Alien Autopsy Trivia Quiz

Answer: Spock

One of the most important members of the original "Star Trek" crew, Spock first appeared on television in 1966, when he was played by actor Leonard Nimoy. Spock was from the planet Vulcan, born of a Vulcan father and a human mother, and was known for his relentless logic, controlled emotions, semi-telepathic ability, and a neck pinch which could render his opponents unconscious. References were sometimes made to his green blood and pointy ears, and where others would display emotion, Spock would simply raise an eyebrow.

The character also appeared in television's "Star Trek: The Animated Series" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation", as well as numerous "Star Trek" movies, including the 2009 "Star Trek" film, where he was played by both Nimoy and Zachary Quinto.

Answer: Chewbacca

A member of the very hairy Wookiee race from the planet Kashyyyk, Chewbacca was the fearsome but good-natured first mate of Hans Solo in the first three "Star Wars" movies (1977-1983), as well as 2005's "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" (each time played by the lofty English actor Peter Mayhew).

The character also appeared in the animated TV series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars". Affectionately known as "Chewie", Chewbacca stood over seven feet tall and was clothed only by hair and a bandolier which carried ammunition for his weapon of choice - the bowcaster.

Some "Star Wars" fans were outraged that Chewie did not receive a hero's medal at the conclusion of the first movie, but in 1997 the character received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the MTV Movie Awards in compensation for the oversight.

Answer: Mork

Mork first appeared in an episode of the TV sitcom "Happy Days" in 1978, before getting his own TV show, "Mork and Mindy", which ran from 1978-1982. Mork (played by Robin Williams in his first big break in show biz) was from the planet Ork, and was sent to Earth to study human behaviour, but his unconventional behaviour created many problems for the Earth girl Mindy (played by Pam Dawber) who helped him retain anonymity by letting him live with her.

Some parts of Mork's native language became popular catchphrases, such as his "Na-Nu Na-Nu" greeting, and the Orkan profanity, "shazbot".

In the show's fourth season, Mork and Mindy had a child (played by Jonathan Winters) which hatched from an egg laid by Mork and aged backwards, as was the norm for Orkans.

Answer: Neytiri of Pandora

Neytiri was one of the key characters in James Cameron's 2009 epic sci-fi movie "Avatar". A member of the Na'vi species indigenous to the moon Pandora in a distant star system, Neytiri was a teacher and eventual lover of the human Jake Sully while his consciousness was using a specially-made Na'vi hybrid body (his "avatar"). Like all Na'vi, Neytiri's physical shape and features were lithe, athletic, and almost feline.

She was voiced by actress Zoe Saldana, who also provided motion capture images, since, like most of the non-human elements in "Avatar", her character was created by computer animation.

The original design of Neytiri and her people incorporated fins and gills, but these were discarded to make the species more appealing to audiences.

Answer: E.T.

Ouch! E.T. was the star of Steven Spielberg's 1982 blockbuster sci-fi movie "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", where the frog-like little guy had been marooned on Earth, and was befriended by a boy named Elliot. E.T. had psychic and telekinetic powers and could heal living things via a glowing fingertip.

In the movie, E.T. was lured into Elliot's bedroom with bits of candy, and following the success of the film, the profits of the Hershey Company jumped 65 percent due to the use of its Reese's Pieces product in that scene. Because the movie was made prior to the CGI era, the E.T. character was created with animatronics, although Spielberg touched up a number of shots using CGI technology for the film's 20th anniversary release in 2002.

Answer: Predator

The Predator creature first appeared in the 1987 sci-fi film "Predator", which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, and Jesse Ventura. The Predator was a formidable humanoid alien trophy-hunter which used a combination of advanced technology, strength and cunning to hunt its prey (in this case, humans). Beneath its mask and armoury of gadgets, it was a rather ugly brute, with appendages like dreadlocks, flexing mandibles and reptilian fingers.

It also wore something akin to fishnet over its body, and its spilled blood was fluorescent green, like the liquid in a glow stick (which was exactly what the filmmakers used to make it). Jean-Claude Van Damme was originally chosen to play the creature, but the job eventually went to Kevin Peter Hall who had played Bigfoot in "Harry and the Hendersons".

Answer: Zaphod Beeblebrox

Zaphod Beeblebrox of the Betelgeuse star system was briefly the President of the Galaxy in Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", which began as a British radio comedy series in 1978, then became a popular series of books, a television show in 1981, and a movie in 2005. Zaphod was essentially a hedonistic egomaniac whose achievements also included the invention of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster cocktail, and being the only individual to have survived the mind-bending Total Perspective Vortex.

It is thought that having two heads was typical for his species, although the third arm may simply have been spontaneously generated. A nightclub in Ottawa, Canada, which opened in 1989, named itself after the character.

Answer: Jar Jar Binks

A member of the Gungan civilisation of the planet Naboo, Jar Jar Binks was a computer-generated character who first appeared in "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" (1999), and made cameo appearances in the next two sequels of the "Star Wars" series.

Despite being inherently clumsy and not the sharpest tool in the Gungan shed, Jar Jar became a hero during the battle with the evil Trade Federation. Jar Jar and his comic relief was a controversial addition to the series, with some fans and critics disappointed in the character's silliness and the apparent attempt by producer George Lucas to use him as way of appealing to a younger market. Jar Jar Binks was voiced by Ahmed Best, who also provided some of the motion capture images for the character.

Answer: ALF

His name was given as Gordon Shumway, but the furry wisecracking alien from the planet Melmac was more commonly referred to as ALF (short for Alien Life Form). ALF appeared in the TV sitcom of the same name from 1986-1990, where he was adopted by the Tanner family in Los Angeles after arriving as a refugee, following the destruction of his home planet. With eight stomachs, ALF had an insatiable appetite, and because felines were a staple food on Melmac, the Tanner's cat was initially at risk.

In production terms, ALF was a puppet, controlled by the show's co-producer Paul Fusco.

The program was cancelled just after a cliffhanger episode (where ALF was captured by the Government) was aired, but fortunately for ALF and his fans, a TV movie called "Project ALF" was made in 1996 to conclude the storyline.

Answer: Alien

Also known as the xenomorph, the creature from the "Alien" movie franchise has been typically referred to simply as "Alien" since it first appeared in Ridley Scott's classic 1979 sci-fi movie of the same name. The xenomorph was a malevolent, human-sized killing machine with reasoning power but no real motive other than its own survival and the continuation of its kind.

It had a vicious pair of inner jaws which could project from its mouth, a tough exoskeleton, nasty claws, and acid for blood. The design of the creature was based on works of the Swiss surrealist Hans Ruedi Giger, who, along with special effects designer Carlo Rambaldi, went on to win the 1980 Academy Award for Visual Effects for the creation.