Star Trek 101
Star Trek 101: A Practical Guide to Who, What, Where, and Why is a reference work written by Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann. Published by Pocket Books, and first released in , the book is intended to serve as an introduction to the Star Trek universe. It features episode guides for each series and the , as well as descriptions of notable ships, species, places and characters in the Star Trek universe.

Summary 
From the book jacket
In the future, a heroic captain and his crew explore the Galaxy in a really fast spacecraft. The crew's standing orders are:
"…to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before."Simple, straightforward – that's Star Trek. So what's all the fuss? Why do news crews always seem to find someone, somewhere dressed up in a Star Trek costume? What could be so interesting to so many people?Star Trek 101 is the answer. You'll learn just a little about the heroes (Captain Kirk believes that man wasn't meant to live in paradise), the villains (Klingons have a thirst for conquest), and the important aliens (Vulcans live their lives by logic). In the handy recaps for all things Star Trek, you'll discover that the television shows and movies run the gamut from action-adventure to comedy. Just want to sample? The ten essential episodes are offered for your consideration. Star Trek 101 is a quick primer of the television shows and movies that carry the Star Trek name.

Background information 
 The title was first announced at the Creation Las Vegas Convention in , where co-author Erdmann noted that he had been working on the title for over two years at that point.
 Further details were revealed at the New York Comic-Con in , including that the book would feature "a list of the 10 essential episodes of each live-action series, as well as a  award for each series". 
 The cover art was revealed at the Shore Leave convention on .
 The book is dedicated to "the fans – past, present and future".

Episode awards 
 The "Ten Essential Episodes" selected from each series are as follows (For , the episode  is cited as "The Best Episode"):
 & 

 & 
 & 

 & 

 & 
 
 The DS9 episode  is also given special mention, separate from that series' list; in an infobox about that installment, the writers state that the episode "is so special that we didn't want to hide it in the Top 10 list."
 In addition, the authors bestow the "Spock's Brain" Award on the least episode in each series. The award is given to , , , , and .

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