Star Trek (CIC: DKM-4129-387-GR) is one of the most famous science fiction continua. Created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s, it now consists of seven television series, thirteen movies, and an extensive collection of expanded universe novels.
Overview[]
Set in Earth's future, the Star Trek universe depicts an optimistic future in which Humans have allied themselves with various alien races (most prominently, the Vulcans) and created an "interstellar republic," known as the United Federation of Planets, and its scientific/military service, Starfleet. The Federation exists among and interacts with various other alien cultures, including Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, and the Borg. Each of the series revolves around the senior crew of a Starfleet ship (three of which are named Enterprise) or a space station.
The episodes and films generally have action or adventure plots, but the franchise is known for dealing with difficult social and ethical issues, including racism, drug addiction, homosexuality, suicide, and intercultural clashes. The science fiction premise allows such issues to be explored without causing friction or offense by illustrating those aspects of human behavior as traits of alien cultures. Nonetheless, the original series was considered highly controversial in the 1960s, since it had among its principal characters a Japanese man, a Russian man, and an African woman, though they all served under a white American male captain.
Extremely popular, Star Trek has also influenced and inspired a number of technological advances in the Real World, although the physics of such things are notoriously unlikely to ever be realized themselves. Fan conventions are common, and fans are generally known as "Trekkies" or "Trekkers."
More about Star Trek can be found on Wikipedia and at the Star Trek wiki, Memory Alpha. Information about the expanded universe can be found at Memory Beta.
The Series[]
Roddenberry's original pilot episode produced was called "The Cage" and starred Captain Christopher Pike; his first officer, Number One; Doctor Phil Boyce; and science officer Spock. The episode was rejected by the studio, and so the script was re-developed. The bulk of the footage was eventually used in an episode of the Original Series and, within canon, took place some fifteen years before James T. Kirk became captain of the Enterprise.
The Original Series[]
- Main article: Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series (originally simply titled Star Trek) first aired in 1966. Set in the twenty-third century (the year 2265), it focuses on the cowboy-like adventures of Captain Kirk, the crew of the first Enterprise, and their five-year space mission. The series only lasted three years before being cancelled, but gained popularity during subsequent re-runs, and eventually, six movies were made.
Main Characters:
- Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner)
- First Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy)
- Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley)
- Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott ("Scotty") (James Doohan)
- Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols)
- Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu (George Takei)
- Ensign Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig)
Other Characters:
- Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett)
- Yeoman Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney)
PPC agents should note that it is this series which is responsible for the Redshirt Effect, as it was very common for nameless security officers (who wore red uniforms in this era) to accompany Kirk and other lead characters on the away mission of the week, and promptly die to illustrate how dangerous the situation was.
The Animated Series[]
Star Trek: The Animated Series was launched in 1973, following the cancellation of the Original Series. It features all the major characters of the first show, and the voices of the original actors. This series lasted two years before being cancelled and is not always considered a proper part of Star Trek canon.
The 2009 Reboot[]
In 2009, in an attempt to "reboot" the Trek franchise (which had produced no new material since the cancellation of Enterprise in 2005), an eleventh feature film (generally known as Star Trek: 2009 or Star Trek: Reboot) was made with new actors playing the roles of the Original Series characters, set in the year 2255, when most of them were attending tarfleet Academy. It was a great success, and because the plot revolves around a time-travel incident that created an alternate universe in 2233, it allowed for sequels. Star Trek Into Darkness was released in 2013, and Star Trek Beyond in 2016.
