StarBase 118 Staff

No one can argue that Star Trek is a family oriented show. From it’s humble beginnings straight on through to the present day, watching Star Trek is one of those things that the whole family can participate in. Basically, it’s clean, fun, family entertainment. However, much like other family oriented television shows, the writers and producers sometimes like to see how far they can push the envelope and perhaps stir up controversy. Star Trek was not immune. This week we’ll look at some controversial episodes of Star Trek that have graced the small screen and let you will decide which you thought was the most controversial of all time, and why. So head on down to the polls, and as always, feel free to add to the list, should you know of a controversial episode of Star Trek that is not there. View the full article

It’s been an amazing month with plenty of things to learn. From live discussions and chats, to new (and old) tutorials, we’ve tried to offer you something that you can carry with you throughout the year. Now, as we say farewell to February, we hope that everyone is able to take with them a lesson or two that will improve their simming as the future months come and go. Be it information on how to develop the plot, or how to include more narrative in your sims, the items we touched on this month are readily available whenever you need them. Just head over to the Tutorial Library to re-read the highlighted tutorials, or view some from years past. If you still have questions, never hesitate to contact your command staff for help or more information on how to develop your writing further. The WIM forum will also be available for a short while if you would rather ask your questions there. As we conclude our Writing Improvement Month for this year, please join us for the closing ceremonies in our IRC room at 12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / Sunday AM for Australia. We’d love to hear what your favorite part of the month was and what we can do to make it better in the future! View the full article

The secret to any good story is an incredible plot. There is so much story to be told, that you never want to miss a chance to flesh out an idea. Whether it is a personal plot, or a plot for a much longer story arch, they key to a great plot is detail. In a writing group, the only real way to convey this, is to weave your words together to make others sit on the edge of their seat. Keeping things interesting is the key to including others. It is easy for a plot to change with just a couple great ideas. The best way to advance the plot is to include others, and really focus on what is going on. Keep a close eye on what has already been written, because the most interesting plots are the ones that are believable. If you are operating near the Romulan Neutral Zone, would it really make sense for a Cardassian ship to show up? There are countless things to think about, and ways to advance any plot. Read the full tutorial to see how easy it can be to advance the plot, and think about the things you may not have focused on in the past! View the full article

In November of 2013, humanity’s first international effort to place mankind in permanent orbit above our planet was accomplished. On the back of a Proton type rocket, the first segment of an ambitious endeavour was launched and placed 230 miles (370 km) above the planet’s surface. Since then, the International Space Station has accomplished hundreds of scientific mission and has made breakthroughs in the way we understand the universe. Originally born in the murky times of the 1980s and the cold war, The I.S.S. started out as a the Freedom project to counteract the Soviet Mir station and in 1984 the European Space Agency was invited to participate. It was not until 1993, that Vice President Al Gore and Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin announced the creation of “international” space station. Since the first module was launched in November of 1998, fifteen countries have participated in building the station and over a thousand experiments have been run by the many scientific modules that had been included. It has been considered one of the first and best examples of national cooperation as many of the different sections were funded and built by a nation. Even with it’s six man multi-national crew, the station is considered one of the most important pieces to space exploration that is presently in operation. The International Space Station was originally only designed with a lifespan of a few years, but has broken records by being in use today. Even now, plans are in the work for the breakdown of the station and de-orbit of some pieces while others will be the building blocks for a new nation that would lead the way in to the first manned missions into the solar system. No matter the fate of this famous station, it’s contributions to the scientific community and as monument to the mutual cooperation, the importance of this station will not soon be forgotten. View the full article

Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Kaliantha Hawn, Mathias Duncan, and Frank Lynn! View the full article

Each month, the 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 Google 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. View the full article

