933. Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical ManualPUBLICATION: Pocket Books, November 1991
CREATORS: Rick Sternbach and Michael Okuda
STARDATE: TNG era
TOPIC: Like Mr. Scott's Guide before it, this Tech Manual pretends it is from the applicable century (24th), though some asides go behind-the-scenes here and there. In actuality, it is largely based on the document TNG writers used to keep their Starfleet technology part of the cohesive whole. Each system on the Enterprise-D is described in technical detail, with black and white technical drawings supporting the text. The book includes a lot of the graphics seen on the show (whether on screens or the console layouts themselves), allowing for the clearest look at them yet. Special attention is taken to explain some of the more "magical" technology, like holographics, the universal translator, and just how the computer relays your voice to the right person aboard the ship. And there are also clear protocols for what to do when there's a yellow/red alert or an order to abandon ship, or when you have to beam someone down.
CONTINUITY: Features the first appearance of the saucer section's landing ability (Generations) and though seen on a different ship, the captain's yacht as well (Insurrection). The last chapter proposes design directions for a Nova-class ship, one of which looks like the actual Nova (Equinox).
DIVERGENCES: The revealed, graphical inside jokes are "divergent" even if they're on the same graphics seen on the show. For example, the large cutaway Enterprise features a duck, a plane, a mouse, and NOMAD. Similarly, the Sickbay's diagnostic wall charts your insurance coverage. The holodeck works better here than it does on the show, through a combination of holography, transporters and replicators, and computer-animated puppets. Most episodes put the lie to the solid (replicated) puppet concept. As for mistakes, there are few detectable ones, like on one drawing, the small and large shuttlebay doors are reversed. The Enterprise-E was not a Nova-class after all. The lineage of the Enterprise of course omits the NX-01.
ILLUSTRATION OF THE WEEK - Now I really want to see that third EV suit.
REVIEW: This is the most detailed Star Trek tech manual ever, which means it's both the nerdiest and my favorite of all time. Sure, it's not as pretty as later books, or as breezy as earlier ones, but the amount of information is pretty spectacular, not skimping on "stuff you haven't seen... yet!". I mean, this book tells you just where the auto-destruct charges are placed, what the deflector dish deflects and why, and just whose names are on the dedication plaque. How can you tell where you are on the ship by looking at a door number? How are departments structured? What do each of the 16 settings on a phaser do? And of course, there's all the stuff you'd expect like propulsion, weapons and sensors. A lot of it reads very much like jargon, but there's always just enough vulgarizing for the Deanna Trois out there who might not be gear heads. The behind-the-scenes bits, often about why choices were made, are interesting for everyone, as would be the roles of each job on the ship.Next for the SBG Book Club: Strike Zone (TNG), Betrayal (DS9), Invincible Part I (SCE), Invincible Part II (SCE), Planet of Judgment (TOS).
Comments
How does that work, exactly?
I've read this book, but clearly haven't dug into it enough (or I've simply forgotten...it's been a few years since I last looked through it).
The computer recognizes a certain inflection, or body movement, meant to show that it's being spoken to. The system quickly analyzes your request and pipes the message through to the right person. The delay is as small as possible, and I imagine, edited out of the shows.