Main Characters:
- James T. Kirk (Chris Pine)
- Spock (Zachary Quinto)
- Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban)
- Nyota Uhura (Zoë Saldana)
- Hikaru Sulu (John Cho)
- Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin)
- Montgomery Scott ("Scotty") (Simon Pegg)
Other Characters:
- Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood)
- Spock Prime (Leonard Nimoy)
- Nero (Eric Bana)
- Sarek (Ben Cross)
- Amanda Grayson (Winona Ryder)
- George Kirk (senior) (Chris Hemsworth)
- Winona Kirk (Jennifer Morrison)
- Gaila (Rachel Nichols)
- John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch)
The Next Generation[]
- Main article: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation first aired in 1987. Set one hundred years after Kirk's time, in the twenty-fourth century (2364), this series revolves around the crew of the Enterprise-D. For its first three seasons, TNG remained very similar to the Original Series in visual appearance and story content, after which it shifted to a more "modern" style. The series ran for seven years and was followed by four movies.
Main Characters:
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart)
- First Officer William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes)
- Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner)
- Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton)
- Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn)
- Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis)
- Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden)
- Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton)
Other Characters:
- Lieutenant Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby)
- Doctor Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur)
- Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg)
- Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney)
- Q (John de Lancie)
- Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett)
- Lieutenant Reginald Barclay
- Ensign Ro Laren
Deep Space Nine[]
- Main article: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine first aired in 1993. Set at about the same time as TNG (2369), it is the only Trek series set on a space station instead of a starship. This relatively fixed setting (near the planet Bajor) allowed the series to develop much longer story arcs (including the Dominion War, which spanned seasons, not just episodes) and complex character relationships. The series ran for seven years.
Main Characters:
- Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks)
- Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor)
- Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois)
- Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell)
- Doctor Julian Bashir (Siddig El Fadil / Alexander Siddig)
- Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney)
- Quark (Armin Shimerman)
- Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton)
- Lieutenant Commander Worf (Michael Dorn)
- Ensign Ezri Dax (Nicole de Boer)
Other Characters:
Voyager[]
- Main article: Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager first aired in in 1995 and is set around the same time as TNG and DS9 (year 2371). The overall storyline revolves around the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager, who are stranded on the far side of the galaxy (the Delta quadrant, 75,000 light years from Earth) and struggling to make their way home. Although the story begins with the Starfleet and Maquis crew members at odds with each other, the crew eventually forms a very close family unit. The series ran for seven years and is chronologically last, ending in 2378.
Main Characters:
- Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew)
- Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran)
- Lieutenant Commander Tuvok (Tim Russ)
- Chief Engineer B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson)
- Lieutenant Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill)
- The Doctor (Robert Picardo)
- Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang)
- Neelix (Ethan Phillips)
- Kes (Jennifer Lien)
- Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan)
Other Characters:
- Engineer Joe Carey
- Seska
- Icheb
- Naomi Wildman
- Ensign Vorik
Enterprise[]
- Main article: Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise (originally titled just Enterprise) first aired in 2001. It is a prequel to all other Trek series, being set in twenty-second century (2151), one hundred years prior to Kirk's time and about one hundred years after First Contact between Humans and Vulcans. The series largely revolves around "setting up" all the familiar features of the other series, including technology and the political foundations of the Federation. Predating Starfleet, the NX-Enterprise is the first Earth ship capable of reaching warp five, and therefore the first to leave Earth's solar system and truly explore space. The series was cancelled in 2005, after four seasons.
Main Characters:
- Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula)
- Subcomander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock)
- Chief Engineer Charles "Trip" Tucker III (Connor Trinneer)
- Lieutenant Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating)
- Doctor Phlox (John Billingsley)
- Linguist Hoshi Sato (Linda Park)
- Ensign Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery)
Other Characters:
- Admiral Maxwell Forrest
- Ambassador Soval
- Commander Shran
- Crewman Daniels
Alien Species[]
There are a lot of alien species in the Trek universe. The most common and/or significant of these are:
- Vulcans: A calm, logical race of people who spend their lives suppressing all emotion, the Vulcans are the co-founders of the Federation, along with Humans. They have pointy ears (and eyebrows), as well as green, copper-based blood.
