Columbia Player Spotlight

			Columbia Player Spotlight

USS Columbia
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Overview

The Columbia Spotlight is an opportunity to get to know and recognise our fantastic players for IC and OOC achievement beyond promotions and awards. Each month a different player is featured.

List of Featured Players

Talos Dakora August 2018 Spotlight Though he has not been with us for terribly long Talos Dakora, has already made clear his ability to write, and write well. In the span of just a couple months, his creativity, levity, and prowess has been put on full display. His descriptive and engaging sims are a treat to read, and firmly solidify him as a writer of great potential. It’s a pleasure to interview him here today. Thank you to Talos for agreeing to answer a few questions that will allow us to get to know the player behind Ensign Dakora a little better!: When did you first join StarBase 118? What compelled you to join? I joined the group as Talos in March of this year. I was drawn to this group by the professionalism of the staff, the amount of players and how established the group/game is itself. How many other PBeM groups are 20+ years old? What is it that you enjoy most about being a member of StarBase 118? I have a boring desk job, so the ability to be creative and live out the adventures of a Starfleet Officer while collaborating with a bunch of great people is my favorite part of being a member of this group. If you could make any mission or side plot happen, what would it be?? Someday, I would like to participate in a mission where I encounter the Mirror Universe version of Talos or where we are transported back to some critical moment in history. I feel like those are the kinds of classic Star Trek stories that would be a lot of fun to write about. Delving into Talos, would you tell us a little about how you developed him - he certainly has an interesting backstory? Delving into Talos, would you tell us a little about how you developed him - he certainly has an interesting backstory? What is it that appeals to you about playing an Intelligence Officer? I like the flexibility of the position. You can play it as more of an analyst, who pours over all of the information and comes up with the key piece of intel at just the right moment or you can play it as a more direct action duty post who can go into the field with the away team and take care of business. Depending on the opportunities (and what your CO allows) I think there is a lot of potential for fun story lines as an Intel Officer. You can place yourself on any ship, StarBase 118, or TV series. Which would it be, and it what role would you want to serve? That's an easy one: Captain of the Enterprise during the Kirk era. Play fast and loose with the prime directive, rip your shirt kicking the bad guy's butt, attend a funeral for the red shirts and shack up with that gorgeous alien. All in a days work! No, but seriously I like the idea of being sort of on your own on the "5 Year Mission" and being among the first to discover new worlds and civilizations. What is your history with Star Trek? My dad and uncles always had TNG and Voyager on as a kid, but I never really got into Trek until I saw Star Trek (2009). I enjoyed that movie and immediately went out and bought the TOS Blu Rays and fell in love with the rest of Trek in the following years. Outside of StarBase 118 and the universe of Star Trek, how do you enjoy spending your time? I'm constantly upgrading and rebuilding my "fleet" of gaming PCs, I swear I have more fun doing that than actually playing games on them. I'm a big time VR enthusiast too and I'd love to play VR games with anyone in the Fleet who plays them. When I'm not being a giant nerd I like hiking, barbecuing, and participating in IDPA matches.

