Announce List/2013, Part 1

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Jan 4, 2013

Weekly Newsletter 2390.01

  • Sada

Happy Friday, Fleet!

FLEET EVENTS

  • Writing Challenge: The winner of the Challenge for December is Jalana Laxyn, with her story "The mightiest warrior of them all" (http://goo.gl/hDUhu). Our runner-up -- who's new to the group! -- is Brayden Jorey, with his "Sentimental Value" (http://goo.gl/Pazvx).
  • Top Sims Contest: Winner of 2012 Top Sim Contest is Captain Kalianna Nicholotti with "The Bane of History, Repeating" (http://goo.gl/4Q6pk). For all your entries starting January 1st use prefix Round 3: http://goo.gl/zNZKN
  • Next fleetwide OOC chat is scheduled for Sunday, January 14th. The time going forward will be as follows: 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 5pm GMT / 4am Monday UTC+11. Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! Chat is always open on the site: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/
  • List of Fleet Activities that needs you can be found: http://goo.gl/hLoe9 - there's something for everyone, so don't be shy.


LINK OF THE WEEK: http://goo.gl/UdeqK - Executive Council: The Ensign's Guide to Management


COMMUNITY NEWS

  • Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments under the favored articles.

(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Poll of the Week: Finding the Unexplored: http://goo.gl/NIrpg 2. Forums Roundup: January 2013: http://goo.gl/KnjGl 3. The Vigilant Through December: http://goo.gl/VBqhB 4. Lower Decks: Ensign Greg Able: http://goo.gl/Dejds 5. The Discovery-C Through December: http://goo.gl/8SdAr 6. Awards Ceremony, 2012: http://goo.gl/MBYcO 7. Let Us Be Sure History Never Forgets the Name Enterprise: http://goo.gl/DqKOA 8. Get your free promotional flier: http://goo.gl/rT6h4 9. November Plot Summary: USS Avandar: http://goo.gl/Eq3nO


FULL TEXT ARTICLES:

    • Poll of the Week: Finding the Unexplored

Posted: Fri, 04 Jan 2013 13:10:54

Welcome to the first poll of 2013 or 2390 in our time line. 2390: oh how time flies, and more importantly, the question is how far we have come as a Federation? How far has Star Fleet has come as an organization? How far we still have to go if the many glimpses at the future are any indication? Obviously as time goes by our knowledge increases, what was originally unexplored become too frequently traveled. Just as on our own planet, in 2013 there are extremely few places left unexplored to us.

Star Fleet as we all know is dedicated to helping people, to defending freedoms and most critically to exploration. So the question becomes, where in the galaxy would you go to find an unexplored region of space to enjoy, as explorers? Would you search the boundary of the Alpha or Beta quadrants looking into the great beyond? Or perhaps you would head straight for the Delta or Gamma quadrants that still remain vastly untouched by Star Fleet?

If our fleet has proven anything over the years it's that there is an adventure to be found no matter you travel. Adventures and wonders can be found even if your not looking for them. So the question becomes if you had to pick a direction which way would you start traveling? So visit the forums (http://goo.gl/TWjrm) to tell us what you think because that is how the fun really starts.


    • Forums Roundup: January 2013

Posted: Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:00:53

Last year seemed to have gone far faster than it had any right to, but what's in the past, is in the past! Now, as we embark on a new year, 2013, we have plenty to look forward to. It's a new year, which means new sims, new contests, and new fun! Here's just a sampling of it all, found on the Starbase 118 forums. Be sure to stop by and say hello, and join in the fun no matter what your New Years resolutions or goals might be. A little bit of fun can only help make the coming year better!

Now is as good a time as any to reconnect with your ship and fellow crew mates. Every ship has their own forum board, so don't hesitate to say hello or take part in one of your ship's, or another ship's conversations or games! http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/216-starbase-118-ships/

A new year means more new members. Be sure that you stop by the welcome thread and welcome our newest officers to the Fleet: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/6645-welcome-thread/

The contest is over for 2012, and the Top Sim has been named, but how can we improve this contest for next year? http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8125-how-can-we-improve-this-contest-for-2013/

Learn more about your duty post and what others in your duty post are doing: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/52-duty-posts/

Have a minute to help out? The Volunteer's corner is full of small, easy tasks that anyone is welcome to help with. Jump in today and give us a hand! http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/408-volunteers-corner/

And there's plenty more! Be sure that you aren't missing out on the fun; head over to the Starbase 118 forums today and join the conversation!


    • The Vigilant Through December

Posted: Thu, 03 Jan 2013 11:00:01

Called to Zakdorn IV to report for a high-stakes mission that could prevent a change in the balance of power in the Beta Quadrant, the crew of the USS Vigilant have been thrown into the deep end. As a dissident movement urges the Zakdorn Assembly to abandon their place in the Federation and join the Klingon Empire, a diplomatic team from the USS Vigilant has begun a campaign to sway public opinion back to the side of the Federation. While Captain Diego Herrera prepares an address for the Assembly members, Lieutenant Commander Greir Reinard has been given the task of preparing a press release that will reach a huge number of voting Zakdorn. Meanwhile, Ensigns James Fox and Ilyazi Malon are preparing an ace-in-the-hole that could trump the Klingon dissidents and win the Federation even more supporters.

Meanwhile, not far from the shipyards where the USS Vigilant has almost been completed, a team of officers led by Lieutenant Commander Eerie has been taken hostage by the very technicians they had been assigned to protect just as the dust settled from an overt Klingon attack. In the capital, Lieutenant Commander Leo Handley-Page and his team of investigators have just discovered a message sent from the Zakdorn Assembly building to the shipyards on an encrypted Klingon frequency. Could this be the first big step towards uncovering the roots of the dissident issue?

Follow the Vigilant's crew into January here (http://goo.gl/bKSf8)!


    • Lower Decks: Ensign Greg Able

Posted: Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:00:20

Here in this edition of the Lower Decks, we meet a spry young newbie to the community, Ensign Gregory Able. Ensign able has come from humble beginnings on his journey from the Orleans shipyards, to hitting the books, and now to the USS Apollo. Greg's writer, Mark, is here to tell us a bit more about this promising young addition to the fleet.

The writer for Mr. Able, Mark, lives and works in the UK as an IT specialist. Being greatly involved in social networking, and having been part of a Star Trek based community prior to ours, his experience in RP'ing and PBeM groups is not limited. His fan group, the U.S.S. Navras, which is part of the STARFLEET International Star Trek Fan Association, served as the vessel in which he found the UFOP: SB118 community. In efforts to expand his relations with other Trek friendly communities from within the group, Mark stumbled upon our community through Twitter, and ultimately had to check it out. "I've participated in a lot of RP in MMOs and before that play-by-email and no-one has ever seemed so well organised and friendly. I am glad I found you and proud to be here for sure."

Like a handful of us, Mark grew up on TNG, watching the exploits of the great Picard and his motley crew during the first real airing of the series on UK television. Through countless repeats, and as he would call it, "compulsive" viewing, he'd become rather acquainted with the Star Trek universe. To follow would be Deep Space Nine, which serves as his proverbial flag ship show, and after that Voyager. ".When you live in a house full of Sci-Fi geeks it was compulsive viewing. Those three series, plus the original cast movies which I have seen many times, really form the core of my enjoyment of Star Trek. Enterprise never really hit it off with me and really I'm not the biggest fan of the Original Series episodes, although there's no denying their importance."

Some of these influences are sure to show up in his future writing, as it did in his character development. "I wanted to avoid all the typical stereotypes, but also pay homage to some of my favourite characters in Star Trek. His personality is a fusion of a few different characters, a bit of Ben and Jake Sisko, Geordi LaForge, Miles O'Brien, Trip Tucker, plus a bit of my own personality in the mix. My best RP characters always have their origins in the best existing characters but are their own unique combination or fusion of those and my own ideas." So, the end product of his plan? Gregory Able. ".A young, aspiring, hands on engineer fresh out of Starfleet Academy. I have recently been assigned to U.S.S. Apollo as my first posting and we're just making final preparations to set sail on what will be Greg's first mission. Greg comes from an old time Southern US family and after graduating school and begin rejected by Starfleet worked at the Orleans fleet yard as an enlisted crewman for a few years before being accepted into the Academy so his hands-on approach is a bit different to most out-of-the-class room Academy graduate engineers. It reflects my personality, I'm very much a roll up your sleeves and get stuck in kinda guy when the chips are down."

Being fresh from training can mean a few things for any new addition to the fleet, one of which is that there are so many options, so many roads that you could travel down. It would appear that Mr. Able is at a good spot in his short career thus far. Mark isn't sure just where Greg will be in a year's time, but he could speculate. "I haven't totally got a feel for that yet in such a short time, but I really hope that Greg will have a name as a good engineer and maybe an extra pip on his collar, but I really have no set goals, I just want to enjoy the sims and see where the experience takes me. I've only been simming with the Apollo crew a few weeks. I've been made to feel very welcome and I'm sure Greg will get up to some great adventures in the not-too-distant future."

As for the Apollo's next mission, and Mr. Able's first, Mark will have the opportunity to experience MSNPC play, and get to be an active force in guiding the mission along. With his fresh outlook on his career, and his writer's anecdotal appreciation for the Star Trek realm, Ensign Greg Able is sure to be a household name in no time. We'll be sure to keep an eye out for him. For now, this has been another edition of Lower Decks with Ensign Greg Able, and as always. Carry on Ensign!


    • The Discovery-C Through December

Posted: Tue, 01 Jan 2013 11:00:54

After realizing his error, Captain Waltas called off the orbital bombardment of Gurab II and the crew put their differences aside to work together to successfully destroy the doomsday device, saving Earth from annihilation. Despite the success, Captain Waltas was determined to turn himself in to Starfleet authorities for violating protocol. First Officer Blueheart took it upon himself to turn himself in as well for mutiny. Officially on shore leave on Earth, Waltas and Blueheart attended their hearing at Starfleet Headquarters, presided over by Fleet Captain Toni Turner. They both tendered their resignations, explaining their respective errors in judgment. After much deliberation, Turner and her panel of judges rejected their resignations and acquitted them of all wrongdoing. Though Waltas and Blueheart were overjoyed and relieved over the verdict, it iwas the unexpected and uninvited attendance of their crew at the hearing in full unconditional support that truly made them both rejoice and realize just how special and precious and close-knit the Discovery family really was. Waltas also surprised everyone by handing out awards and a promotion right after the hearing. What more could the crew ask for to kickstart a well-earned shore leave around the holidays!

Follow the Discovery's crew into January here (http://goo.gl/N2vcv)!


    • Awards Ceremony, 2012

Posted: Mon, 31 Dec 2012 18:15:42

Every year, our organization comes together for our annual awards ceremony process. While General Awards are presented to members on their vessels, we also prepare a fleet ceremony to present Special, Duty Post, and Staff awards, as well as any other important commendations for the fleet, like our annual Top Sims Contest winner.

This year's ceremony is now complete, and has been posted on our wiki. Head over to the 2012 Awards Ceremony page (http://goo.gl/w7xUn) to find out who won which awards - your name might be on that list!


    • Let Us Be Sure History Never Forgets the Name Enterprise

Posted: Mon, 31 Dec 2012 11:00:43

On December 1st, 2012, the United States Navy deactivated the nuclear powered aircraft carrier CVN-65, more commonly known as the USS Enterprise. Commissioned in 1961, the Enterprise is the eighth USN ship to carry the name, and has seen action in conflicts around the world for 50 years. When she is formally decomissioned in March of 2013 (when the last of her nuclear fuel is removed), she will have been in service for 51 consecutive years, making her the longest serving carrier in the United States Navy.

The USS Enterprise had her keel laid at the Newport News Shipyards in 1958, was first launched on September 24th, 1960, and was officially commissioned by the Navy on November 25th, 1961. After her shakedown cruise, her first major assignment lived up to her spacefaring namesake: she acted as the tracking station for Friendship 7, the Project Mercury space capsule that carried Lieutenant Colonel John Glenn on his first orbital flight.

Her first combat deployment came during the Cuban Missle Crisis of October 1962. The Enterprise, along with four other Second Fleet carriers, formed the backbone of the air blockade of Cuba.

In November 1965 the Enterprise was transferred to the Pacific 7th Fleet, and would spend the majority of the next decade in east and southeast Asia. In 1973, the Enterprise returned to Puget Sound Naval Base for a refit to accommodate the newly developed F-14 Tomcat before returning to the Pacific. By the time she returned to Newport News for a refit, she had deployed a total of 12 times to the Pacific. In May 2006, Enterprise entered her last combat deployment in the Persian Gulf.

The Enterprise has her own place in pop culture history as well. She was the setting of the movie Top Gun. Directors filmed actual flight operations for many of the fill scenes, although several of the interior scenes were filmed aboard the USS Ranger. It was also the setting for Star Trek IV, though again, most of the scenes were filmed aboard the Ranger due to the Enterprise being on deployment.

Most famously of all, the Enterprise is said to have inspired Gene Roddenberry. Many of the original documents for the show referred to Star Trek's ship as the USS Yorktown, but the Enterprise, being at the forefront of Naval Technology of the time, was said to have inspired Roddenberry to rename one of the most famous ships in pop culture history.

At the end of Star Trek Generations, Captain Picard states that "History should never forget the name Enterprise." And in an unintended moment of forsight, at the decommissioning ceremony, it was announced that the next Gerald Ford class carrier, CVN-80, will be the ninth ship to carry the name Enterprise.


    • Get your free promotional flier

Posted: Sun, 30 Dec 2012 15:00:27

Finally, promotional fliers have been published and printed, and are available by email request. What are these for you might ask? Well what better way to get the word out about our community than to post one of these informational fliers in your favorite shop for all to see? Perhaps your next question might be: "How can I help?" If you'd like to receive a free flier to post in any one of your favorite local coffee, hobby or comic shops, just read and follow the instructions laid out on the Forums. Click here to find out more (http://goo.gl/UXRIs)! These things are very cool, and very deserving of attention! Let's get em out there and promote our community!


    • November Plot Summary: USS Avandar

Posted: Sat, 29 Dec 2012 11:00:33

After their time on the far side of Romulan space, the unfortunate events that occurred there, and a far too close for comfort brush with the KDF during the recent conflict, the crew of the USS Avandar were more than happy to take a little time to themselves when the ship arrived at the water world of Poseidon.

With the Avandar's share of the refugees from Gateway Station safely transferred to the USS Syria to be given proper care and assistance, and work underway to patch the hole left in the hull by a Klingon boarding craft, nobody wasted much time in getting their feet wet and taking care of some personal business. Whether it was Lieutenant Commander T'Lea's underwater caving expedition with Ensign Ben'thal, preparations for the beach party the security chief suggested, the purely legalistic wedding of Lieutenant Robins and Chief Valaine, or anything else, nobody passed up the chance to put recent stressed behind them.

After the chance to blow off some steam, everyone is getting the ship good and ready for its next mission - but have no idea that their next encounter with the unknown is already heading right their way..


Cadet Segolene LeMarnix Science http://goo.gl/9iPtk

~Newsletter Team Facilitator~ Good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment.

Jan 11, 2013

Weekly Newsletter 2390.02

  • Sada

Happy weekend, Fleet!

FLEET EVENTS

  • Caption Competition: http://goo.gl/Y1X08 Winner of last round is Captain Della Vetri with "...and this will make you think the cake is true." Currently we're captioning DS9 and round is opened till Sunday, so hurry up and add your funniest line!
  • Next fleetwide OOC chat is scheduled for THIS Sunday, January 14th. The time going forward will be as follows: 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 5pm GMT / 4am Monday UTC+11. Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! Chat is always open on the site: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/
  • Top Sims Contest: Winner of 2012 Top Sim Contest is Captain Kalianna Nicholotti with "The Bane of History, Repeating" (http://goo.gl/4Q6pk) . Round 3 submissions: Tuesday, January 1 to Sunday, January 20.
    • Make sure to review 2013 Top Sims Contest Rules & Announcements, which are slightly new for this year! http://goo.gl/eCDTv
  • Writing Challenge: The winner of the Challenge for December is Jalana Laxyn, with her story "The mightiest warrior of them all" (http://goo.gl/hDUhu). For Jan/Feb Challenge she chose: "'Where do you see the universe in 10 years,' be it in society, technologically, medically, personally.." http://goo.gl/o6NK5 Deadline for this Challenge is Friday, February 22nd!
  • List of Fleet Activities that needs you can be found: http://goo.gl/hLoe9 - there's something for everyone, so don't be shy. ** Newsletter is seeking new editor; contact FltAdml. Wolf at t.wolf@... if you're interested.

LINK OF THE WEEK: http://goo.gl/sMpMx - Officer's Guide: Un-fogging the Writing Challenge


COMMUNITY NEWS

  • Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments under the favored articles.

(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Publicity Team Update: December: http://goo.gl/k1GrW 2. The Duronis II Embassy Through December: http://goo.gl/8Wfhr 3. Lower Decks: Ensign Will Stead: http://goo.gl/771Xg 4. Starbase 118 Operations Through December: http://goo.gl/2A6oE 5. Featured Bio: What's This all About?: http://goo.gl/PvXvt 6. T'Mihn's Cooking Corner: Hot Spicy Cha'i: http://goo.gl/lNsX4 7. So You Want To Be A Gamer: http://goo.gl/mpWbp


FULL TEXT ARTICLES:

    • Publicity Team Update: December

Posted: Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:28:09

Now that we have officially entered into the new year, the Publicity Team has gained new members, soared to new heights with the points system, and, as a result, we are seeing more and more applications come into the fleet from prospective members.

The team welcomes Lt. Jg Kael Thomas and 2nd Lt. Oxford Brown of the newly launched fleet vessel, USS Vigilant. Welcome to the team, we are glad to have you with us.

Now, for this month we have some members of the team that have again topped the team leaderboard. The top points earner for the Publicity Team this month, again, is Lt. Jg T'Mhin Ah'mygahn, while Captain Diego Herrera comes in at a close second place. Congratulations to you both.

The May 17th release date for the new Star Trek film is rapidly coming upon us, and with that, the push for fan fiction writing will increase. The more places and websites where the team can place the name of the fleet, the more members we will attract. The year of 2013 is looking bright for the fleet and this team will be leading the way.

The Publicity Team is always looking for members. If you have any questions, or you would like to join the team, please contact, Lt. Commander Alexander Matthews or Captain Kalianna Nicholotti for more information.


    • The Duronis II Embassy Through December

Posted: Thu, 10 Jan 2013 11:00:18

The crew of the Duronis II Embassy/USS Thunder continued their struggle to save the SS Galactic Hauler. Having put out the fire, the away team lead by Lieutenant Commander Alucard Vess attempted to discover what happened to cause the fire. Meanwhile, a pirate vessel captained by Harrington James approached the USS Canis Major under the command of Fleet Captain Turner and made threats in regard to the Galactic Hauler's cargo. James's plan soon fell through as Orion vessels were soon detected approaching and he retreated from the area. On the Galactic Hauler, Marine Captain Michael Valentino discovered numerous illicit items hidden in one of the cargo holds, prompting Lieutenant Commander Nugra to arrest the freighter's captain.

Back on board the Canis Major, the away team arrive on the bridge in time to witness Lieutenant Commander Miles Unum and Ensign Abraham Bennit put into action their plan to fool the Orions into thinking the pirates had obtained the freighter's cargo, allowing the two ships to escape. Underway again, the crew brought the Canis Major to her final home at the Starfleet Academy Museum. Before being released to shore leave, the crew attended a ceremony at Castle Mey in northern Scotland to witness the launch of the Akira-class USS Thunder-A.

Follow the Duronis II Embassy into January here (http://goo.gl/51o3O)!


    • Lower Decks: Ensign Will Stead

Posted: Wed, 09 Jan 2013 11:00:21

Welcome to another edition of the Lower Decks, featuring Ensign Will Stead, the USS Apollo's newest operations officer. Personal quirks are something that the character is quite familiar with, but first, we'll hear a bit from Will's writer. Let's hear just what he has to say. Ensign?

The writer for Mr. Stead is one Trent Schreyer. Trent hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and has been involved with Star Trek for most of his life. From watching the TNG reruns around the dinner table, to recalling old TOS episodes from his childhood days, Star Trek has always been a part of his life. When Trent isn't near the Trek scene, he enjoys the nightlife, a little Star Wars and other gaming, and researching various aspects of the Star Trek franchises. He dabbled in PBeM groups once before, but stumbled back across them through Google, ultimately landing him a seat in the USS Apollo. "This is my first character since simming with a pbem group when I was 18 ish (13-14 years ago). [ I'm] Looking to explore this hobby and develop my writing skills."

Trent plays the role of Ensign Will Stead, the current operations officer aboard the Apollo. When it came to deciding just where to go with the character, and what guidelines he would set for himself, he decided to pull a 180. He decided to go with something that was. "not me. Different parent relationships, different upbringings, causal and easy going. Capable but a conn ops [officer] with a horrid sense of direction and people skills bordering on shut-in." This sort of character could pose some great challenges not only for the character and those around him, but for the writer as well. Right off the bat, we begin to see the quirkiness of the character within the first few moments of his boarding the Apollo as its helmsman. "He got lost within minutes of arriving on the ship. Spent the entire time between his first two shifts trying to find his quarters. His poor sense of direction may be good reason he got moved from conn to ops." Lost in Space, anyone?

When it comes to the future, Trent hopes that Will might develop into a department head, and to really start bonding with the crew. He delicately adds, "Avoiding court marshal is my goal for January. " Certainly Fleet Captain Jaxx's reputation preceeds him, but there shouldn't be anything to worry about, Ensign! Not unless the pranks keep rolling in. "Will just faked a failing receiving comm unit in order to ignore Sb118's hails while the Apollo departed at an unacceptable velocity. Going a step further, Will felt it was a fun opportunity to actually task a repair crew to 'fix' the issue, knowing the would find nothing and search for hours. I love you guys!" All in good fun, of course. Ensign Stead is sure to be an asset in times to come, and we'll be sure to follow his journey. Until next time, this has been another edition of Lower Decks. In the mean time, carry on Ensign!


    • Starbase 118 Operations Through December

Posted: Tue, 08 Jan 2013 11:00:05

After the strain and stress of the Klingon machinations, the crew came back to share the station with the Mercury, Apollo, and Achilles. Commander Cody provided additional spirits to pass out, but none of that explained Lt. jg Silveira's rousing rendition of "Kung fu fighting" expertly modified to describe the recent battle. Thankfully the only other karaoke mishap was caused by the first officer, who wondered what "carrying oaks" had to do with singing. The evening as a whole passed with friends across the ships, new and old, enjoying each other's company before going their separate ways.

The questions about the holo-matrix clone of the captain, Anya, forced more serious discussion after the party. The command staff reviewed what and how the clone was created and what to do next. Captain Nicholotti made the decision to share all of the details with the crew, despite the concerns. The crew's reaction was mixed. Everyone was shocked both by the possibility of Anya's creation, as well as the likely implications to Commander Cody and Anya. However, they equally were supportive of doing whatever it took, within regulations, to keep both safe and part of the family. This was important, as early the following morning, Greeters from the Odyssey Station have come calling to collect their holo-matrix "sister" and revealed that the Commander Cody on the station is only a projection of the real one, still on Odyssey!

Follow the crew of Ops into January here (http://goo.gl/2MFD6)!


    • Featured Bio: What's This all About?

Posted: Mon, 07 Jan 2013 11:00:39

This month, the Featured Bio Contest Team would like to shed a little more light on the process and the people behind the contest. As such, we'd like to introduce Deliera, aka Sky Blake (http://goo.gl/8dxoK) of the USS Avandar, who sat down to answer some questions about both herself, the team, and the contest.

  • Before we get to talking about the Featured Bio Contest itself, can you first tell us a little about yourself?

- My name's Deliera. I am Chief of Security on the USS Avandar, and I have been with StarBase 118 for almost two years, and for all of that time, I have never left the Security duty post. I am an Australian, and I am actually a music teacher IRL.

  • How did you first get started editing the StarBase 118 Wiki?

- I started working with the wiki as soon as my wiki profile was created by the Challenger-A's Science officer at the time, Yanell Delwyn. My first edit to my page was really just to fill in the parts that needed to be filled in. I did not know anything about the wiki, and I was lucky to keep it my character's page neat.

  • Were you familiar with using wikis or did you have to learn from scratch?

- I learned how to use the wiki the hard way: I was actually just cutting and pasting everything, and there is definitely no shame in doing that. Eventually, my experience with the wiki grew as I experimented with what looked good and how the links and templates worked and what other people did with their profiles. When the Challenger-A was decommissioned, and I was assigned to the USS Ronin, Commander Tallis-our commanding officer-worked with me to create what we called a "uniform profile", which was basically a template for a crew member of the ship and a sidebar template to use.

  • We completed both, and when new officers arrived, I created their profiles and put in the templates. All they had to do was fill in their characters' information. Eventually, we managed to "convert" as many people's profiles as possible to that template.

Besides initially setting up profiles for new ensigns, what else do you often edit on the wiki? - I updated the crew roster, PNPC roster and crew history whilst on a few postings and even helped create some of the Mercury's rosters. I have a little collection of my own character pages (around 20 PNPC pages, I think. Probably more.) that I try to keep up-to-date as much as I can, but Sky's immediate family (Sky herself, Sabor, and Faith) are the profiles that must be kept up-to-date. If they aren't current, there's usually a specific reason, whether that's because I don't have the time, or something's a secret, or a plotline is still developing-there could be various different reasons.

  • Why did you join the Featured Bio Contest team?

- One of the things that I really like about StarBase 118 is that there is always something to do, something to help out with, and there's never usually someone saying "no you can't do that" unless there's a certain reason for it. The problem was, there was no team focused on character wiki pages - there are teams focused on species development, the wiki development, but I couldn't find a team that I was somewhat of an "expert" in-and I'm still not an expert in many areas of the wiki at the moment, but I do try my best to help.

Unfortunately, I missed the very start of the Featured Bio Contest, as I was on a tour of the USA, but I received an email from the FBC's facilitator saying that he'd like to use my character's profile as an example profile. I said yes, and that I wanted to help out as much as I could, so helping out I am!

  • What do you hope to achieve through the contest?

- I think the Featured Bio Contest is an absolute fantastic idea for those "wiki-geeks", and I really do hope it inspires people to experiment with their character's wikipages and to update them and add their own personality to them. There's nothing better than a character profile that's up-to-date, but more importantly, differs from other profiles in some way.

  • All right, let's get to the big question on everyone's minds: what makes a good featured bio?

Different people judge the profiles in their own way; thus, they'll have their own different feedback for each profile. For me, a good featured bio is neat, updated, and has little to no missing information (i.e; no spaces with "describe this" still there), so really it's about the presentation for me.

Even a simple bio page that is just filled in with the basics but has a little "life" ticks the boxes for me, so long as they have a sidebar with a little color. You might come across a profile with plenty of information, heaps of images, and everything else meets the criteria (http://goo.gl/MZPLS), but it still may not become the Featured Winner because it's not presented very well. You want to be able to absorb the person reading the profile, but not overload them with all this information in one area or a heap of images cluttering the page.

  • So what's the process like? How do you pick them? What are you looking for?

- Team members have a look and read all the profiles that are nominated in the contest's forum. Usually, we look for everything stated in the selection criteria to tick all the boxes. If the minimum selection criteria isn't met for some reason (e.g., missing categories (http://goo.gl/MZPLS), omitting the links to the list of awards (http://goo.gl/6kVHr) and service ribbons (http://goo.gl/FYKdM) pages), then the team notifies those who were nominated and tells them what criteria they didn't meet so that they can add the missing information.

