Each month we interview a First Officer or Commanding Officer of the fleet as part of our “First Officer in Focus” and “Captain’s Corner” columns to get to know them better, and learn more about what their positions entail.
This month, we’re interviewing the First Officer of the starship USS Arrow, Lt. Commander Maz Rodan, a Trill male..
DeVeau: Hi there Maz! Would you please tell us a little about the writer behind the character — where in the world do you hail from? What sort of hobbies do you have? Anything you’d like to share about the real you?
RODAN: Hi there! My name’s David and I live in the UK! You may have previously known me as Regan Wilde a while back, or Danny Wilde even further back if you remember that far (!). My hobbies are reading – I’m a big horror and detective fiction fan – and also enjoy swimming and the outdoors.
Would you share with us a bit about your character and his journey to First Officer?
You could call Maz’s journey to First Officer meteoric! I had just changed characters when the situation called for a new First Officer for the Arrow, and was fortunate really to have chosen a character though while still quite young, had the depth of experience from several Trill lifetimes.
I try to play Maz as a mix of youthful wonder combined with a touch of wisdom, which isn’t always easy. I try to add a bit of Riker’s enthusiasm to him, so he’s not always too serious, but definitely with a flair for mischief!
What is different about being a First Officer as opposed to a regular crewmember?
It’s a bit like having a finger in all the pies, not only understanding what’s going on in different scenes of a mission, but being able to react and guide others as they need. I’m a big kid at heart, too, and I love being “in” on all the behind the scenes storytelling. Sometimes Staff plan things, and I get very excited to be able to facilitate that.
What has been the most difficult part of this position?
The endless paperwork! Ha! But seriously, if anyone has a desire to progress within their ship, I’d say you need a good attention to detail, and great organisation skills. There’s always mentee’s to check in with, reports to write, and though I like to think I’m pretty organised I do have a monthly schedule to follow just to make sure I’ve done my job, essentially,
What is your favourite thing about being a first officer?
It’s definitely being part of a fantastic crew! I have a great rapport with our fantastic writers on the Arrow, and I love being a first port of call for plot twists, character development etc.
What are your future plans for Rodan as a character and for yourself as a member of SB118?
Rodan is a very fresh character to me, still, though I’m enjoying his progression in Starfleet. I’d like to see him progress to Commander and potentially even Captain, in time! As a member of SB118 in general, I’m very passionate about training and mentoring, so I plan on joining the ever-awesome training team in 2022!
Thanks for your time, Lt. Commander Rodan!
You can read more about Lt. Commander Rodan on the wiki.