Anath G'Renn July 2018 Spotlight J, the writer behind Anath G'Renn joined the Andaris Task Force in February 2017, initially as a medical officer and has since worked her way up to become the Blackwell’s Chief Medical Officer. During her time with the fleet, she has received numerous awards, including The Silver Palm, The Neelix Award, The B-Plot Award and The Russ Bar. More than that, she is a phenomenal writer, displaying her talents during a variety of missions and OOC activities, including the FNS. She has been a steadfast member of the ATF, and a pillar of this community for more than a year, contributing in a variety of ways for the benefit of the group. Thank you to J for agreeing to answer a few questions that will allow us to get to know the player behind Doctor G'Renn a little better!: How did you end up at StarBase 118? I stumbled upon the wiki purely by accident, and I was intrigued. I had never really done anything like Starbase 118 before. But, after doing some digging on the wiki and seeing more I decided to give it a chance. Nearly a year and a half later and I’m still here. What is your favourite part of StarBase 118? People? Places? Tech? Roles? Ships? My favorite part of Starbase 118 is definitely all the great people I’ve met here. Without other people collaborative writing doesn’t go very far. Luckily I think that we have an incredible and supportive group of writers who make writing here so rewarding. Delving into your character, Anath G’Renn, would you tell us a little about how you developed her? My first thought when I was considering a character was to have a Vulcan medical officer. However, I was worried about my ability to convincingly pull of a Vulcan character. Because of that I decided to add in something to make her a bit more expressive and emotional. My first thought was half-Human, but I wanted to try something really outside the box. In addition to making it easier to write for Anath the duality also provided a natural path for character progression as she struggles to balance two polar opposite natures. Anath has developed wonderfully during your time with StarBase 118. Where you see you Anath going in her career in Starfleet? I’m not entirely sure what Anath’s future career holds. Maybe she’s destined for command some day, or her place could still be in sickbay where she started. Regardless of what she’s doing concern for the well-being of her crewmates will be a constant in her career. Do you have any advice for aspiring medical officers? Find what drives your character to be a doctor. Being a medical officer is a career path that is incredibly challenging from start to finish. Even entering the profession requires years of schooling, and the job provides no shortage of stress. That isn’t something that somebody puts themself through without a good reason. Character motivation is key. As the latest recipient of the Russ Bar combined with your performance at the recent Trivia Contest, it is evident you know your Trek. What was is that got you into Star Trek in the first place? Science fiction has always been one of my favorite genres, just as science was always my favorite school subject. I think that when I first saw an episode of the original show with my dad I was impressed most with the optimistic outlook on the future. It was probably the first fictional world I really wanted to live in. Not only did it provide an interesting stage for the main plot of each episode, the world itself was just such an appealing and well-built view on the potential future (minus a few instances of really bending the laws of science). Do you have a favourite line or phrase from the shows and why? “Genius doesn't work on an assembly line basis. Did Einstein, Kazanga or Sitar of Vulcan produce new and revolutionary theories on a regular schedule? You can't simply say, 'Today I will be brilliant.’” is a quote I’ve always appreciated. When I’m working on a project and feel upset with myself for being unable to find an answer right away that quote reminds me that stressing about deadlines doesn’t foster inventive answers. Other than writing with us, what is one your favourite hobbies? I absolutely love to read! I enjoy reading anything from classic literature to informative non-fiction. When the Texas weather is manageable I also enjoy going for walks and just letting my mind wander for a while.

Hal Mika June 2018 Spotlight Anders, the writer behind Hal Mika, has been with Andaris Task Force since April, joining directly from the academy as a counselor. In the short time that Anders has been with us, he's already proven to be a more than adept writer, bringing his character to life with skill and aplomb. Thank you to Anders for agreeing to answer a few questions that will allow us to get to know the player behind Counselor Mika a little better!: What brought you to StarBase 118? My brother sims on the Veritas. He inspired me to write early in life and suggested Starbase 118 as a good way to develop my writing, so I decided to try it out and I have not been disappointed. So far, what is your favourite part about being a member of StarBase 118? It’s pushed me a writer. Having a dedicated community that writes alongside me has really helped me develop my ability for collaboration. Reading everything everyone else writes is entertaining and it really helps me see a lot of variety in ideas and styles of writing and helps me turn those observations inward to see what I can do to improve. It really is a great community and I’ve enjoyed every moment I’ve been a part of it. What do you spend your time outside of StarBase 118 doing? I spend a lot of it in a pizza shop, making dough for college. (Pun intended.) I spend a lot of my free time catching up on Star Trek. So far, I’m in TNG Season 3, working forward in order of release. Beyond that and among other things, I enjoy running, camping, videogames and listening to and making music. What drew you to playing a Counselor? When I was first joining, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to sim. I checked the Duty Post availability and at the time it said Counselor or Science officer were most needed and I wasn’t sure I could write a very good science officer. Science has never really been my strong suit. Counselor sounded like an intriguing and challenging duty post to write for, without having to spend a bunch of time trying to catch up on all of the science stuff that goes on and has gone on in the Star Trek Universe. Ba’ku is certainly an interesting choice, how did that come about? I wanted to play a less familiar race, one that would allow me to explore my character in a way beyond what I could do with a human. I hadn’t seen much of Star Trek before getting started here; we had all the movies at home when I was a kid, so I was somewhat familiar with the Ba’ku. It seemed the appropriate amount of unfamiliar without being something I wouldn’t know anything about as a writer. What is your favourite Star Trek series? I’ve only watched TOS and some of TNG. Of the two, I prefer TNG, if only because by the time it came around, the picture of what Star Trek was was clearer and better funded. Do you have a favourite character from the shows and why? All the characters I’ve yet seen have been wonderfully distinct and they add so much to the story of each series. But if I had to pick a favorite, I think Data would be it. His cluelessness about certain human behaviors never ceases to be amusing and his quest to be more human adds a lot to his character, making him deeper and more interesting than most characters in any story I’ve read or watched. If there was one thing you would want everyone to know about you, what would that be? I guess I’d like everyone to know that I work hard, but I’m a terrible procrastinator! So if ever I’m slowing the ship down, don’t be afraid to let me know. Sometimes, I just need a little push.