164 Fun Facts About Star Trek

After his death, Star Trek's creator was among the first people to have what carried into orbit?

His ashes: a small sample flew aboard shuttle Columbia in 1992 and came home, then a capsule launched in 1997 carried more into orbit, where it circled until it burned up on re-entry in 2002.

Who was Chief Medical Officer of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series?

Leonard McCoy, played by DeForest Kelley, outlasted Kirk's era: Kelley returned as a 137-year-old admiral touring Picard's new ship in the first episode of The Next Generation.

In which Hugo-winning episode does an alien probe make Picard live out a whole life on a dying world?

'The Inner Light' won a 1993 Hugo Award; Picard lives decades as a man named Kamin while under half an hour passes on the bridge, and afterwards keeps the flute he learned to play there.

Nimoy invented Spock's nerve pinch for which Star Trek episode, in which an accident splits Kirk in two?

'The Enemy Within' has Spock subdue Kirk's violent double; the script called for a knockout blow, Nimoy proposed the pinch instead, and later scripts simply wrote 'FSNP'.

What was Captain Picard's first command, a Constellation-class starship, before the Enterprise-D?

The USS Stargazer had to be abandoned after the fight that made Picard's name: a short warp jump made it seem to be in two places at once, the trick known ever since as the Picard Maneuver.

Which chief engineer keeps the Enterprise's engines running in Star Trek: The Original Series?

Montgomery Scott, 'Scotty', gave his name to a famous catchphrase, yet nobody in the original series ever says exactly 'Beam me up, Scotty'.

Star Trek: TNG's Counselor Deanna Troi is half-human and half of which telepathic alien species?

Betazoid through her mother Lwaxana: full Betazoids read thoughts outright, but half-human Troi can mostly only sense emotions.

Nimoy based Spock's split-fingered salute on a blessing he saw where?

A synagogue: worshippers were not meant to look while the priests formed the Hebrew letter Shin with their hands, but young Nimoy peeked.

Who played Captain Pike in 'The Cage', the first Star Trek pilot, which NBC turned down?

Jeffrey Hunter starred in 'The Cage', which NBC judged 'too cerebral'; when the network ordered a second pilot he chose to stick to films, so the series launched with a new captain.

Where does Picard's crew reboard the Enterprise-D in Star Trek: Picard?

Fleet Museum: its curator had spent twenty years rebuilding the fifth Federation Enterprise there, and it flew again because it was never tied to the network the Borg used to seize the fleet.

Star Trek VI revealed that the ridged-forehead warrior species has blood of what colour?

Pink, shading to violet: the film-makers avoided red so that the zero-gravity assassination, with blood drifting in globules, would not earn an R rating.

The Borg are a collective of cybernetic organisms driven by the goal of achieving what?

Perfection is the Borg's stated aim in absorbing other species; they revere the unstable Omega molecule as perfection itself and are under orders to assimilate it at any cost.

Who was the Starfleet Commander, and later Captain, of Deep Space Nine?

Benjamin Sisko arrives a grieving widower on the verge of resigning, and ends the series among the Prophets, appearing to his wife in a vision to assure her he will return.

Which actress was first cast as Voyager's captain but left on her second day of filming?

Geneviève Bujold, a film star, left the pilot 'Caretaker' on her second day, the stated reason being television's hectic pace; Kate Mulgrew took over as Janeway for all seven seasons.

Which Original Series episode has small, furry, fast-breeding creatures overrunning the Enterprise?

'The Trouble with Tribbles' was written by David Gerrold; the producers sought a waiver from Robert Heinlein because the tribbles resembled the flat cats of his novel The Rolling Stones.

In Star Trek: The Original Series, which episode marked the first on-screen appearance of the Romulans?

'Balance of Terror' plays as a submarine duel modelled on the war film The Enemy Below, and its first sight of a Romulan, who looks just like Spock, turns a bridge officer against him.

Which spaceborne menace stripped all life from Omicron Theta, the colony where Starfleet found Data?

The Crystalline Entity, a snowflake-shaped creature that feeds on living matter, emptied the colony; the USS Tripoli later followed a signal there and found only Data.

Which phrase ends The Next Generation's opening narration?

'To boldly go where no one has gone before' closes the narration; Kirk's version ended 'where no man has gone before', and the 1987 series widened it to 'no one'.

Which Starfleet class is Captain Jean-Luc Picard's USS Enterprise-D?

Galaxy-class ships carried crew families as well as officers, so the saucer was built to detach and carry civilians clear while the rest of the ship went into battle.

Which Star Trek: TNG two-parter features Captain Picard being assimilated by the Borg?

