Spend Christmas with the Spacemen of Science Fiction Quiz

Merry Christmas from Comics on the Brain! To keep you busy until you open your presents, CotB offers you a fun, and hopefully challenging, quiz on the SPACEMEN OF SCIENCE FICTION. Do you have the Right Stuff to be a space ace? Or are you just going to be stuck shooting at Wamp Rats the rest of your dismal days?

The quiz begins after this awesome pulp cover from 1954!

SPACEMEN OF

SCIENCE FICTION QUIZ

_QUESTION 1_

Match these authors to their books:

(1 point each)

    Authors
    a) Ray Bradbury
    b) Arthur C. Clarke
    c) Isaac Asimov
    d) Thomas Wolfe
    e) L. Ron Hubbard
    f) Harry Harrison
    g) H.G. Wells
    h) Robert Heinlein

    Books 
    1) “I, Robot”
    2) “2001, A Space Odyssey”
    3) “The War of the Worlds”
    4) “Battlefield: Earth”
    5) “The Martian Chronicles”
    6) “Earthlight”
    7) “The Right Stuff”
    8) “Bill, the Galactic Hero”
    9) “Starship Troopers”
    10) “Guide to Earth & Space”
    (Hint: Two of these authors wrote two of these books.)
   
Bonus: Name an additional novel from each author. (1 point each)

_QUESTION 2_

Buck Rogers made his debut in what form?

(10 points)
    a) Comic strip
    b) Movie serial
    c) Radio show
    d) Cartoon
    e) TV show
    f) Novel
    
Bonus: What was the name of the organization Buck belonged to? (2 points)

_QUESTION 3_

Who provided the voice for Buzz Lightyear?

(10 points)
    a) Alan Freed
    b) Fred Allen
    c) Steve Allen
    d) Tim Allen
    e) Tim Taylor
    f) Andy Taylor

Bonus: Who provided the voice for Tweekie the robot on the Buck Rogers TV show from the 1970s. (2 points)

_QUESTION 4_

Who is Flash Gordon’s love interest?

(10 points)
    a) Wilma Deering
    b) Wilma Flint
    c) Dale Arden
    d) Dale Evans
    e) Jennifer Marlowe
    f) Jenny Blake

Bonus: What woman did Flash frequently spurn? (2 points)
 

_QUESTION 5_

What was the name of Calvin’s sci-fi alter-ego in the Calvin & Hobbs comic strip?

(10 points)
    a) Space Ace
    b) Spaceman Spiff
    c) Strapping Starfighter
    d) Captain Cosmo
    e) Colonel Cosmos
    f) Astronaut Ace

Bonus: Which of the above wrong answers had a video game named after him? (2 points)

_QUESTION 6_

Which of the following characters was employed as an astronaut at the beginning of his “career”?

(10 points)
    a) Flash Gordon
    b) Barry Allen (aka The Flash)
    c) Ray Stevens (aka The Streak)
    d) Buck Rogers
    e) Steve Rogers (aka Captain America)
    f) Steve Austin (aka the Six-Million Dollar Man)

Bonus: Of the above wrong answers, which two were suspended in time and then revived in the future? (1 point each)

_QUESTION 7_

Which of these actors played a captain in a Star Trek TV show?

(10 points)
    a) Mandy Patinkin (“Chicago Hope”)
    b) John Lithgow (“The World According to Garp”)
    c) Scott Bakula (“Quantum Leap”)
    d) Louis Gosset Jr. (“Roots”)
    e) Robert Urich (“National Geographic Explorer”)
    f) Sam Neill (“Jurassic Park”)

Bonus: For each of the above wrong answers, name a movie in which the actor played an spacefarer. (1 point each)

_QUESTION 8_

In the book “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams, why did the main character have to leave his home?

(10 points)
   a) An intergalactic thruway was coming in.
    b) He was overrun by a colony of space rabbits.
    c) His home blocked the view of Venus.
    d) A 42-ton meteorite disabled his toilet.
    e) Radiation poisoning from a nuclear bomb.
    f) He took a job with the Space Corps, but went AWOL.

