Intelligence Office Policy

Canon Policy

Last Update: September 25, 2021

Section 1 - Fleet Canon

Section 1.1 - Defining Fleet Canon

• Bravo Fleet Canon comes from two sources: on-screen Star Trek (defined as official Star Trek films and television programs) storytelling and original canon developed within Bravo Fleet.
• Everything in Star Trek on-screen canon is considered canon to Bravo Fleet. If on-screen sources directly contradict each other, the more recent source, measured by air date, takes precedence.
• Original Bravo Fleet Canon consists of material created specifically for Bravo Fleet. This content has been explicitly created or ratified by the Lore Office. Bravo Fleet Canon will be recorded on the wiki in articles containing the Bravo Fleet Canon icon (usually in the top-right of the page). Articles that do not contain that icon are Member Canon (see Section 1.3) and should be used accordingly. The icon is a miniaturised version of the Bravo Fleet logo, as below (other icons refer solely to categorisation, and have no bearing on an article's status in Fleet Canon):
  

• Sources other than on-screen canon and original Bravo Fleet Canon are not considered canon within Bravo Fleet, though they can be used as inspiration. Novels, production notes, published technical manuals, video games, and all other non-screen Star Trek content are not canon to Bravo Fleet.
• If new on-screen canon contradicts established Bravo Fleet Canon, the Bravo Fleet Canon will be re-written or retconned to comply.
• Individual games and fictions are required to follow Bravo Fleet Canon; their stories may involve new additions but must not contradict or deviate from Bravo Fleet Canon. Bravo Fleet is a cooperative writing group, and its strength comes from bringing people together to tell stories.
• The canon and Canon Policy apply to historical games and fictions. They are part of the shared universe of the Bravo Fleet Canon, set in different eras.
• Games and fictions set in alternate realities or non-Trek settings have no relation to the Bravo Fleet Canon, and each exists within a unique setting in adherence to their original game or fiction proposal.

Section 1.2 - Creating Fleet Canon

• All additions to Fleet Canon must be ratified by the Lore Office. Until that point, content should be considered Member Canon (see Section 1.3).
• Significant changes to Task Force stories must be approved by the Loremaster.
• New non-canon Federation member species must be approved by the Loremaster.
• New minor foreign powers with regional influence must be approved by the Loremaster.
• Significant development to on-screen species or cultures (ie, facts which anyone writing them would likely need to know) must be approved by the Loremaster.
• New Starfleet starship, space station, and small craft classes and specifications must be approved by the Loremaster. Likewise new Klingon, Romulan, or Cardassian starships.
• No addition to Bravo Fleet canon is considered official until it has completed all approval requirements and been added to the Bravo Fleet wiki in a format that provides complete, usable information that others may build on. These articles will be clearly identified as Bravo Fleet canon as per Section 1.1.

Section 1.3 - Member Canon

• Content that has not been explicitly ratified by the Lore Office is considered Member Canon. This includes character biographies and the events of fiction plots and game missions unless they meet the above criteria.
• Member Canon is binding only to the stories and games in which it appears. Storytellers, Game Masters, and writers of other fictions and games are not obligated to adhere to these details, worldbuilding, or plot developments.
• The status of Member Canon is not a value judgement or reflection of quality. With so many stories and games over many years, it is not realistic for all their details to be known to all members, or to have been reviewed by the Lore Office. Likewise, with many distinct personal tastes and creative preferences, the existence of Member Canon allows writers with diverging interests to co-exist within the Fleet.
• Member Canon may be added to the wiki, particularly on a starship’s article or, for example, adding worlds or locations to a region other creators may choose to draw on for their own writing. Such articles will not include the Bravo Fleet Canon icon and should be treated as optional content to draw on.
• The nature of Member Canon necessitates limitations to its scope. Section 1.2 provides guidelines on the level at which the Lore Office’s ratification is needed, and Member Canon should not meet or exceed that level. Member Canon should be considered equivalent to the details of a standalone episode of The Next Generation, while Fleet Canon is comparable to a major story arc episode of Deep Space Nine with galactic ramifications. Some examples of the acceptable scale of Member Canon include:
  • A colony world of a canonical Federation member, such as humans or Andorians.
  • A starship captain of another major power, be they ally or enemy.
  • A stellar phenomenon with local effect.
  • If you are unsure of the scope of your story detail, please contact the Lore Office for advice. A rule of thumb is, ‘Is this essential knowledge for any Bravo Fleet creator writing in this topic/location?’ and remember that the galaxy is a big place.
• Member Canon should not include characters or ships from Star Trek Canon, such as the USS Enterprise or Admiral Kathryn Janeway. References to them should use recent Star Trek Canon (such as Star Trek: Picard) or, where extant, Fleet Canon. For example:
  • We do not know the present status of Benjamin Sisko. Avoid mentioning his current circumstances at all.
  • We do not know the specific status of Deep Space Nine; its design, its crew, its captain. It is reasonable to mention the existence of DS9, with its key position at the mouth of the wormhole, but do not go into details.
  • Characters should not be an old friend, protégé, relative, etc, of any character in Star Trek Canon.
  • Characters should not share a full name (or name they are known by) with canonical characters (for example: ‘John Reed’ would be an acceptable character name, but ‘Willard “Will” Riker’ would not be).
• Contradictions in Member Canon are expected, and tolerance is encouraged, especially if they occur within separate stories. If this is impossible, such as within a collaborative fiction, it is best to justify the co-existence of such details or reach a compromise. Should such again be impossible, contact the Lore Office for a judgement.
• Strong and interesting ideas that flesh out the setting may be adopted by the Lore Office into Fleet Canon. This will occur at the Lore Office’s discretion.

