Lower Decks Interview: Ensign Talas Beck, StarBase 118 Ops

We’re here with another interview with a newer member of our community. The title of this column is “Lower Decks,” hearkening back to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titled “Lower Decks,” in which junior officers aboard the Enterprise-D speculate on the reasons for recent unusual actions taken by the command crew near the Cardassian border.
This month’s interview is with the writer behind Ensign Talas Beck playing a Bajoran male Helm Officer assigned to StarBase 118 Ops.
Galven: Thank you for allowing me to interview you! Could you tell us a little about yourself for our readers out there?
Talas:  Happy  to be here! Umm, what to say, well I’m 25, from the UK. In the day I develop and manage apps for a charity here in England. During the evening I love to eat pizza, chill out with my partner and my cats! I also play various games, just invested in a VR headset which has been fun! I like to do a lot of writing, currently have two books on the go, a sequel to my first book and a new idea that i’m experimenting with. The books are moving quite slowly at the moment as i’ve just started the second year of my degree in Social Sciences and Politics.
What has been your favorite moment writing with UFOP:StarBase 118?
Hiding a shuttle under the nacelle of a Borg infested ship.
Do you take any inspiration from movies/TV/books when writing for your character? 
Not really, I usually take inspiration from various places, but this time I decided to create the character by starting with a blank piece of (virtual) paper. He went through several revisions before I settled on the sort of person I wanted him to be.
Now that you’ve been with the fleet for a couple months, what are your thoughts on what you’ve learned in the Academy as you look back compared to now?
Realising how powerful it is to see the same scene from several different perspectives, it took me a few sims to get used to it but i’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.
And lastly, what kind of advice would you give others that are interested in writing with UFOP: Starbase 118? 
Use the community. SB118 has an incredible community who are more than happy to help answer any questions, discuss plots, ideas and pretty much anything else. 
Thanks for your time, Ensign Talas Beck!
You can read more about Ensign Talas Beck on the wiki.