Bonus: According the novel series, a report in the Hitchhiker’s Guide classifies humans as what? (2 points)
 

_QUESTION 9_

Match these characters with their transportation:

(1 point each)
    CHARACTER
    a) Luke Skywalker
    b) Buck Rogers
    c) Geordie La Forge
    d) Han Solo
    e) Adama
    f) Lt. Ripley
    g) Will Robinson
    h) Cale
    i) Buzz Lightyear     
    j) Colonel Floyd Graham

    TRANSPORTATION
    1) Jumping belt
    2) Galactica
    3) X-Wing
    4) Jet pack
    5) Millenium Falcon
    6) Jupiter 2
    7) Rocketship X-M
    8) Titan A.E.
    9) Enterprise
    10) Nostromo
    
Bonus: What type of craft does Marvin the Martian commonly ride in? (2 points)

_QUESTION 10_

In the what film does a robot try to emulate Superman?

(10 points)
    a) Superman III
    b) Terminator
    c) The Iron Giant
    d) Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla
    e) RoboCop
    f) RoboCop 3

Bonus: In a Corgi toy version of Superman’s spaceship, what was used as weapons? (2 points)

Find the answers after this Amazing Stories cover from 1942!

_ANSWERS_

Question 1 — a-5, b-2 and 6, c-1 and 10, d-7, e-4, f-8, g-3, h-9.
Among the possible answers for the bonus question are a-”Something Wicked This Way Comes”, b-”2010”, c-”Foundation”, d-”The Bonfire of the Vanities”, e-”Dianetics”, f-”Make Room, Make Room”, g-”The Time Machine”, h-”Stranger in a Strange Land.” For further titles, check out www.sfsite.com.

Question 2 (f)— Anthony “Buck” Rogers first appeared in a novella published in a 1928-edition of “Amazing Stories.” For more on Rogers, especially the 1970s TV show, visit www.Buck-Rogers.com.
Bonus — Depending on what version you’re most familiar with, Buck worked for the New Earth Organization, “the Orgs” or Earth Defense Forces (there are probably a few more though!).

Question 3 (d)— Tim Allen of “Home Improvement” fame voiced Buzz Lightyear. Allen’s character on that show was Tim Taylor.
Bonus — Tweekie, with his annoying “Heebie-Heebie-Heebie” speech impediment, was voiced by cartoon voice actor Mel Blanc. For more on Mel’s career, see Toonpedia.

Question 4 (c)— Wilma Deering was Buck Rogers’ love interest. Dale Evans was Roy Roger’s wife. Jenny Blake was the damsel in distress in “The Rocketeer”. Jennifer Marlowe was a secretary on the TV show “WKRP in Cincinnati.” I had always hoped I’d work in a “WKRP” reference into this blog. Score!
Bonus — Princess Aura, Ming the Merciless’ daughter, had a crush on Flash Gordon, but Flash only had eyes for Dale.

Question 5 (d)— Spaceman Spiff was one of Calvin’s many imaginary alter egos. You can get a “Calvin & Hobbs” delivered to you every day via e-mail by going to GoComics.
Bonus — Space Ace was one of the first hand-animated video games.

Question 6 (f)— If you base your answer on their original incarnations, Steve Austin, played by Lee Majors, was the only rocket jock of the bunch. If you’re not so picky, then you could use the TV version of Buck Rogers for your answer.
Bonus— Steve Rogers and Buck Rogers were both suspended in time. Steve was frozen in an iceberg after falling out of a plane. In the original novella, Buck was overcome by fumes in a collapsed Pennsylvania mine.

 Question 7 (c)— Scott Bakula took the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise in 2001 and played Jonathan Archer for four seasons.
 Bonus— Among the right answers are a-”Alien Nation”, b-”2010: The Year We Make Contact”, d-”Enemy Mine”, e-”Ice Pirates”, f-”Event Horizon”.

Question 8 (a)— Arthur’s home was the future site of an exit ramp. Boy, don’t those iminent domain laws stink.
Bonus— The Hitchhiker’s Guide labels the human race as being “Harmless,” and it’s later adjusted to say “Mostly Harmless.”

Question 9 — a-3, b-1, c-9, d-5, e-2, f-10, g-6, h-8, I-4, j-7.
Bonus — A flying saucer.

Question 10 (c) — The Iron Giant was inspired by reading comic books, and who shouldn’t be?
Bonus — Oddly enough, the toy featured robotic hands, apparently to punch his adversaries with. Why he wouldn’t just use his heat vision completely bewilders me.

How did you score? Check out your rating after one last awesome pulp magazine cover!

Scoring:

100 or more points — If the aliens attack, you’ll be ready.

90-99 points — A space ace in training. Strap on a jet-pack and practice a little more.

70-89 points — Not bad, but you’ve got a long way to go before you blast off.

50-69 points — You’re did OK, but you might want to invest in one of those Hitchhiker Guides.

49 or under — You better keep your head out of the clouds until further notice