I dislike crosswords, and indeed all word games. That is probably because I make my living with words. But I decided to try this 1969 puzzle created by Andy Probert, later a noted Star Trek illustrator. It was published in issue 11 of the Inside Star Trek newsletter.

Probert is undeniably a talented artist but his crossword skills were not all that we would wish. There are 11 entries that have the wrong number of squares, require incorrect letters (SPVCK) or are simply missing from the grid.

Find out for yourself by completing the puzzle. Below are scans of the crossword pages and also the answer sheet, along with JPG download links.

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But, take note, don’t get hung up on the following entries, because they are just wrong for various reasons.

ACROSS

• 25
• 28
• 32
• 62
• 69
• 70

DOWN

• 2
• 7
• 12
• 18
• 62

One more tip: 2 down is “Tube containing much engine circuitry” and the answer is obvious if you know your Trek but a spelling error is required to get it to fit. 

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The answers

Here is the answer page, which was published in issue 12. The editor added this note: “Due to a printing error, there are discrepancies in the crossword puzzle.”

Right. A printing error.

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Even the answer sheet had issues. 42 down, Research area (abbr)., is LAB, and this fits in the puzzle, but for some reason the answer is listed above as RAR. Another of those pesky printing errors.