Star Trek Universe, a Brief(ish) User Guide

[templemarker]

This is a brief introduction to Star Trek, primarily as a relevant guide for writers new to the vast breadth of and wealth of canon, fanon, books, comics, movies, cartoons, and stuff out there in the universe of Star Trek. It is also what devoured my Tuesday evening like a three year old with a cookie. Three things before we get into it

Comments

[skywaterblue]

Thanks for the hat-tip. I have points of slight contention.

1. I think those articles about Federation economics are totally wrong-headed. One, because the Volokh Conspiracy is a right wing economics blog, so of course they don't like socialism in any form, and two - he clearly is picking and choosing canon, because at the end of the first article (which he spun off into the second article at National Review, and there's your second big warning about his economic stance) he says 'don't comment with all your canon pickings'.

Of course, the comments are a pretty good summary of what's really going on in the Federation - I just wish there was a better article attached.

2. Cardassians as a threat:

The Federation fought a BIG border war with these guys prior to the start of TNG - O'Brien basically enlisted to fight them, and the Marquis were formed because in the peace treaty, the Cardassian-Federation border changed so that the Federation gave up some colonized planets. In fact, almost every officer we meet in TNG and DS9 can be

[templemarker]

1. I agree that they're wrong-headed, and I linked to them mostly because I found them to be pretty thought-provoking. The comments in particular are what drew me in; Somin's own intractability with regards to people providing canon examples counter to his own thesis pretty much undercuts what points he makes. What I do think those articles do, however, is make people think about the socio-cultural impact of a non-capitalist society, which is essential to understanding Star Trek (IMO). So, you know, I think they're worthwhile for the counter-argument.

2. You're right! I had forgotten about that, though I shouldn't have. Good point.

[liminalliz]

This is outstanding! Thanks for compling all this info and writing it up so concisely and with so many links and things! Excellent! Thanks!

[templemarker]

You're welcome! I hope it's handy.

[meiou_set]

Very helpful, thank you!

[templemarker]

Most welcome!

[templemarker]

Yay! I'm glad it's useful.

I was just thinking about other TOS characters, actually, so that's going to be my next project. Spock will have to get his own post, I think! There's just way too much stuff.

[simons_flower]

Love this.

I watched TNG obsessively in high school, but TOS only sporadically (to my mother's dismay, no matter how much she tried to get me to watch all TOS episodes). I fell off watching DS9, Voyager and Enterprise, so this is very helpful information about the Cardassians.

About AOS Kirk and AOS Spock's characterizations... there were a few people who argued with me about how off their characters seemed and I immediately protested. I thought their characterizations were perfect for the differences in their histories. I brought them around :)

*bookmarks*

[templemarker]

I thought their characterizations were perfect for the differences in their histories

I concur! Most emphatically regarding Jim Kirk--the argument that angsty rebellious teenage Kirk was out of character is just laughable, because he was *exactly* that way in the TOS universe until he watched his father nearly die for him and nearly died himself! The destruction of Vulcan and over half of his fellow students at the Academy is the same kind of kick in the pants, I think. I thought Kirk's characterization was note-perfect given the circumstances of AOS.

[simons_flower]

One of the other differences, which you haven't touched on here because this isn't about Spock but might want to take into consideration if you do write about him, is that the Romulans were brought to the attention of the Federation at a much earlier point in the AOS.

I honestly wish I could remember who pointed it out to me -- so I could give them credit -- but she made an excellent point. The Romulans (and you point it out here) were a nebulous "we'll avoid you and you avoid us" enemy in TOS. By Nero's incursion into the timeline of the AOS and the destruction of the Kelvin, along with the resulting cascade of changes, the Romulans are a major player in the AOS. What was pointed out is that that has to have played some role in the way Spock was treated, it had to have some influence in the Vulcans already-existing cultural xenophobia. Spock is an anomaly, not only for being half-human, but for being in Starfleet and rejecting traditional Vulcan ways -- in retrospect, it saved his life

[taraljc]

The Earth-Romulan war is still canon since it takes place just after ST:ENT--it's just that Nero and the Narada brought them back into the picture well before "Balance of Terror", and are now the AOS canonical first glimpse by Starfleet of the Romulans. Which led to the Vulcans copping to theri link with the Romulans much earlier, hence uhura speaking 3 diff. dialects of Romulan, and Spock being open about the genetic link.