To everything there is a season. Recently, two ships have come to the end of their seasons and two more have merely begun theres. One of these ships has included the Galaxy Class Starship, the USS Garuda. The USS Garuda is, as mentioned before, a Galaxy Class ship. While not brand new, she is a post-Dominion ship, which means that she’s more advanced than the Enterprise-D. She houses state of the art laboratories and the advanced technologies available for scientific exploration and research. Compared to the Mercury, she has stronger shields and certainly more firepower. This will aid her as she explores deeper into the Menthar Corridor than her predecessor and will help protect the crew and civilians aboard. The purpose of the USS Garuda is the same as the Mercury’s – to seek out new life and new civilisations and to boldly go where no one has gone before! That’s just what she’s going to do to. The Garuda’s first mission is a First Contact with a new alien species called the Kubarey. According to Tony, the mastermind behind Captain Egan Manno, “the Kubarey are unique in the new species the Menthar Corridor mission has encountered in that they’re technologically matched with the Federation; they’ll serve as recurring antagonists or allies, depending upon the situation.” This, of course, opens up a whole new world of possibilities, especially in territory with such tense relations. Captain Egan Manno also let me in on another tidbit of what’s to come for the Garuda. At one point there was an Ancient Alliance, a group of powerful races that lived within the Corridor a thousand years ago. Whether they coexisted, subdued, or even allied with other races – well, perhaps we shouldn’t really get into too much detail. Some surprises are good after all. Thanks to the mountain of work that must be done on the Mercury, all of the staff have been transferred – most to the Garuda. While some of the Garuda officers were merely reassigned, others have suffered demotions to make room for those coming in from the Mercury. What will this mean as officers have to work together? Will there be resentment? Or can they let it go? Only time will tell. Welcome to the fleet, USS Garuda! View the full article

Without a good plot, or a story to follow, our characters are basically just muddling around in the dark. Every player knows that if there are no problems to solve, or crises to overcome, then there is little reason for our characters to even be there. At the heart of every great sim, and exciting moment aboard your ship, is the plot that you and your fellow crewmates are weaving. So how do you add to it in a way that not only lends itself towards realism that can help bring a story to life, but also helps make things more exciting for you and those you sim with? It might not always seem easy, which is why we think it’s a good idea to revisit last year’s Writing Improvement Month tutorial on Sowing the Seeds of a Convincing Plot. Within, you’ll find helpful information that you can use regardless of what rank you are. Put these tips to use right away and start improving the story your characters live in, while making it more fun to sim yourself. In the end, you’ll soon realize how helpful it can be to build on a plot realistically, enabling those around you to do the same. . View the full article

Many thanks to Alexander Richards of the USS Gemini, who donated again. Donations like this help keep our website ad free and ensure that we’ll fulfill our yearly fundraising goals! Can you donate $10, $25, or $50 today to help sustain our community? View the full article

Your story could transport readers to strange new worlds, but without tension in the right measure, it’s sure to be an unmanned mission. Tension is the warp drive that pulls a reader along the course you’ve set; it’s what keeps a reader (wait for it …) engaged. So how do you use tension to keep a reader on the edge of their seat rather than on the verge of sleep? Below are 10 ideas to kick-start a scene that’s missing a certain bite. Pulled in all directions Before we can talk about adding in tension, there’s a big question to consider. How much tension do you need? And when? It depends on where you are in the story and whether it’s long or short. In general, tension must rise and then fall, but the exact course varies – you may want to release tension along the way so you can build it up again quickly near the climax. The charts below show what your story might look like if plotting tension over the course of the story. Building and Releasing Tension Knowing how much tension you need is moot if you can’t control it. When your writing needs a quick jolt or feels overwrought, try one of these methods adjust the tension up or down: Characterization: Without relatable characters, it’s difficult to get readers invested enough for anything else to work. Sorry, this isn’t a “quick fix,” but it’s what you need to get readers invested in the story. Start here.Secrets: A character keeping a secret builds tension, especially if the audience knows they’re keeping one but doesn’t know what it is. Uncovering the secret releases that tension, as long as it was a good secret! The DaVinci Code is filled with secrets kept from one another and from the audience. The uncertainty the reader feels toward them pulls them through to the last pages.Danger: Putting a character in physical, social, or emotional peril gives readers a reason to keep going. The greater the danger, the more tension in the scene. North By Northwest’s scene on top of Mount Rushmore wouldn’t pack the same punch if it happened on flat ground.Twists: Plot twists can keep readers fully engaged, but only if they can believe the twist. If it doesn’t seem plausible, it doesn’t work.Reveals: Allowing the audience a quick, incomplete peek at a mystery pulls them along. A memorable example is glimpsing the back of Darth Vader’s unmasked head. Letting the audience see the whole thing can release that tension.Humor: If you want to release a bit of tension, a quick joke or a play on words is a great way to do it.Time: Just like in real life, a clock ticking toward a deadline builds tension. In Apollo 13, the astronauts have to lower the cabin’s CO2 level within a short, known time frame, or they’ll die. That’s a great use of time and danger to raise the tension felt by the audience.Delay: If we can see an inevitable, dramatic event coming from a long way off, and it gets slowly closer and closer, it builds anticipation of what will eventually happen. If there’s a near miss, it has an even bigger effect. The film Titanic uses this effect well. The audience knows from the start that the ship will sink (spoiler alert!), which leaves them anxiously awaiting the event.The Unexpected: Bumping into something the characters didn’t expect can jumpstart the audience’s curiosity. This can be figurative, but it can sometimes be literal. Every time Indiana Jones and his companions suddenly discover the victim of a booby trap, we realize that they could be next.Language: Your sentence structure and word choice affect your readers’ reaction to the story. As the climax approaches, try using shorter, simpler sentences. Readers will feel like the action is speeding up and a dramatic turning point is just ahead. View the full article

