Only A Real Nerd Will Get 100% On This Sci-Fi Quiz
- by Ben Sherlock
- – on
- in Movies and TV
It used to be that science fiction was only a genre that nerds were allowed to enjoy. If you read a sci-fi novel, you were a nerd. If you watched a sci-fi movie, you were a nerd. It was a purely nerdy area of the fictional spectrum. But then The Twilight Zone and Star Wars and superhero movies started coming out of about the past half a century, and since everybody in the world loves those things, it’s not quite as frowned upon in society to enjoy science fiction anymore. Everyone loves it! Well, they love the mainstream stuff. They still only like the sci-fi movies and TV shows that are still considered to be cool. Everyone likes Star Wars, so that’s not nerdy. But Star Trek is a bit more science fiction-y and it has fewer fans, so it might be nerdy and something you’ll be made fun of for enjoying. That was, at least, until being nerdy became cool. Thanks to shows like The IT Crowd and The Big Bang Theory, it’s not so widely maligned to be a nerd anymore. In fact, you get these hipster posers who pretend to be nerds. But are you the real deal? Take this quiz and we’ll tell you if you’re a real nerd!
Who is this character from Stranger Things?
Netflix original series have generally got a track record for being good. They’re usually worth a watch. But some of them are so damned brilliant that they become cultural institutions and they have people talking about them for weeks, months, even years. Stranger Things is perhaps the best example of one of those shows – barring maybe House of Cards or Orange is the New Black – and this character is everyone’s favorite. Who is this popular and beloved character from Stranger Things?
What space station do the Rebels blow up in Star Wars?
Star Wars became a cultural phenomenon over forty years ago that continues to permeate throughout society to this day. There have now been nine theatrically released canon Star Wars movies, but it all started with the first one, all the way back in 1977, which concludes with the explosion of an evil organization’s space station. What space station do the Rebels blow up at the end of the original Star Wars movie, which was retroactively titled Episode IV: A New Hope?
Who directed Inception?
Inception is that rarest of things – a fiercely original, utterly unique science fiction movie that messes with your head and blows your mind AND ended up being a huge box office smash. It’s one of the highest grossing movies of all time! It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a member of a team who enter your dreams and steal your thoughts. It’s a mind boggler, but it’s also a really great movie and it’s endlessly rewatchable, because of how weird it is. Who directed Inception?
Complete this quote from The X Files: “The truth is...”
The X Files is one of the best and most beloved science fiction TV series that’s ever aired. There were nine seasons in the ‘90s that were among the highest rated shows on television and there’s been a couple of movies and two more new seasons recently. It’s about Fox Mulder, who is convinced that aliens are real and that they abducted his sister, and his ET-skeptic partner Dana Scully. Complete this quote from The X Files: “The truth is...”
What are the androids in Blade Runner called?
Blade Runner is adapted from the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which is obviously much too long of a title for a Hollywood blockbuster movie, so they changed it to the snappier two word title that we know and adore today. It was directed by Ridley Scott and stars Harrison Ford in the lead role of Rick Deckard. In the movie, Ford is tracking down sentient androids. What are the androids in Blade Runner called?
What was the title of the Firefly movie?
Whenever a discussion of TV shows that were cancelled too soon comes up, you can guarantee that Firefly will be mentioned. Joss Whedon’s combination of the genres of science fiction and western, and especially with his leading man Nathan Fillion, became an instant hit with sci-fi fanboys. However, there’s not enough of them to sustain the production of an expensive TV show, so Fox cancelled it. Then it got adapted for a movie under a different title. What was the title?
Which of these is NOT the name of a Star Trek show?
Some TV shows are so successful, like Law and Order or CSI or all those shows about emergency services in the city of Chicago, that they spawn a whole franchise of shows. There are a bunch of shows that come out bearing that franchise title in order to piggy back on the original’s success with the whole brand recognition thing. There have been a bunch of shows with the title Star Trek and a different title and bunch of characters. Which of these is NOT the name of a Star Trek show?
What planet is this?