'The Best of Both Worlds' closed TNG's third season in 1990 on a cliffhanger: Picard assimilated by the Borg, and his own first officer giving the order to fire on him.

The 11-foot model used to film the original starship Enterprise is now displayed in which museum?

National Air and Space Museum: Paramount donated the model to the Smithsonian in 1974, and the TV prop now stands in the Milestones of Flight hall among real aircraft and spacecraft.

What drink does Captain Picard habitually order, always adding the word 'hot'?

Tea, Earl Grey, hot: one of the English tastes Patrick Stewart's captain keeps, along with quoting Shakespeare, although the character is no Englishman.

Spock's people bleed green because their blood is based on which metal?

Copper-based blood runs green in Spock's veins, an echo of real hemocyanin, the copper protein that makes an octopus's blood blue.

Which Star Trek device was invented to spare the cost of filming ship landings?

The transporter began as a budget fix that Gene Roddenberry came to prize: 'beaming' the crew down let a script be well into its story by page two.

In 'Amok Time', which Vulcan condition forces Spock to return home and take a mate or die?

Pon farr returns every seven years; in Theodore Sturgeon's script Spock's bride demands a duel instead, and he ends it believing he has killed Kirk.

What was the Cardassian name of the station later called Deep Space Nine?

Terok Nor was built by Bajoran slave labour as a Cardassian mining and refinery station; when the occupiers pulled out they stripped it, and Bajor asked the Federation in, which gave it its new name.

Voyager's premiere in January 1995 was the very first programme broadcast on which new US network?

Voyager's pilot 'Caretaker' was the first programme aired on UPN, the United Paramount Network, at its launch on 16 January 1995; Paramount built the network partly around the show.

After being assimilated by the Borg, Picard is given what name?

Locutus was the Borg's chosen voice to humanity; armed with everything Picard knew about Starfleet, a single cube then wiped out the fleet sent to stop it at Wolf 359.

Odo, the security chief of Deep Space Nine, belongs to which species?

Odo is a Changeling, one of the shapeshifting Founders; a hundred infant Changelings were sent across the galaxy in containers to learn about other races, and Odo was one.

What is the class of the USS Voyager starship?

Intrepid-class ships can set down on a planet: Voyager does so in 'The 37's', where its crew finds Amelia Earhart and other humans abducted in 1937, still in stasis.

What experimental propulsion system lets the USS Discovery jump instantly across the galaxy?

Spore Drive: the ship jumps along a galaxy-wide fungal network, an idea the show credits to its engineer Paul Stamets, who is named after a real American mycologist.

Which clone of Captain Picard is the villain of Star Trek: Nemesis?

Shinzon, played by Tom Hardy, is a Romulan-made clone of Picard raised in the Reman mines; Data dies destroying his warship, the Scimitar.

Which former Borg drone joins Voyager's crew in season four and slowly reclaims her humanity?

Seven of Nine was born Annika Hansen and assimilated as a child of six; Jeri Ryan returned to the role in Star Trek: Picard, where the ex-drone ends up a Starfleet captain.

Which Deep Space Nine Cardassian is a 'plain, simple tailor' but secretly ex-Obsidian Order?

Elim Garak kept a tailor's shop on the Promenade, but the old spy's skills resurface when he has evidence forged and arranges an assassination to draw the Romulans into the war.

Which Vulcan serves as Captain Janeway's security chief aboard the USS Voyager?

Tuvok starts the series undercover: he was Janeway's spy aboard the Maquis ship she was sent to find when both vessels were swept across the galaxy.

What color is the uniform worn by Security and Engineering personnel in Star Trek: The Original Series?

In Star Trek: The Original Series, red uniforms were typically worn by personnel in Security, Engineering, and Operations divisions, often leading to a running gag about "redshirts" having a higher mortality rate.

In the TNG episode 'Darmok', the universal translator fails because the Tamarians communicate only through what?

Metaphor drawn from their own legends: the words translate but the meaning does not, until Picard works it out and answers the dying Tamarian captain with the story of Gilgamesh.

What is the name of the powerful, god-like entity who frequently tests humanity, particularly Captain Picard?

Q, played by John de Lancie, put humanity on trial in The Next Generation's first episode and reconvened the same court in its last, telling Picard the trial had never ended.

On Star Trek, Captain Kirk's nickname for his ship's doctor plays on which 19th-century slang word?

Sawbones, 19th-century slang for a surgeon, was shortened to 'Bones'; the 2009 film adds its own joke, that the doctor's divorce left him nothing but his bones.

What registry did the warp-5 starship of Star Trek's 2001 prequel series carry?

