Editing Memory Alpha

{{Short description|Wiki about Star Trek}}
{{About|the website|the fictional ''Star Trek'' location|The Lights of Zetar}}
{{Primary sources|date=September 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox website
| logo = Memory Alpha logo (2022).png
| type = {{Plainlist|
* [[Fan wiki]]
* [[Online encyclopedia]]
}}
| owner = Communal
| author = {{Plainlist|
* Dan Carlson
* Harry Doddema
}}
| revenue = [[Advertising]]
| url = {{Official URL}}
| commercial = Yes
| registration = Required
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2003|12|5}}
| content_license = [[Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial]] 4.0<ref>{{cite web |url={{fullurl:MemoryAlpha:Memory Alpha:Copyrights}} |title=Memory Alpha: Copyrights |website=Memory Alpha |publisher=[[Fandom, Inc.]] |access-date=August 17, 2023}}</ref>
}}
'''Memory Alpha''' is a [[wiki]] encyclopedia for topics related to the ''[[Star Trek]]'' fictional universe. Created by Harry Doddema and Dan Carlson, it uses the wiki model<ref name="EAS">{{cite web |url=https://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/misc/eae-05.htm |title=EAE Award Winners 2005 |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Ex Astris Scientia |access-date=August 17, 2023}}</ref> and is hosted by [[Fandom (website)|Fandom]] on the [[MediaWiki]] software.<ref name="Memory Alpha: History">{{cite web |url={{fullurl:MemoryAlpha:Memory Alpha:History}} |title=Memory Alpha: History |website=Memory Alpha |publisher=[[Fandom, Inc.]] |access-date=September 23, 2023}}</ref> {{As of|September 2023}}, Memory Alpha contains over 56,000 articles and 62,000 images in its [[English language|English]] edition.<ref>{{cite web |url={{fullurl:MemoryAlpha:Special:Statistics}} |title=Statistics |website=Memory Alpha |publisher=[[Fandom, Inc.]] |access-date=September 23, 2023}}</ref> The site is also available in several other languages.<ref>{{cite news |last=Crockett |first=Christine |date=September 17, 2006 |title=A 40-year 'Trek' |work=[[Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine)|Sun Journal]] |page=B1}}</ref>

==History==
In 1995, Dan Carlson created a personal ''Star Trek'' starship [[database]] called Starfleet Ship Registry. By 2000, he had expanded the database's scope and renamed it Starfleet Reference Database, including it as one of the five basic sections of his newly-launched website ''The Gigantic Collection of Star Trek Minutiae''.<ref name="History of Star Trek Minutiae">{{cite web |url=https://www.st-minutiae.com/site/history.html |title=History of Star Trek Minutiae |last=Carlson |first=Dan |date=August 3, 2020 |website=Star Trek Minutiae |access-date=September 23, 2023}}</ref>

In the fall of 2003, Harry Doddema proposed the creation of a ''Star Trek'' wiki in a post on the Flare Sci-Fi Forums. Carlson was interested in the concept and the two of them went to work. Using Starfleet Reference Database as a framework, they named the project Memory Alpha, after the [[United Federation of Planets|Federation]]'s central library from the [[Star Trek: The Original Series|''TOS'']] episode "[[The Lights of Zetar]]".<ref name="The Story of Vokaya">{{cite web |url=https://www.st-minutiae.com/cafe/2016/07/vokaya.html |title=The Story of ''Vokaya'': Beyond a Fan's Wildest Dreams |last=Carlson |first=Dan |date=July 29, 2016 |website=Star Trek Minutiae |access-date=September 23, 2023}}</ref> Memory Alpha officially launched on December 5, 2003, as a section of the ''Star Trek Minutiae'' website.<ref name="History of Star Trek Minutiae"/>