Just by being nominated and approved by the team, a profile is a "winner". A Featured Nominee automatically becomes an example of a good wiki profile and is listed in the table of Featured Articles (http://goo.gl/4V5yy). A Featured Winner (i.e., that month's "Featured Bio of SB118") is an additional step above a Nominee.

To work out the Winner, all team members vote between all the articles. I, myself, don't look for things in the selection criteria as all nominees have already ticked that box. Instead, I look for personal touches-how has the user presented their character images, how neat is their profile, how much detail do they put into each of their sections, things like that.

For me, it's the presentation and detail of the profile-it's a really complicated balance, too. Too many and "uncoordinated" images make a profile look cluttered. Too much information in one section does the same thing. It's what looks good, how they built up the profile, and what details they use, that tick the boxes for me.

  • Are there any details you like or notice in particular?

- A good use of images to show off the character is a real soft spot for me. So is the personality and physical description of the character. These are things that "show" me what the character is like and give me an idea as to how they'd react to a situation, whether it'd be personal or professional. These are things that define our characters.

Another thing that I really love is the very top of a character's wikipage. The "opening sentence" of a wikipage and the sidebar of a wikipage. There are so many different ways these are presented around the fleet, and it shows a lot of different personality for me. A short description of the character's name, rank, species, duty post and ship into one sentence, followed by a good image of the character and little bits of good information well-presented starts a wikipage off fantastically.

  • Are there things you think people commonly miss or neglect?

- One of the minimum criteria to be nominated is to include the List of Awards and Service Ribbons links. Many profiles we've seen nominated don't have these links, which is rather frustrating. You have an absolutely fantastic profile nominated, only for the profile to not meet one of the minimum criteria; the reasons we have these links is to show what the award is usually for, and it's a shame to see it ignored.

[Ed. Note: The Featured Bio Contest Team has created a template you can add to your wiki pages under the appropriate awards section that will add these links for you. Just add

For award descriptions, see: Awards and Service Ribbons and you're set. If you have any questions, just ask!]
  • How do you approach your own bios that you write?

- Since creating the personnel page template and sidebar, I just use that. They're mostly retired now, as its "popular demand" subsided on my previous postings, but I still use it for my own PNPCs and NPCs. So really, I cheated-now all I have to do is just stick two templates onto a page and fill out the info. But even with the template, it's a *must* to have a good description of the character's physical appearance, personality and family. Without that key information, the profile is nowhere near complete.

  • In closing, do you have any advice to those entering the contest?

- There is no such thing as a bad bio. The whole point of the wiki is to add data-the point of character profiles is to add the character's details. Writers can do this however they want, and everything that happens to a profile is completely up to the writer. The Featured Bio Contest Team gives advice and suggestions, and we show what profiles are good examples, but it is up to the writers, and it is their choice on what looks best.

We'd like to thank Deliera for taking the time to speak with us. As always, you can find out more about the Featured Bio Contest at its wiki page (http://goo.gl/4V5yy) or in its forum (http://goo.gl/od134). Be sure to drop by and submit your own nominations for the next round!


    • T'Mihn's Cooking Corner: Hot Spicy Cha'i

Posted: Sun, 06 Jan 2013 11:00:12

  • Spicy Hot Chai*

If there's one Vulcans are known for, it's tea. It's nice if the tea is spicy, but it's even better when it's hot and spicy. I was surprised to see how many types of tea Earth had, and with so many varieties, it would take me a year to try them all. One of my favorites is this tea recipe below. Later I will include an Ethiopian variety. I hope to send some of these teas home.

This recipe calls for fresh or whole spices,but the dry, ground version is acceptable as well.

1 (2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, cut into thin rounds 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks 10 whole cloves 10 cardamom pods ( can be the green or black ones) 3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 7 cups water 6 bags black tea (or six teaspoons of your favorite loose red or black tea.) 1 1/2 cups low fat liquid coffee creamer (can use dairy, soy, or almond milk) 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

Directions:

Combine all the spices, ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns and water, in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; partially cover pan. Heat for 10 minutes. This will infuse the house with a wonderful smell too. You can add more or less spices to taste. I personally like extra cinnamon.

Add the tea bags or leaves; steep for 5 minutes. Once fully steeped, stir in the liquid creamer(or milk)and sugar. Heat through once more, srain tea into teapot and pour into cups for serving.

NOTE: You can leave out the milk and sugar if you like.


    • So You Want To Be A Gamer

Posted: Sat, 05 Jan 2013 15:00:34

Gamers: A unique breed; creative, out of the box, problem-solving people. To the uninitiated, gaming can be a bit daunting, but fear not. I have a plan; I can walk new gamers through the process. You do not need to be a professional writer, you just need to have fun.

To start things off is that odd-ball word you may have seen floating around in that internet alphabet soup: PBEM RPG. It means Play By E-Mail Role Play Game. On the web, there are thousands of sites devoted to the PBEM RPG, in nearly any genre imaginable. I currently use a science fiction site that is running around in the Star Trek universe: UFOP: StarBase 118. In nearly all PBeMs, players work together to craft ongoing stories with unique characters. The story portions are called "sims," told from the characters' third person points of view. The writer has to keep in mind what the character is thinking, feeling, seeing, smelling, hearing, and tasting. Yes, all the senses need to be engaged with as many detailed descriptions as possible for the reader to get the full experience. Much like a favorite author does with their character. Before tackling anything, read, read, read and read some more. Ask questions of your fellow players about how they created their characters. What experiences did they use, terrestrial or alien cultures, et cetera.

Some folks may want to play in the Star Trek sandbox. Ok, no problem. Most of us know Star Trek. Being closely familiar with it myself, I can say how I made my character. Before I created her, I did a lot of research on Memory Alpha and various websites on her species, their world, history and culture. I needed to incorporate that into her speech, actions and world view. I couldn't have her see cultures with a human point of view, because she wasn't enculturated, raised or brought up in the culture of an Earth human.

You don't want a superhuman character; even Q had flaws, quirks and weaknesses. You want a realistic person, one with strengths, weaknesses, flaws, and quirks. It's not too hard really. Just think of a few things first. Are they male or female, young or old, human or non human? For mine, I choose a non-human for the literary challenge. Thinking as a non-human is its own challenge. If you are leery to have your first character an alien, try a human.

Give the person a background, a backstory. Where did they come from? Was their family Starfleet or civilian, political attitudes if any, problems with other species, how do they feel about the 'current ' events in the Trek universe? Consider their personal history. Use that to create challenges as fodder for character development, such as, were they in a war, and what are the consequences of that? Do they have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Is it under control or not? Any lasting injuries, and how do they react seeing an "enemy" being a part of Starfleet? Does the character have medical issues that Trek Tech couldn't cure, like a disease, a virus he or she is a carrier, or a genetic disorder that can create some challenges for the character to grow from? Remember, don't dump unrealistic troubles on the character, or too much too soon, or all at once.

Some players will put portions of themselves into the character. It could be physical attributes or memories, only changed to suite the character. Some put pieces or entire parts of their own personality complete with habits, quirks, or codes of honor. Some players and writers may combine attributes of many people they knew into a character. Fashion sense, food likes and dislikes, hobbies, or family life. Is your character lovable or not? It depends on what you intend to do with him or her. Keep them as realistic as you want. How do they handle personal challenges? Some writers might even use the character as a catharsis for their inner healing. This should be taken with care, but can be very fun to write.

Some players have an outline of the character's path through life, while others "wing it" by having the character reacting to what is presented by the other characters about them. Whatever method you choose is up to you.

One thing I've noticed as a gamer, that after a while the character starts to become alive, and seems to have a will of his or her own. This is because of the many little things that I mentioned above had been incorporated into them. When this happens, and it will, don't force the character into a place they don't want to go. Trust me, they'll fight you. Creativity dries up. Characters have a way of making their stance clearly known. This is the challenge and the fun of having a multi dimensional character, with facets, moods and realistic reactions that fit that person's species.

A Vulcan, for instance, won't act the same way as a human, or a Klingon, an Andorian or even a species from another galaxy. A Klingon or Vulcan acts within accordance to their unique cultures. What they eat, how they dress, their particular body language and cultural stances on politics, other species and each other.

If the writer wishes to add a twist, consider the person's upbringing. Were they raised in a home that was privileged or poor? Was the household politically active or not? Did the parents raise the child in a way, that if known by the wrong people, would make him or her a pariah, an outcast among their own people? For example, a Vulcan that is more emotional than his or her fellows is considered an embarrassment; that person would be seen as " a Vulcan without logic" and considered an outcast. Or a Klingon that is peaceful would be seen as weak, and not a warrior in his or her own culture and be emotionally, and perhaps physically an outcast. In both examples, the two characters would not have the same access to normal resources that "normal " members of that society would have, because of their differences. This could be a good hook in a story, or create good writing oppotrunities.

Above all when making a character, you must, must, must have fun. Enjoy writing for the character, and it will show!


Cadet Segolene LeMarnix Science http://goo.gl/af2FM

~Newsletter Team Facilitator~ Good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment.

Jan 31, 2013

Star Trek authors & episode writers -- here, for you!

  • FltAdml. Tristan Wolf

Fleetmates,

You're in for an incredible treat. Over the past few weeks, Captains from across the fleet have been hard at work putting together an event, tailor-made for our community, which includes appearances by professional star Trek authors of books and episodes! It's called the "Writing Improvement Month," and it starts this week.

Our event lasts the entire month, and each week focuses on a couple themes. This week's themes are Writing Skills, Grammar, and Research. And we've put together an agenda full of the tools you need to tune up your writing and take your craft to the next level.

This Friday sees the launch of a very special writing challenge that, for the first time, extends its scope outside of Starbase 118! What better way to put your writing skills to the test? You�re free to use anything that you learn during the course of the month right up to the closing date of February 23rd, so pull out all of the stops and show us the best of your craft! You can find out more on this page on our site: http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/writing-challenge/

Then, we hit the ground running on Sunday, February 3rd, starting at 11PST / 2EST / 7GMT. We'll launch our event with an opening ceremony, followed directly by our first author chat. Margaret Wander Bonanno, author of the "Preternatural" trilogy -- and more Star Trek novels than you can shake a tricorder at -- will be joining us. Bring your questions about writing, especially in long form, and benefit from Margaret's considerable expertise.

Best of all: if you're there for the entire event, you have the chance to win a copy of Margaret's novel, "Preternatural"!

HEAD TO THE FORUMS NOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MARGARET, OFFER SOME QUESTIONS, AND TALK MORE ABOUT THIS FIRST AUTHOR CHAT: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8263-february-is-writing-improvement-month/

Throughout the next week we'll have tutorials and interactive quizzes, along with a live Grammar and Research workshop with Capt. Diego Herrera on Saturday, February 9th (12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / Sunday AM for Australia).

The opening shots of Writing Improvement Month are waiting to be fired and we�re looking forward to seeing you all taking advantage of such a wealth of unmissable resources! The power to improve your writing lies in your hands!

For the entire calendar of events, and more information, you can also head to the event page on our website: http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/

Feb 2, 2013

REMINDER: Star Trek author Margaret Wander Bonanno TOMORROW!

  • FltAdml. Tristan Wolf

Friends,

Just a quick reminder that we'll be hosting a live chat TOMORROW with Star Trek author Margaret Wander Bonanno. You'll have the chance to ask questions about writing, science fiction, and working with Nichelle Nichols.

Best of all: if you're there for the entire event, you have the chance to win a copy of Margaret's novel, "Preternatural"!

The event starts at 11am PST / 2pm EST / 7pm GMT / Monday AM for Australia, when we do our opening ceremony to the Writing Improvement Month, and Margaret will be joining us an hour later.

Participating is SUPER easy. We've set up new page on our site that connects directly to the chat room. Just use the link below, add a display name, and connect. No expertise required, and no extra software needed: http://go.starbase118.net/wim2013-event

We sincerely hope you'll join us for what will be a really amazing event. The more people that are there, the better the event will be.

Also, if you can, please share our Facebook event with your friends who like Star Trek and scifi: https://www.facebook.com/events/318609854917567/

Feb 6, 2013

Writing Improvement Month: Week One Roundup!

  • Marissa Jeffrey

Greetings Fellow Simmers!

This week showed us just how much fun Writing Improvement Month has in store for us all. There was and is a ton of stuff designed just for you to help make your writing and sims stellar and this is just the beginning. But like everything, we have to start somewhere, so we started with the basics - improving our writing skills at the core by using proper grammar and researching our subjects.

First, we all enjoyed a freeform chat where we discussed the month and got to meet people from across the Fleet during opening ceremonies on Sunday. Just after that, Margaret Wander Bonanno came to talk to us and answer our questions about writing. If you missed the event, or you just want to read her advice again, head over here to see the transcript!

http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/margaret-wander-bonanno -wim-event-transcript/

Take a quick test to see what you know about grammar! This ten question quiz will give you insight into some of the more common errors we see in simming, so take a minute and jot your answers down. Stay tuned to your email too; the answers will be released next week!

http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/05/test-your-grammar-knowledge-here/

And if you want to brush up on your grammar skills before you take the test, or if you find you've gotten a few wrong when you get the answers next week, be sure to check out the newest tutorial on grammatical errors, and how to banish them, written just for Writing Improvement Month.

http://www.starbase118.net/cadets/tutorial-library/tackling-common-grammatic al-errors-forever/

But grammar isn't the only thing that we are focusing on this week; making our sims better means doing more than just writing semantically. In many cases, especially for those in more technical positions, doing research is the backbone of an in depth sim. Get some tips on researching for your sims from our very own Fleet Captain Jaxx!

http://www.starbase118.net/cadets/tutorial-library/using-research-to-improve -your-sims/

A very special Writing Improvement Month writing challenge was unveiled this week as well. We're looking forward to seeing the entries, but remember, this contest closes early to give our judges time to judge before the end of the month. Learn more here:

http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/writing-challenge/

This Saturday, February 9th, Captain Herrera will be hosting a special Grammar and Research workshop to wrap up the week. The event will be held at 3pm EST (12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / Sunday AM for Australia) in our special WIM IRC room #wim2013. Be sure to join him and bring your sims, questions, and brains ready to learn! Find out more about this event, and the rest of the lineup for the month, here: http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event

The month is off to a great start! Be sure to join us for this upcoming event and check out the resources that have been created just for you! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone Saturday, but until then, happy simming!


- M Captain Kalianna Nicholotti Commanding Officer Starbase 118/USS Victory Captain's Council Magistrate

Feb 9, 2013

Weekly Newsletter 2390.03

  • Blueheart Raj

Happy weekend, Fleet!

FLEET EVENTS

  • Next Fleetwide OOC Chat is scheduled for THIS Sunday, February 10th. Fleet-wide chats occur on the 2nd Sunday of each month at these times: 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! Chat is always open on the site: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/
  • Caption Competition: http://goo.gl/Y1X08 This week's winner is LtCmdr Alucard Vess, for highlighting the horrors of the 21st Century Medical system! ("He used what to cure me?") Currently we're at Round 6 which is our Films round! So hurry up and add your funniest line!
  • Writing Challenge: The winner of the Challenge for December is Jalana Laxyn, with her story "The mightiest warrior of them all" (http://goo.gl/hDUhu). For Jan/Feb Challenge she chose: "'Where do you see the universe in 10 years,' be it in society, technologically, medically, personally.." http://goo.gl/o6NK5

Deadline for this Challenge is Friday, February 22nd!


LINK OF THE WEEK: http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/08/star-trek-into-tears/ Star Trek… Into Tears?


COMMUNITY NEWS

  • Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments under the favored articles.

(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom)

1. Captain Nicholotti Named Magistrate: http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/09/captain-nicholotti-named-magistrate/

2. Star Trek… Into Tears? http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/08/star-trek-into-tears/

3. January for Starbase 118 Operations: http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/07/january-for-starbase-118-operations/

4. New Academy Graduates: http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/06/new-academy-graduates-188/

5. Spellcheck!!! – The Tutorial Series, Part 1 http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/06/spellcheck-the-tutorial-series-part-1/

6. 2389 Fleetbook: Bios Needed http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/05/2389-fleetbook-bios-needed/

7. January for the USS Discovery-C http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/05/january-for-the-uss-discovery-c/

8. Test Your Grammar Knowledge Here! http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/05/test-your-grammar-knowledge-here/


FULL TEXT ARTICLES:

    • Captain Nicholotti Named Magistrate**

Posted: Saturday, 9 February 2013

It has come to pass that our very own Captain Kali Nicholotti has been named to the Captain's Council as its Magistrate. Certainly with the nomination and subsequent vote, there comes the burden of responsibility. Captain Nicholotti has nothing but high hopes for the role. " The position of Magistrate is a position that we nominate Captains for, and then the council votes on those nominations. It pleasures me that the council has confidence that I can serve in this role and capacity at this point in my career."

With the creation of the community's Constitution, came the inception and perpetuation of the role of Magistrate. Magistrates will often find themselves facilitating discussions that are derived from the governing body of the fleet – the Captain's Council. Captain Nicholotti also adds, " Constitutionally mandated, there are a number of entries that govern the position, the process of being appointed, and the length of the time one can remain in office. " Certainly a position that also provides necessary checks and balances, much like any other government, is always a routine part of a well-oiled governmental machine. " As Magistrate, it is my duty to introduce new ideas for discussion as needed, drive the current discussion towards the most positive solution, and ultimately ensure the timely process of voting on various things. It's an important position to hold, as it ensures that different processes always stay on track towards their ultimate goal."

So what's can we look forward to in the time of Nicholotti? " Unfortunately I can't say `what is to come', because the CC list is confidential… I can say that everyone should totally check out the hard work many of our Captains, and Fleet Captains, and our Admiral have put into the Writing Improvement Month, [which is upon us]!" At any rate, our hats are off to you ma'am, and we look forward to seeing what unfolds for this year!

You can check out the official information on the Captains' Council Magistrate position by clicking here!



    • Star Trek… Into Tears?**

Posted: Friday, 8 February 2013


The newest to-be-released saga in the Trek realm has been quoted by its director to ".. make you cry". But what does that mean for the story? Fortunately for us, the movie's preview, which has just been released to the public, should help to solve that riddle just a bit, or will it?

Director J.J. Abrams has promised us another epic chapter in the Star Trek saga, featuring the younger, greener crew of the Enterprise. Some rather juicy tidbits about the movie have been releases, including a preview that is sure to wet some appetites. While the first movie encompasses James Kirk's (Chrise Pine) rise to captaincy, Into Darkiness promises to highlight what it takes to keep that captaincy true, and what it means to be a member of Starfleet. We'll get to meet some epic new villains, and carry our emotions to quite possibly a whole new level. "The goal of this movie is to make you cry. If the movie does its job, then by the end of the movie, you will have had a reaction involving the eyes," Abrams states, and goes on to say "If the movie works, then there's definitely an emotional component."

Check out the trailer for this epic new piece of the saga, along with five things you may want to look for from J.J. Abrams himself!


    • January for Starbase 118 Operations**

Posted: Thursday, 7 February 2013


In early January, the Greeters' arrival on SB118, combined with the abduction of both Commander Cody and Anya, brought forth a massive complication.

The complication in question came in the form of dragon-like creatures who flew out of the same gravimetric anomaly the Greeters appeared to use. Creatures that appear to use magnetism to fly through space, and had killed the crews on several freighters in the area.

Despite the urge to drop everything and go for the lost, the crew boarded the Columbia and flew out to the Azure Nebula to deal with the creatures. During the trip there, the crew tried to determine how to repel the creatures, and for some, how to use the anomaly to get to the Odyssey station.

As the ship dropped out of warp near the nebula, the crew first sighted one of the creatures. Unfortunately, it was a distraction to allow the others to get close enough to attack the ship. In moments, the creatures clawed their way into the ship, slicing into sickbay, engineering, and the bridge. The creature on the bridge turned out to be a juvenile of their kind, lacking the bloodlust of the adults, the bridge crew was able to begin communicating. The adult's attacks elsewhere showed the creatures ability to cut through both walls and forcefields. Worse, only with heavy phaser rifles, and long seconds, were they able to kill them two of them. A minor victory, bought with the wounds of the crew.

Follow the crew of Ops through February here!



    • New Academy Graduates**

Posted: Wednesday, 6 February 2013


Please welcome our newest class of Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: James!


    • Spellcheck!!! – The Tutorial Series, Part 1**

Posted: Wednesday, 6 February 2013


In the first of a series of new tutorials celebrating our 2013 Writing Improvement Month, our Captain over at Starbase 118 Ops, now wearing the hat of Professor Kalianna Nicholotti, takes us through some of the basics of common grammatical errors that sneak in and establish themselves in our musings within the 118 Fleet universe, including out the gate a ten (10) question pop quiz leading in to spelling errors and why sometimes the spell check doesn't necessarily work.

This tutorial will cover some common words in the English (American) language and how, while spelled similar, can inflect different intentions within sentence structure, and in some cases, can mean completely different things.

Come check it out! You can find the first of our Writing Improvement Month tutorials here.

As for the grammar pop quiz… stay tuned, fellow readers! If it doesn't make it, your friendly neighborhood reporter has the inside track on its whereabouts. For a comparison between British and American English, Wikipedia has an extensive article covering grammar, word derivations and vocabulary, as well as writing between the two, which can be found here.

Come celebrate our month-long 2013 Writing Improvement Month and bone up your writing skills with us!



    • 2389 Fleetbook: Bios Needed**

Posted: Tuesday, 5 February 2013


The Fleetbook team is currently collecting bios for all members of the fleet who were with us for 2389! We're hoping to create comprehensive ship rosters that include bios for crew who were present during that year. Here's what we need:

• 250 words: Brief Character Bio (IC): Tell us what the most important facts are about your character, any achievements of theirs from before 2389, what their most defining personality trait is, or anything that you think we need to know about them!

• 150 words: Personal Round-Up of 2389 (IC): What was the most important thing that happened to your character last year? How would you describe 2389 in a nutshell?


We're looking to have everything collected and ready by February 28th. At that point, the process of adding them to the fleetbook will begin! Here's where to submit your bios… (In order of preference – you don't have to do both!)

1. Ask on your ship's OOC thread if there's a fleetbook rep on your crew! Mail your bio to them directly!

2. Go to the forums and drop it in here!

The team is eagerly anticipating receiving your bios! Act now!



    • January for the USS Discovery-C**

Posted: Tuesday, 5 February 2013


After narrowly escaping the ruthless press set on tarnishing the image of the crew following the mutiny and subsequent trial, the crew of the Discovery took full advantage of shore leave on Earth.

XO Blueheart and xenolinguist Ravenscroft attended ACTO of Duronis II Embassy, Sharpe's and Marine Captain Somers' wedding in South Wales, a star-studded extravaganza attended by many of the top brass of Starfleet. Captain Waltas and Counselor Collim went camping and mountain climbing in Yosemite National Park, both on the threshold of what could be a budding romantic relationship, though with Waltas still wrestling with the ghosts of girlfriends past.

Elsewhere, the chief helmsman Cogud, chief of astrometrics Vedra, engineer Frye and security officer Daisha Waltas took part in the brutal Sol System Shuttle Rally and emerged victorious, clinching first place after successfully pulling off the infamous, potentially lethal Titan's Turn. The teamwork exhibited by the winning team was particularly significant considering that Vedra and Cogud almost came to blows shortly before the race, the animosity stemming from a deep xenophobic hatred Cogud harbors against Orions.

Meanwhile, CSO Valdivia and Blueheart visited an old friend, former Ops chief Eric Lundrigan on Luna and cleared the air regarding his sudden disappearance from Starfleet. And last but not least, while vacationing in the Oasis Resort in the Bahamas, CoS Eskyys, his wife Jenyys, science officer Amman, warrant officer Grell and Blueheart stumbled upon the island's buried secret and dug deeper into its mysterious origins.

Follow the Discovery through February here!


    • Test Your Grammar Knowledge Here!**

Posted: Tuesday, 5 February 2013


This is a TEST of the EMERGENCY GRAMMAR SYSTEM. This is only a test. If this had been a real grammar emergency, you would have been directed to the closest grammar textbook or website for further instructions!

So, what do you do here? Take a minute and record your answers. Then, stay tuned to your email box the answer sheet to see how many you got right. Miss a few? This tutorial includes helpful information on common grammatical errors and how you can avoid committing a crime of grammatical proportions!


1. Which of the following sentences is correct? a. I see a light at the end of the tunnel, it's probably a mirror. b. I see a light at the end of the tunnel; it's probably a mirror. c. I see a light at the end of the tunnel it's probably a mirror. d. I see a light at the end of the tunnel. It's probably a mirror.


2. I think you left ______ combadge in my quarters. a. your b. you're c. yur d. yours


3. I can't believe ______ going to let him return to duty so soon after his injury. a. their b. they're c. there d. they


4. Can you get to ______ inner components? a. it b. its c. it's d. it is


5. ______ tricorder is that on the shelf? a. Whose b. Who's c. Who d. Whos


6. Do you know ______ going to go ______ the jeffries tube to fix it? a. whose, through b. who's, through c. whose, threw d. who's, threw


7. Go over ______ and get ______ scans before they leave. a. there, their b. they're, there c. there, they're d. their, there


8. Which of the following sentences is correct? a. Do you know what to do when no one else shows up to a briefing? b. Do you no what to do when no one else shows up to a briefing? c. Do you know what to do when noone else shows up to a briefing? d. Do you no what to do when noone else shows up to a briefing?


9. He ______ the light from the suns of at least ten different planets. a. seen b. saw c. has seen d. see


10. Which of the following sentences is correct? a. Is the new discovery that of a intelligent species? b. Is the new discovery that of an intelligent species? c. Is the new discovery that of a intelligent specie's? d. Is the new discovery that of an intelligent species'?

=================================================================================

LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS DISCOVERY-C Newsletter Editor

Feb 13, 2013

Writing Improvement Month: Week Two Roundup!

  • Marissa Jeffrey

Welcome to Week Two of the Writing Improvement Month!

Don't forget, on Sunday February 17th, at 12pm PST/3pm EST/8pm GMT, we'll be speaking with New York Times bestselling author of "The Magician," Lev Grossman, who will be talking about writing in general via Spreecast video chat. This is your chance to ask your own questions and take part in a once in a lifetime event hosted by Starbase 118! It's super easy to participate, and you'll have the chance to ank questions without appearing on webcam if you don't want. Join us for the event here:

http://www.spreecast.com/events/writing-qa-wlev-grossman

Following this event, Captain Nicholotti will be hosting an interactive writer's workshop to answer questions and invoke descriptive thought. Bring your thoughts, questions, and sim extracts you have questions on to the IRC chat after the Lev Grossman event!

http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/live-chat/

This week we take a look at scene setting and descriptive writing. Going beyond the basics of dialogue is vital to any story, which is why we've taken this week to expand on this idea. There are a couple of great tutorials for this week that can help you add a little bit of 'magic' to your storylines.

The first of the tutorials deals with scene setting. In this tutorial, we address the issue of writing within such an established universe, and we point out that the pictures in your mind aren't always conveyed to those who are reading your sims. It's important to look at what you've written from the standpoint of the reader and inject a bit of descriptive writing to balance the speaking of the characters with what's going on around them. By doing so, you can really bring your scene to life.

http://www.starbase118.net/cadets/tutorial-library/creating-a-world-within-your-sim/

But your scene isn't the only thing that can benefit from some exposition. In our minds, our characters can really take on a life of their own. But to really come alive, we need to know more than just what they are saying. We want our readers to know how it is being said, and what body language is being conveyed as well. Coupled with a bit of scene setting, this descriptive writing can invoke a true picture within our minds that allows the characters to become more than just words on a page. In this tutorial, we go over just how to make this happen.

http://www.starbase118.net/cadets/tutorial-library/how-to-add-magic-to-your-story/

Don't forget, we're also into the middle of the writing challenge for this month's event. I know there are some of you working hard on your entry, so don't forget, all entries should be in by February 23rd to allow for judging time. Get the specifics on this contest here:

http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/writing-challenge/

It's another fun filled week here during the Writing Improvement Month. Don't forget to join us Sunday for another great event and stay tuned for everything still to come!


