If I Was King of the Martians... Quiz

Answer: Predator

The Predator alien first appeared in the 1987 movie "Predator" alongside Arnold Schwarzennegger and Carl Weathers. One of entertainments more popular alien species he has appeared in various films, such as "Predators 2" starring Danny Glover and "Predators" starring Adrian Brody.

The Predator has also appeared with a much loved alien species, the Xenomorph in the 2004 film "Alien vs. Predator". It is not the only time both these species have met as they have both appeared in comics and various video games. Sad to say in the 2010 video game "Alien vs. Predator" I did prefer playing the Xenomorph called Specimen 6 as I found those missions more enjoyable than the Predator missions.

Answer: Heroin

Dolph Lundgren starred in the 1990 movie "I Come in Peace" as it was known in the US and it was released elsewhere as "Dark Angel". In the movie, a intergalactic drug dealer called Talec comes to Earth and uses Heroin to overdose his victims. Heroin is not what Talec is after, he is after the endorphins in the human brain caused from an overdose.

The endorphins are then extracted from the deceased brain. This is then used to create a drug which is used by addicts on his home world. Talec is tracked down by a cop from his planet and he teams up with the character played by Dolph to bring Talec down.

Answer: Zig and Zag

The alien puppets Zig and Zag, first appeared in the UK on Channel 4 TV show "The Big Breakfast" in 1992. This wasn't their first TV appearance, as the first televised appearance for them had been on the Irish television station RTE in 1987 on the show "Dempsey's Den".

Their top five hit "Them Girls Them Girls" was not their only foray into the pop charts as they had a Christmas number one in the Irish pop charts in 1990 with the song "The Christmas No. 1". As well as a TV and music the pair of them has featured in children books such as "The Fridge in a Denim Jacket" and "Kangaroos in Bikinis".

The voices for Zig and Zag are provided by Mick O'Hara and Ciaran Morrison.

Answer: Saiyan

Goku is of Saiyan heritage in the world of "Dragon Ball". The Saiyan are a warrior race that become more powerful when they have been defeated in battle. Goku first became a Super Saiyan while battling Freiza on planet Namek. Goku's hair and eyes are normally black, until he transforms into a Super Saiyan and then his hair becomes golden and his eyes become a pale blue. "Dragon Ball" was originally a manga series that went on to feature in various forms of entertainment.

The "Dragon Ball Z: Budokai" video game was responsible for me breaking my controller on the PS2, due to me trying to power up a special move.

Answer: Dr. Zoidberg

Dr. Zoidburg is a lobster-type Decapodian alien character on the TV show "Futurama". In the show devised by Matt Groening, Zoidburg has limited knowledge of the human body even thinking that food is digested in the heart. In the episode "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?" the crew journey to Decapod 10 due to Zoidburg changing his demeanour and appearance.

This is due to it being the mating season for Zoidburg's race.

Answer: Klingon

Klingons are a muscular race with a culture based on that of an honourable warrior and have been part of the "Star Trek" franchise since 1967. One of their favourite weapons that first appeared in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is the Bat'leth, which is a hand held type of weapon with a curved blade. Some notable Klingon characters from the "Star Trek" universe are Worf, Kor, Kang, Lursa and B'Etor Duras and B'Elanna Torres, who is a half human and half Klingon character. All the races mentioned have appeared in various "Star Trek" episodes within the many different titled series.

Here on Earth, replica Bat'leth's have been used in some armed robberies and other aspects of the criminal underworld have had some of theirs seized in raids. Some people have also served jail time due to having a Bat'leth in public spaces.

Answer: Resistance: Fall of Man

"Resistance Fall of Man" was released in 2006 for the PS3 and is a centred around an alternate history in the 1950s concerning an alien invasion of the UK. The Chimera is the alien species in the video game and they appeared after the Tunguska event in which they spread east, conquering all that laid before them. The main character in the video game is called Sgt Nathan Hale and it is this character that the player controls.

As a native Mancunian, I felt proud and honoured that my home city got to feature in a Playstation 3 launch title, however the Church of England didn't see it that way. They complained to Sony who understood why they felt that way but insisted the game was "fantasy science fiction game and is not based on reality". In reality the Chimera have never done any damage to Manchester cathedral. The cathedral has suffered damage during the 20th century by the hands of man. It was bombed by the Luftwaffe during the Manchester Blitz in 1940. In 1992 the IRA set off two explosive devices in the city in which the cathedral got damaged due to the second device being close by. It suffered further damage in the 1996 bombing which was again carried out by the IRA.

Answer: Harry Turtledove

Harry Turtledove is an American author who has won various awards for his works regarding alternate history. One of his books is called "The Guns of the South" in which the Confederate army during the American civil war get hold of the AK-47 assault rifle. In the "Worldwar" series of books the Race invade the Earth during WW2 forcing all the human combatants to become reluctant allies. Later on in the "Worldwar" series, members of the Race become addicted to ginger which is a spice on Earth but for the Race it's a narcotic, even making the female Race members infertile. In the last book of the series the Race is astonished to find that a human built starship is in orbit around their home planet.

One aspect I liked from the books was the use historical figures used in them. While reading the first book "Worldwar: In the Balance" it was the first time I had read or heard anything about the Soviet female pilots known as the "Night Witches". These pilots from the 588th Night Bomber Regiment flew the Polikarpov Po-2 biplane to great affect during WW2.

Answer: Zod

In the movies "Superman" and "Superman II", Terence Stamp superbly portrayed General Zod. One of the most memorable scenes for me is from "Superman II" when Zod asks the President to kneel. While the President is kneeling down he murmurs "Oh God", Zod thinking the President has spoken his name wrong corrects him and says "Zod".

In the 1978 "Superman" General Zod is seen only at the beginning at of movie before he and his cohorts are sent into the Phantom Zone. In the 2013 reboot of the "Superman" series Michael Shannon acted the part of General Zod in the movie "Man of Steel".

Answer: Prologue

In the "Grand Theft Auto V" mission called "Prologue" set nine years before the events in "Grand Theft Auto V", Michael and Trevor are robbing a bank in Ludendorff, North Yankton. Part of this mission is to escape the cops and cross over a bridge just avoiding an incoming train. To see the alien Easter egg in "Grand Theft Auto V" the player must park the car under the bridge that spans the frozen river. If the player looks for a clear patch of ice in the river they can see an alien being with its arms outstretched. In seeing this Easter egg you will fail the mission, so its best being done using the replay mission option in the pause menu.

The aliens also feature in the missions "Did Somebody Say Yoga?" and Michaels "Grass Roots" strangers and freak side mission. Each of the characters in "Grand Theft Auto V" has their own unique "Grass Roots" mission where the effects are different for each character. Michael sees aliens, Trevor sees clowns and Franklin doesn't see anything at all.