Section 2 - Timeline

The Bravo Fleet timeline advances one year for every two years that pass. The in-character year will advance on January 1 of each even-numbered year. The timeline may be advanced immediately by the Bravo Fleet Loremaster.

Section 3 - Bravo Fleet Wiki

• The wiki will be maintained by the Lore Office.
• All members may contribute to the Bravo Fleet Wiki, making additions in adherence to the definitions of Fleet canon in Section 1.
• Articles that are part of Bravo Fleet Canon will be clearly labeled confirming their content has been approved by the Lore Office.
• Articles not labeled should refer to a game or fiction’s personal canon and must remain small-scale story elements in adherence to Section 1. Bravo Fleet members may choose but are not bound to adhere to this content.
• Content on the wiki is In Character unless specified otherwise.

Section 4 - Fiction

Section 4.1 - Defining Fictions

• Fictions are stories written by members, individually or in collaboration with others, that take place within Fleet canon. They are distinct from role-playing games (which fall under the purview of the Operations Department) in that they do not require the same standards of activity and, if collaborative, are invitation-only (instead of openly recruiting).
  • Collaborative fictions, referred to as Closed Collaborations, are often stylistically different to RPGs, with participants all sharing prior knowledge of the intended narrative and sometimes responsibility for individual characters. Importantly, they lack the infrastructure of RPGs, which often use external websites and Discord servers; are invitation-only and do not openly recruit more participants; and often have fewer participants than the RPG's usual 6+.
• Fiction is written on BFMS or linked to from a Command’s page on BFMS.
  • Each Task Force’s Headquarters is a Command on BFMS. While any Task Force member may write a Story there, its major purpose is for members under the rank of Lieutenant Commander to write in accordance with the guidelines on the Command page. This writing is free-form and offers members a venue to express themselves and participate in fleet canon before they have their own ship.
  • A member who has reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander with an Primary Command of their own (as per Section 5.2 below) may write fiction set within fleet canon based around this starship.
  • Other fiction may be written after a submitted proposal is accepted by the Lore Office.

Section 4.2 - Fiction and Closed Collaboration Proposals

• A member who has reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander may submit a fiction proposal to the Lore Office. This is not necessary for fiction based on their Primary Command.
• The proposal should explain the premise of the story, a loose estimation of expected length, and what it contributes to Bravo Fleet canon, present or historic. It should include a broad activity commitment, such as '1 Story posted per month.' This is not a binding agreement, but helps the Lore Office identify inactive fictions.
• Proposals for fictions set on Starfleet ships in 2399 must be sufficiently original or distinctive to justify why the story cannot be written on a member's Primary Command which, as above, do not require a proposal submission. This might include telling a specific, briefer story, or being a Closed Collaboration.
• Proposals for Closed Collaborations should include the story premise, an indication of how many writers are expected to participate, and a broad activity commitment. This commitment can be much looser compared to RPGs, and is again there to help the Lore Office identify if a Closed Collaboration has become inactive.
• Fictions set in 2399 must draw from ships in the Bravo Fleet Registry (see Section 5) and are subject to the same rank-based restrictions of ship classes. Fictions not using Starfleet ships should discuss their ship, station, or concept needs with the Lore Office so an appropriate registry entry can be created.
• Fictions not set in 2399 should not draw from ships in the Bravo Fleet Registry. Members are subject to the same rank-based restrictions of classes (for example, a Lieutenant Commander writing a fiction set in 2375 still cannot request a Sovereign-class), but of course can request era-appropriate ship classes not listed in the registry.
• A new fiction will have its own Command on BFMS, assigned to the member. This Command is for use solely within the bounds of the accepted fiction proposal, and must not be used as a Primary Command (see 5.2 below).
• Bravo Fleet fiction supports and enriches Bravo Fleet Canon, present and historic. Proposals from non-Trek settings will be rejected. Proposals from alternate universes of Star Trek will need to demonstrate their relevance to Bravo Fleet Canon content, themes, or characters to be accepted.