- M Captain Kalianna Nicholotti Commanding Officer Starbase 118/USS Victory Captain's Council Magistrate

Feb 16, 2013

Weekly Newsletter 2390.04

  • Blueheart Raj

Happy weekend, Fleetmates!

FLEET EVENTS:

  • Tomorrow - Sunday, 17 February: NYT bestselling author of "The Magician" is a guest of UFOP: StarBase 118 for a video chat to take YOUR questions about writing fantasy and science fiction. Event starts at 12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / Monday AM for Australia. Link: http://www.spreecast.com/events/writing-qa-wlev-grossman You will NOT have to appear on camera to ask your question. Join us!
  • Writing Challenge: The special Writing Improvement Month challenge is happening! Winner receives a Star Trek t-shirt in their size, or their choice of a dozen other prizes. The theme is “Someone to Watch Over Me” and entries must be submitted by Saturday, February 23rd. More information found here: http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/writing-challenge/
  • Caption Competition: http://goo.gl/Y1X08 The winner for this round is Captain Della Vetri. Phase 1 of the Caption Competition of 2013 is over, with the winner being Fleet Captain Mar -- congratulations! Thus, we move on to Phase 2 of the competition: all scores are now reset to zero and we begin the cycle of rounds anew. That means your caption for round 1 is taken from TOS, so hurry up and add your funniest line.


COMMUNITY NEWS

  • Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments under the favored articles.


(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Starbase 118 welcomes Lev Grossman: http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/15/starbase-118-welcomes-lev-grossman/ 2. January for the Duronis II Embassy: http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/14/january-for-the-duronis-ii-embassy/ 3. T¡¯Mihn¡¯s Cooking Corner: Chocolate Dream: http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/13/tmihns-cooking-corner-chocolate-bark/ 4. January for the USS Vigilant: http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/12/january-for-the-uss-vigilant/ 5. Lower Decks: Ensign A¡¯ern Zerxes: http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/11/lower-decks-ensign-aern-zerxes/ 6. Green-Eyed, Freckled Science Officer (oh wait, that¡¯s Researcher) ¨C The Tutorial Series, Part 2: http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/10/green-eyed-freckled-science-officer-oh-wait-thats-researcher-the-tutorial-series-part-2/ 7. Poll of the Week: Desirable Byproducts: http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/02/10/poll-of-the-week-desirable-byproducts/


FULL TEXT ARTICLES:

    • Starbase 118 welcomes Lev Grossman **

Posted: Friday, 15 February 2013

For this week¡¯s lesson in writing greatness, Starbase 118 would like to welcome Lev Grossman! Please be sure to join Mr. Grossman on Sunday, February 17th as he engages our community in an interactive video chat highlighting some of the pointers of being a well-rounded writer. Mr. Grossman is the author of The Magicians, which was a New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback. He is a senior writer and book critic for Time magazine, and in 2011, he won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. It wasn¡¯t always awards and best-selling books for Mr. Grossman. Having come from a background of comparative literature, with a degree to boot, he spent a multitude of time trying to figure out just what he might be doing with it all in the end. It was merely trial and error that lead him to believe that a future in comparative literature was not something he would entertain. After a move to New York City, and some time work in web production, Mr. Grossman found a blossoming future in writing magazine articles covering other books and technology. It wasn¡¯t long after that, that he found himself writing full-time for the New York Times, as well as other big names such as The Wall Street Journal, Lingua Franca, and Salon. Soon after his new-found success, he published an international best-seller entitled Codex in 2004, and soon to follow in 2009, came his New York Times Best-Seller The Magicians.( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magicians-Lev-Grossman/dp/0099534444/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358182528&sr=1-1 ) The Magicians chronicles the dark and thrilling journey of Quentin Coldwater, a hopeful college entrant on his way to the interview of all interviews. Upon finding his interviewer dead, Quentin discovers a manuscript with clues to a world of seemingly endless possibilities, and of endless consequence. What Quentin discovers exactly? Well that¡¯s where you¡¯ll have to read this best-seller to find out. Again, be sure to join Mr. Grossman and your fellow writers in a video chat session, on Sunday February 17th (12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / Monday AM for Australia)! We could all stand to learn something from an acclaimed author that has made his living entertaining others.


    • January for the Duronis II Embassy**

Posted: Thursday, 14 February 2013

January was a peaceful time for the crew of the Duronis II Embassy/USS Thunder as shore leave had begun on Earth. With the ravages of war sitting heavily with the crew, they were able to release tensions with the celebration of Lieutenant Paul Sharpe¡¯s marriage to Marine Captain Alexandria Somers. Events, though, did not go completely well, as Lt. William Tindall¡¯s error in judgment landed him in hot water with the senior staff. Not making sure his special implant was filled with medication and using an expired dosage required his arrest and subsequent stripping of his position and rank. Tindall learned from his mistake, but must earn back the respect of his captain. By the end of this month, shore leave came to a close. This saw Lieutenant Commander Alucard Vess overseeing the final system checks of the new USS Thunder-A as Fleet Captain Turner was away escorting Fleet Captain Sidney Riley back to her ship. Follow the staff of the embassy as they continue through February here (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-embassy/ )!


    • T¡¯Mihn¡¯s Cooking Corner: Chocolate Dream**

Posted: Wednesday, 13 February 2013

Chocolate Bark During my time at Starfleet Academy, I spent my mid-semester breaks with a host family. One of those times was during the winter month of December,where I encountered a plethora of homemade breads, cakes, and sweets. In the making of these treats, the entire family is involved and they share a bond. The recipe below came from that family ¨C it is easily and quickly made just as quickly disappears. It can be used during all times of the year, and not just winter. Ingredients Dark chocolate chips (2 10oz bags) (NOTE- If you have an allergy to chocolate or, like in Vulcans, it causes intoxication, carob chips can be used.) 1 cup dried cherries or any dried fruit 1 cup nuts (any type) Preparation is easy. First place the nuts in a pan on a medium heat to toast them. Make sure to keep a close watch on them; nuts can burn quickly. While those are toasting, get a large bowl, place the chocolate or carob inside. You can melt the chocolate in the microwave for one minute, store, then every 30 seconds thereafter stirring each time until completely melted. Melting must be gradual, for chocolate can also burn. Once the nuts are roasted lightly, add to the chocolate, along with the dried fruit. Mix carefully. Line a lipped cookie sheet with aluminum foil, pour the chocolate, fruit, and nut mixture into the pan. Place in the refrigerator for two hours or until firmly set. Once hard, slice or break into bits. Package in decorative tins or boxes. Variations: Dark, milk or white chocolate or carob. Melting peanut butter with dark chocolate is a good choice too. Dried fruit, crushed peppermint candies, or small sweets called marshmallows can be used as well. The only limit is your imagination.


    • January for the USS Vigilant**

Posted: Tuesday, 12 February 2013

After the attacks, the USS Vigilant cew managed to regroup aboard the ship. A team went to the Assembly under Captain Diego Herrera to make a speech and presentation to the Zakdorn political leaders to convince them to remain allies of the Federation rather than switching allegiances to the Klingons. After Herrera and Ensign Ambrosia stood before the Assembly, extolling the virtues of the Federation, Lieutenant Commander Reinard made a presentation to the Zakdorns showing the economic and diplomatic benefits of Federation membership. This led to the Stratagema Game with Ensign Fox (with Doctor Malon¡¯s telepathic assistance) defeating the Klingon agent within the Zakdorn dissident faction. Lieutenant Commander Eerie¡¯s intimidating presence made sure no trouble broke out as his colleagues delivered their addresses. Back on the ship, Dr. Davis and Lt. Brown dealt with a virus that had infected a number of the crew, and Lt. Thomas readied the engines for lift off. Meanwhile a team consisting of Lieutenants Foster, Matthews, Zehn and Ensign taJoot, under Lieutenant Commander Page ¨C returned to the Zakdorn capital to discover evidence of Klingon subterfuge. They discovered a cloaked bird of prey! The Zakdorns¡¯ decision to stay with the Federation further increased once the Klingon agent Dalal and the bird of prey were exposed to the populace. The Klingons made their escape, with the Vigilant¡¯s maiden voyage being to pursue them. In the vicinity of the planet, the Vigilant forced the bird of prey to flee, and also disabled a Klingon cruiser that had been lying in wait. Follow the crew of the Vigilant through February here (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-vigilant/ )!


    • Lower Decks: Ensign A¡¯ern Zerxes**

Posted: Monday, 11 February 2013

In yet another edition of the Lower Decks, we bring you Ensign A¡¯ern Zerxes from the USS Tiger-A. Having already been a member of various RPG groups in the past, the writer had wanted to come back to the scene for some time, and has finally found a home here with us. The writer for Zerxes, Jess, hails from Southern Virginia. Among simming here with us, he enjoys a throng of other forms of literature creation including poetry, creative writing, fiction, and he is also the lead writer for a Dallas Cowboys fan/news site. The foreshadowing in the previous statements hints to us that he also enjoys sports, specifically basketball and football. His love for Trek started back in the early 90¡¯s having watched TNG, beginning during the third season. He specifically recalls the ¡°Best of Both Worlds¡± episode: ¡°Having [the episode] come so quickly in my viewing experience was probably what sealed the deal for me as a life-long fan. I have since followed DS9 and Voyager, and have seen all the feature films.¡± Like many of us, he¡¯s done quite a bit of homework. But when it came to doing research on just where to rest his simming feet, he had only experience there to rest upon as well. He began his simming career in the 8th grade, finding joy in sharing RPG experiences with a friend through a magazine subscription. It wasn¡¯t until almost seven years later that he began to wander about the net, imagining what this RPG thing might¡¯ve morphed into in the time he¡¯d spent away. He wasn¡¯t disappointed with his results. ¡°I scouted several different sites, and this one stood out. I liked the amount of depth and detail put into the design and structure; the forums seemed to have a fun spirit.¡± There always seems to be one name that stands out when it comes to internet searches in this area: Starbase 118. Jesse signed up last September and has been on the road to creation ever since. Filling the role of Security on the USS Tiger-A, A¡¯ern Zerxes is an Al-Leyan who¡¯s just coming to the end of his first mission. When asked about what went into the creation of Zerxes, Jesse writes: ¡°The first thing was to consider what kind of story I wanted to tell. Rather than have some deep-rooted pain from childhood tragedy, I wanted someone who came from a place of privilege out of a genuine desire to serve the greater good.¡± He went on to say that just the very nature of those statements might¡¯ve suggested that the character fall into a goodie-two-shoes category, so he did well to change things up a bit. ¡°I made sure to preserve the arrogance and entitlement that came from his background. I also threw in the wrinkle that his first life course, as the heir to his father¡¯s thriving business, didn¡¯t work out well, as he didn¡¯t have the mental acumen for it.¡± From there, his character would go on as a star athlete, only to turn to Starfleet after a life altering event. ¡°Outside of that basic construct, I¡¯ve decided to let the story shape the man. He¡¯s only 24, and still has so much room for learning and growth. He¡¯s basically abandoned a past life to be remade by Starfleet, so he¡¯s only a few years into this new era of his existence.¡± As it were, Zerxes is doing just that aboard the Tiger-A. ¡°The Tiger¡¯s mission is to Bilire IV has given Zerxes a few chances to shine. We became separated from the superior security officers on several occasions, leaving me chiefly responsible for safeguarding the Captain and my crewmates. I aided in the evacuation of colonists during a massive storm and helped fight off a group of Klingon marauders.¡± The crew is now nearing the end of their mission, but would not have made it that far if it wasn¡¯t for the quick thinking of the Ensign. Through a calculated maneuver that would aid the enemy long enough to uncover the truth, Zerxes was rendered unconscious by a fellow crewmate, who wasn¡¯t aware of the plan by him. Only now has he reawakened to find that his plan actually worked, and helped to foil the real enemy plot. Nice work Ensign! As for the future, the writer for A¡¯ern was unsure about just where he might end up. ¡°Everything is still so new, it¡¯s hard to project. He seems to have made good first impressions about his capabilities as a fighter and guardian, though his lack of diplomatic and strategic skills may cost him promotions. Zerxes barely knows most of his crewmates yet, as he just got to the Tiger as this chaotic mission was beginning. He has forged a friendship with one of the medical officers, Dr. Aribelle Tagren, and would like to get to know her better once they have the opportunity.¡± Hey now, there¡¯s one for the gossip column! As it turns out, Jess and his character are on the right path. Who knows what the future holds for A¡¯ern, or the Tiger, but one thing is for sure, it¡¯s going to be exciting to read about. Until next time, carry on Ensign!


    • Green-Eyed, Freckled Science Officer (oh wait, that¡¯s Researcher) ¨C The Tutorial Series, Part 2**

Posted: Sunday, 10 February 2013

No, no¡­ not a frisky, doe-eyed Science Officer! Rather that thing a person does to learn more about any given element¡­ whether it¡¯s the nuts and bolts of Warp Engines, the composition of starships, the mating rituals of Betazoids, or what exactly, is the daily routine of a security officer? The second in our 2013 Writing Improvement Month of tutorials by none other than that under-the-radar Fleet Captain, turned Professor Andrus Jaxx (just how do Trills chose their hosts?), this tutorial takes you on that journey of ¡°OH¡­ I never knew that!¡± and expose us to the available resources around the 118 Fleet and the web to aid in the further development and exploration of your character and the fascinating, exciting world around him or her (or it, even!). Whether networking major Trek sites like Memory Alpha (http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Portal:Main ), Memory Beta (http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page ), or the Daystrom Institute (http://www.ditl.org/ ). Perhaps you might be interested in reading up what your fellow crew members both past and present have developed on our very own 118 Wiki. Research, hard or soft (or both), as well choosing which references are suitable to your topic, knowing how to use keywords in search engines while bookmarking what you feel is good content, are some of the elements used in defining your writing in the world of the story and what your character does, as well as doesn¡¯t know, while helping your character to integrate into this rather expansive universe of science fiction. Come check it out here (http://www.starbase118.net/cadets/tutorial-library/using-research-to-improve-your-sims/ )!


    • Poll of the Week: Desirable Byproducts**

Posted: Sunday, 10 February 2013

As you have all undoubtedly noticed, February is SB118¡äs Writing Improvement Month. The WIP is a brand new, monthlong event brought to us thanks to the tireless efforts of some great people throughout the fleet. The aim of this event is to help us all improve our writing skills, to raise them to an even greater standard both personally and across the fleet. I would definitely recommend that you participate if you have the time as the activities are both fun and illuminating. But you didn¡¯t come here to read another post about the goings-on in the fleet, you came for a poll, and so a poll you will get. Yes, I know I probably made a few grammatical errors in that sentence alone but that really is the point of this week¡¯s poll; this week¡¯s poll asks: Do you think that you have improved your writing skills since becoming a member of SB118? We have a extremely diverse range of people coming to our fleet, people of different nationalities and even languages. The one thing that we all can agree on is that very few of us are masters of the English language. Not even those native English speakers among us can make such an extraordinary assertion. So do you think that being part of the SB118 community and role playing as officers in the fleet has improved your mastery of the English language? We certainly want to hear what you think so let us know by posting a comment or two on the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8303-desirable-byproducts/ ). Maybe you could even share some important tips that you have picked up along the way. Remember to only share what you are comfortable with, and to have fun!


-----------------------------------

LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor

Feb 16, 2013

Special Reminder: New York Times bestselling author chat tomorrow

  • FltAdml. Tristan Wolf

Hey folks,

I wanted to send a special reminder about the event we're holding tomorrow with the author of "The Magicians," Lev Grossman. We're hosting him in a live video chat to answer your questions about writing fantasy and science fiction.

The event begins at 12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / Monday AM for Australia, at the following URL: http://www.spreecast.com/events/writing-qa-wlev-grossman

You do NOT have to appear on camera to ask your question!

Please join us. Email me at the address below if you have any questions.

Feb 19, 2013

Writing Improvement Month: Week Three Roundup!

  • Marissa Jeffrey

Greetings Fleetmates!

It's been another great week for our Writing Improvement month. We hope you've been able to attend some of the wonderful events that have been happening, but if you have not, be sure to visit the Tutorial Library for links to all of the advice and recordings or transcripts of the various events!

http://www.starbase118.net/cadets/tutorial-library/

But the month isn't over yet! There is plenty more to come, including three events this weekend. Here's what we have set up next:

Saturday the 23rd, at 3pm EST (12pm PST, 8pm GMT), Starbase 118 welcomes Star Trek author David R George III via Spreecast video chat who will be sharing his insight on characterization! Come join us and bring your questions. If you were at last Sunday's event, you have an idea of how this will work, but if you weren't, it's very easy to participate. You don't need to have a webcam and you don't need to be on camera at all to watch or ask a question. Bring yourself and your writing mind to learn from this well known, award winning author and see what you can take away to make your sims even better.

http://www.spreecast.com/events/writing-qa-wdavid-r-george-iii

Following this Spreecast, Fleet Captain Jaxx will be hosting an interactive workshop on character building and realism in our sims. This event will be held immediately following the Spreecast event with David R George III in the Writing Improvement Month's IRC chat room, #wim2013. Bring questions, thoughts, and sim samples you might have on hand!

http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/live-chat/

While we hurtle towards the end of the month, this weekend will also bring with it yet another Spreecast event on Sunday the 24th, again at 3pm EST, (12pm PST, 8pm GMT) and will feature another award winning author, Melinda Snodgrass, who has written episodes for Star Trek: The Next Generation! Much like the event on Saturday, you will be able to ask those burning questions and get real world answers from this amazing author!

http://www.spreecast.com/events/writing-qa-wmelinda-snodgrass

In preparation for these events, the staff behind this event has come up with some tutorials and more that follow this week's theme - Characters, Conflict, and Simming Realistic Interactions. Before you head over to this weekend's events, be sure that you check out these 25 questions that can help give your characters more depth. Compiled by our very own Captain Herrera, finding the answers to these questions might help you understand more about your character and what really makes them tick. The answers might surprise you, and leave you with questions of your own, which you can bring to the interactive workshop put on by Flt Captain Jaxx on Saturday.

http://www.starbase118.net/cadets/tutorial-library/character-questions-to-he lp-bring-your-character-to-life/

Of course, the point of these questions, and our wiki pages themselves, is to help us understand and create characters that are more than just a list of aspects on a two dimensional page. We all want to breathe some kind of life into the characters we create, which is the reasoning behind this week's first tutorial.

http://www.starbase118.net/cadets/tutorial-library/bringing-characters-to-li fe/

Then, of course, there is conflict. Conflict is something many players shy away from because there are often problems inherent with conflict that can make plotting difficult or cause problems OOC. At the same time, conflict, when approached purely IC and with behind the scenes communication between those involved, can be a great device to add depth to characters and the plot in general. Learn more from this tutorial - The Art of Conflict.

http://www.starbase118.net/cadets/tutorial-library/the-art-of-conflict/

And finally - don't forget that the writing challenge for this even ends Saturday, so get your entries in! Remember, there's a prize for this event, and it's open to anyone, even those outside the Starbase 118 Fleet.

http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/writing-challenge/

It's a fun filled week here during Writing Improvement Month 2013. We hope to see you at these events! Just remember, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask your CO or on the Forums for a quick answer!

- M Captain Kalianna Nicholotti Commanding Officer Starbase 118/USS Victory Captain's Council Magistrate

Feb 22, 2013

Star Trek authors answer YOUR questions tomorrow and Sunday

  • FltAdml. Tristan Wolf

Fellow simmers,

We're very lucky to be hosting TWO accomplished Star Trek authors this weekend -- and Australian users take note, two of our events are on Saturday, which hopefully makes it easier for you to attend! These are events hosted by OUR community for your enjoyment and education.

For more information about David R. George III (a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author with 12 Star Trek novels to his name and a VOY episode credit) and Melinda Snodgrass (an accomplished television writer of five TNG episodes and seven novels) you can check out our Writing Improvement Month website: http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/

Here's our weekend schedule of live events with links to the pages where you can participate:

SATURDAY (TODAY):

SUNDAY (TOMORROW):

    • REMINDER: You do NOT need a video camera, or to appear on screen, to participate in the event and ask questions of our authors. Please join us to talk about writing, learn more about our craft and how to be a better writer!

Feb 23, 2013

Weekly Newsletter 2390.05

  • Blueheart Raj

Happy weekend, Fleetmates!

FLEET EVENTS:

  • We're very lucky to be hosting TWO accomplished Star Trek authors this weekend! These are events hosted by OUR community for your enjoyment and education. Here's our weekend schedule of live events with links to the pages where you can participate:

- SATURDAY (TODAY): ~ David R. George III, video chat. (12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / Sunday AM for Australia) http://www.spreecast.com/events/writing-qa-wdavid-r-george-iii ~ Characters and realism workshop with FltCapt. Andrus Jaxx of UFOP: SB118, IRC chat. (1:30pm PST / 4:30pm EST / 9:30pm GMT / Sunday AM for Australia) http://go.starbase118.net/wim2013-event

- SUNDAY (TOMORROW): ~ Melinda Snodgrass, video chat. (12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / Monday AM for Australia) http://www.spreecast.com/events/writing-qa-wmelinda-snodgrass

    • For more information about David R. George III (a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author with 12 Star Trek novels to his name and a VOY episode credit) and Melinda Snodgrass (an accomplished television writer of five TNG episodes and seven novels) you can check out our Writing Improvement Month website: http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/
    • REMINDER: You do NOT need a video camera, or to appear on screen, to participate in the event and ask questions of our authors. Please join us to talk about writing, learn more about our craft and how to be a better writer!
  • Writing Improvement Month: Week Three Roundup. It's been another great week for our Writing Improvement month! We hope you've been able to attend some of the wonderful events that have been happening, but if you have not, be sure to visit the Tutorial Library for links to all of the advice and recordings or transcripts of the various events! http://www.starbase118.net/cadets/tutorial-library/
    • But the month isn't over yet! There is plenty more to come, including three events this weekend, as highlighted above. Before you head over to this weekend's events, be sure that you check out these 25 questions that can help give your characters more depth. Compiled by our very own Captain Herrera, finding the answers to these questions might help you understand more about your character and what really makes them tick. The answers might surprise you, and leave you with questions of your own, which you can bring to the interactive workshop put on by Flt Captain Jaxx on Saturday. http://www.starbase118.net/cadets/tutorial-library/character-questions-to-help-bring-your-character-to-life/
  • Writing Improvement Month Challenge: The topic for this challenge is "Someone to Watch Over Me." The challenge is accepting submissions from Friday, February 1st to Saturday, February 23rd. That's TODAY folks! So get your entries in! Remember, there's a prize for this event, and it's open to anyone, even those outside the Starbase 118 Fleet. http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/writing-challenge/ Results will be announced by February 28th.
    • Writing Challenge: The general 118 Challenge has had its deadline pushed back to March in order to make room for the special challenge above. The winner of the Challenge for December is Jalana Laxyn, with her story "The mightiest warrior of them all" (http://goo.gl/hDUhu). For Jan/Feb Challenge she chose: "'Where do you see the universe in 10 years,' be it in society, technologically, medically, personally.." http://goo.gl/o6NK5
  • Caption Competition: http://goo.gl/Y1X08 Phase 1 of the Caption Competition of 2013 is over, with the winner being Fleet Captain Mar! Congratulations, Sir! Thus, we move on to Phase 2 of the competition: all scores are now reset to zero and we begin the cycle of rounds anew! That means your caption for round 1 is taken from TOS! The closing date for this round will be Sunday 24th February! So hurry up and start captioning!


COMMUNITY NEWS

  • Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments under the favored articles.


(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Starbase 118 Welcomes Melinda Snodgras: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8346-starbase-118-welcomes-melinda-snodgrass/ 2. January for the USS Apollo: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8344-january-for-the-uss-apollo/ 3. Starbase 118 Welcomes David R. George III: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8342-starbase-118-welcomes-david-r-george-iii/ 4. January for the USS Avandar: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8340-january-for-the-uss-avandar/ 5. Captain Diego Herrera Receives The Simming Prize: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8339-capt-diego-herrera-receives-the-simming-prize/ 6. Poll of the Week: I Think Therefore I Am: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8338-poll-of-the-week-i-think-therefore-i-am/ 7. Publicity Team Update: January: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8335-publicity-team-update-janaury/ 8. New Academy Graduates: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8334-new-academy-graduates/


FULL TEXT ARTICLES:

    • Starbase 118 Welcomes Melinda Snodgras **

Posted: Friday, 22 February 2013

As part of our Writing Improvement Project, Starbase 118 would like to extend a warm welcome and sincere thanks To Melinda Snodgrass, Author of the science-fantasy story The Edge of Reason. The Edge of Reason tells the story of Albuquerque Police officer Richard Oort, as he finds himself caught up in a battle which pits two worlds against one another. One one side, The Old Ones, the manifestation of the primal forced of magic and fanaticism, feeding on the suffering of mankind. On the other side, the Luminus, the unseen defenders of men, determined to keep the Old Ones under control. After rescuing a young girl from a pack of hunters, Officer Oort finds himself recruited by the Luminus, tasked with acting as their champion in the battle that looms on the horizon, while the Old Ones do anything within their power to either stop Richard, and his unlikely allies, or subvert them to their own cause. There isn¡¯t much time left to keep our world and the world of the Old Ones from bleeding into one another., creating a world where the only constant is suffering. Snodgrass is also no stranger to the world of Star Trek either. She is the writer of the Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3 episode ¡°The Ensigns of Command.¡± After nearly a century of silence, the mysterious Sheliac reach out to contact the crew of the USS Enterprise, claiming that they have found a human colony within their territory. According to a treaty signed by both sides, the Enterprise has only four days to remove a colony of nearly 15,000 people who are of no mind to do so. Whether they want to move or not, the Sheliac are coming, and it¡¯s up to Commander Data to find a solution to the problem before the Sheliac solve it themselves. Snodgrass is also known for her part in the 22-book, Hugo Award nominated Wild Card series, written in conjunction with George R. R. Martin. Starbase 118 Staff are extremely proud and grateful to have Melinda Snodgrass as a part of or Writing Improvement month, and we hope you¡¯ll take the time to thank her by reading her new book The Edge of Reason (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TNH6SS/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=us1stpr-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004TNH6SS ), available in paperback and eBook format from Amazon.


    • January for the USS Apollo **

Posted: Thursday, 21 February 2013

As January began, the USS Apollo and her crew arrived at Quatal Minor. The planet was riddled with ion storms and various atmospheric conditions that made transport and communications impossible. A scout team was sent down to the surface in a shuttle and reached successfully landed it with minor incident. Upon their arrival they launched a communication buoy designed to relay a message back the Apollo. After receiving the message from the surface, the second away team was launched toward the surface to rendezvous with the scout team and prepare to enter the biogenic weapons facility. After launching the second team, the Apollo broke orbit and moved to the largest moon of the planet. Part of the moon housed unique properties that would mask the energy signature of the Apollo, in case any visitors entered the system. Follow the Apollo through February here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-apollo/ )


    • Starbase 118 Welcomes David R. George III **

Posted: Wednesday, 20 February 2013

For this week¡¯s guest author, Starbase 118 would like to welcome author David R. George III! Mr. George will be interacting with out writers on Saturday, February 23rd via video chat (12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / Sunday AM for Australia). Be sure to stop in and learn a thing or two about the vast world of characterization with this Q&A session.

