Star Trek Federation: The First 150 Years is a beautiful history book, but is it canon?

Companion books have always been a mixed bag; sometimes they are boring, nonsensical technical documents and others they are rich volumes that truly complement their source material. Star Trek Federation: The First 150 Years is definitely the later. Originally released in December as a part of a set that included a “pedestal” (with an audio introduction by George Takei as Hikaru Sulu) and additional artifacts. This week, Titan Books is releasing the book for purchase separately.

150 Years is one-part storybook, one-part textbook. The title is a bit of a misnomer, as the history begins with Zefram Cochran nearly 100 years before birth of the Federation. The book uses beautiful illustrations (historic artwork in the context of the story), “first-hand” accounts and “found” documents from the various races instrumental in the founding of the Federation.

The biggest question with text like these how much they are considered canon. David A. Goodman, the tome’s author, told TrekMovie.com that he considers the material canon. Memory Beta – one of the many excellent Trek related resources on the web – disagrees. I am a Trek fan, but by no means a historian. Goodman says in the interview that he filled in a lot of what didn’t appear in The Original Series and Enterprise based on his work on the former and discussions he had with some of the other writers after he departed before the fourth season. So, sounds good right?

I am not so sure. There is a big divide amongst Trek fans on how the 2009 reboot and this year’s sequel fit into the pre-existing canon established in the several television series and movies. My problem with 150 Years is much more simple than that: the text clearly establishes Kirk’s history as that of what we had seen from William Shatner … with one exception: Kirk’s birth. In the original timeline, it was established that he was born in Iowa on Earth; J.J. Abrams’ version saw him born on the Kelvin after a Romulan attack. I’m not arguing that one version of history is better than the other; I just think they should pick one to go with.

Canonical issues aside, The First 150 Years is a phenomenal read. It makes use of the different “sources” to craft a pretty interesting story; 150 Years is not a dry read. Much of the history that it covers was established in Enterprise, but as much – if not more – is either new or pulled from lessor known sources. If you are a Trek fan and missed the first publication, I would pick this up immediately.

This piece was based on promotional material provided to CliqueClack by the publisher for the purpose of review.