Was It Star Trek Original or Next Generation?

ENTERTAINMENT

By: John Miller

6 Min Quiz

Image: Paramount Television

About This Quiz

In 1966, Gene Roddenberry, a Hollywood screenwriter and producer, created “Star Trek,” a science fiction show that found a home on CBS. At first, the space-themed show didn’t really grab an audience (or critics), but it slowly earned more and more respect. Though its network run was rather short, the show became an icon of 20th-century television … and in the '90s, it gave rise to a spin-off series called “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” In this quiz, if we list a detail about the show, do you think you can tell whether it applies to the “Original Series” or “The Next Generation”?

Both shows feature advanced Starfleet ships called the Enterprise. And both feature adventurous episodes that find crews battling hostile alien beings and complicated moral scenarios all over the universe. Do you think you remember their stories well enough to name the correct show?

This quiz is no easy spacewalk. Both shows share a lot of similarities, including charismatic and bold captains. Captain Kirk and Captain Jean-Luc Picard are joined by a host of unforgettable supporting characters, from Data and Spock to Riker and McCoy. Together, they all boldly go where no one has gone before.

Jump to warp speed in this “Star Trek” quiz! We’ll soon see if you can survive the challenges of outer space … or if the Borg will consume your whole civilization!

Jean-Luc Picard is a Starfleet captain in this series.

Picard is the bald-headed hero of "The Next Generation." He's a fearless leader, but one with more intellectual capacity than some other captains we could name.

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In which series does a menacing race called the Borg appear?

In "Next Generation," a cybernetic race of beings set out to assimilate all lifeforms in the universe. It's up to the trusty crew of the Enterprise to stop their nefarious scheme.

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Which series features a brainy character named Spock?

Spock is a pointy-eared protaganist in the Original Series. As a Vulcan, he shows almost no emotion in an effort to make the most rational decisions.

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In which series does the crew awaken a man named Khan, who has been in suspended animation for 200 years?

In "Space Seed," the original crew stumbles upon an old spaceship called the Botany Bay, and aboard, dozens of people in suspended animation. But "Khan" turns out to be a true threat to the Enterprise. He shows up again in what some fans call the best of the Original Series movies.

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In one episode called "The City on the Edge of Forever," a woman named Edith Keeler is killed in a truck accident.

"The City on the Edge of Forever" is one of the most famous episodes of the Original Series. A woman named Edith must die in order to restore an altered timeline in history.

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The first episode of this series takes place in the year 2364.

The Original Series starts its stories in 2265. The Next Generation, as its name implies, comes later, in 2364.

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In "The Drumhead," the captain appears in court to defend a crew member named Simon who lied about his ancestry, claiming that he was one-quarter Vulcan when he was actually part Romulan.

An explosion aboard the ship starts a lengthy investigation, and a crew member is caught lying about his bloodlines. But Picard notes Simon's exemplary performance and sticks up for him court.

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In "Elementary, Dear Data," a fictional holodeck character wrestles for control of the Enterprise.

In this "Next Generation" episode, the evil Professor Moriarty somehow manages to gain control of the ship. Fortunately, Captain Picard makes a deal with the virtual being … and saves his ship.

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In what series do little creatures named Tribbles take over the Enterprise?

In an Original Series episode titled "The Trouble with Tribbles," little furry aliens reproduce at alarming rates and threaten to overload the Enterprise.

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In "The Corbomite Maneuver," to save the ship from an aggressive alien sphere, the captain pretends to have a powerful substance called corbomite.

With the Enterprise in severe danger from alien powers, Captain Kirk pretends to have corbomite, an imaginary weapon that would destroy everything in the area. The aliens believe the bluff … and back off.

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Which show begins with the introductory line, "… to boldly go where no one has gone before"?

In the Original Series, the intro is "… to boldly go where no MAN has gone before." In keeping with more modern times, "Next Generation" substituted "no one" for "no man."

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In an episode called "Frame of Mind," a high-ranking officer keeps switching between realities, unsure which one is actually real.

Commander Riker takes a blow to the head in a "Next Generation" episode called, "Frame of Mind." The injury causes him to flip from one life to the next, totally confused by which one might be real.

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In "The Measure of a Man," a cyberneticist named Commander Bruce Maddox wants to disassemble Data to get a better look at how he works.