David R. George III has written many a Star Trek novels, including The 34th Rule, the DS9 Pocket series, and Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Volume 3. He is no stranger to the treknoverse, and has also partaken in writings for the televisions franchise, magazines and other publications. During the debut of his writing career, he co-forged the first episode of Voyager, which was nominated for Best Writing in a Genre Television Show or Telefilm. From there, his works blossomed into the many books that we know about today set in the realm of The Original Series, The Next Generation, and Deep Space Nine. A plethora of his work has appeared numerous times on the New York Times Bestseller List, and also for USA Today. And speaking of best sellers, Mr. George has yet another up his sleeve. Having already been released on February 14th in paperback and e-book, Star Trek TOS: Allegiance in Exile (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Allegiance-Exile-Star-Trek-Original/dp/1476700222/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358167016&sr=8-1 ) is proving to be the next big diamond on any trekkies¡¯ reading list! Having recently discovered an M-class planet with a single lone city, Captain James Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise investigates an undiscovered planet that is completely devoid of life signs. Things get a little stranger when the crew discovers a shipyard just full to the brim with sabotaged vessels from across the galaxy. Knowing that they were too far from either the Klingons or Romulans to label them the culprits, they must uncover the truth. Who did this? You¡¯ll just have to read to find out! Again, remember to stop in on Saturday, February 23rd (12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / Sunday AM for Australia) for an exclusive Q&A session with David R. George III, a video chat session that shouldn¡¯t be missed!


    • January for the USS Avandar **

Posted: Tuesday, 19 February 2013

With interphasic rifts making navigation around Poseidon increasingly hazardous with their erratic shifting, the crew of the USS Avandar get to work trying to find a way to avoid a potential catastrophe. Help came from an unexpected angle, with contact being made with the other side of the rifts ¨C and the Rubari, the explorers of their own dimension who were accidentally responsible for what was going on. The Avandar¡¯s missing crew were confirmed to be on the Rubari ship, and it turned out the displacement wasn¡¯t one-sided, with one of their crew lost and confused on the Avandar. Inter-dimensional collaboration had a plan formed to neutralise the rifts, whilst a plan was worked on to get the stray Rubari back to his own ship. Retrieving the Avandar¡¯s people turned out to be easier than expected, however, when they were caught in another rift ¨C and were dumped into Poseidon¡¯s ocean. Lieutenant Commander Dickens led a rescue in a shuttlecraft, which very early had an unfortunately wet experience of it¡¯s own, but the pair were recovered safely, and the last preparations to clean up the mess local space/time got under way. Follow the crew of the Avandar through February here! (https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups&hl=en#!forum/sb118-avandar )


    • Captain Diego Herrera Receives The Simming Prize **

Posted: Tuesday, 19 February 2013

We¡¯re very proud to announce that our very own captain of the USS Vigilant, Diego Herrera, has received the Simming Encyclopedia¡¯s Simming Prize (http://www.simmingleague.com/wiki/index.php?title=Simming_Prize ). This prestigious honor is given out to up to five recipient writers/characters, simming groups, or simming alliances once a year. Last year, our community as a whole received it, while this year it¡¯s one of our staff who¡¯s being honored. The citation is as follows: For his community development work within UFOP: StarBase 118. In addition to having earned a reputation as a captain who ensures his crew members are engaged in the sim, Ed has become a cornerstone of the club¡¯s community. He is active with the UFOP: SB 118¡äs academy training program, where he helps teach new simmers. For two years running, he has been the creative force behind the club¡¯s ¡°summer blockbuster¡± fleet-wide plot arc, developing the overall story arc and writing mission briefings for each ship. Ed has also facilitated the club¡¯s ¡°Writing Challenge¡± judge¡¯s team and was the leading force behind UFOP: SB 118¡äs ¡°Writing Improvement Month.¡± Please join us in congratulating Capt. Herrera on this forum thread (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8337-congratulations-capt-diego-herrera/ ).


    • Poll Of The Week: I Think Therefore I Am **

Posted: Monday, 18 February 2013

PotW is back again this week with another thrilling poll, one that I hope sparks a more philosophical debate. One of the many interesting and often morally troubling topics in Trek and many other science fiction stories is what makes a sentient life forms, well, sentient. Even the Q were classed as sentient (despite how weird they are), but what about all those ¡°life¡± forms that are more mechanical than flesh and blood. Prime examples of such beings are Data, on behalf of the androids, and the Doctor for all the holographic intelligences out there. There have even been many episodes in Trek that tried to varying levels of success to answer the question of what makes a man a man, but this poll won¡¯t go there. That question is just too big for a single poll to contemplate, but I will pose this question: Should artificial entities be given the same rights and opportunities as biological beings? Could you honestly say that you would go out of your way to save a sentient computer program that you accidentally made that just so happened to start wreaking havoc on your ship (believe it or not, this does happen)? Or would you be more inclined to just delete the problem, perhaps, because it is the easiest thing to do despite giving more traditional invader more of a chance to live (that is why phasers have stun settings, after all)? Obviously the safety of your crew must always come first but after that what would you be more inclined to do with an entity that is not as well represented even in 2390? No matter what side of the line you take on this one, let us know by leaving a comment on the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8330-i-think-therefore-i-am/ ). Remember the more discussion and debate means more fun overall and that is what we want: to make these polls as fun as possible.


    • Publicity Team Update: January **

Posted: Monday, 18 February 2013

The first month of the new year has come and gone and the Publicity Team is really looking forward to everything that Writing Improvement Month will bring to Starbase 118 as a fleet, as well as to the RPG realm in general. The SB118 command staff and helpers in the fleet have designated February Starbase 118¡äs Writing Skills Improvement Month. The WSIP is an entire month of activities that will give the fleet members the opportunity to enhance their writing and simming skills. There is a full lineup of guest speakers, workshops, tutorials, interactive events, all which sound very exciting and useful for our fleet members and guests to enjoy. The listing of events can be found here (http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/ )! This month, we a few point leaders of the team. At the top of the list and in the lead for the past month is First Lt. Joseph Dubeau.In second place we have a three way tie between Captain Herrera, Fleet Captain Turner, and Lt. jg. T¡¯Mhin Am¡¯my¡¯ghan. Congratulations, Mr. Dubeau. If you¡¯re looking for more interesting reading, direct from Starbase 118 authors, be sure that you head over to Star Trek Stories and read up on Tommy or Alexander, two of our ongoing story arcs there. You¡¯ll also find writing challenge winners and top sims there, so you can bet that there is always going to be something new to read. Take a look here (http://www.startrekstories.net/ )! The Publicity Team is always looking for members. If you have any questions, or you would like to join the team, please contact Lt. Commander Alexander Matthews or Captain Kalianna Nicholotti for more information.


    • New Academy Graduates **

Posted: Sunday, 17 February 2013

Please welcome our newest class of Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Chythar Daniel Skyfire, Saveron and Jeremy Allen Vincent!


-----------------------------------

LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor

Feb 24, 2013

Reminder: Star Trek TNG writer Melinda Snodgrass TODAY

  • FltAdml. Tristan Wolf

Starting at 12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / Monday AM for Australia:

http://www.spreecast.com/events/writing-qa-wmelinda-snodgrass

Feb 26, 2013

TODAY! Last live author event of the month: Scifi author Peter Watts

  • FltAdml. Tristan Wolf

Our Writing Improvement Month has been a great success, and we're very excited to have Hugo Award winning author Peter Watts joining us TODAY (Tuesday).

The event starts at 1pm PST / 4pm EST / 9pm GMT / Wednesday AM for Australia.

http://www.spreecast.com/events/writing-qa-wpeter-watts

Peter Watts is a Hugo Award-winner, and the author of Blindsight, six other science fiction novels, and a number of short stories. He�s survived necrotising fasciitis (a.k.a. �flesh-eating bacteria�) and was the subject of widely-covered legal incident at the US/Canadian border.

You do NOT need to appear on screen, or have a webcam, to ask your question.

Bring your questions about crafting great science fiction, and the author's experience. Here are some ideas:

  • Do you outline and pre-plot your books, or is it all done as you go?
  • How do you deal with writer's block?
  • What are your favorite books?
  • What were your first inspirations for writing scifi?

Feb 26, 2013

Sending WIM Out with a Bang!

  • Marissa Jeffrey

Greetings Fleetmates!

Thanks to the involvement of members across the Fleet, and some very dedicated command staff members, we are really sending the 2013 Writing Improvement Month out with a bang! The event, overall, was wildly successful and a ton of fun. We hope that everyone learned something along the way, and of course, if you have any lingering questions that you still need answered, your CO and XO are only an email away.

Don't forget to join us for a last event of the month, Closing Ceremonies, which will be held on Saturday, March 2nd, at 3pm EST (12pm PST/8pm GMT) in the WIM IRC chat room - http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/live-chat/. This will be a time to ask any final questions, share some thoughts of the month, and review what we've learned. We'll also be announcing the special Writing Challenge winner during this event. Good luck to all who entered!

As for this week in review, it was quite a week. Not only did we enjoy weekend events with authors David R George III (http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/david-r-george-iii-wim -spreecast-interview/) and Melinda Snodgrass (http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/melinda-snodgrass-wim- spreecast-interview/), but we enjoyed a special Tuesday event with Peter Watts (http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/general-writing-video- chat-with-peter-watts/). With these three events, we were able to end the month with plenty of fanfare and informative fun!

This week's theme was plotting and various associated issues we face in the simming world to that end. To help our officers with two of the most common issues - general plotting thoughts, and macro versus micro developments - the WIM staff has created two special tutorials. You can find out more about plotting a story in general here: http://www.starbase118.net/cadets/tutorial-library/general-plotting/ and more about macro versus micro here: http://www.starbase118.net/cadets/tutorial-library/micro-vs-macro-sowing-the -seeds-of-a-convincing-plot/

It's really been a great month and we hope that everyone has been able to take something away from it. Be sure to join us on Saturday for closing ceremonies and share your thoughts!

Until then, happy simming!

- M Captain Kalianna Nicholotti Commanding Officer Starbase 118/USS Victory Captain's Council Magistrate

Mar 1, 2013

Weekly Newsletter 2390.06

  • Blueheart Raj

Happy weekend, Fleetmates!

FLEET EVENTS:

  • 2013 Writing Improvement Month – Closing Ceremonies: Don't forget to join us for a last event of the month, Closing Ceremonies, which will be held on Saturday, March 2nd, at 3pm EST (12pm PST/8pm GMT) in the WIM IRC chat room - http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/live-chat/ That's TODAY, folks! This will be a time to ask any final questions, share some thoughts of the month, and review what we've learned. We'll also be announcing the special Writing Challenge winner during this event. Good luck to all who entered!
  • Writing Improvement Month Challenge: The special writing challenge competition has just ended and if you're dying to know who's the winner, head on to the WIM IRC chat room - http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/live-chat/ TODAY Saturday, March 2nd, at 3pm EST (12pm PST/8pm GMT) where we'll be announcing the special Writing Challenge winner during this event! Good luck to all who entered the challenge!
    • Writing Challenge: The general 118 Challenge has had its deadline pushed back to March in order to make room for the special challenge above. The winner of the Challenge for December is Jalana Laxyn, with her story "The mightiest warrior of them all" (http://goo.gl/hDUhu). For Jan/Feb Challenge she chose: "'Where do you see the universe in 10 years,' be it in society, technologically, medically, personally.." http://goo.gl/o6NK5
  • Caption Competition: http://goo.gl/Y1X08 Round 1 (TOS) of Phase 2 of the Caption Competition of 2013 is over, with the winner being LtCmdr Orman! The two runners up are Lt JG Ah'mygahn and Lt Cogud. Congratulations to all! Your caption for round 2 is taken from TNG. The closing date for this round will be Sunday 3 March! So hurry up and start captioning!
  • Next Fleetwide OOC Chat: Scheduled for next Sunday, 10 March 2013. Watch this space for date confirmation! Fleet-wide chats occur on the 2nd Sunday of each month at these times: 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! Chat is always open on the site: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/


LINK OF THE WEEK: http://www.fathomevents.com/#!star-trek-best-of-both-worlds/more-info/details


COMMUNITY NEWS

  • Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments under the favored articles.


(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. January for the USS Mercury: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8367-january-for-the-uss-mercury/

2. January for the USS Drake: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8363-january-for-the-uss-drake/

3. Poll of the Week: Time And Again: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8358-poll-of-the-week-time-and-again/

4. New Academy Graduates: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8356-new-academy-graduates/

5. Starbase 118 Welcomes Peter Watts: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8353-starbase-118-welcomes-peter-watts/

6. TNG: `The Best Of Both Worlds' in Theatres!: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8349-tng-%e2%80%9cthe-best-of-both-worlds%e2%80%9d-in-theaters/



FULL TEXT ARTICLES:

    • January for the USS Mercury **

Posted: Thursday, 28 February 2013

The away teams on DSX faced escalating troubles in addition to their search for the missing SCE crewmen when Eta Corvi sent out a coronal mass ejection. Although the Mercury and her support craft would be protected by their shields, DSX — with nothing but minimal power — would face radiation that would prove deadly to the away teams. The Mercury raced to get its transporters back online; the shuttle crews raced to find the away teams within DSX; and the away teams raced to find the missing personnel. Thankfully, all was well that ended well, and the transporters on the Mercury were restored minutes before the CME passed by the station. Follow the ongoing mission of the Mercury`s crew here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-mercury/ )



    • January for the USS Drake **

Posted: Tuesday, 26 February 2013

The crew of the USS Drake finds itself at the sharp end of its current mission. The ship has been attacked by a huge space dwelling leviathan and simultaneously infested by an army of poisonous bugs. As the crew race to repair the damage to the ship and battle the bugs, the medical team races to find a cure for the deadly toxin contained in the bugs' bite. Faced with an away team being held as "guests" of the Rhyssk- who are intent on hunting the leviathan – the bridge crew formulate a daring plan to satisfy the Rhyssk's demand for blood , save the leviathan and activate the Ishkarian beacon which is inside the creature. An away team lead by the ship's second officer, Lieutenant Commander Danzia, is beamed inside the creature tasked with locating and activating the beacon. Activating the beacon should allow them to phase shift the leviathan and effectively make it appear that it has been destroyed. All that is required is perfect timing by the Drake's phasers to produce a light show to convince the Rhyssk that the creature has been vaporised. Amazingly the plan works and the Drake is able to transport all its crew back aboard before the transporters fail completely. The Drake heads back to the Ishkarian home system for some well-deserved shore leave and essential repairs. The fate of the Rhyssk and the leviathans they hunt is left unresolved. Follow the ongoing adventures of the Drake`s crew here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-drake/ )



    • Poll of the Week: Time And Again **

Posted: Monday, 25 February 2013

I was once told that life is made up of moments not days and weeks. It's in those moments that we remember the people and events that shape our lives. So it is a foregone conclusion that once a moment passes, you'll never be able to get it back, for better or worse, or even sometimes tell when a moment will end. Some would say that it's that characteristic that makes time so valuable to people. So we should not waste what little time we have, but what if there was a way to circumvent the natural order of the universe; to go back in time to one of those moments? Just as we have seen epic tales of beings fighting for the right to be called sentient and free within Trek, another common theme is the idea and consequences of time travel. Despite having the Temporal Prime Directive in place, time and again people have messed with the time continuum for many reasons and ranging from things like ensuring First Contact actually happened, or guaranteeing that Voyager made it home (several times in fact, I think?). Putting aside all the risks and difficulties that come with producing a way to travel back and forth through time, whether in character or out, this week's poll asks would you go back to a moment in your life to fix a mistake or even just to watch a pivotal moment play out again? More importantly, would you risk changing the past? The consequences for making such a journey cannot be understated but with that in mind there could be much to be benefit in it. While this might be one of the more personal polls that have been published to date I do encourage you to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable (whether it is in character or out does not matter). If you don't wish to share a comment be sure to visit the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8347-time-and-again/ ) to vote at the very least because that is how we have fun out of these polls. Also if you have ideas for future polls please post them on the Poll Suggestion thread (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/3646-poll-suggestions/page-4 ). Enjoy everyone.



    • New Academy Graduates **

Posted: Sunday, 24 February 2013

Please welcome our newest class of Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: William Corexus Brax! (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8355-graduating-class-of-23900224/ )


    • Starbase 118 Welcomes Peter Watts **

Posted: Sunday, 24 February 2013

As a part of our ongoing Writing Improvement Month project, the staff of Starbase 118 are proud to welcome award-winning author Peter Watts. Mr. Watts is the author of the Hugo Award-nominated novel `Blindsight' (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765319640/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=us1stpr-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0765319640 ) which explores the question: what should be done when we hear talk from aliens who don't know we're listening to them? Two months ago, without warning, several objects crashed to earth from orbit. An investigation revealed that those objects provided an answer to something humans had wondered since the dawn of astronomy. Are we alone? The answer is no. So if these really are alien artifacts, how did they end up here? Unfortunately, there's very little in the way of answers. That is, until an old space probe picks up what appears to be communications coming from a passing comet. There's no doubt that someone out there is talking. The catch is that they aren't talking to us, and they don't know we're listening in. That leaves us with one question: Who do you send to meet with a group of aliens who may not want to be met? Blindsight tells the sotry of that decision, and what happens when they do. Watts, a native of Canada, Published his first short story A Niche in 1990, and has since published 16 short stories, five novels and garnered numerous awards and nominations. His 2009 story, The Island, won the 2010 Hugo Award for best novelette. His novel, Blindsight was nominated for Best Novel at the 2007 Hugo Awards, as well as several nominations for several other awards. Watts recently made a number of his works available for free on his own website through Creative Commons license. He credits this decision for rescuing many of his works, including Blindsight from relative obscurity and exposing it to a wider audience that may not have been exposed to it otherwise. One of Watts' upcoming works, Echopraxia, is a para-quel, telling the story of what is happening back on Earth during the events of Blindsight. The staff of Starbase 118 would like to welcome and thank Mr. Watts for taking the time to share his experience with us. You can thank him by checking out `Blindsight' (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765319640/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=us1stpr-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0765319640 ) or any of his other works, available on amazon.com Be sure to check out what Mr. Watts has to offer in the way of plot development, via video chat, on Tuesday February 26th (1pm PST/4pm EST/9pm GMT/Wednesday AM for Australia)!



    • TNG: `The Best Of Both Worlds' in Theatres! **

Posted: Saturday, 23 February 2013

The Best of Both Worlds – the two-part storyline comprising the third season finale and the fourth season premiere of the beloved series Star Trek: The Next Generation – will, for the first time ever, be seamlessly tied together as one continuous and uninterrupted story digitally restored with new CGI effects… on the big screen! Audiences will also see special clips from "Regeneration: Engaging the Borg", a behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Best of Both Worlds. Americans, purchase your tickets now for this one-night-only event at select theaters in the United States. For more information, click here (http://www.fathomevents.com/#!star-trek-best-of-both-worlds/more-info/details ).


-----------------------------------

LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor

Mar 8, 2013

The monthly fleetwide OOC chats are backkk!

  • Fleet Captain Toni Turner

Actually, we didn't go anywhere, but took a low profile during the Writing Improvement Month to avoid confusion with our live author events. Even so, some of our loyal chat-mates showed up on time, and we chatted for a couple of hours before we broke up.

This week we will be taking nominations on what to call these chats. "Monthly Fleetwide OOC Chat" seems mundane, and we want a new name with some pizzazz. We'll even put the names on a ballot in the forums for the vote. The only requirement is that you have to attend this Sunday's chat to make the nomination.

So join us at the next fleetwide OOC chat, scheduled for THIS Sunday, March 10, 2013. The time will be as follows: 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 5pm GMT / 4am Monday UTC+11.

Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable!

Chat is always open on the site: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/

~Toni Fleet Captain Toni Turner Commanding Officer Embassy Duronis II - USS Thunder NCC - 70605 Deputy Commandant UFOP SB118 Academy - Executive Council Member

Mar 8, 2013

Weekly Newsletter 2390.07

  • 'Blueheart Raj

Happy weekend, Fleetmates!


FLEET EVENTS:


  • Monthly Fleetwide OOC Chats are back! - This week we will be taking nominations on what to call these chats. "Monthly Fleetwide OOC Chat" seems mundane, and we want a new name with some pizzazz. We'll even put the names on a ballot in the forums for the vote. The only requirement is that you have to attend this Sunday's chat to make the nomination.
    • So join us at the next fleetwide OOC chat, scheduled for THIS Sunday, March 10, 2013. That's 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! Chat is always open on the site: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/


  • Writing Challenge: For January-March 2013 Challenge, the last winner Jalana Laxyn chose: "'Where do you see the universe in 10 years,' be it in society, technologically, medically, personally.." What do you think might happen? UFOP:118's blockbusters of the past few years have taken a stab at that question with, for example, this year's Klingon crisis and the admission of Bajor to the Federation, but perhaps your take will be smaller than that. What can you do with ten years of growth and the character of your choice? http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8193-january-march-2013-writing-challenge/
    • Remember, the deadline for this Challenge is Friday, 22 March 2013!



  • Caption Competition: http://goo.gl/Y1X08 Here are the runners up for the TNG round: Our first runner up is Lieutenant Commander Vess for deciphering Riker's code for getting women to go on dates with him! Our second runner up is 1st Lieutenant Brown, who is obviously no stranger to decorating nightmares! 2 points to each of you! Our winner for this round is Lieutenant Rossh, for being quite that pleased to see Lieutenant Yar! 3 points to you, sir! Congratulations to all! Your caption for round 3 is taken from DS9. The closing date for this round will be Sunday, 11 March 2013! So hurry up and start captioning!





LINK OF THE WEEK: http://www.ongoingworlds.com/


COMMUNITY NEWS

  • Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments under the favored articles.


(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. February for the USS Discovery: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8399-february-for-the-uss-discovery/

2. Top Sims Contest Run-off Round 1: Vote now! - http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8397-run-off-round-1-vote-here-vote-now/

3. Forums Roundup – March 2013: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8396-forums-roundup-%e2%80%93-march-2013/

4. February for the USS Vigilant: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8393-february-for-the-uss-vigilant/

5. Poll Of The Week: Who Has The Time?: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8391-poll-of-the-week-who-has-the-time/

6. New Academy Graduates: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8386-new-academy-graduates/

7. Starbase 118 Ops Wins A Squiddie: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8383-starbase-118-ops-wins-a-squiddie/


FULL TEXT ARTICLES:

    • February for the USS Discovery **

Posted: Friday, 8 March 2013

The Discovery is ordered to investigate an abandoned weapons facility on Vador III and to secure a mysterious weapon sought after by Starfleet. The planet had been home to Cardassian high-security underground biological and genetic research facilities until fifteen years ago when it was abandoned at the onset of the Dominion War. Apart from advanced high-technology bio-weaponry, the facilities were also experimenting in cutting-edge logistical and armament evolution such as star-fusion disruption devices, rapid and hostile terraforming, and chroniton torpedoes. Unknown to the crew, both the away team on the planet and those on board the Discovery are about to be ambushed by the Breen, who are also after this powerful weapon. What will soon follow is a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a heart-stopping chase right to the Breen Homeworld.

Flash forward to the year 2576 and the wreckage of the USS Discovery-C is finally found buried under the icy dunes of the Breen Homeworld, after being declared `lost' in the Breen-Federation war 186 years ago. Some of the crew of the Discovery-C are in stasis and are thawed back to life, displaced out of time. Some did not survive. What exactly happened in the last two centuries? How did the Discovery-C end up as a derelict on the Breen Homeworld? What of the mysterious weapon found on Vador III? How did the senior officers die, and will we ever see them again? All will be revealed as Discovery's biggest mission yet continues to unfold! Follow the ongoing adventures of the Discovery`s crew here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-discovery/ )


    • Top Sims Contest Run-off Round 1: Vote now! **

Posted: Thursday, 7 March 2013

Our Top Sims Contest has changed to make it easier for our general membership to participate on a regular basis. While everyone is still welcome to submit sims, we now have a panel of judges (one member from each ship) that votes each round to decide which sims proceed to one of four run-off rounds, where the general membership votes. Six sims have qualified for run-off round 1: • Round 1: Wulfantine & Richards: Guilt Ridden • Round 2: WALTAS: One More Time • Round 3: Major Hannibal Parker – Revelations & Invitations • Round 4: JP Fox, Malon, (msNPC)s Zaveri & Dalal – Invitation to a Forfeited • Round 5: Lt.Cmdr. Kevin Breeman/Lt. JG. Johanna MacLaren JP: Healing Hands • Round 6: Ensign Devon Romjin & Tadanobu Hoshino – The Legacy Of The Son Once you've read all six sims, head to the run-off round 1 poll and vote today! Polling closes at 11:59pm on Sunday, March 31st. Good luck to our nominees.


    • Forums Roundup – March 2013 **

Posted: Wednesday, 6 March 2013

Did you enjoy Writing Improvement Month 2013? What did you learn? What would you like to see next year? Stop by our forum thread and share your thoughts and ideas for next year so that we can make it even better than the awesome events we had this year! http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8263-february-is-writing-improvement-month We're still working on a Fleetbook for 2389. We're asking for biographies from each player. Contact your Captain for more information or check out the post here. You're BIO is needed as soon as possible: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8237-fleetbook-bios-needed Help out a reporter by giving IC accounts of the events of the Klingon Invasion here: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8249-our-history-our-times/ Check out the Top Sims contest thread and nominate a sim from your ship that deserves to compete! Share the best of your sim with the Fleet: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/283-top-sims-contest/ Stop by your ship thread, or the thread of one of the other ships, and say hello! There's lots of games, polls, and other fun stuff going on right now! http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/216-starbase-118-ships/ Don't forget, there's a ton of Fleet-wide activities that need your help! Whether you have a few minutes, or a few hours, come on over and help us make the Fleet even better! http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum-105/announcement-29-fleet-activites-that-need-you/ With so much going on, our forums serve as a central hub for our officers. There's over a hundred of you, so come on over and meet some like-minded people from across the Fleet and have fun doing it! Until next month, see you, out there!


    • February for the USS Vigilant **

Posted: Tuesday, 5 March 2013

Having laid over at Deep Space 6 for repair and resupply, the USS Vigilant has now taken the first steps on her journey into the Zeta Gelis region. Answering a distress call from Zalkonian Space Station Ea-435, the Vigilant crew have found evidence of an as yet unexplained atrocity: every member of the station's crew compliment has been killed dute to the widespread release of a concentrated biotoxin, save for two men, located in the station's command centre. While the finger of suspicion would seem to point directly at the survivors, their claims to have lost their memory have been corroborated by Lieutenant Ilyazi Malon's Rodulan telepathy. Detailed scans of the biotoxin from the ship's astrometrics lab have revealed that it was created synthetically. The implications of such a discovery are truly worrying, as is the concentration of the toxin within the station. Teams from the Vigilant have beamed aboard to attempt to piece together the mystery of what happened aboard station Ea-435 and determine the reasons behind the biotoxin's creation. So far, every question seems to have led to another question. Who are the mysterious survivors? What secrets does the space station hold? And why haven't the Zalkonians answered their own distress call? Follow the ongoing adventures of the Vigilant`s crew here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-vigilant/ )


    • Poll Of The Week: Who Has The Time? **

Posted: Monday, 4 March 2013

And before you say it, no, this week's poll is not about time travel — although we did get some interesting response to that question, so keep the comments coming in. While not relating to time travel, this week's poll does focus on time again but from a different perspective. So often during our sims, time can be a factor that is overlooked. When watching an epic scene battle or tense investigation play out on screen, it is easy to see and appreciate how time moves. This isn't always as easy when simming so the small details — like how your character deals with having to wait — might be left out. This week's poll asks the question: Is your character a patient person? And, for the added bonus, please tell us in a comment why or why not. Patience is said to be a virtue but with so much hanging on the line so often it seems, it is only natural to feel antsy when crises arise and one is forced to wait. Or even sit around and do nothing in cases of shore leave just waiting for a red alert to sound. So whether your character is or is not, I hope this poll will provide some interesting thinking material for something that might have been overlooked in the simming world. Remember to post a comment on the forums and have fun, pollers, because that is what this is all about!!


    • New Academy Graduates **

Posted: Sunday, 3 March 2013

Please welcome our newest class of Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Seth Koan, Vincent Pierce, and Ekaterina Quinn!


    • Starbase 118 Ops Wins A Squiddie **

Posted: Sunday, 3 March 2013

Our very own StarBase 118 Ops, commanded by Captain Kali Nicholotti, has won a "Squiddie" award (officially known as the "OngoingWorlds Medal for Superior Online Roleplaying") for excellence in role playing. The award description is as follows: Through its creative mix of combining the familiar with the cutting edge, StarBase 118 Operations has created a truly remarkable role playing environment. Its cast of all-star writers effortlessly does the impossible: making the game approachable while at the same time pushing new boundaries. Also being highly prolific, the game is able to tackle episodes of many different flavors and to explore those ideas in great depth and detail. StarBase 118 Operations traces its origins back to 1994, almost 20 years ago. Beyond just relevant today, the sims has stayed true to its core while continually reinventing itself to adapt to the ever-changing role playing environment. Congratulations to Capt. Nicholotti and her crew for the award!


-----------------------------------

LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor

Mar 12, 2013

State of the Federation Address, 2013

  • FltAdml. Tristan Wolf

Each year, we look back at our progress over the past 12 months to consider what went wrong, and what went right, and how we can grow in the remainder of the calendar.

This year, FltCapt. Jaxx and Capt. Herrera assembled our State of the Federation Address, which has been posted on our website:

http://go.starbase118.net/sotfa-2013

There's lots of information about what we accomplished, including some charts on our progress over the past few years.

If you have questions or thoughts, head to the forums to discuss the address on its dedicated thread:

http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8410-state-of-the-federation-address-2013/

Mar 16, 2013

Weekly Newsletter 2390.08

  • Blueheart Raj

Happy weekend, Fleetmates!


FLEET EVENTS:

  • Caption Competition: http://goo.gl/Y1X08 Here are the runners up for Round 3 (DS9): 1st Lt Brown for the concept of having bath night and friends night all in one and Ensign O'Conner for the marvelous idea that geeks will one day be able to grow their own girlfriends/boyfriends! Our winner for this round is LtCmdr Alucard Vess, for educating the alien masses in the finer points of spending too long in the bath! Congratulations to all! Your caption for round 4 is taken from Voyager. The closing date for this round will be Sunday, 17 March 2013! So hurry up and start captioning!
  • Writing Challenge: For January-March 2013 Challenge, the last winner Jalana Laxyn chose: "'Where do you see the universe in 10 years,' be it in society, technologically, medically, personally.." What do you think might happen? UFOP: SB118's blockbusters of the past few years have taken a stab at that question with, for example, this year's Klingon crisis and the admission of Bajor to the Federation, but perhaps your take will be smaller than that. What can you do with ten years of growth and the character of your choice? http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8193-january-march-2013-writing-challenge/
  • Poll of the Week: Sunny with no chance of... : http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8425-sunny-with-no-chance-of/ A world without tornadoes/cyclones and where it rains predictably on top of crops and dams would reshape communities usually plagued by such natural disasters and go a long way to increase the agricultural industry. But is it all worth it? Would you decide to have a planet wide weather modification network if the technology existed? Or would you prefer to have the weather be somewhat mysterious? Remember to let us know what you think you have to vote and please leave a comment to because that is what makes these polls really fun. Enjoy!
  • The next fleetwide OOC chat is scheduled for Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Fleetwide chats occur on the 2nd Sunday of each month. Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! Chat is always open on the site: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/


LINK OF THE WEEK: http://www.starbase118.net/members/constitution-docs/sotfa/sotfa-2013/


COMMUNITY NEWS:

  • Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments under the favored articles.

(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. February for the USS Mercury: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8424-february-for-the-uss-mercury/

2. Promotions for February: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8421-promotions-for-february/

3. February for Starbase 118 Operations and the USS Victory: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8420-february-for-starbase-118-operations-and-the-uss-victory/

4. State of the Federation Address 2013: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8418-state-of-the-federation-address-2013/

5. Sims Count for February: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8413-sims-count-for-february/

6. New Academy Graduates: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8409-new-academy-graduates/

7. Poll of the Week: Square Eyes Are Only The Half Of It: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8403-poll-of-the-week-square-eyes-are-only-the-half-of-it/

8. Someone To Watch Over Me: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8402-someone-to-watch-over-me/


FULL TEXT ARTICLES:

    • February for the USS Mercury **

Posted: Friday, 15 March 2013

As January ended, the Mercury's away teams returned from the abandoned DSX with the mystery mostly solved, but with some unanswered questions — for example, the nature of Corporal Sian Douglas's unconsciousness after an encounter with one of DSX's cybernetic "spiders." However, before inquiries could begin, Captain Kells — reportedly at the behest of Starfleet — ordered the mission completely classified; officers were not even to discuss it amongst themselves. But before the crew could fully unpack this strange directive, they received a message from Eyas Wulfantine, asking for their help: His mother had been sentenced wrongfully to death on his homeworld and he hoped that some of his friends would accompany him to rescue her. Nearly the entire senior staff showed up to take part in this unorthodox mission, and while they suffered from unforeseen complications without the benefit of the Mercury, a passing luxury liner, stolen Gorn shuttle, and other strange transports ensured that the motley group made it to Pythro by month's end. Meanwhile, back on the Mercury, Lt. JG Richards remained in command and left DSX, where the Mercury had been unloading supplies, to answer the distress call of a freighter that had been caught in the gravity well of a gas giant. Follow the adventures of the Mercury here! http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-mercury/


    • Promotions for February **

Posted: Thursday, 14 March 2013

The staff of StarBase 118 would like to take a moment and recognize the officers promoted in the month of February. Please take a moment to congratulate them when you see them in the corridors of your vessel! USS Apollo • Edward Johnson to Lieutenant JG • Debra Cross to Lieutenant JG • Sundassa Faranster to Lieutenant JG USS Avandar • Rune Jolara to Lieutenant JG USS Mercury • Eyas Wulfantine to Lieutenant Commander • Alexander Richards to Lieutenant JG StarBase 118 Operations • Johanna MacLaren to Lieutenant • Alahndra Nevarass to Lieutenant JG • Joseph Dubeau to Marine Captain USS Tiger-A • Aribelle Tagren to Lieutenant JG • A'ern Zerxes to Lieutenant JG • Bradon Jorey to Lieutenant JG • Chloe Mannin to Lieutenant • T'mihn Ah'my'gahn to Lieutenant USS Vigilant • Oxford Brown to 1st Lieutenant • James Fox to Lieutenant JG • Dueld taJoot to Lieutenant JG • Kael Thomas to Lieutenant • Harold Foster to Lieutenant Commander


    • February for Starbase 118 Operations and the USS Victory **

Posted: Wednesday, 13 March 2013

The attacks on the ship lead to a number of key injuries. Doctor MacLaren and Commander Breeman were hurt, but able to continue. Commander Walker's injury, however, revealed an additional twist. A sentient shadow-like creature had been "sharing space" in the officer's head. Realizing the security concerns, he was confined to sickbay as the rest of the crew determined how to proceed. The dragon-creatures had caused enough damage to prevent the ship from transitioning to Odyssey station, so the crew would have to move via runabout and fighter escorts. Fighters that would have their phasers reconfigured to red/orange lasers, making them more effective against the dragon-creatures. Meanwhile, Doctor MacLaren used a vulcan mind meld to contact the sentient and Commander Walker within his head. Captain Nicholotti, needing her FO, approved the potentially dangerous plan to have the Doctor connect to Walker's mind and put the sentient to sleep. It wouldn't be a permanent solution, but enough to complete the mission. Using the nano-tech probes used to restore Commander Breeman's hand, Commander Walker's injuries were similarly corrected. As the runabout prepared to leave, the Captain gave out a number of battlefield promotions to the now Lieutenant MacLaren, Lieutenant JG Nevarass, and Marine Captain Dubeau. Turning toward the front of the runabout, she warned everyone to "Hold on!" as she piloted the runabout toward Odyssey station and the people stolen from them. You can follow the adventures of SB 118 Ops and the crew of the USS Victory here! http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-ops/


    • State of the Federation Address 2013 **

Posted: Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Each year, we look back at our progress over the past 12 months to consider what went wrong, and what went right, and how we can grow in the remainder of the calendar. This year, FltCapt. Jaxx and Capt. Herrera assembled our State of the Federation Address, which has been posted here on the website (http://www.starbase118.net/members/constitution-docs/sotfa/sotfa-2013/ ). There's lots of information about what we accomplished, including some charts on our progress over the past few years! If you have questions or thoughts, head to the forums to discuss the address on its dedicated thread (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8410-state-of-the-federation-address-2013/ ).


    • Sims Count for February **

Posted: Monday, 11 March 2013

This data represents the average sims per vessel across the fleet for each month. Some ships will sim quite a bit higher or lower, but this represents the average. February is almost always a slower month for sims than January. Whether we will see a higher average count next month is a toss-up — since 2009, March has been lower than February twice, and higher than February twice.


    • New Academy Graduates **

Posted: Sunday, 10 March 2013

Please welcome our newest class of Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Ayd'n Draxx, Gabriel O'Conner, Connikatrenti, Rahsanna Devron, and Dade Triston! http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8407-graduating-class-of-23900310/


    • Poll of the Week: Square Eyes Are Only The Half Of It **

Posted: Saturday, 9 March 2013

It's that time of week, so let's get cracking with another weekly poll. Remember, if you want to see something specific in future weeks, please let me know in the poll suggestion (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/3646-poll-suggestions/page-4 ) thread. Now, it is kind of ironic that I'm asking you to spend more time in front of your computers, reading and thinking about Poll of the Week among other things, when this week's poll actually looks at the amount of time a person spends in front of a screen. It seems that more and more of our lives revolve around technology. It does make one wonder what we would all do if all the screens just ceased to work — but, alas, that is a topic for another poll. The simple fact is that the more time we spend in front of these electronic contraptions, the more we are putting ourselves at risk of a number of health issues ranging from deteriorating eyesight to obesity caused from the lack of physical exercise to depression and anxiety. Is it even more alarming that kids are developing tech proclivities at a much younger age these days? So this week's poll is simple: How much time do you spend in front of the computer and/or TV over the course of a day? Also feel free to comment on anything to do with this topic as I am sure that there is quite a bit to discuss. As always if you prefer not to mention specifics, that is fine. While I do not want to encourage any of the health concerns that I mentioned above be sure to vote and leave your comment on the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8400-square-eyes-is-only-the-half-of-it/ ). I hope you all have fun with this poll.


    • Someone To Watch Over Me **

Posted: Saturday, 9 March 2013

As part of Starbase 118′s Writing Improvement Month, we ran a special Writing Challenge (http://www.starbase118.net/writing-improvement-event/writing-challenge/ ) in which we asked participants to take the title of a Voyager episode, "Someone to Watch Over Me," as their theme. The contest winner, for the first time in the history of 118′s Writing Challenges, would receive a prize — fitting, as this Challenge was also the first contest open beyond the membership of 118! Judges were the writers between Fleet Captain Andrus Jaxx and Captains Diego Herrera, Kali Nicholotti, and Aron Kells, and they are pleased to bring you feedback from the judging table as well as an official announcement of winner. Please join the judges the staff of Starbase 118 in congratulating the writer behind Captain Della Vetri for his story "We Who Remain." Well done! For this special Challenge, all judges offered feedback regarding each entry. Please scroll down for specific feedback on entries, beginning with the Challenge's winner.

"We Who Remain" ~ Della Vetri Nicholotti: Beautifully written and woven from the beginning to the end, this story quickly snagged my attention with the `liveship' and held it to the end, as my mind worked to figure out what the women were doing. I loved how the points were made without necessarily spelling everything out, allowing the reader to have an `ah ha!' moment that made the story even more powerful and poignant. Though short and confined by the restrictions of the writing challenge, this story did a great job of embodying the theme for this challenge in an absolutely stellar way. After all, it's not every day someone must `watch over' the entire human race. Great job! Jaxx: This was quite a compelling bit of writing. I loved the uncertainty at the beginning and how it transitioned to a bit of familiarity for the Korris. Even though it was not novel length, I feel I really got a good sense of the big picture. I was dazzled by the technology and very immersed in the story. The ending was a the perfect combination of bitter and sweet. Herrera: There was a strongly alien feel to the opening of this entry and I appreciated the fact that it was so unique. The stakes in this piece were high, which was a brave move given the word limit, and it provided a sense of urgency throughout. The idea of a liveship was reminiscent of a Robin Hobb book I love and provided a great variation on that theme; the idea of having a spacefaring vessel grown rather than constructed is definitely intriguing and added a very nice flavour to the piece. Kells: Beautifully written and woven from the beginning to the end, this story quickly snagged my attention with the `liveship' and held it to the end, as my mind worked to figure out what the women were doing. I loved how the points were made without necessarily spelling everything out, allowing the reader to have an `ah ha!' moment that made the story even more powerful and poignant. Though short and confined by the restrictions of the writing challenge, this story did a great job of embodying the theme for this challenge in an absolutely stellar way. After all, it's not every day someone must `watch over' the entire human race. Great job!

"No Matter What" ~Greir Reinard Nicholotti: I liked this story because it really is not every day we get to see the struggles and reality behind families in our realm. Sure, there is conflict here and there, but it is something deep and thought provoking to delve into a family nearing their breaking point, a child unable to fall with the `normal' realm, and the challenges that such situations present. Though not centered around space, or ships, or what one might think about when they hear the term `sci-fi', this story takes us on a mental journey of what life might really be like on another world, where the problems are very different, but very much the same. Jaxx: I found this piece to be extremely powerful. The emotions of the characters came to life. I shared the frustration of the parents and the pain in young Greir. I could tell that the writer really did their research on the Laudean culture as well as Til'ahn. I was captivated all the way through. Rori was an excellent character and I love how the story beautifully transitioned from the parents to him. Herrera: One thing that has been reinforced and reiterated throughout Writing Improvement Month is that characters are the elements that most often drive a story, and in this case that could not be more true. I found all of the characters in this entry so easy to identify with; I felt instant sympathy for many members of the family for a variety of different reasons, frustration that there was hostility toward Greir and had a great deal of respect for Rori for his calm and decisive solution to the problem that he saw before him. His embodiment of the theme for this challenge was sensitively penned and I found the change in Greir once he was removed from his home environment and his interaction with Rori to be very moving. Kells: Choosing a primary PC for an entry can be a danger as the story runs the risk of not providing enough of that character's background within. However, that is not the case here; this early look into Greir Reinard's life provides ample detail to situate any reader within the character's family. I'm unsure, though, why the author chose to begin the story where it does; the story and my connection to the characters didn't really kick in until after page two, as it seemed that the adult Reinards had a standard, modern suburban relationship that I didn't find particularly compelling. But once this story kicked into gear, it was a dynamo!

"Observations And Conclusions" ~Dueld taJoot Nicholotti: This story took a more literal route in answering the theme for the challenge, and it did so in a very unique manner. Through the effective use of descriptive exposition, we get a quick glimpse into the group of Cadets as well as the one that is watching over them. Though the overall mission isn't clear, it is apparent that the story isn't in the mission itself, but in the interactions between the characters and what bridges each of them to the others. Great job in weaving that aspect together as it can often be one of the more difficult. Action is always easier than `the in between', especially in writing, but here it was expertly done! Jaxx: This was an interesting story with an intriguing plot. Having any place where the inhabitants vanished is a situation begging to be explored. I loved the fact that it included cadets and served as a training tool. Having the Romulan involved was an interesting twist to the story. The basement was a very interesting find. I found that this story left me wanting more and kept me engaged throughout. Herrera: I felt that choosing cadets for this entry was a very good idea. Additionally, the theme of the challenge was incorporated on a number of different levels and it's not often that an entry is able to so thoroughly weave a motif into its fibre. These elements, combined with well-defined and instantly recognisable characterisation and some inventive plot ideas made for an interesting read. Kells: The writing is very closely controlled: spare but with necessary details, voiced but not expansive, cognizant of itself but not self-conscious. The story uses the available universe well, too, and engages with the reader's knowledge of Starfleet, Romulans, and the relationship between the two. My difficulty was that the story as a whole never coalesced. Why was the reader asked to view that particular moment? Why was it relevant to the characters over what happened five minutes after the scene ended? I'd urge the author to push his or her writing skills to challenge both character and plot in a future entry and force the reader to engage viscerally with the moment.

-----------------------------------

LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor

Mar 23, 2013

Weekly Newsletter 2390.09

  • Blueheart Raj

Happy weekend, Fleetmates!


FLEET EVENTS:


  • Writing Challenge: For January-March 2013 Challenge, the last winner Jalana Laxyn chose: "'Where do you see the universe in 10 years,' be it in society, technologically, medically, personally.." What do you think might happen? UFOP:118's blockbusters of the past few years have taken a stab at that question with, for example, this year's Klingon crisis and the admission of Bajor to the Federation, but perhaps your take will be smaller than that. What can you do with ten years of growth and the character of your choice? http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8193-january-march-2013-writing-challenge/




  • Caption Competition: http://goo.gl/Y1X08 The winners for round 4 (Voyager) will be announced really, really soon followed by round 5, so watch this space, fellow Fleetmates!



  • Community History Project: Formerly known as the Timeline Project, Captain Mal Avatar as leader of the group, is seeking volunteers to build off of the family tree, the fleet timeline, as well as all of the existing content on the wiki to "complete" our group's history - with a goal of getting things in order in time for the group's 20th anniversary in 2014. Interested? Head on to http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum-105/announcement-29-fleet-activites-that-need-you/ to volunteer for this project as well as to check out a whole list of Fleet activities that need you! There's something for everyone, so don't be shy!
    • By the way, here are the links to the tree and the fleet timeline:

http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=UFOP_Family_Tree http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=UFOP_Fleet_Timeline


  • The next fleetwide OOC chat is scheduled for Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Fleetwide chats occur on the 2nd Sunday of each month. Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! Chat is always open on the site: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/


LINK OF THE WEEK: http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/interview-ucla-film-school-professor-howard-suber-explains-storyteller/


COMMUNITY NEWS:

  • Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments under the favored articles.

(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Poll of the Week: The Dream Machine: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8450-poll-of-the-week-the-dream-machine/

2. February for the USS Apollo: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8447-february-for-the-uss-apollo/

3. March 2013 Featured Bio: Captain Diego Herrera, USS Vigilant CO: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8446-march-2013%e2%80%b2s-featured-bio-captain-diego-herrera-uss-vigilant-co/

4. February for the USS Drake: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8441-february-for-the-uss-drake/

5. New Academy Graduates: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8439-new-academy-graduates/

6. Being A Better Storyteller: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8435-being-a-better-storyteller/

7. Team Facilitator Updates: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8430-team-facilitator-updates/

8. Poll of the Week: Sunny With No Chance Of… : http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8429-poll-of-the-week-sunny-with-no-chance-of%e2%80%a6/

9. Licorice Tea: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8427-licorice-tea/


FULL TEXT ARTICLES:

    • Poll of the Week: The Dream Machine **

Posted: Friday, 22 March 2013

As amazing as our starships are, there is only so much that can be done on them in terms of activities on long voyages. After all, space is at a premium, even on the largest of starships. So, if there is one space-saver aboard a starship that is both a source of entertainment and possibly work, it is the marvelous holodeck. Able to recreate entire landscapes for a person to wander through or a romantic encounter in a small house, the holodeck really is a dream machine. Whatever the fantasy or work-related necessity, you can be sure that someone has thought of the scenario and created a "holo-program" to match. Indeed, throughout Trek history, at least from TNG onward, we have seen countless different holo-programs, and as we move forward, it stands to reason that the technology will only become better and better, even if I can't think of how that would be. Whether it be a martial arts simulation to rock climbing or perhaps mystery-romance stories, the holodeck fills a need on a starship, even if that need is just providing an extra way to help crew maintain their sanity. After all, even if people leave the holodeck or even reset the program, they keep with them the memories and experiences to help them improve in whatever it is they were doing. So, with all that in mind, this week's poll asks this: What is your character's favorite type of holo-program? Because the sheer number of possibilities are nearly infinite, just choose the general type that most appeals to you. Is your character more inclined to enjoy an action-packed adventure or a more sedate rainforest to walk through for awhile? So, no matter what your pick is, you can be guaranteed to be able to have endless amounts of fun exploring these holo-programs, whether it is part of an ongoing mission or even shore leave. So let us know what your choice is on the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8449-the-dream-machine/ ). You can even share some of the more memorable occasions with us in a comment or two. Remember that it is your comments that makes these polls fun; so keep them coming. Have fun everyone!


    • February for the USS Apollo **

Posted: Thursday, 21 March 2013

The crew of the USS Apollo arrived in orbit of Quatal Minor to find a violent ion storm taking place on the surface of the planet. After sending down two away teams to search the research facility, an aging Cardassian freighter entered the system. Hiding in dampening field caused by a moon in orbit, the Apollo hid to observe the ship. Due to the position of the moon, the Apollo was forced to leave its cover and confront the ship before it was ready. After a short game of cat and mouse, the remaining staff members aboard the Apollo beamed over to the Rigek for a routine inspection. Their true mission is to find any illegal materials being delivered to the biogenic weapons facility on the planet's surface, and get enough evidence for arrest and prosecution. At the same time the freighter is being inspected, the ground teams have gained access to the research station. Due to the ion storms, communications and transporters are not working. The ground teams have been able to relay messages to the Apollo via a prototype communications buoy that can launch itself into orbit from the surface of the planet. All three teams continue to work on their goals and try to put an end to the threat in the system. Follow the adventures of the Apollo here! http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-apollo/


    • March 2013 Featured Bio: Captain Diego Herrera, USS Vigilant CO **

Posted: Wednesday, 20 March 2013

Captain Diego Herrera is the commanding officer of the USS Vigilant (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=USS_Vigilant ). He dual majored in medicine and counselling at Starbase 118 Academy, and has served in both capacities throughout his Starfleet career, most notably on the USS Eagle, the USS Challenger-A, at the Duronis II Embassy and aboard the USS Thunder. Diego's sister Adana is lucky to be alive; the accident that crippled her is the reason he originally joined StarFleet and pursued a medical career. Interestingly, he still plays the dangerous game that she was involved in when the accident happened. His career has given him many unique and unusual circumstances to deal with, such as sharing a salt bath with a visiting Mantaran Ambassador in his early days on the USS Eagle. He helped with the psychological recovery of Counselor Ashley Yael in the wake of torture and sexual assault on Duronis II. Diego has a laid-back and pragmatic attitude and this is reflected in his command style. He played a pivotal role and led his team to victory in preventing the Zakdorn breaking away from the Federation to form a new alliance with the Klingon Empire. Captain Diego Herrera's bio(http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Herrera,_Diego ) will be displayed on the wiki's front page for the month of March. As always, you can find out more about the contest at its wiki page (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Featured_Bio_Contest ) or in its forum (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/467-featured-bio-contest/ ). Round 10 is now open, so be sure to drop by and submit your own nominations!


    • February for the USS Drake **

Posted: Tuesday, 19 March 2013

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of its engineering department, the USS Drake managed to limp back to the Ishkarian home system for some urgent repairs. While most of the crew enjoyed a well-deserved shore leave, the ship was repaired and its missing roll bar replaced. Unbeknownst to the crew, a chronoton device had been hidden inside the replacement roll bar by none other than Professor Arnold. Ostensibly the main Ishkarian scientist involved with the senor array reactivation project, he is actually from Ishakarians' ancient past. 2,500 years ago Arnold activated the sensor array which he believes resulted in the cataclysmic destruction of the Ishakrian home system. Transported to the present, he is determined to undo the damage regardless of the cost. Three days before, he sent another version of the Drake back to the past. However,spurred on by its apparent failure to alter the timeline, Arnold managed to assemble one last chronoton device. In a last ditch attempt to change history before he was uncovered, he intended to send another version of the Drake back in time. Meanwhile the crew enjoyed a family picnic at the picturesque Chamadar Falls and the time spent with the many children aboard the crew while Captain Rogers renewed his relationship with Sarion Matsur, who had joined the Drake as a civilian diplomatic advisor. Though they assembled for the promotion ceremony, the crew had no idea what was about to unfold…. Follow the adventures of the Drake here! http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-drake/


    • New Academy Graduates **

Posted: Monday, 18 March 2013

Please welcome our newest class of Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Z'ern Katari! (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8438-graduating-class-of-23900318/ )


    • Being A Better Storyteller **

Posted: Monday, 18 March 2013

Starbase 118, and the sims we write, are more than just actions for characters within the Star Trek realm; they are stories woven with words that give others on our ships, and throughout the Fleet, insight into a story. By participating in the act of simming, we are, at the very core, storytellers. Our words can take our fellow officers to new places, they can show others new things, and they can present new and old ideas in a way that is unique to our own insight. And all of this happens within the realm of telling the story from our character's point of view. What we do here is an art, and one that requires analysis from time to time. We should always step back and take a look at how we can be better at telling the stories we tell. To that end, this Writer's Workshop presents a special interview, during which Film School professor Howard Suber goes over a few ways that anyone can improve their skill in telling a story (http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/interview-ucla-film-school-professor-howard-suber-explains-storyteller/ ). We all know that film is inherently different than normal narrative, and this interview can give some specific and helpful insight to simmers in 118 because of our kind of writing. Just because we adhere to a script style doesn't mean that we leave out the beneficial and in-depth side of narrative writing. Ultimately, what results is a hybrid, which allows us to tell amazing stories without requiring a huge background in writing itself. But, like all things, refining that and getting better than we are should always be in the back of our minds. This interview serves to help you do just that.


    • Team Facilitator Updates **

Posted: Sunday, 17 March 2013

This week, we have some great news from the "Stepping up to the plate" department. Three teams are seeing new facilitators, as follows: Featured Bio Contest (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/467-featured-bio-contest/ ): This team, which picks a featured wiki bio every month, as both a way of highlighting the best bios and helping others model the best design, was originated by LtCmdr. Roshanara Rahman of the Mercury. He is stepping back to allow Lt. Commander Greir Reinard of the Vigilant to take the facilitator role. We're very thankful for the work LtCmdr. Rahman did to set up the team, including an incredibly detailed set of rules, while we welcome LtCmdr. Reinard's fresh face. Always great to see more female leadership on the teams, as well. As a reminder, you can nominate any and all great bios for the contest each month, and they will be reviewed and considered for the highlighted position. Gentle, constructive criticism on how to improve the bios is provided to everyone. Top Sims Contest (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/283-top-sims-contest/ ): This contest, which planted roots way back in 2003, has seen its share of facilitators over the years. Alleran Tan was our most recent leader here, but he is currently on Leave of Absence. The team was revamped this year to provide a smoother and easier process for the general membership, which includes reading fewer sims and allowing a panel of judges to do most of the heavy lifting. Taking over the facilitator role this month is Commander Liam Frost of the Apollo. Many thanks to Tan for his great work on this project last year, and for Cmdr. Frost for stepping up and taking the reins of a team that requires a lot of leadership and detail-oriented work! When you have a chance, be sure to submit sims to the contest, which rolls on a bi-weekly basis. Remember: don't submit every good sim, instead, submit every great sim! Publicity Team (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Publicity_Team ): This team is tasked with helping to spread the word about our group and increase our number of incoming applications. Many thanks to the most recent facilitator, LtCmdr. Alexander Matthews, who has stepped back from the role. Captain Diego Herrera is now taking on this responsibility and will be making a concerted effort to revamp the team's workflow and help us prepare for the upcoming release of the next Star Trek movie, which traditionally heralds a time of increased applicants. If you're interested in joining this team, in the critical role of helping us to continue expanding our fleet, please request membership on the Yahoo! Group (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/ufop-team-publicity/ ). Include your character name and ship.


