A futuristic, three-tiered podium with black and red bases, each displaying the Independence Fleet logo in large white letters. The top tier features the fleet's logo, a stylized star with a purple hue, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The podiums sit on a checkerboard floor, giving the scene a modern, sleek look.

Monthly Awards: December 2020

What a great way to close out a dreadful year: with monthly awards! Before we reveal the winners, I want to announce a change for next month’s awards:

Starting in January, we will be awarding two Best Posts each month: One for a single author post and one for a joint post. Sim Commanding Officers will be eligible for the joint post version. This is a result of your feedback and several discussions over the last few months. We heard you!

Now, on to the the December winners:

Best Post

Lt. Cmdr. Tyroh Vantic
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Liberty

For “Cultural Exchange pt.2”

While there were multiple excellent submissions for Best Post this month, it’s clear that this writer is very familiar with the post’s subject matter: martial arts. It’s one of those rare posts that truly develops a character, providing a great baseline to be used in future missions.


Funniest Post

 Lt. Anna Thesia & Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Chief Medical Officer / Computer Systems Specialist
USS Liberty

For “Cocoa”

A woman dressed like a tree and wearing [EDITED]less chaps… hard to beat this post for straight up humor.


Genesis

Captain Abe Polto
Commanding Officer
USS Eminence

For “Briefing”

New crew, new captain, and a traditional Genesis post: Solid all around.


MVP

Lt. Anna Thesia
Chief Medical Officer
USS Liberty

The Liberty’s intrepid Doctor built upon her Rookie award last month and has engaged every player onboard for a joint post, drawing the already tight crew even closer together. She is motivating, engaging, and a lovely person to write with.


Most Posts

Lt. Anna Thesia
Chief Medical Officer
USS Liberty

For writing 26 posts.


Most Improved

Lt. Cmdr. Tyroh Vantic
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Liberty

Vantic returned from a leave of absence with a delightful 4 posts, jumping straight into the organic and detailed storyline without hesitation. A seasoned player from the old days of IDF, it is an honor to have him back onboard.


Rookie of the Month

Lieutenant JG Steven Wright
Encryption Specialist
USS Chuck Norris

Joining at the beginning of December, Wright made a great impression with both Captain and crew through his posts and shows great promise for future growth.


Recruitment

None this month!


Thanks again for another great month, and don’t forget about the change with Best Post for January. You can read more about all of the awards here.

A futuristic, three-tiered podium with black and red bases, each displaying the Independence Fleet logo in large white letters. The top tier features the fleet's logo, a stylized star with a purple hue, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The podiums sit on a checkerboard floor, giving the scene a modern, sleek look.

Monthly Awards: June 2020

When it comes to awards, it’s certainly tough to follow the Hall of Fame. However, we’re still going to try. The show must go on! Here are your June 2020 award winners:

Best Post

Ensign Balen Pibb
Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For “Tantrums about”
A funny little interaction that moves the plot forward more than meets the eye.


Funniest Post

Lt. Mackenzie Graham & Lt. Donovan Steele
Chief Medical Officer/Chief Operations Officer
USS Ganymede

For “Steele a moment”
Crewmembers meeting each other for the first time. Sometimes it’s big, sometimes it’s not.


Genesis

Capt. Shran dh’Klar & Lt. L’Rissa & Lt. Deanna Celes
Commanding Officer/Flight Control Officer/Operations Officer
USS Washington

For “Curiosity Has Risks”
It may be simple, but I’m sure of one thing: This is going to be a great mission.


MVP

Lt. Cmdr. Aliss Springs
Head Nurse
USS Eminence

Springs kept the story going and single-handedly saved this sim after both the CO and XO quit. She also recruited new players and now the game is humming along.


Most Posts

Commander Samantha Howard
Chief Medical Officer
USS Washington

For writing 7 posts.


Most Improved

Lt. Cmdr. Estella Stratton
Chief Counselor
USS Washington

Stratton took it upon herself to push hard into the mission, showcased leadership skills, and did some excellent writing.


Recruitment

Lt. Cmdr. Aliss Springs
Head Nurse
USS Eminence

As mentioned earlier, Arliss recruited several members to the Eminence and this game is doing some great things now.


Maybe we have a few future Hall of Famers in our list above. Only time will tell. I take that back, I think we do have some Hall of Famers here! Keep writing and keep having fun.

A futuristic campus scene featuring people conversing on a balcony overlooking a lush courtyard with trees, pathways, and landscaped gardens. In the distance, domed buildings and a flag bearing the emblem of the United Federation of Planets are visible near the waterfront. The Golden Gate Bridge spans the background under a partly cloudy sky.

