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1[[quoteright:350:[[Film/JodorowskysDune https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/073095e6ec25268ca2d63913844c29f3_jodorowskys_dune_jean_giraud.jpg]]]]
2 [[caption-width-right:350:The pitch bible that inspired a thousand projects.]]
3
4->''And the gods said, "Fallest not into the temptation of [[MirrorUniverse parallel universe subplots]]. For therein lies the realm of {{evil twin}}s. And you shall see their [[BeardOfEvil goatees]] and know them to be unclean in my sight. And woe be unto thee that assumest all extraterrestrials would appearest as [[RubberForeheadAliens 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.''
5-->-- '''Joel Watson''' of Webcomic/HijinksEnsue [[http://hijinksensue.com/2011/01/26/the-b-s-g-b-i-b-l-e/ takes the concept of the BSG bible a little too literally.]]
6
7A Universe Bible is a document designed to coordinate and specify all important aspects of an ongoing work. It is standard fare for any television production; basically a set defined rules or procedures of a series as gleaned from the showrunner, writers, producers and directors which are followed to maintain a sense of pacing or continuity. These usually include:
8
9* Main characters, supporting characters, and major {{recurrer}}s, and their basic relationships with each other.
10* Existing sets, and whether they are redresses of other sets or permanent structures on their own. There may also be a list of warehoused sets built for one purpose but available for reuse or recycle.
11* Prop and set specifics ("Plasma guns have three settings, and they work thusly...").
12* Direction and Cinematography style, specifics on how to visually navigate specific sets or the best lighting, lenses and angles for the characters in costume.
13* What counts in the official storyline ({{Canon}}), including established {{Worldbuilding}} regarding the setting's history, geography, and social structure.
14* Broad details of the ongoing MythArc and other potential {{Story Arc}}s that can be implemented.
15* The structure of TheVerse including both internal information such as history and notable persons, and meta-level advice like the rules of CrossOver.
16* Inherent Natural Laws in the story's world (e.g., MagicAIsMagicA, MinovskyPhysics, CartoonPhysics).
17* Guidelines for any story pitch such as nothing supernatural or alien, no LowerDeckEpisode, no LongLostRelative, etc.
18* A glossary of [[TechnoBabble show-specific jargon]].
19
20Can get ''very'' long if a franchise runs long enough. Note that some aspects end up being overwritten as time goes on and is constantly updated and referenced during production -- thus, if it's written in the universe bible it carries some degree of being official canon, even if it's never mentioned in the series itself.
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22Sometimes animation guidelines, in-depth notes for people animating a given series, can fall under this heading, but it's technically a different field.
23
24This can result in the production of an actual book for the fans (see UniverseCompendium), commonly called "Official Guide(s) To …". These can be useful for producers who see {{Fanon}} as something to discourage.
25----
26!!Examples
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28[[foldercontrol]]
29
30[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
31* ''Anime/DigimonTamers'': Series writer Chiaki J. Konaka posted up the setting notes on [[http://www.konaka.com/alice6/tamers/ his website]], and provided a nifty English translation for the notes.
32* The Series Bibles for a number of Creator/{{Sunrise}} anime, including ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'', were actually published and sold.
33[[/folder]]
34
35[[folder:Comic Books]]
36* The 1990s comic book speculation saw the advent of several upstart publishers and new shared universes created by established publishers. Many of those projects had universe bibles.
37** Creator/MilestoneComics' ''Dakotaverse'' line (home of ComicBook/{{Static}}, ComicBook/{{Hardware|1993}}, ComicBook/{{Icon}}, and ComicBook/BloodSyndicate, among others) has a universe bible that described Dakota (the line's CityOfAdventure) in great detail, explaining its history and geography. It also had the sketches and basic descriptions of all major characters.
38** Creator/DarkHorseComics' ''ComicBook/ComicsGreatestWorld'' line had one of those as well.
39** As did Creator/MarvelComics' Razorline imprint.
40** Creator/MalibuComics' ''ComicBook/TheUltraverse'' is the most elaborate comic book example of it -- the line described the verse's mythology, setting, major characters, and plotlines in considerable detail, allowing the creators to use it as a guide for several years. Notable because some of the more elaborate parts of the backstory never made it into actual comics (thanks to ExecutiveMeddling on the part of their new owners, Creator/MarvelComics).
