Test your knowledge of Star Trek civilizations with this ultimate geek quiz!

By: Olivia Cantor
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Test your knowledge of Star Trek civilizations with this ultimate geek quiz!
Image: TMDB

About This Quiz

"Star Trek" is full of fascinating alien races and civilizations throughout its long history. There are so many that the details are mind-boggling. Take this quiz to see how much you know, and learn more about one of the best sci-fi universes in pop culture.
Let’s start with the Orion Slave Girls! What’s their big secret?
The women are the ones really in charge.
Although Orion Slave Girls are popular across the galaxy, in truth, they send themselves to gain control of external organizations and businesses. The women are the real bosses!
They don’t think they’re sexy.
Their pheromones don’t really work.
They are actually prudes.
With Denobulans, three is never a crowd because of this.
They have no claustrophobia.
They have no sense of privacy.
They believe in community residences.
The males can take up to three wives.
Denobulans can take up to three wives. The puffy-faced Doctor Phlox in the Enterprise series was a Denobulan.
Deltans are renowned not only for being bald, but also this.
They have very revealing clothes.
They are highly sexual.
Deltans are so sexual that they have to take an Oath of Celibacy, so they will not abuse other less developed races in the Federation crews. Maybe Kirk needs an oath like that, too.
They like initiating contact with others.
They have a developed sense of humor.

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For Trills, you sometimes get more than you bargain for because of this.
Some of them are very aggressive.
Some of them are extremely evil.
Some of them are paired organisms.
Trills are two races in one civilization. Some Trills have a life form implanted in them, known as Symbionts. Paired Trills have merged personalities.
Some of them are too intelligent.
If you are a guy and you shake hands with female Xyrillians, this happens.
You get pregnant.
Xyrilian females impregnate males through touch. Only the female genetics are passed on. One-night stands would be a bit too easy.
You are poisoned.
You are enslaved.
You turn into one of them.
Nausicaans are a ferocious, angry-man sort of race. But their civilization is not that big a threat because of this.
They do not think about making empires.
They do not have many females.
They do not like each other much, either.
Nausicaans are known to be very aggressive and hot-tempered - like Klingons. Thankfully, they do not get along with each other well enough to be a powerful empire.
They are not that educated.

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This civilization is at the heart of the Federation, being one of the main races. They are very, very determined and stubborn.
Vulcans.
Andorians.
Bajorans.
Humans.
Humans - us! - are not the most physically or mentally formidable races in the Federation. But our civilization is built on determination and exploration.
The Iotians copied this from Earth history.
The Nazis.
The 1920s Gangster era.
Iotians were influenced by a book that a human left behind. When the Enterprise crew visited, their civilization looked like Gangster Era Chicago in the 1920s.
The Middle Ages.
The Greek Times.
Why are Sphere Builders so unusual as a race and civilization?
They are practically ghosts.
They hate everybody else.
They don’t come from our dimension.
Sphere Builders are not from our dimension, and they can travel through time, as well. Their civilization can literally take the long view.
They want everything.

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The Excalbians, a silicon-based alien race and civilization, were fascinated by this.
Human relationships.
Human history.
Human clothing.
Human ideas of good and evil.
Excalbians liked reviving the most evil of people in the galaxy to fight with a contingent led by Captain Kirk. They wanted to know what made good and evil different.
This civilization and race is, in the Star Trek Universe, on par with Klingons and Romulans in technology and warfare.
The Borg
The Lurians
The Breen
The Breen are secretive, and their civilization allied with the Dominion. They breed early in life and train early as well.
The Vidiians
The Ocampa civilization has a quick turnover because of this.
Reliance on alien leaders.
A nine-year life cycle.
Ocampa have a nine-year lifespan. Because of this, many generations will pass for them, as compared to humans and other races.
Unusual mating habits.
Social unrest.

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The Jem'Hadar was this kind of race for their civilization.
The royalty.
The scientists.
The diplomats.
The warrior race.
The Jem’Hadar is the main warrior race for the Dominion civilization in the series, and worships the Founders as gods. Their society has a strict honor code, and they usually die young in battle.
The idea of civilization is a bit shaky for Organians because of this.
They are energy beings.
Organian civilization is very old, and the race has evolved into energy forms. However, they are still curious about other physical civilizations.
They are still in a primitive stage of development.
They prefer not to use machines.
They have low intelligence.
Lurians are represented by only one guy: this barfly who loved to hang out in Quark’s Bar.
Spock.
Djo.
Worf.
Morn.
Morn, named after the TV sitcom "Cheers" character, Norm, is a Lurian. Not much is known of their civilization, except that they possess multiples of major organs.

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Metrons are supposedly god-like because they can do this.
They can read minds.
They can make advanced machines.
They can bend matter and energy to their will.
Metrons are so powerful, they can teleport people at great distances with their minds. Hence, we see that infamous episode where Captain Kirk has to fight with his Gorn counterpart.
They are super smart.
The Kazon were a thorn on the side of this particular ship.
The Enterprise.
The Voyager.
The Kazon were among the first aggressive races the Voyager ship and crew encountered. It was a big sign that not all civilizations would be okay with the Federation.
The Intrepid.
The Dreadnought.
The Hirogen love keeping these trophies.
Uniforms.
Body parts.
The Hirogen are a hunt-obsessed race and civilization. It is no surprise they like keeping body parts of their slain enemies.
Ships.
Weapons.

