Finals of Science Fiction Quiz hosted by Conquiztadors, The Quizzing Society Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi

1. Sci-Fi Quiz
Finals

2. Rules
● 16 Questions in the Finals
● +10/-10 on Pounce
● +10 on Bounce
● QM’s decision is final and binding

3. 1
Featured here is a picture of the Multi-Support Vessel from the second instalment
of a popular third-person shooter game series. Named after a Luxembourgian
publisher, this ship was a tribute to the very genre of the game, with the
publisher being a pioneer in the same, earning among other laurels, a literature
award named after him. Who? Which game known for its universal influence?

5. Answer Follows

6. Hugo Award, Mass Effect 2

7. 2
A species with nearly a thousand members, the fossil variants have commonly derived their
names from their ‘real world’ counterparts (pictured, left). Strangely enough in 2014, this
nomenclature process was reversed and a UK based paleontologist named a real fossil he
discovered after a member of the this species (pictured, right) with the hope of engaging
the next generation of scientists through popular culture. Identify this nearly-thousand-
member species, the genus of the creature on the right, along with the specific inspiration
behind its name.

8. Answer Follows

9. Pokemon, Pterodactlyus, Aerodactylus

10. 3
Titled after one of the oldest games recorded in human history, this sci-fi
novel explored the themes of science, technology and religion. True to its
name, the novel questioned the meaning of life amidst absurd patterns
threaded together via dark humour. However, given the time of its
publication, and a plot point that involved mutually assured destruction
around a fictional Caribbean island, it is suggested that the work was a
ballistic take on the events of that era.
Which work? What event?

11. Answer Follows

12. Cat’s Cradle, Cuban Missile Crisis

13. 4
The inspiration for this project came from a number of dystopian works, but
the most prominent influence was the 1957 novel _____ ________ (5,8).The
author's philosophy of being driven by selfishness rather than altruism serves
as the driving force behind the project's antagonist and his life's work.Its
thematic core was born when director Ken Levine saw a statue of the Greek
titan _____ (5) while walking near the Rockefeller center in New York. The
statue was the primary influence behind the project's Art Deco stylings. ID the
project(a spiritual successor to the System Shock franchise), the author and
the book.

15. Answer Follows

16. BioShock, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand

17. 5
This project automated the process of writing horror stories by scraping
data from a niche internet forum that literally translates to insomnia. The
project was aptly titled after a pioneer of Science Fiction although their work is
also categorised as horror. This author’s most famous character shared
similar traits with the bot in a sense that it was put together from varied
sources, resulting in a freakish juxtaposition of sorts.
Name the project.

18. Answer Follows

19. Mary (Shelley)

20. 6
Featured here is a character from a 2019 Netflix Series. According to the
creators, the character’s design superimposes the head of a legendary
composer over the body of an equally legendary athlete. The character is an
artist and his love for a specific color isn’t just a reference to his name but also
couples as a tip of the hat to a French Post war artist. Name the composer,
the athlete and the artist.

22. Answer Follows

23. Miles Davis, Usain Bolt, Yves Klein

24. Bride of Frankenstein, a 1935 American science fiction horror film, and the
first sequel to Frankenstein, was subjected to major censorship during
production by the Hays office. A planned shot of the Monster rushing
through a graveyard was specifically objected, owing to a certain similarity
that led to an action, and the censorship board deemed the same to be
“blasphemous". Due to this, the makers of the film changed the scene (as
shown in picture 1 to the one in the picture 2. Why? Put Funda.
7

26. Answer Follows

27. Answer
As there is similarity of suffering, the scene would have shown the monster
trying to help Jesus off the cross, which was considered blasphemous. Since it
was objected, it was changed to the Monster not even acknowledging the
statue.

28. 8
Considered to be one of the greatest What-If moments in the history of
Indian Cinema, the malicious acquisition and subsequent copyrighting of this
Indian Science fiction movie-script set across a ripple effect that shaped Sci-Fi
Entertainment across the world.
Of all the films that have a lot in common with the film-script, the first came
out nearly four decades ago although the prolific director has maintained
that he was in high school when the script was bring distributed.
Things, however came full circle when an Indian Sci-Fi film, released earlier in
this century borrowed elements from the aforementioned Hollywood film.
Identify both the movies and the writer of the original script.

29. Answer Follows

30. E.T., Koi Mil Gaya, Satyajit Ray

31. 9
Originally a short video parody, the very first appearance of show’s main
characters drew parallels with an iconic duo from the ‘80s- the same film the
shorts parodies. With similar sounding names, odd hairstyles and a passion
for scientific adventures, has grown its own feet and has developed a cult
following of its own, often verging on risque and edgy humour to connect with
it’s rather nihilistic target audience. Name the show and the film.

32. Answer Follows

33. Rick and Morty, Back to the Future

34. 10
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999) introduces microscopic creatures that connect
characters to the Force. George Lucas based the concept on symbiogenesis, calling
them a "loose depiction" of Y. The creatures’ name are a corruption of Y.
What creatures are these?
Lucas said, "Y probably had something to do with the beginnings of life and how one
cell decided to become two cells with a little help from this other little creature who
came in, without whom life couldn't exist. And it's really a way of saying we have
hundreds of little creatures who live on us, and without them, we all would die. There
wouldn't be any life. They are necessary for us; we are necessary for them. Using them
in the metaphor, saying society is the same way, says we all must get along with each
other." Identify the name of the creatures as well as Y.

35. Answer Follows

36. Answer:
X: Midi-chlorians
Y: Mitochondria

37. 11
Their origin lore suggests that they belonged to a planet outside our solar
system and descended on earth to set things straight. Initially a group of 12
before splitting into a group of 9, each of the superhumans are said to have a
specific set of powers (pictured): An essential part of “pop” culture, which group is
being talked about?

38. Answer Follows

39. EXO

40. 12
Although the game’s developers wanted to tell a story,budget,time and staff
constraints prevented them from using human characters,because of the
amount of animation work and scene choreography involved.This led to the
birth of the game’s most memorable character,an AI computer system,whose
design went through several iterations,including one variation modelled after
Sandro Botticelli’s painting The Birth of Venus.The game’s final battle went
through several iterations as well,including the player being chased by James
Bond lasers,______ ______ (6,6) (a pun on the game’s name and another
gruesome fighting game franchise) and a chase sequence.ID the character
and the game.

41. Answer Follows

42. GLaDOS,Portal

43. In this critically acclaimed Sci Fi horror, it is seen that the aliens had given plant DNA, the
elements of human DNA which led to a series of plants, shaped and sized like
humans, depicted in the picture below. However, upon release, many viewers
compared these humanoid structures with the iconic structures made by the
protagonist of an incredibly popular 1990 fantasy film.
ID this film which also made a
short comeback recently.
13

45. Answer Follows

46. Edward Scissorhands

47. 14
Having been the subject of numerous novels, video games and comic books, both on
their own and as part of a franchise, it is an enlightened humanoid with abnormal
hunting abilities. This bounty hunter is often seen in competition with their extra-
terrestrial arch nemesis(s). After some seemingly required design changes, it has
become the figure which the geek community continues to appreciate and fear at the
same time. Having featured in games like Fortnite, it's description entails:
"_______ builds sophisticated spaceships, yet they should not look as sleek and hi-tech
as a Star Wars stormtrooper, yet their look should not be as primitive as the orcs
from Lord of the Rings. They are also a warrior culture, so the ornate cannot conflict
with the practical."
Who is being is referred to here?

48. Answer Follows

49. The Predator

50. 15
Pictured on the next slide are the frames from a movie. Filmed exactly
around the same time mentioned in its source material, this film’s
cinematographer employed a distinct processing technique to create washed-
out look of the film's colour visuals- aptly fitting the bleak theme of the
film/source material.
Which film?

52. Answer Follows

53. 1984 (1984)