- Klingons: A proud warrior race, Klingons were the Federation's principal enemy during Kirk's era, but had become its strongest ally by the mid-twenty-fourth century. This alliance was briefly terminated during the Dominion War (DS9), but was resurrected.
- Romulans: Distant cousins of the Vulcans, the Romulans are secretive, militaristic, and paranoid. They have an intelligence arm known as the Tal'Shiar and were at war with the fledgling Federation during the late twenty-second century. During the Dominion War, they joined forces with the Klingons and Federation against the Founders.
- Borg: A cybernetic race that seeks its own form of "perfection," the Borg are a ruthless enemy of every other species. Existing as a collective hive mind (lead by a Queen), they assimilate other races by injecting victims with microscopic nanoprobes, which quickly transform anyone into a mindless, partly-mechanical drone.
- Cardassians: Grey-skinned and reptilian in appearance, the (actually warm-blooded) Cardassians have a rich culture but a society that is ruled by the military. They occupied the planet Bajor for sixty years, stripping it of its mineral resources and forcing the Bajorans into labor camps. They made an alliance with the Dominion, but were essentially betrayed during the war and began a rebellion (with Federation assistance).
- Ferengi: A profit-oriented race, the Ferengi are a fairly short people, with hairless heads and large ears. They have little interest in politics but are excellent (if ruthless and often unfair) businessmen. Female Ferengi are forbidden to leave their homeworld or wear clothes.
- Andorians: A blue-skinned race with white hair and antennae, the Andorians are a proud and prominent member of the Federation, though prior to its founding, they had a long-running feud with the neighboring Vulcans.
- Bajorans: A fairly peaceful race prior to their occupation by Cardassians, Bajorans look mostly like Humans, save for ridges on the bridge of the nose. Despite suffering heavy losses to their population and culture during the Occupation, they remain a deeply spiritual people and worship the aliens who live in the nearby Bajoran Wormhole, whom they call "the Prophets."
- Changelings: Also known as "the Founders," this race of shape-shifters originated in the Gamma Quadrant and established the Dominion, which included in it the Vorta and the Jem'Hadar (their genetically engineered soldiers).
With the exception of Borg and the Changelings, most of the above races are capable of producing half-blood children together, though sometimes it requires medical assistance. Though this is highly implausible in the Real World, one TNG episode involves an ancient humanoid race that "seeded the primordial oceans" of many planets, including Earth, thereby implying that many (if not all) the races have a very ancient common ancestor.
Trek Technology[]
Technology in the Trekverse is considerably advanced, particularly in the field of medicine. Some of the most common examples are:
- Warp drive: Ships in the Trek universe (with a few exceptions) are powered by a "warp drive" engine that mixes matter and anti-matter and is able to propel a ship at faster-than-light speeds. Warp factor one (generally just called Warp One) is the speed of light, higher warp factors are the factor cubed multiplied by the speed of light. In the Enterprise era, no Earth ship could travel faster than Warp Five, but Vulcan ships could. By the Voyager era, maximum speed was Warp Nine-point-nine (Warp Ten was a theoretical possibility, but a disaster in practice. However, in the final TNG episode, set partially in the future, Warp Thirteen is referenced).
- Transporters: Essentially a teleporter, this is a common method of personal transportation in the Trek universe. It disassembles the molecules of the subject (be that a person, plant, or object) and reassembles them at another location. Distance is limited, but by the TNG era, it is considered "the safest way to travel."
- Replicators: Working on the same basic principles as the transporter, replicators in Trek are mainly used to produce food (though characters often complain that it's not as good as the real thing), but can also create any number of complex objects, as long as the computer has the pattern in its database. It cannot create anything alive.
- (Replicators are used by the PPC for numerous purposes.)
- Holodeck: A usually recreational room in which landscapes, objects, and even people can be re-created by a computer using "photons and forcefields." A Trekverse hologram is a person or object generated by a computer in the same manner, and exactly which of them can be considered sentient is a matter of debate (Voyager's Doctor, for example, is treated as a real person, but puppet-like recreations of real people are not). All holograms require some sort of emitter to exist and will simply vanish if their power source is damaged. Holodecks did not exist prior to the TNG/DS9/Voyager era.
