Dammit man, I'm a superhero, not a sausage!
CIVILIAN LIFE:
Q1. Name: Lissa
Q2. How did you find out about Elite of the Fleet? ryokophoenix mentioned it in a post, and it sounded like something I would be really interested in.
Q3. When did you first become interested in Star Trek? Oh, when I was born. I have watched Star Trek ever since I can remember. I used to demand that my mom put in her VHS recording of Shore Leave on for me to watch. Later, the two of use watched TNG together, and then DS9 and Voyager.
Q4. Why have you decided to join Elite of the Fleet? I'm in whedonland and love the set up. Star Trek is even more near and dear to my heart than the Buffyverse. I'm not worried about spreading myself thin, since I only work part-time.
Q5. Who is your favourite Star Trek character? Well, my favourite when I was a little girl was Scotty, and my love for him was rekindled in the new movie. The new movie also gave me a deep appreciation for Uhura. My love for her multiplied exponentially when they talked about how she was a linguist, since I am one as well. TOS/Reboot aside, however, I really like Dr. Bashir from DS9, and the relationships he has with O'Brien and Garak.
Q6. And the least? Out of all the major Star Trek characters, I would have to say Worf. There are characters I like less than him, but none so major. I adore Michael Dorn, but there was just something about Worf that bored me most of the time, and irritated me at others.
Q7. Which television (or film) series is your favourite? Deep Space Nine is my favourite. I like how the stationary setting gave it less of a "alien of the week" feel, and allowed more time for strong character arcs and plots with a long frame. I also enjoyed the characters and their interactions with each other. It was interesting to see long term characters who were not part of Starfleet, and how they felt about them. I enjoyed the plethora of noir episodes DS9 had as well. I also feel that a strong point of the show was the deep friendships the characters developed with each other.
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STARFLEET LIFE:
Q8. What do you hope to gain from your service in Starfleet? A sense of community and an opportunity to hone my skills. I enjoy keeping busy, and that includes everything from real life work to making graphics and writing fiction. Star Trek has been such a large part of my entire life, I look forward to being able to interact with a community of people who also love the show and movies.
From a character perspective: There is nothing I like more than meeting new people and learning about their culture and interacting with them in their own environment. Space is also equal parts intriguing and terrifying in its vastness. The chance to explore that space, and to find other species who are also exploring, is an amazing opportunity.
Q9. Is there any occupation in Starfleet you feel you would be particularly unsuited for? I don't think I would be particularly unsuited for any of them, though if I had to pick one, I would say Tactics. My desire to keep busy sometimes means that I rush into something because I can't stand to stand around to wait and debate what to do--I just do it.
Q10. The four current Academic Tracks at the Academy are Tactics, Operations, Exploratory Sciences and Medical Sciences. Describe how you could be an asset to each of these departments.
Tactical: While I'm not sure I have a good tactical mind, I don't mind taking charge of a situation when necessary. I can command respect and attention when necessary. However, my true strength lies in my navigation and, to a lesser extent, my piloting. I never get lost; I have a very good innate sense of direction and find it very easy to picture my location on a map in my head. I enjoy driving and discovering new locations and new routes and paths.
Operations: While I'm not very mechanically minded, I'm perfectly capable of basic mechanical tasks. I also find people and languages fascinating, and have studied semantics, sociolinguistics, Gricean maxims, and other facets of linguistics, all which are an asset to any diplomatic communications. I have training and experience in intercultural communications, as well. I am very organized, and always meet deadlines and work hard to help others meet deadlines as well. I love making lists, charts, and anything else that will help keep myself and others organized.
Exploratory Sciences: I find astronomy very interesting, and think that animals and plants are fascinating in their diversity. While I am not very skilled in mathematics, that is from a lack of motivation, not ability. I have done well in my science and math classes, although I confess none of them grabbed my attention. I enjoy the logical aspects of these fields, however, and enjoy how everything in the sciences is really a puzzle to solve, you just need to know what the pieces are. I will happily work on logic puzzles or equations if they are placed in front of me. I have the ability to achieve in these fields and the drive to make it happen if this is where I am placed.