When we first meet Luke Skywalker in the first ever Star Wars movie, he lives in a little house in the middle of the desert with his aunt and uncle. It is a tranquil existence where everything's provided for him and he's got a career set for life as a moisture farmer, but he dreams of bigger things, and that's when he meets Han Solo and they go on an incredible adventure together across the galaxy. But it all started on this desert planet where Obi Wan left Luke as a baby at the end of Episode III. It's prominently featured throughout the prequel and original trilogies. What planet is it?
What US landmark did the apes blow up when they took over Earth?
It is common knowledge now that the strange planet ruled by sentient apes in Planet of the Apes is actually Earth, but back in the 1960s, when the movie first came out, it was one of the biggest plot twists to ever hit the big screen. It was Earth the whole time! We find this out when Charlton Heston breaks down in front of a US landmark that's been destroyed and part of it has landed on the beach. He gets down on his knees and yells out, "You blew it up! Damn you! Damn you all to Hell!" What US landmark did the apes blow up when they took over Earth?
What intergalactic delivery company do the Futurama characters work for?
There was a lot of pressure riding on Matt Groening’s second animated series, because his first, The Simpsons, had been fairly successful, to say the least. He couldn’t do another show about the home life of a family, so he opted to do a workplace comedy, the other kind of sitcom, and it was a terrific success. He also pulled in elements of science fiction, as the characters work for an intergalactic delivery company. What intergalactic delivery company do the characters of Futurama work for?
True or False: There is a Total Recall remake.
The writings of Philip K. Dick have been adapted to some of the greatest science fiction movies ever made. That’s because he’s, in the words of so many literary critics, “the Shakespeare of science fiction,” which is a hell of a compliment, right? One of the movies based on a Dick story is Total Recall, the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie where he goes to Mars and you have no idea what’s real. Do you remember if they rebooted this sci-fi classic?
Who are the bad guys in The Matrix?
The Matrix is a masterpiece of both the action and science fiction movie genres. It combines allusions to Alice in Wonderland with the influence of seminal sci-fi author William Gibson and his work in the cyberpunk movement. The bad guys in the movie are like manifestations of a computer program, wearing black suits and sunglasses and carrying guns. Hugo Weaving plays the main one, and he was praised for his unusual yet captivating delivery of every one of his lines. Who are the bad guys in The Matrix?
What is the name of the totalitarian government system in The Handmaid’s Tale?
The Handmaid’s Tale has been praised by critics for being socially relevant in the current political climate. It’s a great show, about the oppression of women under a totalitarian regime that masks itself as a government. It is also the name of the home of the character of Roland Deschain and Capital of the Barony of New Canaan in the seminal Stephen King novel series The Dark Tower. What is the name of the totalitarian government system in The Handmaid’s Tale?
What type of food did Rick Sanchez turn himself into?
The writing of Rick and Morty is so clever that it is acclaimed by critics and commenters for its originality. Some philosophers have even analyzed the themes and storylines in the show for the influence they have taken from the work of Friedrich Nietzsche. It’s very possible that the latest season of the show, the third one, is its very best, with some of the most creative storylines and funniest joke. In one meme-friendly episode, what type of food did Rick Sanchez turn himself into?
Which cartoon character gets elected into political office in Black Mirror?
Black Mirror is like a British version of The Twilight Zone for the 21st century, complete with smartphones and virtual reality and all the futuristic technologies that Rod Serling couldn’t even think of back in the ‘60s that are an actual reality today. In one of the most talked about episodes (and also possibly the weakest episode), a cartoon character gets elected into a political office. Which cartoon character gets elected into political office in an episode of Black Mirror?
Where is Lt. Scotty come from?
The Star Trek character Lieutenant Montgomery “Scotty” Scott is played by James Doohan, who is actually Canadian and not British, but he decided to play the character with an accent from a certain UK country, because he believed that people from this country made for the best engineers, and would therefore be up to the challenge of looking after the engine room on the USS Enterprise. Simon Pegg isn’t from this country either. Which British country does Lt. Scotty come from?
What kind of car is the time machine in Back to the Future?