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Cherons are a very racist civilization. And this turned them on each other.
Their black-and-white skin patterns.
Cherons come in two colors: black and white, divided neatly at their center. The racial issue comes from which side of their body is black or white.
Their religious beliefs.
Their technologies.
Their choice of food.
Talosians are addicted to illusions because of this.
They are born to love pleasure.
They hate their own faces.
Their civilization suffered a nuclear disaster.
Talosians are addicted to their illusion technology because they all suffered from it greatly. Their civilization is living in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster.
They like stories.
Vidiians are one of the more disturbing races in Star Trek, because of this biological issue.
They take over people's minds.
They absorb the salt from a person's body.
They steal body parts to live.
Vidiians look like they are literally falling apart, and that is because their whole race is infected by a disease known as the Phage. Their whole civilization needs to survive by finding new body parts, even stealing them.
They drink blood like vampires.

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Talaxians have an unusual civilization, in that they are not known for their technology as much as this way of thinking.
They believe in definitive right and wrong.
They are internally melancholy.
They believe in finding a happier path.
Talaxians believe in the idea of a third, happier way when presented with two choices. One of them, Neelix, became the cook and morale officer of Voyager.
They do not believe in material wealth.
Not all civilizations have only one alien race. In the case of the Dominion, the Changelings were an important part of it. They were also called by another name. What was it?
The Q.
The Bajorans.
The Cardassians.
The Founders.
The Changelings were also known as the Founders. They created the Dominion Empire to protect their own shape-shifting race from “solid” life forms. Odo, an orphaned changeling, was head of security for the Deep Space Nine space station.
Tamarian civilization has been hard to communicate with, because of this.
They use metaphors both parties should understand.
Tamarian language is based on metaphors, which are based on shared experiences. To understand them, you have to share some sort of history with them. Captain Picard had to go team up with Tamarian Captain Dathon, so they could have experiences that could be used to talk to each other.
They communicate only with emotions.
They are touch telepaths.
They use a complicated form of sign language.

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Tholians are one of the classic Star Trek alien races, and also among the weirdest. Their reason for conquest is this.
To get more resources.
To have more slave races.
To create more space between them and other civilizations.
Tholians are obsessed with order, rules and territory. It is no surprise that they are isolationists and racists. If they conquer an area of space near their borders, it is so they can make more space away from others.
To have breeding grounds.
The Gorn are probably the most famously funny of all the alien civilizations or races in Star Trek’s original run. This is why.
They have a great sense of humor.
They are naturally clumsy.
Bad make-up and prosthetics.
The Gorn are a race of humanoid reptiles... that did not look convincing, thanks to the make-up and prosthetics of the 1960s. Official word says they are technologically advanced, but on TV, they look like the children of a B-movie Godzilla.
They need laughter to survive.
In the "Star Trek: Next Generation" TV series, this race of energy beings has probably evolved away from civilization. The one being we meet from this civilization opens and closes the TV series.
The Sphere Builders.
Travelers.
The Q Continuum.
The Q are god-like, and they have no problem interfering with “primitive civilizations,” or at least some of them don't. They can literally manipulate reality. It is not even certain that they are individual people - perhaps they are one big mind with many semi-independent parts.
El-Aurians.

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Vulcans are the ultimate geeks of the Federation. It is no wonder that this is an important part of their civilization's philosophy.
Live Long and Prosper.
Through Hardships Through the Stars.
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.
The Vulcan IDIC philosophy (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) is part of the core of their civilization, as it is a short term for their dedication to science and logic. This is why they also try not to be so emotional, so they can be without personal issues while doing research and exploration.
Onward and Forward.
Klingons started out as fictional symbols for these real-life entities in the original series.
The Middle Eastern countries.
The Asian countries.
America's Cold War enemies.
The Klingon Civilization in Star Trek started out as a symbol for Cold War enemies of America (Russia, China), but later they became a warrior race that is heavy on honor, like the samurai of Japan. Their evolution on TV is seen as a cultural sign of how times have changed in the real world.
Europe.
Romulans are actually a spin-off civilization, and their mother race is this.
Vulcans
Romulans reject the peaceful Vulcan ways, preferring conquest and expansionism. They still have the Vulcan love for science and technology, though.
Metrons
Bajorans
Founders

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The Ferengi have this text as their Bible of sorts.
Mosaic Law.
Empire and Conquest.
Rules of Acquisition.
The Rules of Acquisition dominate Ferengi culture. The whole idea of it is that a Ferengi should maximize profit in every transaction.
Logic and Science.
What makes the Borg so hard to fight?
They are unaffected by most weapons.
They can adapt quickly to any attack.
The half-human, half-machine Borg can scan and analyze the type of attack that hits them, and then adapt to it within a very short time. Fighting them means having to come up with new weapons and strategies all the time.
They have stealth technology.
They have personal teleport devices.
In the "Next Generation" TV series, what is the race and cultural specialty of Betazoids?
They have telepathic and empathic abilities.
The natural psychic and emotional abilities of Betazoids make them perfect ambassadors and counselors. Deanna Troi and her mother Lwaxana are the TV show's prime examples of this race and culture.
They can sense disease.
They have healing abilities.
They can induce sleep.

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In one of the most famous episodes of the classic "Star Trek" series, this race "forced" a kiss between Kirk and Uhura.
Betazoids.
Deltans.
"Greek Gods."
The race known only as the “Greek Gods" in "Star Trek" are practically gods in power. But they somehow need the worship of lesser beings
Orions.
Bajorans have always had trouble because their planet is located near one of these.
A double-sun system.
A gateway to another part of the galaxy.
Bajor is near a wormhole that allows for travel between galactic areas that are far from each other. This is why empires and civilizations on both sides of the wormhole want Bajor for themselves.
A galactic gas cloud.
A very large space station.
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