Medical: My most important asset in this field is my ability to keep a clear head and a calm mind during a medical emergency. There is time to panic afterward, but during the emergency, your feelings and paranoias and phobias are a distant second to getting that person the help that they need. While I know from experience that it is terrifying to see anyone, especially a loved one, having a medical emergency, it is important to be able to ignore your needs and focus on theirs until the crisis is past. I am also someone that my friends go to for advice, because they know that I will tell them the truth, and then stand by them to help them through it. I dislike useless platitudes, they aren't actually helping the person you are trying to help. You support them, you listen to them, and you offer advice if they want it, if not, you are there as a shoulder to cry on and as a pillar of support.
Q11. What are your top five strengths?
01. I am responsible. If I say I will do something, I will do it. If I accept responsibility for something, I will take care of it. I will be on time, and will have read through all of the rules and regulations carefully before asking any questions.
02. I am clever. I know this sounds like I have an ego, but it's true. I can work through puzzles quickly, and find solutions to problems. I can see patterns and develop ways of keeping track of them.
03. I'm friendly. I genuinely enjoy talking to people and learning about them. I won't walk up to a complete stranger and become best friends with them, but when put in a group of people and asked to interact, I will be friendly, polite, and genuinely interested in them. I think people are fascinating, and I love asking questions about everyone and how they grew up, and what their life is like, and what it's like where they live, and what did they think of this-or-that.
04. I can roll with the punches. While I'm generally pretty organized, if something comes up to disrupt my organization or schedule, I can easily adapt and not be bothered by it. Life happens! Things aren't set in stone, and I can be flexible.
05.I can be respectful when I disagree with you. Especially in this day and age, I feel that this is an asset. I have my opinions, many of which I am convinced should be facts. However, I acknowledge that people have minds of their own, and their own reasons for believing how they do. While I am not afraid to disagree, I can recognized when it is the time and place to do so, and when it is better for me to shut the hell up and smile and nod. When I do voice disagreement, I can do so in a calm manner that endeavors to keep emotions out of it. I never resort to name-calling or personal attacks. I can separate the opinion from the person.
Q12. What are your top five weaknesses?
01. While I believe I am friendly, I know I can come across as cold. I have sadly been accused of being an ice queen. While I firmly believe that this is due more to introvertedness than unfriendliness, some people won't look any deeper than the surface.
02. I get distracted easily. I meet my deadlines, but I will have made several detours along the way. I enjoy making connections to things, but that means that I sometimes get distracted and end up reading about Henry VIII when I had started reading about the H1N1 virus.
03. I need lots of alone time. While I enjoy people, I generally enjoy people in small doses. Spending entire days with people can leave me exhausted, and I need lots of quiet, creative time to recuperate.
04. Vanity. I don't mean that I think I belong on People's Most Beautiful People list, instead that I am apprehensive about getting older and not looking the way I do now. Wrinkles, saggy skin, thinning hair--these are all things that really bother me even though I know that aging is perfectly normal, it still bothers me that it's going to happen to ME, and not just other people.
05. I can miss the details. I often am so focused on the big picture, that I miss the small details that make things worthwhile. While I can recite movie plots, I often can't remember the little details that other people love. I can't recall quotes, or small visual details. I'm a big picture type of person, and I feel that means that I'm missing out on a lot.
Q13. What is your biggest fear? Disappointing the people that I care about. I hate letting people down, and when I think that I have, it can cause this terrible knot in my stomach. I often worry that my family thinks that I'm useless, or that I will let somebody down by breaking a promise that I made.
Q14. Do you consider yourself to be a leader, or a follower? I consider myself to be an amazing second-in-command. :-) I don't have a problem taking a leadership role if that's the only way things will get done, but I prefer to stand just off to the side, and offer support to everyone.
Q15. What do you admire the most in your peers? I admire the fact that they can be strong in areas in which I'm not, that they can work together to form a whole that gets things done. I love how people can quickly get together, find out their talents and interests, and accomplish amazing things. People can go from individual units, living their own lives, to forming large groups that work like clockwork. It's simply amazing.