Admiralty Restructuring

With Fleet Admiral West’s retirement and my move into the role of Commander-in-Chief, I’ll need to make a few shifts of fleet leadership. The following changes are to take effect immediately:

  • I have reluctantly accepted Rear-Admiral Sadie Stanton’s resignation as Director of Art due to her real life time constraints. We thank Rear-Admiral Stanton from the bottom of our hearts for the outstanding work she’s done to give IDF a unique look to fill our niche within the community. She was recently awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for her service.
  • Vice-Admiral Ken Gillis is hereby promoted to Admiral and will take on an updated title: Chief of Technology. This new rank and role reflect technology’s ever-growing importance in fleet operations. Tech is the backbone of our fleet, and it’s all been Admiral Gillis. He was also awarded the Distinguished Service Medal last month.
  • The Chief of Fleet Operations position that I vacated will remain unfilled. Since our fleet is still small, all sims will continue to report directly to me. Rear-Admiral Bolak and Rear-Admiral James “Rook” Mirtoh will also continue to report to me.
  • IDF has traditionally not had an official Executive Officer (XO) position. Instead, usually a Deputy Commander-in-Chief or Chief of Fleet Operations fills the role as a de-facto fleet XO. Given the rise of technology’s importance as outlined earlier, Admiral Gillis will fill this position in his Chief of Technology role.
  • Captain Abe Polto officially assumed command of the USS Eminence on July 1st after Captain Caymen Greener’s resignation. We thank Captain Greener for helping us create this wonderful game and look forward to the new adventures Captain Polto will lead.
  • Starbase Mikia has left the fleet. Their final post was on May 1st.

In administrivia news, as of August 1st, all prior fleet bans and censures will be officially overturned. The third and ninth censures are hereby overturned immediately. While such lists served their purpose in the past, they are simply no longer needed today. Individual sim membership will be left to the sim COs.

P.S.–Still the old signature, I know.

Adm McMahon P.S. — What old signature?

The bridge of a futuristic starship, designed with a circular seating arrangement. In the center, a large, command chair is surrounded by four other seats, all with ergonomic, cream-colored upholstery. The curved ceiling has a series of geometric panels with ambient lighting. Behind the seats, large control consoles with touch-screen interfaces are mounted on the walls. Two doorways and an elevator are visible on either side of the bridge.

The Good Ole Days: Right Now

I often think back to my original time in IDF, the fleet’s classical era in the 2000s. I remember them as the good ole’ days. The same for the renaissance period of the early 2010s. In reality, I was only a member of the fleet for about two and a half years during my first stint, and then I was Chief of Fleet Operations for less than a year and a half 2010-12. They both were fleeting moments, but I recall them much differently. No pun intended.

To quote Andy Bernard from the finale episode of The Office: “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”

So it is with IDF: These are the good ole’ days! Over the last few months, we’ve rebuilt our community, reestablished our Star Trek lore, and even played the old Super Space Command 3000 joke again. What a time it is! We’re right in the middle of the good ole’ days and our best years are yet to come. Cherish the moments we have now to write Trek with our fellow crewmembers. The future is limited only by our own imaginations.

On that note, I would like to bid a happy retirement to Fleet Admiral James D. West. Without him, there would be no IDF: He was one of our three founders and has been instrumental in leading our rebuild this year. To me, he’s been a mentor, a rival, a friend, and much more. To everyone else, he’s one of the all-time greats, not just within IDF, but for the entire simming and online role playing community.

In that light, I accept the authority and responsibility as Independence Fleet’s Commander-in-Chief and General Executive Director. As my first official act, I hereby permanently retire the Fleet Admiral rank. No one else can ever fill West’s shoes, so no one else will ever wear his rank either. Furthermore, Fleet Admiral West will always be the most senior historical member of this club.

Farewell, Fleet Admiral!

P.S.–Yes, I do need a new signature block.

A futuristic, three-tiered podium with black and red bases, each displaying the Independence Fleet logo in large white letters. The top tier features the fleet's logo, a stylized star with a purple hue, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The podiums sit on a checkerboard floor, giving the scene a modern, sleek look.

Monthly Awards: May 2020

We had a slower month than normal for May. However, we’re not without awards! Congratulations to the winners!

Best Post

Lt. Cmdr. Finchley Kerr
Executive Officer
USS Eminence

For “Something old, something new…”
A perfect intro for a sim set in Star Trek: Picard. It hits all the right notes, setting up the adventure to come.


Funniest Post

Cmdr. Aurther Winters
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For “Down to the Surface”
A reality show camera crew on a starship?!? Only on the Chuck Norris.


MVP

Cmdr. Samantha Howard
Chief Medical Officer
USS Washington

Howard did it all during May. She pushed the story forward and helped mentor some of the newer crewmembers.


Most Posts

Cmdr. Samantha Howard
Chief Medical Officer
USS Washington

For writing 8 posts.


Most Improved

Ens. John Wyatt
Intelligence Officer
USS Chuck Norris

Wyatt continued his progression as a role player and showed excellent collaboration through 5 posts.


We didn’t have a Genesis, Rookie of the Month, or Recruitment award this month. I hope that changes for June!

Banner image of the USS Eminence, registry NCC-90008, a sleek, futuristic starship depicted at warp speed against a streaking starfield backdrop. The ship’s dark angular hull is prominently displayed, giving a sense of rapid motion and cutting-edge design. The text “USS Eminence” and “NCC-90008” appears in bold white font on the left and right sides, respectively, all framed by a thin purple border.

USS Eminence Launches

Star Trek: Picard has arrived in role play: The USS Eminence commanded by Captain Caymen Greener. The ship is a Saber-class scout/patrol vessel assigned to the former border areas with the Romulan Empire a few months prior to the events of Star Trek: Picard in 2399.

While the sim is set near the old Romulan border, it will not exclusively run Romulan-based missions. Captain Greener has a lot of great ideas for this game, and it will only get better and better as both the crew and the series continue to build the lore.

If you would like to join simming’s cutting edge while still honoring Star Trek’s past, join the Eminence today!