    • Poll of the Week: Sunny With No Chance Of… **

Posted: Saturday, 16 March 2013

Of all the technologies seen in Star Trek, none can be said to be as amazing, as overlooked and just as unrealistic as the universal translator (no matter how far we look into the future) than the weather modification network. The purpose of which is to control natural weather patterns across an entire planet in order to create idealistic environments. The applications of this technology would turn a dismal rain soaked climate into a tropical paradise (aka Risa) or even simply remove the more extreme and often life threatening weather events of planet Earth. Sure, all this sounds like a great thing — putting aside the fact that it would take us several hundred years to acquire the technology (if not longer given the fact that it literally breaks every law of nature). A world without tornadoes/cyclones and where it rains predictably on top of crops and dams would reshape communities usually plagued by such natural disasters and go a long way to increase the agricultural industry. But is it all worth it? So this week I ask you all, would you decide to have a planet wide weather modification network if the technology existed? Or would you prefer to have the weather be somewhat mysterious? Remember to let us know what you think you have to vote on the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8425-sunny-with-no-chance-of/ ) and please leave a comment to because that is what makes these polls really fun. Enjoy!


    • Licorice Tea **

Posted: Saturday, 16 March 2013

Another wonderful spiced tea! I made a tea for some human friends one winter during Christmas season. It was very well received by them, at the time I had run out of tea and spices from Vulcan because my friends are bigger "tea addicts" than I am. I needed to put together something on the fly for the large group,since we ran out of spiced apple cider. The recipe below is what I came up with,and it was well received. It didn't taste the same but smelled wonderful, filling the home with a spicy comforting scent. I'm taking some Terran spices home: This "tea" is all spices!Ingredients 10 pieces of ginger, 1-inch. sliced or chopped 4 cinnamon sticks, broken 1 tsp green cardamom pods 2 1/4 tsp black peppercorns 1 tsp cloves, whole 1/2 tsp fennel seeds 1/2 tsp licorice root 1/2 tsp allspice 5 cups water 3 tbs honey & milk, to taste If your spices are whole, rub small amounts in between your palms to release their essential oils. Combine all the spices in a saucepan. Cover pot and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the pot from heat, and let sit for another 35 minutes (covered). If you can stand to wait that long. Strain out the spices and add honey, and milk if desired. If you are lactose intolerant, any of the nut-based milks will work wonderfully.

-----------------------------------

LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor

Mar 27, 2013

In support of equality

  • FltAdml. Tristan Wolf

Just a reminder, at this time of high focus on marriage equality in the United States, that UFOP: StarBase 118 is an inclusive community that fully supports legal equality on the basis of sexual orientation. Written into our group Constitution is a statement on diversity, so it's part of our core values!

Please take a moment to like and share one or both of these images below to help spread the word that Star Trek's vision is one of a better future:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=504187266304857&set=a.440719232651661.100177.101686539888267&type=1

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=504187076304876&set=a.440719232651661.100177.101686539888267&type=1

Also drop by the Lambda Alliance guild area on the forum and say hi sometime, especially if you have a character that is lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender!

http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/182-lambda-alliance/

Mar 30, 2013

Weekly Newsletter 2390.10

  • Blueheart Raj

Happy Easter weekend, Fleetmates!


FLEET EVENTS:



  • Caption Competition: http://goo.gl/Y1X08 Belated congratulations to the winners of Round 4, namely runners up Fleet Captain Toni Turner and her tactful ways of subbing 24th century alien fashion, and Ensign O'Conner for warning us that you can buy your own death in costume stores! 2 points to each of them! And this round's winner is Lieutenant Commander Vess, who truly has high standards when it comes to lingerie stores!
    • Round 5 (Enterprise) will be closing on Sunday, 31 March 2013. That¡¯s THIS Sunday y¡¯all!


  • Writing Challenge: The January-March 2013 Writing Challenge is now officially closed! Judges have been deliberating for the past week, and we'll soon have announcements of winners and feedback. Thanks to everyone who entered! Watch this space, folks!


  • Poll of the Week: Way Back When: Is marketing going too far when it comes to national and religious holidays? In other words, are we losing the meaning of those holidays because of the commercial aspect of it? Vote and comment on the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8470-way-back-when/ ). Remember, it is the discussion that makes these polls fun!


  • The next fleetwide OOC chat is scheduled for Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Fleetwide chats occur on the 2nd Sunday of each month. Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! Chat is always open on the site: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/


  • List of Fleet Activities that needs you can be found here: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum-105/announcement-29-fleet-activites-that-need-you/ - there's something for everyone, so don't be shy!
    • Captain Mal Avatar is especially seeking volunteers for the Community History Project (formerly known as the Timeline Project), to build off of the family tree, the fleet timeline, as well as all of the existing content on the wiki to "complete" our group's history - with a goal of getting things in order in time for the group's 20th anniversary in 2014! In the meantime, check out the links to the tree and the fleet timeline:

http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=UFOP_Family_Tree http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=UFOP_Fleet_Timeline


LINK OF THE WEEK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY0Erxl7E8s


COMMUNITY NEWS:

  • Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments under the favored articles.

(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Poll of the Week: Way Back When: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8471-poll-of-the-week-way-back-when/

2. Podcast 2390-02 Released!: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8469-podcast-2390-2-released/

3. Our History, Our Times: The Aftermath Of The Hobus Supernova, Part 1: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8466-our-history-our-times-the-aftermath-of-the-hobus-supernova-part-i/

4. We Support Equality: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8465-we-support-equality/

5. February for the USS Avandar: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8463-february-for-the-uss-avandar/

6. Don¡¯t Forget To Vote In the Top Sims Contest: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8460-don%e2%80%99t-forget-to-vote-in-the-top-sims-contest/

7. Featured Bio Contest Reminder: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8458-featured-bio-contest-reminder/

8. February for the Duronis II Embassy: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8456-february-for-the-duronis-ii-embassy/

9. Fleetwide Chat in Two Weeks: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8454-fleetwide-chat-in-two-weeks/

10. The Speculation Continues: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8452-the-speculation-continues/


FULL TEXT ARTICLES:

    • Poll of the Week: Way Back When **

Posted: Friday, 29 March 2013

It is not hard to see how many things in our lives are becoming or have become ploys by corporate entities to boost sales. Now, don¡¯t get me wrong. I have nothing against companies, whether large or small or local or international, trying to make a buck. Making money, after all, is the point of being in business. So, if said business isn¡¯t making money, then it certainly doesn¡¯t employ people, and that has widespread implications across the board. But today, I would pose this question: Is marketing going too far when it comes to national and religious holidays? In other words, are we losing the meaning of those holidays because of the commercial aspect of it? For instance, in preparation for Easter, a local supermarket started selling Hot Cross Buns as far back as January. We barely got over New Year¡¯s, and to my surprise, the supermarket was already selling these Easter related goodies even though Easter was nowhere in sight. I must admit that I am partial to those aforementioned goodies, but it isn¡¯t hard to see that this is just one example of how national and spiritual holidays have become overly commercialized. As time has passed since the events that we celebrate and commemorate today, we have lost and even gained perspective of why we are remembering these occasions. That could be called the evolution of a society and what it values. That said, is the commercialism attached to such holidays going too far in the here and now? Now that I have had my say, it¡¯s your turn to vote and comment on the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8470-way-back-when/ ). Remember, it is the discussion that makes these polls fun. If you happen to be celebrating a holiday, I hope you enjoy it as much as you enjoy this poll. Have fun Pollers.


    • Podcast 2390-02 Released! **

Posted: Friday, 29 March 2013

The new episode has been released! For those of you that would like to listen online, check out our release on the StarBase 118 YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY0Erxl7E8s )! Whilst we recognize that some members would love to listen to the podcast on the go, we have uploaded it to Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/Podcast23902Final ). You can download it from the menu on the left hand side! Keep your ears open for our next release due in April! Feel free to subscribe to our YouTube channel for automatic updates. To join the Podcast Team, visit the team¡¯s Yahoo Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ufop-team-podcasts/ ) and apply for membership!


    • Our History, Our Times: The Aftermath Of The Hobus Supernova, Part 1 **

Posted: Thursday, 28 March 2013

This is the first installment of ¡®Our History, Our Times,¡¯ a new series that examines Federation History and SB118¡äs place within that history. This historical news series will begin with the most recent history and make its way back to present major events and notable SB118 fleet actions. The first instalment deals with The Hobus Supernova, the fall of the Romulan Star Empire, the recent Klingon Invasion into Romulan space, and the political struggles within and between the Romulan, Klingon, and Ferderation powers. Catastrophe Hits: 2387 In 2387, the Hobus Supernova threatened the galaxy. Ambassador Spock stopped the supernova by using red matter to create a black hole, which consumed the supernova. Before he could, however, the Hobus Supernova destroyed Romulus and Remus. ¡°Imagine losing your home. Forever. Once you have that, imagine that not only your home but all of the places you remember growing up. Every plant, every creature, gone, never to be seen again. Then imagine that the great majority of your people are also gone¡­ Now, imagine that your entire way of life, every institution, every tradition, your place in the universe, all of it, was broken into pieces. Imagine the unity you once enjoyed shattered. Imagine that all this was lost, not to time which can be endured, or to an enemy which can be attacked, but in a terrible fire, the betrayal of the same sun that nurtured it all. Now imagine this all happening at the same time. If you can somehow imagine that all at once, then imagine never being able to stop imagining it.¡± ¨C Senator Vreeya, Romulan Star Empire The Romulan Star Empire, a once formidable power, was brought to its knees with the loss of its home world, Senate and the resulting vacuum of a unifying leadership. The federation jumped into action offering aid and assisting any Romulan who would accept their help. However, the Klingon Empire refused to join the relief convoys. On the Next ¡®Our History, Our Times¡¯: The Aftermath of the Hobus Supernova Part II ¨C The Year of Internal Struggles ¡°The Klingons will offer no treaty, no aid, and no hand that is not holding a blade.¡± ¨C Chancellor Martok


    • We Support Equality **

Posted: Wednesday, 27 March 2013

We have a couple of extra images up on FB and our main news feed that should be shared and liked (and commented on!). As the US Supreme Court discusses the issue of marriage equality over the next few days, Starbase 118 is showing support for equality for everyone and taking a public stand on the issues we consider both normal and perfectly acceptable within our group. This is one of the things that makes us stand out from the crowd - and a legacy that I feel Mr. Roddenberry would be proud of. After all, it is only when we are able to rejoice in our differences, and not fear them, that humanity will finally be able to move on to the important things.

Please join us in spreading the word about our stance on equality by liking and sharing one or both of our Facebook images below. If you have Twitter, retweet our tweet below. And then, please share it with your crew and ask them to do the same! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=504187266304857&set=a.440719232651661.100177.101686539888267&type=1 http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=504187076304876&set=a.440719232651661.100177.101686539888267&type=1 https://twitter.com/ufopsb118/status/316970135829233665 Thank you all for your support!


    • February for the USS Avandar **

Posted: Wednesday, 27 March 2013

After some dealings with the Rubari, a species from the dimension they call Atmospheric Space, a plan was made to close the portal that connected the two universes and the Rubari on board the Avandar was sent to its ship via a rift that formed inside the ship the gate started to close. When things seemed to be going back to normal and Lt. Cmdr. Dickens returned with Lt. Cmdr. T¡¯Lea and Ensign Jolara from Poseidon, a potential new threat appeared in the form of a Cardassian named Satel that seemed to know a lot more about the crew and their activities than many seemed comfortable with¡­ After doing her best to spook the crew, she cloaked her ship once more and departed without further incident ¨C which was helpful given that shortly after that a new trade specialist arrived to join the crew and help deal with any cultures the Avandar might find when it returned to the far side of Romulan space. As some minor checks were done on the ship and after a staff meeting that included revealing the fact that Captain Vetri was being summoned to a security conference, the Avandar is ready for its next mission, temporarily under the command of First Officer Lt. Cmdr. Marcus Dickens. Follow the adventures of the Avandar here! (https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/sb118-avandar )


    • Don¡¯t Forget To Vote In The Top Sims Contest **

Posted: Tuesday, 26 March 2013

Run-off Round 1 will end on Sunday, March 31st, so be sure to vote now (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8397-run-off-round-1-vote-here-vote-now/ ) to help your favorite sim proceed to the final round of the contest, where a Top Sim of 2013 will be crowned. While you¡¯re in the Top Sims Contest forum, nominate a few sims from your crew. The purpose of the contest is to help elevate our best writing in the fleet, reward great writers, and help others find great writing to model. Nominating sims is really easy. Here¡¯s a quick guide: 1. Read the guidelines (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8185-2013-top-sims-contest-rules-announcements/ ) and check the calendar in that thread to see what round we¡¯re in 2. Start a new thread 3. Paste in the text of a sim you really like


    • Featured Bio Contest Reminder **

Posted: Monday, 25 March 2013

Don¡¯t forget to nominate a bio for the Featured Bio Contest before Round 10 closes on April 1st, 2013! We¡¯re looking for the highest quality bios in the fleet to not only help provide an example for our members on how to structure their bio, but also to show off how much our members put into the creation of realistic and emotional characters. Head to the Featured Bio Contest forum (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/467-featured-bio-contest/ ) to nominate a bio of your own, or someone else whose bio you admire.

    • February for the Duronis II Embassy **

Posted: Monday, 25 March 2013

With their vacation terminated abruptly by Starfleet, the crew of the USS Thunder now face a possible menace in their own solar system! An ancient base built by an unknown race of aliens that was discovered a few years ago by the crew has come back to haunt them. A new base has been deciphered from captured records that shows one might exist in the Sol System. The situation has not improved as the USS Thunder has been suffering bugs in her shipboard software that could possibly leave the ship vulnerable. The USS Thunder was dispatched to Jupiter¡¯s moon Hegemone to investigate the validity of the data. Major Hannibal Parker and his team have launched in their stealth shuttle to investigate. Their actions proved something was there as they were scanned by an unknown device. Following it back to its launch bay, the marine team began preparations to board and discover if this secret alien base is a threat to the Federation. Follow the adventures of the Embassy here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-embassy/ )


    • Fleetwide Chat In Two Weeks **

Posted: Sunday, 24 March 2013

Wondered when the fleetwide chat would be held? Wonder no more! Mark your calendars for the second Sunday of every month at 1 PM EST. You¡¯ll receive plenty of updates from us, too, so never fear again that you¡¯ll miss a chat! What are the fleetwide chats? They¡¯re a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to get together and talk in real time about everything that¡¯s happening within the group. Come by and see what goings-on are happening off your ship! Chat is always open on the site: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/ If you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box.


    • The Speculation Continues **

Posted: Saturday, 23 March 2013

If you have been following the Starbase 118 forum topic, New ST: Into Darkness Trailer (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8291-new-stinto-darkness-trailer/page-1#entry307837 ), regarding the upcoming Star Trek movie, you¡¯ll definitely be interested in what Damon Lindelof recently said about the villain in the movie. We all know that Benedict Cumberbatch (http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Benedict_Cumberbatch ) portrays the villain, but who is his character? Some have said that it¡¯s Khan. Others believe it¡¯s Garry Mitchell. The official reports identify Cumberbatch¡¯s character as John Harrison, a terrorist from within Starfleet. The producers have worked hard to keep the villain¡¯s true identity a secret. The real shame would be that there is no secret identity and that what we¡¯ve been told is all there is to the character. Whether I like J.J. Abrams¡¯ version of Star Trek or not, I have to give him credit for his past projects, and especially the 2009 Star Trek movie, all of which surprised me and those with whom I¡¯ve spoken. I feel confident in saying that there¡¯s more to ¡°John Harrison¡± than we know. During an interview with the LA Times (http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/star-trek-into-darkness-spoilers-not-from-writer-damon-lindelof/ ), Mr. Lindelof seemed to allude to the complexity of Kirk¡¯s nemesis. He went on to explain that he wants the audience¡¯s experience to be the same as the crew of the Enterprise. When Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and our other beloved heroes face their tormentor, we, the audience, will share their feelings, according to Lindelof. In less than two months, we will have the answers to our questions about John Harrison, but until then, let the speculation continue on our forums.


-----------------------------------

LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor

Apr 6, 2013

Weekly Newsletter 2390.11

  • Blueheart Raj

Happy weekend, Fleetmates!


FLEET EVENTS:



  • The next fleetwide OOC chat is scheduled for Sunday, 14 April 2013 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Fleetwide chats occur on the 2nd Sunday of each month. Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! Chat is always open on the site: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/


  • Caption Competition: http://goo.gl/Y1X08 Round 5 of the competition ended Sunday, 31 March 2013 and the winner will be announced shortly, so watch this space folks!
    • Meanwhile, get ready for Round 6 of the competition where we head to the movies!


  • Writing Challenge: The winner of the Challenge for January-March is the writer behind Saveron, with her story "My Brother's Keeper"! Our runner-up is the writer behind Ryoma Hoshino, with his story "Calling Home"! Congratulations to both! And thank you to everyone who participated and who continues to participate! Read all the responses and feedback here: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8486-january-march-responses-and-winners/
    • For the Writing Challenge for April, Sarah -- the writer behind Saveron and the winner of the last challenge -- would like you to consider the open-ended topic "Do Unto Others." What does this mean? How will you take it? The challenge of the Challenge is to interpret the theme with your own thoughtful story, so I look forward to reading what you do! The deadline for this Challenge is Friday, 23 April 2013 which gives you just about three and a half weeks to cobble a story together. Let's see what the springtime (for those of you in the northern hemisphere) does with your creativity! For any questions you might have, remember that you can always visit the Writing Challenge website (http://www.starbase118.net/members/events-activities/writing-challenges/ ).




  • List of Fleet Activities that needs you can be found here: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum-105/announcement-29-fleet-activites-that-need-you/ - there's something for everyone, so don't be shy!
    • The publicity team, currently in the process of a relaunch, has always been responsible for marketing our group and enticing in new members to swell our ranks. If you can spare 15 minutes per week (or more!) and you¡¯d like to help bring new blood into the group then all you need to do is talk to your CO, who will be able to arrange with Captain Herrera for you to join the team!
      • Captain Mal Avatar is especially seeking volunteers for the Community History Project (formerly known as the Timeline Project), to build off of the family tree, the fleet timeline, as well as all of the existing content on the wiki to "complete" our group's history - with a goal of getting things in order in time for the group's 20th anniversary in 2014! In the meantime, check out the links to the tree and the fleet timeline:

http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=UFOP_Family_Tree http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=UFOP_Fleet_Timeline


LINK OF THE WEEK: https://www.facebook.com/ufopsb118


COMMUNITY NEWS:

  • Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments under the favored articles.

(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Sims Count for March: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8502-sims-count-for-march/

2. Poll of the Week: The Future of Evolution?: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8500-poll-of-the-week-the-future-of-evolution/

3. March for the USS Discovery-C: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8494-march-for-the-uss-discovery-c/

4. April 2013 Featured Bio: Katy Orman of SB118 Ops: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8491-april-2013%e2%80%b2s-featured-bio-katy-orman-of-sb118-ops/

5. March for the USS Vigilant: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8487-march-for-the-uss-vigilant/

6. So You Want To Sim A Fight Scene¡­. : http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8482-so-you-want-to-sim-a-fight-scene%e2%80%a6/

7. Publicity Team Relaunch: Your Fleet Needs You!: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8478-publicity-team-relaunch-your-fleet-needs-you/

8. New Academy Graduates: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8477-new-academy-graduates/

9. February for the USS Tiger-A: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8475-february-for-the-uss-tiger-a/


FULL TEXT ARTICLES:

    • Sims Count for March **

Posted: Saturday, 6 April 2013

This data represents the average sims per vessel across the fleet for each month of the year so far. Some ships will sim quite a bit higher or lower, but this represents the average. http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/04/06/sims-count-for-march/simavgmar13-2/


    • Poll of the Week: The Future of Evolution? **

Posted: Friday, 5 April 2013

Looking back in terms of history, it can be quite surprising to see what we, the humans of the 21st century, have built and just how far we have come. With the first civilizations, such as the Greeks and the Egyptians, dating back only a mere six thousand years, it does make one wonder where humanity will be in another one hundred years, let alone six thousand. There is no doubt whatsoever that six thousand years is a really long time, and that would probably be the understatement of the century. Despite how far mankind has progressed in terms of civilization and technology, it is also extraordinarily fair to say that humanity hasn¡¯t really evolved much during that time. Sure, a person may live longer in this day and age than his or her counterpart might have back in ancient times, but that says more about our living conditions and the medicines available than how we have evolved to survive. Now, just think about this one for a brief second; just imagine what humanity was like one hundred thousand years ago, let alone nine hundred thousand years before that. Suddenly, six thousand years is starting to look like a blink of an eye to those figures. I guess the point I am trying to make is that way back then, we were oversized chimpanzees that slowly evolved, relatively speaking, into what we are today, and that human evolution has become more about fine-tuning what we are than it is about removing tails and growing thumbs. But, if that¡¯s the case, what does that mean for humanity? Has our evolution became stunted? The answer to that question throughout many science fiction stories, Star Trek being no exception, is of course genetic enhancement programs whereby a person¡¯s DNA is manipulated to create a better human. One notable example of this is Doctor Julian Bashir seen throughout the Deep Space Nine series, and who can forget Khan. As evidenced by Khan¡¯s existence, science of 2380¡äs can quite easily give ¡°birth¡± to people who are physically stronger, see further, possess better coordination, and are even capable of superior intellect. And that would only be the tip of the iceberg if such medical fields became commonplace. Now, with all that in mind, the question for this week¡¯s poll is this: If it were possible, should such genetic manipulation be permitted in either the Star Trek universe or the real world? Remember that voting is only half the fun; so be sure to leave a comment on the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8499-the-future-of-evolution/?p=310140 ) because where this goes is up to all of you. Have a blast!


    • March for the USS Discovery-C **

Posted: Thursday, 4 April 2013

While securing a mysterious Preserver device in an abandoned weapons facility on Vador III, the crew of the Discovery is ambushed by the Breen, who steal the device. Apparently the device is one of two that has the ability to transport anything and anyone to any point in space and time in the universe, the other being on Discovery. Once used together, this potential temporal weapon will only spell the end of civilization as we know it. The Discovery¡¯s paramount responsibility is to prevent the weapon being exploited by the enemy. After a brief skirmish, they follow the lead to the Breen homeworld, where they engage the enemy, taking heavy casualties and sustaining irreparable damage to the ship. When they are boarded by Breen soldiers, Lt. Cmdr. Blueheart orders the crew to abandon ship and initiates the self-destruct sequence! Just then, the USS Discovery-F, led by Admiral Waltas and the survivors of the Discovery-C thawed back to life, arrives on the scene from the year 2576. The present-day crew learn that the temporal weapon had corrupted the timeline, causing the Discovery to be destroyed and crashed on the Breen planet, and Starfleet to become a socialist military state. The future crew had returned back in time to restore the timeline and save the crew from their tragic fate. Since time has been altered, all the crew has to remember the heroic rescue is a green crystal around Captain Waltas¡¯s neck, which they will soon discover contains messages from their future selves. Follow the adventures of the Discovery here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-discovery/ )


    • April 2013 Featured Bio: Katy Orman of SB118 Ops **

Posted: Wednesday, 3 April 2013

Lieutenant Commander Katy Orman is the Chief of Security on Starbase 118. As winner for this month, her bio will be displayed on the wiki¡¯s front page (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page ) for the month of April. A Human/Orion hybrid, Orman started her career on the USS Resolution as an engineering officer and later switched to the security role. She also served on the Eagle as Chief of Security, and the Victory in the same role before moving into her current assignment. Katy has a number of unique and interesting skills. She knows a number of meditative disciplines and claims to have been trained since childhood in an unusual martial art form she calls Shiji Gungfu. She has a small undetectable implant in her body which makes telepathic contact with her impossible. As always, you can find out more about the contest at its wiki page (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Featured_Bio_Contest ) or in its forum (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/467-featured-bio-contest/ ). Round 11 is now open, so be sure to drop by and submit your own nominations!


    • March for the USS Vigilant **

Posted: Tuesday, 2 April 2013

Investigating Zalkonian station Ea-435, the crew of the USS Vigilant found themselves with many mysteries to solve. While medical and science teams raced against time to develop a cure for the biotoxin that had infected Lieutenant Commander Eerie after an EV suit breach, the two Zalkonians who had been rescued from the station struggled to regain their erased memories. As Lieutenant (j.g.) Dueld taJoot worked with a combined engineering and intelligence team to piece together the events that led to the contamination of the station, more and more disturbing evidence of a Zalkonian plot to cripple Federation technology and personnel began to come to light. Worse, following the successful reintegration of one of the Zalkonians¡¯ memories by Lieutenant Commander Greir Reinard, it became apparent that the very people who had been rescued from the station had been key players in developing the biotoxin in the first place. The pressure intensified as the Vigilant¡¯s away team, led by Lieutenant Commander Leo Handley-Page fell victim to a long-forgotten security measure that trapped them aboard the station. Right on cue, five Zalkonian cruisers arrived to strongarm Captain Diego Herrera into denying one of the rescuees¡¯ request for political asylum. With no other option and facing insurmountable odds, the Vigilant returned the Zalkonians to their people before returning to Federation space to pass on the valuable intel that they had recovered. Follow the adventures of the Vigilant here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-vigilant/ )


    • So You Want To Sim A Fight Scene¡­.**

Posted: Monday, 1 April 2013

Throughout my years as a SIMmer, this has always been my Achilles heel. Maybe because I am so used to writing in a certain way, I always found my character¡¯s fight scenes to be way too drawn out. Most fights don¡¯t last for very long. Consider for a moment being caught offgaurd and being hit from behind. You are still conscious, but your primary focus is on what just happened. Not the starry skies, not the blooming flowers, but on your present situation of what just happened to you, and either seeking out reasons why, or retaliation. In order to illustrate the difference between a good fight SIM, and a great fight SIM, I¡¯m going to use a SIM of mine written a few years back and edit it in front of your eyes. Fight scenes shouldn¡¯t just happen. We all don¡¯t just go to school and work everyday and happen to get into a fight with someone. There should always be reasoning for the fight. It should relate to the overall SIM in some fashion. In the following SIM, the reasoning is that my character entered a holodeck sword practicing scenario. An attack was imminent. It was why she was somewhat prepared for it. Here is the original SIM:

With her sword in her left hand, Tracey held it in what she considered to be a defensive position. The noises in the distance were approaching, and Tracey¡¯s heart began to beat stronger and her pupils began to dilate. Suddenly, and without warning, Tracey noticed the steel of a blade in her peripheral vision. Without thinking she put up her right, prosthetic hand as the tip of the enemy weapon struck her steel palm. Grabbing the sword, Tracey bent the weapon, and yanked it out of the enemy¡¯s grasp. Tracey then kneed the enemy to the ground, placed her boot on his neck and placed her sword right between the holographic enemy¡¯s eyes. All of it happened within 2 seconds.::
As Tracey stood there, with the tip of her sword hovering millimeters from the ninja, Tracey shook her head.::

Townson: No, no no. I¡¯m sorry. I did this all wrong. ::looking at her sword:: I really need to learn to use this. This short scene did one thing of the three that we will discuss that a fight scene should do. It allowed others to witness what my character was like and showed her personality. However it didn¡¯t allow my character to grow, and even in SIM, my character realized this and mentions it. And due to a lack of skill on the writer¡¯s part, me, I added no emotion. In a fight scene, senses are very important, and try to use all five. I only used three; seeing hearing and touch. Let¡¯s try to recreate the first paragraph using all five senses.