In April 2004, Memory Alpha was launched as its own website. In February 2005, Memory Alpha joined [[Wikicities]] (now known as Fandom).<ref name="Memory Alpha: History"/> By September, it was the largest project on Wikicities and a central hub for [[Trekkie]]s.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Barnett |first=Cynthia |date=September 1, 2005 |title=Wiki Mania |url=http://www.floridatrend.com/issue/default.asp?a=5617&s=1&d=9/1/2005 |magazine=Florida Trend |volume=48 |issue=5 |page=62 |issn=0015-4326 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017142949/http://www.floridatrend.com/issue/default.asp?a=5617&s=1&d=9/1/2005 |archive-date=October 17, 2006}}</ref> That month, Memory Alpha received the ''Ex Astris Excellentia'' award from Ex Astris Scientia, a ''Star Trek'' reference site.<ref name="EAS"/> The site was featured as the [[Sci-Fi Channel]]'s Site of the Week for the week of October 10.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue442/site.html |title=Sci-Fi Site of the Week |last=Newquist |first=Ken |date=October 10, 2005 |website=[[SciFi.com]] |access-date=November 30, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051213204020/https://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue442/site.html |archive-date=December 13, 2005}}</ref>

Blogger [[Will Richardson (educator)|Will Richardson]] called the site "one of the most impressive [wikis] out there."<ref>{{cite book |last=Richardson |first=Will |title=Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms |publisher=Corwin Press |location=Thousand Oaks |date=2006 |isbn=1-4129-2767-6 |page=62}}</ref> By October 5, 2006, Memory Alpha had reached the 20,000 article mark.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.trektoday.com/news/051006_02.shtml |title=Memory Alpha Surpasses 20,000 Articles |author=Michelle |date=October 5, 2006 |website=TrekToday |publisher=Christian Höhne Sparborth |access-date=September 23, 2023}}</ref> On June 20, 2007, Memory Alpha reached 25,000 articles.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/06/prweb534113.htm |title="Memory Alpha," the Online Star Trek Encyclopedia, Surpasses 25,000 Article Mark |author=<!--not stated--> |date=June 20, 2007 |website=PRWeb |publisher=Cision |access-date=August 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207014726/https://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/06/prweb534113.htm |archive-date=February 7, 2023}}</ref>

In 2007, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' named Memory Alpha one of the 25 Essential Fansites.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2007/12/21/countdown-25-best-fansites/ |title=25 Essential Fansites |author=ABV |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=August 29, 2023 |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016093332/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20167049_15,00.html |archive-date=October 16, 2013}}</ref> [[Simon Pegg]], actor and writer for ''[[Star Trek Beyond]]'', used Memory Alpha as a resource in the writing process of the film,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blog.trekcore.com/2015/07/simon-pegg-memory-alpha-star-trek-beyond/ |title=Simon Pegg: "Memory Alpha Has Been So Helpful" During ''STAR TREK BEYOND'' Writing Process |date=July 23, 2015 |website=TrekCore |access-date=August 24, 2023}}</ref> even asking the community's founders to name and establish etymology for ''vokaya'', a [[Vulcan (Star Trek)|Vulcan]] mineral that enables [[Spock]] to locate [[Nyota Uhura]].<ref name="The Story of Vokaya"/> ''[[Star Trek: Discovery]]''{{'}}s showrunners have described Memory Alpha as "an amazing resource."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://slate.com/culture/2017/09/how-shows-like-star-trek-discovery-stick-to-canon.html |title=The Keepers of the Canon |last=Martinelli |first=Marissa |date=September 21, 2017 |website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |publisher=The Slate Group LLC |access-date=September 23, 2023}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of fan wikis]]
*[[List of online encyclopedias]]
*[[List of wikis]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website}}

{{Star Trek}}
{{Fandom, Inc.}}

[[Category:Internet properties established in 2003]]
[[Category:Science fiction websites]]
[[Category:Star Trek fandom]]
[[Category:Fandom (website) wikis]]
[[Category:Fan wikis]]
[[Category:2003 in American television]]
[[Category:American online encyclopedias]]