Intelligence Office Policy

Canon Policy

Last Update: April 20, 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 applies to games and fictions in the Historical group of the Holodeck. They are part of the shared universe of the Bravo Fleet Canon, set in different eras.
• Games and fictions in the Myriad Universes or Non-Trek groups of the Holodeck 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 Federation starship classes must be approved by the Loremaster.
• 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.
• 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 a game entry on the BFMS or their own website.
  • Collaborative fictions 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; tend to be arranged informally among friends rather than openly recruiting more participants; and often have fewer participants than the RPG's usual 6+. Fictions do not need to commit to activity plans.

• Fiction is written on Relay Station Bravo or linked to from a ship page or member’s dossier on BFMS. This fiction is set within fleet canon.
  • Each Task Force has a designated area on the forum for members under the rank of Lieutenant Commander to write, generally as part of their task force’s headquarters starbase. 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 a ship of their own (as per 4.6 of the Operations Policy) 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 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 avatar ship.
• 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.
• Proposals for fictions set on Starfleet ships in 2399 will require a concept distinguishing them from fiction on a member’s avatar ship which, as above, do not require a proposal submission.

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, forum thread, or BFMS page, and may freely designate their rating up to Language: 2, Sex: 2, and Violence: 2 (16+ age rating).
• Any rating above 2-2-2 must be approved by the Bravo Fleet Loremaster. No story on the Bravo Fleet forums may be rated higher than 2-2-2.
• No fiction may inappropriately depict acts of sex, assault, or violence. Appropriate content is determined by Bravo Fleet Command.

Section 5 - Ship Registry

Section 5.1 - Registry Definition

• The registry lists all starships, starbases, and other entities available to Bravo Fleet for use as avatar ships 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 available to the Fourth Fleet in 2399, and the starships available for games and avatar ships.
  • Exceptions such as starbases, non-Starfleet ships, or ships of a different era exist solely to be used by Games. 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 - Avatar Ships

• Avatar Ships 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.
• When a member reaches the rank of Lieutenant Commander they may request a ship on the registry for use as their Avatar Ship. 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.
• Avatar ships will be removed from a member's dossier upon transfer to the Reserves.