Science Fiction Trivia Challenge
By Ray Hamel
I’VE SCOURED THE ENTIRE universe of science fiction, from Georges Méliès to Liu Cixin, to come up with twenty-five trivia questions. The questions cover a range of TV programs, movies, books, and authors. I hope you find this science fiction trivia quiz challenging.
1. Which time travel film is based on the 1959 Robert A. Heinlein short story “All You Zombies—”?
a. Timecop
b. Predestination
c. Slipstream
d. Timecrimes
2. What is the only defense mechanism available to the giant living ships known as Leviathans on the TV series Farscape?
a. Blight
b. Starburst
c. Frequency encryption
d. Necrogravity
3. In which magazine was Jack Finney’s novel The Body Snatchers originally serialized in 1954?
a. Colliers
b. Liberty
c. Saturday Evening Post
d. Astounding Science Fiction
4. Which mad scientist built a robotic version of Maria in Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent film classic Metropolis?
a. Rotwang
b. Kettlewell
c. Cornelius
d. Lucerno
5. Which planet is the home of H. Beam Piper’s Fuzzies?
a. K
b. Severin
c. Zarathustra
d. Himba
6. Which cast member of Star Trek wrote one of the episodes for Star Trek: The Animated Series?
a. Walter Koenig
b. James Doohan
c. Nichelle Nichols
d. William Shatner
7. Who won a Hugo Award for Best New Writer in 1956 on the basis of his young adult novel Revolt on Alpha C?
a. Jack Williamson
b. Lloyd Biggle
c. Frederik Pohl
d. Robert Silverberg
8. Which auto company’s logo appeared on the flying car in the movie Elysium?
a. Maserati
b. Pagani
c. Lamborghini
d. Bugatti
9. What is the name of the supercomputer running the lunar colonies in Robert A. Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress?
a. Mike
b. Ham
c. Armstrong
d. Gravy
10. Which of these novels did not receive a nomination for a Nebula Award in 2016?
a. Updraft by Fran Wilde
b. Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
c. Babylon’s Ashes by James S.A. Corey
d. The Grace King by Ken Liu
11. On Doctor Who, which race of aliens created the Loch Ness Monster?
a. Krynoids
b. Zygons
c. Saurians
d. Vardans
12. Who wrote a trilogy of novels about an extinct reptilian race called the Arbai?
a. A.E. van Vogt
b. James Tiptree Jr.
c. Sherri S. Tepper
d. C.J. Cherryh
13. Which novelist created the cross-species sexual practice known as rishathra?
a. Philip José Farmer
b. Roger Zelazny
c. Ray Bradbury
d. Larry Niven
14. Which Arthur C. Clarke work was the first science fiction novel selected to become a Reader's Digest Condensed Book?
a.Time’s Eye
b. The Reefs of Taprobane
c. A Fall of Moondust
d. Dolphin Island
15. Which fictional drug has an unusual side-effect in David Cronenberg’s Scanners?
a. Nuvigil
b. CPH4
c. Ephemerol
d. Can-D
16. What son of Commander Adama was killed in the first episode of Battlestar Galactica in 1978?
a. Zac
b. Apollo
c. Ahkna
d. Jonah
17. Who is the only woman left on Earth in Harlan Ellison’s short story “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream”?
a. Ellen
b. Jaime
c. Claudia
d. Cassie
18. The Atavus are a group of energy vampires who provided menace in the fifth season of which TV series?
a. Andromeda
b. Red Dwarf
c. Earth: Final Conflict
d. Space: Above and Beyond
19. Which rare element is collected by Lorq Von Ray in the Samuel R. Delany novel Nova?
a. Quantium
b. Trilithium
c. Xirdalium
d. Illyrion
20. What was the name of the dead cat brought back to life by Curtis in an episode of the British TV series Misfits?
a. Mr. Fuzzypants
b. Mr. Mumbles
c. Mr. Bill
d. Mr. Miggles
21. The 1970 novel Star Light and a 1973 short story titled “Lecture Demonstration” are sequels to which 1954 novel?
a. Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement
b. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
c. Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
d. Assignment in Eternity by Robert A. Heinlein
22. Which of these is not a real sequel to the 1967 dystopian novel Logan’s Run?
a. Logan’s Search
b. Logan’s World
c. Logan’s Return
d. Logan’s Awakening
23.What is the name of the title character in Paolo Bacigalupi's 2009 biopunk novel The Windup Girl?
a. Lovey
b. Ina
c. Emiko
d. Yukio
24. Jennifer Beals and Mila Kunis had roles in which post-apocalyptic movie?
a. Jupiter Ascending
b. The Book of Eli
c. The Island
d. Cyborg
25. What was the name of the space cadet from Venus on the 1950s TV series Tom Corbett, Space Cadet?
a. Astro
b. Mudd
c. Pi
d. Venus
[Click here for the answers.]
Ray Hamel (raytriv at gmail dot com) is a quiz and puzzle writer living in Madison, WI. He is the host of the weekly “Slate News Quiz,” and his puzzles appear in the “Star Trek Crosswords books.” His favorite genre novel is “Logan’s Run.”