I hope everyone is doing well and I know it has been a moment since I have posted one of these. In this installment of posting etiquette, I want to talk about characters. This will include different races to include picking one to play and thoughts about how to play the character; also developing your back story. So, I am going to use all my characters on the ship and two that are on other ships in the fleet.

First, I want to let everyone know that any cannon race in Star Trek is open to play except for a couple. Q for example is one that cannot be played except by a GM and there are a few others. When thinking about a character “outside the box” please let the CO of the ship know so he can help decide if this is a viable race to play. I, for one, always talk to the GM about “out of the box” characters to get confirmation.

Some of the basic characters that are played are Humans, Vulcans, Bajorians, Batazoids, and Klingons. Other less used races are Orions, Aurelian’s, Trill, and many others. Each of these have their little intricacies and quirks such as how they speak and how they act. I will talk about a few of the major ones, but I recommend watching shows and reading about how they walk, talk and act.

Let’s start with Humans or Terrans. This character can be played any way and to any extent, within reason, and I recommend this race for anyone just starting out because you can invent yourself. Humans are found in every department. An example of humans is the Scottish characters, like Scotty from the original series, with their dialects, mannerisms and connection with engineering.

Next, we will talk about Vulcans. These characters are smart, logical and direct. Sometimes when they talk it may seem brash or condescending, but they do not mean it. Emotions are vacant with this race and have taken oaths to this fact. Vulcans are seen in any department. An example of Vulcans is Spock from the Original Series or Tuvok and Vorik from Voyager.

The last race I am going to talk about is Klingons. This character is brash and head strong; they are muscular that come from a warrior culture. Klingons are quick to a conclusion and try to confront everything as a test of strength. They also put a large emphasis on family and family lineage. The major character to look as is Worf from The Next Generation.

So, these are some of the races that can be played in character and by far is not a be all know all on how to play your character, just a glance at characters and character development. If anyone wants to add anything to this, please do. I hope this helps everyone out.

Your Captain,
Rick Gruby