1 Star Trek Novel Detail Completely Erases The Original Series

Credit: MovieStillsDB Published Jul 18, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT Dalton is a freelance writer, novelist, and filmmaker from Orlando Florida. He currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and pursues writing full-time. He is an avid reader, film buff, and amateur historian who also publishes novels on the side. Dalton graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BFA in Film and he often applies his industry-specific knowledge when writing about film and television. Along with his blog, Dalton's critical essays on film have been published in various places online. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The Star Trek novels are a great way to dig even deeper into the beloved sci-fi franchise, but one small detail in an early Trek book completely erases The Original Series. Pretty much as soon as the show hit the airwaves back in the 1960s, there have been books set in the Star Trek universe. All these years later, new books arrive every few months. The earliest Star Trek books attempted to fill the gaps between TOS and the movies, and flesh out the lore that was merely hinted at in the show. These novels played fast and loose with the canon, often throwing out wild details that would eventually be abandoned. However, some book details did stick, such as the adoption of Nyota as Lt. Uhura's official first name. Despite creating the franchise, Gene Roddenberry only penned one Star Trek novel. The Great Bird of the Galaxy was tapped to write the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and he didn't phone it in. Though he largely kept to the film's script, he fleshed out the story with tons of ideas that weren't presented onscreen. While some of the ideas were novel, many were downright strange. The novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture is somewhat infamous in sci-fi book circles, and there's no denying that it is an odd footnote in the history of the franchise. Roddenberry not only gives more context to the characters and the V'Ger mission, but offers interesting tidbits that have huge franchise implications. One such tidbit transforms The Original Series, and practically wipes it from the canon. Stardate 47988.1 · Crew Assessment The Final FrontierTrivia Challenge 🚀ShipsEnterprise! ⭐CrewMake it so ☠EnemiesResistance is… ⚡TechWarp speed! 📖LoreLive long… ENGAGE → 01 The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series? ANCC-1701-D BNX-01 CNCC-1701 DNCC-74656 ✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager. ✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager. NEXT → 02 Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character? AData BSpock CTuvok DSarek ✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise. NEXT → 03 Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called? AThe Temporal Accord BGeneral Order One CThe Omega Directive DThe Prime Directive ✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake. ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols. NEXT → 04 “Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called? AThe Borg BThe Dominion CThe Romulans DSpecies 8472 ✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.” ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.” NEXT → 05 Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him? AWilliam Shatner BAvery Brooks CPatrick Stewart DScott Bakula ✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard. NEXT → 06 Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called? ATranswarp Drive BWarp Drive CSlipstream Drive DSpore Drive ✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive. NEXT → 07 At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called? AThe Prometheus Trial BThe Omega Simulation CThe Corbomite Maneuver DThe Kobayashi Maru ✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario. NEXT → 08 In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain? AKhan Noonien Singh BGeneral Chang CQ DGul Dukat ✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos. REVEAL MY SCORE → Mission Complete Your Starfleet Record / 8 Are you an Admiral — or still a cadet on deck-scrubbing duty? ↻ RE-ENGAGE The Novelization Of Star Trek: The Motion Picture Erases The Original Series Getting the book off to a strange start, Roddenberry opens the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture with a preface written by Admiral James T. Kirk himself. In his brief intro, Kirk gives some strangely intimate details about the origin of his name, before going on to lament his exaggerated legacy. Kirk explains that the Enterprise's five-year mission was blown way out of proportion. Kirk writes "Unfortunately, Starfleet enthusiasm affected even those who chronicled our adventures, and we were all painted somewhat larger than life, especially myself." The intro never explains how these chronicles were presented to the public, but they could have appeared in the form of holonovels or even an in-universe TV show. While it seems like an unimportant detail on the surface, it has sweeping implications. Roddenberry, through Kirk, seems to suggest that The Original Series never really happened. Or more specifically, that the series that the audience knows and loves is actually a butchered version of the real events. Kirk explains that the reality of his mission was much grimmer than it was shown in the record. It's a rather insulting way to distance the burgeoning new era of the franchise from the kitschy fun of the classic series. Furthermore, it gives the audience no recognizable characters to latch onto. The Kirk of the Star Trek: The Motion Picture novel isn't the Kirk from The Original Series, so presumably none of the other Enterprise crew members are the same as their TOS counterparts. Instead of continuing the series into a brave new era, Roddenberry tries to hit the reset button. The Star Trek: TMP Novelization Isn't Canon As with almost every other book in the massive Star Trek library, the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture is not canon. None of Roddenberry's odd details have been incorporated into the broader universe, and even its namesake has largely been ignored. Ideas like New Humans and Starfleet's brain implants didn't make the cut, and for good reason. Roddenberry's only Star Trek novel is a fascinating glimpse into the mind of the franchise's creator, but that doesn't mean it's very good. His frequent references to sex and sexuality are woefully out of place, and they do little but fulfill the fantasies of the man holding the pen. Furthermore, Roddenberry's seeming disdain for The Original Series makes the book feel vindictive in its retconning. Instead of giving fans a fresh and interesting continuation of the universe they love so much, he intentionally tears down what has already been established in order to build it to his strange specifications. Like the movie itself, the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture suffers from an identity crisis, something subsequent Star Trek films would rectify. Source: Star Trek: The Motion Picture - A Novel by Gene Roddenberry TV Show(s) Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Short Treks, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Video Game(s) Star Trek Online, Star Trek: Resurgence, Star Trek: Bridge Crew First Film Star Trek: The Motion Picture First TV Show Star Trek: The Original Series Cast William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Wil Wheaton, Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor, Rene Auberjonois, Alexander Siddig, Cirroc Lofton, Armin Shimerman, Colm Meaney, Terry Farrell, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Jeri Ryan, Robert Duncan McNeill, Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, Garrett Wang, Jolene Blalock, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, Scott Bakula, Linda Park, John Billingsley, Anthony Montgomery, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sonequa Martin-Green, Mary Wiseman, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Oyin Oladejo, Emily Coutts, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Rebecca Romijn, Michelle Yeoh Created by Gene Roddenberry