Q16. You are stranded on a Class M planet that has not been mapped by The Federation. You are only allowed to choose two of the following items to keep with you: a phaser, a tricorder or a communicator. Which two would you choose to have? Communicator. I have no use for a phaser (I would probably shoot rustling leaves) and between the tricorder and communicator, I feel that I could accomplish a lot, including working on getting rescued. There are ways of protecting yourself on a planet other than a phaser, but the tricorder and communicator are much much harder to replicate using natural materials.
Q17. Please describe your understanding of the Federation’s Prime Directive. DON'T GET INVOLVED. The Federation is not there to lead other worlds into the spaceship age. They need to develop on their own, without outside influence. We are not there to interfere at all, even in a positive way, with any planet that has not, on its own, developed warp technology. When interference is necessary, such as in an emergency, it should be done as quickly and quietly as possible, in order to let the planet continue on its path.
Q18. The United Federation of Planets includes more than 150 member planets, and the galaxy has many more besides. Which planet do you most want to visit? The recreation planet in the Omicron Delta system, as seen in the TOS episode Shore Leave. I have wanted to go there for over twenty years. It was the first non-Earth planet I can remember hearing about, and I would love to see it in person. Also, I'm quite interested in what would appear for me on the planet.
________________________________
KOBAYASHI MARU:
The following questions describe situations you may commonly find yourself in as a member of Starfleet. You will be read the scenario, and then given two options to choose from. You may expand upon the reasons for your choice, but you must indicate one of the two that you feel best describes your likely response to the situation provided.
Q19. Service in the Fleet can be draining at the best of times, and on one particular day everything seems to have gone wrong. You’re exhausted, but your shift is finally over and it’s time to unwind. Your roommate is already on their bed when you get back to your quarters. Do you:
b. Say hi, then stick in some earphones for music or grab a PADD for some recreational reading. A lie-down sounds pretty good right now, or maybe a bit of time relaxing on the observation deck - it should be pretty quiet by this time, which will give you a chance to sort through the day’s events in your head.
I unwind best on my own, by reading or working on a personal project while listening to music. I prefer to wait to be social until after I've had time to unwind from a long day.
Q20. You’ve intercepted what sounds like a pretty important transmission - you feel like the Captain needs to know. When you report, do you:
a. Give them all the facts: what it said, what the voice sounded like, where the inflection was, the language it was in, and so on. Details and facts are the important part, everything else is subjective.
The Captain is in charge, not me. If asked for my personal interpretation or thoughts on potential implications, I will happily give them, I might even offer them. But the facts come first, to allow others to make a judgment without my influence.
Q21. There are many decisions to be made in Starfleet, and some are harder than others. Faced with a decision where things could go wrong in any number of ways, do you:
a. Stay impersonal and objective. Weigh up the pros and cons, think out all the possibilities, and focus on the basic truths. A careful analysis of the situation will reveal the best possible choice, even though some may not approve of it.
This is honestly mostly self-preservation. Allowing judgments to be influenced by feeling is asking for pain if something goes wrong. If you are impersonal and objective, you can base your decision on the facts, and be able to back that decision up with something other than "my gut told me to." It sounds harsh, and I'm sure it, but I feel that, in the long wrong, it is the only way to be able to cope with continually making long-lasting decisions that impact everyone.
Q22. The day-to-day life of Starfleet can be quite arduous at times, and quite exciting at others. Everyone has their own way of approaching everyday work, but would others see your approach as:
b. Flexible and spontaneous. Others think you prefer to adapt to the world around you rather than organise it. You seem to be more comfortable staying open to information and experiences rather than making decisions immediately. You appear fairly casual, working in bursts and motivated by deadlines.
This was the hardest one to answer, as I can work both ways. But, on the whole, I would prefer things to be more adaptable. I don't mind remaking lists, or forming malleable plans. Organisation is well and good, but adaptability is important. I am happy to work in both environments, but I have do have a preference for more casual.
