Memory Alpha:Category suggestions

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Please make sure you have read and understood Memory Alpha's category approval policy before editing this page. Category suggestions can be used to suggest a single category, multiple categories in the same "tree branch" or "parent category," or to determine which categories will contain or be contained by other categories. From there, they may either be approved and enacted by moving the discussion from this page to the new category's talk page, or, if not approved, moving the discussion from here to the category suggestion archive.

One of the reasons we discuss categories first is because we need to ensure that the category tag, when circumstances call for it, contains the correct sort keys to arrange the list in a predetermined order.

This page is broken down into sections:

In-universe categories: These categories are intended to be used for in-universe articles, and should be named to maintain Memory Alpha's POV.
Production POV categories: These categories are for use on production articles, which are written from the real world POV, and as such should be have the {{real world}} template on them.
Maintenance categories: These categories are used in the maintenance of Memory Alpha, and would include the audio and image files for example. These categories can have either a in-universe or real world POV.

Please click here to start a new discussion

In-universe categories

Missions and expeditions parent

I created Category:Missions and expeditions based on my rereading this, which had everyone actually agreeing that we should have the category, but not liking the name (myself in fact) or what category it should be under. I'm fine with the name as is now, and will do the work to change it if I misread that and we decide otherwise, but there wasn't a category decided to place this under, so we still need that. I did like the original suggestion of "Events", which could then cover Crossing, Fornax Disaster (categorized), Alien abduction, and other uncategorized pages, but since that failed the first time around, I'm open to suggestions. - Archduk 3 14:57, June 4, 2011 (UTC)

I like Events as well; I'm not sure what else you could use instead.--31dot 09:25, August 5, 2011 (UTC)

Columbia dedication plaque personnel

The Columbia dedication plaque now has the names of individuals. I would like to suggest that a new category be created named Columbia dedication plaque personnel for these individuals.Throwback (talk) 01:21, August 11, 2014 (UTC)

Support, we have others like these, makes sense to have this one as well..--Sennim (talk) 08:10, August 11, 2014 (UTC)

I have completed the pages for this plaque.Throwback (talk) 05:14, August 16, 2014 (UTC)

Production POV categories

Reference CD-ROMs

A seperate category for the CD-ROMs that currently lie inside Category:Reference books. This I believe would make it easier to find them and would acknowledge that they're not "books" in the usual sense. Stalwart UK 23:25, April 19, 2013 (UTC)

Support, makes sense in my opinion, --Sennim (talk) 23:37, April 19, 2013 (UTC)

Support. - Archduk 3 19:53, May 5, 2013 (UTC)

Support. Tom (talk) 18:53, March 10, 2014 (UTC)

Reference books into individual series

I suggest we create relevant categories underneath Category:Reference books for each of the relevant series. For example, a Category:Star Trek: The Next Generation reference books for things like the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, and Category:Star Trek: Deep Space Nine reference books for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion etc. Thoughts? --| TrekFan ^{Open a channel} 18:52, February 5, 2014 (UTC)

How many are there that would fall into each category? Can you put together a list on a sub-User page that would break them down into each grouping? -- sulfur (talk) 19:29, February 5, 2014 (UTC)

While I like the idea, I share Sulfur's "concern". I've taken a look through the list and have noticed that relatively few are series specific (TOS perhaps having the most), many of them cross-series.--Sennim (talk) 10:28, April 12, 2014 (UTC)

Production Assistant sub cat

I'd like to propose the category Category:PA as a sub under [[::Category:Production staff]]. The reason for the (commonly used) abbreviation is that these people are referred to as "Production Assistant", "Personal Assistant" as well as "Production Associate". The reason for the proposal is that this was a bonafide paid official position within the franchise (unlike interns for example) as the lowest entry level. They were, as some called them self, "goofers", "whipping boy/girl" or "errand boy/girl", tasked with menial jobs. Some of them went on to more senior positions, having started as such, like Jim Martin, David Takemura, Dana White and Bill George, but many did not, like Rod Roddenberry. Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 1, Issue 3 mentions another few of the latter who have worked in anonymity. Furthermore, they often performed their duties across departments and are therefore not really department specific.--Sennim (talk) 10:10, April 12, 2014 (UTC)

I would support two categories, one for production assistants/associates and another for personal assistants. They apparently are very different jobs. - Archduk 3 17:25, April 13, 2014 (UTC)

Support to the idea of Archduk3. Tom (talk) 20:04, April 13, 2014 (UTC)

Agreed, but I don't think we need the "personal assistant" cat, every PA (even if staffers got the use of the title sometimes wrong) I read about were working for the production (even if it entailed getting coffee), not as a personal "goofer" for any particular individual.--Sennim (talk) 13:10, April 14, 2014 (UTC)
edit: Still Agreed, but I'm reversing my stance above. There were indeed "personal assistants" working for actors, directors and producers, predominantly in the movies, Susan Sackett being the best known--Sennim (talk) 08:51, October 13, 2014 (UTC)

Maintenance categories

Breaking down the remastered categories

With over 4,000 remastered files in only three categories, it might be time to think about making those categories a little more helpful before that number gets to much bigger.

