The Ultimate Star Trek Trivia Quiz

ENTERTAINMENT

By: Ian Fortey

7 Min Quiz

Image: NBC

About This Quiz

Over 50 years after it first showed up on the scene and "Star Trek" is bigger than it ever was. With a series of movies, novels, comics, animation, video games, and of course the TV shows there's no end of Trek to get involved in if you're so inclined. It's one of the biggest pop culture phenomenons in history and helped usher in the age of super fandom that is so pervasive today. Trekkies were the "geeks" of old who took their fandom too seriously for more straight-laced people. Their dedication paved the way for Star Wars fans, for Harry Potter fans, for comic book fans, and Bronies, and every other hardcore group of fans who s just super into what they love.

Part of being a super-fan means knowing more than any regular fan could ever hope to know. Those random, little facts that relate to things a lot of people overlook or don't even consider paying attention to. That's the kind of fan you need to be if you have a hope of mastering the ultimate "Star Trek" trivia quiz. But if you're a dedicated Trek fan, if you know your Kazon from your Andorians and your chronoton particles from your dilithium crystals, set phasers to stun and take the quiz!

"The Original Series" gave us Captain Kirk and crew boldly going where no one had gone before. Who was Captain in the pilot episode?

Christopher Pike was the captain of the Enterprise in the pilot episode of "Star Trek" entitled "The Cage." The episode was remade later as part of the regular series, and Pike was brought back as a character in a wheelchair. He also returned on "Star Trek: Discovery" to be captain of the Discovery.

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Who played Captain Pike's first officer in "The Cage?"

Majel Barrett played "Number One" in "The Cage," essentially filling the same role Spock would later fill for Kirk. Barrett would go on to play many characters over the years on Trek, including the voice of the computer and the mother of Deanna Troi (not to mention marrying series creator Gene Roddenberry.)

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According to results from the 2013 Star Trek Convention, what was the 7th best "Star Trek " film ever?

"Galaxy Quest" was voted the 7th best Trek film, which is pretty ironic because "Galaxy Quest" is not a Trek film at all. The comedy movie starred Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver, and was a satire of sci-fi shows, in particular, "Star Trek," but it's very popular with fans.

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Which Trek movie featured the first entirely CG sequence in film history?

"Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" featured the first-ever CG sequence in films. It's the scene in the movie during which the Genesis Device is deployed and is shown destroying and then terraforming an entire planet.

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On which "Star Trek" series did Majel Barrett not appear in some fashion?

Majel Barrett-Roddenberry was part of nearly every single Trek series. She appeared as Nurse Chapel in "TOS," M'Ress in "The Animated Series," Lwaxana Troi on "TNG" and "DS9," the computer voice on "TNG," "DS9," "Voyager," and "Enterprise." However, Barrett passed away in 2008, and her voice is not featured on "Discovery."

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Thanks to Trek fans, NASA named a space shuttle "Enterprise." What was it going to be called before?

NASA was going to commission their shuttle the "Constitution" until a massive letter-writing campaign from Trek fans convinced them to slap the name "Enterprise" on it.

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What famous character was named after a pilot Gene Roddenberry had met during WWII?

Khan Noonien Singh is arguably the most famous villain in Trek history. His namesake was a man named Kim Noonien Singh that was a pilot who served with Roddenberry in the Second World War. Roddenberry hoped that his old friend would hear the name on the show and the two would be able to reconnect.

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NBC rejected the pilot for "Star Trek." What famous comedian got them to take another look?

Lucille Ball was the head of Desilu studios in the early 1960s and was looking for a new show to get behind. She financed the Trek pilot thinking it was a show about traveling USO performers and then when the pilot bombed, she footed the bill for a second one, which worked out.

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Which Trek actor was shot six times on D-Day?

James "Scotty" Doohan was one of the soldiers at Juno Beach on D-Day. He was shot once in the chest, four times in the legs and a sixth bullet went through the middle finger of his right hand.

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Which character has appeared in more episodes than any other in all of Trek history?

Lieutenant Worf has appeared in more episodes of any Trek franchise than any other character thanks to the fact he was added to the cast of "Deep Space Nine" for several seasons after his run on "The Next Generation" ended.