In this "Next Generation" episode, Data worries that the cyberneticists who wants to analyze him will permanently ruin his positronic brain. Picard stands up for Data and prevents him from being harmed.

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During this series, crew members are transported to the Mirror Universe, where they encounter their evil twins.

In "Mirror, Mirror," a broken transporter makes a terrible error, sending the Original Series crew to the Mirror Universe, where they encounter evil versions of themselves.

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In "A Taste of Armageddon," the crew encounters a civilization that’s fighting a computer-simulated war … but there's a real body count, thanks to "disintegration booths."

"A Taste of Armageddon" is a terrifying glimpse of technology's grip on two factions in simulated war. Captain Kirk and his crew are told they must be disintegrated because they were "killed" in the virtual war.

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In which series does the crew encounter a weird rock-like creature called a Horta?

In "The Devil in the Dark," an Original Series episode, the crew learns that a strange blob-like creature called a Horta is the last of its kind. They all team up to create peace and heal the injured Horta. This is also the genesis of McCoy's famous, "Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer." line

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In "Parallels," the crew experiences countless alternate realities and must fight to restore themselves to their proper place.

In this "Next Generation" episode, Lt. Worf is the first to realize that he's being forcibly moved through parallel universes. Somehow, the crew of the Enterprise must save him.

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During this series, the First Officer must return to his home world for an agonizing mating ritual.

In "Amok Time," Spock must travel back to his home world of Vulcan. Why? To take part in a horrible mating ritual.

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In "A Private Little War," the captain decides to intervene in a war of primitive species due to the fact that the Klingons have given one side advanced weapons.

This Original Series episode was a riff on the Vietnam War. It's against the Prime Directive to intervene … but Kirk realizes that he must do something or risk greater consequences.

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At the end of "Balance of Terror," a defeated Romulan captain self-destructs his ship rather than surrender.

"Balance of Terror" was meant to be something of submarine battle, but in space instead of the sea. In the end, the Enterprise is victorious, and Captain Kirk watches as his counterpart self-destructs his ship.

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Which series ran for more seasons?

In spite of its iconic status, the Original Series ran for just three seasons. "The Next Generation," on the other hand, lasted for seven.

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An alien probe causes the ship's captain to experience 40 years of life as a scientist named Kamin. The episode is called, "The Inner Light."

Captain Picard is affected by an alien probe, which causes him to experience four decades as an extraterrestrial named Kamin. The probe was meant to keep memories of a long-dead civilization alive.

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Counselor Deanna Troi is a steadying hand in which series?

When emotions run high, Counselor Troi is at her best. She helps crew members rein in their psychological traumas to make better personal and professional decisions.

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In "Tapestry," the ship's captain is dead … but gets a second chance to review a momentous event of his childhood.

Captain Picard is (supposedly) dead, but all-powerful Q grants him the opportunity to relive a critical moment of his young life. In the end, Picard is restored to his normal life.

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In "The Naked Time," a strange red liquid causes the crew to lose their inhibitions and self-control.

This is why you never take off your protective suit in space. The Original Series crew is ravaged by an odd infection that makes them lose all control … and the consequences are dire.

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In "Q Who," an all-powerful being called Q threatens the lives of the crew.

Actor John de Lancie was perfectly cast as the haughty Q in "Q Who," a famous "Next Generation" episode. Captain Picard's expansive intellect meets its match in Q.

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In "Yesterday's Enterprise," a long-dead character named Tasha Yar suddenly reappears aboard the Enterprise. Which show is it?

In "Yesterday's Enterprise," a rift in spacetime causes some bizarre incidents on the Enterprise … including the reappearance of Tasha Yar, once a featured cast member on "Next Generation".

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In "The Doomsday Machine," the crew encounters a machine that's powerful enough to destroy entire planets.

In "The Doomsday Machine," an Original Series episode, Captain Kirk and crew must somehow stop a planet-killing machine before it reaches large civilizations. They fail, and everyone dies. Just kidding.

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In "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield," the Enterprise rescues combatants from both sides of a war … and they take up the fight again once aboard the ship.

In this Original Series episode, two warring factions are rescued by the Enterprise, and they start fighting again on the ship. Captain Kirk must find a way to sustain peace.

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"All Good Things…" was the series finale for which show?

In 1994, "Next Generation" ended with its well-received finale, "All Good Things…" In this episode, Captain Picard must match wits once again with the formidable Q continuum.

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