Q: Collectively, can you name your top five sci-fi moments or scenes? 

SP: OK, I’ll go first. I like the scene in Star Wars when Luke is saved by Wedge and the X-Wing comes at the screen and then we go out through the back of it. That’s a good one. 

NF: OK, for me, I know the scene in Close Encounters, when he’s at the railroad junction and everything is going off. That’s a very famous one. But my favourite part comes straight afterwards when it’s a big wide shot of a single-track road and his van is on it, and he’s covered by a giant shadow which just goes across the field and he never knows about it. 

SP: I think that might have been an addition in the Special Edition. 

NF: I love it. The new Blu-Ray one as well really enhances it. It’s amazing. 

SP: I like the opening scene of Blade Runner when you first see the Tyrell Corporation and the flying cars. 

NF: I’m going to say, on a similar vibe, when Korben Dallas [from The Fifth Element] is eating a Chinese meal from a floating junk and it floats off. 

SP: I love the art direction in that film. And I think this is number five…I would probably say the moment when they beam Gorignak on board in Galaxy Quest and he beats up all those Sarris soldiers and then he floats into space and goes ‘Aaahhh!’  

Q: OK, name your top five coolest spacecrafts in cinema? 

SP: Well, number one…shall we say it together? 

SP/NF: The Millennium Falcon. 

NF: I know it’s not a spacecraft, but can we say AT-AT?  

SP: It’s a lovely vehicle. 

NF: You could just fill it with Star Wars ships right? What’s the ship in Black Hole? That’s pretty cool… 

SP: That had a name, didn’t it? The Tantalus or something… 

NF: The Mothership from Close Encounters…that’s amazing. 

SP: That’s a lovely ship. The simple TIE-Fighter. The original white TIE-Fighter.  

Q: And your top five favourite sci-fi characters? 

SP: Excluding Paul, who is now my all-time favourite, I would say E.T. 

NF: Luke Skywalker. 

SP: He doesn’t get enough love, Luke Skywalker.  

NF: I know.  

SP: Roy Neary.  

NF: Yes.  

SP: I knew you’d be thinking about that one. Er…Bobby Fleshlight. 

NF: Leeloo Dallas Multipass from Fifth Element.  

SP: My next favourite would be Rick Deckard, just because he’s a great character. 

Q: OK, to the geek test. Simple ‘yes or no’ answers. Have you ever named a pet after a gaming, literary or B-movie character? 

NF: No. 

SP: No. 

Q: Have you ever quoted Yoda in a conversation or debate? 

SP/NF: Yes! 

Q: Have you ever waited in line for over two hours for movie tickets or to buy a new game or technical gadget? 

SP: No. 

NF: Let me just say, I’d never wait in line for anything. I hate it. So no! 

Q: Have you ever gone to multiple showings of the same movie dressed as one of the characters? 

SP: No. 

Laughter… 

NF: Sorry! No.                                                                       

Q: Have you ever formed a club of any sort or joined a fan club? 

SP: Yes, I think when I was younger I joined the Star Wars fanclub. 

NF: I think I was into canal boats more than that, so I was probably a member of the canal club. 

SP: Canal geek! 

Q: Have you ever bid for comic book memorabilia on eBay? 

SP: Yes. I bought a Darth Vader helmet at auction. 

NF: I’ve never bid for anything on eBay. 

Q: Do you own and wear T-shirts relating to fandom or comic book humour? 

SP/NF [looking at their T-shirts]: Yeah. 

Q: Have you ever played War Hammer, which is a fantasy tabletop miniature game? 

SP: I haven’t actually. I’m fascinated by it. I’ve played D&D. 

NF: I’ve played D&D. I’ve never played War Hammer, though. 

Q: Have you ever indexed or alphabetised and catalogued any personal collection? 

SP/NF: Yes, DVDs. 

Q: Have you ever studied, learned or created an artificial language? 

SP: Did we? 

NF: Nah. It means ‘no’ in my made-up language! Nah.