Other-World Wars Trivia Quiz

Answer: Robert A. Heinlein

Robert A. Heinlein's "Starship Troopers," written in 1959, follows Juan 'Johnny' Rico as he joins the Mobile Infantry in a future interstellar war against an alien species dubbed 'Arachnids,' or often simply 'Bugs.' The narrative explores his training, combat missions, and the political philosophy of a society where citizenship is earned through federal service, raising questions about duty, morality, and civic responsibility.

The story has expanded into numerous other media formats. It inspired the 1997 live-action film of the same name directed by Paul Verhoeven, which spawned sequels such as "Hero of the Federation" (2004) and "Marauder" (2008). There have also been animated adaptations, including a Japanese anime series (1988), the CGI series "Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles" (1999-2000), and two animated feature films: "Invasion" (2012) and "Traitor of Mars" (2017).

Beyond film and television, the franchise includes tabletop games, role-playing games, and several video games, with titles like "Terran Command" (2022) and "Extermination" (2023).

Answer: Klingons

The "Star Trek" universe, created by Gene Roddenberry, envisions a future where humanity is part of the United Federation of Planets - a cooperative alliance dedicated to exploration, diplomacy, and peace. Stories often center on starships like the USS Enterprise as they journey through space, encountering alien civilizations and grappling with moral and philosophical dilemmas.

"Star Trek: The Original Series" (1966-1969) is set in the 23rd century aboard Starfleet's flagship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), tasked with exploring uncharted regions of the galaxy on a 5-year mission. Its iconic crew includes Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), First Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy (DeForest Kelley), supported by memorable characters like Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov. This ensemble became legendary for their dynamic interplay and helped define the optimistic tone of the franchise.

The war-like Klingon race made its first appearance in the first season of "TOS", and has been a source for conflict in many stories over the decades since then.

Over time, the franchise has expanded to multiple media platforms, including multiple television spinoffs, more than a dozen feature-length movies, plus myriad books, comics, video games, board games, and themed attractions.

Answer: Grand Moff Tarkin

The "Star Wars" universe, created by George Lucas, is set in a distant galaxy where the struggle between the light side and dark side of the Force shapes the fate of countless worlds. It blends space opera, adventure, and mythic storytelling, featuring iconic characters, advanced technology, and diverse alien species. Central to the saga is the conflict between the Jedi, guardians of peace, and the Sith, who seek power and domination.

The first installment within the franchise, inappropriately titled "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" (1977), follows young Luke Skywalker as he joins Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Obi-Wan Kenobi to fight the tyrannical Galactic Empire. After Leia is captured, the heroes learn that the Empire has built the Death Star, a massive space station capable of destroying entire planets. In a pivotal moment, Grand Moff Tarkin orders the destruction of Alderaan to demonstrate the Death Star's power and intimidate the Rebel Alliance into submission. This act of terror sets the stage for the Rebels' desperate mission to destroy the superweapon.

The "Star Wars" franchise has since grown into one of the most influential in popular culture, spanning multiple films, animated and live-action television series, hundreds of novels and comics, plus many video and board games and other collectible merchandising.

Answer: The Cylons

"Battlestar Galactica," created by Glen A. Larson, centers on a human civilization spread across twelve worlds known as the Twelve Colonies, originally from the planet Kobol. These colonies become nearly extinct after a nuclear surprise attack by the Cylons, a rogue race of cybernetic beings. A remnant fleet of civilian ships, protected only by the warship Battlestar Galactica and its Viper pilots under Commander Adama, embarks on a desperate journey to locate the mythical thirteenth colony (Earth) while evading relentless Cylon pursuit.

The original 1978-79 series was followed by a short-lived sequel "Galactica 1980" before being reborn in the acclaimed 2003 reimagining (3-hour mini-series and 2004-2009 series) plus spin-off "Caprica" (2010) and web series ("The Resistance," "Razor Flashbacks," T"he Face of the Enemy," and "Blood & Chrome"), and TV movies (:Razor," "The Plan").

The franchise also expanded to books, comics, video games, and merchandising, similar to its "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" counterparts, if on not quite as grand a scale.

Answer: Starblazer

The "Starblazer" comic series was pocket-sized anthology of sci-fi and fantasy stories, launched by Dundee publisher D.C. Thomson in April of 1979 and running until January of 1991, totaling 281 issues. Each installment contained a standalone tale - often featuring laser battles, alien worlds, or interdimensional travel - presented with a glossy colour cover and black-and-white interior.

