First Strip (posted 8/19/2021 in honor of Gene Roddenberry's 100th birthday)

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    Season 1:
        01: And the Truth... [Stardate 5038.6] (posted 9/8/2021 in honor of the 55th Anniversary of the first episode of Star Trek)
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0) INTRODUCTION

"Final Frontier" is intended as an homage to Gene Roddenberry and the thousands of others who have brought Star Trek to life for over five and a half decades.

0.1) Why create a Star Trek webcomic?

Space: The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship, Enterprise. Its 5-year mission: To explore strange new worlds; To seek out new life and new civilizations; To boldly go where no man has gone before. And, very early in the series, it became obvious that by "Space", they meant a nigh-infinite multiverse. Where there's a multiverse, the question of "What if..." will always follow. And as a life-long Trekkie it's difficult to not ask, and want to answer, that question.

0.2) Universes of the Star Trek Multiverse

While working on a previous group of related fanfics and fancomics (including the possibly-permanently-on-hiatus Independence), I assigned numbers to the various universes of Star Trek as I saw them. When I started working on "Final Frontier", I pulled that list out and refined it by thinking about what was, and was not, canon in each universe:
        Universe 1: Gene Roddenberry's Canon. Includes TOS, TAS, early seasons of TNG, movies I-VI (except that VI ends with the death of Kirk, as Gene intended), as well as comments Gene made in interviews and at conventions over the years (the success of the Yorktown NCC-1717; accepting John M. Ford's explanation of the difference between TOS and movie Klingons, etc.)
        Universe 2: Paramount's Official Canon. Includes The Original Series (TOS), The Animated Series (TAS), The Next Generation (TNG), Deep Space 9 (DS9), Voyager (VOY), Star Trek I thru Star Trek X, Discovery (DIS), Lower Decks (LD), Picard (PIC), Progeny (PRO; upcoming), Strange New Worlds (SNW; upcoming), Section 31 (S31; development), but nothing else.
        Universe 3: Paramount's Official Kelvin Universe (KEL) Canon. Includes only Star Trek XI XII, and XIII at this time.
        Universe 5: My first Canon Universe. Includes (most of) the Canon of Universe 1, some of the canon of Universe 7, plus my tales of: Independence (April Era), Liberty (Kirk Era), Palatino (Kirk Era), Galaxia (Movie Era), Claymore (post-Movie Era), and Enterprise E (TNG Era, with substantial deviations starting with The Best of Both Worlds, part 2).
        Universe 6: Starfleet Battles Canon.
        Universe 7: Star Trek: Role Playing Game (1st Edition) Canon, including the stories of the Derf Class U.S.S. Space (Thanks to my friends Mike Burke, Dave Wuest, Jay Brune, and the late, great Mark Klusman) and of the Brenton Class U.S.S. Cartwright (Thanks to my brother John Ahlers).
        Universe 10: Universe 2 + modern Novel series Canon. AKA the Memory Beta Canon.
        Universe 11: Gene Roddenberry's Canonical Mirror Universe.
        Universe 12: Paramount's Canonical Mirror Universe.
        Universe 55: My second Canon Universe. Includes TOS, TAS, and some species, ideas, or other facets from certain novels and movies.

1) THE CANON OF UNIVERSE 55

1.1) Canonical Characters

        James T. Kirk, S'chn T'gai Spock, Leonard McCoy, Montgomery Scott, Nyota Uhura, Hikaru Sulu, Christine Chapel, and Winston Kyle: All serving aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. Their missions there, for the most part, are reflected in the canonical episodes of The Original Series and The Animated Series.
        Pavel Chekov: When Chekov graduates from the Academy, he is assigned to the U.S.S. Yorktown, where he serves as Chief Navigator starting in 2467.
        Kevin Thomas Riley: After the death of Kodos, Kirk transfers Riley back to the Chief Navigator's position, where he is still serving in 2470 when "Final Frontier" opens. In addition, David Gerrold's unsold script turned novel "The Galactic Whirlpool" is now a canonical event from 2467 (except that Arex and M'Ress are not serving on the Enterprise, see below). In 2470, the Enterprise returns to the Wanderer when the generational ship's engine has a catastrophic failure and needs to be evacuated. Kevin Riley marries Katwen at the end of that mission. (By 2470, non-Starfleet partners of senior officers are allowed to live aboard Starfleet vessels with their spouces.)
        Arex and M'Ress: In the canonical universe, Arex and M'Ress (voiced by James Doohan and Nichelle Nichols) are serving aboard the Enterprise in the fourth year of its mission. In Universe 55, they are the Chief Helmsman and Chief Communications Officer of the U.S.S. Yorktown instead.
        Thelin: His only canonical appearance was in the TAS episode Yesteryear where he was serving as Kirk's First Officer due to an alteration of the timeline that resulted in Spock's death as a child. Thelin's fate, once the timeline has been corrected, is never revealed (canonically). In Universe 55, he is the First Officer aboard the U.S.S. Yorktown.