Q23. You can earn 5 points for your future Track by promoting the community in your Journal. Please link the post here if you wish to do so:
Q1. Name: Lissa
Q2. How did you find out about Elite of the Fleet? ryokophoenix mentioned it in a post, and it sounded like something I would be really interested in.
Q3. When did you first become interested in Star Trek? Oh, when I was born. I have watched Star Trek ever since I can remember. I used to demand that my mom put in her VHS recording of Shore Leave on for me to watch. Later, the two of use watched TNG together, and then DS9 and Voyager.
Q4. Why have you decided to join Elite of the Fleet? I'm in whedonland and love the set up. Star Trek is even more near and dear to my heart than the Buffyverse. I'm not worried about spreading myself thin, since I only work part-time.
Q5. Who is your favourite Star Trek character? Well, my favourite when I was a little girl was Scotty, and my love for him was rekindled in the new movie. The new movie also gave me a deep appreciation for Uhura. My love for her multiplied exponentially when they talked about how she was a linguist, since I am one as well. TOS/Reboot aside, however, I really like Dr. Bashir from DS9, and the relationships he has with O'Brien and Garak.
Q6. And the least? Out of all the major Star Trek characters, I would have to say Worf. There are characters I like less than him, but none so major. I adore Michael Dorn, but there was just something about Worf that bored me most of the time, and irritated me at others.
Q7. Which television (or film) series is your favourite? Deep Space Nine is my favourite. I like how the stationary setting gave it less of a "alien of the week" feel, and allowed more time for strong character arcs and plots with a long frame. I also enjoyed the characters and their interactions with each other. It was interesting to see long term characters who were not part of Starfleet, and how they felt about them. I enjoyed the plethora of noir episodes DS9 had as well. I also feel that a strong point of the show was the deep friendships the characters developed with each other.
________________________________
STARFLEET LIFE:
Q8. What do you hope to gain from your service in Starfleet? A sense of community and an opportunity to hone my skills. I enjoy keeping busy, and that includes everything from real life work to making graphics and writing fiction. Star Trek has been such a large part of my entire life, I look forward to being able to interact with a community of people who also love the show and movies.
From a character perspective: There is nothing I like more than meeting new people and learning about their culture and interacting with them in their own environment. Space is also equal parts intriguing and terrifying in its vastness. The chance to explore that space, and to find other species who are also exploring, is an amazing opportunity.
Q9. Is there any occupation in Starfleet you feel you would be particularly unsuited for? I don't think I would be particularly unsuited for any of them, though if I had to pick one, I would say Tactics. My desire to keep busy sometimes means that I rush into something because I can't stand to stand around to wait and debate what to do--I just do it.
Q10. The four current Academic Tracks at the Academy are Tactics, Operations, Exploratory Sciences and Medical Sciences. Describe how you could be an asset to each of these departments.
Tactical: While I'm not sure I have a good tactical mind, I don't mind taking charge of a situation when necessary. I can command respect and attention when necessary. However, my true strength lies in my navigation and, to a lesser extent, my piloting. I never get lost; I have a very good innate sense of direction and find it very easy to picture my location on a map in my head. I enjoy driving and discovering new locations and new routes and paths.
Operations: While I'm not very mechanically minded, I'm perfectly capable of basic mechanical tasks. I also find people and languages fascinating, and have studied semantics, sociolinguistics, Gricean maxims, and other facets of linguistics, all which are an asset to any diplomatic communications. I have training and experience in intercultural communications, as well. I am very organized, and always meet deadlines and work hard to help others meet deadlines as well. I love making lists, charts, and anything else that will help keep myself and others organized.
Exploratory Sciences: I find astronomy very interesting, and think that animals and plants are fascinating in their diversity. While I am not very skilled in mathematics, that is from a lack of motivation, not ability. I have done well in my science and math classes, although I confess none of them grabbed my attention. I enjoy the logical aspects of these fields, however, and enjoy how everything in the sciences is really a puzzle to solve, you just need to know what the pieces are. I will happily work on logic puzzles or equations if they are placed in front of me. I have the ability to achieve in these fields and the drive to make it happen if this is where I am placed.