NX-01 marked Earth's first warp-5 starship; in the pilot 'Broken Bow' it launches three weeks early to carry a wounded alien courier home.

The Maquis, colonists resisting the Cardassians, are named for guerrillas of which conflict?

The Maquis take their name from the French Resistance fighters of the Second World War; DS9 introduced them in a 1994 two-parter so that Voyager's crew could include them.

What is the primary function of a Starfleet replicator?

Synthesising food and objects is routine aboard 24th-century ships, but stranded Voyager had to save energy, so each crew member got a limited allowance of 'replicator rations'.

Star Trek's Klingons were named after Wilbur Clingan, a former colleague of Roddenberry's from what walk of life?

Police work: Clingan served with Roddenberry in the Los Angeles Police Department, where the future producer rose to sergeant while selling TV scripts, then turned in his badge in 1956 to write full time.

Data's 'positronic brain' borrows a term coined by which science-fiction author?

Isaac Asimov gave his fictional robots positronic brains, choosing the word because the positron was newly discovered when he wrote his first robot stories; Star Trek borrowed the idea for Data.

By what name is Voyager's Emergency Medical Hologram known to the crew?

The Doctor was designed as a short-term stand-in for emergencies, but he ended up running for seven years, became an opera connoisseur and never settled on a name of his own.

Which individual gives the Borg Collective a single guiding consciousness?

The Borg Queen first appears in Star Trek: First Contact (1996), played by Alice Krige, tempting Data to her side by grafting human skin onto him so that he can feel.

Who became the Enterprise-D's chief of security after Tasha Yar's death?

Worf took over as security chief when Tasha Yar was killed by the creature Armus in 'Skin of Evil', a death written in because actress Denise Crosby had decided to leave the show.

Which Starfleet rule forbids interfering with the natural development of less advanced civilisations?

The Prime Directive bars meddling with cultures that have not yet reached warp travel; Kirk calls it a captain's most solemn oath, to be kept even at the cost of his life and crew.

Which Star Trek actor lost his right middle finger on D-Day and hid it on screen for most of his career?

James Doohan, a Canadian artillery officer, was hit by machine-gun fire on the night of the Juno Beach landing; a cigarette case stopped the bullet to his chest, but he lost his right middle finger.

On which resort planet does Picard reluctantly take shore leave in 'Captain's Holiday'?

On Risa, Picard is kissed by a stranger dodging a pursuer moments after arriving, and ends up hunting the Tox Uthat, a 27th-century weapon, alongside Vash.

Which Star Trek: Deep Space Nine character runs a popular bar on the station?

Quark meant to leave when the Cardassians pulled out; in the first episode the station's new commander strong-arms him into staying and keeping his bar open.

Which linguist did Paramount hire to build the warrior species' language for Star Trek III?

Marc Okrand, a specialist in Native American languages, built Klingon for Star Trek III (1984) to sound harsh and unusual; enthusiasts have since published a full translation of Hamlet.

Which Star Trek series features a human captain with a Vulcan first officer, set prior to Kirk's era?

Star Trek: Enterprise follows Captain Archer and his Vulcan first officer T'Pol a century before Kirk; its cancellation in 2005 ended eighteen unbroken years of new Star Trek on television.

Which invaders from fluidic space proved immune to Borg assimilation in Voyager's 'Scorpion'?

Species 8472, as the Borg numbered them, were destroying Borg cubes outright, so Janeway struck a temporary alliance with the Collective to drive them back.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, what is the name of Lieutenant Commander Data's cat?

Spot started out as a male Somali cat before turning into a female orange tabby who eventually has kittens.

Which no-win Starfleet Academy test did Kirk beat as a cadet by secretly reprogramming the simulator?

The Kobayashi Maru is built to be unwinnable; Kirk failed it twice, then rigged the simulator before his third attempt, later saying he does not believe in the no-win scenario.

Zefram Cochrane built which ship from a nuclear missile to make humanity's first warp flight?

The Phoenix was no noble project: Cochrane built it hoping to get rich, yet its warp flight caught the eye of a passing survey ship, which landed to make first contact.

Which alien species runs its business by the Rules of Acquisition?

The Ferengi live by 285 Rules of Acquisition, and series writer Ira Steven Behr published a real book of them, its author credited as Quark 'as told to' Behr.

Who composed the iconic theme music for Star Trek: The Original Series?

Alexander Courage wrote the theme; without telling him, Gene Roddenberry added lyrics never meant to be sung so that he could claim half the royalties.

Kirk's fictional birthplace, the real town of Riverside, sits in which US state?