1.2) The Klingon Issue

        The Klingons who appear in TOS/TAS are Klingon-Human Fusions. The Fusions (which also include Klingon-Romulan Fusions and possibly others) were genetically created in an attempt to create warriors who could better understand their enemies (and possibly infiltrate their empires). This idea was, at one point, accepted by Gene Roddenberry as canon, though CBS/Paramount never did. The idea was initially presented in the novel The Final Reflection by John M. Ford and later embraced by the first edition of FASA's Star Trek Role Playing Game. (Gene was asked at a convention about the change in the appearance of the Klingons and if John M. Ford's explanation was accurate. Gene admitted that the change was made simply because he had the budget to make them look alien and that Ford's explanation was as good as any, and seemed reasonable to him. This semi-endorcement led to this being accepted as canon for a few years.)

1.3) Uniforms and Insignia

        The canonical uniforms were intended to be green (which showed up as gold onscreen), red and blue. Recently, a memo was found confirming that each ship was NOT supposed to have their own insignia; insignia were supposed to be limited to 6 types: starship duty, cadet, starfleet HQ, starbases, merchant, and special services.
        In universe 55, the uniform colors are: green (command), red (operations), blue (sciences), white (medical), charcoal gray (security), and purple (services). The pants and skirts are black. Each of these also has their own departmental icon on their ship insignia: star (command), hex spiral (operations), linked circles (science), cross (medical, seen canonically on Nurse Chapel's uniform), squared "C" (security, seen canonically in The Cage), and 3 diagonal bars (services, unique to Universe 55). In addition, each Constitution Class ship and each Starbase will have a unique ship/base insignia. Additionally, there will be single insignia for Cadets, for Starfleet HQ personnel, and for Saratoga Class crews.
        U.S.S. Hornet (NCC-1714) Insignia:

1.4) The Federation and it's Surroundings

The darker hexes, featuring the names of the seven major known empires, represent areas where a minimum of 50% of the Star Systems have been explored. The lighter hexes represent areas that are claimed, but which have had only 25%-50% explored. The gray hexes with Greek designations represent unknown empires whose extent is unknown as the Federation has had no contact with them. The black circle-and-bar dividers represent borders enforced by powerful ancient races or technologies.         The three arcs represent the three primarily-exploration-and-first-contact Constitution Class ships and their assigned patrol areas. In 2470, Enterprise is beginning the fifth year of its 5-year mission. Yorktown is in the fifth year of its 6-year mission (extended due to a resupply and partial refit that occurred while offline for eight months to have a damaged nacelle replaced. Hornet is just beginning its 5-year mission.

