TRUE TREKKIES WON'T THINK THESE TRIVIAL

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 17, 1993                   TAG: 9303170385
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: IAN SPELLING THE NEW YORK TIMES
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
TRUE TREKKIES WON'T THINK THESE TRIVIAL
1. Which original cast member actually joined "Star Trek" during the series' second season?
2. In "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991), a beloved character spends little time with his comrades but ultimately comes to their rescue.
Name the character (and the actor who portrayed him) and explain his absence.
3. Guns aren't necessary in the Star Trek universe. What is the weapon of choice?
4. Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura on the original "Star Trek" series, once considered leaving the show. Which famous civil-rights leader convinced her to stay?
5. Lwaxana Troi's valet lurches along when Majel Barrett guest stars on "The Next Generation." Name the character and the actor who portrays him.
6. In "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" (1986), Kirk, Spock and friends return from 20th century San Francisco with two humpback whales. What were the names of the whales?
7. The action of "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (1984) hinged on one word. Can you remember it?
8. What is Scotty's full name?
9. Dr. McCoy first declared, "He's dead, Jim," in which classic "Star Trek" episode?
10. Leonard Nimoy asked to have Spock die in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (1982). When he had a change of heart, how did the filmmakers address the issue?
11. In "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (1979), the inhuman V'ger entity is out to rid the universe of "carbon-based units." What are these units?
12. If "Star Trek III" was the search for Spock, what or who was the controversial focus of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" (1989)?
\ ANSWERS
\ 1. Walter Koenig joined "Star Trek" in the second season, debuting as Chekov in the "Catspaw" episode.
2. Captain Sulu, played by George Takei, had command of his own starship, the Excelsior, which arrived on the scene just when the Enterprise seemed doomed.
3. A phaser.
4. Martin Luther King Jr. urged Nichols to stay, hailing Lt. Uhura as both a woman and African-American of compassion, dignity and strength.
5. Mr. Homm is played by Carel Struycken, who also co-starred as Lurch in the 1991 "Addams Family" movie.
6. George and Gracie, as in Burns and Allen.
7. The word is "remember," spoken by Spock as he passed on his "Katra" (the essence of a Vulcan) to Dr. McCoy.
8. Montgomery Scott. Actor James Doohan, by the way, can be seen in the new film "Loaded Weapon I," spoofing his legendary character.
9. Dr. McCoy delivered that catch-phrase in "The Man Trap," which first aired Sept. 8, 1966.
10. Director Nick Meyer filmed a new sequence in which the torpedo casing containing Spock's body rests, intact, on the surface of the aptly named Genesis planet, leaving the door open for "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock."
11. Human beings.
12. God.
Ambitious, yes. Successful, no.
Many "Trek" fans found the story overwrought and out of "Trek's" league. As the film was shot, budget issues forced director William Shatner to change the film's resolution, confusing matters further.
The result: "Star Trek V" was the least successful of the big-screen Enterprise voyages.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB