Each of the rows is missing all of its vowels. Once the words are reconstituted, they look like this:
- Star Wars Characters:
- PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA (11)
- COUNT DOOKU (6)
- ADMIRAL ACKBAR (7)
- Classic Board Games:
- THE GAME OF LIFE (11)
- SNAKES AND LADDERS (4)
- BATTLESHIP (6)
- Fictional Trains:
- THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE (10)
- THE POLAR EXPRESS (5)
- HOGWARTS EXPRESS (4)
- School Subjects:
- ENGLISH (7)
- MATHEMATICS (7)
- EARTH SCIENCE (4)
- US States:
- OKLAHOMA (4)
- NEVADA (3)
- OHIO (1)
- Pokemon:
- MEWTWO (5)
- EEVEE (4)
- ALAKAZAM (2)
- Animals:
- SPIDER (2)
- HORSESHOE CRAB (12)
- SIBERIAN TIGER (9)
Indexing into each of the full answers by the given numbers reveals the phrase I’d like to what a vowel, Pat. This is a reference to a commonly spoken phrase on Wheel of Fortune, where contestants must buy vowels. The answer is BUY.