Klingon Empire (red; 5 super-sectors) - The Klingons are a warlike species who expanded their empire by ruthlessly attacking any other species they encountered. Their encounters with (and inability to immediately conquer) the Gorn, the Romulans, the Xisians, and the pre-Federation Humans caused them to pull back and concentrate on building up their resources before attempting to expand by conquest again. A portion of the Federation's border with the Empire is currently enforced by the Organians, an advanced and powerful race. Planets under their protection are awarded to whichever side shows they can best utilize the planet and its resources.         First Federation (orange; 1 super-sector) - The First Federation is made up of the Bakallians, three other warp-capable species and a number of pre-warp protectorates. After encountering the Enterprise, a mutual non-agression treaty was signed. The feeling on both sides is that the First Federation will eventually dissolve and the member worlds apply for admission into the United Federation of Planets.         Romulan Star Empire (yellow; 4 super-sectors) - The Romulans, now known to be an off-shoot of the Vulcans before the latter species embraced logic, are an honorable but still war-like species. An early deep-space mission resulted in the outbreak of the Earth-Romulan War. While the Romulans had the upper hand technologically, Humanity's willingness to fight even in the face of certain defeat eventually convinced the Romulans that fighting such a long-distance war was too costly. After the foundation of the Federation, a Neutral Zone was established to minimize conflict between the two.         Gorn Confederacy (green; 5 super-sectors) - The reptilian Gorn are agressive to all non-reptilian species who, much to the Gorn's dismay, outnumber the reptilian species by a substantial margin. Nevertheless, the Gorn have expanded rapidly which brought them into conflict with the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The hostilities with the Federation were brought to a halt when the Metrons, another advanced and powerful race, intervened and enforced a ceasefire, though scrimages continue beyond the Metrons' sphere of influence.         Tholian Assembly (aqua; 4 super-sectors) - The Tholians are the only known spacefaring species not native to a Class M planet. They appear to be an insect-like centaur species, but to date little has been confirmed about their biology, their atmosphere, or their culture.         United Federation of Planets (UFP; blue; 7 super-sectors) - The UFP is the home of Humanity and dozens of other species who exist in a cooperative democratic republic of self-governed worlds.         Xisian League (violet; 1 super-sector) - The Xisian League is a small republic composed of approximately five warp-capable species. Little else is known about them, but Starfleet has launched the U.S.S. Liberty on a secret mission to establish formal contact with them in hope that a mutually beneficial alliance could be formed.         Others (gray; expansion uncertain) - Starfleet is aware of four interstellar empires that have come into conflict with other empires but have no contact with the Federation. Some of the information Starfleet has on these mysterious powers comes from spies and from the Orion Syndicate Traders. Starfleet has assigned codenames to them:         Alpha has apparently had (violent) contact with both the Gorn and the Klingons but seems to be holding their own.         Beta is at war with the Romulans, but that war has been made difficult by an energy barrier erected by an unknown force which has blocked either side from entering half of the disputed territory.         Gamma has had a series of scrimages with the Romulans and has apparently been coldly unreceptive to contact with the Xisians.         Delta was previously suspected to be an opponent of the Tholians, but recently the First Federation has reported incidents that might indicate that Delta is moving against them as well.         Orion Syndicate (brown circle on Federation-Klingon border) - The Orion Syndicate includes the Orion, Kzin, and Saurian homeworlds as well as a number of loosely aligned colonies. Their trade agreements and dedicated efforts to avoid being absorbed by either side has allowed them an unpresidented amount of freedom of action within nearly all of the known empires. The Federation has not, however, forgotten their efforts of prevent the admission of Coridan, resulting in a crackdown on their piracy and smuggling operations.

This map of Federation controlled/claimed space is concerned primarily with the locations of the Starfleet-operated Starbases, and indications of the assigned patrol areas of the twelve Constitution Class ships. (The 13th Constitution Class, U.S.S. Liberty, is on a mission to navigate through the Triangle and then through the Klingon-Romulan Truce Zone to make first contact with the Xisian League, an empire that, like the Federation, is made up of independent planets united by a democratic government.) Major planets and Deep Space stations (which are independently operated, but with dedicated leased Starfleet facilities) will be shown on other more detailed maps.

1.5) The Species of Universe 55

How I arrived at that list
        When deciding which species were going to be part of the Universe 55 canon, I figured that the best place to start, within my self-imposed limit of TOS/TAS, was with the classic second season TOS episode Journey to Babel. Ten species (eleven if you count the basically-indistingiushable-from-Humans Alpha Centaurans) were canonically shown.
        The Andorians, Humans, and Vulcans are always listed as founders of the Federation. The Tellarites are almost always included. The Alpha Centaurans (a genetically distinct offshoot of a pre-warp Human colony) are sometimes included as well. In Universe 55, these five are, in fact, the founders of the Federation.
        Canonically, as of the Babel Conference in 2467, there were at least 32 Federation Members. (There were 32 Ambassadors among the 114 Delegates who came aboard the Enterprise for transport to Babel. The purpose of the gathering was to vote on the admission of Coridan to the Federation.) In addition to the five founders, the canonical attendees were: Dayens, Loktarans, Makusians, Nytobites, Quumunians, and Violaceans (although their names were never canonically given, and some I've had to make up).
        I brought in three species from TAS. The Caitians and Edosians serve in Starfleet, an indication of potential Federation Membership. Given the potential risk of the Guardian of Forever, it seems unlikely that a member of a non-Federation species would be given access, so I included the Aurelians.
        As this still left me with less than half of the canonical members accounted for, I had to expand my thinking on what should be canonical. My first stop was the TOS Movies. While the events of these movies may or may not be canon (they're in the future after all) I decided that some of the species could be considered. The Czinti, the Deltans, and the Efrosians are all represented in Starfleet. The Xelatians and the Zaranites are on the Federation Counsel.
        I pulled in two from the Star Trek novel series, the Eseriat and the Tarl, as they appear in novels that I was considering for canon status. I then pulled in two species that I created for Universe 5 - mainly because I thought I had drawn interestingly-unique species: The Ja, and the Mechillians. As with most creators who have played in Roddenberry's sandbox, I wanted to add one species that was unique to this particular storyline, hence the Tallinians. (As noted on the excellent Ex Astria website, species names starting with 'T' and ending with 'ian' are incredibly common in Star Trek.)
        This got me to the two-thirds point, but still a ways to go. I strongly considered the Bolians. They are ubiqitous in the series outside of TOS/TAS, both in the sequels and in the prequels. But in the end, for no easy-to-define reason, I ultimately decided no. I also looked at the Kelvin (Universe 3) species. While several are serving in Starfleet and are included in my Universe 5, only Keenser's species was ever in the running for Universe 55. Ultimately, I decided to include them, as the 32nd species, entirely because of the story of Keenser, and the real-world story of how he ended up on the Enterprise.
        And after all that, I was still missing seven of the Babel Conference attendees. Since I needed a system for generating ideas for the new species that will be encountered in ST:FF, I used it (refining it in the process) to generate the final six.
        The Babel Conference itself was to debate and vote on admitting Coridan to the Federation. As it seemed likely to pass, the Coridanites are the 33rd species. I've further assumed that the Hortas (in 2468), the Elasians, Troyians, and Catullans (all in 2469) have all joined the Federation by the time that ST:FF opens.

Species Notes
        1.5.0) Here are the sources used for determining the make-up of the Federation:
                TOS - Canonical TOS Species
                TAS - Canonical TAS Species
                Mov - Canonical TOS Movie Species
                BK - Species from TOS Books
                U5 - Species created for Universe 5 Stories
                U55 - Species created for Universe 55/Hornet
                New - Added to Universe 55 after initial planning
                Kel - Canonical Kelvin (Universe 3) TOS Species
        1.5.12) Ferasa is also known as Cait. It has two moons, Rea and Sura. The only other planet in the system is uninhabited.
        1.5.19) Zaranites were named and described, with Roddenberry's approval, by designer Robert Fletcher as follows: Unable to breathe oxygen, they are forced to wear breather masks on any planet which does not have a fluorine gas atmoshere. They have packs on their backs which carry a mechanism capable of generating this gas. To know any Zaranite's history one has only to translate the jewelry which he or she wears around the top half of the body while the lower part signifies their personal designation. Because their home world is poor in precious metals, all adornment is produced from the horns of their most widely cultivated animal - the Berbbotjahaa.
        1.5.20) The Eseriat had craggy-features with gray skin, gray hair, and gray eyes (even the "whites"). They also had a mellow drawl to their voice. A male Eseriat named Mahásë served in Starfleet, on board the Federation starship USS Enterprise, as a communications officer. Source: TOS novel The Wounded Sky by Diane Duane.) While I don't consider this novel canon in Universe 55 (nor Universe 5, for that matter), I do like the unique look of this species.
        1.5.21) The Tarl are a civilization that make a home in the Epsilon Indi star system. Enterprise officer Bill Johnson's paternal grandfather was Tarl. Bill was tall, green skinned, and consumed a liter of alcohol every four hours as sustenance. Acids such as orange juice would cause him to become drunk. Source: TOS novel Planet of Judgment by Joe Haldeman. While I have some issues with the novel, it is a sufficiently 1960s-era science fiction idea that can be easily slotted into the Universe 55 canon (likely in Season 4). Given that there is an Enterprise crewmember who is 1/4 Tarl, the Tarl being a Babel Attendee Federation Member seems reasonable.
        1.5.26) Native to Pellos Ulma, the Pellians have High noses, thick eyebrows, and large multi-lobed ears. As with many Alpha Quadrant species whose planets were visited by the Seeders, Pellians can crossbreed with Humans with some medical intervention. Humans and Pellians had First Contact prior to the founding of the Federation, but Pellos Ulma declined the invitation to attend the conference that resulted in the founding of the Federation. After remaining a Federation ally for some years, they eventually joined.
        1.5.32) Scotty's co-worker Keenser is a member of the species Deeproi (named for the actor Deep Roy. I called them Epidyor in Universe 5). Despite the histories of these disparate universes being quite different, Keenser does end up serving aboard the Universe 55 Enterprise under Montgomery Scott. (I just love the story of how Simon Pegg insisted that Scotty would not leave Keenser behind and convinced the movie crew to call Deep Roy back in for one last day of shooting to show Keenser as part of the crew.)
        1.5.99.1) Ardana is not permitted to join the Federation until the Sky Dwellers and the Troglytes are a united culture.
        1.5.99.2) Gideon is not permitted to join after their treachery.
        1.5.99.3) The Kzinti are shared between the Star Trek universe and Larry Niven's Known Space universe, something that he himself did when he re-wrote one of his short stories as The Slaver Weapon for TAS. Having read Larry's own thoughts on the matter, I have decided to leave them in as a splinter group of the Caitians (likely a pre-warp colony that are now genetically distinct, similar to the Alpha Centaurans being an offshoot of Humanity). Kzin and their two colonies are part of the Orion Syndicate. The reptilian Saurians are also part of the Orion Syndicate.
        1.5.99.4) There are Orions serving in Starfleet. These individuals come from colonies that broke away from the Orion Syndicate and became Federation protectorates. At this time, none of these worlds, nor the collective as a whole, are considered sufficiently unified to be considered for Federation membership.

1.6) Star System Names

        Many of the USS Hornet's missions will involve moving into previously unexplored areas of the galaxy. As such, the star system names will be similar but also (hopefully) unique from other system names in Trek lore. The general stellar name format will be:
        Greek Letter - Mythological Name - Planet Position
        EXAMPLE: Omicron Menrva III (a Class M planet, the third planet in the Omicron Menrva system)

1.7) The Timeline of Universe 55

        The timeline presented here is a significant divergence from the canonical one. Early events (Eugenics War through Cochrane) have been pushed 100 years later. Later Events (Earth-Romulan War and following) have been pushed 200 years later. This provides some wiggle room for the cluster of events that occur in the years prior to the founding of the Federation.

        1996-2087 - A large number of fast but sublight, cryoships leave Earth. Most of the records of these ships are lost.

        2092-2096 - The Eugenics War on Earth. With the other enhanced leaders dead, Khan Noonian Signh and his followers flee Earth in a cryoship.

        2149-2153 - World War III on Earth.

        2154-2161 - Post-Atomic Horror.

        2163 - Zephram Cochrane's first Warp Drive test results in First Contact with the Vulcans.

        2182 - While testing a new Warp Drive that he thought could exceed the Warp 3 limitation of existing drives, Zephram Cochrane disappears.

        2200s - The Earth-Klingon Wars and the Earth-Kzin Wars happen in this century.

        2365-2367 - The Earth-Romulan War.

        2370 - Earth, Vulcan, Andor, Tellar Prime, and Centaur II found the United Federation of Planets. Several other species sent representatives at an observational level. Most of these species soon join the Federation.

        2426 - Richard Lloyd Alden is born on Earth.

        2436 - Franco Leñara is born on Mars.

        2437 - Gabrielle Burton is born on Earth.

        2445-2449 - Captain Robert April's 5-year mission aboard the starship Enterprise.

        2448 - Andrea is born on Clamox-II. Per local cultural rules, as a unmarried female, she has no last name.

        2453-2457 - Captain Christopher Pike's 5-year mission aboard the Starship Enterprise.

        2453 - Gabrielle Burton's Junior year science project attracts the attention of Vulcan Sciences Academy professor Shubok.

        2454 - Gabrielle Burton and Shubok meet. He agrees to sponsor her application to Starfleet.
                Franco Leñara enrolls at Starfleet Academy. Shortly thereafter, he begins a relationship with Arabella-6 Huntsberg.

        2455 - Gabrielle Burton enrolls at Starfleet Academy.

        2456 - Arabella-6 Huntsberg unceremoniously dumps Franco Leñara the day before she graduates from Starfleet Academy.

