And I never managed to get hold of a copy Agreed on the Officer's Manual!
Some nice ship designs though...
I have to go out on the line, and say I liked the more military-oriented StarFleet of the later FASA material. It seemed to fit with the look of the movies, and as far as I can make out, it doesn't actually clash with the other time periods. Things can change rapidly over just several years, thus leading to the more peaceful StarFleet of TNG. Just look at the swing back over the DS9 period!
I've spent a bit of time on this recently (since Don managed to push me into a burst of movie-era enthusiasm ), and came up with the idea that following Kirk's five-year mission, tensions with the Klingons and Romulans escalated rapidly (between TMP and TWOK). This in turn led to more funding for StarFleet's military arm, and the arms race that led to Kruge becoming convinced that Genesis was a weapon. Of course, the process peaked with the Khitomer and Tomed Incidents.
I'm planning on posting the full idea here just as soon as I've finished adjusting it for the Coda books! It also includes ideas on Klingon inconsistencies, the rise of the Tal Shiar, and even some speculation on the Hur'q.
Jon
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea is asleep and the rivers dream; people made of smoke and cities made of song.
Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
THE DOCTOR, "Survival" (Doctor Who)