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Books Whose Information Became Canon

Tiberius1701170

Ensign
Newbie
Not sure exactly how you would define this as a query, but I was wondering what information that was originally in a Star Trek book has made its way into canon. Examples include The Black Fleet (The Final Reflection) being mentioned in ST: DIS, some of Mosaic and Pathways, etc.
 
While writing the first Discovery novel, I named some characters for the USS Shenzhou crew, including Keyla Detmer, Kamran Gant, and Troy Jannuzzi (which they mispronounced as "yah-NOO-zee"). Kirsten Beyer presented my character names and bios to the producers, and those three ended up being used on the show — and Detmer became a series regular and a cult fan favorite.
 
Rather famously, and most likely the very first case of "promotions to canon," from ST:TMP
Scout Columbia NCC six two one to rendezvous with Scout Revere NCC five nine five on stardate seven four one one point four. Further orders to be relayed at that time.
from FJS, Starfleet Technical Manual.

Also various deck plans from FJS, Booklet of General Plans, Constitution Class ("Star Trek Blueprints")
 
Rather famously, and most likely the very first case of "promotions to canon," from ST:TMP

from FJS, Starfleet Technical Manual.

Also various deck plans from FJS, Booklet of General Plans, Constitution Class ("Star Trek Blueprints")

Pretty sure that same Epsilon Nine scene has a fuzzier message come in a few seconds later that begins, "This is dreadnought Entente..."
 
"Federation Standard" is a term from the books first used in canon in Discovery: "New Eden." (I am not sure what book originated it. Anyone know?) It's so ubiquitous in the books I hadn't realized it wasn't canon until "New Eden."

"Ni Var" from Discovery is from a New Voyages short story of that title. (Though, before that, a fanfic thing.)
 
Of course, all of these pale in comparison to the greatest canonization of Star Trek merch ever.

lowerdecks-spockhelmet-01.jpg&h=374&w=316
 
Rather famously, and most likely the very first case of "promotions to canon," from ST:TMP

from FJS, Starfleet Technical Manual.

Also various deck plans from FJS, Booklet of General Plans, Constitution Class ("Star Trek Blueprints")
More recently, the technical specifications of the Enterprise from the SFTM were used as set dressing in DSC S02E01 (although they wouldn't actually work with the altered proportions of the Discoprise) and the Federation emblem of Discovery having the humanoid faces of the one in the SFTM.
GnHNL38.jpg


The co-ordinates of Talos IV in Discovery season 2 comes from the 1986 FASA sourcebook The Federation.

Many, many dates throughout Trek have been based on ones from the Star Trek Chronology, originally released in 1993. Data's infamous "Class of '78" line is likely because someone was using the older Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology/FASA dating system.

In Star Trek Into Darkness, Spock mentions an attempted genocide on Earth by Khan Noonien Singh, which is likely a reference to the end of Greg's The Eugenics Wars novels which movie co-writer Bob Orci had mentioned multiple times on Trekmovie.com.

Details on how shields work from Lora Johnson's Mr Scott's Guide to the Enterprise are used in background graphics in Star Trek Into Darkness.

Also in that movie, an extremely obscure FASA ship design is used in background news screen graphics.
D3rs8bb.jpg


Of course, all of these pale in comparison to the greatest canonization of Star Trek merch ever.

lowerdecks-spockhelmet-01.jpg&h=374&w=316
I am convinced that helmet goes with the rocket boots Spock wore in Star Trek V:p
 
The term "Vulcan's Forge" dates back to a Star Trek fanzine from 1969 but was used in TAS ("Yesteryear") and then in many novels, including a title of one. Canonically, it also turned up in DS9's "Change of Heart" and three episodes of "Enterprise".

The K'Normians, only referenced in print materials for "The Motion Picture", the Citadel UK metal miniature RPG figures and "Star Trek: Star Charts", were namedropped as the origin of Harry Mudd's trading ship in "Into Darkness".

The Andorian ushaan duel comes from the RPG sourcebook Among the Clans: The Andorians. However, the name of the weapon used in duel was changed from "chaka" to "ushaan-tor".

Also, the fact that the Andorian homeworld's surface was mainly ice, comes from FASA's RPG materials and, later, the cover art of LUG's "Among the Clans: The Andorians".
 
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As a DS9 scenic artist, Doug Drexler reused some of his illustrations of alien creatures from the Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual as graphics in Keiko O'Brien's classroom in DS9's first-season finale.

Blowing my own horn again, two bits of terminology I introduced to Trek Lit in Orion's Hounds have made it into Discovery -- "contact specialist" (Deanna's job title on the Titan and T'Ryssa Chen's on the Enterprise) showing up as "first contact specialist" as Saru's job description in "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum," and "cosmozoan" (spacegoing life form) used to refer to the gormagander in "That Hope is You, Part 2."

Here's a weird one: The name "Endicor" was used by Peter David for a planet in issues 49-50 of DC's Star Trek Vol. 1 comic in 1988, and was also used a year later in TNG: "Time Squared" as the Enterprise's destination. Although nobody knows if it was an intentional nod to the comic or just a coincidence.


Many, many dates throughout Trek have been based on ones from the Star Trek Chronology, originally released in 1993.

That one doesn't count, since it was written by actual TNG/DS9 staffers. So it's ideas from the production (backstage, anyway) making it into print, rather than print ideas being adopted by the production.
 
Being a bit silly now. An obscure one, but meaningful to me and a source of much excitement in my place the night the episode screened:

According to the novel "Andor: Paradigm" ("Worlds of Deep Space Nine"), a blue obelisk stands in Therin Park, Andor, as a tribute to Shran. In a simulation in the "Star Trek: Discovery" episode, "Context Is For Kings", the "moons of Andor" are mentioned... just as a tall blue obelisk appears onscreen. Must be The Thaw season on Andoria.

Of course, fans soon realised that this - and the obelisk on Kaminar in a "Short Treks" episode, "The Brightest Star" - are actually modelled after The Preservers' obelisk featured in "The Paradise Syndrome" (TOS). The Therin Park signage is my addition. ;)


Therin Park on Andor
by Ian McLean, on Flickr
 
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