Star Trek reference books

[Jsplinis]

Years ago, when they originally came out, I had the Star Trek Encyclopedia, Star Trek Chronology and Star Trek TNG Technical Manual. Eventually my collection of books and comics had grown way too big and I donated a lot of my stuff to friends or the library, including these books.

I remember those three books as being incredible resources and have a few questions about them:

1. The official Star Trek website has a database of encyclopedia entries. This database presumably covers all of Trek that was on TV, cartoons and movies. My first question is for the articles that both on the website and in the ST Encyclopedia. Are they the same information and/or text?

2. Is the Star Trek PADD app the same as the database on the site just in an app form?

3. Is there a digital version of the Okuda Chronology? If so, is it updated?

4. Is the Stat Trek Encyclopedia or the database on the Official Star Trek website all inclusive enough to feature the info from the TNG or DS9 technical manuals or do those 2 books cover unique information all there own?

Basically I'm trying to see if I should track down these books again or if the available digital sources cover all the bases.

Thanks and have fun, jsplinis

 

[tomswift2002]

The last update to Star Trek Chronology was just prior to Star Trek First Contact in 1996, since it contained a few references to FC, but not a whole lot. Otherwise Encyclopedia and TNG Technical Manual only had one edition released back in the 90's. There have been no updates to the three books since around 1997-98.

 

[Mysterion]

Actually Okuda's Encyclopedia whent through a cuple of editions. The first had only black and white artwork. The second had full color artwork on slicker paper, and was expanded with newer information.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Actually Okuda's Encyclopedia whent through a cuple of editions. The first had only black and white artwork. The second had full color artwork on slicker paper, and was expanded with newer information.

And the final one had all the newest entries and updates tacked onto a section at the back, since it would have been, at the time, not financially viable to redo the entirety of the book's layout.

I am finding that I never refer back to these books now. More commonly I'll Google the term I want, and add "Memory Alpha" or "Memory Beta" as a second descriptor.

 

[Mysterion]

I keep them on a shelf next to my desk, along with Trimble's Concordance and Asherman's Compendium.

 

[JD]

Honestly, at this point the best, most up to date source for Trek info is Memory Alpha, the Trek wiki.
There's also Memory Beta, for the books, comics, video games, RPGs, ect.

 

[DS9forever]

I remember the third edition of the Encyclopedia having information from "What You Leave Behind", but no entry for the episode itself.

 

[mythme]

My chronology is complete, with pictures and everything, set up in the same way as the Okudas'. If they ever want to release an updated version, just give me a call!

 

[Leto_II]

I remember the third edition of the Encyclopedia having information from "What You Leave Behind", but no entry for the episode itself.

I think I remember that one, and if you look closely at all editions of the Okuda Encyclopedia, you'll find "under-the-wire" bits-'n-pieces teasing upcoming episodes that weren't yet finished (and thus not ready for inclusion as full-fledged entries) by the time the book went to press.

The first edition, as I recall, snuck in mention of the then-upcoming Season 2 finale of DS9 (at press time titled "Dominion," rather than "The Jem'Hadar"), and of the spoilery fact that the USS Odyssey gets destroyed in that (unaired) episode.

Loved catching stuff like this, and in this new age of hot-and-cold running hourly-updated wikis, that type of time-delayed information is a charming artifact of a previous era that's now largely lost.