Iowa: Riverside was hunting for a festival theme in 1985 when a councilman proposed declaring it Kirk's future birthplace, and Gene Roddenberry gave his blessing.

On Deep Space Nine, what stable phenomenon near the station links the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants?

The Bajoran wormhole proved so valuable that the crew moved the entire station out of orbit to its mouth before the pilot episode was over.

In 'The Best of Both Worlds', Riker is offered command of which starship, later found destroyed at Wolf 359?

Riker was offered the USS Melbourne, his third command offer after the Drake and the Aries; the Melbourne was destroyed in the Battle of Wolf 359, as seen in DS9's 'Emissary'.

What is the name of the shuttlecraft often used by Captain Kirk and his crew for planetary excursions?

The Galileo is stranded with Spock in command in 'The Galileo Seven'; out of options, he dumps and ignites the last fuel as a flare, and the Enterprise sees it.

Whose 1950 story 'The Veldt' imagined a virtual-reality 'nursery' that prefigured the holodeck?

Ray Bradbury's 'The Veldt' (1950) gave its children a nursery whose walls conjured a lion-filled African savannah that turns deadly; it appeared in his collection The Illustrated Man (1951).

Who is the Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise-D, known for his VISOR?

Geordi La Forge, played by LeVar Burton, was named in tribute to the late George La Forge, a quadriplegic fan of the original series.

Which Star Trek: Discovery character, raised on Vulcan, is the first human at the Vulcan Science Academy?

Michael Burnham was taken in by Spock's parents after a Klingon attack on her family's outpost, which makes her Spock's foster sister.

Bajoran religious life centres on what objects, believed to have been sent by the Prophets?

The Orbs, or Tears of the Prophets, are Bajor's holiest objects; nine were discovered over the centuries and the Cardassians seized eight during the Occupation.

Which teenage prodigy did Picard appoint acting ensign aboard the Enterprise-D?

Wesley Crusher, played by Wil Wheaton, earned the rank in the first season; he later quit Starfleet Academy to roam with the Traveler, the alien who had likened him to Mozart.

On which colony did the young Kirk witness Kodos the Executioner's massacre of 4,000 colonists?

Tarsus IV is where Kodos ordered 4,000 colonists killed; the backstory surfaces in the first-season episode 'The Conscience of the King', when Kirk suspects a touring actor is Kodos in hiding.

Picard has an artificial heart after being stabbed as a young officer by a member of which species?

A Nausicaan ran Ensign Picard through the heart in a bar brawl; in 'Tapestry' he relives the fight and avoids it, only to end up a junior officer who never took a risk.

Which episode, about a creature that kills for salt, was the first Star Trek broadcast?

'The Man Trap' aired on NBC on September 8, 1966, although other episodes had been filmed before it; it was picked to open the series because its monster made for a simple, thrilling story.

Which phrase is the traditional partner of the Vulcan salute's famous four-word blessing?

'Peace and long life' may be said first or as the reply: Picard offers it in parting to a Vulcan ambassador, who answers with the famous blessing.

On Earth, Starfleet Headquarters and Starfleet Academy stand beside which San Francisco landmark?

The Golden Gate Bridge frames Starfleet Headquarters on screen, and Deep Space Nine shows it badly damaged by a Breen attack on Earth.

Who designed and built the android Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation?

Dr. Noonien Soong built Data in his own likeness, so the same actor plays creator and android, plus the malevolent brother Lore, in the episode 'Brothers'.

What is the homeworld of the Klingon Empire?

Qo'noS, rendered in English as Kronos, is the Klingon homeworld and seat of the High Council; the Khitomer peace talks of Star Trek VI (1991) follow the explosion of its moon.

In Star Trek Generations, the Enterprise-D's saucer section crash-lands on which planet?

The saucer crash-lands on Veridian III after the Duras sisters' Bird-of-Prey breaches the ship's shields; ILM filmed the crash with a 12-foot saucer model.

Which alien species made official first contact with humanity in the film Star Trek: First Contact?

In the film Star Trek: First Contact, the Vulcans made official first contact with humanity on April 5, 2063, after detecting Zefram Cochrane's first warp flight.

What is the name of the Enterprise-D lounge where Guinan serves drinks?

Ten Forward, the lounge at the front of deck 10, was added in TNG's second season together with its bartender Guinan, played by Whoopi Goldberg.

Who serves as Captain Picard's first officer throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation?

William Riker, Picard's 'Number One', kept turning down commands of his own to stay on the Enterprise, finally taking the USS Titan in Star Trek: Nemesis.

Which airline employed Gene Roddenberry as a pilot in the late 1940s?

