Assorted Trivia

The
Science Fiction
Trivia Challenge

By Lee Sherman

Match the captain to the space ship.

1. Antilles
2. Blake
3. Gideon
4. Hollister
5. Janeway
6. Kirk
7. Picard
8. Robinson
9. Sheridan
10. Tweedle

A. Agamemnon
B. Enterprise
C. Enterprise-D
D. Excalibur
E. Jupiter 2
F. Lexx
G. Liberator
H. Red Dwarf
I. Tantive IV
J. Voyager

Match the alien to the race.

1. Barlennan
2. Chewbacca
3. Cralym
4. Science Officer Dax
5. George Fransisco
6. Herald the Healer
7. Kai
8. Kira
9. Ambassador Kosh
10. Yars Kothek
11. Nyssa
12. Slartibarfast
13. Mr. Spock
14. Willis
15. Lieutenant Worf

A. Bouncer
B. Brunnen-G
C. Gelfling
D. Klingon
E. Latööcarfian
F. Magrathean
G. Mesklinite
H. Slash
I. Tenctonese
J. Traken
K. Trill
L. Vacuumorph
M. Vorlon
N. Vulcan
O. Wookiee

Match the hero to the quote.

1. Buckaroo Banzai
2. Samuel Beckett
3. David Bowman
4. The Doctor
5. Edward Douglas
6. Kevin Flynn
7. Matthew Gideon
8. Katherine Janeway
9. Jen
10. James T. Kirk
11. Richard Langly
12. David Lister
13. Fox Mulder
14. John Nada
15. Michael J. Nelson
16. Jean-Luc Picard
17. Austin Powers
18. Kyle Reese
19. Ellen Ripley
20. Dutch Shaefer
21. John Sheridan
22. Benjamin Sisko
23. Maxwell Smart
24. Luke Skywalker
25. Stanley Tweedle
26. Peter Venkman

A. “My God! It’s full of stars…”
B. “Is this one of those things where I, like, represent humanity, and if I’m found guilty everybody dies?”
C. “Set a course for home.”
D. “…Take us out past the frontier. Take us someplace better.”
E. “Let’s see what’s out there.”
F. “Our lives are different to anybody else’s, that’s the exciting thing! Nobody in the Universe can do what we’re doing.”
G. “In the meantime, I will do the job I’ve been ordered to do to the best of my ability, sir.”
H. “Get the hell out of my galaxy. Both of you!”
I. “I’m a soldier, not a diplomat. I can only tell you the truth.”
J. “Back off, I’m a scientist.”
K. “I want to believe.”
L. “Less talkin’, more stalkin’.”
M. “You’ll find I’m full of surprises.”
N. “It can’t be bargained with, it can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear, and it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.”
O. “If it bleeds, we can kill it”
P. “Missed it by that much.”
Q. “Oh, behave.”
R. “The air is human.”
S. “Some things you can change. Some you can’t.”
T. “The prophecy never said anything about this.”
U. “On the other side of the screen it all looks so easy.”
V. “At those times I look about me at my fellow man and I’m reminded of some likeness to the beast people. And I feel as though the animal is surging up in them. And they’re neither wholly animal or wholly man, but an unstable combination of both.”
W. “Look out, Earth, the slime’s comin’ home!”
X. “I came here to chew bubblegum and kick ass…and I’m all out of bubblegum.”
Y. “You’ve been in my life so long I can’t remember anything else.”
Z. “There will be an answer, let it be…”

Match the author to the science fiction term they coined.

1. Niels Bohr
2. Karel èapek
3. John W. Campbell
4. Manfred Clynes
5. K. Eric Drexler
6. Charles Fort
7. Stephen Hawking
8. Robert A. Heinlein
9. Theodore Maiman
10. Andre Norton
11. John Taine
12. Charles Townes
13. H. G. Wells
14. Norbert Wiener
15. Jack Williamson

A. Android
B. Cybernetic
C. Cyborg
D. Heat ray
E. Hyperspace
F. Laser
G. Maser
H. Nanotechnology
I. Quantum leap
J. Robot
K. Space suit
L. Teleportation
M. Time stream
N. Waldo
O. Wormhole

1. According to the makers of [i]Mystery Science Theater 3000[/i], what is the worst science fiction movie ever made?

A. Barbarella
B. The Robot Monster
C. Monster a Go-Go
D. This Island Earth

2. What part of Sil’s anatomy was originally designed for the Alien (H. R. Giger served as art designer for both [i]Alien[/i] and [i]Species[/i])?