41[[/folder]]
42
43[[folder:Fan Works]]
44* ''Fanfic/FiveScoreDividedByFour'' features as part of its plot the heist of the actual, real life Show Bible for ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' (listed below) 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.
45[[/folder]]
46
47[[folder:Literature]]
48* ''Literature/FactionParadox'' has a couple of examples. The Book of the War is a universe bible framed as an in-universe encyclopedia of the first fifty years of the titular Second War in Heaven, and thus a good reference point for the 'default' status quo of the setting, but the series' creator has also released a more straightforward essay on the setting intended as a set of reference points for other writers.
49* The Nasuverse has a massively complex universe bible that dictates all the rules of the verse, explains every character's powers, and gives backstory and introduces characters who may not have even appeared in the written text. However, finding these facts is a whole other matter in itself, as they only exist in untranslated art books and interviews with Kinoko Nasu.
50* You wanna write a ''Franchise/{{Star Wars|Expanded Universe}}'' novel? You'd better get used to long conversations with Leland Chee. Then get Abel G. Peña to fix any mistakes you made. And that's if [[WordOfGod George Lucas]] doesn't Joss your idea himself. It's even got a cool name: [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Holocron_continuity_database The Holocron]]. However, several official writers have admitted to consulting the fan-maintained Wookieepedia for obscure facts. Then the whole shebang was declared non-canon as ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' following the Creator/{{Disney}} purchase of Creator/{{Lucasfilm}}; continuity across the franchise is now coordinated by a special committee, the Lucasfilm Story Group.
51* WordOfGod has said that the Literature/WhateleyUniverse has a universe bible for the {{Canon}} authors that's three or four hundred pages long. So far. And is also infamous amongst the canon cabal for being incomplete by now.
52[[/folder]]
53
54[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
55* If you want to actually read one, here's a reproduction of the [[http://series.airwolf.tv/briefings/bible.html one used by]] ''Series/{{Airwolf}}''.
56** Speaking of 80s series, ''Series/KnightRider'' [[http://www.knightriderarchive.com/krtos/features/bible.html had one too.]]
57* The series bible for ''Series/BabylonFive'' was sold by the official fan club as a collectible. It's no longer available, but copies can sometimes be found on eBay. No doubt it's extremely detailed, since as noted above, Creator/JMichaelStraczynski had worked out the entire 5 year arc of the show before a single scene was shot. Things got a little hairy in Season 5 due to the show being UnCancelled, but on the whole, everything happened as JMS had planned it.
58* Series creator Ron D. Moore wrote the series bible for ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' in the long wait between the pilot miniseries (which aired in 2003) and season one, when the regular series was delayed due to its large cost to film. Ultimately Britain's Sky One agreed to cover half the initial cost, on the condition that season one aired in the UK first, so season one "premiered" in 2004 in Britain, but first aired in the USA in January 2005. Ron Moore had been working on the character outlines since December 2001 when he began writing the miniseries, but it was all formalized in the series bible in early 2004. Excerpts from the series bible were leaked out on Sky One's website, but the whole thing was only publicly released to the public after the fourth and final season. Moore always insisted that the series bible ''was not'' meant to be a complete, canonical outline of the show, in contrast with how ''Series/BabylonFive'' was fully planned out in advance like a book. Still, certain aspects of the characters which were revealed in later seasons are indeed present within it: that Roslin's family died in a car accident (this was only revealed in the ''series'' finale), that Starbuck's mother criminally abused her, etc. It even states that Baltar is actually from the poor colony Sagittaron, but after he left for university on Caprica and became a famous scientist he actively passed himself off as a Caprican because he was so ashamed of being a poor farmer's son.
