Memory Alpha:Resource policy

Content

The goal of Memory Alpha is to be the "most definitive, accurate, and accessible encyclopedia and reference" for the Star Trek universe and its associated material. Towards this end, it was necessary to form a consensus about what material should be considered in-universe, and what material should be considered supplementary. Ultimately, this will ensure that Memory Alpha remains useful and authoritative for the widest possible range of fans.

This policy is not intended to mandate what your personal views should be, only what will be considered in-universe on the site.

What information is in-universe on Memory Alpha?

Basically, content from the most complete and recently released version of an episode or film shown on television or screened in a theater can be used as in-universe information.

This means...

• All released episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series
• All released episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series (see FAQ)
• All released episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation
• All released episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• All released episodes of Star Trek: Voyager
• All released episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise
• All released Star Trek films

...are considered canon on Memory Alpha, with the remastered, special, or director's editions of those releases taking precedent. All other material is considered to be supplementary. For more thorough breakdowns of the material Memory Alpha uses, or doesn't use, for articles, please see the resource policy and the frequently asked questions.

Dealing with conflicting information

The preferred approach to dealing with conflicts is that to the greatest extent possible in-universe information should be construed so as not to be in conflict, as the presumption should be that a conflict does not exist unless no other explanation is reasonable under the circumstances.

In the event that two in-universe resources directly conflict with each other, either can be referenced as a valid resource, provided the other is also included in some manner in the article and the conflict noted. Explanations of the conflict and the reason for the selection of one resource over another should appear in a manner that is set off from the main text of the article (for example, in a background note).

Resource

To be the most definitive and accurate encyclopedia and reference for Star Trek, it is necessary for us to restrict to some extent the type of information we accept. Ultimately, this will ensure that Memory Alpha remains useful and authoritative for the widest possible range of fans.

Memory Alpha does not promote any particular view or critical judgment on the various Star Trek related material; this policy only exists to permit an orderly cataloging of the data into manageable categories with a minimum of conflict and a maximum amount of fidelity to the material. With that in mind, archivists should at all times be tolerant and respectful of other viewpoints, opinions, and conclusions.

Summary of the policy

Articles need to cite each resource used as the basis for their information. Generally, everything seen or heard in any Star Trek episode or film can be used as a resource for a in-universe article.

Information from other valid resources can be used in an appendix section, or in a real world article. For example, dialogue in scripts that was cut from the finished product or information from the the Star Trek Encyclopedia should be noted in the relevant article's background information section, while information from official novels and similar publications would be included under an apocrypha section.

More specific details and exceptions are below, and in our FAQ.

Article types

On Memory Alpha, we differentiate between two types of articles:

• In-universe articles or Trek universe articles. These articles are written about subjects inside the Star Trek universe, using an "in-universe" point of view. Subjects can include events, objects, or anything mentioned in an episode or film. They must adhere strictly to the in-universe POV.
• Real world articles or Trek franchise articles. These articles are written from a "meta" or "real world" point of view, and are written about the Star Trek franchise. Subjects can include articles about the production of the episodes and films themselves, as well as articles about novels, games, and other official materials, as well as pages about the actors and actresses.

Citations

In-universe articles require that all statements of fact be supported by a reference to an identified valid in-universe source. Failure to identify a valid source, or use of a source that is not considered in-universe, may result in removal or revision of the associated statement and/or article.

Real world articles should have citations as necessary, but the citations only have to be from a Memory Alpha valid resource.

For information on how to reference sources, see Memory Alpha:Cite your sources.

Valid resources

In-universe resources

The following are valid resources from the episodes and films and may be referenced in in-universe articles as citations, in descending order of precedence:

1. Spoken dialogue (what is said)
2. Visual material (what is seen)
3. Aural material (what is heard that is not dialogue)

Images used in in-universe sections of articles should be from a valid source. Visual material seen in Trek universe resources can be supplemented by clearer images of the identical material seen (for example, production art identifiable as being the same as shown on screen but more legible) if the image is from a valid supplementary resource or otherwise generally and publicly available from a verifiable production source, and if the clearer image does not break the POV. Recreations of valid material (for example, images of rank insignia or signage) should strive for complete accuracy of the source material.

There are only two exceptions where material not directly seen or heard in an episode or film may be used in a section considered to be in-universe:

1. To name items or people that were seen on-screen but not referred to by name, and
2. for dating certain events in the Trek universe where no "hard" date was given.