A. Cephalic tentacles
B. Pectoral tentacles
C. Dorsal spines
D. Proboscis

3. What was author Philip José Farmer’s inspiration for the title creature in his [i]Mother[/i] series?

A. A dream
B. An unusual fungus he found growing on his property one day
C. A painting by Heironymus Bosch
D. His mother

4. On [i]Doctor Who[/i], what is Ace’s real name?

A. Dorothy McShane
B. Rachel Cunningham
C. Melanie Bush
D. Perpegillium Brown

5. According to the artificial intelligences in both [i]Virus[/i] and [/i]The Matrix[/i], what is man’s classification?

A. Primate
B. Cephalopod
C. Virus
D. Miscellaneous

6. The plot of the Henson-Froud film [i]The Dark Crystal[/i] reportedly comes from an early draft of the screenplay for what movie?

A. Wizards of the Demon Sword
B. Labyrinth
C. Time Bandits
D. Star Wars: A New Hope

7. Which of the following particles was made up by the writers of [i]Star Trek[/i]?

A. Positron
B. Tachyon
C. Verteron
D. Photon

8. Which of the following characters is not a Martian?

A. Willis
B. Rashaverak
C. Mr. K
D. Uncle Martin

9. According to [i]The X-Files[/i], what is responsible for Gulf War Syndrome?

A. U.F.O.s
B. A metallic polymer with a genetic logarithm
C. Nanites
D. None of the above

10. What real life medical term is named after a science fiction icon?

A. Moreau complex
B. Münchhausen’s syndrome
C. Milgram-Asimov episode
D. Cushing’s disease

11. At one point, [i]Star Trek II, III, IV,[/i] and [i]V[/i] all reportedly involved the same historical incident; what was it?

A. The Kennedy Assassination
B. The Roswell Incident
C. The Manhattan Project
D. The Moon Landing

12. In George Lucas’ [i]THX-1138[/i], what is the 4EB?

A. An artificial intelligence
B. A robotic garrison
C. A white limbo
D. An electronic labyrinth

13. What is the longest running science fiction television series of all time?

A. Star Trek: The Next Generation
B. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
C. Doctor Who
D. Tie between A and B

14. Jules Verne’s [i]Mysterious Island[/i] contained characters from what previous novel?

A. The Children of Captain Grant
B. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
C. Five Weeks in a Balloon
D. A and B

15. In [i]Star Trek[/i], what is Starfleet’s motto?

A. “Give me a stout ship and a star to steer her by.”
B. “No matter where you go, there you are.”
C. “…To boldly go where no man has gone before.”
D. “Our last, best hope for peace.”

16. The essence of His Divine Shadow in [i]Lexx[/i] is a survivor of what interplanetary conflict?

A. Shadow Wars
B. Insect Wars
C. Clone Wars
D. Trade Wars

17. What common object was [i]Doctor Who[/i] conceptual artist Raymond P. Cusack’s inspiration for the appearance of the Daleks?

A. Wastebasket
B. Pepper shaker
C. Spoon
D. Iron

18. What revelation is made at the end of [i]Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back[/i]?

A. Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father
B. Princess Leia is Luke Skywalker’s sister
C. Han Solo is Luke Skywalker’s brother
D. A and B

19. In [i]Lost in Space[/i], what do our heroes discover on board the [i]Proteus[/i]?

A. An insane crew
B. Metallic spiders
C. Shapeshifting goo
D. A hole in time

20. In the movie [i]2001: A Space Odyssey[/i] what year did H.A.L. 9000 become fully operational?

A. 1991
B. 1993
C. 1997
D. 1999

21. What went wrong with Project Quantum Leap in the television series of the same name?

A. Sam emerged from the time stream in the body of one of the scientists working on Project Quantum Leap and tried to alter the conditions so he didn’t get lost in the time stream but in fact initiated the chain of events that caused his getting lost in the time stream in the first place
B. Sam emerged from the time stream at a point in time 0.13 seconds before his departure, and the computer couldn’t handle the excess of data so it sent the Sam that hadn’t been in the time stream into the time stream so he could emerge 0.13 seconds in the past 5 years later
C. An unknown force caused Sam to leap before the systems were calibrated
D. The Project was sabotaged by a group that believed changing the past was immoral

22. Which of the following band names is not derived from science fiction?

A. Duran Duran
B. Commander Cody
C. Eve 6
D. The Foo Fighters

23. Which of the following characters travelled underground?

A. Peter Wilkins
B. John Daniel
C. Niels Klime
D. Hector Servadac

24. What is the true appearance of a Vorlon (from [i]Babylon 5[/i]) under its encounter suit?

A. Insect
B. Cephalopod
C. Angel
D. Devil

25. A planned additional installment to what horror movie series would have taken place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland?

A. Friday the 13th
B. Nightmare on Elm Street
C. The Evil Dead
D. Omen

26. Watto’s junkyard in [i]Star Wars: The Phantom Menace[/i] contains what familiar object (added by the props department as an inside joke)?

A. A phaser rifle from [i]Star Trek: The Next Generation[/i]
B. A Dalek casing from [i]Doctor Who[/i]
C. A hovercar from [i]Blade Runner[/i]
D. An E.V.A. pod from [i]2001: A Space Odyssey[/i]

27. Where does Robert A. Heinlein’s [i]Red Planet[/i] take place?

A. Vallis Marineris
B. Cydonia Mesae
C. Syrtis Minor
D. Noachis Terra

28. What is the color nomenclature in the digital world of [i]Tron[/i]?

A. Green is good, orange is evil
B. White is good, black is evil
C. Blue is good, red is evil
D. Yellow is good, grey is evil

29. What character in [i]Star Trek: The Next Generation[/i] was planned as a semiregular, but became one of the central characters?

A. Lieutenant Worf
B. Lieutenant Geordi La Forge
C. Commander William T. Riker
D. Counselor Deanna Troi

30. What science fiction author took legal action against Brandywine Productions on the grounds that the movie [i]Alien[/i] was a plaigarism of one of his short stories?

A. E. E. Smith
B. A. Merritt
C. John W. Campbell
D. A. E. Van Vogt

31. What is the ship’s computer referred to in [i]Blake’s 7[/i]?

A. Zed
B. Zem
C. Zen
D. Zev

32. What form of energy powers the subterranean civilization in Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s [i]The Coming Race[/i]?

A. Chi
B. Vril
C. Ley
D. Phlogiston

33. What is the disarmament code in [i]Dr. Strangelove[/i]?

A. OPE
B. POE
C. OEP
D. EPO

34. In [i]Seetee Ship[/i] (and its sequel, [i]Seetee Shock[/i]) by Jack Williamson, what does “C.T.” (seetee) stand for?

A. Cryptoterrestrial
B. Contraterrene
C. Cybertechnician
D. Ctenological

35. In the Tenctonese tongue (from [i]Alien Nation[/i]), what does “Kleezantsun/qo” mean?

A. To see over
B. Demon
C. The touch
D. A and B

36. What is the politically correct term for the Underpeople in Cordwainer Smith’s [i]Instrumentality of Mankind[/i] series?

A. Humanoids
B. Homonids
C. Homunculi
D. Humanekas

37. Which of the following names was invented by author Clifford Pickover for his novel [i]Chaos in Wonderland[/i]?

A. Navanax
B. Prohaptor
C. Rheobatrachus
D. None of the above

38. What stole [i]Red Dwarf[/i] after the fifth season of the television series of the same name?

A. Nanites
B. Scutters
C. Polymorph
D. Holly

39. Which of the following dinosaurs were not in [i]Jurassic Park[/i]?

A. Triceratops
B. Stegosaurus
C. Tyrannosaurus Rex
D. Dilophosaurus

40. What is the origin of the extraterrestrial signal in [i]Contact[/i]?

A. Sirius
B. Polaris
C. Vega
D. Wolf 359

41. On [i]Get Smart[/i], what is Agent 99’s real name?

A. Elouise Miller
B. Susan Hilton
C. Victoria Royale
D. We don’t know

42. What sci-fi themed video game series was criticized for its similarity to the [i]Alien[/i] films?

A. Metroid
B. Turrican
C. Overkill
D. Descent

43. What conspiracy movie did the United States government reportedly try to censor?

A. Official Denial
B. The X-Files: Fight the Future
C. Independence Day
D. The Arrival

44. What is the name of the Martian in [i]My Favorite Martian[/i]?

A. Jozyxqe
B. Nineenert
C. Thrakorzog
D. Ozmodiar

45. On [i]Sliders[/i], what was Quinn Mallory trying to invent whan he made the vortex generator?

A. A quantum singularity generator
B. A sonic servo
C. A cloaking device
D. An antigravity generator

46. What gland did the monster in [i]The Relic[/i] extract from its human prey?

A. Pituitary
B. Hypothalamus
C. Thyroid
D. Adrenal

47. What was the first science fiction movie to use computer graphics?

A. Tron
B. The Black Hole
C. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
D. The Lawnmower Man

48. What is the restaurant at the end of the Universe in the Douglas Adams novel of the same name?

A. Bradbury’s
B. Wilbury’s
C. Milliway’s
D. Haddaway’s

49. What is the myth-derived name of the genetically engineered virus in [i]Mission: Impossible II[/i]?

A. Charybdis
B. Chimera
C. Griffin
D. Medusa

50. According to Neilsen ratings, what is the most popular science fiction series of all time?

A. Star Trek: The Next Generation
B. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
C. Doctor Who
D. Lost in Space