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Who played Lieutenant Bobby on "The Original Series?"

You may not remember Lieutenant Bobby who appeared in 12 episodes of the original series, but you're in good company — no one else remembers him either. The name of the actor who played him has been lost to time.

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Captain Picard played a flute in an episode of "The Next Generation" that went up for auction in 2006. How much money did it go for?

Picard's Ressikan flute went up for auction with some other prop at Christie's and was expected to fetch about $300. The flute, which was a prop and not even playable, ended up selling for $48,000.

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Which Next Generation species was meant to be introduced as a replacement for Klingons as a major enemy?

The Ferengi were introduced early in the series run of "The Next Generation" with the intention of having them serve as major villains. Unfortunately, audiences thought the species was too goofy, and they sort of became comedy relief characters.

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Which TNG actor was so convinced the show would fail they never bothered to unpack their bags for over a month?

Patrick Stewart never expected "the Next Generation" to last very long. He planned to film a few months of episodes and then head back to England and do some more stage work. He apparently didn't unpack his bags for six weeks.

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Who posed for photos on the set of the Enterprise wearing nothing but Vulcan ears?

Kim Cattrall played Valeris in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country." A photographer shot a roll of film of her on set wearing nothing but her Vulcan ears. Leonard Nimoy was not amused and had the entire roll of the film destroyed.

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Which infamous episode of "The Next Generation" is considered the series' worst?

"Shades of Grey" was the result of a budget issue with Paramount forcing producers to stick to their season budget after already overspending on several episodes. The result was a clip show that used scenes from previous episodes and took three days to film. It is the lowest-ranked episode of all Trek episodes.

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This Trek-inspired weapon was used in some Colorado robberies. Do you know what it was?

The Klingon bat'leth has appeared in around 30 episodes of Trek series and movies. Real-life replicas have been classified as weapons and have, in fact, been used to commit several crimes in the past.

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Trek famously reuses actors in may alien roles. Who was the first to play a Vulcan, a Romulan and a Klingon?

Mark Lenard was the first actor to play the Trek alien trinity. His most famous role was as Spock's father Sarek, but he also played a Romulan in one episode and a Klingon in "The Motion Picture."

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How many different characters has actor Jeffrey Combs played in the "Star Trek" universe?

Jeffrey Combs has played eight different characters in Trek history. He auditioned for the role of Riker but has appeared on "DS9" as Tiron, Brunt, Weyoun, Kevin Mulkahey, and a nameless holosuite character. He would later appear on "Voyager" as Penk and then on "Enterprise" as Krem and the Andorian Shran.

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Captain Picard has an artificial heart because a member of what species stabbed him?

According to the "Next Generation" episode "Tapestry," in the year 2327, Jean-Luc Picard got into a bar fight with a Nausicaan who ended up stabbing him in the chest, resulting in the artificial heart.

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Data had a cat. What was its name?

Data's cat Spot endured quite a bit aboard the Starship Enterprise, including somehow getting pregnant in space thanks to the dozen male cats that also lived about Enterprise. Spot managed actually to outlive Data.

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Which major Trek species was the first to develop warp capabilities?

Vulcans were the first major warp-capable species in the Trek universe having mastered the technology in what, by human time, would have been the 9th century BC. Humans didn't develop it until the 21st century AD.

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Even though Klingon is a real language you can speak now, what Trek actor help create it?

In "The Original Series," all the Klingons speak English. Klingon isn't heard until "the Motion Picture," and actor James Doohan helped develop it before a linguistics expert actually developed it into a real, speakable language.

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Jeri Ryan is well-known for her role as the Borg Seven of Nine. She initially didn't want the role, however. How many times did she turn producers down?

Jeri Ryan was not into the character Seven of Nine at first and rejected the role four separate times. It was only after repeated attempts by producer Jeri Taylor to get her on board did she finally relent.

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Which Trek actor passed out after their ill-fitting costume cut off blood supply through their carotid artery?

Jeri Ryan passed out not once but twice because her costume was fitted incorrectly. When she passed out the second time and had to have a nurse give her oxygen, producers finally decided to fix the problem.

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Hikaru Sulu is eventually promoted to captain. What ship does he command?

