Dammit, man, I'm a knitter, not a crocheter!
CIVILIAN LIFE:
Q1. Name: Jouissant
Q2. How did you find out about Elite of the Fleet? Poking around various Star Trek related communities on Livejournal.
Q3. When did you first become interested in Star Trek? I remember watching TOS in syndication as a kid and finding it really boring (blasphemy!)and seeing Generations in the theater at age 12, but I really got interested after seeing the Reboot movie, really needing to find fic to read because I just couldn't get enough of the universe, and then seeking out TOS again. I think those episodes are amazing- they just seem really earnest to me. I consider it a blessing to rediscover Trek when I did because now I actually know that online fandom is out there and there's this massive playground for me to explore.
Q4. Why have you decided to join Elite of the Fleet? I'd like to get more involved in the fandom in general-I've always tended toward lurkerdom but I'd love to find a niche of my own and Elite of the Fleet seems like a great opportunity to do that. I'd love to write regularly and share that, too.
Q5. Who is your favourite Star Trek character? Spock, definitely. I think my heart will always belong to Nimoy's Spock, but I really liked ZQ in Reboot and am looking forward to seeing where he takes the character. I'm very interested in Spock's inherent sense of conflict in balancing his human and Vulcan sides and how that plays out in both timelines.
Q6. And the least? Honestly, I wouldn't say there's a character I actively dislike, but I am most interested in the main bridge crew of TOS/Reboot.
Q7. Which television (or film) series is your favourite? The Original Series
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Q8. What do you hope to gain from your service in Starfleet? I hope to gain new experiences and make a meaningful contribution to the ideals upheld by the Federation. I'd like to meet new people and hear new points of view on all aspects of the Universe.
Q9. Is there any occupation in Starfleet you feel you would be particularly unsuited for? To be brutally honest, math and physics are not my strong suit; I'm especially bad at dealing with them under pressure, a state I'd imagine happens pretty regularly in Starfleet.
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: I'm an excellent multitasker and can keep a cool head in a crisis.
Operations: I'm a clear, forthright communicator, with a good command of language. I could see this as an asset in both communications and diplomacy. I'm also an avid historian and study media, culture, and society, so data collection/analysis involving new worlds and alien societies would be a great fit for me. I think I could make great strides in improving the Federation's relations with newly discovered worlds and their residents.
Exploratory Sciences: I love biology, particularly researching new plants and animals, and determining their relationship to planetary ecosystems. As we've seen countless times in the past, a planet's species are often integral to daily life and any sentient lifeforms tend to have a profound affect on a crew's experiences there. The ability to quickly analyze new zoological and botanical finds would be a huge asset to a team exploring previously uncharted territory.
Medical: I think I'd be best suited to psychiatry and/or psychology, as I'm an excellent listener and derive great satisfaction from helping people resolve problems or issues they may have. A crew's the mental health is hugely important to successful performance and I think this aspect of the medical department is probably one of the most vital.
Q11. What are your top five strengths?
01.Dedication- I'm very loyal to any cause I'm involved in.
02.Persistence- once I start a project, I see it through to completion, even if it's difficult.
03.Ability to communicate- I'm able to be very clear when using language and can get my point across.
04.Insight- I'm often able to clearly "read" a situation and determine the best angle from which to approach a solution to a problem.
05.Creativity-I've got a talent for thinking outside the box and coming up with unconventional solutions that just so happen to work very well.
Q12. What are your top five weaknesses?
01.Emotionalism-I'd probably frustrate a Vulcan to no end- I let my heart lead a lot of the time, and sometimes it comes back to haunt me.
02.Procrastination- I work best under pressure, so sometimes I like to artificially create that pressure by leaving things to the last minute. I always get things done in the end, but often after a lot of stress and handwringing.
03.Insecurity- I tend to take things too personally at times and worry what others think of me.
04.Perfectionism- Doesn't everyone list this as a weakness? It's true, though- the awful thing about perfectionism is that it can make it very difficult to deal with situations where one doesn't have complete control, i.e. multi-part group work. Sometimes it's hard to let go and trust that others will do their part satisfactorily.
05.Messiness-I have to keep this tendency in check constantly. I'm hoping that enlisting in Starfleet will cull my personal belongings sufficiently- I have too much stuff.
Q13. What is your biggest fear?
Fear itself. I find that often worry and panic surrounding a situation are much worse than actually dealing with a situation. I dread the moments before I've come up with an escape plan.
Q14. Do you consider yourself to be a leader, or a follower? I prefer to work as part of a team focusing on my own area of expertise- I wouldn't be as comfortable leading an entire crew, but heading a department would be a good fit.
