Margaret Wander Bonanno is a science fiction author from New York, with over twenty novels to her credit, including several set in the Star Trek universe. These include Dwellers in the Crucible, Strangers from the Sky, and Catalyst of Sorrows.

She rose to the spotlight of Star Trek apocrypha when her novel Strangers from the Sky made the Time bestsellers list in 1985. But the story that gave her more fame in Trek circles was what would follow.

She is also credited with writing Probe, though in her words it is “not her novel.” She was contracted by Paramount to write a novel she called Music of the Spheres, based on the Whale Probe of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. However, due to the undesired intervention of an editor at Paramount, the story was nearly completely re-written without her consent, and they refused to remove her name from the project.

After the unpleasant experience, she focused on projects other than Star Trek novels, such as the science fiction book Saturn’s Child co-written with Nichelle Nichols.

She was interviewed for the Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Special Edition) DVD, hosting the special features section entitled “Vulcan Primer,” in which she explains a brief history of the Vulcans and why they are so popular among fans.

In 2006, she wrote the novel Burning Dreams, which centers on Captain Christopher Pike and his crew.

A short story entitled “The Greater Good” written by Bonanno appeared in the 2009 Star Trek: Mirror Universe anthology Shards and Shadows, while a full-length novel, Unspoken Truth, was released in March 2010.

In a 2009 interview with Unreality SF.net, Bonanno commented “My two favorite series are TOS and DS9… I would love to write in the DS9 universe, but that’s pretty heavily scheduled with other writers right now”.