History Main / UniverseBible

* ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' had one, which was where the idea of Zordon coming from an alien planet called Eltar came from; it's just [[Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangers the movie]] used it first.

* Broad details of the ongoing MythArc and other potential StoryArcs that can be implemented.

The defined rules or procedures of a series as gleaned from writers, producers and directors which are followed to maintain a sense of pacing or continuity. Can get ''very'' long if a franchise runs long enough. These usually include:

* Standard prop and set usages ("Plasma guns have three settings, and they work thusly...").

* Inherent Natural Laws in the story's world (e.g., MagicAIsMagicA, MinovskyPhysics / CartoonPhysics).
* What ''not'' to do in a story, what's old hat, and what's just bad.
* Sometimes a glossary of show-specific jargon is included.

A universe bible is an actual physical document, and is standard fare for any television production; it contains virtually ''everything'' about the series, and is constantly updated and referenced during production -- thus, if it's written in the universe bible, it's considered ''de facto'' canon, even if it's never mentioned in the series itself.

* Creator/{{Bungie}} Studios, the original developers of ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', had a "Halo Story Bible" which contained all the facts, design elements, and history of the ''Halo'' universe. Creator/ThreeFourThreeIndustries, the current guys in charge of ''Halo'', also have an extensive bible.

* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' had a massive one, and it was a recurring entity in online discussions. It was essentially a detailed overview on the basic stories and characters, powers, items, etc. of any given year. It was in fact so detailed that the written fiction had to ignore many of its facts out of sheer necessity, but also expanded upon it with new info. Due to these hasty updates, several external story sources (like Franchise/{{LEGO}} set catalogs) came with strongly outdated, incorrect facts.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Siren}}'' series has had two bibles focused on the first two games, [[http://fftranslations.atspace.co.uk/s1/ Siren Maniacs]], which focuses on the first game in the series, and [[http://fftranslations.atspace.co.uk/s2/ Siren 2 Maniacs ]], which focuses on the second game. Both books contain a more in depth look at plot, character, setting and answers to info left either vague or unanswered in the game, as well as interviews with the development team.

* ''Fanfic/FiveScoreDividedByFour'' features as part of its plot a heist of the actual, real life Show Bible for ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' by the protagonists. However, the Bible's contents are slightly fictionalized, as they describe Lauren's in-universe explanation of how she got the ideas for the plot and characters from a childhood friend's playtime with her.

* Instruction manuals of many games give details that the game doesn't. For instance, in ''VideoGame/Bomberman64'' it says that Hades was a machine for mining remodeled into a fighting machine by Orion, and in ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' it says Krystal is the only survivor from Planet Cerinia.

->''And the gods said, "Fallest not into the temptation of parallel universe subplots. For therein lies the realm of evil twins. And you shall see their goatees and know them to be unclean in my sight. And woe be unto thee that assumest all extraterrestrials would appearest as humans save for a bumpy forehead. Thinkest thou outside the box, for this is my commandment." Takest thou these words and go forth that you may multiply scripts and have them on my desk to review by Monday.''

This can result in the production of an actual book for the fans (see UniverseCompendium), commonly called "Official Guides To __". These can be useful for producers who see {{Fanon}} as something to discourage.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* Part of a series bible for ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' found its way online at one point. Oddly, it lists Gentleman Ghost among the characters, despite none of the writers actually using him. He would be used for ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited''. Despite the character later being revealed as a lesbian in the comics, the series bible also stated that Renee Montoya became a cop after her husband died. ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' had one, [[spoiler: including an entry on Hawkgirl that the creator admitted was [[LyingCreator fake]], to keep from spoiling the Season 2 finale reveal that she was [[TheMole a mole]] for Thanagar.]]

* ''Series/TheTerror'' had one before it went to AMC. [[https://www.dropbox.com/s/otwj1jxbihirxsd/THE%20TERROR%20Series%20Bible%5B3%5D.pdf?dl=0 the bible]] is very different to the final version. The story that eventually became season one being split into the first two seasons, with some elements being TruerToTheText, including the destruction of the ''Erebus'' (Though this had to be changed after the real shipwreck was discovered, the Tuunbaq’s presence during the Carnivale, and the relationships between Irving and Silence, and Hickey and Manson. There was also a proposed second story arc, focusing on the Tuunbaq’s return during the Canadian relocation of Inuit families during the Cold War, very different from [[Series/TheTerrorInfamy the second season]] that eventually came to be.

* What counts in the official storyline ({{Canon}}), including established history where necessary.

* Inherent Natural Laws (e.g., MagicAIsMagicA, MinovskyPhysics / CartoonPhysics).

This can result in the production of an actual book for the fans (see UniverseCompendium), commonly called "Official Guides To __". These can be useful in combating {{Fanon}}.