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Cory Booker Engages In 'Star Trek' Trivia Contest During Radio Call-In

Cory Booker Geeks Out
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IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR NESTLÉ - Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker congratulates parents graduating from the Nestlé/Newark Now! program at a luncheon held at the Newark Club, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013 in Newark, N.J. This educational program taught Newark parents about the importance of good nutrition for infants and young children to help prevent obesity.(Jason DeCrow/AP Images for Nestlé)

Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) put talk of his likely U.S. Senate campaign and love of Twitter aside Tuesday night to engage in a "Star Trek" trivia contest while calling into a New Jersey radio station's pledge drive.

Booker competed with comedian and "Daily Show" correspondent John Hodgman in the contest on WFMU, a Jersey City-based radio station, around 11 p.m. Tuesday. The Star-Ledger first reported Booker's late night geek-a-thon Wednesday evening, posting audio of the 15-minute interview.

“John and I know the difference between a Vulcan mind meld and a Jedi mind trick," Booker told host Tom Scharpling when he was challenged to battle Hodgman in the trivia contest.

Questions included "Star Trek" trivia from the original series and the more recent incarnations. Booker was asked about the shirt color most likely to indicate a character will get killed. He said that while red is the prevailing guess, a recent statistical analysis he read showed it was yellow. Booker indicated he was pointed to the statistical analysis on his favorite medium, Twitter.

Booker's love of "Star Trek" was never a secret, sharing his inner Trekkie with his more than 1.3 million Twitter followers. During the recent South by Southwest conference, Booker engaged his Twitter followers in a "Star Trek" discussion before his presentation.

Booker has formed an exploratory committee for a 2014 run for the seat now held by retiring Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.).

A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released Wednesday shows Booker with 50 percent of the vote in a hypothetical Democratic primary match-up against Rep. Frank Pallone, who received 4 percent and Rep. Rush Holt who received 7 percent. Neither Pallone nor Holt has announced a run for Senate, but Pallone is considered a likely candidate. State Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) has also indicated that she is considering entering the Senate race.

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Before You Go

Obama's Fist Bumps
Obama Holds Final Primary Night Event In St. Paul(01 of22)
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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) (R) and his wife Michelle Obama bump fists at an election night rally at the Xcel Energy Center June 3, 2008 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (credit:Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Barack Obama Campaigns Across U.S. Ahead Of Primaries(02 of22)
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In Chicago's Hyde Park Neighborhood(04 of22)
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President Barack Obama acknowledges the crowd as he exchanges fist bumps with the audience after speaking at Hyde Park Academy, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, in Chicago. (credit:M. Spencer Green/Associated Press)
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President Barack Obama fist-bumps custodian Lawrence Lipscomb in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in the White House. (credit:Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
On The South Lawn(06 of22)
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President Barack Obama does a fist bump with Ethan Gibbs, the son of Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, after arriving by Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Washington, D.C., April 19, 2009. (credit:Aude Guerrucci/Getty Images)
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At A Surprise Appearance(08 of22)
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U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley bump fists at Sen. Obama's surprise appearance at a North Carolina Democratic Party dinner Oct. 4, 2008 at The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. (credit:Stan Honda/Getty Images)
While Visiting Troops In Iraq(09 of22)
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In this handout provided by the White House, U.S. President Barack Obama (L) receives a fist bump from a U.S. soldier as he greets hundreds of U.S. troops during his visit to Camp Victory on April 7, 2009, in Baghdad, Iraq. (credit:Pete Souza/The White House)
In The Oval Office(10 of22)
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In this handout provided by the White House, U.S. President Barack Obama, holding a football, offers a fist bump to senior staff member Pete Rouse during a meeting with senior advisors in the Oval Office of the White House on April 8, 2009, in Washington, D.C. (credit:Pete Souza/The White House)
Obama Tours Ohio(11 of22)
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U.S. President Barack Obama gives a student a fist bump while touring the Wind Turbine Manufacturing and Fabrication Lab at Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio, Jan. 22, 2010. Obama is visiting Ohio to tour local businesses and hold a town hall meeting on jobs and the economy. (credit:Saul Loeb/Getty Images)
After A Book Reading(12 of22)
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U.S. President Barack Obama bumps fists with school children after reading Christmas book The Polar Express at the Richard England Clubhouse and Community Center in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 21, 2009. (credit:Jewel Samad/Getty Images)
On The Golf Course(13 of22)
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U.S. President Barack Obama (right) fist bumps with Marvin Nicholson as he plays golf at Farm Neck Golf Club on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on Aug. 26, 2010. (credit:Jewel Samad/Getty Images)
During The Annual Easter Egg Roll(14 of22)
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Obama gives a fist bump to a young boy during a "Let's Move" tennis clinic during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House April 25, 2011, in Washington, D.C. (credit:Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
When Discussing Economic Matters(15 of22)
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Obama gives a young boy a fist bump as he greets guests after speaking about the economy at Shaker Heights High School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, on Jan. 4, 2012. (credit:Saul Loeb/Getty Images)
In Afghanistan(16 of22)
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Obama fist bumps service members after addressing troops at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 2, 2012. (credit:Charles Dharapak/Associated Press)
While Working The Next Generation Of Voters(17 of22)
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Obama asks for a fist bump from a young girl as he speaks with patrons outside the Kozy Corner restaurant in Oak Harbor, Ohio, July 5, 2012, where he made an unannounced visit while on a bus tour of Ohio and Pennsylvania. (credit:Getty Images)
Obama Welcomes 2012 NCAA Women's Basketball Champions(18 of22)
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U.S. President Barack Obama gives a fist bump to Baylor University basketball guard Terran Condrey while welcoming the 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball champions in the East Room of the White House July 18, 2012, in Washington, D.C. The Baylor Lady Bears became the first NCAA basketball team to complete a 40-0 season by defeating Notre Dame 80-61 in the NCAA women's championship. (credit:Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
During His Second Campaign(19 of22)
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Obama bumps fists with supporters after delivering remarks during a campaign event at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada, Aug. 21, 2012. (credit:Jim Watson/Getty Images)
At Kent State University(20 of22)
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President Barack Obama pounds fists with a supporter after speaking at a campaign event at The Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center at Kent State University Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, in Kent, Ohio. (credit:Tony Dejak/Associated Press)
During Lunch(21 of22)
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Obama fist bumps with a woman during a lunch visit to the West Tampa Sandwich Shop and Restaurant in Tampa, Florida, September 8, 2012, during the first day of a two-day bus tour across Florida. (credit:Saul Loeb/Getty Images)
In New Hampshire(22 of22)
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Obama bumps fists with a supporter after speaking at a campaign rally in Nashua, New Hampshire, on Oct. 27, 2012. (credit:Jim Watson/Getty Images)
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