Giant Amoeba Dead Ahead Trivia Quiz

Answer: The starship was crewed entirely by Vulcans.

Yes, there are other Vulcans in Starfleet in the 23rd century aside from Spock. When the Intrepid is destroyed by the amoeba, Spock senses the death of her entire crew.

Answer: McCoy is having problems understanding how Spock can know with such certainty that hundreds of people have just died.

McCoy can't understand how Spock can just KNOW that the Intrepid is dead, even after Spock attempts to explain how he knows to McCoy. After McCoy repeats, "Four hundred people" for about the third time, Spock comments that he has noticed that humans find it easier to understand the death of one person than the death of millions, and follows this up with the quote listed above.

This whole conversation is one of my favorite moments in this episode.

Answer: Lt. Kyle

Lt. Kyle is better known as the Enterprise's transporter chief. All of Kyle's normal shirts must have been in the wash on this day, as he is sporting a gold shirt instead of his usual red.

Answer: Lt. Uhura

Lt. Uhura is able to remain at her post throughout the crisis. I find interesting that one of the unnamed crewmen sitting on the opposite end of the bridge (one of the ones that sits to Kirk's left) looked to be in pretty bad shape, but no one cared about him. I believe it is this same crewman who actually does faint when McCoy and a nurse are up on the bridge giving out stimulant shots.

Answer: They apply forward thrust.

The Enterprise crew discovers they need to do the opposite of what they would normally do to have the desired effect. In this case, applying forward thrust enables them to resist being dragged further towards the center. When they tried to apply reverse thrust, they found themselves moving forward at a more rapid rate.

This illogical state of affairs was speculated to be a contributing factor in the deaths of the logical Vulcan crew of the Intrepid.

Answer: Spock was better suited for the mission both physically and emotionally.

McCoy was actually more qualified for the mission, since he is a doctor and therefore more familiar with single-celled lifeforms. However, Kirk believed that Spock could better withstand the various stresses of the mission.

Answer: It was almost ready to reproduce.

One giant amoeba had already destroyed an entire solar system along with the Intrepid. The thought of more than one amoeba running around the galaxy, eating and reproducing, did not sound like a good idea to Kirk.

Answer: Tell Dr. McCoy he should've wished me luck.

McCoy did wish Spock luck, but he only said it to himself after Spock had departed the Enterprise. Spock called the Enterprise the finest starship in the fleet in his personal log.

Answer: A probe with an attached antimatter bottle was shot into it.

McCoy made a comment about how they were the antibodies of their galaxy. This allowed Kirk to have his AHA! moment and come up with the idea about antimatter.

Answer: Spock botched the acetylcholine test.

McCoy and Spock seem prepared to launch into another of their famous arguments, but Kirk tells them to wait until Spock is back aboard the Enterprise. I do find myself wondering how many stimulants are left in sickbay after this episode, though.