Medical: My most important asset in this field is my ability to keep a clear head and a calm mind during a medical emergency. There is time to panic afterward, but during the emergency, your feelings and paranoias and phobias are a distant second to getting that person the help that they need. While I know from experience that it is terrifying to see anyone, especially a loved one, having a medical emergency, it is important to be able to ignore your needs and focus on theirs until the crisis is past. I am also someone that my friends go to for advice, because they know that I will tell them the truth, and then stand by them to help them through it. I dislike useless platitudes, they aren't actually helping the person you are trying to help. You support them, you listen to them, and you offer advice if they want it, if not, you are there as a shoulder to cry on and as a pillar of support.
Q11. What are your top five strengths?
01. I am responsible. If I say I will do something, I will do it. If I accept responsibility for something, I will take care of it. I will be on time, and will have read through all of the rules and regulations carefully before asking any questions.
02. I am clever. I know this sounds like I have an ego, but it's true. I can work through puzzles quickly, and find solutions to problems. I can see patterns and develop ways of keeping track of them.
03. I'm friendly. I genuinely enjoy talking to people and learning about them. I won't walk up to a complete stranger and become best friends with them, but when put in a group of people and asked to interact, I will be friendly, polite, and genuinely interested in them. I think people are fascinating, and I love asking questions about everyone and how they grew up, and what their life is like, and what it's like where they live, and what did they think of this-or-that.
04. I can roll with the punches. While I'm generally pretty organized, if something comes up to disrupt my organization or schedule, I can easily adapt and not be bothered by it. Life happens! Things aren't set in stone, and I can be flexible.
05.I can be respectful when I disagree with you. Especially in this day and age, I feel that this is an asset. I have my opinions, many of which I am convinced should be facts. However, I acknowledge that people have minds of their own, and their own reasons for believing how they do. While I am not afraid to disagree, I can recognized when it is the time and place to do so, and when it is better for me to shut the hell up and smile and nod. When I do voice disagreement, I can do so in a calm manner that endeavors to keep emotions out of it. I never resort to name-calling or personal attacks. I can separate the opinion from the person.
Q12. What are your top five weaknesses?
01. While I believe I am friendly, I know I can come across as cold. I have sadly been accused of being an ice queen. While I firmly believe that this is due more to introvertedness than unfriendliness, some people won't look any deeper than the surface.
02. I get distracted easily. I meet my deadlines, but I will have made several detours along the way. I enjoy making connections to things, but that means that I sometimes get distracted and end up reading about Henry VIII when I had started reading about the H1N1 virus.
03. I need lots of alone time. While I enjoy people, I generally enjoy people in small doses. Spending entire days with people can leave me exhausted, and I need lots of quiet, creative time to recuperate.
04. Vanity. I don't mean that I think I belong on People's Most Beautiful People list, instead that I am apprehensive about getting older and not looking the way I do now. Wrinkles, saggy skin, thinning hair--these are all things that really bother me even though I know that aging is perfectly normal, it still bothers me that it's going to happen to ME, and not just other people.
05. I can miss the details. I often am so focused on the big picture, that I miss the small details that make things worthwhile. While I can recite movie plots, I often can't remember the little details that other people love. I can't recall quotes, or small visual details. I'm a big picture type of person, and I feel that means that I'm missing out on a lot.
Q13. What is your biggest fear? Disappointing the people that I care about. I hate letting people down, and when I think that I have, it can cause this terrible knot in my stomach. I often worry that my family thinks that I'm useless, or that I will let somebody down by breaking a promise that I made.
Q14. Do you consider yourself to be a leader, or a follower? I consider myself to be an amazing second-in-command. :-) I don't have a problem taking a leadership role if that's the only way things will get done, but I prefer to stand just off to the side, and offer support to everyone.
Q15. What do you admire the most in your peers? I admire the fact that they can be strong in areas in which I'm not, that they can work together to form a whole that gets things done. I love how people can quickly get together, find out their talents and interests, and accomplish amazing things. People can go from individual units, living their own lives, to forming large groups that work like clockwork. It's simply amazing.
