Quiz of the Day
Star Trek & Sci-Fi Television
Tuesday, 8 September 2026
Star Trek first aired on 8 Sep 1966 — boldly going through cult sci-fi TV series, characters, catchphrases and futuristic worlds.
1. On which US television network did the original Star Trek series premiere on 8 September 1966?
- ABC
- CBS
- PBS
- NBC
Star Trek premiered on NBC on 8 September 1966 with the episode 'The Man Trap.' Despite lukewarm ratings, it ran for three seasons before being cancelled in 1969. It was in syndicated reruns that the show found its massive audience, eventually spawning one of the biggest franchises in entertainment history.
2. Who created the original Star Trek television series?
- George Lucas
- Irwin Allen
- Gene Roddenberry
- Rod Serling
Gene Roddenberry, a former US Army Air Forces pilot and Los Angeles police officer, created Star Trek. He famously pitched it to studios as 'a Wagon Train to the stars,' referencing a popular TV Western of the era. His optimistic vision of a united, exploratory future became the franchise's guiding philosophy.
3. What is the name of Mr. Spock's home planet?
- Andoria
- Romulus
- Vulcan
- Qo'noS
Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, was the half-human, half-Vulcan science officer of the Enterprise. Vulcans are known for suppressing emotion in favour of pure logic. Nimoy based the now-iconic Vulcan hand salute on a Jewish priestly blessing he remembered from his childhood synagogue.
4. Who was the commanding captain of the USS Enterprise in the original Star Trek series?
- Kathryn Janeway
- James T. Kirk
- Benjamin Sisko
- Jean-Luc Picard
Captain James Tiberius Kirk was played by William Shatner across the original series and several films. The other captains listed each led their own later Star Trek series: Picard on The Next Generation, Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Janeway on Voyager. Kirk remains the archetype of the bold, rule-bending starship commander.
5. In Doctor Who, what is the name of the Doctor's time-and-space travel machine?
- The Enterprise
- The TARDIS
- The DeLorean
- The Serenity
TARDIS stands for 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space.' It is famously 'bigger on the inside,' with a vast interior housed within a small exterior. It is permanently stuck in the shape of a 1960s British police box because its disguise-generating 'chameleon circuit' broke early in the series.
6. Complete the Borg's chilling warning to their victims: 'Resistance is ___.'
- futile
- pointless
- useless
- hopeless
The Borg are a cybernetic collective who assimilate other species into their hive mind, first appearing in The Next Generation in 1989. Their full greeting typically runs, 'We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.' They became one of Star Trek's most feared and enduring antagonists.
7. Which catchphrase is most associated with Captain Jean-Luc Picard when giving an order?
- Make it so.
- Set phasers to stun.
- Beam me up.
- Live long and prosper.
Captain Picard, played by Royal Shakespeare Company veteran Patrick Stewart, would say 'Make it so' to order his crew to carry out a plan. Stewart was initially cast for a short commitment but ended up leading Star Trek: The Next Generation for seven seasons from 1987 to 1994, plus several films.
8. What is the hull registry designation of the original USS Enterprise?
- NCC-1864
- SSV-2000
- NCC-1701
- NX-01
The Enterprise's registry, NCC-1701, was devised by art director Matt Jefferies, a former pilot who based it loosely on 20th-century aircraft tail codes. Jefferies also designed the ship's utility corridors, which are still called 'Jefferies tubes' in Star Trek to this day. NX-01 and NCC-1864 belong to other Starfleet vessels in the franchise.
9. In Star Trek: The Next Generation, what kind of artificial being is Lieutenant Commander Data?
- A cyborg
- A hologram
- An android
- A clone
Data, played by Brent Spiner, is an android powered by a 'positronic brain' — a term borrowed directly from Isaac Asimov's robot stories. A recurring theme of the series is Data's quest to become more human, including his struggle to understand emotion and humour. He is one of Star Trek's most beloved characters.
10. In Doctor Who, the Doctor belongs to which ancient alien race?
- The Sontarans
- The Cybermen
- The Daleks
- The Time Lords
The Doctor is a Time Lord, a long-lived race from the planet Gallifrey who mastered time travel. Time Lords can 'regenerate' their bodies when near death — a clever plot device introduced in 1966 that allows different actors to take over the lead role while keeping the character continuous. The show has run, on and off, since 1963.
11. In Battlestar Galactica, what are humanity's robotic enemies called?
- Replicants
- Cylons
- Daleks
- Terminators
The Cylons are machines that turn against their human creators, appearing in both the 1978 original series and the acclaimed 2004 reimagining. In the reboot, some Cylons are indistinguishable from humans, hiding among the fleet and raising haunting questions about identity. The original Cylons were known for their signature single, sweeping red eye.
12. In The X-Files, what is the first name of Agent Scully, Fox Mulder's FBI partner?
- Samantha
- Dana
- Monica
- Diana
Dana Scully, played by Gillian Anderson, is a medical doctor and scientific skeptic paired with the paranormal 'believer' Fox Mulder, played by David Duchovny. Their contrasting outlooks drove the show from 1993 to 2002. Samantha is actually the name of Mulder's sister, whose childhood disappearance fuels much of his obsession with the unexplained.
13. In the series Firefly, Captain Malcolm Reynolds commands which spaceship?
- Serenity
- Rocinante
- Galactica
- Nostromo
Serenity is a 'Firefly-class' transport ship in Joss Whedon's cult 2002 series Firefly, which blended science fiction with the Western genre. The ship is named after Serenity Valley, the site of a battle its captain fought and lost. Though the show was cancelled after just one season, fan devotion led to a 2005 feature film, also titled Serenity.
14. Which pioneering anthology series was created and hosted by Rod Serling, premiering in 1959?
- The Outer Limits
- Tales from the Crypt
- Amazing Stories
- The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone premiered on CBS in October 1959 and ran until 1964, with Rod Serling writing many episodes and delivering its eerie on-screen narration. Its blend of science fiction, fantasy, and social commentary let Serling explore controversial topics that networks might otherwise have censored. Its twist endings remain a template for the genre.
15. In Star Trek: The Next Generation, what is the name of the android Data's pet cat?
- Whiskers
- Salem
- Spot
- Jonesy
Data keeps a cat named Spot aboard the Enterprise, often using the pet to study emotional attachment. Spot's appearance was famously inconsistent, changing breed between episodes, and though usually referred to as male, the cat gave birth to a litter of kittens in the episode 'Genesis.' Jonesy, by contrast, is the cat from the film Alien.