It’s hard to believe that this is our first sim change of command since February, which I think is a real testament to the stability of our fleet. My, have we come a long way since our early days of the 2000s! Anyway, one official change to announce:
Captain Kaylia Strenvale relieved Captain Sandy “Ghost” Shannon as Commanding Officer of the USS Liberty on November 1st. A very special thank you to Captain Shannon for her outstanding leadership commanding the USS Liberty since June 2021. You might remember that she also commanded the USS Sunfire in May 2021 and was more than a good sport about the Sunfire-Liberty sim swap. Best of luck with your future simming, Captain Shannon; and welcome to the team, Captain Strenvale!
The overly flirty doctor works in a Funniest Post or a Best Post.
Best Post (Joint Post)
Capt. Akeno Misaki & Cmdr. Mashiro Munetani “Shiro” & Lt. Ileah & Lt. Rosaleen O’Donnell & Lt. Raelyn Mckenzie & Lt. Mark Johnson & Lt. JG Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok CO / XO / Y / COO / CSTO / CMO / FCO USS Wayfarer
I haven’t read a good time travel post in a while. Nicely executed!
MVP
Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell Computer Systems Specialist USS Sunfire
What doesn’t Lt. Durnell do? Always a top poster, driving the plot, and encouraging others. It’s just one of a many recognitions to a month-in and month-out superior performer.
Most Posts
Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell Computer Systems Specialist USS Sunfire
A nice detailed post about a visit to sickbay, along with a little love in the air.
Best Post (Joint Post)
Captain Shran dh’Klar & Lieutenant Commander Callie Raven-Grayson & Ensign T’Plana-hath & Ensign James Phoenix & Lieutenant Seth Travis & Lieutenant JG Tarja zh’Rhun CO / CC / IO / TO / CDO / MO USS Washington
Captain Akeno Misaki & Commander Mashiro Munetani “Shiro” & Lieutenant Rosaleen O’Donnell & Lieutenant Raelyn Mckenzie & Lieutenant Mark Johnson & Lieutenant JG Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok CO / XO / COO / CSTO / CMO / FCO USS Wayfarer
House successfully pushed the mission forward when momentum was lacking by getting others involved into the story, focusing on plot development. He also recruited the Sunfire’s newest member.
Most Posts
Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell Computer Systems Specialist USS Sunfire
If you’ve been here for any length of time, you know we’re pretty big on anniversaries. However, it’s not just about our own. Indeed, the My Favorite Trek series from our early days was the inspiration behind the 2016 Star Trek’s 50th Anniversary: Your Favorite Trek article over at Ongoing Worlds. If you’re a serious Trekkie, you might already know that today’s a pretty important day too! But if not, we have a special guest to fill you in:
This is a great holodeck scene featuring Lord of the Rings characters. A nice juxtaposition between real time events happening on the bridge while seconds are passing on the holodeck. Fun!
Funniest Post
Cmdr. Dean House & Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell CTO / CSS USS Sunfire
Nice multi-scene genesis post about time travel. Excellent use of Daniels!
MVP
Lieutenant JG Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok Flight Control Officer USS Wayfarer
The Wayfarer’s FCO had a fantastic month, leading and organizing posts while also injecting some great Klingon humor into the story.
Most Posts
Lt. Cmdr. Shoniara T’ghann-Travis Assistant Chief Medical Officer USS Washington
For writing 15 posts.
Most Improved
Lieutenant JG Aurora Vali Chief Counselor USS Sunfire
The Sunfire’s Chief Counselor had many contributions this month, but the most noticeable was moving the plot forward in creative ways that inspired other players to take some chances.
Rookie of the Month
Lieutenant Nicole Logan Chief Security/Tactical Officer USS Washington
Lt. Logan wasted no time in getting to know her fellow crewmembers, jumping immediately into the action.
Recruitment
None this month
2022 is nearly 3/4 done. Keep the great posts coming.
What a great post that sets up things well for both the plot and character development.
MVP
Lieutenant Shoniara T’ghann-Travis Assistant Chief Medical Officer USS Washington
A heavy volume of deep and detailed posts throughout the month. She collaborated with others to paint vivid portraits to advance the plot and generate enthusiasm with the rest of the crew.
Most Posts
Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell Computer Systems Specialist USS Sunfire
Congratulations to those who won some real prizes at our annual gift drawing earlier this month. Here’s the first group to place their names on the big wheel for next year…
Best Post (Single Author)
Commander Samantha Howard Chief Medical Officer USS Washington
Writing for doctors can be difficult, without constantly employing a deus ex machina to solve a problem. Spending time writing about the thinking process and coming up with a creative solution is sometimes the best kind of medical post. Love this one!
