Cadet Graduate Spotlight

Wiseowl : **
First off Roger, I want to say congratulations on your graduation! Great job! I wanted to sit down with you and ask first hand how your Academy experience was. Thank you so much for being willing to be my spotlight this month!**

Roger:
Thank you Wise, and your welcome.

Wiseowl :
** First off, what made you choose Star-Fleet.com?**

Roger :
Some years ago I was in a similar EWebb based PbP. Apparently I had left a positive impression on one of my Captains. She invited me to visit and asked me if I liked what I saw, join the club, with the idea of playing on a ship she had a character on. She of course being Catt Bennet.

Wiseowl ;
Did you feel welcomed by both the staff aboard the Challenger and other members when you first joined?

Roger :
I had some trouble registering. And couldn’t figure out what I did wrong. Didn’t know who to ask for help so I asked Catt to ask for help for me. So the tech person (who did a great job) but who’s name I keep forgetting (which is a shame as tech are unsung heros) set me up. Politely, and efficiently in less than a day. As a side note they registered a character for me as Catt Bennet, a Caitan scientist on the USS Challenger. I asked Catt if she minded if I had a Character with her rl name. She was as amused as I was and Catt was born. The senior officers of the Challenger have been patient and understanding and are largely responsible for my improvements. A decade away from pbp and roleplay in general created a lot of rust.

Wiseowl :
How did you find your experience aboard the Challenger, one of our Academy ships?

Roger:
For the most part I had a lot of fun. I indulged in some character development and themes. Flirted with some of the senior staff and generally was a brat. It was hilarious. There were problems of course. The club had suffered the loss of a beloved member of STF when I joined and that caused a general slowdown in the club. Rl of course hit the Challenger DH’s hard. So the XO and CO took up the slack. But the club in general was having a hard time so this wasn’t a Challenger specific issue. Things are improving now. I owe a great debt to the CNS for putting up with me as he took on the mentor role for me.

Wiseowl :
What were the specific things that you feel enhanced your experience?

Roger:
Well again having the best CO, XO, GM,and CNS combination possible. I love everyone in STF. But I may never find a command team equal to these. Of course my experience out of the academy is as yet limited. Discord was a lifeline. I won’t name everyone as the list is just to long. But will single out JoeP, Panda, Eagle, and you Wiseowl, as the foundation that kept me steady when I was having my moments of drama. As the ponies say “Friendship is Magic.”

Wiseowl :
Do you feel that your experience aboard the Challenger assisted in preparing your for our Main Fleet?

Roger :
If I recycle all the rust I shook off I’d be rich. I knew it would be rough going in. But it was everything from just having a normal conversation to you name it. I felt like a stay at home mom returning to the workforce after a decade of changing diapers and baby talk. So tbh the academy kept me going, if I had tried joining the main fleet directly I would likely not still be in STF.

Wiseowl:
Now that you have some experience under your belt what are your plans and hopes for your character in his/her future in Star-Fleet? Do you have a ship that he/she will be joining?

Roger :
Well my Catt is still on Challenger pending completing the graduation thread and a few side sims. My original char concept is now assigned to the AA and is causing mischief before she has even set foot on the ship. I have a application for another character pending. While I was hoping to start slow I have plan’s to place a character on the Manny, if there is room, so I can interact with Catt’s character which is what brought me to the club. Maybe that’ll be my Catt as that would be hilarious to me at least.

Wisowl :
Do you plan to branch out in your rping experience with multiple ships and/or races?

Roger :
I will happily play any race except Human or Tellerite. I will play any service branch except Medical. In the two days since graduation I have two new characters activated. Ranlei A Green Orion Eng on the AA and M’Nalie a Caitus Primalus Giganticus on the Ogawa. And Catt my Caitian is finishing up posts on the Challenger.

Wiseowl :
What is your favorite race in Star Trek, and why?

Roger:
Caitian. I am a Cat person. As a pagan Baast is my totemic Goddess so to speak. My Fursona is a Tiger. Most of my artwork is drawing cat people. Sadly my art rarely pleases me enough to share it.

Wiseowl:
Which show generation of Star Trek is your favorite, and why?

Roger :
TOS. While TNG etc are good shows. They are not TOS. It’s not really TNG fault it’s just that the political climate of the 60’s was turbulent. Television was avoiding talking about the issues. Even the news white washed things. Then there was Star Trek which told you racism, sexism, etc were bad. Morality stories redressed as sci fi. War was evil. Violence was no solution. These were things America needed to hear. Now TNG might of tried one episode a season to address social issues. But they usually wimped out. Not till DS9 did we get the real feel that this is what Trek is supposed to be.
And DS9 ranks #2 on my list. But TOS had the guts to stand on the side of the angels when the world most needed it. Blessed be Gene Roddenberry. We miss you.

Wiseowl:
Thank you so much, Roger for sitting down with me! I have greatly enjoyed hearing about your Academy experience and your very interesting take on rping and Star Trek in general. :)