59** The problem Baltar's backstory in the series bible ran into in season 3 was that it was originally going to play into the "lost Sagittaron Storyarc" that Baltar was himself a Sagittaron, but when the plotline was aborted they still wanted to stay true to this outline of the character. Therefore, the writers changed it that Baltar was from another poor colony, Aerelon, though it was not quite as poor and oppressed as Sagitarron. Essentially, if Sagittaron is like being a poor farmer's son in northern Ireland, a dirt-poor warzone, they changed it so that Baltar is from the "breadbasket" farming planet, vaguely like Yorkshire or Nebraska, which while still rural wasn't a warzone whose population was openly discriminated against by the other colonies. Even though this was in the series bible, the actor that played Baltar pointed out that if they wanted him to be from a different colony from the beginning, it made no sense for him to speak with a British accent while pretending to be a Caprican, then show that his "natural" Aerelon accent sounds like a Yorkshire accent.
60** Ultimately, the ''Battlestar Galactica'' series bible has no plans for the series beyond the end of season 2. It contains a list of different plot elements that might come up -- not a firm framework, never intended to be one, but a general list of "story ideas" such as "prison riot episode", or "what if another Battlestar survived, but they turned militaristic and evil?", and "what if they have to outlaw abortion because they're staring mass extinction in the face?". The last of these ideas was "what if they find a rare inhabitable planet, and decide to abandon the quest for Earth?", which was used as the season 2 finale. By the end of season 2, all of the ideas in the series bible had been used up. Later things that many accused of being made up as they went along -- the "Final Five Cylons", "Starbuck is an Angel", etc. these were never planned "from the beginning of the show". In all fairness that doesn't necessarily mean those later ideas were bad, and certainly, the writers kept insisting that the series bible was never ''meant'' to plan things out more than the first season or two. It was a simple guideline for getting the show started.
61** The writers became increasingly flippant and casual about "continuity" and "established rules" as the series progressed, particularly the noted break in tone and quality before and after the season two finale. At the beginning of season three, Ron Moore and David Eick wrote a second "series bible" of a sort, but meant a "Cylon story bible", called "''Life on a Cylon Basestar''". The whole thing was never publicly released but screen-captures have been taken of pages that were flashed on screen during behind-the-scenes videos. The idea was that moving in season 3, they were going to start revealing the inner workings of the Cylon world a lot more, which until then had been quite a mystery. Moore and Eick developed a "Cylon bible" about how their race functions, day-to-day behavior, value sets, etc. then gave it to Cylon actors like Grace Park (Boomer) and Tricia Helfer (Number Six). ''However'', when Grace Park was asked about this in an online Q&A featurette on the Scifi.com website, she explained that she and Helfer spent days trying to memorize it...then when they bumped into Moore several weeks later, he almost absentmindedly explained that he and Eick just dashed the whole thing off in a brainstorming session during a lunch break, then told the actresses to disregard it. Needless to say, when they started revealing more about "the inner workings of Cylon culture" in season 3, it became incredibly inconsistent as a result.
62* Alluded to in one of the DVDCommentary tracks for ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'', where John Francis Daley says of the set, "I opened the drawer of the nightstand, and there was a notebook, with journal entries ''by Sam Weir'' [his character]." [[http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Freaks_and_Geeks/Freaks_and_Geeks_Bible.pdf It eventually surfaced for public viewing.]]
63* Barbara Hall, creator of ''Series/JoanOfArcadia'', had a list of ten rules for the show's writers about how God should behave. Appropriately, these were called "The Ten Commandments of ''Joan of Arcadia''".
64* ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' had one, which was where the idea of Zordon coming from an alien planet called Eltar came from; it's just [[Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangersTheMovie the movie]] used it first.
65* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' creator Creator/LarryDavid famously stated that the show had two rules: "No hugging, no learning." The former was {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in the series finale when Jerry and George nearly embrace, then say "Oh yeah" and back away from each other.
66* The ''Series/StargateSG1'' and ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' production team has mentioned the fact that instead of using a show bible they check facts about the show from fansites. To be fair though, Gateworld is probably more obsessive about fact-checking than ThePowersThatBe were.
67* Most ''Franchise/StarTrek'' series have some form of "series bible" made by the head writer as a guide for the other writers. This can be as simple as the "thumbnail sketches" outlining each character's basic traits, used in the casting process. Series Bibles for all of the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' series -- including the never-made ''Star Trek: Phase II'' -- are available for purchase through both legitimate and not-so-legitimate outlets.