Best Post (Joint Post)
Capt. Rhenora Kaylen & Lt. Cmdr. Dean House & Lt. Ashlesha 4827/A & Ens. Kitiuas Thenis CO / 2O / COO / SO USS Sunfire
This is a very interesting subject, not seen often in Trek posts, which kept me engaged. Well written, seamless even though multiple folks contributed, and just the right mix of personal interactions with technical jargon. Well done!
Funniest Post
Lieutenant Nerex Flight Control Chief USS Eminence
Unexpected, yes, and a perfect way to get the crew going.
MVP
Lieutenant JG Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok Flight Control Officer USS Wayfarer
Lt. jg. Luna has really developed her character in a short amount of time. She expertly writes the clash of the Human/Klingon slides while easily incorporating it into the mission with the rest of the crew. A great teammate!
Most Posts
Lieutenant Anna Thesia Chief Medical Officer USS Sunfire
For writing 10 posts.
Most Improved
Lieutenant Ashlesha 4827/A Chief Operations Officer USS Sunfire
Still relatively new to the Sunfire, Lt. Ashlesha continues to involve herself in all matters of the mission and consistently offers great ideas and well written posts. She is also super easy to work with, which is always a plus.
Rookie of the Month
None this month
Recruitment
None this month
It’s hard to believe this crazy group we call IDF has now been around for 21 whole years. Here’s to 21 more!
It’s going to be near impossible to top last year’s Day of Trivia, Webcast, and special edition Message & Almanac. And that’s for good reason: 20th anniversaries are a big deal in role playing! But 21st birthdays are important too. Indeed, if Independence Fleet (IDF) was a humanoid (living in the United States), the 21st would be even more important. I’m quickly getting off track…
What did we decide to do? For our 21 years together, here are 21 facts about IDF, Star Trek and/or other topics that might change your perception of time. Modeled after two articles from Buzzfeed (here and here), we hope you enjoy the list.
But before we do that, here is a special message for this year’s anniversary:
IDF’s launch (July 4, 2001) was closer to the release of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (June 4, 1982) than it is to today: 19 years, 1 month vs. 21 years.
Ditto for the North America release of the Nintendo Entertainment System (October 18, 1985): 15 years, 8 months, 16 days.
And for the release of Windows 1.0 (November 20, 1985): 15 years, 7 months, 14 days.
And also for the release of the world’s very first website (December 20, 1990): 10 years, 6 months, 14 days.
The time from IDF’s launch on Angelfire to the registry of its first URL (July 4, 2001 – February 26, 2005) was longer than the entire run of Star Trek: The Original Series (September 8, 1966 – June 3, 1969): 3 years, 7 months, 22 days vs. 2 years, 8 months, 26 days.
The time from the registry of IDF’s first URL to officially moving to its current URL (February 26, 2005 – February 29, 2020) was longer than the entire run of the TNG/DSN/VOY television series era from the premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation to the finale of Star Trek: Voyager (September 8, 1987 – May 23, 2001): 15 years, 3 days vs. 13 years, 7 months, 25 days.
The time from moving to IDF’s current URL to today (2 years, 4 months, 5 days) is shorter than all but three periods between Star Trek movies: The Wrath of Khan to The Search for Spock (1 year, 11 months, 28 days), Generations to First Contact (2 years, 4 days), and First Contact to Insurrection (2 years, 19 days).
However, it’s longer than the time from Utopia Fleet’s founding (April 7, 1999) to IDF’s founding: 2 years, 2 months, 27 days.
Utopia Fleet’s founding was closer to the North America release of the Atari 2600 (September 11, 1977) than it is to today: 21 years, 6 months, 27 days vs. 23 years, 2 months, 27 days.
Ditto for the release of the original Star Wars movie (May 25, 1977): 21 years, 10 months, 13 days.
The time from the launch of the original USS Sunfire NCC-3935 (February 16, 2000) to IDF’s launch was longer than the entire run of Star Trek: The Animated Series (September 8, 1973 – October 12, 1974): 1 year, 4 months, 18 days vs. 1 year, 1 month, 4 days
The launch of the award-winning USS Sunfire NCC-3001-D (October 10, 2010) was closer to IDF’s founding than it is to today: 9 years, 3 months, 6 days vs. 11 years, 8 months, 24 days.
The launch of the USS Chuck Norris NCC-4005 (January 2, 2012) was closer to the first Chuck Norris facts appearing on the Internet (sometime in early 2005) than it is to today: ~7 years vs. 10 years, 6 months, 2 days.
