Only A Real Trekkie Can Tell Where These Characters Are From
- by Edward Cambro
- – on
- in Movies and TV
If you're taking this quiz, you've probably watched some Star Trek, and if you've watched some Star Trek, you may have noticed that it almost never had a special effects budget. Instead, the writers and producers needed to hook their audiences with something else: good writing. That meant strong stories and interesting characters. Given that Trek has lasted over fifty years, through 13 movies with a 14th on the way and five TV shows with a sixth on the way, it's safe to say that the heart of the franchise is the characters who inhabit it.
At the same time, that's a whole lot of characters, spread across those 13 films and hundreds of episodes. With Star Trek: Discovery premiering shortly, we thought we'd scour the hundreds of episodes and movies to celebrate our favorite sci-fi franchise and test how well you know the most important aspect of Star Trek: its characters. remember, some of these characters have made it onto other ships and seem to be able to jump timelines and even franchises, so don't always rely on the image to get your through. Tried and true trekkies should have no problems though.
So, which series are these Star Trek character from?
The face of Star Trek will always be Captain Kirk for a reason
James T. Kirk added color to what could've been a dry, one-note leader. Most of all, Kirk was flawed. He can be temperamental and ego-driven, and often made decisions based on emotion. At the same time, those flaws made him an exciting character (and generally made Trek more fun). Kirk's space cowboy persona made him a sci-fi John Wayne who could defeat strange alien despots and once made am emotionless android fall in love with him (seriously). Can Han Solo do that? No. No, he can't.
The Borg Queen has had a complicated origin
The Borg were one of Star Trek's most popular villains. Unfortunately, in order to have more Borg episodes spanning several series, Star Trek made many, many mistakes. For this question, we're keeping it to the Queen's first appearance, not in linear timeline appearances or retcons. The first time we saw the Borg Queen onscreen, when she was played by a terrifying Alice Krige. Fun Fact: Did you know that the Cenobites in Hellraiser 3 were based on the Borg? Terry Farrell starred in that movie, and she would go on to have a role in Deep Space Nine.
Security chief Michael Eddington debuted where?
Michael Eddington is strangely unique. He was purposely written to be a humorless, by-the-book bore--but not in a way that the audience would dislike him. He was just a guy who was doing a job that he cared about. Well, until he wasn't. Turns out, he was part of the Maquis--a terror organization comprised of Federation citizens who disagreed with the Fed's Cardassian policies. Captain Sisko didn't take this well. He and Eddington were friends--they watched baseball together! However, like most enemies of Captain Sisko, once they made their intentions clear, they were dead shortly after. Funny thing that.
This series jumping character first showed up in the pilot episode of what series?
For an omnipotent being, Q doesn't have a great sense of fashion (and apparently can't stop himself from losing his hair). The early appearances of Q portrayed himself a Mister Mxyzptlk-type nuisance. He was loud, dramatic and obnoxious. However, as time went on, we eventually learned that Q was not (just) someone who showed up to annoy, but was humanity's benefactor--pushing us along to help us achieve our full potential. He probably would've earned our trust easier if he wasn't such a pain in the ass, but he needed to keep himself entertained somehow.
The doctor will see you now
Dr. McCoy was often representative of the humanity Spock often commented on. The space-as-the-old-west trope was alive in Dr. McCoy. A surly, heavy drinker whose solution to a medical problem usually involved prescribing a patient space goofballs (also, it was the 60s), he was the most accessible character on the show. The reason was because he was even more flawed than Kirk. He saw things from a common man's perspective and was emotional even by Kirk's standards. Together, he and Spock were the Greek chorus of Star Trek.
Was Chief O'Brien always the chief?
Fun fact: during production, episodes about him would be marked as "O'Brien Must Suffer" because he was such an average guy that the viewers could empathize with him easier than anyone else. That's why he was constantly tortured (physically and mentally), put-upon and placed in uncomfortable situations. O'Brien was constantly overworked, had trouble balancing his work-life and his home-life, and had to deal with the lingering effects of experiences he had during war. As weird and sci-fi as some of the OMS episodes were, it was always handled through the eyes of an average person, which sold us on the story.
Where did Uhura get her start?
Nichelle Nichols was originally less than thrilled with her role as Uhura. While a member of the senior staff, her character was mostly stuck in the background. She considered leaving the series. However, in a meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., he said that "Star Trek" was one of the shows he let his daughter watch because of its positive portrayal of an African American woman, she decided to stay. In the film series, (ignore Star Trek V) Uhura took on greater importance. Now, in the rebooted film series she's every bit as important to the mission as Kirk and Spock.
This former Bajoran resistance fighter became a cast member in what series?
Kira Nerys is a former child soldier and terrorist. She's also one of the good guys. No, really, hear us out. We originally meet her just as the Cardassian occupation of her world ended. She had been fighting them as a member of the underground for years and was clearly damaged. Kira's arc during the show was about her attempting to find peace now that the war had ended. She still had her hard edges, but when she found little moments of joy or opened up to someone, it was a victory.
The obsessive Earl Grey drinking began in what series?
If you ignore the early seasons where Picard was needless mean and condescending and you ignore the movies where he was an elderly action hero, Jean-Luc Picard was about the best father figure TV ever provided. Being older and distinguished, he readily provided advice and perspective to anyone who needed it, but also knew when to dish out some tough love. While Star Trek had more swashbuckling characters, Picard's popularity stemmed from his warmth and compassion rather than his karate chop to the back of the neck (which Kirk had trademarked anyway).
Seven years of badassery started in what show?
Like Kirk, Ben Sisko was allowed to have flaws. He had a temper and an ego (that whole Eddington debacle), but he was always one of the most human of all of Trek's characters (which says a lot considering we eventually find out he's part-god). At his core, Ben Sisko was a father who struggled to raise his son alone after the death of his wife. While Kirk or Picard would move on to the next crisis in the next episode, Sisko was always around to deal with the consequences of his actions. That not exciting enough? Okay, well, Sisko also punched Q in the face.
When did Spock first tell us how illogical we were being?
Vulcans have a strange reputation in Star Trek. Everyone says they're emotionless when they really aren't. Rather, they suppress their emotions (that's definitely healthy). While Spock's less passionate disposition allowed him a unique perspective on humanity and the different situations the crew found themselves in, it was Leonard Nimoy's small hints of emotion that gave gravitas to pivotal scenes--Spock's few romances, being moved by beautiful music, or his relief at seeing Kirk still alive--showed that Vulcans did have emotions, but were more opaque in their expression of them. Also, who didn't try that nerve pinch a few times growing up?
When did Gary Mitchell become a god?
Despite the campy nature of the episode, Gary Mitchell was a surprisingly scary villain. After accidentally gaining the powers of a god (it's like stubbing your toe apparently), Gary Mitchell went from junior officer on the Enterprise to Old Testament wrath. Mitchell was obsessed with showing his superiority, and those silver eyes and way he would stare down at you were an effective addition to the mood. Fun fact: that looking-down thing was the actor's decision. The contact lenses he wore made it impossible to see from any other angle.
When did General Martok start killing people?
General Martok is a stereotypical Klingon, but we love him anyway. Probably because he's still a three dimensional character. Martok still loves deadly battles and blood wine, but there's more of an aged wisdom to it. Like he's learned from his mistakes. Clearly his viewpoint changed during his time as a Dominion prisoner (lost eye joke). Despite the darker nature of the series, Martok had a surprising sense of humor. Wry and digressing, MArtok was like Worf (strong beliefs in right and wrong) if Worf had a sense of fun.
Data was the Spock of his series. Which one was it?
Data's childlike view of the world made him sometimes unbearable in the early seasons, but his growth throughout the series had a sweetness to it...not counting that time he strangled a Borg drown to death or the time he lied about trying to kill Kivas Fajo or the time he--okay, you know what? Bad topic. Data was on a journey to try and become more human. Seeing him develop and try to understand emotions--especially the darker ones--made for a reflective viewing experience. We remember having Data's sense of wonder. We remember having embarrassing moments we thought were funny. We didn't try to kill Fajo, though.
"Space Seed" was an episode of which Trek series?
Don't let the mullet fool you--Khan is Star Trek's greatest villain. A maniacal despot with genetically engineered strength and intelligence, Khan Noonien Singh once ruled most of the Earth in the 1990s. Funny how our textbooks never mention that, but that's neither here nor there. The fact he was defeated by Captain Kirk haunted him for decades while in exile. Khan was created for greatness; Kirk is just a man. When they met again in battle, it wasn't Kirk that defeated Khan--it was the villain's own ego.
Seven of Nine scared the crap out of which crew?
Seven of Nine was similar to Ro Laren in that they were introduced to shake up a complacent crew. While Ro could be difficult, Seven was downright hostile. Freed from the Borg Collective, she had to slowly regain her humanity and find her place in it. While the series sometimes became about Seven learning her lesson for the week, others were about Seven asserting the individuality she lost as a member of the Borg. Small steps like eating food or going to a social function gave way to larger experiences like dating and not punching people in the face as much.
Which Starfleet crew did Krall trap?
We'll admit it, we're messing with you a little bit on this one. Not only does Krall look like a few other aliens in Star Trek history, he's also from an alternate reality. Krall fits into a version of familiar continuity, but which one? We can tell you that he was once a Starfleet officer who became disillusioned with the Federation's mission once his work as a soldier was no longer required, so he sought to remind everyone why the military is still needed. It's a sad commentary on the treatment of our veterans.
The Dominion affected Star Trek to the core, but where did the Female Changeling first debut?
Before creating the Dominion, the Changelings were persecuted, distrusted and hunted to near extinction because of their shape-shifting abilities. Well, like the nerd in school who started lifting weights over the summer, they came back with more muscle and a chip on their shoulder. The Dominion would go on the rule hundreds of species across thousands of light years, and generations would go by without anyone even knowing that the group behind it all were Changelings. They were scary powerful and scary efficient. If anyone got out of line, they would be simply wiped out (they didn't have the budget for diplomats).
Which crew did Sela repeatedly mess with?
A time-traveling, alternate dimension version of Tasha Yar ended up on Romulus and eventually gave birth to Sela, who isn't very nice. She hates humans, Vulcans and Klingons, and doesn't even seem to like her fellow Romulans either. In the span of two years she managed to spark the Klingon civil war, arm the Duras family, and came within a hair of successfully invading Vulcan. Naturally, the Sela plot ended up being dropped and never picked up again for reasons no one seems to be too clear on. Well, who needs a unique villain anyway?
When did we meet Jadzia Dax?
Dax's character was full of contradictions. Jadzia herself was in her twenties, but when she was bonded with the Dax symbiant (a large, worm-like alien), she also gained the memories of all the others who once bonded with it too, making her several hundred years old as well. It was strange for her too. Jadzia had to figure out who she was all over again, while also embracing the memories and feelings she felt for the people who came before. She is a living history book, but also knew how to have fun. Except Ezri. Nobody liked Ezri Dax.
Oh god, why did we include him?
You know you're in trouble when a franchise starts introducing long-lost brothers. Sybok is Spock's half-brother. He has embraced emotion and is looking for God (who turns out to look like a combination of Santa Claus and Zordon from Power Rangers). Once you get over the emotional Vulcan thing, you begin to realize how awful of a villain Sybok is. He literally waits around a desert planet called Paradise City (sadly, unrelated to the GnR song) waiting for a fast ship to show up on the remote planet. Imagine the pitch: "The villain in this movie will have no ambition whatsoever!" Damn you, Star Trek V.
When did we meet this secret spy?
You thought Kira was controversial? Meet Elim Garak. He's also (technically) one of the good guys. He was a former spy for the Obsidian Order and was involved in many assassinations. By the time we meet him, he's in exile, but is still useful to the main characters. Over the years, he helped engineer a war, tortured Odo, lied constantly and once attempted genocide against the Founders. Again, he's one of the good guys. However, Garak also had positive traits. He was an excellent tailor and could always refer you to a good book.
When did this one-eyed operatic Klingon grace our screens?
General Chang is General Martok without the alcoholism. He is a soft-spoken and brilliant tactician. A celebrated and legendary soldier, he feels just as comfortable reciting Shakespeare as he is on the battlefield. Even though he's a warrior, he also enjoys a witty repartee (mostly because he gets to debate and subtly insinuate threats, but everyone needs a hobby). Only making a single appearance, he's of overlooked as one of Trek's most important and greatest villains. After all, you don't often find a Klingon willing to betray his own people.
When did Quark start robbing his customers blind?
It's a testament to Star Trek's writers and Armin Shimmerman's portrayal of Quark that fans love him as much as they do. Throughout his run on the series, the Ferengi bartender is rarely even remotely nice. He's a greedy grifter always looking to make some extra money and has no problem if it's at the expense of someone else. At the same time, though, we get little glimmers of the conscience he has underneath--he loves his mother, he's surprisingly loyal and he even regretted selling weapons to people (what a saint!).
On what show does this obnoxious doctor belong?
Dr. Phlox is Star Trek’s worst doctor (and possibly one of its worst people). Despite developing a species-saving cure, he decides not to give it to them because he would be interfering in their culture. And what does his captain do? Agree with him. Oh, Trek. So, Phlox--a doctor--decides not to treat his patient and leaves so the entire species can die a methodical and painful death, knowing that these advanced aliens from the stars trolled them with a cure for their disease. Also, we've seen Phlox without a shirt on repeatedly. It's not a good thing.
When did this milquetoast show up?
Dexter Remmick was brought aboard the ship--we won't say which one--to evaluate the crew and possibly arrest them for treason. He begrudgingly admitted there he could find no conspiracy on the ship, but that wasn't the end. A while later, it turned out the tiny pink space bugs had invaded the bodies of several important Starfleet officials (yes, you read that right) and Remmick's body hosted the Queen. We never find out what their motivation was because Picard (the diplomat) blew his head off. Admittedly, it was pretty cool.
Where did this franchise-spanning agency first debut?
It's often said that "There's no story in paradise," and that was Star Trek's problem. Gene Roddenberry's utopia was too utopian. Humanity cured all disease, got rid of money, but also was a gigantic player in galactic politics. That doesn't really work. Section 31 changed that. They're the Federation's answer to the CIA, but taken to the nth degree. They do all the amoral things that it takes to ensure that the sweet and innocent people of the Federation can remain that way, and to the detriment of those that mean them harm.
When did this Klingon help set off a war?
Okay, we may have spoken too soon about Klingons rarely betraying their people. They usually hold things like honor and loyalty in the highest regard. The Duras family, well, they get compared to Romulans for the way they connive behind the scenes. Jar’od of House Duras sold the Empire out to the Romulans. However, his family was so wealthy and had so many friends within the Empire, if his family was prosecuted it could cause a civil war. Well, Civil War happened anyway because they producers were given the budget at the last minute.
When did we meet the adorable Leeta?
Despite growing up during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, Leeta wasn’t as outwardly affected by it like Major Kira was. She didn’t seem to carry bitterness or anger. Rather, she much preferred to cherish the fact she was now free. She took a job as a Dabo girl. While not the most stimulating career, it gave her good money and plenty of free time. Admittedly, Leeta also doesn’t have the best decision-making record. She left her doctor boyfriend because she was in love with Rom. ROM! That said, their story gives hope to us all. Even the heavy drinking freelance writers.
In what series did Kruge destroy an iconic Starfleet ship?
Kruge doesn't get the respect he deserves as a villain. He killed his own wife for knowing too much, strangled an giant alien snake-worm and almost got his hands on the Genesis device. He even (sort of) destroyed the Enterprise and then he murdered David Marcus. Admittedly, those last two actions basically guaranteed there was a soon-to-follow reckoning (and there was), but he had a great run. Kruge just didn't realize he had gotten too big for his britches. Man, if only he had a time-traveling Delorean to fix his mistakes with...
What series did Ro Laren shake up?
Gene Roddenberry didn't want his humans characters to have personal conflicts with each other, so Trek introduced more aliens, Ro Laren was an atom bomb. She disliked rules, Starfleet, and, well, again with rules. She added a different point of view for a fairly antiseptic crew who was too comfortable with each other, and added grit to the series. Ro was a survivor who lived through the brutal Cardassian occupation of Bajor and was used to making difficult choices that bordered on being cutthroat. She was a thrill to watch.
On what show did Weyoun repeatedly live and die on?
Weyoun was a diplomat for the Dominion. However, as we said, the Dominion weren't very big on negotiating, so Vortas like Weyoun were engineered to withstand even the most lethal of poisons. Weyoun is smug, arrogant and has a kind of Bill Lumbergh upper-middle management sense of superiority. He is also incredibly fun to watch. Fun Fact: he was meant to be a one-off character, but writers and fans loved Jeffrey Combs in the role so producers decided that the Founder make clones of the Vorta just so they could bring him back.
On what series did Neelix terrorize us for seven years?
Neelix is the self-appointed morale officer and ship’s cook, who prefers to prepare his own food rather than the food the crew wants. He looks like a hedgehog, wears loud, bizarrely patterned clothes and insinuates himself into the jobs and lives of everyone around him. A brick of his cheese also nearly destroyed the ship once. To say that Neelix is an irritant is an insult to flesh eating bacteria. He was so annoying that Tuvok, a Vulcan known for his calm, had a holodeck program where he used a computerized Neelix to test his patience. Tuvok strangled him to death.
Where was this tedious Ferengi introduced?
Where most Ferengi are concerned with profit, DaiMon Bok was concerned with revenge. His son was killed in a battle with the Stargazer. For almost a decade, he plotted revenge, and coming close to achieving it twice, but always falling short because, well, he thought he was more clever and dangerous than he actually was. From what we’ve seen, there’s only one true Ferengi badass, Leck the Eliminator, but he was more of a thrill-seeking sociopath than a competent fighter was a sound strategic mind. Bok, meanwhile, loved too-long plots that would allow him to monologue and have the target suffer. It just gives the crew time to undo the damage he’s done.
Where did this legendary Klingon debut?
Klingons don't usually live long enough to get to be old. Kor was well over a hundred by the time he died, and was, frankly, ready for the ride to be over. He had seen his friends and loved ones all die of old age or in battle (usually the latter), and couldn't stop reminiscing about the glory days--back when the Federation and the Klingons were at each others throat and when he didn't have to spend six hours in a makeup chair to play a Klingon. When Kor died, it was taking on an overwhelming Jem'Hadar force so his allies could escape. He died gloriously.