        2457 - During a semester break, Franco Leñara delivers a Warp Shuttle for his cousin's commercial shipyard. On the way, he drops classmate Sarat Th'Brunn off at Vulcan.

        2458 - Franco Leñara graduates from Starfleet Academy. He spends most of the next year piloting a variety of small warp-capable crafts on a variety of Starfleet assignments.

        2459 - Gabrielle Burton graduates from Starfleet Academy and is one of the few non-Vulcans assigned to the USS ShiKahr. She serves as a junior Science Officer there for the next five years.
                Franco Leñara is assigned to the USS Pocatello as a Shuttle Pilot and backup officer in the Helm / Weapons / Defense department.

        2462 - At age 14 (the age of majority on her homeworld), Andrea Smith enlists in Starfleet. She receives Basic Training on Earth and Hand-to-hand Training on Andor. She serves on the Constellation for a week before being able to reach her assignment on the USS Albert Einstein.

        2463 - Andrea Smith is assigned as a file clerk aboard the USS Albert Einstein.

        2464 - Gabrielle Burton is promoted and becomes Chief Science Officer aboard the USS Denton.
                Franco Leñara begins his second tour aboard the USS Pocatello, now as Chief Helmsman.

        2466 - The USS Enterprise and USS Yorktown begin their five-year missions under Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Rafaella Banderos, respectively.
                Richard Lloyd Alden serves aboard the Enterprise for a couple of weeks before transferring to his assignment aboard the Yorktown.
                Andrea Smith is transferred (via the USS Enterprise) to the Deep Space R-5 Station when the Albert Einstein goes in for a refit. There she meets, and saves the life of Gabrielle Burton. Gabrielle repays her by arranging for Andrea to be transferred to the Denton.

        2467 - Late in the year, the Scimitar is launched to replace one of the several Constitution Class ships that were disabled or destroyed over the past two years. Gabrielle Burton is aboard as Chief Science Officer and Executive Officer. Andrea Smith is Gabrielle's personal assistant.

        2468 - Gabrielle Burton uncovers an Orion/Klingon plot to undermine the Federation's efforts in the Organian-enforced neutral zone. On a mission to gather evidence, Gabrielle's team is ambushed. Twenty-three crewmembers are killed. Gabrielle and Andrea take the Starfleet required shore leave on Earth. A week before they were scheduled to return to the ship, the USS Scimitar goes missing.

        2469 - Gabrielle Burton and Andrea Smith are assigned to the under-construction Starbase 18.
                When the Yorktown is having a nacelle replaced, Rich Alden is among the third of the crew transferred; in his case, to Starbase 11.
                The USS Hornet undergoes a shakedown cruise under Captain Grant McCartney. His Executive Officer is Yannis Argyros. At the end of the shake-down cruise, Captain McCartney takes another assignment and the command is offered to Gabrielle Burton.

        2470 - The USS Hornet arrives at Tarris-II, where Starbase 18 is being built, for Captain Gabrielle Burton and a handful of other crewmembers to board.

1.8) The Pseudo-Science of Universe 55

        STARDATES: I will be using Stardates mostly to maintain some sense of internally consistent timekeeping. Season 1 Stardates will start with a 5, the episodes will thus start with 50, 51, etc.

        WARP DRIVE: The Warp Drive will operate by transitioning the ship into Subspace, moving short distances in Subspace which translates to a much larger distance in normal space, and then transitioning the ship back out.

        TRANSPORTERS: The Transporters will work somewhat similarly to the Warp Drive. Identify your target, slip them into Subspace and then back out, having moved them just far enough in Subspace so that they come back out at their destination. A certain amount of atmosphere arrives with the people or objects transported this way. The advantage is that they are not disintegrated and then rebuilt elsewhere. The disadvantage is this eliminates a ton of transporter related storylines over the course of the official canon.

        SUB-SPACE: In addition to giving me a (somewhat) more logical system for how the Transporters and Warp Drives work, Subspace is a FTL, but not infinitely fast, means of communication. Subspace can also explain some of the oddities of alternate universes and planets strangely similar to Earth. Subspace is the shared medium in which all of the universes of the multiverse exist. So if certain events occur while transporting or at Warp Speed, you can pass through Subspace into an alternate universe. So in Universe 55 canon, the Enterprise was really good at stumbling upon the exact set of circumstances needed to do this and still get back home in time for next week's episode.

        ALIEN SPECIES: Why are so many species so similar biologically (similar enough, in fact, to successfully interbreed) and why are those same species so similar in terms of technology?
        The answer to the first question is The Seeders, an intelligent spacefaring species from millions of years ago who took the then-very rare ingrediants for life and (you guessed it) seeded it throughout the galaxy. This was coupled by another species who hundreds of thousands of years ago, transplanted proto-intelligent species from some worlds to other worlds. The Seeder manipulated DNA does make it possible for some of these species to interbreed, but the survival of the resulting embryo almost always relies of significant medical intervention. [NOTE: On the album Inside Star Trek, Mark Lenard, in character as Sarek, explains the complexities of Spock's embyonic life. I figured in Universe 55, such surviving crossbreeds went through something at least that complex, likely even more so.]
        The answer to the second question is the combination of two more recent (astronomically speaking) events: The Swarm and the Scourge. Both of these aliens devastated many planets and they were harder on technological worlds than they were on pre-industrial worlds. This left a large number of species on similar technological timelines. So you get Pre-Swarm, Pre-Scourge species like Apollo, the various emotion-based noncorporeal entities, and other "ancient" species, then a large technological gap, and then the Federation, et al.

2) U.S.S. Hornet, NCC-1714

        The Hornet was commissioned in 2468 as one of the replacements for the various Constitution Class ships which had been damaged or destroyed throughout 2466-67. It was christened in April of 2469 and conducted its shakedown cruise later that year. Captain Gabrielle Burton was given the command and left the site of the under-construction Starbase 18 on the ship's initial 5-year mission on 12 January 2470 (Stardate 5038.7).

2.1) Active Constitution Class Ships (as of Stardate 5038.7 / 12 Jan 2470)

        Each of the Constitution Class ships on active patrol has a patrol area that represents roughly 3/7th of the space claimed by the Federation in overlapping areas. However, due to the nature of organizing a fleet within a dynamic (and 3-dimensional) political space, any ship could be encountered anywhere.
        Mission: Border Patrol and Exploration
                Enterprise (NCC-1701; James T. Kirk)
                Hornet (NCC-1714; Gabrielle Burton)
                Yorktown (NCC-1717; Rafaella Banderos)
        Mission: Central Worlds Defense and Diplomatic
                Constitution (NCC-1700; Federation Flagship; Phil Waterston)
                Ticonderoga (NCC-1705; Amelio Guillen)
                Kongo (NCC-1710; Abi Toroyan)
        Mission: Multi-Purpose Patrol
                Republic (NCC-1371/A; Richard Cornelius Patterson)
                Potemkin (NCC-1657; Adly Elonap [Esol/F])
                Roddenberry (NCC-1685; Munisa Rahman)
                Essex (NCC-1697; Lotax (Buto Lotax Sidar) [Edosian/M])
                Jeffries (NCC-1718; Nick Silver)
                Jein (NCC-1831; Inez Torrillas)
        Mission: Special Assignment
                Liberty (NCC-1707; Alexander Hamilton)

2.2) Constitution Class Ships by Registry

NOTE: Ships that could appear late in season 1 or in subsequent seasons:
        Repairs: Hood, Lexington.
        Refit: Exeter, Scovil.
        Construction: Intrepid II, Lafayette, Merimac.

2.3) Deck-by-Deck Layout of the U.S.S. Hornet

        The Hornet is virtually identical to the Enterprise as seen in TOS/TAS.

        1) Bridge

        2) Labs (Biology, Chemistry, Energy, Geology, Ion)

        3) Forward Photon Torpedoes
        Labs (Botany, Communications, Cosmology, Physics, Social Studies, multi-purpose)

        4) Crew Quarters
        Briefing Room 1

        5) Officers' Quarters
        Emergency Batteries; Environmental Machinery

        6) Crew Quarters; Mess Hall
        Turbolift Maintenance; Impulse Engineering

        7) Main Deck
        Crew Quarters
        Cargo Holds
        Impulse Engineering (lower deck)
        Sick Bay 1-2; Medical Research Lab
        Transporter Rooms 1-4
        Emergency Bridge; Ship's Computers
        Captain's Office; Cartographer's Office
        Chapel; Library; Visicomps
        Briefing Room 2
        Security Office; Brig; Armory

        8) Recreation
        Life Support Machinery
        Emergency Transporter Rooms 1-3
        Ships Computers
        Food Preparation (Replicator & Kitchens)