68* ''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 is 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.
69[[/folder]]
70
71[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
72* Each ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' setting has a MASSIVE bible called the "style guide" that details the specifics of that setting. The purpose of the style guide is to give the artists a mold to follow when making the card art, and to have a strict formula for which cards can't be allowed because they violate the flavor of the setting. Cultures, environments, clothing, sentient creatures, wild animals, religions and holidays, what time the residents have their tea; with detailed writings and drawings on the subjects. Anything that ''could'' be in the style guide already is. The overwhelming majority of this information never sees the light of day to the general public, sadly.
73* The last supplements released for all the ''TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness'' lines (Gehenna, Apocalypse, Ascension, and Time of Judgment) occasionally refer to the fact that universe bibles once existed for each of them, and that at some point they were all thrown out.
74[[/folder]]
75
76[[folder:Toys]]
77* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'''s universal bible was a series of documents that were constantly updated and changed, providing 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. A very early version of the 2001 bible was released by concept artist Christian Faber in late 2023, revealing planned twists and unused secrets, and even showed how strongly the franchise's lore relied on external factors like the cancelled ''The Legend of Mata Nui'' PC game. One notable aspect is that the series' big reveal that unfolded in its 8th year ([[spoiler:the deity Mata Nui being a giant robot and the other characters being parts of his biology]]) was spelled out in the very first paragraph.
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79
80[[folder:Video Games]]
81* Instruction manuals of many games [[AllThereInTheManual 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.
82* The development team for the MMORPG ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' have mentioned the existence of a universe bible for the games' storyline several times.
83* There was a ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' [[http://5years.doomworld.com/doombible/ bible,]] written by Tom Hall but ultimately ignored by the developers. To famously quote John Carmack: "Story in a game is like a story in a porn movie. It's expected to be there, but [[ExcusePlot it's not that important]]."
84* For ''Franchise/DragonAge'' Creator/BioWare has apparently lost sections of the bible including the elven language and several developers admit to using the fan made wiki when convenient. Quite a bit of it has been published in the ''World of Thedas'' books, including character background info that never made it into the games and the full text of the literal in-universe bible the ''Chant of Light''. No spoilers for future games, though.
85* The ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series has its own bible released by Chris Avellone in nine parts in 2002, available [[http://www.duckandcover.cx/index.php?id=5 here]] among other places. [[https://twitter.com/ChrisAvellone/status/101700464676044800 However, it is no longer considered canon according to Avellone.]]
86* 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 took over the ''Halo'' franchise after Bungie left, which remained largely the same but does differ at specific points. They also went even deeper having specifics on as many things as possible, the ''Series/{{Halo 2022}}'' show included Spartan characters who [[CanonForeigner were not part of the previous canon]] but had outlines in the bible.
87* Several versions of the ''Script/SonicTheHedgehogBible'' have been leaked online. The Sonic Bible was written by the American localization team, who had nothing to base it on other than a prototype of the game itself. Considering games back then just dropped you in on the action with only the faintest outline of a plot, [[SoBadItsGood the bible ends up being quite humorous to anyone who is familiar with the character today]].
88* The ''Franchise/WingCommander'' series bible contains a lot of the information that doesn't actually make it into print or game, but is useful for creators in presenting a consistent backstory. The WC games for sale on GOG.com offer a copy of the bible as one of the extras for the games.
89* The ''VideoGame/SirenGames'' 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.
90* According to the director of the Platform/SegaGenesis port of ''[[VideoGame/StriderArcade Strider]]'', there is a 40-page long novel detailing the backstory of the game in Capcom's vault. When he asked Capcom about this, he was told that it was indeed background lore for the game, but since it doesn't feature in the game it was ok if he wanted to ignore it.
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92
93[[folder:Western Animation]]
94* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' has a series bible that can be read [[http://www.keeper1st.com/toons/abible.txt here]].
95* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' had a series bible laying out the setting, character, and general plotline of the series. In the process of making the actual show, much of it ended up being quite different.
96* 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.]]
