This was mentioned before, and it seems like a good way to go in formatting Memory Beta entries... The examples you gave show the various continuities in chronological order of their initial appearance, which also seems like a good way to avoid the notion that they're somehow listed in order of preference. Since the situation with ST tie-ins isn't nearly as complicated as that of something like the Transformers franchise (you only mentioned the iterations of one version of Optimus Prime, without even going into other versions like, say, the live-action movie version), and they've found a way to handle it that's easy to follow (even for someone like me, who's mostly just a G1 cartoon guy), then it should be quite feasible to work out something similar for this wiki.
which is because, in case you don't know, other continuity versions of characters are dealt with on seperate pages. IE, G1/G2 Prime, Robots in Disguise Prime, Armada/Energon/Cybertron Prime, Bayformers Prime, Animated Prime, Prime from Transformers: Prime, etc. Likewise at the Joepaedia, Snake Eyes gets an ARAH page, a ROC movie page, a Sigma 6 page and (probably) an Extreme page. Trekwise, i think MU, Abramsverse and regular versions would be the closest set needed.
Aside: I don't keep up on the STO community or anything, but apparently the developers there have specifically stated in videos, interviews, and forum posts that CBS has plans for a future series/movie involving the 25th Century and the stories put forth inside Star Trek Online and that Star Trek Online is being treated as "new Star Trek canon" inside CBS. Regardless, as one of the admins at both Memory Alpha and Beta, you're all welcome to start (or re-start) contributing to both Wikis, and look over the policies and practices, and please comment on this thread with suggestions. In short, let's keep discussions and ideas as to how to improve MB on MB, so that future generations of Wiki editors can look back and see that we were all out to lunch.
Obviously references for that kind of information are required. I'm merely going by what I was told. I've asked for references, but have seen nothing as yet.
It sounds like just rumors/wishful thinking. There are no more series being planned (no references, means it doesn't exist). Only the Abramsverse films. If there was a new series on the way, we'd have heard about it by now.
Not necessarily. Granted, CBS is deferring to Paramount and Abrams for now, letting the film franchise take the lead a while longer before they initiate a new series, but that doesn't mean they haven't at least given some thought to what they'd eventually do. If something had actually been put into active development, we'd probably have heard, but if it's just preliminary discussion about CBS's long-term strategy for the franchise, that wouldn't necessarily be public. I'd be amazed if nobody at CBS has had any discussions on the subject at all. That said, as long as this assertion comes only from the ST:O people, it's hearsay. It could be true, or it could be that the CBS folks are telling the ST:O folks what they want to hear. And even if it's true that someone at CBS currently has the idea to base a future series on ST:O, that doesn't necessarily mean that's what will actually happen, because preliminary plans like that can be changed or abandoned along the way.
So it's OK to go by what the people in STO say what might happen in the future, but it's not OK to go by what an author who is current a book says will happen in that book? That certainly sounds like favoring STO to me. I also just want to point out that I have been trying to keep things civil in the discussion in the Terran Empire page, but Captain Mike won't even consider what I'm saying. That is where people start getting frustrated, when it feels like what we are saying is being ignored.
Specifically the whole galaxy being at war with each other. Kinda needed to support a video game (entire galaxy at peace, not so fun to play!), but pretty silly from the perspective of the Trek universe. Will admit it's kinda entertaining to watch the MB guys be proud that the writers reference them, and say it's a good resource, but on the other hand, actively disregard anything that results from that in favor of the video game. To the point where they're actually telling the guy WRITING the story that things aren't going the way he's saying they are. Going to quickly stop being a resource if it goes in that direction without making a clear Novel line/STO split somewhere... Also, this whole discussion is a bit silly, because the Terran Empire doesn't even really play much of a storyline role in STO. Couple of episodes, and then really just a way to show 'evil' versions of the Starfleet ships flying around. Pretty much a non-factor.
Really? Then someone had better tell CBS, because I just checked out this rumor with the head of Star Trek licensing at CBS Consumer Products. His answer: Star Trek Online=NOT CANON. Thanks for playing. Pick up your Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco Treat™, on your way out of the studio, and be sure to play the home game.
Still, let's face it: if CBS did produce a new Trek series set in the Prime-universe 24th or 25th century, it would contradict the current novel continuity anyway, regardless of whether it was based on ST:O or not. Just as TNG and its successors contradicted a lot of stuff from the '80s book continuity anchored by the Rihannsu books and The Final Reflection.
Same here. You know, as many times as I heard that darned jingle as my grandmother watched the Price is Right when I was young, I just had it for the first time the other day when my local Wal-Mart stopped selling Uncle Ben's. I was pretty good. It's just funny how much Rice-A-Roni prodcut placement I've seen lately. - Byron
Very, very true. It is one of the risks all creators of licensed tie-in works accept as part of our job: though we strive to make our work as consistent with canon as it exists at the time we are creating, future canonical works can contradict our creations at any time, rendering them apocryphal. Which is part of why one should love the franchise and take pleasure in the work itself. On another subject: Captain Mike, I apologize for insulting you upthread and welcome you cordially to the TrekBBS literary forum.