        8/Dorsal) Accessible only via (blocked) stairs on 9

        9) Fabrication

        9/Dorsal) Auxilliary Machinery

        10) Cargo Transporter
        Cargo Holds
        Raw Materials Storage

        10/Dorsal) Lounge

        11) Forward Phaser Bank
        Auxilliary Fire Control
        Raw Materials Storage

        11-14/Dorsal) Lounges

        15) Life Support Machinery
        Visicomps

        16) Main Engineering
        Engineering Computers
        Turbolift Maintenance; Maintenance Shops
        Shuttlebay: open space

        17) Crew Quarters
        Shuttlebay: Control Tower and Observation Gallery

        18) Hydroponics Lab; Botany Section
        Crew Quarters
        Library; Mess Hall
        Shuttlebay: open space

        19) Back-up Bridge (for hull seperation)
        Crew Quarters
        Ship's Computers
        Security Office; Brig; Armory
        Shuttlebay: Hanger Floor

        20) Recreation
        Emergency Batteries
        Shuttlecraft Maintenance Shop
        Cargo Holds
        Shuttlebay: Shuttlebay Door Machinery

        21) Pool
        Materials Reclamation
        Ship's Laundry
        Food Preparation (Replicator & Kitchens)
        Shuttlecraft Storage (up to 8)

        22) Sanitary Waste Recovery Systems.
        Emergency Transporter Rooms (2).
        Live-Prep Kitchen with seating for 8.
        Refrigerated/Frozen Storage.
        Organic Fabrication.
        Non-Organic, Non-Metallic Fabrication.
        Non-Organic Metallic Fabrication.
        Raw Materials Storage.

        23) Tractor Beam Machinery Room.
        Raw Materials Storage.
        Cargo Holds.
        Cargo Transporter.

        24) Tractor Beam.
        Cargo Holds.

2.4) Shuttlecraft

        Standard Model
        NCC-1714/01 Goodman
        NCC-1714/02 Sicknick
        NCC-1714/03 Gonell
        NCC-1714/04 Fanone
        NCC-1714/05 Hodges
        NCC-1714/06 Dunn

2.5) Bridge Layout

        Starboard and port turbolifts.
        Starboard to port forward: Defense, Auxilliary Science, access to restrooms, main viewscreen, access to break room, Engineering Sub-Systems, Weapons.
        Starboard to port aft: Environmental, Science, Communications, Engineering, Damage Control.
        The Damage Control station has clamps that when released allow the station to be slid backwards to reveal a 6-person emergency transporter. The transporter is powered by a bank of emergency batteries. The entire system is self-contained to increase the likelihood that it would remain operable even after catastrophic failure of major ship systems.

3) CREW COMPLEMENT

TOTAL: 415 Crew Members.

Flag Officer:
        1) Captain Gabrielle Burton

Chain of Command
        2) Commander Yannis Argyros, Executive Officer
        11) Lieutenant Commander Lysly Jahnsen, Chief Engineer
        7) Lieutenant Richard Lloyd Alden, Chief Communications Officer
        9) Lieutenant Antonio Francisco Mario Enrique Sanchez Harnandez Leñara III (Franco), Chief Helmsman

Other Senior Officers:
        3) Lieutenant Hosta Quinctius, Chief Science Officer
        4) Lieutenant j.g. Orahanna Tibalisi, Assistant Chief Science Officer
        5) Lieutenant Commander Volari Hynsyn, Chief Medical Officer
        6) Lieutenant Karolina Zhukov, Assistant Chief Medical Officer
        8) Lieutenant j.g. Apavoko Dolot, Assistant Chief Communications Officer
        10) Lieutenant j.g. Donald Thomas, Assistant Chief Helmsman
        12) Lieutenant Litos Donkata, Assistant Chief Engineer
        13) Lieutenant Meili Tan, Senior Engineer
        14) Lieutenant M'Rkuss R'Merroh, Chief Security Officer
        15) Lieutenant j.g. Yam Wura, Assistant Chief Security Officer

Science [96]
Medical [32]
Communications [15]
Helm [15]
Helm (Weapons) [11]
Helm (Defense) [6]
Engineering [106]
Engineering (Environmental) [15]
Engineering (Damage Control) [4]
Engineering (Transporters) [6]
Services [34]
Security [60]

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