Silent Faces of the "Star Wars" Saga Quiz

Answer: Sinister

The next time you want to give someone the so-called evil eye, remember that in Latin, the left eye is "oculus sinister." Its right counterpart is "oculus dexter." Besides their places in medical phraseology and heraldry, sinister and dexter are archaic terms that meant left and right, respectively. They also carried connotations of the bygone ties of left to bad luck, and right to good fortune. Reflecting those associations, "sinister" is now an English adjective denoting malevolence, and "dexterity" implies skill and adeptness.

Bearing some resemblance to Yoda's species, Even Piell, though male, was played by actress Michaela Cottrell. -- "Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace" (1999)

Answer: Concord grapes

The purple grapes called Concords are of the Vitus labrusca (fox grape) species. Named for Concord, Massachusetts, they were developed there in 1849 by Ephraim Wales Bull. Praised for its high antioxidant content, the purple grape juice made from Concord grapes is touted as heart-healthy and beneficial for the immune system. While it won't affect your skin pigmentation, dining on such flavonoid-rich purple and blue produce is considered healthful.

Lunae Minx was the second of three "Star Wars" cameo roles for George Lucas' daughter, Katie Lucas. -- "Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones" (2002)

Answer: Squid Lake

If the idea of eating squid is as revolting to you as it is to me, try having it battered and fried under the Italian name "calamari" for a surprisingly scrumptious treat. On the other hand, "Swan Lake" is one of three ballets composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Completed by 1876, one year after its commission, the story of "Swan Lake" -- that of beautiful Princess Odette, whom an evil curse forces to become a swan in daylight -- was influenced by both Russian folk tales and German legend. Tchaikovsky's other ballets are "Sleeping Beauty" and "The Nutcracker."

The ballet attended by Romeo Treblanc was aptly dubbed "Squid Lake," the aquatic Mon Calamari's take on "Swan Lake." -- "Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" (2005)

Answer: Hatshepsut

Daughter of deceased King Thutmose I, Hatshepsut became queen at approximately 12 years of age when wed to her half-brother, Thutmose II. When he died, Hatshepsut's young stepson, Thutmose III, became king; his stepmother acted as regent. Soon, Hatshepsut took up for herself the godlike mantle of pharaoh and ruled Egypt from 1479-1458 B.C. Likely to solidify her rule, she began to present herself as a male. But, while history once viewed her grab for power as motivated by selfish ambition, it may actually have been necessary to protect the kingship of Thutmose III, who would go on to reign from 1458-1425 B.C. and attempt to erase the unique precedent set by Hatshepsut, Egypt's longest-reigning and most successful female pharaoh.

(Thanks to SmithsonianMag.com and its informative article entitled, "The Queen Who Would Be King," for aiding me in my research of Hatshepsut.)

Wearing the traditional make-up of Naboo's queen, Apailana was played by actress Keisha Castle-Hughes from New Zealand. -- "Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" (2005)

Answer: Hammer

Hammerhead sharks are of the genus Sphyrna, which means "hammer" in Greek. The shark's uniquely shaped head, called a cephalofoil, does indeed resemble a flattened mallet, and helps the creature in many ways to locate food in its warm ocean home. With eyes located far apart on each side of its head, a hammerhead shark has a wide field of vision. Sensors in its head allow it to detect the electrical fields emitted by prey. A hammerhead also makes use of its unique endowment in the hunt for tasty stingrays, which it pins down to the ocean floor with its head.

Momaw Nadon (aka, Hammerhead) followed a "religion based on tying and untying knots in cord," according to StarWars.com's Databank. Weird! -- "Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope" (1977)

Answer: Believing you have become an animal

Clinical lycanthropy is a rare psychological condition in which the patient believes that they are an animal, or that their bodies have changed into an animal - though not always a wolf, as the name would imply. Zoanthropy or therianthropy are alternate and more general terms for such animal delusions. No physical shape-shifting actually takes place, but symptoms may include a display of animal-like behavior, or post-delusion reports that one has felt like an animal. It is believed that clinical lycanthropy may, in some cases, be brought on by other mental ills such as clinical depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder.

Sivrak was one of two aliens removed in the Special Edition due to their run-of-the-mill "wolfman" masks. Both were replaced by a puppet deemed more otherworldly in visage. -- "Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope" (1977; Special Edition 1997)

Answer: Whey

Kulfi is a cold dairy treat that hails from India and Pakistan. Kulfi is akin to Western ice creams, although denser, and comes in a variety of traditional flavors, such as saffron, mango, rose, and cardamom. Dondurma, Turkey's version of ice cream, is thick and made chewy by the inclusion of a plant resin called mastic. Gelato is sweet, frozen ice cream made Italy's way. Whey is a dairy product, but bears no resemblance to ice cream: it is the watery milk product left over during cheesemaking.

After many years, Ice Cream Guy finally got an "official" story: it was, not an ice cream maker, but a computer memory core he toted on his way to a disposal station, to destroy the sensitive information it contained. -- "Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" (1980)

Answer: All original letters must be used in a new word or phrase

To create an anagram, you must take all the letters -- but not necessarily punctuation -- of a word, phrase, or name (called the subject) and rearrange them, turning out a new word, phrase, or name. While not a requirement of anagrams, it's a fun bonus and the mark of a skilled anagrammatist if the anagram's meaning relates to the subject. For instance, one online site notes in their logo that "Internet Anagram Server" appropriately becomes "I, Rearrangement Servant"! Or, as an alternative way to play the game, anagrams can be made by starting with random letters.

Kebyc may be the one character in "Star Wars" with no history! Very little is known about her, besides her position as senior accountant and her fight against corruption in the Miner's Guild. -- "Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" (1980)

Answer: A 1951 science fiction movie

"The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) is considered a classic in the film genre of science fiction, directed by Robert Wise and starring Michael Rennie and Patricia Neal. In it, alien visitor Klaatu and his eight-foot tall robot, Gort, come to Earth with a warning message to newly spacefaring humanity. The line, "Klaatu barada nikto," is used to stop Gort from exacting vengeance on Earth following Klaatu's death. A remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was made in 2008 starring Keanu Reeves, but failed to match the success of the original.

The characters Klaatu and Barada, as well as their alien species, Nikto and Klatooinian, were named in homage to this movie quote. -- "Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi" (1983)

Answer: Blue pachyderm

You won't likely find one outside of movie puppets and stuffed toys, but "blue pachyderm" is the closest of the options given to "cerulean elephant." The shade of blue called cerulean is typically a light, azure, sky color, and its chief use in the animal kingdom is for the birds: the Cerulean Warbler and Cerulean Kingfisher, for instance. While "pachyderma" is no longer used in biological classification, "pachyderm" still refers to thick-skinned mammals such as elephants, hippos, and rhinos.

Not only is Max Rebo's real first name, Siiruulian, a homophone of his color, but his last name, Phantele, is an anagram of "elephant." -- "Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi" (1983)