Feeling the weight of her sword in her left hand, Tracey held it in what she considered to be a defensive position. She could hear the noises in the distance that were approaching, and felt her heart begin to beat stronger as her pupils began to dilate. As adrenaline began to flow through her system, she began to take better notice of the smell of the rancid air around her and the taste of her own bottom lip as she bit down on it lightly in anticipation. Suddenly, and without warning, Tracey noticed the steel of a blade in her peripheral vision. Without thinking she put up her right, prosthetic hand as the tip of the enemy weapon struck her steel palm. Grabbing the sword, Tracey bent the weapon, and yanked it out of the enemy¡¯s grasp. Tracey then kneed the enemy to the ground, placed her boot on his neck and placed her sword right between the holographic enemy¡¯s eyes. All of it happened within 2 seconds.::

Now I¡¯ve added all five senses. But it is still missing something. Something very important. Emotion. Besides anticipation, there should also be some level of fear. Fear is a survival instinct. You wouldn¡¯t want to be walking up to a fire-breathing dragon without fear. Toast would probably be a good adjective to describe your character shortly thereafter. In every fight, there should be some level of fear. So lets do some more editing, shall we?

Feeling the weight of her sword in her left hand, Tracey held it in what she considered to be a defensive position. She could hear the noises in the distance that were approaching, and felt her heart begin to beat stronger as her pupils began to dilate. As adrenaline began to flow through her system, she began to take better notice of the smell of the rancid air around her and the taste of her own bottom lip as she bit down on it lightly in anticipation. Suddenly, and without warning, Tracey noticed the steel of a blade in her peripheral vision. Without thinking she threw up her right, prosthetic hand, fearing the blade of her enemy¡¯s sword making contact with her unprotected torso, as the tip of the enemy¡¯s weapon struck her steel palm. Grabbing the sword, more by instinct than skill, Tracey bent the weapon, and yanked it out of the enemy¡¯s grasp. Tracey then kneed the enemy to the ground, placed her boot on his neck and placed her sword right between the holographic enemy¡¯s eyes. All of it happened within 2 seconds.::

Now compare the original SIM, with what I¡¯ve just edited. Do you notice a difference? Hopefully you do. Things that you should remember when SIMming fight scenes are that all action is short, and intense and that nothing else is going on in your character¡¯s mind other than that of what is happening around your character, and even that, it is what your character is paying attention to. Also remember, the character¡¯s reaction to the event is more important than the event itself. Practice SIMming fight scenes for your character, and see how they turn out. Of course, keep it to the holodeck. Fighting your captain may be detrimental to your character¡¯s career!


    • Publicity Team Relaunch: Your Fleet Needs You! **

Posted: Sunday, 31 March 2013

We¡¯re now just under two months away from the most eagerly anticipated Star Trek event of the year ¨C the release of Star Trek: Into Darkness! When the first film in J. J. Abrams¡¯s run was released in 2009, UFOP: Starbase 118 saw a large influx of members. Some of you reading now may remember joining at that time! We¡¯re expecting a similar occurrence this time around ¨C we need to be ready to reach out to the members of the Star Trek community who are itching to continue the journey to seek out new life and discover strange new worlds that begins, or is reawakened, with a simple trip to the cinema! The publicity team has always been responsible for marketing our group and enticing in new members to swell our ranks. We¡¯re currently in the process of a relaunch ¨C refocusing our efforts into search engine optimization, social networking and casting our net as wide as possible to increase the number of people that we reach. We¡¯re always looking for new members to help us in our endeavors! If you can spare 15 minutes per week (or more!) and you¡¯d like to help bring new blood into the group then all you need to do is talk to your CO, who will be able to arrange with Captain Herrera for you to join the team! But joining the publicity team isn¡¯t the only way you can help! This call goes out to ALL members of the fleet who have a Facebook account (under your real name!) - have you found the UFOP: Starbase 118 Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ufopsb118 ) and liked it? We need you to like and share our Facebook posts ¨C the more people we have doing that, the more our group gets noticed. Who knows, someone in your extended network of friends might be a secret Star Trek addict and dying to join a Play By Email roleplay? And if your friends like and share our posts too, that¡¯s when the magic happens! Taking it even further, if you have a twitter account, the same thing is possible ¨C follow us on twitter and retweet our posts to spread the word to the masses! We need you! It¡¯s time to move this project to warp speed!


    • New Academy Graduates **

Posted: Saturday, 30 March 2013

Please welcome (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8476-graduating-class-of-23900330/ ) our newest class of Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Max Deran and Jonah Sisc!


    • February for the USS Tiger-A **

Posted: Saturday, 30 March 2013

Having ended their last mission the crew of the USS Tiger-A headed back to Deep Space 17 for some well deserved shore leave. The crew held a formal promotion and award ceremony in The Twilight¡¯s Edge upon their arrival and also welcomed three special guests, Fleet Captain Idril Mar, Fleet Captain Toni Turner and Ambassador Tallis Rhul. The crew celebrated well into the night as members received recognition for their efforts during past missions. Several members of the crew found it hard to celebrate however, as they found themselves still struggling with the psychological aftermath of Bilire IV. Lieutenant Commander Tracey Townson found herself in an even more unique situation as she has been assigned to take care of the Romulan child who was found on the planet. She is currently working to find the child¡¯s birth parents. After the party crew members were free to explore Deep Space 17. This included an exciting parkour race through the station set up by Lieutenant Commander Danny Wilde and Lieutenant T¡¯Mihn Ah¡¯my¡¯ghan. Follow the adventures of the Tiger here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-tiger/ )


-----------------------------------

LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor

Apr 11, 2013

This summer's big opportunity to expand our fleet

  • FltAdml. Tristan Wolf

Friends and simmers,

The new Star Trek movie will be released this summer and we expect a large influx of new members to the fleet as Trekkies rekindle their interest in Star Trek.

Team Newsies, and the Publicity Team, play a big role in helping us attract new members to the group, and to prepare for that next Trek movie, we need to make sure both of these teams are stacked with members like you who are enthusiastic about our community, and want to help others find us.

If you can spare an average of 15 minutes a week, you can help on either of these teams. Check out the links below for full explanations of what each team does, and then sign up for the one that best fits your personality and your interests.

Publicity Team: http://go.starbase118.net/join-publicity Team Newsies: http://go.starbase118.net/join-newsies

Participating in an OOC activity like one of these teams not only helps to grow our community, but in a way it also helps ensure the ability for you to one day join the group leadership. The more people we can entice to join the group, the more opportunities we have for members to take command of a ship.

Thanks for taking an active interest in helping us to grow the fleet and maintain our spot as the premier Star Trek PBEM role-playing game on the internet.

Apr 13, 2013

Weekly Newsletter 2390.12

  • Blueheart Raj

Happy weekend, Fleetmates!


FLEET EVENTS:


  • The next fleetwide OOC chat is scheduled for Sunday, 14 April 2013 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). That's THIS Sunday! Fleetwide chats occur on the 2nd Sunday of each month. Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! Chat is always open on the site: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/



  • Writing Challenge: The winner of the Challenge for January-March is the writer behind Saveron, with her story "My Brother's Keeper"! Our runner-up is the writer behind Ryoma Hoshino, with his story "Calling Home"! Congratulations to both! And thank you to everyone who participated and who continues to participate! Read all the responses and feedback here: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8486-january-march-responses-and-winners/
    • For the Writing Challenge for April, Sarah -- the writer behind Saveron and the winner of the last challenge -- would like you to consider the open-ended topic "Do Unto Others." What does this mean? How will you take it? The challenge of the Challenge is to interpret the theme with your own thoughtful story, so I look forward to reading what you do! The deadline for this Challenge is Friday, 23 April 2013 which gives you just about three and a half weeks to cobble a story together. Let's see what the springtime (for those of you in the northern hemisphere) does with your creativity! For any questions you might have, remember that you can always visit the Writing Challenge website (http://www.starbase118.net/members/events-activities/writing-challenges/ ).


  • Caption Competition: http://goo.gl/Y1X08 Round 5 of the competition ended Sunday, 31 March 2013 and the winner will be announced shortly, so watch this space folks!
    • Meanwhile, get ready for Round 6 of the competition where we head to the movies!


  • Poll of the Week: Does It Belong?: Will people stop watching television by the early 2200′s? It seems that the television will go from a valid method of acquiring newsworthy information, which it does to the slightest degree, to a source of entertainment, and finally to a relic of the past. So, this week's question is this: Do you think that the television will still have a place in Earth culture in, let's say, three hundred years' time? So, stay tuned, and have fun everyone! (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8523-does-it-belong/ )



  • List of Fleet Activities that needs you can be found here: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum-105/announcement-29-fleet-activites-that-need-you/ - there's something for everyone, so don't be shy!
    • The new Star Trek movie will be released this summer and we expect a large influx of new members to the fleet as Trekkies rekindle their interest in Star Trek. Team Newsies, and the Publicity Team, play a big role in helping us attract new members to the group, and to prepare for that next Trek movie, we need to make sure both of these teams are stacked with members like you who are enthusiastic about our community, and want to help others find us. If you can spare an average of 15 minutes a week, you can help on either of these teams. Check out the links below for full explanations of what each team does, and then sign up for the one that best fits your personality and your interests.

Publicity Team: http://go.starbase118.net/join-publicity Team Newsies: http://go.starbase118.net/join-newsies

      • Captain Mal Avatar is especially seeking volunteers for the Community History Project (formerly known as the Timeline Project), to build off of the family tree, the fleet timeline, as well as all of the existing content on the wiki to "complete" our group's history - with a goal of getting things in order in time for the group's 20th anniversary in 2014! In the meantime, check out the links to the tree and the fleet timeline:

http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=UFOP_Family_Tree http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=UFOP_Fleet_Timeline


LINK OF THE WEEK: http://www.simmingleague.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page


COMMUNITY NEWS:

  • Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments under the favored articles.

(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Poll Of The Week: Does It Belong?: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8527-poll-of-the-week-does-it-belong/

2. Simming Encyclopedia: A Community Effort: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8524-simming-encyclopedia-a-community-effort/

3. March for the USS Drake: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8516-march-for-the-uss-drake/

4. Promotion for March: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8513-promotion-for-march/

5. March for Starbase 118 Ops and the USS Victory: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8510-march-for-starbase-118-ops-the-uss-victory/

6. The Man In Space: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8509-the-man-in-space/

7. Forums Roundup: April 2013: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8506-forums-roundup-%e2%80%93-april-2013/

8. Top Sims Contest Round 9: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8504-top-sims-contest-round-9/


FULL TEXT ARTICLES:

    • Poll Of The Week: Does It Belong? **

Posted: Friday, 12 April 2013

This week, we move away from the philosophical and more toward the trivial matters, as we explore a Trek-related poll. There are many differences in the world of Star Trek compared to that of Earth today. In Star Trek, technology is advanced, communicating with people over longer distances is easier, and it is possible to travel between the stars. Also in Star Trek, war, famine, and disease have, for the most part, been eliminated on Earth. Those are big changes, if our future is anything like the one in Star Trek, with a lot of time elapsing before reaching those advancements. But in all, it seems that another big change will be made along the way. That change is that people will stop watching television by the early 2200′s. I would not be able to come close to answering why that will happen, but it'll be evident that people will no longer enjoy sitting in front of the "box" watching their favorite shows. It seems that the television will go from a valid method of acquiring newsworthy information, which it does to the slightest degree, to a source of entertainment, and finally to a relic of the past, like the antique television that sat in Tom Paris' quarters on the USS Voyager. But, this poll isn't designed to discuss how future people will spend their spare time when they're not flying starships or playing on the holodeck. Instead, it asks if you think this is the direction that should be taken. So, this week's question is this: Do you think that the television will still have a place in Earth culture in, let's say, three hundred years' time? Now, whether you think that it should stay around or if it should be the next popular display in museums is up to you. Remember though, it is your comments as well as your votes that really make these polls fun. So, be sure to visit the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8523-does-it-belong/ ) and have your say. So, stay tuned, and have fun everyone!


    • Simming Encyclopedia: A Community Effort **

Posted: Friday, 12 April 2013

The Simming League has been in existence since 1997 with the goal of promoting and assisting with the hobby of simming by offering services to simmers, sims, and clubs. The group hosts SciWorld and the Tournament of Simulations, which are community events focused on simmers and sim groups, as well as maintaining the SimEnc (http://www.simmingleague.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page ) (the Simming Encyclopedia). UFOP: StarBase 118 was recognized by the Simming League in 2006 and again in 2011 with the Simming Prize (http://www.simmingleague.com/wiki/index.php?title=Simming_Prize ), while our very own Captain Diego Herrera of the USS Vigilant received the Simming Prize individually in 2012 his work developing our internal community. As you can see, our group and the Simming League have built a strong relationship. And to assist our friends at the Simming League with building a more detailed wiki, we need your help with expanding the SB118 page (http://www.simmingleague.com/wiki/index.php?title=SB118 ) on the SimEnc. Our SimEnc wiki page promotes our group and shows other RPGs and prospective members just how talented we are. In looking at our own group's wiki, it's obvious that we have some very talented members, and we need you to show off your skills on our SimEnc page also. In addition, if you've previously been a member of another RPG, be sure to stop by that group's SimEnc page and see if you can add anything of substance. Ask your simming friends to do the same! By helping to grow the SimEnc, and beautify our StarBase 118 page, we can not only help an ally in the simming community but also promote our organization and contribute to a public record of our accomplishments. Head to SimEnc now and add something! (http://www.simmingleague.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page )


    • March for the USS Drake **

Posted: Thursday, 11 April 2013

After celebrating the well-deserved promotion of Oliver Weston to Lieutenant Commander, the crew heads off on the newly repaired USS Drake to activate the last communication beacon in the Ishkarian sensor array. A flash of green light shifts through the ship causing multiple explosions and power failures just after the aged and inoperative beacon comes into view. As the crew scrambles to save lives and repair critical systems, Lieutenants Pandora and Reed follow a chronoton radiation power signal to the weapons pod and unearth the source – a time-travel device with the DNA fingerprint of Professor Arnold. Meanwhile, the bridge crew works to piece together information as the communications beacon, ancient only seconds ago, looms onscreen, suddenly appearing quite new. They discover that they have travelled backwards in time roughly 2500 years, to a time before the Ishkarian home world catastrophically broke apart into the shards of the modern age. In addition, Lt. Stennes detects an ion trail identical to that of the Drake. Coupled with the telepathic abilities of the Vulcan officers, the crew ascertain that Arnold sent a duplicate Drake back as well, roughly three days before the current date and time. Realizing the delicacy of the situation, the importance of protecting the timeline becomes paramount. As an injured Captain Rogers breaks the crew into teams, they prepare for the moment when the two Drakes meet, the infiltration of Ishkarian society becomes necessary, and Professor Arnold's secret is revealed. Follow the adventures of the Drake here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-drake/ )


    • Promotions for March **

Posted: Wednesday, 10 April 2013

We have just one promotion to report for the month of March! (February was a pretty big month (http://www.starbase118.net/blog/2013/03/14/promotions-for-february/ ), so it's natural for there to be fewer promotions this month.) The staff of StarBase 118 would like to take a moment and recognize the officers promoted in the month of February. Please take a moment to congratulate them when you see them in the corridors of your vessel, including Oliver Weston, of the USS Drake, who was promoted from Lieutenant to Lieutenant Commander! USS Apollo • Edward Johnson to Lieutenant JG • Debra Cross to Lieutenant JG • Sundassa Faranster to Lieutenant JG USS Avandar • Rune Jolara to Lieutenant JG USS Mercury • Eyas Wulfantine to Lieutenant Commander • Alexander Richards to Lieutenant JG StarBase 118 Operations • Johanna MacLaren to Lieutenant • Alahndra Nevarass to Lieutenant JG • Joseph Dubeau to Marine Captain USS Tiger-A • Aribelle Tagren to Lieutenant JG • A'ern Zerxes to Lieutenant JG • Bradon Jorey to Lieutenant JG • Chloe Mannin to Lieutenant • T'mihn Ah'my'gahn to Lieutenant USS Vigilant • Oxford Brown to 1st Lieutenant • James Fox to Lieutenant JG • Dueld taJoot to Lieutenant JG • Kael Thomas to Lieutenant • Harold Foster to Lieutenant Commander


    • March for Starbase 118 Ops and the USS Victory **

Posted: Tuesday, 9 April 2013

The trip through the gravimetric hole lead the crew to Odyssey station. During the transition through the anomaly, multiple crewmembers experienced images of things that had, or could have been. Coming out on the other side, it was quickly determined that a telepathic wave had flowed out and encompassed the ship for an unknown purpose. Moments later, the ship was pulled onto the station by a powerful tractor beam. As the crew disembarked from the runabout, they were met by a holographic entity called a "Greeter". They were informed that they had to abide by a code that prevented weapons from working. Further questions didn't reveal what was most important, where Anya and David Cody could be located. Unwilling to separate, the crew slowly investigated the huge station, areas of which were large enough to accomodate a starship. While there, other "travellers" were met, describing a transportation system that worked by taking the user to the location they subconsciously desired most, something that was proven when Doctor MacLaren's dog suddenly appeared among the crew! Now under even more of a time crunch before the crew's subconscious desires might send them anywhere, the Dragon-like creature Puncdor that they'd met, combined with the dog Hope's nose, were able to find the two lost crewmembers. Commander Cody was found, but locked in a coma after his experience and Anya had lost her memories from the Captain. Tired, the crew returned home to SB118 and shore leave. Follow the adventures of Starbase 118 Ops and the Victory here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-ops/ )


    • The Man In Space **

Posted: Monday, 8 April 2013

What is it about us Canadians? Why are we so proud of the things we accomplish? Maybe it's because we come from a country where two official languages flourish. Where walking in the streets of Ottawa, you can hear people switch from French to English as they walk and talk, while in the middle of a conversation. Or maybe it's because so many unique individuals from different parts of this vast, frozen wasteland have flourished. Not just here in Canada, but on the international scene. And I'm not just talking Justin Bieber here. But of those Canadians who have made it to where they are today as superstars in their own right, including William Shatner and James Doohan of Star Trek fame, no one could be as down to earth as the one Canadian who is presently the furthest away from Earth at the moment. Chris Hadfield. Who is Chris Hadfield (http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/biohadfield.asp ), you say? My response is one of the pioneers of the space age, and presently the commander of the International Space Station. What makes him so special? His connection to those who follow him. His constant communications with those on Earth since arriving at the station in December. He has been broadcasting, tweeting messages (https://twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield ), and sending photos he has posted to allow those of us on the ground to see our world from his perspective. He has conducted question and answer periods for schoolchildren through Twitter, had a conversation with another commander of a ship we all know, William Shatner, recorded a duet with Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies, and was backed up by a Toronto glee choir. Basically, Chris Hadfield is showing us that being in space doesn't mean you are out of touch. But despite all this, what Chris Hadfield is doing is even more profound. He is showing Canadians, if not the world, the unique and wonderful vision of what space is all about, and in a way we could never otherwise see ourselves.


    • Forums Roundup: April 2013 **

Posted: Sunday, 7 April 2013

With the cold weather waning for most of us, and spring on its way in, the world itself seems to be coming alive around us. For some of us, that means more time outside, but for others, it's simply a time when writing becomes a bit easier to do as our minds open up to the energy of spring itself. No matter what you're doing this time of year, be sure to take a moment to stop by the Starbase 118 Forums, where there is always something going on. This month, you can find a few interesting tidbits to jump into, such as: The Top Sims contest has been restructured to make it easy for you to not only participate, but to vote as well. Stop by the forum threads to read the latest submissions, submit something you've read lately, or to vote on the most current batch of sims, one of which will move on to the year-end finals for the title of Top Sim of the Year! – http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/283-top-sims-contest/ Speaking of great writing, the last Writing Challenge winner was just announced. Take a moment to congratulate them, or check out what the next challenge will be, by visiting the WC forum threads here: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/137-writing-challenges/ One of the coolest things about Starbase 118 is the fact that our members create and innovate. One of these creations became what we know today as the race of Laudeans. With players across the Fleet playing members of this race, it's only right that they have their own guild. Learn more about this 118 only race directly from those who interact from their mindset on a daily basis here: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/477-guild-of-laudeans/ What's going on aboard your ship's forums this month? There are games, places to share, and threads that will help you get to know your fellow officers better, all under the umbrella of your ship's name. Check out the ships of the 118 Fleet and join in the fun here: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/216-starbase-118-ships/ Have a few minutes and want to put that time to good use? Check out any one of our teams or the volunteers corner for ideas on how you can use a little bit of time and have a big impact: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/408-volunteers-corner/ Regardless what you generally get into during the Spring, when it begins to get really nice outside, make sure to stop by the Fleet forums to stay on top of Fleet happenings as we approach the activity that the new movie is due to bring in. It's an exciting time in 118, so join the conversation and be a part of it today!


    • Top Sims Contest Round 9 **

Posted: Saturday, 6 April 2013

The Top Sims Contest is now taking submissions for Round 9. The deadline is midnight EST (GMT -5) on Sunday, April 14. So get out there, nominate some of the great sims, and make sure they get the recognition they deserve. Nominating a sim is easy: 1. Head to the Top Sims Contest (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/283-top-sims-contest/ ) page, and check the calendar to see which round we're on. 2. Start a new topic. 3. Paste the sim into the text field, and share it with the fleet. Visit the Top Sims Contest (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/283-top-sims-contest/ ) page today, and make your voice heard.


-----------------------------------

LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor

Apr 20, 2013

Weekly Newsletter 2390.13

  • Blueheart Raj

Happy weekend, Fleetmates!


FLEET EVENTS:


  • Writing Challenge: The winner of the Challenge for January-March is the writer behind Saveron, with her story "My Brother's Keeper"! Our runner-up is the writer behind Ryoma Hoshino, with his story "Calling Home"! Congratulations to both! And thank you to everyone who participated and who continues to participate! Read all the responses and feedback here: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8486-january-march-responses-and-winners/
    • For the Writing Challenge for April, Sarah -- the writer behind Saveron and the winner of the last challenge -- would like you to consider the open-ended topic "Do Unto Others." What does this mean? How will you take it? The challenge of the Challenge is to interpret the theme with your own thoughtful story, so I look forward to reading what you do! The deadline for this Challenge is Saturday, 27 April 2013! For any questions you might have, remember that you can always visit the Writing Challenge website (http://www.starbase118.net/members/events-activities/writing-challenges/ ).



  • Please make a note that the chat date has changed only for the month of May, to avoid a conflict with Mother¡¯s Day, which falls on the second Sunday of the month (when we usually hold our chats). For May, our fleetwide chat will be held on Sunday, May 19th at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable!
    • Our fleetwide chats are a space for all the members of the StarBase 118 group to get together and talk in real time about everything that¡¯s happening within the group. Come by and see what goings-on are happening off your ship! Chats are always held on the second Sunday of every month, but you can head into the chat room at any time to see who else is there. Chat is always open on the site: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/


  • Caption Competition: http://goo.gl/Y1X08 Round 5 of the competition ended Sunday, 31 March 2013 and the winner will be announced shortly, so watch this space folks!
    • Meanwhile, get ready for Round 6 of the competition where we head to the movies!


  • Poll of the Week: Masks, Capes, And Spandex: It seems that as popular as superheroes are in comic books and TV series, they are just as popular with movie producers. So, it seems that no matter how old the hero or heroine is in terms of when they were originally created in Hollywood, studios will continue to produce superhero movies and will continue to remake the classics. But, is there a point where some heroes simply do not need to be featured in their own films? That is to say, are there some heroes or heroines that shouldn¡¯t even get to the silver screen? Let¡¯s hear what you have to say! http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8552-masks-capes-and-spandex/



  • List of Fleet Activities that needs you can be found here: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum-105/announcement-29-fleet-activites-that-need-you/ - there's something for everyone, so don't be shy!
    • The new Star Trek movie will be released this summer and we expect a large influx of new members to the fleet as Trekkies rekindle their interest in Star Trek. Team Newsies, and the Publicity Team, play a big role in helping us attract new members to the group, and to prepare for that next Trek movie, we need to make sure both of these teams are stacked with members like you who are enthusiastic about our community, and want to help others find us. If you can spare an average of 15 minutes a week, you can help on either of these teams. Check out the links below for full explanations of what each team does, and then sign up for the one that best fits your personality and your interests.

Publicity Team: http://go.starbase118.net/join-publicity Team Newsies: http://go.starbase118.net/join-newsies

      • Captain Mal Avatar is especially seeking volunteers for the Community History Project (formerly known as the Timeline Project), to build off of the family tree, the fleet timeline, as well as all of the existing content on the wiki to "complete" our group's history - with a goal of getting things in order in time for the group's 20th anniversary in 2014! In the meantime, check out the links to the tree and the fleet timeline:

http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=UFOP_Family_Tree http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=UFOP_Fleet_Timeline


LINK OF THE WEEK: http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=ILI


COMMUNITY NEWS:

  • Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments under the favored articles.

(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Poll Of The Week: Masks, Capes, And Spandex: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8553-poll-of-the-week-masks-capes-and-spandex/

2. Mark Your Calendar: Chat Day For May: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8551-mark-your-calendar-chat-date-for-may/

3. March for Duronis II Embassy/USS Thunder: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8548-march-for-duronis-ii-embassyuss-thunder/

4. March Recruitment Stats: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8546-march-recruitment-stats/

5. Congratulations To Commander Vess: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8543-congratulations-to-commander-vess/

6. March For The USS Mercury: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8542-march-for-the-uss-mercury/

7. Top Sims Contest: Round 10 Now Open: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8537-top-sims-contest-round-10-now-open/

8. New Academy Graduates: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8536-new-academy-graduates/

9. The Species Development Committee¡¯s Mission: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8533-the-species-development-committee%e2%80%99s-mission/

10. Our History, Our Times: The Aftermath Of The Hobus Supernova Part 2: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8528-our-history-our-times-the-aftermath-of-the-hobus-supernova-part-ii/


FULL TEXT ARTICLES:

    • Poll Of The Week: Masks, Capes, And Spandex **

Posted: Friday, 19 April 2013

This week¡¯s poll is brought to you thanks to a suggestion made by Ensign Wanda DyAmone of the USS Drake. Thank you for your suggestion. Remember everyone that if you want to see something specific in a weekly poll, please add your suggestion to the suggestion thread (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/3646-poll-suggestions/page-4 ), and I will get back to you usually before the next poll is released. Another big genre in films, books, comics, and games is that of superheroes. It is easy to see how tales of men and women dressing up in vibrant outfits, possessing amazing supernatural abilities, and having a passion for fighting crime are so compelling. The idea of such a person overcoming injustice and battling evil is quite inspiring, not to mention fun to see. You all know what I am talking about, as there are as many superheroes as there are planets in the galaxy. Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Catwoman, and the Invisible Woman are just a few. The list goes on and on, but if there is one thing that all of these superheroes have in common, besides flashy costumes (most of which include some form of spandex and masks), is that they all have appeared in their own movies. Some even appear in more than one movie, not counting the remakes! It seems that as popular as superheroes are in comic books and TV series, they are just as popular with movie producers. So, it seems that no matter how old the hero or heroine is in terms of when they were originally created in Hollywood, studios will continue to produce superhero movies and will continue to remake the classics. Take for instance the most recent Batman trilogy produced by Christopher Nolan. But, is there a point where some heroes simply do not need to be featured in their own films? That is to say, are there some heroes or heroines that shouldn¡¯t even get to the silver screen? And if that is the case, which ones do not deserve to be given the honor of being made into multimillion dollar film icons. Now, as usual it¡¯s time for you to voice your opinions and comment, as well as vote, on the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8552-masks-capes-and-spandex/ ). There are so many to choose from, but I am sure that you all have some ideas. I know that I do, after all of those morning cartoons featuring the everlasting classics. But, we want to hear what you have to say. Remember voting is just half the fun. Have fun everyone!



