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

Written by John Edward Betancourt

My Fourth Command: U.S.S. Challenger – NCC-93050 

If there’s one thing I’ve always loved about writing, it’s the excitement that comes about in the writer’s mind when they reach a particular part of the story they’ve been dying to tell and well my fellow geeks and nerds, this is a part of my nerdy Star Trek: Online story that I’ve been itching to tell all of you. Because we’ve reached the moment where my journey through the stars reached an important milestone, one that satisfied a boyhood dream and kicked the game’s storylines into overdrive, because in today’s edition of The Admiral’s Log…I finally made it to Captain.
 
Now I know what you’re thinking; ‘Uh, dude, you’ve already been commanding a starship, so why are you getting all über-nerd about another promotion?’ and yes, you’re right, I’ve been sitting in the Captain’s chair of three separate vessels, but let’s be honest, it’s not the same thing as actually BEING the captain of a starship. Because lots of people of various ranks sit in that chair. I’m sure the night watch officer is a Lieutenant or a Lieutenant Commander and on away team missions, someone of similar rank is in charge of the space boat while I’m gone. So, while it’s been cool to be the boss, I’ve only considered myself the commander of the vessel, so having that rank is a big deal in my eyes.
 
Because there’s a certain mantra and air that comes with having the all-important four pips on the collar, and if you don’t believe me, just think about the famous Captains we’ve come to know when it comes to the various series this franchise has put forth, and ponder upon your thoughts when it comes to them and how their crews regarded them and you’ll understand what I mean. So, becoming a Starfleet Captain is simply a big deal, because these are the men and women that are in charge of some incredible decisions, and lead their crews into epic combat and experience stunning moments as their ships discover new life and new civilizations and at long last, that moment had arrived for me.
 
Which meant saying farewell to the U.S.S. Biffle a touch easier because I finally got to put on the shiny and fancy Captain’s uniform that skippers wear in 2409, and proudly display the four pips on my uniform that signaled my true arrival in the big chair and as an added bonus, I was able to select a new vessel, one that harkened back to my childhood once again. Because, the Star Trek franchise that I truly grew up with was The Next Generation, and the Galaxy Glass U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D was one of the most gorgeous starships I had ever laid eyes upon, which meant, now was the time to fly that class of ship and without a second thought, I chose it and mere moments later, I was stepping aboard that spacious Galaxy Glass bridge to take the newly commissioned U.S.S. Challenger out of Earth Space Dock.
 
If anything, this was quite the proud and glorious moment. I was finally a Starfleet Captain, and I was commanding a vessel that shared the beauty of the 1701-D and well, it seems as though the game also understood the importance of this moment for a nerd like me because much of the fan service I enjoyed prior to this simply disappeared and the missions for this leg of my journey seemed to focus on discovery over combat and trouble and I appreciated that. It really allowed for one to settle into the role and in a way prepare me mentally for things to come, because looking ahead at the mission roster, there were some ominous clues present in the upcoming episode titles, and while it was a blast to finally enjoy this boyhood dream, it too had to come to an end.
 
Which actually, made me a touch nervous, because the next rank that would await me was Rear Admiral, and I didn’t have a clue if that meant that somehow the game would take me out of the Captain’s Chair, something that is a bad thing, a point reinforced by James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Generations. But, the promotion was coming one way or another, as were some incredible stories and while my time as a Captain was far shorter than I would have liked for it to be at the time, at least I finally got to enjoy that all important rank and well, I would come to learn that Admiralty isn’t all that bad, since some pretty cool privileges come with it and that’s where we will pick up, next time. Until then. 

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