Although it never reached a wide distribution, "Starblazer" earned a loyal fan base and today is considered collectible. The franchise has extended beyond comics, with D. C. Thomson publishing selected reprint editions, and Cubicle 7 releasing a Starblazer-themed role-playing game in 2008.

Answer: Centauri

"The Last Starfighter" (1984) follows teenager Alex Rogan - a gifted arcade game player who lives in a trailer park with his mother and brother. After setting a record on the 'Starfighter' arcade game, Alex is approached by Centauri, an alien in disguise, who whisks him away to the planet Rylos. There, he learns the game was actually a recruitment tool for a real interstellar war, leading Alex to pilot the starship Gunstar alongside an alien navigator (Grig), confronting the Ko‑Dan armada under tyrant Xur. As the last standing starfighter, Alex must master his skills and deploy a powerful weapon called the 'Death Blossom' to protect Rylos and restore the Frontier.

This cult classic was among the first films to utilize extensive computer-generated imagery, advancing space-battle visuals beyond the models that had come before (like in "Star Wars").

In addition to the novelization of the film by Alan Dean Foster, a comics adaptation also came out in 1984, as well as a video game, released in 1990. And - if you can believe it - an off-Broadway musical adaptation was produced in 2004.

Answer: SNES

The "Star Fox" franchise centers on Fox McCloud and his ragtag team of anthropomorphic pilots defending the Lylat System from the villainous scientist Andross (an anthropomorphic primate). The original 1993 Star Fox for SNES introduced players to rail-style 3D space combat using the Super FX chip, marking one of the first hardware-accelerated 3D experiences on a console.

Subsequent entries in the franchise expanded the gameplay to include freer movement, on-foot segments, and exploration segments. The series includes (but is not limited to):

"Star Fox" (also known as "Starwing" in Europe) - SNES (1993)
"Star Fox 64" (aka "Lylat Wars") - Nintendo 64 (1997)
"Star Fox Adventures" - GameCube (2002)
"Star Fox: Assault" - GameCube (2005)
"Star Fox Command" - Nintendo DS (2006)
"Star Fox 64 3D" - Nintendo 3DS (2011)
"Star Fox Zero" - Wii U (2016)
"Star Fox Guard" - Wii U eShop (2016)
"Star Fox 2" - Originally canceled, officially released on SNES Classic and Switch Online (2017)

Answer: Kzinti

The core premise of "StarCraft" centers on three distinct alien factions - the human Terrans, the insectoid Zerg, and the psionic Protoss - locked in a struggle for dominance within the Koprulu Sector of the 26th‑century Milky Way. Its success spawned "StarCraft: Brood War" later in 1998, which expanded the storyline and gameplay, and was eventually followed by the multi-part sequel "StarCraft II" (2010) with its different campaigns and the 'Nova Covert Ops' mission packs.

The franchise also includes numerous novels, graphic novels and tabletop games.

Answer: Star-Lord

Peter Jason Quill - better known as Star‑Lord - is a half‑human, half‑Spartoi adventurer who was born on Earth and whisked away by space pirates as a child. Raised among the Ravagers, he became a witty, roguish treasure-hunter before growing into a galactic hero and leading the Guardians of the Galaxy. Quill's unique physiology gives him heightened strength, endurance, and senses, while his custom suit, jet boots, elemental blasters, and helmet support his missions across the cosmos.

Star-Lord made his first appearance in "Marvel Preview" #4 (January, 1976), but was largely untapped as a character until the revival of "The Guardians of the Galaxy" title in 2004 with Volume 2. A decade later, the inclusion of the misfit gang of intergalactic heroes became immortalized on film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, cementing Star-Lord's popularity with a wider audience.

It should also be noted that the original version of the Guardians of the Galaxy was from an alternate reality (Earth-691) to the mainstream (Earth-616) Marvel universe. The leader of that team was Starhawk (Stakar Ogord), and it took place in the 31st century.

Answer: The Vanished

In "To Sleep in a Sea of Stars" (2020), Kira Navárez finds an alien relic called the 'Soft Blade' during a planetary survey in 2257. This living nanotech fuses with her, granting extraordinary abilities but also sparking a catastrophic chain of events. Its discovery draws the attention of the Wranaui, an alien species devoted to the enigmatic Vanished - a long-extinct civilization whose advanced creations still shape the galaxy. As war looms, Kira joins forces with the crew of the smuggler ship Wallfish, navigating interstellar battles, uneasy alliances, and the emergence of a monstrous hybrid entity known as the Maw.

A prequel novel, "Fractal Noise," was published in 2023, expanding the original story to what has become known as the 'Fractalverse.'