97* The season 1 bible for ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' can be found at [[http://www.angelfire.com/rings/katsaris/garbible.htm Lost Tales: Gargoyles.]]
98* ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse'' had a few;
99** The original 1983 ''[[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983 He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe]]'' had one written by Michael Halperin in 1982. It was included on one of the [=DVDs=] and can be read [[http://mysteriesofgreyskull.tripod.com/Articles/MOTUbible.htm here]].
100** [[https://old.he-man.org/cartoon/exclusivefeatures/exclusive-heroseriesbible-intro.shtml This bible]] was written for an unmade SequelSeries about He-Man's son, ''He-Ro Son of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe''.
101** ''WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower'' had [[https://www.he-man.org/cartoon/document.php?id=50&mid=16&image=815 its own Bible]] written in 1984.
102** [[https://www.he-man.org/news_article.php?id=4227 This report]] about another Bible which was a precursor to ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfHeMan'' which would have been called ''Son of He-Man'' and had He-Ro journeying to the planet Primus instead of He-Man.
103** The [[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002 2002 series]] had two, this [[https://www.he-man.org/cartoon/document.php?id=54&mid=40 2001 draft]] which was superseded by [[http://www.hemanworld.com/he-man-and-the-masters-of-the-universe-myp-cartoon-series-bible-2002-2004/ this one]]the following year.
104* ''WesternAnimation/JemAndTheHolograms'' has the ''Jem Bible''. The only way to read it is to [[http://www.christymarx.com/tolist/jemsx.htm buy a copy]] from Christy Marx.
105* Legendary animator Creator/ChuckJones liked to enforce strict rules about the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' series he oversaw. See [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wile_E._Coyote_and_Road_Runner#Laws_and_rules TOW.]]
106* Creator/LaurenFaust developed one of these while working on ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. It's unknown whether the rest of the show's writers and producers continued to maintain one after Faust left the show.
107* In "Slimer Won't Do That! The Making of ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters''", the creators of the show listed all the things Slimer could never do.
108* The bible for ''WesternAnimation/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice'' is included as a PDF extra on Creator/ShoutFactory's DVD release.
109* Creator/MattGroening claims that there are [[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E5DD1730F937A35752C1A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all three rules]] for ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': "[A]nimals should always behave like animals, the Simpsons should avoid reflecting on their own celebrity, and the Springfield universe should never become overtly cartoonlike." These rules have been violated -- animals often understand human speech fluently, or make sounds that translate into complex (subtitled) sentences, and the "Behind the Laughter" episode portrays the cast as actors playing versions of themselves on TV, though that episode is non-canon. As for the third rule, there are too many instances of cartoon-like elements to list, both overt and non-overt, among them that Homer frequently suffers injuries that would be permanently crippling or fatal in real life.
110* Ted Pedersen, story editor of ''WesternAnimation/SkysurferStrikeForce'', has posted the series bible [[http://timetreks.net/skybib.html here.]]
111* ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'' has one. The show's creator, Craig Gerber, also wrote one for ''Franchise/DisneyFairies''.
112* Interestingly, Nate Morgan, a prominent supporting cast member of Creator/ArchieComics' later ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' comics, was culled from [[http://www.sonicsatam.com/?s=bible#bible an early series bible]] for [[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM the animated series]]. Seemingly it also utilized original plans to adapt game badniks Crabmeat and Caterkiller as recurring henchmen of Robotnik, as well as other details such as Rotor's prototype name "Boomer" for a short while.
113* The entire ''Franchise/TransformersAlignedUniverse'', which includes ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'', kicked off with the creation of the Binder of Revelation, which was a major, lengthy project dictating how the whole universe would play out across various projects, including the games, TV shows, and comics. Due to CreatorBacklash from people who wanted to tell their own stories rather than follow its strict template, most elements from it were roundly ignored.
114* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' has [[https://www.allspark.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160314080000133.pdf one]], containing many WhatCouldHaveBeen concepts.
115* ''WesternAnimation/WingCommanderAcademy'' had one, which can be found online, although there are some considerable differences between it and the actual show. Since the show only lasted a single season, the series bible presumably just never got updated (or the updated version was never published online).
116[[/folder]]

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