Beam me from the womb, Scotty: Sci-Fi the next universe for baby names

Now comes Brooklyn writer Robert Schnakenberg with a new source: science fiction characters.

His just-published book Sci-Fi Baby Names (Quirk, $12.95) offers 500 monikers from the world of Superman, Dr. Who, the Enterprise and the Matrix. You could go for something truly odd, such as Tuvok, the name of the Vulcan male security guard in the TV series ''Star Trek: Voyager.'' Or for something more mundane, such as Ellen - for Ellen Ripley, the heroine of the four ''Alien'' movies.

Babies are the courageous explorers of brave new worlds so why not name them after the most memorable characters in science fiction? Sci-Fi Baby Names compiles more than 500 distinctive names from movies, books, and television shows into a handy illustrated reference. Choose "James" to honor the captain of the starship Enterprise. Choose "Leia" (or "Leah") to honor the sister of Luke Skywalker. Choose "Neo" to salute the ultra-cool messiah from The Matrix. Hardcore fans can go even further with exotic names like "Barbarella," "Beldar," and "Tron" (just don't send us the therapy bills). Arranged by category for quick reference with chapters such as Power Names, Feminine Names, and Intellectual Names Sci-Fi Baby Names is a terrific gift for expecting parents and a wonderful roll call of our favorite science-fiction characters.