Jo Marshall

Welcome to the Fleet!

Nomination Badges I'm delighted to present the badges for this year's award ceremony! See below for the full badge list. If you believe you should have earned the badge but are not listed, contact your CO. Learn more about badges and how to display them on your wiki pages here. And don't forget: The full ceremony has been posted on the wiki now, as with all previous ceremonies. Awards Chairperson Presented to a staff member that has held the position of Awards Chairperson for an Awards Ceremony. If more than one staff member holds the title, or is appointed an assistant or deputy, all receive the badge. Addison MacKenzie, USS Resolution Awards Committee Member Presented to any staff member that participates in the yearly Awards Committee to select Duty Post and Special Awards. Quinn Reynolds, USS Gorkon Aron Kells, USS Thor Jalana Rajel, USS Constitution-B Kelrod, USS Veritas Serala, USS Chin'toka Awards Ceremony Nominator (Standard) A player must submit at least 1 nomination for a fellow player during an awards ceremony, in any category. This badge can be earned multiple times but is only awarded once per year. A player earning an elite or legendary badge will not also earn the lower levels in the same year. Awards Ceremony Nominator (Elite) A player must submit at least 5 nominations for fellow players in any category. This badge can be earned multiple times, but is only awarded once per year. A player earning an elite or legendary badge will not also earn the lower levels in the same year. Awards Ceremony Nominator (Legendary) A player must submit at least 10 nominations for players on more than 2 vessels in any category. This badge can be earned multiple times, but is only awarded once per year. A player earning an elite or legendary badge will not also earn the lower levels in the same year.

