after being inspired by a puzzle game called “pentominoes,” in which different wooden shapes made up of five equal-sized squares are assembled into a box shape. In the video version, a player would rotate puzzle pieces as they dropped down a computer screen so they would fit together and create solid lines at the bottom. The name “Tetris” combined the Latin word “tetra” (the numerical prefix “four,” for the four squares of each puzzle piece) and “tennis,” Pajitnov’s favorite sport. Tetris quickly spread across Moscow, despite the fact that, unlike the majority of video games of its day, Tetris had no fancy images, characters or storyline. After Pajitnov sent a copy to a colleague in Hungary, it ended up on display in a software exhibit at the Hungarian Institute of Technology, where it caught the attention of Robert Stein, owner of a United Kingdom software company. The Soviet agency Elektronorgtechnica (Elorg), created to oversee foreign distribution of Soviet-made software, licensed the game to Stein, who then licensed it to distributors in the U.S. and the U.K. Tetris was later licensed to Nintendo for both handheld and console devices.
Thagomizer
Coined by Gary Larson in a 1982 panel cartoon for his The Far Side strip, it is the arrangement of spikes present on the tails of stegosaurs.
Theodosius II
The longest-reigning Roman emperor was born Flavius Theodosius on April 10, 401 in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). He was named co-emperor by his father Arcadius in 402, and when his father died in 408, he was named emperor of the Eastern Roman (or Byzantine) Empire. For the first several years of his reign, a prefect named Anthemius was in de facto charge of the empire, and he ruled well. He began a project of building a wall around Constantinople to protect it from attackers, though Theodosius was given credit for the endeavor, as he was emperor upon its completion. When Anthemius dropped out of sight in 414, Theodosius’ 15-year-old sister Aelia Pulcheria was given the title Augusta, and she assumed the regency. Theodosius was declared ruler at the age of 15, though Pulcheria continued as an administrator in his government for the length of his reign, which was marked by many successes. He founded the University of Constantinople and created the Theodosian Code, a compilation of Roman laws issued after 312, which he published in 438. He oversaw his empire’s defenses during attacks by the Persians, as well as the Huns under Attila. While the Western Roman Empire was crumbling, he held the Eastern Empire together for the length of his reign, though after failed attempts at appeasement, he did pay sizable tributes to the Huns, which became a financial drain on the empire. Theodosius died on July 28, 450, after falling from his horse while hunting. As he had no sons, a senator named Marcian was named his heir and successor to his throne.
They Might Be Giants
An original band from Brooklyn, New York, the Grammy-winning “TMBG,” as their fans know them, started out by creating original tunes for their telephone answering machine. Their popularity grew as people shared their number for others to call to hear the new music, and eventually, their “homemade” music earned them a recording contract. Now, TMBG continuously writes, records and tours, and they have also been involved in creating original music for numerous television, film and advertising projects, such as the theme and incidental music for Comedy Central’s hit The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the song “Doctor Evil” (named for the film’s antagonist Dr. Evil), which opens and closes the film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. In addition, the band posted a new song every week throughout 2015 as part of our Dial-A-Song project.
Thing, The
Debuting in Marvel Comics‘ Fantastic Four #1 (1961) along with his famous teammates, the radiation that mutated Reed Richards, Sue Storm and Johnny Storm into superhuman beings also mutated Ben Grimm, transforming him into a rock-like strongman his teammates dubbed “The Thing.” The Thing’s mutated physiology granted him superhuman strength and durability, the limits of which vary depending on circumstances. He also possesses enhanced stamina and lung capacity, as well as increased resistance to sensory and climate extremes. His reflexes are above-average by human standards despite his immense mass, and he retains a reasonable level of agility and dexterity. There have been periods where Ben could revert to his human form at will, but these situations seldom last long. Prior to his transformation, Ben was an exceptionally skilled and experienced pilot, proficient with many varieties of both conventional and exotic aircraft, and was also trained as an astronaut. He is uniquely gifted in the art of hand-to-hand combat.
In addition to The Fantastic Four, The Thing has been affiliated at different times with The Avengers, Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, Thunderiders, NASA and the U.S. military.
Thor
1. Considered to be a son of Fjorgyn (also called Jord) and Odin in Norse mythology, Thor actually superseded Odin as the main god of many tribes. Considered to be the protector of the Norse realm Midgard, Thor is often depicted wielding the mighty hammer Mjolnir as he travels in his battle chariot, which is led by two goats. It is Mjolnir that causes the lightning to flash in the sky. Of all the deities, Thor is the most “barbarian” of the lot: rugged, powerful and living by his own rules, although he is faithful to the rest of the Norse gods, known collectively as the Aesir. The day Thursday was named for and is sacred to him. Thor is considered to be the Norse god of war, strength and thunder. It was said that Thor hurling Mjolnir at the frost giants caused the lightning, and that the rolling thunder was the rumble of his fiery chariot. It was Thor who chased the Frost Giants from Asgard (home of the Aesir) and called gentle winds and warm spring rains to release the earth from its bondage of ice and snow. He was also the god of the household and of the common people.