After down time granted for reacclimation to duties in the wake of the Ravensville incident, the crew of the USS Vigilant, NCC-75515 received notification that the ship would be inspected by the Stratigo of Zakdorn, Bokzadema Bokzadeshti. Knowing the Zakdorn’s penchant for gaining a tactical upper hand, Fleet Captain Diego Herrera ordered the crew to prepare for the inspection at short notice… but the Stratigo never came. At least not until 3am the next morning. Her efforts to catch the crew snoozing were inconvenient at worst but the revelation of the real reason for her visit came as the heaviest blow. During the Vigilant’s construction, she had placed a bug in escape pod 1A which had been phased to avoid detection. After playing scenes from the previous year that had taken place on the bridge and in the ready room as proof, Bokzadeshti left, claiming that the Vigilant crew were not as observant as they thought and that things on Zakdorn IV had not been quelled one year earlier. An irate Fleet Captain Herrera ordered the ship to be combed for bugs and surveillance equipment but this only resulted in the rediscovery of the virus that had been stalking Lieutenant Dueld taJoot since his arrival. After landing the ship, efforts to purge the virus have resulted in the auto-destruct sequence arming. Meanwhile, in the capital, the away team awaits another meeting with the Stratigo to find out more about her allegations that a dark power lurks within the Federation. View the full article

Looking to make your characters three dimensional without the use of special glasses? The good news is, it’s easy to do! All it takes is a little planning, a healthy dose of realism and some careful consideration of strengths and weaknesses! Join Fleet Captain Diego Herrera Today, Saturday, February 22nd at 1pm PST/4pm EST/9pm GMT in the Writing Improvement Month chat room and pick up tips on all aspects of planning, developing and writing for characters! Whether you’re looking to roll up someone new or develop an existing character, bring your questions along with you! You may be looking to write an interesting plot arc during your next shore leave. You might have the beginnings of an idea but you’re not sure if your character will work. Or, you might find that you want to breathe some life into one of your older characters. Whatever the case drop on in to pick up your 3D roleplaying tips! View the full article

Please remember to nominate a character bio for the latest round of the Featured Bio Contest before it closes on Saturday, March 1, 2013. The rules have been simplified so it’s even easier than ever before to nominate a bio to the competition. Just check these three simple points: Nominated articles must be of a player character played by a CURRENT and ACTIVE member.Nominated articles must be either a PRIMARY or SECONDARY player character. PNPCs are ineligible.All information in the article must be CURRENT as of the submission date.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 to nominate a bio today. View the full article

This week well be looking at the technology in Star Trek that was used onceor a few times and never seen or heard from again. Technology that may have appeared cool and unique, but technology that appears to have been deemed either useless or too taxing to those those who used it and the characters decided to not even bother again with it. Yes folks, it appears that even in the 24th Century, fads come and go at warp speed. This week we’ll be looking at that technology and deciding which was the one that left you scratching your head why it was not used more often than the one shot deal we were exposed to. So head on down to the polls and vote for your favorite one time seen piece of technology that you would have liked to have seen more often and don’t be afraid to add to the list! View the full article

The month began with shore leave aboard DSX as both captain and crew came to terms with the results of the last mission and their assignment to the Garuda, the Mercury’s Galaxy-class successor. However, while controlled chaos reigned behind the scenes — civilian astrophysicist J. Cowens disappeared during the Mercury’s firefight with the Cardassian warship Nok’Tan, and that disappearance precipitated a fierce but quiet manhunt, among other things — the majority of the crew enjoyed a pantomime of Peter Pan as brought by the United Service Organizations. Unexpectedly, though, many members of the senior staff were asked to participate in the panto when the USO’s full troupe did not arrive on the station. After a week of rehearsals, however, the crew was recalled on opening night for the Garuda’s first mission: A first contact with a powerful race deep in the Menthar Corridor. Just before the Garuda departed DSX, however, it was approached by a Cardassian diplomatic shuttle with Detapa Council member Prianna and Federation Ambassador Lily Ventu aboard, both of whom were welcomed politely but guardedly as both openly mentioned complicating agendas that extended beyond the first contact. However, the trip to the meeting with the Kubarey, the new species, proceeded smoothly, at least up until the contact at Rho Aurigae IV: The Kubarey contact vessel did not respond at all to overtures from the Garuda, so Captain Egan Manno decided to take a diplomatic away team down to the planet’s surface to investigate in more detail while ordering her crew to probe the other ship in greater detail. View the full article

