Starbase 118 Interview – Tracey Townson

Starbase 118 Interview – Tracey Townson

Starbase 118 has been fortunate with the plethora of involvement from various people over the years. It is only through the time and effort of members that Starbase 118 has remained active and alive (and completely awesome in this newbie’s humble opinion) for almost two decades. One of the many people who contribute is none other than Tracey Townson who recently has taken the reigns to the weekly poll. Today, we have the distinct pleasure of learning a little more about her.
How long have you been in SB118?
Since 2000 or 2001, I can’t even recall anymore :O I was trained by Captain Y’Shirad and did my first tour of duty on-board the Hammond when Lt. Commander Brynn Wellesley was doing her Commander practical under Captain Allen O’Malley. The following mission, just after my arrival, we began a joint mission with the original Ranger under Commodore Kelly, and in those days, I had the chance to SIM with some amazing SIMmers who have left their mark on this group.
What drew you to join?
I have no idea. It was so long ago. All I could say is that I wasn’t much of a writer in those days. I was still in high school and tying to find my way in life. I loved to read and was introduced to Star Trek and became quite a fan. As such, I chose to to write as I figured that would be the closest I could get to creating a character in a universe I had learned about through both TV and books. Once in, I got hooked and tried to create a character that was believable and well-rounded. A character whom people could relate to, and whom had all the imperfections that a human would have. And a character who never stopped learning about herself, and especially now, the environment around her.
How many characters have you had over the years?
I actually have had two, or three if you count the new Tracey after her transporter accident upon arriving to the Resolution commanded by the then Commander Toni Turner. The original Tracey was by no means a prodigy. She barely made it through the Academy and that was only due to her piloting skills while at the Academy. As such, all her promotions thereafter came as a surprise to her, for she figured she would remain an Ensign through her career. Once being given the Phoenix-C to command, the old Tracey didn’t even trust her own judgment and silently wished a seasoned Commanding officer would take her place.
The second character I created was a Psychiatrist who hated space flight and who would rather “take the train” to wherever she went. She was a quick-witted woman who only signed up for Starfleet due to a personal reason. She was assigned to the Duronis II embassy to her thanks.
And for those of you who are aware, the present day Tracey. A character derived from a universe at war where she had been trained to fight since she was 15. She entered her version of the Academy only to save her own life for 4 years. In her universe, the Romulans were an ally, and she had spent time on Romulus and thus learned their language. She was a soldier, trained to kill Dominion forces, but upon arriving to this universe, the snapping of her link with her other-verse husband Commander Andrus Jaxx, all the different technologies and above all, peace, Tracey found it too much and spent two years at the Starfleet medical Psychological ward to just begin to realize she was here for good, and may never return, and try to come to terms with that. As such Tracey had begun to try to integrate into this universe’s Starfleet, for Starfleet was all she ever knew. And it is an ongoing process.
Who was your favourite character you no longer play?
My Psychiatrist Dr. Sylvie Larocque. I have tried to reintegrate her into SIMs now and again, but as sometimes characters take on a life of their own, I believe she is happy on the solid ground at Starfleet Medical on Earth.
What’s your favourite thing about playing in the Star Trek Universe?
Where you can take it. In my years of writing, I have found there are just so many directions one can go into and it will almost always be believable. Especially in the writing formats that we have. It is open to so many ideas and allows people to get their creativity going. I thank this group everyday, for I may not have been able to have the job I have today if not for what I learned to love to do from this group. Now writing has become a career for me.
You’ve recently taken over the poll of the week – what made you decide to take this position?
Polls…oh let me count the ways how I hate those things, for one aspect of my job is to go over these things and give overviews to people who only think that….well I’m not going to go any further. The Poll of the Week was not really my first choice, but when an opening happened I jumped at the chance. Not because I really liked it, but because it was a challenge. I wanted to make the Poll of the Week unique and different by not just creating random polls, but with something related to real life that can be placed in the Star Trek universe. Just as Gene Roddenberry had done, by sliding in real life present day situations into the Star Trek universe and creating a reasoning behind the questions. I am still leaning, but hopefully, in time, it will become easier.
What aspirations do you have for your future in SB118?
Perhaps one day make Captain. I came close to full Commander on a couple of occasions, but did not quite get through. However I would very much like to see Tracey make it to that pinnacle and then be able to mentor future Captains in this group. I love to teach, and believe I missed my calling in life in that regard. Nevertheless, whenever I run training classes in this group either as a CO, FO or in any other capacity, I always have a great time. So long as this group exists, I have this feeling I’ll be around in some way or another, for even after all these years, I am still intrigued by the community that has developed here.

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