Oct. 22, 2025, 11:36 p.m.
Edict #22
“It is possible to commit no mistake and still lose. That is not a weakness, that is life.”
Before I go into the content of this edict, I wanted to reflect on how difficult this decision has been for me.
I would love nothing more than this club to have 18 active RP’ing areas, each thriving with an engaged crew. But the reality is that we don’t currently have the numbers to sustain that level of activity. This has a knock-on effect on crew experience, character development, and the overall vibrancy of the club. It is clear that we need to reduce the number of ships to improve the quality across the club.
Reducing the number of ships is not a silver bullet — but it is a necessary short-term step if we want to strengthen the quality of what we offer and create an environment that is both welcoming to new players and fulfilling for our existing members.
I’m not blind to the emotional weight that comes with this. Every ship is the product of real effort, creativity, and community. For many, it’s also a place of pride and storytelling joy; but sometimes, despite our best efforts, we may not always win. The decommissioning of any ship is a loss, and I recognise that this decision will upset some. That’s why I’m approaching this one ship at a time, taking into account each ship’s individual situation and the general health of the club, rather than decommissioning ships en masse. But I need to balance those feelings with what I believe is in the best long-term interests of the club.
The Sojourner has played a distinctive and important role in STF’, bringing an Enterprise Era ship to the club. Despite efforts to revitalise it, activity has dwindled over the past few months to the point where it’s no longer a viable role playing area. Despite advertising for a new CO, there was no candidate that I thought suitable enough to turn the fortunes of the ship around.
It is, therefore, with regret that the SS Sojourner is to be decommissioned with immediate effect. As there is currently no CO or XO on the ship, Krys Knight is requested to inform the crew and provide them support if they wish to move their characters to other ships. The PDept is requested to support this as well. The ship’s posts are to be retained for posterity.
For the record, we did discuss whether decommissioned ships could be moved to X-Fleet if they were unique RPing areas and there was sufficient interest. It was agreed that the crew could apply for a ship of the same genre to be established in X-Fleet through extant processes. That option remains open should the Sojourner’s crew wish to establish an Enterprise Era ship in X-Fleet.
Thank you for those who have engaged in the discussion regarding the Sojourner over the last few weeks.
Yours,
Jack