From the earliest days of explorations, there has always been one tried-and-true way to navigate through uncharted reaches and one to find the way home - the stars. Ancient mariners prized their star charts, knowing that they could guide them safely into a friendly port or lead them to the reaches of the mysterious East. Modes of transportation have changes but the stars are still our constant. When man took his first step into space armed with the very latest in computers, he took with him the same tool for reading the stars that the men who sailed under canvas carried.

When humans launched the first ship designed for long-range missions into the deep waters of interstellar space, the Vulcan High Command provided their star charts for the Enterprise. But Jonathan Archer was not content with relying on the known. Although he used the Vulcan charts, he also added to them and greatly expanded Starfleet's knowledge of the galaxy. Every generation of starship captain that followed has built on Archer's first steps - and you can follow along with this essential Trek resource written and illustrated by Geoffrey Mandel.