Welcome to the last day of the awards ceremony! So far this week we’ve announced the recipients of the Staff, General, Length of Service and Special awards. Today, we present the Duty Post awards. Each award focuses on a different department from the major ones such as medical, operations or engineering to the more unique - like diplomacy, intel or marines. Even civilians are recognised for the valuable contributions those who prefer the path less worn can make to our stories. Each of these awards recognises a player for excellence in simming their duty post. Since we give only one award per duty post each year, we chose only those who sim the duty post in an exemplary fashion to represent. You’ll see from our spread of winners — who range in rank from Ensign to Captain — every player can be nominated for one of these by consistently simming to the best of their ability and striving to improve their craft. The Prantares Award - Medical The Prantares Ribbon is a duty post award and is awarded to those Medical officers who have moved beyond competence to display a genuine gift for the healing arts in space medicine. The officers given this award should display the ability to keep a steady hand in the often hazardous conditions in which they must practice, as well as the willingness to risk their own lives to save the lives of others. Alieth, USS Thor Presented by Aron Kells: This year’s Prantares Ribbon goes to Alieth, written by the talented Andrea, who has served as the Thor’s medical officer and, recently, a chief medical officer since its relaunch in 2020. Andrea’s take on medical simming is some of the best in the fleet, and her nominators describe it with high praise: “In our time writing together, I have come to respect the way Alieth crafts a medical scene - whether treating mass trauma events or consulting for one-on-one evaluations, her attention to detail is impressive.” She mixes real-world medicine and science with what they have shown in Trek canon, and the results are technical without losing her fellow simmers’ interest — detailed and engaging, in all the right ways. As important is Andrea’s attention to detail when it comes to the character she’s writing. Several of her nominators pointed out how Andrea’s crafted Alieth, not into the “perfect” Vulcan physician — with “the potential to be stale, describing nothing but a logical progression,” according to one nomination — but Andrea’s writing is anything but. Alieth’s approach “is a treat which strays from tropes and constantly challenges the scene, improving it in every way,” according to one nominator, while another notes “her unique brand of compassion and humour is especially notable because she threads the needle of playing a Vulcan character while still demonstrating powerful empathy and emotional resonance.” Very impressive indeed! While Alieth is an excellent medical officer on the Thor, she’s likely to be familiar to many in the fleet at large, and not only because of Andrea’s presence on Discord, the forums, and in various teams and taskforces. Andrea has gone out of her way to craft stories that include simmers and characters from around the fleet, and usually, with some key grounding in medical science of the Trek universe — one nominator called special attention to her arc with the character Sern. I’ll leave this citation with a final quote from a nomination that summarizes Alieth especially well: “Her professionalism is marked with a hint of humour (but don’t tell her that, she’ll deny it), her bedside manner is far warmer than one might expect from one of her species, and who can resist being given candy for good behaviour after a doctor’s visit?” Congratulations, Andrea! The Natasha Yar Pin - Security The Natasha Yar Pin is a duty post award and is awarded to those Security officers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in protecting and preserving the lives of their crewmates, even at risk to their own. Aine Sherlock, USS Resolution Presented by Kalianna Nicholotti: There is a lot that goes into a good security officer. With plenty of on-screen examples, we have a pretty good idea of what it takes to serve in this role on a starship, but it takes a special writer to bring it all together. The recipient of this year’s Natasha Yar Pin, Jared - aka Lieutenant JG Aine Sherlock - does a fantastic job and exemplifies everything we look for. Strong, true, smart, and witty. The character Jared writes jumps off the page and fills the role so well I can't imagine the Resolution without her. Every sim that Jared writes and every contribution to the story that he adds is one that we all look forward to reading. He takes us on a journey through Sherlock that shows us that a good security officer is vulnerable sometimes, and not always one to make the best decisions. But, when it comes to the safety of her crew, there are no chances, no second guesses, and no wondering about where her intentions are. Beyond the character, Jared serves in many other roles as well, including the incredible upkeep of the Resolution’s wiki and in the capacity of making graphics and images. With each thing he adds, he offers something that adds to the depth of our fleet and lends credence to why he is this year’s Natasha Yar pin winner. I look forward to seeing him go far with us in the 118 fleet. Congratulations! The Voyager Medallion - Ops The Voyager Medallion is a duty post award and is awarded to those operations officers who have shown great skill in keeping a starship in working order despite near-impossible circumstances. The officers receiving this award have advanced the field of Operations, making sure duty rosters, provisions, gear, and even recreation time are available... no matter what. Maria Alvarez, USS Arrow Presented by Randal Shayne: Some time ago, I was interviewed about the Ops officer position, and in it, I advised all future Opsians to simply make the role their own. There is so much variety provided that anything less is a waste of material. I have no way of knowing whether Max read it, but it doesn’t change the fact that he writes an Ops officer so impressively that I can’t help but take notes. His brilliant intertwining of character, personality, past experience and current adversity make Maria Alvarez a delight to read and behold. Max knows just how far to push and pull, and he knows how to make a story work not just for his character, but for the entire ship. It is the Ops officer’s job to keep things organised and running smoothly, to keep interconnected facets of a ship and crew working together harmoniously. I’m not sure where we would be without Max, in character or out. Whether he’s writing for his character, working with others on joint stories, or advising and assisting the Arrow staff, Max is an Ops officer through and through, and I say without reservation that he is absolutely deserving of this recognition. Congratulations! The Sisko Tactical Cross - Tactical The Sisko Tactical Cross is a duty post award and is awarded to those tactical officers who have shown cunning and bravery in battle. Master strategists, and experts in targeting and shield power distribution, these officers have done the impossible to save their ship and the lives of its crew. Atan T’Seva, USS Constitution-B Presented by Jalana Rajel: Tactical is one of these posts on a ship that can be a challenge to write for. As ships do not get into battle all the time, or in the Constitution's case ever until recently, it's difficult to bring this department to life. But not so for the Chief Tactical Officer on the Constitution. No matter the kind mission she joined with enthusiasm, creativity and out of the box thinking on how to integrate the Tactical department. Be it putting together escape routes on Xatrac, training of new officers, suggestions for updates of technology to build an earthquake alarm system on Endaasi, or analyse opponents to predict their moves so we did not have to find out a way into battle. During the last Constitution mission, though, when Orion Syndicate Pirates attacked out of nowhere, she finally could put all her tactical knowledge to good use. With her cool head and confidence, she finally had her time to shine and was a big part of why the Constitution only lost a warp nacelle and was not torn apart. It is my pleasure to present the Sisko Tactical Cross to Atan T'Seva. Congratulations! The Phoenix Award - Engineering The Phoenix Award is a duty post award that recognises engineers. Named for the vessel that legendary engineer Zefram Cochrane piloted during his historic first warp flight, this award goes to those Engineering officers who continue this tradition of excellence in engineering. By performing their tasks with enthusiasm, imagination and diligence, by making their equipment perform above and beyond its rated capacities, the officers meriting this award further the mission of their ship by their superior know-how. In short, miracle workers. Wil Ukinix, USS Veritas Presented by Roshanara Rahman: A good engineer is a problem solver. A great chief engineer not only comes up with solutions but leads a team, encouraging and inspiring them to come together as an entire department of problem solvers. Since Wil Ukinix first started simming aboard the USS Veritas, he has shown enthusiasm and knack for tackling whatever is thrown at him in-character and out-of-character. Learning under the guidance of Geoffrey Teller, his department chief at the time, Ukinix was a diligent starship engineer, contributing to various contraptions and imaginative plans-of-action to save the day, ship, and crew. But in this past year when he took on the role of chief engineer, we’ve gotten to see a new side of Ukinix, that of being a leader and mentor to not just his fellow engineers but the larger crew. Within the engineering department, Ukinix writes with two other players, and he often employs departmental briefings and special projects to ensure that everyone is engaged and gets a chance to shine. When his engineering crew came up with ideas to develop animal-like repair drones and