How The Star Fleet Technical Manual Went From Fanfic to Canon And Back Again

We live in the Age of the Geek Ascendant. Every popular media franchise comes with dozens of books, comics and other extra materials that fill out the worlds we love in the gaps beyond the source material and our imaginations. The Internet puts all that information at fan’s fingertips, ready to settle (or start) arguments about the things we love. The split between what exists as official information versus what is mere fan speculation fuels many of these arguments.