Science Fiction Writer
ROBERT J. SAWYER
Hugo and Nebula Winner

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Here are the answers. A couple are debatable, I agree — I had only a very short time to make up the questions. But I was on-hand for the show's taping to act as judge, so a convincing answer that disagreed with mine would have been accepted.

I'd argue that Bicentennial Man isn't based on Asimov's robot SERIES, but rather actually only on one story (well, two — 'cause they lift heavily from "Robot Dreams" as well), but would have allowed that answer in addition to I, ROBOT.

Here are the answers:

1  Who provided the voice of Darth Vader in the first Star Wars film? Which muscle-man actor was inside the Vader suit?

James Earl Jones; David Prowse.

2  The Empire relied on little one-person ships called TIE fighters — but what does "T-I-E" stand for? And what distinguishes Darth Vader's personal TIE fighter from all the others?

Twin Ion Engine;
its solar panels bend in toward the central hull.

3  The number-one bestselling 20th-century science-fiction novel has been filmed twice now. What's its title, and who wrote it?

Dune; Frank Herbert.

4  What is Captain Kirk's brother's name? In his one brief on-screen appearance, who played him?

George Samuel Kirk, known as "Sam"; William Shatner, in a brief shot of the dead Sam in the episode "Operation — Annihilate!"

5  In which of the Star Trek motion pictures did we learn that Kirk's middle name is Tiberius? Which Canadian actor revealed that?

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country;
Christopher Plummer (as General Chang) [not Shatner].

6  It turns out Galactica isn't the last surviving Battlestar after all. What's the name of the other Battlestar? Who played its captain in the new Battlestar Galactica series? Who played its captain in the original series?

Pegasus; Michelle Forbes; Lloyd Bridges.

7  In Star Trek: Enterprise, the Enterprise was the first-ever human-built warp-five-capable starship. What was its serial number? What was the second such ship called? What was that ship's serial number?

NX-01; Columbia; NX-02.

8  On Star Trek, Spock was half-human, half-Vulcan. What was his father's name? His mother's? His half-brother's?

Sarek; Amanda (Amanda Grayson); Sybok.

9  What was the computer called in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey? Which Canadian actor provided his voice? What song does this computer sing? What does the computer's name stand for?

Hal (HAL 9000); Douglas Rain;
Daisy Bell [not just Daisy]; Heuristic Algorithmic.

10  In what film do we hear the line, "So this is how liberty dies — to thunderous applause"? Who says it? When the line is uttered, who has just expanded his political power? Who does that person go on to become?

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith;
Princess Amadala (Padme); Senator Palpatine; the Emperor.

11  The most-famous split infinitive in history is "To boldly go." It was originally followed by the words "Where no man has gone before." When was that changed to "Where no one has gone before?" Who first said the new version? When do we hear Leonard Nimoy say the "To boldly go" speech? When do we hear William Shatner correct it from "where no man has gone before" to "where no one has gone before"?

In Star Trek: The Next Generation (opening credits);
Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard);
At the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan;
At the end of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

12  Who are Sy Snootles, Max Rebo, and Droopy McCool? Who gets killed while those characters are present?

Members of the band in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi;
Oola (Twi'lek slave girl).

13  Name the big-budget film based loosely on Isaac Asimov's "Robot" series. Give the character name of the female robopsychologist who appears in his robot stories. Who played her in the movie version?

I, Robot; Susan Calvin; Bridget Moynahan.

14  On what planet does Luke Skywalker meet Yoda? Who provides the voice of Yoda? What other famous space traveler did he provide the voice for?

Dagobah; Frank Oz; Miss Piggy (on Pigs in Space segments of The Muppet Show).

15  On Star Trek, what starship was commanded by Commodore Decker? What is that starship's serial number? What starship was commanded by Captain Decker? What is that starship's serial number? What is Commodore Decker's first name? What is Captain Decker's first name?

Constellation; NCC-1017;
Enterprise; NCC-1701 [not NCC-1701-A];
Matt (Matthew); Will (Willard).

More Good Reading

More Nonfiction about SF
Canadian SF index
Rob's aborted Star Trek novel
Rob's aborted Star Wars novel

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