Back to the Future is often cited by cinephiles and movie critics as being the perfect film. Everything that takes place in the script or is spoken by a character eventually pays off later in the movie. It’s brilliant – the parallels between the 1980s and the 1950s, both in their culture and in the events that take place within the movie. When Marty gets back to the ‘80s, the things he did in the ‘50s have impacted the town in tiny ways. The attention to detail is staggering. Anyway, what kind of car is the time machine in Back to the Future?
Which of these actors is NOT in Interstellar?
Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar was in development for years before it became an actual reality under his direction. It was being developed by the likes of Steven Spielberg and Disney before it got into Nolan’s hands and became the deep, dark, mind-bending, brain-boggling science fiction opus that it is today. It’s like a 2001: A Space Odyssey for the 21st century and it has a brilliant cast of actors in it. Which of these famous Hollywood actors is NOT in Interstellar?
In The Martian, what does Mark Watney grow his potatoes in?
The planet of Mars has been used as a hub for science fiction for decades, but there was never really a blockbuster movie set there until The Martian came along. It had been considered to be box office poison for years. Matt Damon plays Mark Watney, a botanist who gets stranded on Mars and has to fend for himself. Luckily, he knows how to grow his own potatoes on the planet’s surface. What does Mark Watney grow his potatoes in?
Who plays Joyce Byers in Stranger Things?
Stranger Things is easily one of the most popular and beloved of all the original series available for viewing on Netflix. Its creators and writers, the Duffer brothers, drew inspiration from all sorts of places in the making of the show, particularly the novels of Stephen King and the ‘80s movies of Steven Spielberg. The actress who plays the Joyce Byers character in the show was in dire need of a comeback when the offer came through. Now, she’s thanking her lucky stars. Who is she?
According to its tagline, how many years was Jurassic Park in the making?
As an awesome science fiction action adventure extravaganza about dinosaurs coming back to life in the modern day to terrorize a remote island, Jurassic Park became the highest grossing movie of all time. The poster tagline for the movie read, “An adventure __ million years in the making,” and that has gone on to become one of the best and most memorable poster taglines in movie history. According to its tagline, how many years was Jurassic Park in the making?
What sci-fi movie is this weird dance scene from?
When you start thinking about or discussing some of the most memorable movie scenes in recent years, this one is bound to come up. It features Oscar Isaac dancing in a dark light with one of the AIs he has created. It’s a weird scene, with little explanation for exactly why it’s happening provided by Alex Garland, the movie’s writer and director, but it is beautifully choreographed – and you can’t help but smile when you watch it. What sci-fi movie is this weird dance scene from?
What alien military alliance do the humans fight in Halo?
The Halo franchise is by far the biggest seller for the Xbox consoles, and the reason why a lot of people buy Xboxes. It’s their exclusive thing that everyone wants to play. It’s the USP. The plot of the Halo games – at least the first trilogy – revolves around a battle across the stars between the human race and an alliance of alien military forces. What is the name of the alien military alliance that the human race fights in Halo?
Complete the RoboCop quote: “Dead or alive...”
RoboCop is much better than it seems. It seems like an action packed sci-fi thriller. But it’s actually a fierce satire of corporate America. A Hollywood screenwriter saw a poster for Blade Runner and his friend told him it was about a cop who chases around robots (which is sort of an oversimplification), and from that, the seed was planted for the idea of a robot cop. It was that simple. Now, we have a sci-fi action classic. Complete the RoboCop quote: “Dead or alive...”
What was the flight in Lost?
JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof’s series Lost was originally pitched to them by their boss at the ABC network as basically a TV version of Cast Away, but they rolled with that and ended up giving us a supernatural science fiction fantasy series that rivals the likes of The Twilight Zone and The Prisoner and Twin Peaks for the trippiest and most mind-boggling TV show of all time. What was the name of the flight that crashed in the show?
What is the name of Boba Fett’s ship line?
Introduced in The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett is one of the most beloved and iconic characters in the Star Wars universe. He was an instant hit with the franchise’s fan base. However, George Lucas didn’t realize this and therefore gave the character a very unsatisfactory and unceremonious death like ten minutes into Return of the Jedi. He has since come to regret that and accepts the fan theory that Fett survived the Sarlacc pit. What’s the name of the bounty hunter’s ship?
What android race attacked the Colonies in Battlestar Galactica?
Fans of The Office will know Battlestar Galactica as the favorite TV show of Dwight Schrute, but it is a resoundingly successful show in its own right – not just for nerds. The show revolves around the Colonies and their war with a race of androids that they themselves created. This is a classic science fiction scenarios – humans create robots, the robots become sentient, the robots turn on the humans, a war begins. What android race attacked the Colonies in Battlestar Galactica?
Who played Malcolm Reynolds?
The actor who played Malcolm Reynolds on Firefly is also the star of Castle and he should’ve been given the role of Green Lantern, because he so, so deserved it. TV Guide gave this character the number 18 spot in their 2004 list of the Greatest Sci-Fi Legends of all time, but to be honest, he deserves to be placed higher. If only Firefly had been watched by the number of people it deserved and it’d been a huge success, huh? Imagine that world. Who played the character?
Who directed 2001: A Space Odyssey?
2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most iconic and seminal science fiction films of all time. It was a movie that took audiences into outer space and opened their minds to the wonders of interstellar exploration almost a full decade before George Lucas did the same with his more upbeat Star Wars. It’s a movie that is epic in every sense of the word, as it tells the full evolution of mankind over the course of its runtime. Who directed 2001: A Space Odyssey?
What mineral do the team seek in Avatar?
It didn’t take long for James Cameron’s Avatar to become the highest grossing film of all time, surpassing the long standing champ, Cameron’s own Titanic from 1997. The movie was given the disparaging nickname “Dances with Smurfs,” since it’s basically the plot of the Kevin Costner movie Dances with Wolves, except the wolves are replaced by aliens with blue skin. There are about four different sequels on the way. What valuable, and fictional, mineral do the team seek in Avatar?
Which of these is NOT the subtitle of a Mad Max movie?
Mad Max may not be as big as Star Wars or Batman or James Bond or Harry Potter on the blockbuster movie franchise front, but it is one of the best movie series of all time – even its long awaited reboot was great. You just have to suspend your disbelief that in a world where gasoline is so precious that people are killing for it, everyone’s driving around in gas guzzlers, and you’ll enjoy the raw, masterfully staged action sequences. Which of these is NOT the subtitle of a Mad Max movie?
Who finds Wall-E on Earth?
As far as Pixar movies go, WALL-E is one of the very best, and that’s saying a lot, since they’ve hardly had a single movie that wasn’t a masterpiece. WALL-E just has all of those qualities that you want in a Pixar movie – it’s sweet, it’s funny, it opens up your mind to new thoughts. This one is about the sorry state of the world we’re living in and how, with our throwaway culture, we’re killing the planet. Who was his robot friend?
What is the name of Ellen Ripley’s pet cat?
Ridley Scott’s Alien is a classic of both the science fiction genre and the horror genre. It’s one of the greatest suspense movies of all time, as it tells the story of essentially a haunted house movie in outer space. “In space, no one can hear you scream” – that’s how the poster tagline went, which attracted a massive moviegoing audience back in 1979. In the movie, the character of Ellen Ripley has a pet cat that became a movie icon. What’s the cat’s name?
Which Star Trek movie ends with Spock’s death?
Sorry for the spoiler if anyone hasn’t seen this now 36 year old movie, but yeah, one of the original run of Star Trek movies ends with the tragic death of Spock. It’s one of the most touching and poignant moments in all of science fiction, as Kirk realizes what’s happening and cries out with grief as he watches his logical friend die. Don’t worry, they got him back in the next movie, but for now, it was sad. Which Star Trek movie ends with Spock’s death?
Who wrote The Martian Chronicles?
The Martian Chronicles is always hailed as one of the best science fiction novels that’s ever been written, but it’s not even really technically a novel. The author had written a bunch of unrelated short stories that had nothing to do with one another aside from the fact that they take place on a version of Mars that has been colonized by humans and they just stuck them all together and called it a novel. Who wrote The Martian Chronicles?