As part of the ongoing overview of the fleet as a whole, here are the monthly figures for total posts for each ship. This summary will give you an idea of how active the ship is on a month-by-month basis. The slate is clean for January – we’ve started the year by taking the bull by the horns and submitting more SIMs than December 2013. We’ve also snuck slightly ahead of our post rate for January 2013, raising the average number of SIMs per ship by 2 posts! Our next chart gives the number of sims for each ship over the course of January. A majority of ships raised the bar since December with sound of Auld Lang Syne ringing in their ears and almost all of the others stayed within 10 SIMs of their December total. Only 2 ships showed decreased SIM rates (the urge to have a snowball fight being too tempting!) View the full article

Writing for an alien species can seem daunting at first, particularly when there are nearly two hundred unique species permitted for use on the Intelligent Life Index (ILI). It can be a highly rewarding experience and a good way to look at the universe in a new way. The latest tutorial, brought to you for Writing Improvement Month 2014 focuses on highlighting the different considerations and things can be done to make them come to life. As the guide will show, the key to writing for alien species is in knowing the species well. Use the similarities to give them their humanity and the differences to set them apart from humans. There are physical variations from appearance right down to how strong each of their senses are, with some having senses that humans do not such as telepathy, empathy or fielding. Aliens have their own interesting cultural backgrounds and ideals. Some of these are quite well known such as the Ferengi commercialism and love of making Latinum, the warrior race of Klingons who have a strong sense of honour, or the emotionless Vulcans who are known for their strong focus on logic. These are some of the things that affect how a character perceives and behaves in the universe. Even if a character isn’t typical of the rest of their species to have a deep understanding of the species makes it easier to see and work out how, why they vary from the mould. It makes it possible to explore alien characters on a deeper level. Read the full tutorial to see how to write more convincing aliens. View the full article

While the Tiger crew were enjoying themselves at a New Year’s Eve party Deep Space 17 was rocked by an unexplained shock wave that caused chaos throughout the station by taking the reactors for main power offline and wrecking havoc with the gravity control systems. Engineering crews worked on getting the station up and running and the rest of the crew began investigating a mysterious void in space near the Eratis star. A trio of runabouts was sent to conduct an up-close investigation of the void. During their approach, two of the runabouts were destroyed by an unknown craft. LtCmdrs. West and Blair, and Ensign Sam Braddock were kidnapped and then replaced by Commonwealth spies. In addition, the Queen of the Erati appeared on the station requesting help against an unknown force threatening the region. Science officers began working on ways to load science probes with micro warp cores to investigate the rift. And the crew is starting to expect something odd is going on with the trio of officer replacements. The Commonwealth has launched ships through the rift in an effort to set up pods to pull power from the star and construct a transwarp gateway. Meanwhile the spies have found out the USS Tiger-A is still in dry dock awaiting the Slipstream drive to be installed. The Commonwealth has decided to make stealing the slipstream drive a priority as it will make building gateways needless. View the full article

The new episode has been released! For those of you that want would like to listen online, check out our release on the StarBase 118 YouTube channel! Whilst we recognize that some members would love to listen to the podcast on the go, we have uploaded it to Archive.org. You can download it from the menu on the left hand side! Keep your ears open for our next release due in November! Feel free to subscribe to our YouTube channel for automatic updates. To join the Podcast Team, visit the team’s Google Group and apply for membership! View the full article

There’s one thing some long-time members know well; if you play them right, and you give them enough of a spark of life, your characters will actually grow into their own. This doesn’t mean that they necessarily become their own human beings in cyberspace, but they will, in many ways, become live characters with desires and personalities of their own. Sounds strange, right? It’s really not, and all it takes is a little characterization. What your character says is good, and often necessary to move a plot forward, but it is the words in between what’s said that really brings a character to life. How they react to what’s said, how they perceive the environment around them, and how you describe them in general will provide the sparks that ultimately bring them to a new level of life. Want to know more? Revisit last year’s tutorial on characterization and start writing your character in a way that will bring them into a new realm of realism. And don’t forget, be sure to share your successes with us here or on the forums! View the full article

Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Nathan Baker, Mark Ricks, Caleb Royce Alexander, and Toja Loren! View the full article