other creative engineering tools we hadn’t really seen in Star Trek before, Ukinix worked with both of them on fully fleshing out the idea and how to implement them in our game. Beyond his department, Ukinix has now become one of the ship’s most senior officers, rising to the position of second officer, and he provides a steady hand as part of the command team, perfectly balancing his character’s fun personality and light-heartedness with that of a dedicated Starfleet officer who wants to do the right thing and set a good example for the people under his watch. As he continues to write with StarBase 118 PBEM RPG, I know he will reach any star he sets his aim for, and I am delighted and honoured to see him recognised with this year’s Phoenix Award! The Cochrane Award - Science The Cochrane Award is a duty post award and is awarded to those science officers who have contributed to the advance of science during their Starfleet career, by staying knowledgeable about their field, taking part in the community of science, but most importantly, by placing their knowledge at the service of their ship and its mission. Lazarus Davis, USS Constitution-B Presented by Jalana Rajel: Where do I even start with this one! Science is such a huge part of Star Trek that it can intimidate, not wanting to write the wrong thing and have millions of Scientists scream in pain. But it can be one of the most interesting and exciting posts if you either know what you are talking about or have so much creativity to make up things and mix it with facts so that it sounds real even though it's fiction. One of the people with who I have the joy to write with who can do this to a breathtaking extend is Lazarus Davis. Frequently questions came up on how to solve problems, how to explain a plot twist and the Science never disappointed. Solutions like using a unique gas to our advantage, throw space dust at the enemy - even if the resulting explosion had dire consequences for his psyche, or explain unnaturally strong currents in a nebula with a stellar phenomenon like a starry tempest. At times don't go by plan or the science fails and in those times Josh is not scared to show the ethical dilemmas or struggles that follow as well. During our last mission, he had to face what happens when your science causes fatalities. And seeing that side of Science as well makes a great read! When talking about science with Josh or reading his sims it is easy to feel his enthusiasm for the field and I can't wait to see what else he'll come up with. It's my pleasure to present the Cochrane Award to Lazarus Davis. Congratulations! The Pilot's Sextant - Helm The Pilot's Sextant is a duty post award that recognises helm officers. An award named after an old Earth navigational tool, the Pilot's Sextant is given to those Helm officers who have proven themselves to be the best of the best. From finding a safe route home to flying an emergency atmospheric landing, pilots who have earned the right to this award know the importance of staying focused and puts their ability to make spectacular manoeuvres at the service of their ship and its mission. Cadfael Peters, USS Chin’toka Presented by Mei’konda: A highly experienced member of the fleet who’s played almost every duty post that we offer, Zephyr, the player of Peters, came aboard the Chin’toka as a dedicated helmsman, because we were lucky enough to have an Operations Chief already. Helm can present a challenge for players, because of the occasionally limited nature of the role, but Cadfael Peters has brought life to both his character and to the position of helm by taking the initiative when he can to describe the movements of ships or shuttles through space, particularly during exciting moments like ship to ship battles. He takes every opportunity to describe things visually interestingly that makes it easy for his crewmates to be drawn into the action, and he always gives his fellow players opportunities to add in by communicating directly between the helm and their stations in unique and well thought out ways. The Chin’toka is very lucky to have Zephyr, and I’m thrilled to present him with the Pilot’s Sextant for 2021! The Order of the Valiant Heart - Counselling This award is given to those ship Counselors who show great skill in protecting the mental health of their crewmates, evincing superior ability to care, assist, and comfort those in need. They have gone above and beyond the call of duty in assisting their crewmates with their problems, and in preventing future problems from occurring. R’Ariel, USS Arrow Presented by Randal Shayne: Anyone who’s written for a counsellor is well aware of how uniquely challenging the role is. In character, counsellors have to get incredibly creative with how they engage with missions and carry out their obligations to the best of their ability. That’s extra difficult if there’s not a lot of call for diplomacy, discussion or conflict mediation. Many counsellors will take up alternate avenues; they’ll be skilled in other areas of ship operation, or perhaps they’ll take up long-running personal plots. Kat has done these things to a significant effect. However, this doesn't stop her from exploring the first duty of a counsellor at every opportunity. R’Ariel is always there for others aboard her ship, be they Starfleet, civilian or alien. She responds with calm, open tact that soothes not just the souls of characters, but of their writers as well. The adversity she faces does not impede her gracious, kind words from doing good for those around her, and in these ways, Kat and R’Ariel are breathtakingly similar. Both writer and character embody the spirit and strength of a true counsellor, and I can think of no one more deserving of this high honour. Congratulations! The Semper Fidelis Award - Marines For those Starfleet Marines who have shown great skill in protecting their crew, accomplishing their mission, avoiding tragic loss of life in the line of duty, and upholding the values of the United Federation of Planets in times of crisis. Kiran Han, USS Juneau Presented by Oddas Aria: Playing a Marine in Starfleet, a position with little to no screen time in the Star Trek Universe can be tough, which makes this award so special. Knowing how to portray a Marine, how to play a military character in a universe where traditional military stereotypes do not always work. As the nomination put it, Patrick plays Han as the “modern 'problem solver' required by the fleet”, leading a Rapid Response Unit aboard the Juneau. Patrick can always be counted on to lead an Away Mission, lead to exciting situations, and still get his people home. Writing with him is a pleasure, as he can make action out of nothing, and still make you feel as if it was always ‘part of the plan’. He can always make his action sequences and calls for movement fit within the universe and story we are trying to tell, never an add-on or an afterthought, and always furthering his character and plot. Congratulations Major Han and Great Job! The Lwaxana Troi Medallion This award is given to a member who takes on a unique and non-traditional role outside of the normal Starfleet positions, while creating a colourful and engaging character such as, but not limited to: a diplomat, a civilian or a mission specialist. Charlotte DeBarres, USS Arrow Presented by Randal Shayne: Charlotte DeBarres, played by Mark- one of our most dedicated writers- knows what she’s doing. It doesn’t matter where she is or what the circumstances are; you can count on DeBarres for a witty, sarcastic comment and lifesaving, quick thinking. Mission specialist is a tricky role, requiring both an in-depth understanding of the conditions of a mission, and knowing what to do in case things go south. It’s an even greater challenge to write for, but does this stop Mark? Heck no! He’s as much of an everyman out of character as in serving on staff and providing MSNPCs on the regular while helping along the plot and taking care of business that makes the entire ship run better. He’s a shining example of a dedicated, capable and innovative member, and the character he writes for exhibits these qualities, and so much more. Congratulations! The Strange Medallion - First Officer Named after Commander Sally Strange, widely known as one of the most creative and dedicated First Officers in the fleet's early years, we give this award to those who perform above the call of duty in the position of First Officer. Addison MacKenzie, USS Resolution Presented by Kalianna Nicholotti: A ship cannot thrive without the guidance of a good command team, and a command team without a good first officer is already setting up the wrong scene. Imagine Kirk without Spock, or Picard without Riker. When countless things could go wrong, it is often this bond, and the sheer will of that first officer, that moves mountains. Having a few years of command experience, and real-world management experience as well, I can honestly not be more proud to present this year’s Strange Medallion to an incredibly deserving officer and my very own XO, Matt, aka Commander Addison MacKenzie. Matt does nothing halfway. At the very base of all, his characters bring realism that provides a shining example of how to sim for the entire crew. Because he is frequently involved in Academy classes, this gets shared with many of the newest members as well, getting them the solid foundation they need from the start. Volunteering his time to many other areas around the fleet, we can all see and feel Matt’s impact. While there are many qualities that Matt has that make him more than worthy of this accolade, one of the strongest is the sheer fact that he is willing to learn, grow, and lead. Fear, hesitation, and inflexibility don’t even slip into the shadows of this equation. I am thrilled to present this to him today, but I am even more excited to see the even greater mountains he is yet to scale. Congratulations! And thank you for your continued work and dedication to the Resolution and the Starbase 118 Fleet! Please join us in congratulating these talented players!