Gene Roddenberry flew for Pan American World Airways from 1945 to 1948, surviving the crash of a Pan Am Constellation in the Syrian desert in 1947.

Voyager's captain was Elizabeth in early scripts and briefly Nicole, but ended up with which first name?

Kathryn was the name that stuck once Kate Mulgrew took over; the first actress cast had asked for 'Nicole', then quit the pilot within days.

Zefram Cochrane built humanity's first warp ship in Bozeman, in which US state?

Montana: Cochrane launches from a missile complex in Bozeman, the hometown of First Contact co-writer Brannon Braga, and his flight draws a passing alien survey ship down for first contact.

The ridged-forehead warrior species first appeared in which 1967 Original Series episode?

'Errand of Mercy' introduced them as smooth-browed soldiers occupying the planet Organia; the famous forehead ridges arrived only with Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979.

Which Denobulan serves as chief medical officer aboard Captain Archer's Enterprise?

Phlox, played by John Billingsley, keeps a menagerie of alien creatures in his sickbay and treats the crew with the remedies they produce.

Which navigator, added to the Enterprise bridge in Star Trek's second season, was played by Walter Koenig?

Pavel Chekov was added to win teenage viewers with the appeal of the Monkees' Davy Jones, which is why Walter Koenig wore a Monkees-style wig in his first episodes.

Which Talaxian joins Voyager's crew as its cook and guide?

Neelix, played by Ethan Phillips, comes aboard in the pilot as a local guide, then appoints himself ship's cook without waiting to be asked; morale officer comes later.

Who famously portrayed Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series?

William Shatner arrived only for a second pilot, after a first one with a different captain and a different star was rejected; he went on to play Kirk in the first seven films.

Which designer of the original Enterprise are the crawlways inside Starfleet ships named after?

Matt Jefferies lives on in the Jefferies tubes; by his own account he numbered the ship 1701 as the first vessel of Starfleet's 17th design.

Which curved, two-handed sword is Worf's signature Klingon weapon?

Bat'leth means 'sword of honour'; effects producer Dan Curry, a martial artist, designed it and worked out the fighting style that goes with it.

Picard was born in the village of La Barre, home of the family vineyard, in which country?

Château Picard lies in La Barre, France; brother Robert ran the vineyard after Jean-Luc left for Starfleet, and Star Trek: Picard filmed its estate scenes at a California winery.

Which finale closed Star Trek: Voyager by bringing the ship home?

'Endgame' aired in May 2001 as a double-length episode: an older Admiral Janeway travels back in time to bring her crew home sixteen years sooner than history first allowed.

Which handheld device do Starfleet officers use to scan and analyse their surroundings?

The tricorder inspired a real contest, the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, which challenged teams to build a handheld device able to diagnose patients.

Which Ferengi, Quark's nephew, becomes the first of his species to join Starfleet?

Nog, played by Aron Eisenberg, is Rom's son and Quark's nephew; he became the first Ferengi in Starfleet after asking the station's commander for a recommendation in 'Heart of Stone'.

Who played James T. Kirk in the 2009 Star Trek reboot?

Chris Pine played Kirk in J.J. Abrams's 2009 Star Trek, a reboot set in an alternate timeline created when the Romulan Nero travels into the past.

Which doctor is the Enterprise-D's chief medical officer for six of TNG's seven seasons?

Beverly Crusher missed only season two: Gates McFadden was let go after clashing with the head writer, Katherine Pulaski filled in, and McFadden was asked back for season three.

Which former Maquis commander becomes Voyager's first officer?

Chakotay, played by Robert Beltran, commanded the Maquis raider Voyager was chasing when both ships were flung across the galaxy in 'Caretaker', and became Voyager's first officer.

What line do the Borg deliver before assimilating a target?

Resistance is futile: individual drones rarely speak, so the warning reaches a target as one message voiced by the whole Collective.

Which 1986 film sends Kirk's crew back to 1980s San Francisco to collect humpback whales?

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), directed by Leonard Nimoy, has the crew fetch two humpback whales, George and Gracie, from 1986 San Francisco to answer an alien probe.

How many episodes did the original Star Trek series produce?

Three seasons yielded 79 episodes — a short run that grew enormous in syndication.

Which actor played Data in The Next Generation?

Brent Spiner played Data for seven seasons and four films, and co-wrote the story of the last, Star Trek: Nemesis, in which the android sacrifices himself.

Which sport does Deep Space Nine's commander love, keeping its ball on his desk?

Baseball: forced to abandon the station, the commander leaves the ball on his desk as a message that he will be back.

Which invading power does the Federation fight in Deep Space Nine's final seasons?

The Dominion, an empire from the Gamma Quadrant, fights a war that fills the last two seasons and drives the Klingons and Romulans into alliance with the Federation.

Which half-Klingon former Maquis does Janeway make Voyager's chief engineer?

B'Elanna Torres had just broken Lieutenant Carey's nose in an engine-room fight when Janeway promoted her over him to chief engineer in 'Parallax'.

What is James T. Kirk's middle name?

Tiberius was first spoken in the 1974 animated episode 'Bem'; the 2009 film makes it the name of Kirk's paternal grandfather.

What was Uhura's role aboard the Enterprise?

Communications officer Uhura was played by Nichelle Nichols, who handed in her resignation during the first season until Martin Luther King Jr., a fan of the show, urged her to stay.

What registry number does the USS Voyager carry?

NCC-74656 is Voyager's registry; the ship left Deep Space 9 in 2371 to hunt a Maquis raider in the Badlands and was flung across the galaxy.

NASA built the shuttle Enterprise for what purpose?

Enterprise was built for approach and landing tests in the atmosphere and was never spaceworthy; NASA meant to refit it for orbit, but that proved too costly.

How long was Voyager's trip home originally projected to take?

75 years was the estimate at maximum speed; Janeway chose that road by destroying the alien array that could have sent the ship home, to keep it out of hostile hands.

What is the name of Spock's father?

Sarek, a Vulcan ambassador, broke with Spock for years after his son chose Starfleet over the Vulcan Science Academy; they reconcile when Spock helps save his life.

Which actor played Khan in the 1982 film The Wrath of Khan?

Ricardo Montalban first played Khan in the 1967 episode 'Space Seed', which ends with Kirk sending him into exile; the film is his revenge fifteen years later.

Before Star Trek fans mounted a letter campaign, NASA planned to name its first shuttle what?

Constitution was the planned name until a flood of fan letters reached the White House and President Ford had NASA name the orbiter Enterprise instead.

Which secret agency carries out covert operations for the Federation?

Section 31 takes its name from Article 14, Section 31 of the Starfleet Charter, which it reads as licence for extraordinary measures in times of extreme threat.

In The Wrath of Khan, what terraforming technology turns dead matter into a living world?

The Genesis Device, developed by Carol and David Marcus on Regula I, reorganises dead matter into living matter; Khan detonates it, creating the short-lived Genesis Planet.

Which composer's score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture became The Next Generation's title theme?

Jerry Goldsmith's first version of the theme was turned down by director Robert Wise as too nautical, like sailing ships; the reworked march later opened The Next Generation.

Which sitcom star owned Desilu, the studio that developed the original Star Trek series in the 1960s?

Lucille Ball approved Star Trek for development as Desilu's sole owner, in the same years the studio launched Mission: Impossible and Mannix.

Which physicist played himself in a holodeck poker game against Newton and Einstein on Star Trek: The Next Generation?

Stephen Hawking's cameo was the first time a guest star played himself in any Star Trek series. On a visit to the set he also got to sit in the captain's chair.

Which Star Trek actress did Martin Luther King Jr. talk out of quitting the original series for Broadway?

Nichelle Nichols had already handed in her resignation letter when King told her Star Trek was the only show he and his wife let their children stay up to watch.

Which Star Trek catchphrase, later the title of a cast member's memoir, is never spoken in that exact form on screen?

"Beam me up, Scotty" is a misquotation. Close variants include "Beam us up, Scotty" in the animated series and "Scotty, beam me up" in the fourth film.

In the Star Trek episode 'Mirror, Mirror', which facial feature marks out the parallel-universe Spock?

A goatee and moustache mark the mirror Spock, whose ship serves an empire rather than the Federation. South Park's 'Spookyfish' is among the many parodies.

Which Australian actor plays George Kirk, the hero's father who dies aboard the USS Kelvin, in the 2009 Star Trek film?

Chris Hemsworth won the part only after the director had met Matt Damon about playing it. Eric Bana is in the same film, as the villain Nero.

Which film star asked for a role on Star Trek: The Next Generation and was cast as the bartender Guinan?

Whoopi Goldberg was at first ignored by the producers, who by one account believed her approach was a prank.

Which veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company was cast as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation?

Patrick Stewart called his years of playing kings and tragic heroes "nothing but preparation for sitting in the captain's chair of the Enterprise".

Which Vulcan technique lets Spock share another being's thoughts and memories through touch?

Mind meld scenes began with the episode 'Dagger of the Mind', in which Spock links with a man named van Gelder so that he can tell his story.

Which British actor, little known at the time, played Captain Picard's young clone in Star Trek: Nemesis?

Tom Hardy auditioned by tape while filming in Morocco, and later described his Los Angeles screen test for the part as "appalling".

Gene Roddenberry's first draft described Star Trek as which Western series 'to the stars'?

Wagon Train supplied the template: like the Western, each episode would be a self-contained adventure within a continuing voyage.

In Star Trek, which crystal regulates the matter-antimatter reaction that powers a starship's engines?

Dilithium crystals grown artificially are low in quality and fragment under heavy power, which leaves them largely unsuitable for starship engines.

Which British actor plays Khan, hidden behind the false identity of John Harrison, in Star Trek Into Darkness?

Benedict Cumberbatch's casting was reported in January 2012, after Demián Bichir had auditioned for the villain's role.

Which Beastie Boys song does the Enterprise crew broadcast to destroy an alien drone swarm in Star Trek Beyond?

Sabotage does the job because the swarm proves vulnerable to high-frequency broadcasts. The same track had already featured in the first film of the rebooted series.

In which Star Trek film does Kirk destroy the original USS Enterprise by setting off its self-destruct sequence?

The Search for Spock's producer Harve Bennett wrote the script from the ending backwards and meant the ship's destruction to be a shocking development.

Which director made the first Star Trek film to win an Academy Award, a 2009 reboot honoured for its makeup?

J.J. Abrams's film went into the 82nd Academy Awards with four nominations, the other three for sound editing, sound and visual effects.

Which actress, the wife of creator Gene Roddenberry, voiced the shipboard computers in several Star Trek series?

Majel Barrett took part in every Star Trek series made in her lifetime, on screen or as a voice, and is sometimes called "the First Lady of Star Trek".

Which future Dynasty star played Edith Keeler, the woman Kirk loves and loses in 'The City on the Edge of Forever'?

Joan Collins had never heard of Star Trek when her agent brought her the offer. She accepted because her eldest daughter was enthusiastic about the show.

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which precious liquid is pressed into gold so that it can serve as money?

Latinum cannot be replicated, which is what makes it valuable. Sealed in gold, it is counted out in slips, strips, bars and bricks.

Khan Noonien Singh ruled much of Earth as a tyrant during which fictional 1990s conflict in Star Trek's timeline?

The Eugenics Wars saw genetically engineered superhumans seize much of the planet. Khan was among those removed from power when the fighting ended.

Which actress played Captain Philippa Georgiou, commander of the USS Shenzhou, in Star Trek: Discovery?

Michelle Yeoh also played the captain's despotic Mirror Universe double, an empress, and carried the role into the film Star Trek: Section 31.

Which actor was cast as the young Spock in the 2009 Star Trek film, with Leonard Nimoy's casting approval?

Zachary Quinto, known until then as the villain Sylar in Heroes, said he took the part knowing from the beginning that it came with his predecessor's blessing.

Which professional wrestler guest-starred as an alien arena champion in the Star Trek: Voyager episode 'Tsunkatse'?

Dwayne Johnson performed his own stunts in the episode and worked one of his signature wrestling moves, the Rock Bottom, into the fight scenes.

Which animated Star Trek comedy is set aboard the USS Cerritos, one of Starfleet's least important ships?

Lower Decks was the franchise's first comedy and its first animated series since 1974. Its heroes are ensigns such as the rule-bound Brad Boimler.

Who became the first real-life astronaut to appear on Star Trek, in the Next Generation episode 'Second Chances'?

Mae Jemison was such a fan that she opened each shift of her own shuttle mission with the Star Trek line "Hailing frequencies open".

Which Next Generation cast member directed Star Trek: First Contact after two better-known directors declined?

Jonathan Frakes was chosen so that the job went to someone who understood Star Trek. He acted in the film too, as he had done when directing for television.

Which Star Trek show became the first to win an Emmy Award, something the 1960s original never managed?

The Animated Series won for its second season, taking the 1975 Emmy for outstanding children's entertainment series.

Which future king, a fan of the show, had a non-speaking cameo in Star Trek: Voyager while still a prince?

Abdullah II of Jordan stayed silent on screen because he was not a member of the Screen Actors Guild, so he was not permitted any spoken lines.

Which actor was offered a role in Star Trek V but was busy filming Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade?

Sean Connery is honoured in the film all the same: its mythical planet, Sha Ka Ree, was named as a play on his name.

Which California formation, nicknamed 'Kirk's Rock', stood in for alien worlds in four original Star Trek episodes?

Vasquez Rocks finally appeared as itself in Star Trek: Picard, the first time in the franchise that the formation was not standing in for somewhere else.

Which Enterprise officer's first name, Nyota, was not used in Star Trek canon until the 2009 film?

Uhura's first name is a running joke in that film: Kirk keeps trying to find it out and finally overhears it. Nyota means "star" in Swahili.

Which Enterprise helmsman, a keen fencer and botanist, later takes command of the USS Excelsior as its captain?

Hikaru Sulu was not always at the helm: in the pilot 'Where No Man Has Gone Before' he is the ship's staff physicist.

Which android, discovered and reassembled by the Enterprise-D crew, turns out to be Data's treacherous 'brother'?

Lore claims to be the more perfect model, then knocks Data out and impersonates him as part of a plan to offer up the ship's crew.

Which Enterprise-D crewman, a recurring face for seven seasons, is promoted to chief of operations on Deep Space Nine?

Miles O'Brien is the only major Star Trek character both ethnically Irish and born in Ireland. Colm Meaney, who plays him, is Irish too.

Which Deep Space Nine science officer is joined to a long-lived symbiont that has had seven earlier hosts?

Jadzia Dax is the symbiont's eighth host and can draw on the skills and memories of all the others. When she dies, it passes to a new host, Ezri.

Which former resistance fighter, recruited into a guerrilla cell at 13, serves as first officer of Deep Space Nine?

Kira Nerys spent her youth fighting the Cardassian occupation of her world, a decades-long conflict that left her tough, uncompromising and sustained by her faith.

Which Starfleet doctor kept secret for most of his adult life that he was genetically engineered as a child?

Julian Bashir, chief medical officer of Deep Space Nine, hid it because human genetic engineering is illegal in the Federation except to correct serious birth defects.

Which Cardassian commanded the station that became Deep Space Nine before the Federation took it over?

Dukat also headed the occupation government in those years. Marc Alaimo played him throughout, having earlier appeared as another Cardassian, Macet.

Which Deep Space Nine barfly, named after a Cheers regular, never speaks on screen though others call him talkative?

Morn's designer made sure the character could talk if he ever had to, yet he stayed silent for the whole series. His name is a nod to Norm Peterson.

Which Voyager crewman is never promoted in seven seasons because, producers said, 'someone's got to be the ensign'?

Harry Kim joins the ship straight from Starfleet Academy as operations officer. An alternate-future version of him, seen in the finale, has made captain.

Which member of Voyager's crew belongs to the Ocampa, a telepathic species with a lifespan of only nine years?

Kes grew up in an underground city built for her people by the Caretaker, an alien who had inadvertently destroyed their planet's atmosphere.

Which Vulcan science officer under Captain Archer is the first of her people to serve a long term on a human ship?

T'Pol was conceived, a producer said, as "a sexy Vulcan, a Kim Cattrall-type". Jolene Blalock won the part although her agents had at first said she was not interested.

In Star Trek, Captain Archer's pet beagle is named after which character from The Three Musketeers?

Porthos came from a litter of four whose brothers are Athos, Aramis and d'Artagnan. One episode has him catch a deadly illness on an alien world.

Which Star Trek: Discovery officer is a Kelpien, the first member of his species to serve in Starfleet?

Saru is played by Doug Jones, a specialist in prosthetic-based roles, and went on to become the first alien to captain a title ship in the franchise.

Which shy Enterprise-D engineer is hooked on the holodeck, where he recreates his crewmates in settings he finds easier?

Reginald Barclay was created by a university professor, Sarah Higley, in her script 'Hollow Pursuits', and was first conceived as a more malicious character.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, which doctor is the Enterprise's chief medical officer for the second season only?

Dr. Pulaski was averse to most new technology. Diana Muldaur had already appeared in the original Star Trek, as different characters in two episodes.

Which renegade Vulcan, revealed to be Spock's half-brother, seizes the Enterprise to seek God at the galaxy's centre?

Sybok takes hostages on Nimbus III purely as a ruse to lure a starship. The story was inspired by televangelism and the scope for fraud among its preachers.

Which Star Trek con man first crosses Kirk's path while ferrying three beautiful women to become settlers' wives?

Harry Mudd starts out under a false name, until the ship's computer exposes him as Harcourt Fenton Mudd, a criminal with an extensive record.

Which holographic 1960s Las Vegas singer, played by James Darren, entertains the crew in Deep Space Nine's holosuites?

Vic Fontaine came about because producer Ira Steven Behr, a lifelong fan of 1960s Las Vegas, wanted a Rat Pack-style character. Behr met Darren at a memorabilia show.

Which Borg drone, first called Third of Five, is nursed back to health on the Enterprise-D and shows free will?

Hugh's show of free will makes the crew rethink its plan to turn him into a weapon of mass destruction against his own kind.