Last year, we bombarded you with 25 questions to really get you thinking about your character. This year, the list is a little shorter but more in depth – just how much thought has gone into your character and where can you flesh them out more? It’s always great to see well-rounded characters aboard ship and, quite often, when there are a group of them all in one place they have a tendency to develop themselves! Have a read through the questions below and answer them as honestly as possible. If necessary, ask your character to help you! Once your PC has gone through the gauntlet, throw your PCs at it too and see what happens! 1. How would your character sum themselves up in 3 words or less? 2. How would you sum up your character in three words or less? 3. What are your character’s immediate goals? Why do they have those goals? 4. What are your character’s long term goals and why? 5. Why did your character join Starfleet? What do they hope to get out of it? Are they career driven? Do they want to see new sights? Is there something else that motivates them? 6. What characteristics do they appreciate in other characters? Who are they likely to make friends with? 7. If they are confrontational… why are they confrontational? In what circumstances could you see that changing? If they aren’t confrontational, what would push their buttons to make them reach that stage? 8. What is your character’s biggest weakness? Are they aware of it? Does that weakness hinder your crew in any way, or is it more personal? 9. How do you think the other writers on your ship see your character? Have you asked them for their opinions? 10. Do you have any plans for character development that include other characters aboard your ship? What are they? Have you spoken to the appropriate writers about them? 11. What changes do you have planned for your character? How do you plan to see them grow over the next mission/6 months/year? 12. If your character was an acquaintance or friend of yours in real life, what would you think of them and why? View the full article

It is a time to rest and recuperate for the crew of the USS Thunder NCC-70605-A. With the arrival of their new liaison to the Laudean government, Ambassador Della Vetri has a lot on her plate when it comes to working with the people of Til’ahn. Though the planet has calmed since the invasion of the bluegills, distrust in the motives of starfleet is still there. Another issue had been thrown at them. Ensign T’Ana, the aide to Lt Cmdr Nugra turned out to be really a Romulan assassin that turned herself in to Lieutenant S’Lone Tr’Khellian instead of carrying out her mission. She told the command staff of the USS Thunder that her mission was to kill Fleet Captain Toni Turner, but changed her mind for an unknown reason. Now being held in the marine brig, security and intelligence now must find out what shadowy plan they may be facing. The situation did not improve when a hidden saboteur made another attempt to kill the command staff and the already apprehended assassin, who offered little during her interrogation, but signs point to a more even sinister development, one which had the ability to endanger not only the Thunder, but Duronis as well… View the full article

Attention fleetmates! Are you looking for tips on how to bring your SIMs to life? Do you want to grab your readers by the eyeballs and pull them headfirst into a realistic world where they can practically reach out and touch your characters, feel what they are feeling and live the story as it’s being told? The secret to that is narrative! It fills in the blanks that dialogue doesn’t and it’s an important part of each and every SIM that you read. Want your readers to know something about the way your character is feeling? Leading up to a shore leave subplot and you need to lay the foundations? About to enter a dangerous area and the tension isn’t high enough? Then the tips you need are right here! Today, Saturday, February 15th, at 1pm PST/4pm EST/9pm GMT, join Commander Greir Reinard in the Writing Improvement Month chat room to pick up top tips on how to write all kinds of narrative, including descriptions of your surroundings and your character’s internal thoughts and feelings. Have any specific questions? Bring them with you! Think you’re sure of what you’re doing? Come on down and put the theory to the test! We look forward to seeing you there! View the full article

The names Star Trek and Enterprise are almost synonymous and the Enterprise has been an integral part of Star Trek lore since it’s inception. Commanded by Captains from Jonathan Archer to Jean-Luc Picard we have witnessed it’s destruction and it’s return on many occasions. People have mapped out every deck of each incarnation with pinpoint accuracy right down to the location and square-footage of each Enterprise’s bathrooms. So to say the Enterprise is just back-drop to what happens in Star Trek would be somewhat remiss of what draws so many to the franchise. Over the years, the Enterprise has become as important to Star Trek as much as the actors who have portrayed the characters that serve on-board her, from the NX version all the way to Enterprise E and beyond. This week we’ll be looking at the various Enterprises that have graced our television screens and movie theatres throughout the years, and you can now choose your favorite! Are you a fan of TOS version or the JJ verse version? Is the Sovereign class more sleek than the Galaxy class or vice versa? Is the refit Constitution your favorite or does the NX version, being the original, grab your fancy? Head on down to the polls and pick your ship, and let’s make sure history never forgets the name…Enterprise. View the full article