Lower Decks: Ensign Aine Sherlock

[StarBase 118 Staff]

We’re here with another interview with a newer member of our community. The title of this column is “Lower Decks,” hearkening back to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titled “Lower Decks,” in which junior officers aboard the Enterprise-D speculate on the reasons for recent unusual actions taken by the command crew near the Cardassian border.

This month’s interview is with the writer behind Ensign Aine Sherlock playing a Female Human Security Officer assigned to the USS Resolution.

DeVeau: Tell us a little about the writer behind the character — where in the world do you hail from?

Sherlock: My name is Jared and I currently live in Knoxville, Tennessee. I’m originally from Washington State. Moved here about 5 years ago, in fact this April it’ll be 5 years, when I met my now wife who is a professor of English at the University of Tennessee.

What got you interested in joining SB118?

This goes a long way back. When I was younger I saw an ad in a Star Trek magazine for play by mail role playing. I always thought it was a fun idea. But I was too young to do it. The wife and I were doing a rewatch of The Next Generation in December 2020 and I was telling her about it. So, I got online to see if anything like that existed. I found a few different groups but SB118 stood out. Between the well laid out website and the wiki, especially the wiki, I felt like this group really had their act together and was, above all, passionate. So I put in my application on a Saturday night, got my Academy acceptance Sunday, started Monday. And now here I am.

Now Aine is an interesting name and not one I’ve heard before.  How did you come about to choose that name as well as her surname?

I’m half Irish, on my father’s side, and it’s a big part of my life. Aine (pronounced on-yuh) is not only one of my favorite Irish names, it’s also a derivation of Hannah which is my wife’s name. So, it’s kind of in honor of her as she’s one of my big influences in writing. Sherlock was a family name. One of the two that came to the US in the late 1800’s. Oddly, we found out that my wife’s family even further back had Sherlock’s but English ones. So really the name is a dedication to my wife.

What got you interested in a security position?

I originally put in for Intel, but there were no positions available at the time. Security was the minor I chose and also what I submitted as an interest. Some of my favorite characters from Star Trek are Security. Tasha Yar, Odo, Worf. Even when I was younger, that always seemed to be something I was interested in. I also feel that storytelling wise, it can give some deeper things to write about than most would think.

What would you say is the most intriguing thing about your character, and why?

That’s a tough one. I guess for me, it’s exploring that she’s a nervous youngster, a kid really, but she also gets extremely focused when it comes to her job. There’s elements of self-doubt there and her nervousness. In real life I’m quite the opposite, so it’s fun for me to explore that kind of mindset.

You’ve only been with us for a few months, but how have you seen your character grow in this short time? 

Oh boy. She was thrown into the fire right off the bat! I was posted the day a mission was starting, so I got to play up the nervousness a lot. But once it got rolling, the team got into a tough spot. So for her, she had to grow up under fire, so to speak. She’s already starting to shun the nerves and show a little more confidence.

Do you have any personal plots in mind for her?

I have a couple. One relates to her Academy days. It’s actually going to happen soon as we’re on shore leave on Vulcan right now. Just have to figure out how to work it in. The other, that may be some time before I head down that route and would be an extremely emotional and personal one for her.

Where do you see your character, let’s say, in five years?  Ten?  

First, I hope I’m still writing for her and SB118, though I don’t see that being a problem. I feel like she’s a person who doesn’t necessarily seek command. Though also not saying it couldn’t be something in her future. She’s developed a “team first” mindset right now with how the last mission went. So she, and this is something I can personally relate to, kind of wants to stay an “action guy.” Not wanting the desk. Which in turn could present as some good story telling in the future. She definitely would like to help with new Cadets.

Thanks for your time, Ensign Sherlock!

You can read more about Ensign Sherlock on the wiki.

The post Lower Decks: Ensign Aine Sherlock appeared first on StarBase 118 Star Trek RPG.

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