IDF is older than the iPod (October 23, 2001),
Facebook (February 4, 2004),
YouTube (February 14, 2005),
the Microsoft Xbox (November 15, 2001),
commercially available Blu-ray Discs (June 20, 2006),
and NBA All-Star LaMelo Ball (August 22, 2001).
At IDF’s launch, Tom Brady had zero Super Bowl rings. In fact, he had only completed 1 NFL pass.
The time from IDF’s launch to today is longer than the time from The Original Series finale to The Next Generation premiere (June 3, 1969 – September 28, 1987): 21 years vs. 18 years, 3 months, 25 days.
And for a bonus, something to look forward to next year: On our 22nd Anniversary, we will be further removed from the premiere of the 2009 Star Trek film (May 8, 2009) than IDF’s launch was from the premiere of The Next Generation (September 28, 1987): 14 years, 1 month, 26 days vs. 13 years, 9 months, 6 days.
Until then, let’s keep role playing!
Oh, I almost forgot: We have another video message for this year:
One of my greatest privileges as Independence Fleet’s Commander-in-Chief is to announce the newest members of the Hall of Fame each July. These are the best of the best from throughout our history–those with exemplary service or extraordinary contributions to the fleet, according to the Hall of Fame Charter (pdf). For those who attended our 21st Anniversary Webcast on Saturday, you already know who is being inducted this year. For everyone else, it is now my great pleasure to formally introduce our Hall of Fame Class of 2022:
Inducted by Election:
Commander McGregor Blaine
of the USS Excalibur
A longtime member of the Excalibur, McGregor Blaine still managed to stand out despite being a part of arguably the greatest crew of all time. Finding his niche, he excelled in multiple areas, including writing, leadership, and recruiting. Blaine’s great breadth of contributions led to him earning five total awards, with all five being of different categories: Rookie of the Month, Recruitment, MVP, and two Post awards.
Commander Dusty Redroi
of the USS Excalibur
A member of the Excalibur, Dusty Redroi still managed to stand out despite being a part of arguably the greatest crew of all time. Making his mark with a rare combination of excellently crafted posts involving other characters and high quantity, he was instrumental to the sim’s long-term success. He won four awards over the course of his career, including Funniest Post and two Most Posts.
Captain Zingela
of the USS Washington
The personification of the team player, Zingela did all the little things to foster a cohesive and productive crew. He worked well with players of all types and styles that led to some truly great role playing. He worked his way up the chain, eventually commanding the Washington out of necessity rather than ambition. Zingela tallied five total awards, including three different Post awards and two MVPs.
Inducted by the Veterans Committee:
Admiral Savai N’gellin
of the USS Patriot
A longtime member of the Patriot, Savai N’gellin’s career spanned from IDF’s early period through the middle years. As a crewmember, he earned seven total awards, which still ranks within the top 20 all-time. N’gellin eventually joined the Admiralty and severed for several years, most notably as Director of Fleet Intelligence & Security, during some of the fleet’s most productive periods.
Captain K’lar Rasmehlier
of the USS Conqueror
A true shooting star, the late K’lar Rasmehlier commanded the Conqueror for only nine months. However, it was a nine months for the ages as he led his sim to win the fleet posting title in all nine months with consistently high numbers not seen before or since. In addition to the quantity, he led his crew on imaginative missions that allowed each player collaboratively fulfil their potential.
Congratulations to all five of our 2022 inductees! Well done, and thank you for providing a timeless example for us still role playing to follow. You will hereby forever be remembered for your extraordinary service to Independence Fleet. There are now 38 total members of this most exclusive club.
Harking back to our early history, four of the five inductees represent sims that aren’t currently in our line-up. The two from the Excalibur bring that early-era sim’s record total up to seven inductees. Incredibly, all seven simmed together on the same crew!
First, thank you to our very own Ken Gillis for hosting the anniversary webcast yesterday. An outstanding show, just like last year! He introduced our Hall of Fame class of 2022 and played two special videos. Unfortunately, those who missed it will have to wait until our official anniversary blog post tomorrow. However, we can now share who the winners of our annual prize drawing were. Here’s how it worked:
Everyone who won a monthly award over the last year had their name added to the big wheel. 1 award = 1 entry. All award fractions were rounded up. Then time to spin the wheel!
In order, they will have their choice from among the following three prizes:
From left to right: Runabout from Deep Space Nine, Horga’hn (3D print by Admiral Gillis), Phaser from The Next Generation
Congratulations to all three! Should anyone not be able to provide a US mailing address, they will be given a gift certificate for their country of residence and we’ll draw a replacement winner.
