The Star Trek: The Original Series Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
The Star Trek: The Original Series Quiz
Image: CBS via Getty

About This Quiz

The original "Star Trek" series went where no show had ever gone before. How much do you know about "Star Trek?"
How many episodes were there in the first season?
13
19
29
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

That's right, it ran for well over half of the year.

How did James Doohan lose one middle finger?
A mugger with a knife
World War II
A farm accident
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

And it was friendly fire that got him.

Why did Paramount try to offload "Star Trek?"
It was losing money.
It was too controversial.
Gene Roddenberry was impossible to work with.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It saw the show as a financial quagmire.

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Who was the first character to be on the receiving end of the famous Spock nerve pinch?
Pavel Chekov
James Kirk
Leonard McCoy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Spock was originally supposed to knock him out but went with the pinch instead.

Dr. Sally Ride (the first female astronaut) was recruited to NASA by which actor?
Nichelle Nichols
DeForest Kelley
William Shatner
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Her celebrity attracted many women to the idea that they could be involved in the space program.

Why did Gene Roddenberry get half of the royalty's for the show's theme song?
He composed the song.
He wrote the lyrics.
He was the one who hired the song's creator.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The lyrics are silly and never appear anywhere ... but he still grabbed the cash.

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Before his shirtless scenes, what did William Shatner have to do?
Have his torso shaved
Lose 30 pounds
Get permission from his girlfriend
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

By the end of the series he was no stranger to the blade.

Which animals kept interrupting the filming of the first pilot?
rats
pigeons
raccoons
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The staff had to lure the birds out to prevent further interruptions.

Why did the creators come up with the teleporter technology?
It was an established sci-fi concept.
to wow audiences with special effects
to reduce special effects costs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Making the ship land on various planets would've been far pricier in terms of production.

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How many total episodes were there?
110
79
67
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The show lasted for three seasons.

In which century does the show take place?
23rd century
25th century
22nd century
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

But the star dates in the first series are totally arbitrary and made up.

Which singer inspired Pavel Chekov's character?
Davy Jones
Bob Dylan
Bobby Darin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He even had to wear a wig to get the right look until his own hair was long enough.

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Who convinced Nichelle Nicols to remain on the show in spite of on-the-job racism?
Ralph Abernathy
Rosa Parks
Martin Luther King Jr.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

His support convinced her that she was serving a greater cultural cause for black Americans.

How did Roddenberry want to change the original U.S.S. Enterprise?
He wanted it to fly upside down.
He wanted the engines to shoot huge flames.
He wanted it to have at least six engines.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Fortunately the ship was generally in the orientation we're used to seeing.

About how many times was the phrase, "Beam me up, Scotty" used in the series?
250
470
0
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's a famous phrase but it never appeared in the show.

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What job did Gene Roddenberry have before he created "Star Trek?"
He was a cop.
He was a lawyer.
He was an accountant.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He also wrote speeches for the Los Angeles Police Department.

How did Leonard Nimoy's father capitalize on his son's new fame?
He offered Spock haircuts.
He sold pointy ear prosthetics.
He made handcrafted "Star Trek" lapel pins.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

His barbershop churned out a lot of Spock wannabes.

Why does Shatner reportedly never watch footage of himself acting in "Star Trek" or any other show?
He thinks his acting is terrible.
He thinks cameras steal peoples' souls.
He thinks he's ugly.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

His exact words were, "I suck."

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Spock's "live long and prosper" hand gesture was borrowed from which religion?
Judaism
Buddhism
Hinduism
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Leonard Nimoy learned the gesture going to synagogue when he was a boy.

What does the "live long and prosper" gesture mean in Hebrew?
Almighty God
Go in peace.
Rest in peace.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's often used during prayer services.

For two episodes, "Star Trek' producers used sets from which hit TV show?
"Bonanza"
"The Andy Griffith Show"
"Bewitched"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In one episode you may recognize the barbershop.

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In what year was the original pilot for the show finally aired in its entirety?
1969
1973
1988
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

And the captain of the ship was Christopher Pike, not Kirk.

From what country did Walter Koenig's character hail?
Hungary
France
Russia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

His young age was meant to appeal to a more youthful segment of the show's audience.

What rules did Kirk and Uhura break by kissing on one episode?
No white man had kissed a black woman on TV before.
Sex between crew members was prohibited by protocol.
Supervisors were not supposed to mingle with members on their team.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It smashed a racial boundary in a very visible way.

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Instead of Kirk, which character was originally supposed to kiss Uhura?
Scotty
Sulu
Spock
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Shatner refused to let Nimoy get credit for the first interracial kiss.

Which celebrity helped prevent the show from being canceled after the first season?
Lucille Ball
Gene Roddenberry
Jane Fonda
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

She was the head of the production company and had the power to do so.

In the show, blue shirts indicated that crew members were a part of which team?
communications
science
security
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Kirk's yellow shirt meant he was a part of the command team.

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Who invented the Klingon language?
James Doohan
Leonard Nimoy
George Takei
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

His made-up language has become a point of obsession for "Star Trek" fans everywhere.

What skin color did Gene Roddenberry initially imagine for Spock?
Red
Purple
Green
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He was also supposed to have a power-absorbing plate in his torso.

The blueprint for the U.S.S. Enterprise included what feature?
a bowling alley
a disco
a smoking lounge
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

They had to get their bowling fix, even at warp speed.

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You Got:
/30
CBS via Getty