The Admiral's Log: My Journey Through 'Star Trek: Online' - Part I

Written by John Edward Betancourt

My First Command: U.S.S. Galactica - NCC-1775

​While I always find myself excited and happy to write, because there’s no greater thrill than writing in my opinion, I have to admit that I’ve been counting down the minutes on my writing schedule to get to this particular blog. Because the only thing I love as much as putting digital pen to paper is Star Trek, and at long last, I get to combine two of my favorite things and geek out about my favorite science fiction franchise properly as I chronicle my adventures through Star Trek: Online and well, I won’t lie. I struggled to find the right starting point to begin the Admiral’s Log, simply because thinking back about my journey through this game brought all kinds of exciting moments to the forefront of my mind.
 
But eventually, I decided it was best to start at the VERY beginning, the exact moment where I was asked to design and name my character and my ship because those were surprisingly tough decisions. I mean, do I pick command, sciences or operations for my career path in Starfleet? Do I try and name a ship something nautical or have fun with it? I was at a nerdy crossroads and well, in the end I settled on joining the Command division, because it would be silly to choose anything else when I’ve always wanted to sit in the Captain’s Chair and I decided to pay homage to another sci-fi love of mine by naming the first ship I would ever serve upon the U.S.S. Galactica (NCC-1775) because I knew full well I’d never get aboard the Enterprise and well, if I couldn’t command my all-time favorite ship, I’d settle with my second and well, with those decisions out of the way, my voyage got underway in proper fashion, with my graduation from Starfleet Academy.
 
This of course, led to my first real taste of the wonder of this game because not only I was wearing Lieutenant pips on my uniform, but I was at Starfleet freakin’ Academy, off to meet with my Captain and my goodness, I couldn’t help but delay that meeting for a bit just to walk around and see the wonder of Earth in 2409 and try to process the fact that I was finally in this world, a part of this universe and as soon as I met with the skipper, I’d be traveling through space. And that made the moment I boarded the Galactica all the more joyous because this was it, I was finally aboard a Starfleet vessel, ready to work my way up to the rank of Captain and beyond and well, I was ill prepared for how fast I was going to sit in the big chair.
 
Because at this point in time, a war with the Klingons was underway, and of course, we ran into them whilst traveling through space and well, my Captain met his end quickly, making me the new commander of the vessel and talk about a bittersweet way to take your first command. But, it was war, and after that first battle, and a farewell to the Captain, the wonder and awe began. Because despite being embroiled in conflict, she was mine to command now, and the crew of the Galactica was exploring strange new worlds and seeking out new life and new civilizations and I couldn’t ask for anything more. I mean come on, I was beaming down on missions, living the adventures I had dreamed of and just like that, I was hooked.
 
Yet, what I truly found funny, was how loyal I suddenly became to my ship. Which is funny because the Galactica was a Miranda Class vessel, with minimal shielding and piddly weapons, but that didn’t stop me from believing in her ability to get the job done, and she was a tough little ship to say the least, and got us out of scraps for certain and well…being able to be her skipper and being able to live the life of a Starfleet Field Commissioned Captain was like a drug. I was all in on this game for certain and quickly found myself pouring over it and of all the incredible moments that came about from getting to command a star ship. But what truly sold me on playing this game and dedicating as much time to it as possible, was the ability to simply traverse the vastness of space.
 
Sure, I could only travel around the Beta Quadrant, but it’s a big ol’ quadrant and there was something peaceful and beautiful about warping through the void. But alas, the first command always comes to an end, and it wasn’t long before I leveled up and received a promotion to Lieutenant Commander, which meant it was time for a new ship, and new missions and while this particular log was a tad technical, it had to be. Because the logistics and the magic of my first command set the stage for what awaited me next, incredible storytelling and magnificent adventures, which is where we will pick up next time. Until then. 

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