Congratulations, everyone! It's insane to see how much goes into the background and behind the curtain, and these guys deserve so much more.

Serious congratulations, everyone! They're some cracking awards and well-deserved!

Today we are proud to present the Length of Service and Special Awards! Length of Service Awards Length of Service Awards are presented to members who have been continuously active for at least a year, there are also tiers for three, five, 10, 15, 20 and even 25 years of continuous service. This year, thirty players have reached a length of service milestone. Of those, eleven are celebrating their first milestone, having picked up the award for one year of active membership. Another six have achieved three years of active membership and ten more have been here for five years. Two players have reached the incredible ten-year milestone, and one has reached fifteen years! We also have two players celebrating their five-year command milestones as Commodores of our fleet! 5-year Commanding Officer For those who have served as commanding officers for their ships and stations continuously for five years. Officers in this category are also appointed to the rank of Commodore to recognize their experience and leadership. Commodore Sal Taybrim, who took command of StarBase 118 Ops on December 12th, 2015. Commodore Roshanara Rahman, who took command of the USS Invicta (NCC-81407) on April 5th, 2016. 1-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for one year. Haley Caden, graduated from training on June 1, 2020 R'Ariel, graduated from training on June 1, 2020 Artinus Serinus, graduated from training on July 1, 2019 Lephi, graduated from training on June 1, 2020 Stefan Mattheiu, graduated from training on May 5, 2020 Noa T'Nessa Levinson, graduated from training on January 6, 2020 Airik Tierney, graduated from training on May 25, 2020 Drevas Matthel, graduated from training on June 1, 2020 Alieth, graduated from training on February 10, 2020 Sirok, graduated from training on February 10, 2020 Wes Greaves, graduated from training on February 9, 2020 3-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for three years. Serala, graduated from training on December 4, 2017 Toryn Raga, graduated from training on October 4, 2017 Jacob Horne, graduated from training on August 23, 2017 Kiran Han, graduated from training on October 1, 2017 Genkos Adea, graduated from training on February 6, 2018 Tatash, graduated from training on August 1, 2014 5-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for five years. Amuro McKnight, graduated from training on February 15, 2016 Jocelyn Marshall, graduated from training on April 10, 2016 Ayiana Sevo, graduated from training on September 1, 2014 Serren Tan, graduated from training on April 1, 2010 Oddas Aria, graduated from training on May 5, 2016 R'Kala, graduated from training on August 1, 2011 Etan Iljor, graduated from training on March 23, 2015 Yogan Yalu, graduated from training on November 13, 2011 Alora DeVeau, graduated from training on August 6, 2013 Anthony Meeks, graduated from training on January 17, 2011 10-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for ten years. Shedet, graduated from training on August 4, 2003 Sky Blake, graduated from training on March 1, 2011 15-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for fifteen years. Lilith Thorne, graduated from training on August 1, 2000 Special Awards The Rising Star Award For members who show great promise in many facets of their participation in the group, and to whom we look to as a future leader. Jo Marshall, USS Gorkon Presented by Quinn Reynolds: We're so fortunate this year to see many people nominated for the Rising Star award, showing what a fantastic community we've built and how many people love to invest the time and energy into making it even better. Those who nominated Jo Marshall talked at length about her leadership qualities; her dedication, her willingness to go the extra mile, and her ability to balance good humour with teaching moments. Over the past twelve months, her contributions to the fleet have bordered on the incredible, showing how much she cares for and champions our community. Not only does she help lead her ship with the above qualities, but she also steers and supports many of our OOC efforts; helping to organise the State of the Federation Address, as a stalwart member of the training team, showing her creative flair in the Image Collective, facilitating the Federation News Service and Poll of the Week. On top of that, she helped champion the return of the Writing Challenge to phenomenal success, and of course, facilitated this very ceremony! Her guiding hand already makes this fleet a more fun, vibrant and exciting place to be, and we're fortunate to count her among the leadership of the group as a staff member. We look forward to seeing her continue to cheerlead, support and innovate, and thank her for everything she does now and in the future. Congratulations and well done! Luminary Award Given to members holding the rank of ensign, lieutenant junior grade, or lieutenant. For those who show great promise in their future endeavours in UFOP: Starbase 118 RPG. Wes Greaves, USS Thor Presented by Aron Kells: I’m especially honoured to present this year’s Luminary Award to Jacob, aka the marine detachment commander for the Thor, Wes Greaves. Jacob also received the Thor’s TOSMA this year, and one of his nominations for that award included the observation that Jacob “has been a driving force on the Thor since he was a second lieutenant.” I’m borrowing it for this citation and to recognise that Jacob started out running and has only been building momentum since. He’s now a member of the Thor’s staff group, where I rely on his strong senses of leadership and equability, and he’s someone you’ve probably encountered around the fleet as well, whether on Discord, as a new member of the Training Team, or — if you’ve been a member of the Captain's Council over the past year — for his keen insights on marines in the Star Trek universe and for Starbase 118 RPG specifically. Jacob pulls from his own marine background to bring a grounded, experienced perspective to marine structure and function on the Thor, and to say that he’s revolutionized how his fellow simmers and I think about marines is actually an understatement. He’s the well-deserved winner of last year’s Semper Fidelis Award (the marine duty post award), and what he’s done with his time with the 118 fleet has not only changed my sense of marines in Star Trek, he’s done a lot to educate me about marine ethos and ethics in the real world, too. But this citation isn’t for the Semper Fidelis, it’s for the Luminary, and I mention his marine work to introduce everyone to the idea that Jacob’s been a natural leader from the very beginning when he generously allowed me to bring his thoughts on marines to the Captain's Council. He’s a natural leader who seeks challenges both IC and OOC — he recently, for example, came to me with an idea for a series of JPs in which Greaves receives additional command training from Kells. One of his nominators said it best, and so I’ll leave you with some of that high praise: “This is a man with a solid head on his shoulders, who cares about others, has fantastic writing talents, and I cannot wait to not only sim more with him, but to watch where he goes in our wonderful community.” The Sarpeidon Award Awarded to members who have made outstanding contributions to the 118Wiki. Sarpeidon was the world in TOS's "All Our Yesterdays," in which the planet's population created a library containing their entire world's history. This is, in essence, what our wiki strives to become: a collection of our group's history and a simming database. Noa T’Nessa Levinson, USS Chin’toka Presented by Roshanara Rahman: Watching the wiki grow over the years is one of the highlights of being a part of this community and every year, new members bring fresh ideas on how to present information about their characters, the stories of our ships, and the greater universe we’ve all built. Since first diving into the wiki, Noa T’Nessa Levinson has shown remarkable originality and creativity in figuring out new ways to bring style and a polished presentation to the wiki. He similarly continues the long tradition of wiki gnomes before him in diligently maintaining not just his own ship’s pages but that of the wider fleet and its lore to help ensure everything is as up to date as possible. Above all else, Levinson’s passion for the wiki and helping other members learn its power and potential is obvious, endearing, and inspiring. Learning to edit the wiki is often perceived as one of the most intimidating skills for new members to master, but Levinson’s joy in his work and commitment to supporting others by answering their questions and troubleshooting problems helps make the unfamiliar task of wiki editing not just friendlier but an exciting world of possibilities waiting to be discovered. Congratulations, Noa T’Nessa Levinson, on being recognized with this year’s Sarpeidon Award, and thank you for your hard work and dedication! The Boothby Award For trainers who go above and beyond their Academy training requirements. These trainers display an outstanding example of dedication to bringing new cadets to our community. Addison MacKenzie, USS Resolution Presented by Quinn Reynolds: It is always a pleasure to present the Boothby Award and recognise someone who has gone above and beyond in supporting the Training Team. Addison MacKenzie is a name that stands out in the Academy, volunteering regularly and long past his obligations to do so. He supports the team with positivity, respect and good humour, shining in whatever role he takes on—be it mock cadet, First Officer or Commanding Officer. Several of his nominators spoke of how fantastic his mentoring is, offering cadets feedback which not only corrects problems with the basics but gives them things to think about as they move forward into the fleet. But he doesn't just teach cadets! The nominations also spoke of how his enthusiasm and skills inspired them to be better trainers, learning from the example he sets. Besides taking part in classes, he supports the work of the Academy as one of our Statisticians, a role that requires an organised, keen and detail-oriented eye to ensure that we track the cadets passing through, and ensure we properly credit our trainers for their hard work. His presence makes the Training Team a fun, dynamic and streamlined experience, and cadets and upcoming trainers alike benefit from his experience and professionalism. Commander Addison MacKenzie, thank you so much for everything you've brought to the team and many congratulations on winning this year's Boothby Award! Quark's Bar Quark's Bar is a special award and is awarded to members who are regularly active on the forums and have been supportive and involved in conversations enhancing the overall forum experience. Lephi, USS Chin’toka Presented by Mei’konda: One of the fleet’s newest members, Lieutenant Lephi, played by Daphne, has proven herself to be a rising star amongst the Chin’toka’s crew. One of the things we can always count on her for is to be a welcoming, positive presence in Discord, one of the newest and most important avenues of communication with our members. Lephi reliably greets newcomers to the server with genuine and enthusiastic positivity and has been referred to as our unofficial ambassador by members of our crew. She answers questions in the Academy channel when she knows she has the right answer and is a constant source of humour and an occasional participant in our impromptu gaming sessions, such as in games of Bridge Crew. For these reasons, I’m delighted to present the Quark’s Bar to Lieutenant Lephi! The Xalor Clan Xifilis Award Given to any simmer who overcomes any sort of disadvantage while simming. This award was originally called the "Rachel Garett Pendant," but was renamed for the 2000 ceremony to honor a respected simmer in UFOP: StarBase 118 who passed away in that year. This is the only Special Award that is given more than once per ceremony. Alieth and Sirok, USS Thor Presented by Aron Kells: “There are many types of disadvantages one might have in a community like SB118,” writes the nominator for both Andrea (Alieth) and Miguel (Sirok) for the Xalor Clan Xifilis Award this year, and praises the two simmers’ abilities in a language that isn’t their first tongue. “Despite the difficulty that this must surely present,” the nomination goes on, “they have become a wonderful asset and add a depth and colour to any scene in which they write.” Andrea and Miguel