Sometimes between the events of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," Sulu becomes the captain of the USS Excelsior. The ship was supposed to have a transwarp drive that could reach speeds of warp 14.

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Captain Jonathan Archer headed out into space with a dog. What was its name?

Captain Archer's dog was named Porthos after one of the Three Musketeers. He was a beagle who apparently had a real penchant for cheese even though it wasn't necessarily good for him.

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Which comedian had a role written for them in "Star Trek IV" that they ultimately turned down?

Eddie Murphy wanted a role in "Star Trek IV" and producers had a role prepared for him. After reading the part, Murphy was not impressed and turned it down. He filmed the movie "The Golden Child" instead.

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Vulcans have green blood but what race has green skin?

The Orion race featured fairly prominently in "The Original Series" as well as "Enterprise" but didn't show up very much in any of the other series or films. The JJ Abrams reboot movies did include a female Orion character as a bit of a nod to Captain Kirk's playboy past.

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Who stopped talking to William Shatner for years because Shatner laughed when he heard this person's dog died?

Dr. McCoy DeForets Kelly had no contact with William Shatner for two years. According to Shatner, Kelly told him that his pet chihuahua Emily ran into a sprinkler head and died. The story made Shatner laugh and that ruined their friendship for two years.

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What medical condition did William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy both suffer as a result of standing too close to a special effect explosion?

Nimoy and Shatner both suffered ear damage in the form of tinnitus when a special effects explosion went off too close to them. Shatner actually became a spokesperson for tinnitus and has helped others deal with the issue for years.

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Who played Captain Janeway for two days before quitting?

Geneviève Bujold was cast in 1994 as Captain Nicole Janeway. The character named was changed to Kathryn after Bujold quit within two days citing the demanding production schedule as the reason.

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What piece of sci-fi technology was actually really helpful to the budget of the original series?

Transporters aren't just a very cool idea; they were a practical tool for the production staff. The budget would have been strained if they had to keep using effects shots of shuttles landing on alien planets, but the transporter made moving around much easier.

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What kind of doctor saved cast members of "The Next Generation" from all wearing one-piece jumpsuits?

The original uniforms on "The Next Generation" were one-piece jumpsuits designed to be a size too small so they'd be extremely form-fitting on the actors. Word is no one enjoyed wearing them, but it was Patrick Stewart's chiropractor who suggested that wearing them continually would lead to permanent injuries, so they switched to two-piece uniforms.

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The Federation doesn't exist in the Mirror Universe. What does exist there?

The Terran Alliance is the Mirror Universe equivalent of the United Federation of Planets. They represent the opposition to Federation ideals and are rather xenophobic and war-like. They also seem to love goatees.

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Which famous team of Marvel superheroes met the crew of the Enterprise in a comic book?

Back in 1996, the X-Men and the crew of the USS Enterprise met in the appropriately named "Star Trek/X-Men" crossover. The X-Men travel through a dimensional rift in pursuit of the villain Proteus and fight him with the help of the Enterprise. There was also a sequel in which the X-Men meet the crew of Picard's Enterprise.

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Captain Picard kept a lionfish in his ready room. Do you remember its name?

Livingston, the lionfish, was a part of the background of Picard's ready room for pretty much the entire duration of the show. When Edward Jellico took command of the Enterprise, he ordered Livingston removed.

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Name the red-shirt from "The Original Series" who actually appears in more episodes than Chekov or Sulu.

Actor Eddie Paskey played Lieutenant Leslie. He managed to appear in 57 episodes of the original series and was named Conner in one and just called "crewman" in another. He was a security officer, a helmsman and an engineer. He even died in an episode but was back in the next episode with no explanation.

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In an early draft of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," who was Kirk going to fight on the bridge of the Enterprise?

Believe it or not, but in an early draft of the script, Captain Kirk was scripted to fight an alien that had taken on the appearance of Jesus. It was set to be a full-on fistfight with Kirk beating up the Messiah. You can guess why they axed that idea.

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Everyone knows the name James T. Kirk. What's that "T" stand for?

James Tiberius Kirk was presumably named in honor of the second Roman emperor who took over after Augustus. The 2009 movie states that Tiberius came from Kirk's paternal grandfather but, you know, he probably got it from the emperor.

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