Two pages of the book
The Handbook of Exobiology was a book dealing with the subject of exobiology, that was in print in the mid-22nd century. It was authored by G. Thomas Emslie, PhD, with illustrations by Tim Mongi. It dealt with a variety of lifeforms, such as the spitting termite, the Loracus devil mite, the Kaferian apple, and the Talosian singing plant.
Page 208 dealt with termites and burrowing insects, such as the termites of Loracus Prime. The following page featured two termites native to the planet, the aforementioned spitting termite and the devil mite.
In 2151, Crewman Cutler of Enterprise NX-01 read in the book shortly before the ship discovered the planet that was later named Archer IV in honor of the captain of the ship, Jonathan Archer. (ENT: "Strange New World")
Doctor Beverly Crusher owned a copy of the book in 2401, which she kept on the SS Eleos XII. (PIC: "Disengage")
Background information[]
The prop book was created by scenic artist Geoffrey Mandel, and the creature illustrations by Jim Martin. The cover of the book and the two pages seen in the episode used to be shown on Mandel's homepage. [1] The pages are formatted in the style of an Eyewitness Handbook, a series of field guides published by Dorling Kindersley.
One set of pictures used in the book, those of the spitting termite, were later reused in "Doctor's Orders".