Section 4.3 - Fiction Content Ratings

• Bravo Fleet uses the RPG Rating System to define appropriate content based on three metrics: Language, Sex, and Violence. RPGs should not use the MPAA rating system (G, PG, etc.)
• The default rating for Bravo Fleet content is 1-1-1. All official fiction from Task Force Staff and the Lore Office must remain rated 1-1-1.
• Members may write stories of a higher rating, but this must be listed on their website or BFMS page, and may freely designate their rating up to Language: 2, Sex: 2, and Violence: 2 (16+ age rating).
• No fiction may inappropriately depict acts of sex, assault, or violence. Appropriate content is determined by Bravo Fleet Command. We appreciate ratings are not absolute in their guidelines; please consult the Loremaster if you are unsure.

Section 5 - Registry

Section 5.1 - Registry Definition

• The registry lists all starships, starbases, and other entities available to Bravo Fleet for use as Commands or Games.
• The registry’s purpose is to maintain consistency across Bravo Fleet and its ongoing canon. As such, entries will not be added to, removed, or altered from the registry without permission of the Lore Office.
• The registry represents the In Character starships and starbases available to the Fourth Fleet in 2399, and the starships and starbases available for Games and Commands.
  • Exceptions such as non-Starfleet ships or ships of a different era have been created for Fictions or Games, and may not be used as Primary Commands. These will be more often added, deleted, or altered.
  • The use of registry entries in Games is governed by Section 4 of the Operations Policy.
• Ships in the registry should only be used in lore by the members or Task Forces (in the case of TFHQ ships or Flagships only) to which they are assigned. Events involving registry ships prior to 2399 may be referenced in circumstances such as character service records and backstory. If a story requires another ship, it should use a name not listed in the registry and would fall within the bounds of member canon.

Section 5.2 - Primary Commands (Starships)

• Primary Commands are attached to a member's dossiers as their character's starship. They are the vessels assigned In Character to a member’s Task Force in the Fourth Fleet in 2399.
• Members can write on their Primary Command on their own or with others. Writing with others on an Primary Command as a Closed Collaboration does not require a proposal or activity commitment being sent to the Lore Office. Members may not use their Primary Command as an Open Collaboration; ie, they may not openly recruit for crew or create a separate website. Open Collaborations which any member of the Fleet may apply to join must be accepted by the Bravo Fleet Operations Officer, and thus Primary Commands are unsuitable for this purpose.
• When a member reaches the rank of Lieutenant Commander they may request a ship on the registry for use as their Primary Command. Ship classes available are restricted by rank.
  • At Lieutenant Commander, a member shall have access to the following starship classes: Ambassador, Argonaut, Atlantia, California, Centaur, Challenger, Cheyenne, Diligent, Excelsior, Freedom, New Orleans, Norway, Nova, Parliament, Reliant, Saber, Springfield, Steamrunner.
  • At Commander, a member shall have access to all classes available at Lieutenant Commander as well as the following: Akira, Defiant, Elysion, Inquiry, Intrepid, Luna, Nebula, Olympic, Resolute, Rhode Island.
  • At Captain, a member shall have access to all classes available at Lieutenant Commander and Commander, as well as the following: Century, Galaxy, Manticore, Odyssey, Prometheus, Sovereign, Typhon, Vesta.
• Primary Commands will be removed from a member's dossier upon transfer to the Reserves.

Section 5.3 - Primary Commands (Starbases)

• Starbases as an Primary Command work the same as starships, but are subject to different requirements. They represent starbases assigned In Character to the member’s Task Force in the Fourth Fleet in 2399.
• When a member reaches the rank of Commander they may request a starbase from the registry for use as their Primary Command. This is instead of a starship, not in addition to.
• Registry Starbases are created by the Lore Office, and will have their own wiki article explaining the location and setting material relevant to that starbase that has been ratified by the Lore Office. This is Fleet Canon that cannot be altered without permission of the Lore Office, even by the member to whom the starbase registry is attached. As such, members should heavily consider their choice, as a Starbase Command is under more restrictions and requirements from the Lore Office.
• Starbase classes available are restricted by rank.
  • At Commander, a member shall have access to the following starbase classes: Jupiter, K-Type, Regula, Vision.
  • At Captain, a member shall have access to all starbase classes available at Commander, as well as the following: Anchorage, Copernicus, Presidium, Watchtower.
  • At Fleet Captain, a member shall have access to all starbase classes available at Commander and Captain, as well as the following: Canopus, Unity.
• As a Starbase Command is attached to a member’s dossier instead of a starship, the starbase as-standard has no attached starships and must make use of runabouts and shuttles on away missions.
  • At the rank of Captain, a member may request a starship from the registry to be attached to their dossier as their starbase’s attached ship. This is a more restricted selection of starship classes: Centaur, Defiant, Diligent, Nova, Rhode Island, Sabre.