While there are more conservative options we can explore, I would like to know if there is any interest in creating categories for "remastered files by production" inside of the current files by production categories, so all remastered images from an episode would be in a subcategory of that episode's current file page. - Archduk 3 00:43, August 6, 2014 (UTC)

Support as per suggestion, kinda makes sense...--Sennim (talk) 07:54, August 11, 2014 (UTC)

Regarding the implementation of this, would it be preferable to remove remastered files from the standard file category and only have them in the remastered one, since those categories would now be subcategories of the standard cat, or keep them in both as we do now? - Archduk 3 00:09, August 18, 2014 (UTC)

Personally, I see no pressing need to maintain two cats for these. For me, being a subcat would suffice; In my mind it somehow nicely fits in with the idea that the remastered products are offshoots from the original deal...--Sennim (talk) 09:51, August 18, 2014 (UTC)

Maintenance files

Subcategories for language flags and article types. - Archduk 3 22:20, October 12, 2014 (UTC)

I think I'll be in favor of this, but could you give an example? I'm not clear what these entail..--Sennim (talk) 08:51, October 13, 2014 (UTC)

All the flags in Category:Memory Alpha maintenance files would go in the former category, while the images used in the {{articletype}} template would go in the latter. - Archduk 3 23:56, October 13, 2014 (UTC)

Ah, now I see, the suggestion makes sense, so Support. If I may make a suggestion for the latter. Is it possible to make a subcat which read something like this [[category: articletype (x)|TOS: such and so/film x]]? The last part ensures the pic is then immediately subcatted at its right production. I don't even know if this is possible, so it is a thought.Sennim (talk) 10:24, October 14, 2014 (UTC)

Ok, so I have no idea what you're saying after the first sentence, and based on the rest I'm not sure I really understand the first one either. If you could clarify that would certainly help me. - Archduk 3 02:22, October 18, 2014 (UTC)

I'm sorry for my babbling, let me explain with an example. If you've this pic for example then I translated your intent that the subcat will be this: [[category: Memory Alpha images (realworld)]]; My suggestion entailed, if and when a pic can be related to a specific production, enlarging it to [[category: Memory Alpha images (realworld)|{{film|1}}]], hoping that it will result in an additional ordering by production. But like I said, I don't even know if this is possible or even desirable -- Sennim (talk) 10:04, October 18, 2014 (UTC)

I see what you're getting at now, but unfortunately I was talking about moving the just the images used for the articletype banners to their own category (see the bottom of of this page for most of them). Now that you mention it though, images like your example could also cite what production they were for, which, if the {{e}} and {{film}} templates are used, would add them to the correct files by production category. We do seem to have a lot of real world images that aren't in one of those categories, and it might be a good idea to create a template for linking to a series in general that would automaticly add the category for images that aren't from a single episode. - Archduk 3 14:34, October 18, 2014 (UTC)

Yes, you got my gist; When I was replying to your elaborate request, I was already thinking (and thereby finetuning what you had in mind originally) that your original suggestion was fine for the in-universe part of an article, but what about the pics in the background sections of those articles, which the majority have by now...--Sennim (talk) 15:48, October 18, 2014 (UTC)

MA audio files (quotes)

An effort to get the remaining 33 files out of the "top" audio category. Any better ideas are welcome, but this is the best I can come up with while retaining a workable POV. - Archduk 3 00:06, October 14, 2014 (UTC)

Dialogue? Conversations?

Just throwing out some possible options. -- sulfur (talk) 01:35, October 14, 2014 (UTC)

I went with quotes simply because that's what we use them for, just like how I got to languages. IMO it doesn't really break the POV, because the quotes are, and used, in-universe, and that makes these snippets of dialog quotable by MA archivists at the end of the universe in the backward logic I'm using for this argument construct. :p

That said, I'm OK with any of these really, though I suppose if we use dialog (American English!) the logs category would have to be subbed under it. Then again, I think dialog breaks the 4th wall by definition, so that would make this a RW cat if we go with that. - Archduk 3 04:47, October 14, 2014 (UTC)

Quotes or maybe Speech. Dialogue doesn't seem to fit POV. --bp 05:03, October 14, 2014 (UTC)