are to be commended not only for their skilled writing but also for their perseverance in a community like Starbase 118, which is so strongly text-based and when so much of what we do revolves around writing our stories. Congratulations to Andrea and Miguel, and thank you for making Starbase 118 a part of your story! Corliss Fortune, USS Gorkon Presented by Quinn Reynolds: One of the bright lights of the fleet and tireless champion of its members, it's a delight to have Corliss as a member of the Gorkon's crew. In the past, she's won the Order of the Valiant Heart for the realism and fidelity she brings to the role of counsellor, the Silver Palm for lifting hearts and keeping morale high, and this year we've awarded her the B-Plot for the windows she creates into her character's personal life. When you realise she lives with ADHD, and the challenges with executive function and writing that often walk hand-in-hand with it, it makes her dedication to simming even more impressive. She's an inspiration and I am very pleased to recognise her with the Xalor Clan Xifilis Award. Drevas Matthel, StarBase 118 Ops Presented by Sal Taybrim: Not everyone has the same access to support and healthcare and knowing that a bright and shining young writer not only struggles with mental health issues but also struggles to get the support he needs is a concerning reality of the 21st century. But over the past year, we are so incredibly proud of Ensign Drevas Matthel for speaking openly about his issues, actively seeking positive solutions and resolutions and seeking support for the right places. His ongoing endurance is a testament to an amazing inner strength that is both admirable and commendable. Many of us know how difficult it can be to push forward at times, especially with everything that has occurred over the last year, and yet Ensign Drevas never failed to persevere. Furthermore, with his continued positive growth in out of character communication, he has impressively improved in his simming, bringing his character to life, creating a meaningful pNPC that his crew enjoys reading about and forming bonds with fellow players and characters alike. Ensign Drevas, your hard work over these past months has been noticed and appreciated and you have done an awesome job in improving your writing and your communication. I am so pleased to present you with the Xalor Clan Xifilis award! Nugra, USS Constitution-B Presented by Jalana Rajel: I have had the pleasure to write with John on and off for years during his guest visits to the Apollo, the Constitution and other ships across the fleet and it finally got to sim with him on a more permanent basis when he was placed on the Conny. John is passionate about writing, listening to his ideas is pure joy and the excitement is contagious. He thinks out of the box, inside the box, around the box and is not afraid to try new things, is happy to help other players and has quickly become a pillar of the ship. As long as I have known him, despite challenges in Real Life, be it his own mental or physical health, difficult circumstances or overwhelming events, he still did his best to not let it show in his writing or in the way he interacted with the players. Through all his difficulties, he wanted to make sure that everyone has fun. During this last year, Jonathan had not dealt only with his own challenges, but has only taken care of his hardships but also took care of his lovely wife who struggled with her health as well and took care of his job, his writing business, their lovely children on top of staying the spark bug we know him as on the Conny. He never lost that light, his humour, creativity or willingness to give his writing his all, reached out to players to plan plots, help them, welcome them and assist despite not being a member of staff at this point. I am in awe that he managed all that despite his RL situation. Thank you for being you, Jonathan, and congratulations on the Xalor Clan Xifilis Award! The Community Champion Award For members who participate in – or help facilitate – simming community events, representing the best of UFOP: SB118 to other organizations by hosting events, acting as contest judges, or otherwise contributing their expertise in a way that benefits the wider community. Zhanyt Lafizatar, USS Veritas Presented by Roshanara Rahman: In the wider world of Star Trek simming and roleplay, one member has consistently shown up to represent StarBase 118 not just as a guest but as an event host. Zhanyt Lafizatar (known to some by his previous characters of Ceciri Ariadust and Tiria Hamasaki) has consistently served as an event host in each year of the Khitomer Conference since 2019. Last year, Lafizatar hosted the informative panel, “Writing with Canon,” showcasing to the wider audience of non-118 attendees how we frequently play and expand on canon in our stories here in the fleet. Lafizatar has also been an active and regular presence at other non-118 simming events such as FallFest. Through his participation in the panel discussions, Lafizatar helps bring awareness to other Trek role players of our organisation’s existence, how we do things, and what makes us special. For his persistence in carrying the 118 banners beyond our borders, I’m pleased to present this year’s Community Champion Award to Zhanyt Lafizatar, one of our fleet’s most dedicated ambassadors. Locutus Award For members of the Publicity Team who go above and beyond their monthly requirements for regular participation. These team members show enthusiasm and flair for spreading the word about our role-playing community and take an active interest in finding new ways to invite people to join our ranks. Alieth, USS Thor Presented by Kalianna Nicholotti: Publicity, or in a more modern term Marketing, is what brings people to the fleet. Without it, we would never meet our newest friends or reconnect with some of our old ones. This year saw the split of the official Publicity Team into one that handled publicity and one that focused on social media. With these changes came novel approaches and a learning curve for everyone involved. Thankfully, we have some incredibly talented and dedicated officers involved, including Andrea, aka Alieth, who is the recipient of this year’s Locutus Award. The Locutus Award is given to recognize someone who exceeds the requirements and participates regularly in activities that bring new members to the fleet. In this, Andrea is a force of nature. She is visual, present, and accounted for in various faucets, even helping to get an Instagram plan in place for the newly developed social media part of this team. She’s always looking out for the fleet, and she is a powerful voice for us when the opportunity presents. It is such a pleasure to present this award, and I offer a hearty congratulations to her - and to say that I can’t wait to see what trail she will blaze next year! Northern Star Award Given to members holding the rank of Lieutenant or Lt. Commander who show constant commitment to the fleet as members of taskforces and through our other fleet endeavours. These officers are vital to the success of our fleet, showing their support and enthusiasm for their crews and our community through their tireless efforts. Alora DeVeau, StarBase 118 Ops Presented by Sal Taybrim: If you have played on StarBase 118 for any length of time, you have almost certainly come into contact with the name Alora Deveau. Maybe it was through an interview for the Community News where Lt. Commander DeVeau is an absolute powerhouse writer, showcasing members of our fleet from every ship and every rank and reaching out to dozens of fleetwide members to help get them in the press. Maybe you heard her on the StarBase 118 PaddCAST where she helps both behind the scenes and in front of the microphone, bringing you special features and special segments that help light up your airwaves. Maybe it was on the training team where she serves as one of the diligent academy officers mentoring new members on their first steps into our community. Maybe it was in the forums where she is a tireless supporter of the Appreciations area across multiple ships. Maybe it was on the wiki where she works hard to make sure ship and fleetwide articles are edited for continuity and accuracy. Or maybe it was on Discord where she’s a bright and shining star, always ready with a positive word for others. And through all this, she also maintains more than full time simming on two ships, with excellent writing skills and a willingness to reach out and create joint posts with any player on any ship in the fleet. She is a generous player who is always willing to bring new people into a scene, facilitate positive storylines for characters and be supportive of her ships in so many ways. She is a mentor, team leader, staff member and an incredible player. Amanda, the player behind Alora DeVeau is truly a positive force for Fleetwide unity and an amazing role model for junior simmers. Her fleetwide mentality helps make the taskforces she works with shine and brings all of our ships and players in the fleet into the limelight so we can grow closer together. I am so incredibly proud of Amanda and pleased to present her with the inaugural Northern Star award! Jake Sisko Prize Awarded to members of the Federation News Service Team who regularly go above and beyond in their contributions and participation. These team members show dedication and creativity in editing and writing news reports, helping to maintain our IC news service, build the 118 universe and provide inspiration for our members. Jo Marshall, USS Gorkon Presented by Roshanara Rahman: There is no one more dedicated to the successful operation of the Federation News Service than Jo Marshall. Em, the player for Marshall is passionate about the unique lens the FNS offers to the world of Star Trek and how it can serve as a great vehicle for storytelling, either complementing and expanding stories from our sims or presenting wholly original and exclusive stories just told through the medium of FNS articles. Like the best editors-in-chief in newsrooms around the globe, Em rallies her bullpen of roving reporters and editors every month with the organisation of a field marshal. No pun intended! She brainstorms headlines to inspire others to flesh out full stories and contributes her own regular articles. She adeptly manages a team of co-facilitators and news editors to ensure that every ship report is revised and proofread in time for publication, her charm and efficiency belying just how much work she does behind the scenes to make sure they meet deadlines. And unlike, say, J. Jonah Jameson of the Daily Bugle, Em is always cheerleading and championing her team, encouraging their ideas and giving helpful feedback on their drafts. For her tireless devotion and work to make certain that the FNS meets its publication schedule month after month, year after year, I can think of no one better to be awarded the first Jake Sisko Prize. Congratulations, Em! Okuda Award Awarded to members of the Image Collective who regularly go above and beyond in their contributions to this team's efforts, creating images and graphics for the fleet. These team members display their artistry and dedication with a visual feast for members new and old, bringing our creations to life and stoking imaginations. Alieth, USS Thor Presented by Jalana Rajel: In a roleplay that draws pictures with words and in which we have to imagine our surroundings, the characters and species, one of the most helpful tools we can provide are graphics to kick-start or expand that imagination. Knowing the faces of our characters, the wallpaper in our hallways or the view out of our windows breathes life into the writing. Ever since I started working with Andrea I have been in awe of her carefully honed art, her skill and her knowledge. She has jumped right into new ideas and projects from the first moment, eagerly spearheading the makeover of Ship and Task Force Logos, updating graphics across the board, streamlining processes and sharing her knowledge and tips with the image team. It is no surprise that before long she became part of the Facilitator team and eventually was promoted to the main facilitator. In the shortest time, she had made a name for her and has left her mark on Starbase 118 from the first day on. By now it is almost impossible to look at the website and wiki without finding something Andrea made. And when you ask the members of our community, you'll hear the same reaction: We love it! This brand new award found a worthy first winner! Congratulations, Andrea. Very well deserved! Please join us in congratulating these talented players!

Well done, everyone!

Greetings and Welcome to the 2021 (or 2398) Fleetwide Awards Ceremony! Every year, this annual ceremony is an opportunity for us all to come together to recognise the accomplishments of this incredible organisation of people. For many of us, this community has become a part of our lives that we couldn’t foresee happening when we first graduated from the Academy, but the more time we spend here, the more time we realise what a truly unique community this is. So, we’re using this 25th Award Ceremony as the opportunity to come together to not only celebrate the group’s 27th anniversary (and what a bloody milestone that is!) but to acknowledge and congratulate the writers who have fuelled our imaginations by creating strange, new worlds, and worked tirelessly to keep the lights on, is worthy of celebration, indeed. There are five categories of awards: General Awards (which some ships have presented to their crews already!), Duty Post, Special and Staff Awards distinguishing players across the rank spectrum for many achievements. The member Length of Service Awards continues to grow as we award membership lengths of one, three, five, ten, fifteen, and even twenty-five years! A remarkable number of simmers have been around for such extended periods, and they count among our numbers. We’d like to extend tremendous gratitude to everyone who took the time to submit nominations this year. It has been absolutely incredible to us to read how you all celebrate one another, the writing that takes place, and the community despite everything currently happening in the world. Every nomination submitted was full of deep respect, recognition, and appreciation for our fellow writers, and it should serve as a reminder that we value everyone’s presence and contributions. As our group continues to cultivate and mature, we’d like to throw a special thanks to our fearless leader, Fleet Admiral Tristan Wolf, who always makes time to lend advice for any problem, no matter how big or small. To the members of the Executive Council, Captain’s Council, and those who lead and serve on our various taskforces — no amount of thanks could effectively communicate this community’s appreciation for your boundless energy and leadership to ensure we ALL have a safe, creative and imaginative experience. Happy 27th anniversary everybody! — Em (Jo Marshall) and Matt (Addison MacKenzie)