Q15. What do you admire the most in your peers? I admire my peers' individual strengths. Everyone I know is bringing something unique to the table and has a story about how they developed that ability- I love hearing them all and seeing my peers in their element.
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? I would choose a tricorder and communicator. I could use the tricorder to find items necessary for survival (food, water, shelter) and to investigate organic matter on the planet. The communicator would hopefully be an effective link to my ship with which to relay my findings or receive assistance if necessary.
Q17. Please describe your understanding of the Federation’s Prime Directive. Per Starfleet General Order #1, the Prime Directive governs interaction with pre-warp societies, i.e. civilizations who have not yet gained technology necessary for interstellar travel. Any interference or attempt to prematurely advance a civilization's technology is explicitly forbidden under the Prime Directive to prevent alteration of a society's "natural" development.
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? I'd actually like to visit Vulcan. As previously stated, I often find myself overcome with emotion, and believe I would benefit from any instruction an outworlder would be permitted to receive there.
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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:
a. Settle in for a lengthy chat with them - you’d really like to vent about your day and you’d quite like to hear about theirs too. It’s a bit of a ritual by this point anyway. Maybe you’ll even head out to the Rec Hall together to unwind over a card game with the others.
I tend to process things best when I can get others' perspectives, so I'd opt for talking over my day with my roommate. Getting another person's insight could help me figure out what exactly went wrong and how to ensure it doesn't happen again, as well as providing some much-needed commiseration and stress relief.
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.
As the Captain, I'd expect my leader to be able to contextualize when given all the facts. I would give as much detail as possible so conclusions could be drawn accurately, but I'd probably leave out my own interpretation unless asked.
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:
b. Try to understand the perspectives of the people involved. They are the ones that will be influenced by the decision, and conflict is the least desirable outcome. Be certain to be tactful, even if some of the message is lost in the communication.
While I realize that no difficult decision can please everyone, a bitter pill can be made easier to swallow if all parties feel they've truly been heard. Allowing everyone to share their views and really trying to appreciate each postion, even the opposing one, goes a long way to resolving conflict harmoniously.
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 answer describes my work style very well. I like to take time to mull over decisions and making sure I've thoroughly researched a problem. I'm pretty freeform when working on a problem, but always tie it together neatly and professionally at the end.
Q1. Name: Jouissant
Q2. How did you find out about Elite of the Fleet? Poking around various Star Trek related communities on Livejournal.
Q3. When did you first become interested in Star Trek? I remember watching TOS in syndication as a kid and finding it really boring (blasphemy!)and seeing Generations in the theater at age 12, but I really got interested after seeing the Reboot movie, really needing to find fic to read because I just couldn't get enough of the universe, and then seeking out TOS again. I think those episodes are amazing- they just seem really earnest to me. I consider it a blessing to rediscover Trek when I did because now I actually know that online fandom is out there and there's this massive playground for me to explore.
Q4. Why have you decided to join Elite of the Fleet? I'd like to get more involved in the fandom in general-I've always tended toward lurkerdom but I'd love to find a niche of my own and Elite of the Fleet seems like a great opportunity to do that. I'd love to write regularly and share that, too.
Q5. Who is your favourite Star Trek character? Spock, definitely. I think my heart will always belong to Nimoy's Spock, but I really liked ZQ in Reboot and am looking forward to seeing where he takes the character. I'm very interested in Spock's inherent sense of conflict in balancing his human and Vulcan sides and how that plays out in both timelines.
Q6. And the least? Honestly, I wouldn't say there's a character I actively dislike, but I am most interested in the main bridge crew of TOS/Reboot.
Q7. Which television (or film) series is your favourite? The Original Series
_______________________________
Q8. What do you hope to gain from your service in Starfleet? I hope to gain new experiences and make a meaningful contribution to the ideals upheld by the Federation. I'd like to meet new people and hear new points of view on all aspects of the Universe.
Q9. Is there any occupation in Starfleet you feel you would be particularly unsuited for? To be brutally honest, math and physics are not my strong suit; I'm especially bad at dealing with them under pressure, a state I'd imagine happens pretty regularly in Starfleet.
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: I'm an excellent multitasker and can keep a cool head in a crisis.
Operations: I'm a clear, forthright communicator, with a good command of language. I could see this as an asset in both communications and diplomacy. I'm also an avid historian and study media, culture, and society, so data collection/analysis involving new worlds and alien societies would be a great fit for me. I think I could make great strides in improving the Federation's relations with newly discovered worlds and their residents.
