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Finding name inspiration from far, far away |
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Written by Patrick T. Reardon, MCT
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Monday, 13 August 2007 |
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It used to be that parents would look to the Bible or history or long-gone relatives to find a name for their baby. Then Mom and Dad began looking to singers and sports stars and movie actors and actresses for inspiration.
Now comes Brooklyn writer Robert Schnakenberg with a new source: science fiction characters.
His just-published book "Sci-Fi Baby Names" (Quirk, 160 pages, $12.95) offers 500 monikers from the world of Superman, Dr. Who, the Enterprise and the Matrix. You could go for something truly odd, such as Tuvok, the name of the Vulcan male security guard in the TV series "Star Trek: Voyager." Or for something more mundane, such as Ellen — for Ellen Ripley, the heroine of the four "Alien" movies.
Some other examples from the book:
• Ming: The tyrant ruler of the planet Mongo, more commonly known as Ming the Merciless, initially appeared in the Flash Gordon comic book (1934) and later in the many subsequent movies. Quote: "Pathetic earthlings! Hurling your bodies out into the void, without the slightest inkling of who or what is out there."
• Morpheus: A rebel leader in the three "Matrix" movies (1999-2003), Morpheus wore cool sunglasses. Quote: "No one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself."
• Amidala: First seen as Padme Amidala in "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" (1999), she was later Queen Amidala of Naboo. Quote: "If we do not act quickly, all will be lost forever."
• Lara: Superman's mother was married to scientist Jor-El on the planet Krypton, first seen in the "Superman" comic strip (1939). Apparently Lara had little to say, because Schnakenberg provides no quote of hers.
• Jabba: Jabba the Hutt was the interstellar (and rather overweight) crime lord whose first appearance was in "The Return of the Jedi" (1983). Quote: "This bounty hunter is my kind of scum."
• Alice: In the two "Resident Evil" movies (2002-04) and a third to be released later this year, loosely based on the video game series, Alice is a woman fighting for her life amid flesh-eating zombies. Quote: "I'm not dead yet."
• Hannibal: Hannibal Chew was the ocular technician in "Blade Runner" (1982). Quote: "I design yo eyes." One question, though: How could Schnakenberg write the book and leave out the best science fiction name of all time: Mork? | Only registered users can write comments.
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