Welcome to the fleet, @Kivik! Been a great pleasure reading your introduction to the group!

I had issues with Culber and Stamets in the first season of DSC, which got resolved when S2 winged back around. It's good to see the first portrayal of a gay relationship being part of the normal everyday was just that - a genuine look to the future, without the stereotypical drama writers seem to saddle the gays with. Similar issues with Adira in DSC. Raffi and Seven just... happened? Zero build up, did not see it coming. Hoping to see more in S2 and it's not just a case of stray jigsaw pieces. Mirror Kira played into the Depraved Bisexual trope, highlighting just how evil they are (not just Star Trek that did this, there're ample examples where this trope crops up for MirrorUniverse characters), so not taking it so much as representation. Crusher was another kettle of fish. I can't see it as a failing on her part, or the part of anyone whose partner goes through a physical change. LGBT folk have argued for a long time that sexuality is what we're born with and can sometimes be fluid in some, so I really don't expect anyone to change their sexuality because the person they love is suddenly in another body they're not attracted to. That's just the nature of attraction.

Does it count as formal if he takes the flip flops off?

Awards Ceremony season is upon us, and it's time to get all dressed up for the big event! As we launch our ceremony, we encourage everyone to change their forum avatar to their character wearing glamorous attire like the kind you'd see on the red carpet. There's no need to get things perfect – lots of players just find a picture of their character's actor somewhere on the web and use that, like so: But if you're looking for something more spiffy, you can also head to the Graphics Requests forum and open a new thread asking for some help. Make sure you leave plenty of time for the team there to help get something that works – best to start earlier than later! Once you have an image you like, you can change your forum avatar by following these instructions. Let's see what everyone is wearing this year! Halcyon Apparel from Deep Space 224? Elan Vital, the principal fashion designer for the Bolian Ballroom? Nova Collection from Betazed? You can purse-shoe all your dreams and you don't have toupee! Find your fashion sole mate and let us see if you're a triple thread! Hose before bows!

Nominations for the 2021 Awards Ceremony will close on Thursday June 10th at 11:45pm Pacific Time. If this is your awards ceremony with us, welcome! This is a tradition that dates back to 1996, wherein we honor the people of the fleet who are simming really well, or contributing OOC. Back in the "old days," we would gather the entire fleet onto one email list (we were a lot smaller then...) and sim together an award presentation; now we do things a bit differently. Here's how it works today: Everyone in the fleet submits nominations for consideration. The group staff (ship COs, EC members, etc.) review the nominations. Each ship has their own awards presentation on their OOC email list for awards in the General Awards category. Award in this category can be given to one person on each ship. Then, we have a fleetwide presentation of awards here on the forums. Awards in the Duty Post, Special, Staff, and Length of Service categories are presented over the course of three days. One person in the fleet can receive each of the Duty Post, Special, and Staff categories. We rely on each and every member of the fleet to submit nominations so we can recognize the best members of our community who are putting in the time and effort to make this a fun place to be. So we need your help! If you don't nominate your peers and mentors for awards, they won't get recognized. We want to encourage everyone to be really free with their nominations – there's no penalty in putting in a nomination that doesn't ultimately get the award. But ships that have fewer nominations tend to end up having fewer award winners – so don't be shy! Multiple nominations from members of a ship for any given award can help send a signal to reviewers that a certain person is really deserving, but also one really great nomination can be the deciding factor for someone to win an award. So how to nominate someone? It's pretty simple: Check out the wiki Hall of Honor to see the list of awards and learn more: https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Award Consider who you want to nominate. Then do a quick check on the list of past award winners to make sure they haven't won the award before: https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=List_of_Award_Recipients (You can sort the table by clicking on the column headers, or you can use your browser's "Find" feature to quickly find a character anywhere on the page – on PC, use CTRL+F, on Mac use ⌘+F.) If the person hasn't won the award before, head to the nomination form: https://www.starbase118.net/members/personnel/forms/award-nomination-panel/ Enter your information and select the award. Then write a nomination reason. For some awards, we'll ask you for a link to a sim if you have one readily available that helps justify your nomination. Don't stress out about finding a sim, but if you have one, it could help! If you feel really confident about your award nomination, chat with others on your ship who might also feel the same way and recommend they make a similar nomination!