    • Mark Your Calendar: Chat Day For May **

Posted: Friday, 19 April 2013

Please make a note that the chat date has changed only for the month of May, to avoid a conflict with Mother¡¯s Day, which falls on the second Sunday of the month (when we usually hold our chats). For May, our fleetwide chat will be held on Sunday, May 19th at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). To participate, simply head to our online chat room, at: http://www.starbase118.net/chat ¡ª if you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box. Our fleetwide chats are a space for all the members of the StarBase 118 group to get together and talk in real time about everything that¡¯s happening within the group. Come by and see what goings-on are happening off your ship! Chats are always held on the second Sunday of every month, but you can head into the chat room at any time to see who else is there.


    • March for Duronis II Embassy/USS Thunder **

Posted: Thursday, 18 April 2013

The crew of the USS Thunder, NCC 70605-A, under the temporary command of Lieutanant Commander Alucard Vess continued their investigation of a mysterious alien station buried deep within one of Jupiter¡¯s moons. The initial away team under Major Hannibal Parker was quickly followed by a second under Lieutenant Commander Nugra. Both teams encountered hostility when they arrived. Nugra¡¯s team was beamed into a holding facility which they barely managed to escape, while at the same time Parker¡¯s team was captured by the station¡¯s three surviving denizens ¡ª aliens known as Thrallians who had been studying and experimenting upon humans for centuries in a bid to reverse the genetic mutations they had unwittingly caused themselves. Meanwhile, on the Thunder, the rest of the crew were not having an easy time either. The Thrallians utilized their advanced technology to bombard the Thunder with a signal so strong it knocked out the Thunder¡¯s computer. Commander Miles Unum formulated a plan to use the Thunder¡¯s runabouts to push the Thunder away, allowing the Thunder to use it¡¯s torpedoes to destroy the signal emitters. The away teams succeeded in escaping and returned to the Thunder just as the Thrallians converted their station into a battleship and began their attack. After a prolonged battle the alien vessel was disabled, but not before the Thrallians escaped in a small scout craft. Follow the adventures of the Embassy/Thunder here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-embassy/ )


    • March Recruitment Stats **

Posted: Wednesday, 17 April 2013

Each month, the Publicity Team (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Publicity_Team ) posts the number of applications our community received for the current year and how those applicants found our group. That summary will give you an idea of how we are reaching new applicants and how we can improve our efforts to reach new audiences. If you¡¯re interested in helping with our publicity efforts, click the link above to check out the Publicity Team¡¯s wiki area, and then the link to the Publicity Team¡¯s Yahoo! Group where you can sign up to be a part of the team. We also want to keep you apprised of the number of graduates from the StarBase 118 Academy. Unfortunately, not all applicants graduate from the Academy because they either do not respond to roll call or do not complete the Academy requirements. The Training Team makes every effort to involve all applicants and to encourage them to complete the training.


    • Congratulations To Commander Vess **

Posted: Tuesday, 16 April 2013

The Captains Council of UFOP: StarBase 118 is pleased to announce the promotion of Lieutenant Commander Alucard Vess (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Vess,_Alucard ) to the rank of commander. Commander Vess serves at the Duronis II Embassy / USS Thunder as the First Officer to FltCapt. Toni Turner. Commander Vess has been at Duronis II Embassy since the start of his career as a Medical officer, where he distinguished himself in the role and was promoted to Chief Medical Officer, before being promoted to First Officer. Be sure to offer Commander Vess your congratulations on the forum (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8541-congratulations-commander-alucard-vess/ ), and we wish him the best of luck as he moves forward with his command career!


    • March For The USS Mercury **

Posted: Tuesday, 16 April 2013

As March began, most of the senior staff remained off-ship on an unexpected and unofficial mission to rescue Eyas Wulfantine¡¯s mother from a trumped-up death sentence on his homeworld. The rescue parties split into three groups and sowed chaos across the planet ¡ª sometimes overt and sometimes covert ¡ª as the group under the charge of Eyas made its way closer and closer to his mother. Meanwhile, the skeleton crew aboard the Mercury, under the command of Lieutenant (JG) Richard, the chief science officer, answered a distress call from a vessel that turned out to be an old Constitution-class starship, the Saratoga, that had been lost and adrift in the gravity well of a gas giant in the Menthar corridor for one hundred years. Finally, Deep Space 10 (DSX) officially came online under the command of Commander Melitta Herodion. Follow the adventures of the Mercury here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-mercury/ )


    • Top Sims Contest: Round 10 Now Open **

Posted: Monday, 15 April 2013

Congratulations to LtJG Ben Livingston, whose sim ¡°Brotherly Love¡± (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8467-lt-jg-ben-livingston-brotherly-love/ ) has won Round 8 of the contest! Round 9 is now being judged by a panel of judges from each ship, while Round 10 has just opened. The submission deadline is midnight EST (GMT -5) on Sunday, April 28th. The winner of the round goes on to the second run-off in May. Nominating a sim for Round 10 is easy: 1. Head to the Top Sims Contest (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/283-top-sims-contest/ ) page, and check the calendar (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8185-2013-top-sims-contest-rules-announcements/ ) to check which round we¡¯re on. 2. Start a new topic. 3. Paste the sim into the text field, and share it with the fleet. You can make your voice heard, and make sure the writers of our fleet get the recognition they deserve. Nominate someone¡¯s sim today!


    • New Academy Graduates **

Posted: Sunday, 14 April 2013

Please welcome (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8535-graduating-class-of-23900414/ ) our newest class of Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Kydy, Ryan Johnaa Orionar, and Ryoji Chibitsu!


    • The Species Development Committee¡¯s Mission **

Posted: Sunday, 14 April 2013

As time passes within the Starbase 118 community, things change ¡ª and mostly for the better, as new ideas and concepts are considered, debated, and then incorporated into our universe. This challenge is the same that concerns the Species Development Committee (SDC) (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Species_Development_Committee ). Currently, the SDC is hard at work breathing new life into the various wiki pages that contain the data for each and every species (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=ILI ) within the Star Trek universe. This includes those original species created by members of this community as well. The SDC¡¯s goal right now is to provide detailed information using a standard template for every species on the wiki. It is the committee¡¯s hope that, by converting all the species over to a uniform page layout, it will make it easier for players to use and find information about any species they want. More importantly it will allow us to add any new information that you, the members of this diverse community, create. In the past, I have seen some incredible ideas that introduced brand new information about this species or that. Unfortunately, in the past, most of this new, original Starbase 118 content was lost due to the fact that there was no system in place to allow for it to be saved and added permanently to that species wiki page. No longer. Now, at the bottom of every completed wiki page is a template with a link that will allow you the players to contact the SDC direct and pass on this information to us. We will then review it and if it meets with our approval add it. In this way we can all add to the rich tapestry that is the Starbase 118 Community.


    • Our History, Our Times: The Aftermath Of The Hobus Supernova Part 2 **

Posted: Saturday, 13 April 2013

This is the second installment of ¡°Our History, Our Times¡±, a news series that examines Federation history and SB118¡äs place within that history. This historical news series will continue with the most recent history and make its way back to explore major events and notable SB118 fleet actions. This second installment deals with year following the devastation of the Hobus Supernova and its impact on Romulan, Klingon, and Federation powers.

The Year of Internal Struggles: 2388 Throughout 2388, the Federation, the Klingons, and the Romulans each found themselves forced to deal with internal struggles of varying degrees. The Federation was focused on smoothing relations between Vulcan and other Federation worlds after it was discovered that the Vulcans may have had prior knowledge regarding the Hobus Supernova and did nothing. The Vulcan Science Academy was also criticized for creating and manipulating red matter without consulting or informing Federation authorities. A schism split the Klingon High Council into two camps. Councilor J¡¯mpok (http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/J'mpok ) led one camp of hardliners who insisted that both the Romulans and the Federation should be made to pay for the destruction of a fleet led into Romulan space by Ambassador Worf. They argue that Worf, a Federation official, led hundreds of Klingon warriors to their deaths and that the whole affair may have been a trick. Chancellor Martok led others who rejected J¡¯mpok¡¯s arguments, and ultimately the Chancellor refused calls to retaliate against the Federation. However, Klingon response to the Romulans was more severe. ¡°The Klingons will offer no treaty, no aid, and no hand that is not holding a blade.¡± ¨C Chancellor Martok The devastation of the Hobus Supernova on the Romulan Star Empire will likely be felt for generations. Infighting among the leaders of Romulan colony worlds continued to divide the empire. Basic needs were being met; however, without a stable government, the chain of command and the remnants of the Romulan military remained in chaos. Federation attempts to help the Romulans establish a new government failed due to numerous disagreements between Romulan colony worlds.

On the Next ¡°Our History, Our Times¡±: The Aftermath of the Hobus Supernova Part III ¨C The Klingon Invasion of Romulan Space ¡°We have no ¡®relations¡¯ with the Klingons. They see us as prey, now that tragedy has made us vulnerable.¡± - Senator Vreeya, Romulan Star Empire


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LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor

Apr 21, 2013

Can you help us with a PHP issue?

  • FltAdml. Tristan Wolf

Hi everyone,

If you have experience with the programming language PHP and have an hour to lend a hand, please contact me directly at t.wolf@....

Our website has been under a constant spammer attack for the past few weeks, and it's making it difficult to sort incoming applications. We'd like to add a reCAPTCHA to our application but need a little assistance making it happen.

The sooner assistance can be provided, the better. Thank you!

Apr 27, 2013

Weekly Newsletter 2390.14

  • Blueheart Raj

Happy weekend, Fleetmates!


FLEET EVENTS:


  • Writing Challenge: The winner of the Challenge for January-March is the writer behind Saveron, with her story "My Brother's Keeper"! Our runner-up is the writer behind Ryoma Hoshino, with his story "Calling Home"! Congratulations to both! And thank you to everyone who participated and who continues to participate! Read all the responses and feedback here: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8486-january-march-responses-and-winners/
    • For the Writing Challenge for April, Sarah -- the writer behind Saveron and the winner of the last challenge -- would like you to consider the open-ended topic "Do Unto Others." What does this mean? How will you take it? The challenge of the Challenge is to interpret the theme with your own thoughtful story, so I look forward to reading what you do! The deadline for this Challenge is Saturday, 27 April 2013! That's TODAY! For any questions you might have, remember that you can always visit the Writing Challenge website (http://www.starbase118.net/members/events-activities/writing-challenges/ ).




  • Please make a note that the chat date has changed only for the month of May, to avoid a conflict with Mother's Day, which falls on the second Sunday of the month (when we usually hold our chats). For May, our fleetwide chat will be held on Sunday, May 19th at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable!
    • Our fleetwide chats are a space for all the members of the StarBase 118 group to get together and talk in real time about everything that's happening within the group. Come by and see what goings-on are happening off your ship! Chats are always held on the second Sunday of every month, but you can head into the chat room at any time to see who else is there. Chat is always open on the site: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/


  • Caption Competition: http://goo.gl/Y1X08 Round 5 of the competition ended Sunday, 31 March 2013 and the winner will be announced shortly, so watch this space folks!


  • Poll of the Week: Hardly A Mirror Image: Of all the phenomena that we have seen in Star Trek, few could be said to be as problematic, dangerous, or even as convenient as the Mirror Universe. So named for creating a parallel and often opposite universe to the one that we all enjoy simming in, this alternate reality or alternate dimensional plane, as it is officially described, has been a long-running feature across several Trek series. That brings us to this week's poll, which is: What do you think of the Mirror Universe? No matter what your stance, we want to hear more from you on the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8579-hardly-a-mirror-image/ ), whether that be opinions of the various episodes or even memories of in-character adventures from on the other side. Remember, voting is only half the fun!


  • List of Fleet Activities that needs you can be found here: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum-105/announcement-29-fleet-activites-that-need-you/ - there's something for everyone, so don't be shy!
    • The new Star Trek movie will be released this summer and we expect a large influx of new members to the fleet as Trekkies rekindle their interest in Star Trek. Team Newsies, and the Publicity Team, play a big role in helping us attract new members to the group, and to prepare for that next Trek movie, we need to make sure both of these teams are stacked with members like you who are enthusiastic about our community, and want to help others find us. If you can spare an average of 15 minutes a week, you can help on either of these teams. Check out the links below for full explanations of what each team does, and then sign up for the one that best fits your personality and your interests.

Publicity Team: http://go.starbase118.net/join-publicity Team Newsies: http://go.starbase118.net/join-newsies


LINK OF THE WEEK: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vrcuoarknsewcta/Flyer%20Final.jpg


COMMUNITY NEWS:

  • Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments under the favored articles.

(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Publicity Team: Continuing Mission: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8582-publicity-team-continuing-mission/

2. Poll Of The Week: Hardly A Mirror Image: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8581-poll-of-the-week-hardly-a-mirror-image/

3. March For The USS Apollo: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8578-march-for-the-uss-apollo/

4. New Service Ribbon: Medical Science: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8576-new-service-ribbon-medical-science/

5. March For The USS Tiger: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8571-march-for-the-uss-tiger/

6. Featured Bio Contest Reminder: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8565-featured-bio-contest-reminder/

7. So You Want To Create An NPC: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8563-so-you-want-to-create-an-npc/

8. New Academy Graduates: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8561-new-academy-graduates/

9. SDS Spotlight: Zaranites: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8558-sdc-spotlight-zaranites/

10. Saveron Wins January – March Writing Challenge: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8556-saveron-wins-january-march-writing-challenge/


FULL TEXT ARTICLES:

    • Publicity Team: Continuing Mission **

Posted: Saturday, 27 April 2013

As Star Trek: Into Darkness draws ever closer, it's time for UFOP: Starbase 118 to prepare to send out hails on all frequencies in preparation to bring as many people as we can into the fleet! The best possible ambassador for our group is YOU! Who better to instill enthusiasm into the legions of trek fans out there and tempt them to join our ranks! While the Publicity Team members put their pedal to the metal, there are a couple of little things that the membership at large (that's you!) can do that will have a serious impact in helping us out! For those of you who have Facebook accounts, we'd love you to follow us (https://www.facebook.com/ufopsb118 )! Everyone who likes and shares our posts is spreading the good word to friends who may potentially do the same! That gives us a shot at reaching people who we would otherwise not be reaching, and there's no telling who we could tempt in. The same goes for Twitter! Give us a follow and retweet our posts (https://twitter.com/ufopsb118 )! It's all great advertising! Also, we have a great opportunity to make an impact in real life by posting our awesome flyers in local comic book/sci-fi stores! To find out how to get one, for free, and help to spread the magic to other trek fans, head here (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8043-get-your-free-promotional-flier/ ). Advertising in this way helps us reach out to countless people who may not know that we exist or that email roleplaying exists! If you're interested in joining the Publicity Team to help with the big push, check out our recruitment page (http://www.starbase118.net/members/taskforces/teams/join-the-publicity-team/ )! With your help, we should be able to dramatically increase the number of people who want to join our awesome fleet over the course of the next couple of months and beyond! Any time you can spare for us would be greatly appreciated! Remember – more members means more ships, a stronger community, and huge possibilities for the future!


    • Poll Of The Week: Hardly A Mirror Image **

Posted: Friday, 26 April 2013

Of all the phenomena that we have seen in Star Trek, few could be said to be as problematic, dangerous, or even as convenient as the Mirror Universe. So named for creating a parallel and often opposite universe to the one that we all enjoy simming in, this alternate reality or alternate dimensional plane, as it is officially described, has been a long-running feature across several Trek series. In particular the Mirror Universe was seen in The Original Series, Deep Space Nine, and briefly in Enterprise. Despite the tragic circumstances, we even have the Mirror Universe to thank for prompting the commission of one of our ships of the SB118 fleet, the USS Tiger-A (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=USS_Tiger-A ). That brings us to this week's poll, which is: What do you think of the Mirror Universe? Are you a fan who would love to see more or even have encounters with this deadly dimension in sim, or do you loath to sit through a Mirror Universe episode? No matter what your stance, we want to hear more from you on the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8579-hardly-a-mirror-image/ ), whether that be opinions of the various episodes or even memories of in-character adventures from on the other side. Remember, voting is only half the fun. It is all up to you; so have fun!


    • March For The USS Apollo **

Posted: Friday, 26 April 2013

The USS Apollo, NCC-71669, has just left the Quatal system after taking final scans of what remained of the weapons manufacturing facility. The workers in the facility activated a self destruct sequence that could not be stopped. The away team, scattered and alive, made their way back to the Apollo. With the amount of unknowns from the facility, everyone was quarantined until they were able to get a good bill of health from the Chief Medical Officer, Jalana Laxyn (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Laxyn,_Jalana ). The crew started to analyze what happened on the surface to use it as a learning experience for the newer officers. The crew will enjoy some down time as the Apollo departs the Cardassian border and returns to the Typhon Sector for the first time since being called away when the Klingons advanced into Romulan territory. Follow the adventures of the Apollo here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-apollo/ )


    • New Service Ribbon: Medical Science **

Posted: Thursday, 25 April 2013

A new service ribbon has been introduced and is available to be awarded starting immediately. The Medical Science Ribbon (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Service_Ribbons ) recognizes members of Starfleet who participate in, and successfully find a cure to a deadly, infectious disease which threatens to infect an entire planet or crew. This ribbon will serve as recognition for a job well done in saving the lives of others through scientific research, determination, and personal risk. The USS Tiger prompted the creation of this ribbon, from a mission to Bilire IV during the Klingon Invasion summer blockbuster (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Klingon_Invasion_of_2389 ). A cure was needed for a biologically engineered deadly disease called "The Wrath" which had plagued the Romulan colonists on Bilire VI (also Bilire IV) for over a year, and had begun to infect other species. The crew was successful in aiding the citizens of this planet and finding a cure. Members who believe their actions since January 2012 may have earned them this ribbon should contact their captain and ask for consideration.


    • March For The USS Tiger **

Posted: Wednesday, 24 April 2013

The crew of the USS Tiger has enjoyed a much needed extended shore-leave at DS 17 after two missions back-to-back. After a promotion ceremony, many found recreation in the Holodeck, including LtJG Blair who explored the life of pirate on the high seas of old Earth. Meanwhile, others enjoyed the various shops that comprised DS 17. Ensign Zerxes handled the routine daily affairs that accompanied the job of working in Security such as interacting with Tirzah, the Captain's adopted daughter. However it wasn't long before the crew was recalled by the Captain as a new situation in the Hermates Sector arose that required the attention of the Tiger. Follow the adventures of the Tiger here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-tiger/ )


    • Featured Bio Contest Reminder **

Posted: Tuesday, 23 April 2013

Please remember to nominate a bio for the Featured Bio Contest before Round 11 closes on May 1st. We're looking for the highest quality bios in the fleet to not only help provide an example for our members on how to structure their bio, but also to show off how much our members put into the creation of realistic and emotional characters. Head to the Featured Bio Contest forum (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/467-featured-bio-contest/ ) now to nominate a bio of your own, or someone else whose bio you admire.


    • So You Want To Create An NPC **

Posted: Monday, 22 April 2013

You've now created your character, and have been playing him or her or it for awhile. But now, after a few months building your character, you want to create some supporting characters in addition to your main. Or maybe you just want to just deviate from playing the same character continuously and allow your creative juices to start flowing in a different direction. Or maybe you want to create other crew members on your ship who are not PC players. Whatever your motivations are, it becomes more and more difficult to SIM continuously in the group without creating at least one NPC along the way. How important are NPCs in SIM? Extremely. And creating interesting NPCs, who are just as interesting as your main character can, and will allow your characters to learn and develop. Your NPC is will paint an overall picture of their surroundings and may even guide the direction of your SIM. So how do you go about creating really interesting NPCs, and quickly, and those who will be an awesome antagonist to your main character, or even other PCs? Well, the first would be to give them at least one defining characteristic. Give them a nervous tic, a scar, whatever. This sets them apart from just a two dimensional character that we would normally forget. This particular quirk will be recalled by other SIMmers with ease. Second, you'll need to give your NPC some sort of background story. Like when you first created your main character, it doesn't need to be drawn out, but we should have a good idea as to at least their recent history, and perhaps delve a little into their motivations. This will allow other SIMmers to better interact with your new NPC. I would suggest at least one background paragraph when first introducing an NPC. Unless you are creating holographic characters on the holodeck, we must assume, especially in the middle of a mission, that they didn't just arrive out of nowhere. Third, have them talk in a distinctive way. Try not to have all your characters talk the same way. Perhaps. You. Could. Have. Maybe. A. Character. That. Talks. Like. Bill. Shatner. or maybe onethatssonervousherneverstopsbetweenwords, for example. Fourth, give them flaws. Use the same rules that guide your PC. Don't turn your NPCs into powerSIMmers. Fifth, and this is a biggie, and one I have personally erred with. Try to anchor your NPCs to a particular place or location. For example, if you've created an NPC bartender, leave them in the bar. Try to avoid SIMming them roaming the corridors of the ship, or in the arboretum, or in the holodeck. Same for example, engineering NPCs. Leave them in engineering. NPC bridge personnel, ditto. Leave them where they are supposed to be. You may be asking why? Well in answer to this, it allows for much easier interaction with your NPC by another PC if that PC is certain where they can find your NPC. It also allows the NPC and the NPC's location to feel more real. Sixth is to try to introduce your NPC twice. First introduce your NPC in passing and then produce your NPC. Sim 1 Townson: ::in a hushed tone:: Did you hear? Our new bartender has some of the blue stuff. And its not replicated. Bloggs: ::with a sly smile and an equally hushed tone:: If its what I think it is, its illegal in this sector. Sim 2 (written perhaps the next day)

As she sat behind the counter of the bar, she recalled the last few days and what led her to this posting…..::

What this does, is create a false sense of familiarity in the readers mind. The passing conversation in SIM 1 allows other readers to already have a foreknowledge of your new NPC before he, she or it even arrives on the scene. Seventh is to focus on what the NPCs mean to PCs. Always remember that the main characters are the PCs. We don't care what NPC1 thinks, acts or says regarding NPC2. But we do care what NPC1 thinks, acts or says towards any given PC. And PC writers will remember. You also have to consider what your NPCs may have offer to all PCs in your SIM, not just your own. Eighth is give your NPCs false arcs. Changes in their thought processes, are important to add realism. In one SIM they may be happy, and the next sad, or they may like chocolate chip cookies in one SIM and hate them 20 SIMs later, for example. But unlike with your PC, there is no reason to give detailed explanations as to why. NPCs not only add color and realism to our SIMs, they also allow our group's writers to explore different forms of writing styles, write for characters we don't normally write for, and allow us to open to new avenues of SIMming that we normally wouldn't have such opportunity to SIM as in the role our PC plays. Creating memorable, 3 dimensional NPCs whom others can also become involved with is crucial if you wish to create long lasting memorable secondary characters. In your SIMs don't be afraid to explore these avenues in your NPC creation. We are all amateurs here and SIMming is meant to be a fun, learning experience. And you can have fun in SIM, not only with your PCs, but with your NPCs too as NPCs open up a whole new world of SIMming enjoyment.


    • New Academy Graduates **

Posted: Sunday, 21 April 2013

Please welcome (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8560-graduating-class-of-23900421/ ) our newest class of Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Gwendolyn Hilzarie!


    • SDS Spotlight: Zaranites **

Posted: Sunday, 21 April 2013

The Zaranites (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Zaranite ) are a playable species. They were conquered by humans who had fled Earth after World War III. They were able to overcome this, regaining their own independence. Prior to this, their history was one of peaceful co-existence. War and conflict were unknown to them. Upon learning of their negative history with humans, some experts were surprised by how positive the interactions were between the Federation and the Zaranites. As a result of these positive interactions, they were quickly offered membership in the Federation and they accepted. They are carbon dioxide breathers and always wear a heavy metallic mask with twin air hoses leading to a small environmental backpack, when in class M environments. They also tend to prefer to wear heavy gray robes in public. They are hairless with shiny light brown skin. Since becoming members of the Federation they have taken a very active role with both Starfleet and the Federation itself. They tend to be very hard working and self reliant. They are capable of withstanding incredible amounts of stress with no adverse side affects. And they have an unusual love of hunting in all its forms. As a result they can be a very unusual, yet challenging species to sim for — one that has done its share to promote the ideals of the Federation.


    • Saveron Wins January – March Writing Challenge **

Posted: Saturday, 20 April 2013

Congratulations to Sarah, the writer behind Saveron, whose short story "My Brother's Keeper" (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8302-jan-mar-winner-my-brothers-keeper/ ) has won the January-March 2013 Writing Challenge! This round asked participants to build their stories according to the last decade of the twenty-fourth century. Where would their characters go in the next ten years? What would become of them at the dawn of the twenty-fifth century? Sarah's story took an unorthodox look at the potential reunification of the Romulans and Vulcans, and the large panel of judges ranked it most highly of all the well-written entries. Congratulations, Sarah! Our next Writing Challenge is already open, and Sarah has chosen the cryptic theme "Do Unto Others." (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8489-april-2013-writing-challenge/ ) What does this mean? How will your characters explore the theme? However you choose to explore this theme, do it soon — this Challenge will end in one week, on Saturday, April 27th!


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LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor

Apr 30, 2012

SciWorld 2013 Convention starts today

  • Ed Brown

Greetings fellow SIMmers!

The SciWorld 2013 Online Convention is upon us once again! It is an online simming and role-playing convention held in IRC chat rooms from Wednesday 1st May through to Friday 3rd May. It's free, open to all simmers and online roleplayers regardless of rank or affiliation.

Amongst the discussions, games and simulations that will be held are two discussions held back-to-back for one hour each with Captain Herrera and LtCmdr. Reinard. You can catch Captain Herrera's discussion, which kicks off first on Thursday 2nd May, at 10PM BST/5PM EDT/2PM PDT. LtCmdr. Reinard's follows it and begins at 11PM BST/6PM EDT/3PM PDT�on the same day.

Captain Herrera's discussion: "Acting Up: Successful roleplaying in 3 acts"� will cover using the 3 act structure in role play and how to keep things interesting using it.

LtCmdr. Greir Reinard's discussion: "Building a civilization: Adding depth to your alien worlds"� will focus on what to think about when developing a race, such as physical characteristics and cultural aspects etc.

It is easy to participate. Just go to the following link for the event's timetable. Links/access to the chat rooms will be available on the day of the event.

http://www.simmingleague.com/wiki/index.php?title=2013_SciWorld_Online_Convention

We'd love to see as many of you there as possible, flying the flag for the fleet and taking advantage of a great roleplaying and sci-fi resource!

Captain Diego Herrera Commanding Officer USS Vigilant NCC-75515