Pimp Your Starcrafts
by Ken Stern and Mike Selinker
Answer: REMEMBER
Each of the sixteen starcrafts from hulls and interiors. Specifically, each starcraft is constructed of one palindromic string inside another palindromic string, as in KR(ONO)ARK or ST(ARCRA)FTS. Each word you make is clued in one of the option descriptions, as follows:
- soft feeling: S(ENSUOUSNE)SS
- they have the same meanings: S(YNONY)MS
- appearances made by authors: SI(GNING)S
- some quick do's: S(TACCAT)OS
- flat: TE(NEMEN)T
- ones who tear: SH(REDDER)S
- ones that twist: SC(REWER)S
- from somewhere in Africa: NAM(IBI)AN
- qualified: EL(IGI)BLE
- person who reuses: RE(CYC)LER
- memo: NO(TAT)ION
- routes over water: SE(A LA)NES
- stopped: DE(SIS)TED
- neurotoxin: DOMO(IC ACI)D
- some colored ice: S(NO-CON)ES
- midday: MER(IDI)EM
Also in each description is a proper name of a starcraft equipment brand, which is also the last name of a famous person with a palindromic first name, except the last name is missing one letter. The last names are in alphabetical order by first name, to aid in identification. For each answer, take the nth letter of the answer, where n is the position of the letter missing from the last name:
- (Ada) Lovelace - 5 - SENS[U]OUSNESS
- (Anna) Kournikova - 3 - SY[N]ONYMS
- (Ara) Parseghian - 5 - SIGN[I]NGS
- (Asa) Hutchinson - 7 - STACCA[T]OS
- (Ava) Gardner - 4 - TEN[E]MENT
- (Bob) Odenkirk - 8 - SHREDDE[R]S
- (Elle) MacPherson - 4 - SCR[E]WERS
- (Eve) Plumb - 5 - NAMI[B]IAN
- (Gig) Young - 1 - [E]LIGIBLE
- (Hannah) Montana - 1 - [R]ECYCLER
- (Idi) Amin - 4 - NOT[A]TION
- (Nan) Talese - 6 - SEA LA[N]ES
- (Natan) Sharansky - 8 - DESISTE[D]
- (Otto) Octavius - 3 - DO[M]OIC ACID
- (Qaqaq) Ashoona - 7 - SNO-CON[E]S
- (Radar) O 'Reilly - 1 - [M]ERIDIEM
These letters spell out UNITE REBER AND MEM. When you put REBER and MEM together in the fashion of the starcrafts, you get RE(MEM)BER.