"Star Trek" Subtitles Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Motion Picture

The year is 1979, just two years after the incredible success of the film "Star Wars" made household names of Princess Leia, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. "Star Trek" (the original) had been a popular TV program from 1966-1969, and the 'powers that be' decided to try to cash in on the science fiction craze. "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was born, with the 'usual suspects' in attendance, i.e., Kirk (now an Admiral), Spock, Bones, Scotty, Sulu, Uhuru, Chekov and even Yeoman Janice Rand...so what went wrong? I (a devout Trekkie) attended the premiere - but all I remember is Lt. Ilia, the bald, Deltan alien...and waking up as the credits flashed by.

Answer: The Wrath of Khan

Many consider "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (1982) to be among the best of the franchise. In a 1967 episode of "Star Trek" called "Space Seed" we meet the super villain Khan Noonien Singh, played by "Fantasy Island's" Mr. Roarke, i.e., Ricardo Montalban. Well, he's back...and better than ever.

In fact, this is the movie where Spock sacrifices his own life to save Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise. Paramount spent an additional $100,000 to change the final scene to show the Vulcan officer's coffin resting on the planet Genesis, where resurrection could become a possibility. "KHAAAAAAAN!"

Answer: Search for Spock

"Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (1984), sequed logically (as Mr. Spock might have said) from its predecessor where we left Spock dead and buried. In the 3rd film, we find Dr. McCoy acting stranger than usual; it seems he is harboring Spock's katra or spirit.

The USS Enterprise is scheduled to be scrapped but Admiral Kirk and his crew risk their careers to steal the decommissioned Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis planet to recover the body of Spock. Klingons, battles, trials and tribulations ensue and, in the end, Leonard Nimoy (who directed) went on to appear as Spock in a total of eight 'Trek' films before his death in 2015.

Answer: The Voyage Home

My personal favorite of the "Star Trek" movies was "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" from 1986. The fourth film of the franchise finds the former crew of the former USS Enterprise living in exile on Spock's home planet of Vulcan. The crew gets a planetary distress call from Earth regarding a space probe which has disabled power and evaporated the oceans of the planet.

They take their stolen Klingon, Bird-of-Prey starship to return to Earth to try to save the planet, and also to fight criminal charges against them.

They wind up in San Francisco, CA in 1986 (this film was shot on location); they find two Humpback whales to answer the probe and make everything right again!

Answer: The Final Frontier

The fifth film, "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" was directed by William Shatner (Kirk) and released in 1989. The movie opens with the crew of the newly commissioned USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) on shore leave until they get an order from Starfleet Command to rescue hostages on Nimbus III. We find out that Spock's half-brother, the renegade Vulcan Sybok, is responsible for the hostage crisis. Sybok is trying to lure a starship to Nimbus III so he can steal it and break the barrier to the mythical planet Shah Ka Ree, where all creation is said to have started.

When Sybok discovers that the being is not "God", but a hostile creature, he gives up his life to save the others.

Answer: The Undiscovered Country

Well, the year (not in "Star Trek" time) is now 1991...it has been two years since the fifth film, so it is time for "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country". This journey moves us back to the Enterprise (the new one) where the crew is on a mission to bring Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner who starred in the wonderful, and mostly unknown movie, "Morgan!") to Earth to negotiate a peace treaty with the United Federation of Planets. Seems simple, but nooooo! The Enterprise seems to fire on a Klingon vessel, Gorkon is killed, Kirk and Bones are arrested for murder, and Spock is left to save the day.

Answer: Generations

We now leave the land of the Roman numerals when we get to "Star Trek: Generations" from 1994. It is the 23rd century and the maiden voyage of the third Enterprise (NCC-1701-B). While the 'usual suspects' of Kirk, Chekov and Scott are guests, this time the cast is made up of the stars of the spin-off TV show "The Next Generation".

The maiden voyage turns out to be a disaster which causes the death of Kirk. Flash seventy-eight years and a bunch of parsecs later to find Captain Picard and the Enterprise D (no, I don't know what happened to C) at battle with a renegade scientist who is destroying entire star systems. Where is Kirk when you need him?

Answer: First Contact

Moving right along, literally and figuratively, we get to the eighth film of the franchise, i.e., "Star Trek: First Contact" from 1996 (in 'our time'). This film was directed by "TNG's" Jonathan Frakes (Commander Will Riker or Number One). Captain Picard and the crew have worked their way up to the newly commissioned Enterprise-E (don't ask) and must fight the 'insidious Borg to restore the rightful future of Earth'.

As some of you may remember, when it comes to the Borg "resistance is futile".

This time the crew must travel back in time (they sure do play fast and loose with time) to prevent the Borg from preventing first contact, thereby changing the timeline.

Answer: Insurrection

Once again, Jonathan Frakes takes another shot (no, not a stungun) at directing; this time it's 1998's film "Star Trek: Insurrection". In this film, Data (Brent Spiner in whiteface) comes to the fore when the (lovable) android malfunctions and takes a cultural task force hostage.

But there's much more going on here, when a supposed Federation mission turns out to be a ploy by the Son'a to remove the peaceful inhabitants of Ba'ku. Now the Enterprise crew must try to foil the plot, all while experiencing weird side effects caused by the planet.

Answer: Nemesis

We have finally reached the tenth film of the franchise, i.e., 2002's "Star Trek: Nemesis", which happens to be the last for the entire original "Next Generation" cast. This time we find Picard traveling to Betazed for the honeymoon of Troi and Will. On the way, the Enterprise picks up positronic energy signals identical with those of Data.

When they investigate there's a B4 (a prototype of Data before Data), and Shinzon, a Romulan leader who wants to destroy Earth. Shinzon turns out to be human and with a shocking connection to Captain Picard. So long Worf, Geordi, Doc, Guinan, et al!