Q16. You are stranded on a Class M planet that has not been mapped by The Federation. You are only allowed to choose two of the following items to keep with you: a phaser, a tricorder or a communicator. Which two would you choose to have? Communicator. I have no use for a phaser (I would probably shoot rustling leaves) and between the tricorder and communicator, I feel that I could accomplish a lot, including working on getting rescued. There are ways of protecting yourself on a planet other than a phaser, but the tricorder and communicator are much much harder to replicate using natural materials.
Q17. Please describe your understanding of the Federation’s Prime Directive. DON'T GET INVOLVED. The Federation is not there to lead other worlds into the spaceship age. They need to develop on their own, without outside influence. We are not there to interfere at all, even in a positive way, with any planet that has not, on its own, developed warp technology. When interference is necessary, such as in an emergency, it should be done as quickly and quietly as possible, in order to let the planet continue on its path.
Q18. The United Federation of Planets includes more than 150 member planets, and the galaxy has many more besides. Which planet do you most want to visit? The recreation planet in the Omicron Delta system, as seen in the TOS episode Shore Leave. I have wanted to go there for over twenty years. It was the first non-Earth planet I can remember hearing about, and I would love to see it in person. Also, I'm quite interested in what would appear for me on the planet.
________________________________
KOBAYASHI MARU:
The following questions describe situations you may commonly find yourself in as a member of Starfleet. You will be read the scenario, and then given two options to choose from. You may expand upon the reasons for your choice, but you must indicate one of the two that you feel best describes your likely response to the situation provided.
Q19. Service in the Fleet can be draining at the best of times, and on one particular day everything seems to have gone wrong. You’re exhausted, but your shift is finally over and it’s time to unwind. Your roommate is already on their bed when you get back to your quarters. Do you:
b. Say hi, then stick in some earphones for music or grab a PADD for some recreational reading. A lie-down sounds pretty good right now, or maybe a bit of time relaxing on the observation deck - it should be pretty quiet by this time, which will give you a chance to sort through the day’s events in your head.
I unwind best on my own, by reading or working on a personal project while listening to music. I prefer to wait to be social until after I've had time to unwind from a long day.
Q20. You’ve intercepted what sounds like a pretty important transmission - you feel like the Captain needs to know. When you report, do you:
a. Give them all the facts: what it said, what the voice sounded like, where the inflection was, the language it was in, and so on. Details and facts are the important part, everything else is subjective.
The Captain is in charge, not me. If asked for my personal interpretation or thoughts on potential implications, I will happily give them, I might even offer them. But the facts come first, to allow others to make a judgment without my influence.
Q21. There are many decisions to be made in Starfleet, and some are harder than others. Faced with a decision where things could go wrong in any number of ways, do you:
a. Stay impersonal and objective. Weigh up the pros and cons, think out all the possibilities, and focus on the basic truths. A careful analysis of the situation will reveal the best possible choice, even though some may not approve of it.
This is honestly mostly self-preservation. Allowing judgments to be influenced by feeling is asking for pain if something goes wrong. If you are impersonal and objective, you can base your decision on the facts, and be able to back that decision up with something other than "my gut told me to." It sounds harsh, and I'm sure it, but I feel that, in the long wrong, it is the only way to be able to cope with continually making long-lasting decisions that impact everyone.
Q22. The day-to-day life of Starfleet can be quite arduous at times, and quite exciting at others. Everyone has their own way of approaching everyday work, but would others see your approach as:
b. Flexible and spontaneous. Others think you prefer to adapt to the world around you rather than organise it. You seem to be more comfortable staying open to information and experiences rather than making decisions immediately. You appear fairly casual, working in bursts and motivated by deadlines.
This was the hardest one to answer, as I can work both ways. But, on the whole, I would prefer things to be more adaptable. I don't mind remaking lists, or forming malleable plans. Organisation is well and good, but adaptability is important. I am happy to work in both environments, but I have do have a preference for more casual.
Q23. You can earn 5 points for your future Track by promoting the community in your Journal. Please link the post here if you wish to do so: