PAGES : Where No Book Has Gone Before

At last, all the dots in the multi-generational “Star Trek” universe have been connected to give fans the Big Picture in “The Star Trek Chronology” by Denise and Michael Okuda (Pocket Books, $14). The book chronologically organizes the 80 hours of the original TV series (1966-69), the six films, the 120 hours (so far) of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and even a bit of the new “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”

“You’re always afraid to look too close to any aspect of any invented universe--it can always fall apart,” says Michael Okuda, a scenic art supervisor on “The Next Generation” and “Deep Space.” “But in the ‘Star Trek’ universe we found it held together pretty good. You can see the caring in all the generations of ‘Star Trek.’ ”

The book arose from a need “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry saw to explain his universe and characters to outside writers.

And although plenty has been written about “Star Trek,” Michael Okuda says, “we had to independently verify all the materials and didn’t rely on any past written ‘Trek’ material.”

Denise Okuda said she and a friend, Debbie Mireck, viewed all “Star Trek” films twice, confirming time, planet and ship names and guest stars.

Denise added: “We wanted to make all our own mistakes.”