Time Travel, the Mirror Universe and other Alternate Universes[]
Through the course of several hundred episodes, Star Trek has included a number of semi-unusual episodes that are worth noting here.
Time travel is a common feature, with (for some odd reason) a particular inclination towards the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Holodeck episodes (generally revolving around some sort of dangerous malfunction in the otherwise-fantasy settings) are fairly common in TNG, DS9, and Voyager, and a handful of episodes exist in which some past event has been changed, therefore altering the "future" (the present for the characters in question, who must, of course, fix the problem).
There is also the Mirror Universe, an alternate and parallel Trek universe where the tyrannical Terran Empire reigns supreme and the personalities of every character are inverted, generally making the "good guys" evil and the "bad guys" good. The Original Series, DS9, and Enterprise all have Mirror Universe episodes, and presumably the characters from TNG and Voyager also exist there.
Star Trek in Fanfiction[]
Star Trek is one of the oldest fandoms around and fanfic has been written for it since work was published in fanzines, before the Internet was established. Kirk and Spock are widely regarded as the first slash pairing, and the term "Mary Sue" originated in a fic by Paula Smith which parodied Trek OCs.
Star Trek and the PPC[]
Star Trek has had two OFUs over the years, and two separate mini types as a result. The earliest was the Official Fanfiction Academy of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, written by Hellfire04. Its minis are mini-Tribbles. Guess which incarnation of Star Trek it specialized in.
The more recent one, the Official Fanfiction Academy of Starfleet, is written by the PPC's own Hermione of Vulcan and can be read here. On this campus' planet, Q turns the mini-Tribbles into mini-Gorn, a more effective combat form. This OFU focuses on Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager.
Agents Native to Star Trek[]
- Castor Parwill
- Crelmos
- Infinity
- Iza
- Kozar
- Lora Riker
- Lorian
- Meijer, a former Starfleet science officer
- Natalie Green
- Quen
- Salok
- Sebak
- T'Lyra
- T'Zar
- Turik
- Agent Morgan's unnamed Klingon partner during the 1990s HST
Missions in this Continuum[]
All reports are listed alphabetically by agent name, in the case of agents with multiple missions, or by mission name.
Agents Specialized in this Continuum[]
Agents are considered specialized in a continuum when they have handled at least three missions in the canon. Most of these agents are also active/specialized in other continua. It is often not the agents who decide where their specialty lies, but the Flowers that keep assigning missions to them.
- Agent Alec Troven (DI)
- "The Many Deaths of Marrissa Picard"
- "Q Is Saved by Mary Sue" (TNG x Touched by an Angel)
Agents Not Yet Specialized in this Continuum[]
Agents with fewer than three missions in this continuum are not specialized, yet. They probably soon will be.
- Agent Sedri (DMS)
- "Tom Paris is NOT a Wimp" (Voyager), with Iza
- "The CMO's Daughter" (Star Trek: 2009), with trainee Marsha
- "Illogical in All the Right Ways" (Star Trek: 2009), Agents Eledhwen and Christianne (DMS)
- "(Look at me) Looking in your eyes" (Star Trek: 2009), Agents Trojanhorse and Paddlebrains (DBS)
- "A New Beginning" (Voyager), Agents Tasmin and Emma Julia (DMS - Doctor Who/Torchwood)
- "Star Trek Voyager Love and War," Part 1, Part 2 (Voyager), Agents Cyba Zero and Eagrus Khan (DTE)
- "'Worlds Meet' and Alec waxes homicidal" (TOS), Team Phoenix (DF/DMS)
Crossovers[]
- "Prime Mover" (crossover with Star Wars), with the Reader and Kozar (DIC) and Desdendelle and the Librarian (DF)