2010-07-07 - THE COMICS 101 POP QUIZ: THE STAR TREK EDITION

Ahh, nothing like a good pop quiz to get the mail flowing in again!

Thanks to the many, many of you who sent in your entries, and congratulations go out to our two winners, Todd Wels and Ed Matuskey, who both turned in perfect scores within mere seconds of one another, making it too close to call. Todd and Ed will both be receiving their autographed copies of BURDEN OF KNOWLEDGE #1, plus whatever other TREK-related goodies I can scrounge up on short notice. (And by the way, speaking of BURDEN, in the spirit of blatant, shocking self-interest, feel free to check out this review of the first issue of BURDEN OF KNOWLEDGE from the good folks at TrekWeb.com.)

Now, let's get to the questions (and answers), shall we?

1. Captain Kirk wasn't the first captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Who was?

Most contestants went with Captain Christopher Pike, who was in command before Kirk, but I was looking for Captain Robert April, whose captaincy was established in the animated series episode "The Counter-Clock Incident." And yes, I consider the animated series to be "canon." April is listed in the official STAR TREK ENCYCLOPEDIA, so that's good enough for me. Besides, I've used animated-series characters in my comics, and I certainly consider my own books "canon"...

2. What's the "T" in James T. Kirk stand for?

Tiberius, naturally.

3. Captain Kirk encountered three Klingon captains over the course of the original TV series. Name them.

From "Errands of Mercy," we have Kor, played by John Colicos, from "The Trouble with Tribbles," there was Koloth, played by William Campbell, and from "Day of the Dove," there was Kang, played by Michael Ansara.

4. Who created Nomad?

The homicidal space probe from "The Changeling" was created by Jackson Roykirk, which accounted for Nomad's accidental belief that Captain Kirk was his creator.

5. Captain Kirk's most infamous opponent, the genetically enhanced superman Khan Noonian Singh, was marooned on a remote planet with his people. Name the planet.

As Khan himself would scream at Chekov and Terrell in TREK II, they were on Ceti Alpha V.

6. Jim Kirk has a brother, George. What does he do for a living?

George, murdered by neural parasites in "Operation: Annihilate!" was a research biologist.

7. Montgomery Scott revealed to a 20th-century engineer how to create what futuristic substance?

That'd be transparent aluminum, laddie.

8. Kirk, Spock and McCoy travelled through time to the past two separate ways. What were they?

We were looking for two specific examples, namely the Guardian of Forever from "City on the Edge of Forever," and the "Slingshot Effect" of heading toward the sun at maximum warp, then using all power to break away from the sun's gravitational pull, creating a whiplash effect that would then send the starship hurtling back through time. Kirk and company pulled this particular maneuver three times, in the episodes "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" and "Assignment: Earth," and the film STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME. A few readers with long memories also mentioned the Atavachron, the time portal used by Mr. Atoz in the episode "All Our Yesterdays," to which I say, "good show." Forgot about that one.

9. Following the destruction of the Enterprise, Captain Kirk and crew returned to Earth in a stolen Klingon cruiser. What did they rename her?

Dr. McCoy sardonically christened her the HMS Bounty.

10. Dr. McCoy wasn't the only doctor on board. Who was the other one?

Most contestants suggested former nurse Christine Chapel, who returned as a physician in STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, and while technically correct, that wasn't what I was looking for. The doctor in question was Dr. M'Benga, who appeared in the episodes "A Private Little War" and "That Which Survives."

There we have it. Thanks for playing, everyone, and stay tuned next week as we begin our massive Comic-Con coverage with our annual Survival Guide!

Scott Tipton admits that the Robert April bit may have been a trick question. If you have questions about STAR TREK or comics in general, send 'em here.

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