Well done, guys! Welcome to the fleet! 🥳

Resounding congratulations to Jacob, the writer behind Wes Greaves, for smashing the Writing Challenge 2021 with a superb win! Carving out a beautifully written and presented entry, "Insidious Whispers" shows the delve into the inner self following a traumatic experience, and is definitely worth a read for anyone looking for some top-class inspiration in how to convey deep and meaningful characterisation. Well done to Jacob! Brian, the writer behind Geoffrey Teller, and our 2020 winner gave us these kind words: Our runner-up is Hutch, the writer behind Loxley, a long-time member of the group and winner of several Writing Challenges through the years preceding this one. He scoops up this badge for his story "Cries on the Wind", elegantly and heart-breakingly showing the plight of a Maquis during the Dominion War. Wonderfully done, Hutch! For this year, we've also got a special mention for Ikaia Wong's entry, Klingon Space Shanty, delivering a sea shanty while keeping to the premise of the theme! Well done, Ikaia! It was beloved by all! All entries submitted to the challenge are excellent, thoughtfully put together, and beautifully written! It's been a privilege to read every one of them, and each deserves a slice of the praise. Thank you for submitting your entries, letting us into the worlds of your characters brought into the spotlight, and for giving us a glimpse of what goes on behind the characters we see. The winner, runner-up and judges, are in receipt of one of the following badges! Thank you again for making this year's challenge wildly successful and so much fun! We look forward to more amazing entries next spring! Please drop by the forums to offer these writers, and all our entrants, your congratulations!

You can do that if you want, dude!

Yep, that's fine! Nope! Have it in the story or out of the story. It's up to you.

DS9 with Kira in charge. Raise the roof!

Post your questions, comments, and other discussion here!

As our winner of last year’s challenge, Commander @Geoffrey Teller has come up with the prompt for our community this time around. A throwback to flashbacks for everyone, this calls to mind themes of the little things which can affect characters in those huge ways. Maybe your character will venture on a voyage on discovery about themselves, or explore themes of finality and endings, retribution and redemption, even a bit of mortality thrown in? Star Trek has consistently shown us these small, focused moments can be at the very heart of the human (and alien!) experience. You could go anywhere with this one! "I always loved the wind… ...until that mission on Telstrus 3." How would your character react to this situation? What's going through their mind? What scene immediately pops into your head? Is there a word-fire kindling? Does it transport you somewhere? If so, bust out the virtual pen and paper, brew that Earl Grey and get cracking! One judge will be chosen from each ship to help select the winner. Rules & Guidelines: Word count should be a minimum of 300 and a maximum of 3000. Members are welcome to submit solo stories, or team up with a buddy to submit a collaborative epic, but only one story per person, please! Your submission should be in the format of a short story. Prose, not sim formatting. (See here for examples.) All members are welcome to submit entries for the community to read, but only those from active simmers will be reviewed by the judging panel for the final winner selection. Submissions are, by default, non-canon – if you find a way to shoehorn this into your own backstory, you're free to use it if you wish, but certainly not a requirement. You can create whatever characters make sense for the story. You don't have to use or reference any of your current characters. Rank is not an issue here – write as an Ensign or a Captain, civilian, whatever makes sense for your story! And you're free to use characters you've already written for in sim, but please don't include anyone else's. Submit your story directly into the first post of a new thread. Use the following format for the thread title: [Primary Character Name(s) of author(s)]: "My Story's Interesting Title" Tristan Wolf: "Five Ways to End Your Starfleet Career" If you want to submit a story but don't want to enter it into the challenge, prefix the forum post with "showcase" and let us read your good stuff! All stories must be submitted by Sunday, May 23 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Good luck!

Well done, dude! Welcome to the 'Fleet! 🥳

I usually do a roundup of Skarbek good stuff at the end, and post it up here. While that's in progress for our most recent Skarbek adventure (Skarbek III: What Do Boys Dream), the narrative description in this sim really hit home with a golden emotional moment for me. Well done, @Jona ch'Ranni! Keep it up, man!

Welcome to the fleet, dude!

Over the many years of Star Trek, we've seen multiple Red Shirt deaths to the point it's one of the most popular memes — if not the most popular — in the fandom. Nothing says "you're about to kick it" like being summoned on an Away Team with all the major characters, and you turn up wearing red. Like a flag to a bull, no matter the direction someone fires their phaser in, somehow it's going to end up slap bang in the middle of the Red Shirt. Synonyms for the redshirt include sacrificial lamb and spear-carrier, so you know what conotations are a given. HOWEVER! Someone did the science! In a recent Star Trek: The Math of Khan talk at the Museum of Mathematics, one determined trekkie, James Grime, discovered out of three seasons of our beloved Original Series, only 25 died out of 239, a stunning 10 percent of deaths. However, out of 55 gold shirts, 10 of them died, resulting in 18 percent. In true defiance of everything we hold dear, if you wanted to cheat death, science came out alive with a staggering 6 percent dead. Perhaps the Scientists and Doctors have it right all along. Wear the blue, avoid the chop. Regardless, in honour of this humble trope, we're asking you this week to choose your favourite red shirt death from the Original Series. You've got a few good ones to choose from, so let us know which plucked at your heart strings the most!