For example, names such as Livingston and Neural were not mentioned on-screen, but are derived from production sources. The primary reason for this is to avoid creating a large number of "unnamed" subject pages when an official name already exists. Dates, such as 2285 for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, that were derived from official reference materials may be used to prevent labeling a number of episodes or films as being set in the 2260s, 2360s, etc, but these dates should be considered "soft". A background note explaining the source for the information should be provided if either of these options is used. In the event that any of this information contradicts on-screen information, however, then the information stated on-screen will take precedence.

Supplementary resources

Production and reference materials

The following resources may be referenced in Trek universe articles in an appendix section, or formatted as a background note as described in Memory Alpha's Manual of Style.

1. Reference works created by production staff
   • The Star Trek Encyclopedia
   • The Star Trek Chronology
   • The Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual
   • The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual
   • Portions of the Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual
2. Material used day-to-day by production staff
   • Any writer/director's guide for a Trek series (aka "Writer's Bible")
   • Any writer/director's technical manual for a Trek series (aka "Which Button Do I Push to Fire the Phasers?")
   • Any scripts of an episode; provided that spelling can be used as valid resources, but will not take precedence over spelling seen on-screen in an episode.
3. Other information derived from production staff
   • Information from StarTrek.com
   • Supplementary DVD materials (for example, interviews, commentary, documentaries – anything that is not the episode itself)
   • Background information from the production staff (from interviews with Rick Sternbach, Michael Okuda, etc.)
   • Closed-captioned dialogue; provided that spelling can be used as valid resources, but will not take precedence over spelling seen in a script or on-screen in an episode.
4. Reference works created by non-production staff
   • The Star Trek: Star Charts
   • Any "making of" publication (for example, The Making of Star Trek)
   • Any authorized non-fiction reference works (for example, blueprints)
   • Movie and television teasers, trailers, or other promotional material.
   • Deleted or alternative scenes from episodes or films as compared to those from the most complete release, such as the difference between a remastered or director's cut when compared to an original or theatrical release.
   • Portions of sets, props, makeup, and costumes to the extent not seen on-screen in an episode, even if they existed in real life.
   • Scripts, series, and other material contemplated but not produced and released (for example, Star Trek: Phase II)
   • Any other behind-the-scenes or production material

Please note that text from these works should not be repeated verbatim in articles. The relevant information should not be referenced in every possible article, but only in the most relevant one. For example, include information about Spock's species on the page for Vulcans, and not in every article that mentions Spock.

Reception resources

Reviews and ratings from professional, published sources are acceptable, though not required, background information, while public reviews and rating polls are not. For example, reviews and ratings from the "all critics" section on review aggregator websites like Rotten Tomatoes are acceptable, while reviews and ratings from the "audience" section are not acceptable.

Nielsen ratings should generally be limited to the first airing of an episode. Reviews from film critics should be used sparingly, generally with a single blurb on either side for neutrality.

Apocrypha resources

The following resources may be referenced in Trek universe articles, but should only appear in an "apocrypha" section, or formatted as a background note as described in Memory Alpha's Manual of Style.

• Authorized fiction books
• Authorized comic books
• Authorized games

• Care should be taken regarding the quantity of such information included as Memory Alpha's primary purpose does not extend to detailed coverage of "extended universe" Trek. Archivists should use the section more as guidance for further independent study by a reader outside of Memory Alpha than a comprehensive review or extensive description.
• Generally, cover art and similar imagery should not be used except on the Trek franchise page for that material.
• Apocrypha resources are not to be the basis of an independent Trek universe article if not mentioned in or part of an episode or film (for example, characters, ships, and events not part of the episodes are not to have primary articles created for them).
• As with production and reference materials above, relevant information should not be referenced in every possible article, but only in the most relevant one.
• Simple name-dropped references should not be mentioned, only instances where information about the subject is expanded upon.

Tolerance in valid resources

The following matters will not affect the validity of a resource:

• Different actors portraying the same character (for example, Saavik).
• Differences in actors' appearance over the years (for example, Frakes in "These Are the Voyages..." and Frakes in "The Pegasus").
• Sophistication of optical effects (for example, streaming stars at warp, CGI).
• Use of interior sets for exterior locations, or other such matters due to film production capabilities
• Production mistakes (for example, microphones in shot; differences due to different "takes" being used in editing; post-production errors or artifacts; etc.).
• The archivist's assessment of the trustworthiness of the character who is the source of the resource (for example, Harry Mudd), or the archivist's assessment of the overall accuracy of the information contained in the resource. Archivists are, however, free to describe the resource's data in the article as "Character X stated that..." if there is a desire to imply that the resource may not be entirely accurate; though any further commentary on the perceived accuracy of a resource should be confined to an appendix section rather than in the body of the article)
• Conflicts in valid resources. In writing articles, archivists should be guided by the principle that to the greatest extent possible valid resources should be construed so as not to be in conflict, unless no other explanation is reasonable under the circumstances. A valid resource with a higher precedence can, but does not always have to, be given slightly greater evidentiary weight for the purposes of writing the article from a Trek universe standpoint. The conflict still needs to be noted, though.

Invalid resources

The following resources are considered invalid and should generally not be referenced in any article on Memory Alpha:

• Blueprints, specifications, or diagrams not seen in a valid resource (including such items as Ships of the Star Fleet)
• Fan fiction of any kind
• Fan reference works of any kind
• Websites, unless information is also contained in a valid reference; provided that links to non-commercial external websites of interest can be included in an "external links" or similar section.

FAQ

What is "canon" exactly?

There exist different definitions of what can be regarded as canon. At Memory Alpha, we always try to stick to the following, most common definition.

• Technically, canon is what "The Powers That Be" (those people in control of the Star Trek franchise, from the writers, to producers, to Viacom and Paramount Pictures, also referred to as "TPTB") pay attention to in the making of new Star Trek episodes. Everything that was shown in a previous episode has to be canon in this respect. After all, if someone/something can be seen on screen, it should not be allowed to deny their/its existence.
• Official publications by the Okudas, Rick Sternbach, Herman Zimmerman, Doug Drexler, or other people directly involved in the production process may be as good as canon, since this is where the writers and producers look up the facts. Even if these books are supplemented with some information like dates or starship specs not mentioned in the show, this might be important to limit the room for speculation.
• Still, even anything stated in the series or movies may be doubted, where it is not consistent (the 79 decks of the Enterprise-A, for instance). We don't have to buy everything and make up twisted explanations where logic and common sense fail.
• Finally, there is the huge category of fan fiction all of which is non-canon, including all novels, games, RPGs and fan-made webpages. It is obvious that this strict definition is necessary, since Kirk would have lived around 10,000 years and Starfleet would have some 1,000,000 warships if all this fiction were "true". Even the novels and games authorized by Paramount are non-canon, considering that "authorized" merely means that a license is given to a third party which doesn't oblige Paramount to anything. For instance, although many fans accept that the Insurrection scout was imprudently christened "Venture-class" in a game, it will almost definitely get a different class name in the Okudas' next Encyclopedia - or, more likely, none at all.

Why don't you distinguish better what is canon information and what was made up?

For the time being, ALL information included in Memory Alpha that pertains to the Star Trek universe must be canon. Speculation is limited to very obvious conclusions and always explicitly marked as such - please adhere to the systematic use of the subjunctive, of "could, would, might be" and little words like "if" or "perhaps." Unlike most other websites and especially many databanks, we don't make up any information, even if this leaves wide gaps in the lists and charts.

Okay, so why do you have novels and comics listed here? Those aren't canon!

Although we may be restricting information about the Trek universe itself to canon for the time being, we also can't ignore the novels, comics, and other parts of the Trek franchise which have contributed to its success over the years. Therefore, we're including lists for topics outside of the POV of our canon articles (i.e. all actors, episodes, movies, novels, etc. - stuff in the real world) to create a useful reference base that we can build from in the future.

Lists of "non-canon" or "apocryphal" topics on Memory Alpha
novels • comics • reference works • games • collectibles • fan fiction

And what about The Animated Series?

With the release of The Animated Series DVD collection, the studio appears to have changed its stance, and is now leaning towards the animated series as part of established canon.

While TAS had originally been officially declared "apocryphal" by the studio, the studio and Memory Alpha consider it to be too important to simply ignore. TAS was created by the same people as TOS, and is certainly not completely incompatible with the live-action shows. In short, Memory Alpha considers The Animated Series to be canon.

Why are you so strict about "canonicity" anyway?

Until Memory Alpha develops a larger article base as a reference source, we want to ensure the greatest possible reliability for all readers and contributors. This means restricting the kinds of articles we accept to those that are most familiar - and for the Trek universe, that means Roddenberry's definition of canon.

There are people who accept only canon – because they know the Okudas' Encyclopedia by heart or because they just don't accept anything else. On the other hand, there are the kind who stir up canon and fandom at will – because they either don't know that much and believe anything they see or read or because they don't want their creativity be limited by the strict yet contradictory canon of TPTB. We know lots of both types of fan and every shade in between. One typical situation is that some people in a message board explicitly talk about the number of nacelles on canon starships and someone throws in that the Federation class and Saladin class (from Franz Joseph's Star Fleet Technical Manual) are odd-nacelled. The result is a useless discussion about the term "canon," about the value of canon, about the authority of Roddenberry, Okuda, Paramount or Pocket Books, about books which should be considered canon because they are written by Jeri Taylor, about Colonel West and the Starfleet Marines, and so on. Since we're tired of such discussions, we go with TPTB and agree with their definition of canon (but not necessarily everything they tell me), while we encourage anyone to include whatever he likes to his personal view of the Star Trek universe. We would never want to miss the fan-made stuff all around the planet because they really enrich the universe, no matter if we "believe" in them. We probably can't help those who don't even want to see anything that was not released by Paramount or the other extreme group, those who don't care about the idea of Star Trek and are turning Starfleet into a military organization with big-gunned warships. For anyone in between, canon is a common ground. Everything else is left to our imagination and tolerance or better, mutual understanding. There are always possibilities!

Why is this article in past tense? The article's subject still exists!

Although it may seem odd to read that "Humans were a species" or that the "Federation was an interstellar republic", it is necessary for Memory Alpha's point of view.

Because Star Trek stories take place in many different eras, from the beginnings of life on Earth to the 29th century and beyond, and because forthcoming stories may even expand beyond that, it is important to write all articles from a single perspective: i.e. that of someone looking back at the past. This helps to keep Memory Alpha consistent and understandable. If it helps, pretend that we're writing and viewing this data archive long after the Star Trek universe as we know it has ceased to exist.

This means using the past tense in almost all instances. For further information, please see Memory Alpha: Point of view.

How do I cite valid and canon resources?

All "in-universe" POV articles should be cited with link to an article about its source in a primary resource (A valid series, i.e. only episodes and films verifiably from the TOS, TAS, TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, or Star Trek films series).

Articles should be cited both to a primary resource and a secondary resource if the information is derived from a secondary publication or information gathering method (such as an interview or document from another source). This applies to names, spellings, words or topics not immediately discernible from the filmed version but accessible through a resource that verifies it was devised for the production itself (not after the fact), and not contradicted by more prominent information.

Article cited to a primary resource

Blah blah, Blah-blah-blah blah blah blah blah-blah. Blah-blah, etc. (TOS: "The Cage")

Article cited to a primary and secondary resource (small background section)

Blah blah, Blah-blah-blah blah blah blah blah-blah. Blah-blah, etc. (TOS: "The Cage")

This was not in dialog or readable on screen, but the script listed the spelling and details about this topic.

Article cited to a primary and secondary resource (large background section)

Blah blah, Blah-blah-blah blah blah blah blah-blah. Blah-blah, etc. (TOS: "The Cage")

Background information

This was not readable on screen, but a photographic print in the Star Trek: Blah blah-blah book shows the blah blah-blah. Blah blah, Blah-blah-blah blah blah blah blah-blah. Blah-blah, etc.

Implicit or explicit research citation

It is possible to explicitly or implicitly cite a secondary source; the list of secondary sources to link to is currently expanding on Memory Alpha.

Implicit (No link)

Background information

The script listed the spelling...

Currently, MA offers no links to resources of episode scripts, but archivists who legally own scripts can attest to their content, even if there is nothing to link to. MA consensus has previously decided that reproducing entire episodic scripts on this site would be a copyright policy violation.

Explicit (Linked)

Background information

A photo of this starship model was published in the Star Trek Encyclopedia.

This is a Memory Alpha article about the secondary resource being cited, that we can explicitly link to.

Background information

An offsite interview with the senior executive producer stated that the missing dialogue was 'blah-blah blah'.

This is a non-Memory Alpha information source about the secondary resource being cited that we can explicitly link to.