Exploratory Sciences: I love biology, particularly researching new plants and animals, and determining their relationship to planetary ecosystems. As we've seen countless times in the past, a planet's species are often integral to daily life and any sentient lifeforms tend to have a profound affect on a crew's experiences there. The ability to quickly analyze new zoological and botanical finds would be a huge asset to a team exploring previously uncharted territory.
Medical: I think I'd be best suited to psychiatry and/or psychology, as I'm an excellent listener and derive great satisfaction from helping people resolve problems or issues they may have. A crew's the mental health is hugely important to successful performance and I think this aspect of the medical department is probably one of the most vital.
Q11. What are your top five strengths?
01.Dedication- I'm very loyal to any cause I'm involved in.
02.Persistence- once I start a project, I see it through to completion, even if it's difficult.
03.Ability to communicate- I'm able to be very clear when using language and can get my point across.
04.Insight- I'm often able to clearly "read" a situation and determine the best angle from which to approach a solution to a problem.
05.Creativity-I've got a talent for thinking outside the box and coming up with unconventional solutions that just so happen to work very well.
Q12. What are your top five weaknesses?
01.Emotionalism-I'd probably frustrate a Vulcan to no end- I let my heart lead a lot of the time, and sometimes it comes back to haunt me.
02.Procrastination- I work best under pressure, so sometimes I like to artificially create that pressure by leaving things to the last minute. I always get things done in the end, but often after a lot of stress and handwringing.
03.Insecurity- I tend to take things too personally at times and worry what others think of me.
04.Perfectionism- Doesn't everyone list this as a weakness? It's true, though- the awful thing about perfectionism is that it can make it very difficult to deal with situations where one doesn't have complete control, i.e. multi-part group work. Sometimes it's hard to let go and trust that others will do their part satisfactorily.
05.Messiness-I have to keep this tendency in check constantly. I'm hoping that enlisting in Starfleet will cull my personal belongings sufficiently- I have too much stuff.
Q13. What is your biggest fear?
Fear itself. I find that often worry and panic surrounding a situation are much worse than actually dealing with a situation. I dread the moments before I've come up with an escape plan.
Q14. Do you consider yourself to be a leader, or a follower? I prefer to work as part of a team focusing on my own area of expertise- I wouldn't be as comfortable leading an entire crew, but heading a department would be a good fit.
Q15. What do you admire the most in your peers? I admire my peers' individual strengths. Everyone I know is bringing something unique to the table and has a story about how they developed that ability- I love hearing them all and seeing my peers in their element.
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? I would choose a tricorder and communicator. I could use the tricorder to find items necessary for survival (food, water, shelter) and to investigate organic matter on the planet. The communicator would hopefully be an effective link to my ship with which to relay my findings or receive assistance if necessary.
Q17. Please describe your understanding of the Federation’s Prime Directive. Per Starfleet General Order #1, the Prime Directive governs interaction with pre-warp societies, i.e. civilizations who have not yet gained technology necessary for interstellar travel. Any interference or attempt to prematurely advance a civilization's technology is explicitly forbidden under the Prime Directive to prevent alteration of a society's "natural" development.
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? I'd actually like to visit Vulcan. As previously stated, I often find myself overcome with emotion, and believe I would benefit from any instruction an outworlder would be permitted to receive there.
________________________________
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:
a. Settle in for a lengthy chat with them - you’d really like to vent about your day and you’d quite like to hear about theirs too. It’s a bit of a ritual by this point anyway. Maybe you’ll even head out to the Rec Hall together to unwind over a card game with the others.
I tend to process things best when I can get others' perspectives, so I'd opt for talking over my day with my roommate. Getting another person's insight could help me figure out what exactly went wrong and how to ensure it doesn't happen again, as well as providing some much-needed commiseration and stress relief.
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.
As the Captain, I'd expect my leader to be able to contextualize when given all the facts. I would give as much detail as possible so conclusions could be drawn accurately, but I'd probably leave out my own interpretation unless asked.
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:
b. Try to understand the perspectives of the people involved. They are the ones that will be influenced by the decision, and conflict is the least desirable outcome. Be certain to be tactful, even if some of the message is lost in the communication.
While I realize that no difficult decision can please everyone, a bitter pill can be made easier to swallow if all parties feel they've truly been heard. Allowing everyone to share their views and really trying to appreciate each postion, even the opposing one, goes a long way to resolving conflict harmoniously.
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 answer describes my work style very well. I like to take time to mull over decisions and making sure I've thoroughly researched a problem. I'm pretty freeform when working on a problem, but always tie it together neatly and professionally at the end.