Differences between the STFUniverse and canon

The most obvious difference between our universe and the canon one(the one shown on TV and in films) is that all humanoid life has been replace by anthropomorphic animals, but that is far from the only difference. Because this is a collaborative writing theatrical roleplay universe rather than a dramatic TV and Movie universe, some very powerful or difficult to roleplay types of characters are heavily discouraged. Also since we are not licensed or approved by the copywrite holders, attention to canonical characters, dialog and places is minimized. Since ideas cannot be copyrighted, only specific expressions of ideas, creative interpretations of canon are encouraged. The idea of a universe populated entirely with intelligent bipedal animal morphs itself is a creative reinterpretation that transforms the ideas in Star Trek into a more playful romp rather than Roddenberry's original vision of a future of hope and human progress towards his political ideals. We have no humans in our universe so we do not represent any dream or vision for an attainable future from our current condition.

The next most obvious thing is that our focus on science is less on high tech particle physics(which were sometimes well done, sometimes laughably poorly), but more on biology and anthropology (which were consistantly more imaginative and less scientific). Where biologically unfeasible properties are core to the ideas of a species they are present, but often toned down or written away. eg. in the Deliverance story-arc the Founders could shape-shift but had to maintain consistent mass, however there was no cure for the cryptodisease which caused their extinction. Generally species are held to the standards of known biological diversity relative to their home environments. More on biology in a subsequent post.

Being a Theatrical roleplaying environment...