Thor is usually depicted as a large, powerful man with a red beard and eyes of lightning. Despite his ferocious appearance, he surpassed his father Odin in popularity because, contrary to Odin, he did not require human sacrifices. In his temple at Uppsala, he was shown standing with Odin at his right side. (Thor’s temple was replaced by a Christian church in 1080.) The Norse believed that during a thunderstorm, Thor rode through the heavens on his chariot pulled by the goats Tanngrisni and Tanngnost. Lightning flashed whenever he threw Mjolnir. Thor is typically shown wearing the belt Megingjard, which was said to have doubled his already considerable strength. His hall is Bilskirnir, which is located in the region Thrudheim (“place of might”). His greatest enemy is Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent. At the day of Ragnarok, it is said that Thor will kill this serpent, but will die from its poison. His sons will inherit his hammer after his death.
2. Making his first appearance in Timely Comics’ Venus #12 in 1951, with a modern re-introduction in 1962’s Journey into Mystery #83 and origin stories in both Thor #159 (1968) and Thor Annual #11 (1983), the Norse god Thor, son of Odin the Allfather, engaged in many heroic battles and adventures in the Norse home of the gods, Asgard. The young Thor grew up alongside his adopted brother Loki, the trickster, who was always jealous of his more favored sibling. Thor grew in power and popularity and on his eighth birthday, Odin had the hammer Mjolnir created for him, enchanting it with powerful magic. Odin decreed that Mjolnir would be presented to Thor when his son had been proven a worthy warrior. After spending the next eight years training and performing heroic deeds, Thor was given the hammer and declared the greatest warrior in Asgard. Through the years, he grew headstrong and proud, until on one occasion, Thor broke a truce between the Asgardians and their enemies the Frost Giants, nearly starting a war. To teach his son a lesson in humility, Odin the All-father of the gods sent Thor to Earth, where he emerged in the mortal body of crippled medical student Donald Blake.
Stripped of his hammer, his powers and memories of being an Asgardian, Thor, as Blake, graduated medical school with top honors, gained a reputation as a caring family doctor and a brilliant surgeon, and opened a private practice in New York City. He worked beside a caring and skillful nurse, Jane Foster, and the two fell in love. After ten years on Earth, Blake received a subconscious prodding from Odin to vacation in Norway, where alien Kronans were preparing to invade Earth. Fleeing into a cave, Blake discovered a plain walking cane in a secret chamber. When Blake struck the cane against a boulder, he transformed into Thor and the cane became his hammer Mjolnir. Thor fought against the Kronans and their invasion was thwarted. Tapping the ground with Mjolnir, Thor transformed back into Don Blake.
Continuing to use his secret identity, Thor fought crime, defended Earth and contended with the jealous and hateful Loki, who plagued Thor with many tricks and confrontations. One such trick led Thor and other heroes, including Ant-Man (Hank Pym), the Wasp (Janet van Dyne) and Iron Man (Tony Stark) to fight The Incredible Hulk (Bruce Banner). Learning of Loki’s manipulations, the heroes, along with the Hulk, banded together to defeat Loki, and afterward agreed to continue their partnership, forming the Avengers. Despite the sincere love between Don Blake and Jane Foster, Odin was displeased by the relationship between a god and a mortal. He forbade Blake from revealing his true identity to her, creating a strange love triangle between Foster, Thor and Thor’s alter-ego, Blake. The love affair between Thor and Jane Foster eventually ended when Foster fell in love with a mortal man, Dr. Keith Kincaid. Resuming their ancient romance, Sif and Thor were betrothed, and Sif lived on Earth posing as Donald Blake’s cousin. Foster and Kincaid married, but wedding plans were cancelled for Thor, as Sif grew bored with his time spent as Blake, and returned to Asgard.
The long-running Marvel character of Thor was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller-plotter Jack Kirby. The comic character spawned a 1966 cartoon series, The Mighty Thor, as well as the feature films Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017). He also appeared as part of The Avengers in The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Thoughtcrime
Any thought that is not in line with the principles of Ingsoc, the dystopian society in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Thoughtcrime includes allowing yourself to doubt any of the principles of Ingsoc. According to Big Brother, the overseeing, overbearing leader of Ingsoc, all crimes begin with a thought, so thoughtcrime is “the essential crime that contains all others in itself.”
Three Laws of Robotics, The
Originally created for his short story “Runaround,” science fiction novelist Isaac Asimov utilized his Three Laws of Robotics for stories that would become the collection I, Robot (novel). The three laws are:
1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2) A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Three-dimensional chess
Also known as “Tri-Dimensional Chess,” this game was invented by Gene Roddenberry for one of the earliest scripts of the original Star Trek television series. It was shown in several episodes, and eventually, actual sets were created and sold, along with a conceptualized set of rules.
Thumb drive
See Flash drive.
Thunderdome
“Two men enter, one man leaves” is the motto for the site where all disputes are settled in Bartertown. In Mel Gibson’s third movie starring as “Mad” Max Rockatansky, 1985’s Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, he is pitted against the giant Blaster (of the controlling duo Master Blaster), under the watchful eye of Auntie Entity (Tina Turner). Both combatants are strapped to large bungee-like straps, with a variety of weaponry hanging from the metal Thunderdome cage, available for the fighters to use in a fight-to-the-death scenario.
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