In the 23rd Century

In the 23rd Century…

If you're not familiar with the 23rd century setting, don't worry. A lot about the Star Trek universe is the same. Here are a few key points to consider when writing or coming up with character concepts.

Things That Are Different

• People have to be a bit more practical. Technology is sturdy but it hasn't reached the "technology unchained" of the TNG era. There's less telling the computer to do something or pushing a few buttons to make changes, and a lot more hitting things with a wrench.
• The Klingons are not our friends. In fact, the Klingons and Federation fought a war only a few years ago and are now locked in a cold war. The threat of a new conflict looms and skirmishes out where no one is watching are common.
• The Romulans are even more mysterious. No one knows what they look like. The first encounter in a century will be taking place shortly after our first mission.
• Space travel is a luxury. High-speed warp travel is still fairly new, especially in the civilian sector. Going between planets is often a matter of spending a week or two on a star liner rather than hopping in a runabout and getting there tomorrow. This is starting to change, but for most people visiting a strange new world or even a fellow Federation member is something that happens as a rare vacation - unless you're in Starfleet or work on a spaceship, in which case you trade new sights for rarer trips home.
• Communication is harder and help is far away, especially outside the Federation's borders and its real-time communications network. Even if there's another ship in the sector, it may take a few days to arrive.
• Aliens are weird. Even fellow Federation members still have a lot of surprises these days, as the slower travel and communications means less exchange of cultural knowledge. Just look at the Vulcans - they've managed to spend the last century not telling anyone about things like pon farr. There are alien immigrants in more cosmopolitan cities, especially places like Paris and San Francisco on Earth or Shikaar on Vulcan, but as is often the case with emigres, these little clusters take on a blended culture that mixes that of their old and new homes.
• Space is full of wonder and terror. A lot of those familiar phenomena that 24th century crews deal with casually are new, and a lot of those pesky Starfleet regulations were written in this period, often in blood. People often have to make up solutions on the fly and leap before they look.
• Starfleet is not the military, but it sure looks like one. While still primarily an exploration and humanitarian force, Starfleet is much more of a militant organization than it was at the start of the TNG era. Conflict is something to be avoided and Starfleet rarely shoots first, but the memories of the war run deep and the tension between defense and exploration is more prominent. There's a bit more emphasis on discipline and the chain of command.
• No Holodecks. While holographic simulators exist and can do a good job with environments, physical objects have limited interactivity. Characters are lifelike in appearance but clearly unnatural to the touch, especially in temperature and texture. This tends to limit their usefulness to training simulations and a handful of more game-like forms of entertainment. Most recreation is done in more traditional ways in the gym, rec deck, or with recorded media. Various virtual reality headsets have come in and out of fashion over the years but aren't common on starships as the civilian technology is easily damaged by space phenomena or present security risks. Shore leave naturally takes on a much greater importance as well.
• No general-purpose replicators. There are matter synthesizers but each has a specific purpose. The utility synthesizers in crew quarters that make uniforms and small personal items can't make a meal, food slots in the mess halls can't make a tricorder, and the fabricators in engineering often require making several parts that are assembled either robotically or by hand. As such, it can take several minutes or even hours to produce some items, meaning it's important to keep spares on hand and for technicians to be able to do field repairs.
  Also, the food choices are more limited, as many dishes are hard to reproduce, and the menu is a source of constant complaints and disagreements as the computer memory is limited. A culinary specialist who can take a few fresh vegetables from hydroponics or synthesized raw ingredients and turn them into a tasty meal is worth their weight in dilithium.

Things That Are The Same

• The basic technology terms are mostly there. Warp and impulse drives, tricoders, phasers - they may look a bit different and a bit clunkier, but they act the same as you'd expect.
• Starfleet still places a great emphasis on discovery, communication, and ethics.
• Most of the old bigotries are gone. In human terms, there is no discrimination based on race, gender, orientation, religion, or country of origin. There can be a little tension between different species but that's something Starfleet works hard to avoid.
• When in doubt, trust your crewmates and your ship, and they'll see you through.