eight star trek cast members in still from the show; blue, yellow and red circles with question marks surround them

Photo Illustration: MOA Staff (Source: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

Beam Me Up, Scotty: It’s Trivia Time

See how well you know the ‘Star Trek’ franchise

Jayme Deerwester,

AARP

Published February 23, 2023

10 Questions

It’s been more than 50 years since Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the USS Enterprise first endeavored to “boldly go where no man has gone before.” The show has launched dozens of spinoff series and movies, and the final season of Star Trek: Picard begins streaming this month on Paramount+. Live long, prosper and test your knowledge of the final frontier with our trekkie trivia quiz.

Beam Me Up, Scotty: It’s Trivia Time

[ {
 "question" : "In “Star Trek: The Original Series,” the Enterprise became overrun with what kind of furry critters?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Troubles",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Tribbles",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Gremlins",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Furbies",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Tribbles, a cuddly species about the size of a guinea pig that made cute little noises, were initially popular when they came on board the Enterprise. But since they reproduced about every 12 hours, they quickly wore out their welcome because they were everywhere. Tribbles also invaded the ship on “Star Trek: Enterprise.”\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Which character from the original series didn’t reprise his role in “The Next Generation?”\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Scotty",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Spock",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Kirk",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "McCoy",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Chief Medical Officer Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley) appeared in a scene with Data in the pilot episode of “Next Generation.” Chief engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (James Doohan) paid a visit to the Enterprise during Season 6. Science Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) had a two-episode arc during Season 5. But while Captain (later Admiral) James T. Kirk appeared in the first film featuring the “Next Generation” cast, he never appeared in the TV series.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "This original series cast member went on to become a social media star with millions of followers:\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "James Doohan",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Nichelle Nichols",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "George Takei",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Walter Koenig",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Takei, who was a relatively early adopter of social media, has amassed nearly 9 million Facebook followers, more than 3 million Twitter followers and 1.4 million Instagram followers, thanks to his witty commentary and “Oh my!” catchphrase. His second career gave him the clout to inspire a Broadway musical, “Allegiance,” about his family’s experiences in Japanese internment camps during World War II as well as a platform to champion the legalization of gay marriage. It even spawned petitions to get Takei a hosting gig on “Saturday Night Live,” but sadly, it never panned out.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Which of these series is set earliest in the “Star Trek” universe timeline?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "The original series",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Enterprise",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Discovery",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Voyager",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "“Enterprise” actually took place 100 years before the original series.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "In the 1986 film “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” Earth’s survival depended on this aquatic animal:\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Dolphin",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Narwhal",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Orca",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Humpback whale",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "The Enterprise crew were setting course for home on a Klingon ship (it’s a long story) when they received a message that a noisy alien probe was wreaking havoc on the planet and to avoid Earth at all cost. Spock deduced the strange noise coming from the probe was actually a humpback whale song. Their only problem: Humpback whales were extinct in the 23rd century. And the only way to get a whale to ask the probe what it wants was to travel back in time to when the species wasn’t extinct yet — the 20th century — and bring it back with them. Naturally, high jinks ensued. And Spock made some comically bad attempts at cursing, which was fun.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "This director has helmed movies for both the “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” franchises:\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "J.J. Abrams",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Spike Jonze",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Steven Spielberg",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Jon Favreau",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Abrams, who is apparently sci-fi franchise-agnostic, rebooted the “Star Trek” franchise with the first namesake film in 2009, and also directed 2013’s “Into Darkness” and produced 2016’s “Star Trek Beyond.” He also directed “The Force Awakens,” the seventh chapter of the “Star Wars” saga, took the eighth film off and then returned to direct the last one, 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.”\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Ricardo Montalbán, who played villain Khan Noonien Singh in the original series and the second film, “Wrath of Khan,” also starred in this classic prime-time series from 1977 to 1984:\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "“Falcon Crest”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“Fantasy Island”",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "“Knots Landing”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“Knight Rider”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Montalbán starred as Mr. Roarke, a resort owner who claimed to be able to bring any guest’s fantasy to life, on ABC’s “Fantasy Island.” During this period, he also made “rich Corinthian leather” a thing as a pitchman for the Chrysler Cordoba.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "This recurring alien character, known by a single letter instead of a name, appeared in the pilot and the series finale episode of “The Next Generation.”\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "M",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Q",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Z",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "X",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "The powerful — and flippant — Q (John de Lancie) was a thorn in Picard’s side from the beginning to the end of “The Next Generation,” putting the captain of the Enterprise on trial for all crimes perpetrated by humans in the two-part pilot episode, “Encounter at Farpoint.” Picard pleaded for Q to study humans longer to form a more-rounded opinion of the species before passing judgment. Q took him up on the offer, showing up to test the captain and his crew whenever he got bored. By the finale, Q was convinced that humans were capable of evolving.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Before she earned an Emmy nomination for playing Red on “Orange Is the New Black,” Kate Mulgrew was best known for playing Captain Kathryn Janeway on this “Star Trek” series.\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "“Deep Space Nine”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“Enterprise”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“Discovery”",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "“Voyager”",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Mulgrew was the first woman to lead a “Star Trek” series, playing Captain Kathryn Janeway, commander of the USS Voyager, which was flung into the far-off Delta Quadrant on its very first mission, winding up 75 years from home. In her memoir, “Born With Teeth,” Mulgrew revealed that another actress was initially cast as Janeway but left the series after just two days, giving her another shot at the role.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Who wasn’t cast as an Enterprise crew member in J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” movie reboots?\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Zachary Quinto",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Zoe Saldaňa",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "John Cho",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Chris Evans",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Oops, you got the wrong Chris. Chris Evans is Captain America. Chris Pine played Captain Kirk in the reboot. He was joined by “Heroes” star Zachary Quinto as Spock, Zoe Saldaňa as Uhura, John Cho as Sulu and Simon Pegg as Scotty.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

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Beam Me Up, Scotty: It’s Trivia Time

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Jayme Deerwester is an editor and writer with two decades of experience at USA TODAY, where she covered entertainment, travel, personal finance and technology. When not in front of a computer, she can be found rowing, kayaking or playing with her dog.

Beam Me Up, Scotty: It’s Trivia Time

Beam Me Up, Scotty: It’s Trivia Time

Beam Me Up, Scotty: It’s Trivia Time

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