Odd Jobs of Starfleet: Second Lieutenant Anthony Meeks, Company Commander

StarBase 118 Staff · August 22, 2020

In “odd jobs” we examine some less traditional posts and the characters and writers behind them to inspire you to investigate potential for your own character.

Today, we have the pleasure of speaking to Second Lieutenant Anthony Meeks, a Marine Human male from Starbase 118 Ops.

GALVEN: Thank you for accepting to do this interview with me! Could you tell us a little about yourself for our readers out there?

MEEKS: Ya know, that is the hardest question I think there is. ::Chuckles:: I live in the beautiful State of Oregon on the West Coast of the United States. I’m married and have three grown children and five grandchildren. I’m a United States Army veteran and a 20 year law enforcement officer. I’ve been writing with Starbase 118 on and off since 2011.

Your character is the Company Commander in the Marines Department, could you tell us what that posting looks like on a day-to-day basis?

Meeks: Anthony Meeks has a lot of me in the character. For me, it’s always easier to write about something familiar. The Starfleet Marines are based on the United States Marine Corps and the Royal Marines, but because the duty posting isn’t necessarily canon, there is a lot of artistic license for the posting. This means the Marine doesn’t have a particular set of rules to play by, which opens up a lot of avenues for the character. The Meeks character is the Company Commander for Delta Company, which is a Search and Rescue team. Because of that, Anthony has the opportunity to be a soldier, a medic, a tactician, and really anything.

How have you changed as a writer from when you first joined to now?

When I started with Starbase 118, I had done a lot of technical writing but the creative side was far from the norm for me. As you can imagine, there is no room for creative writing in police reports. As I grew with the characters I wrote for, I also found real enjoyment in the ability to open up the creativity in an environment as fun and exciting as Star Trek.

Do you have any memorable moments from this character you could share with us?

Immediately after graduating the indoctrination into the group, Meeks was thrown into the creciendo of the mission Starbase 118 Ops had been involved in. Really, it was an “Out of the frying pan and into the fire” moment for the character. I really didn’t know where I wanted to go with the Meeks character and it really kind of forced some character building. Really, it was a great way to get my feet wet again.

Are there any challenges that you face playing a Marine that might be different when writing for another duty post?

I think the biggest challenge is that the Marine duty post does not typically have an assigned job. This can be difficult because, unless there is something the character is actively involved in, there really isn’t a job for him/her. This is unlike a doctor or counselor, or even a helmsman, where they have patients to see, or a ship to fly when there isn’t an active mission. It can be tough finding things to occupy the character’s time during the down time.

And lastly, if anyone was wanting to write for this duty post, what advice would you give them?

The biggest piece of advice is, have fun! The Marine character has so many facets that can be explored and expanded upon, so if you decide to take on a Marine character you can do just about anything with the character you want. Don’t get stressed over trying to be Gunny Highway, or Colonel Nathan Jessup. Starfleet Marines aren’t just a bunch of knuckle draggers and shooters. They are also medics, engineers, leaders, and strategists. Semper-Fi!

Thank you very much, Second Lieutenant Anthony Meeks!

You can read more about Second Lieutenant Anthony Meeks on the wiki.

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