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 Lieutenant JG Trovek Arys playing a Human/Bajoran female Medical Officer assigned to Starbase 118 Ops.
DeVeau: Tell us a little about the writer behind the character — where in the world do you hail from? Anything you’d like to share!
Trovek: I am originally from Germany and moved back here not too long ago. At the moment it’s just myself, and my dog “Monkey”.
How did you get into Star Trek and what’s your favourite series and/or movie?
Growing up, my mother was a huge TNG fan, and I am pretty sure she had a serious crush on Picard. I had a few nerdy friends I watched Voyager with, but actually lost interest in anything Star Trek for quite some while. About a year ago I watched Deep Space Nine for the first time, and immediately fell in love with it. I am fairly sure I went through the whole series two or three times by now, and it’s definitely my favourite show (ever!).
What is your experience with roleplaying?
Roleplay has been a hobby of mine for well over a decade. Back in the day when World of Warcraft was popular, I used to run an RP-Guild on one of the roleplay servers. As the game itself became less interesting for me, I switched to text-based RP and Dungeons and Dragons.
How did you find SB118 and what made you decide to join?
That was actually quite the journey! I think it was around the end of the third time watching DS9 that I started looking into other ways to sate my growing Star Trek addiction. Until that point, I had no idea how many novels there were. So I started reading, and, feeling inspired, I started writing. Eventually I shared some of that online, and someone suggested to take a look at SB118 – and with, you know, the internet being the internet, I decided there was no harm in joining, and I certainly didn’t regret it.
What was your motivation for choosing a Medical Officer?
Arys was initially a Counsellor and only moved to medical when I transferred to Ops. Arys hates it, but I absolutely adore playing a medical officer – there is always something to do, and it’s a great mix between 21st century science and 24th century fiction. While there are resources on a lot of things – such as equipment and medication – there is a lot of room for creative freedom. Medical also gives you opportunity to interact with almost everyone in a professional environment, regardless of rank or department.
What was the inspiration for your character?
I wanted to create a realistic character, and someone who is relatable. Arys is someone who joined Starfleet Academy as a second career path, and who is eager to prove to herself that it was the right decision to do so. That said, she isn’t all that special – her parents aren’t dead, she isn’t the very best in her field, and didn’t graduate top of her class. She quit her job as a doctor, studied several years to become a counsellor, and held that duty post for a whole three months before being transferred to Ops – as a medical officer. It sounds cheesy, but I guess my inspiration was the fact that life gets messy.
What are your future goals for Arys?
While her player loves medical, Arys wants to get back into the role of a counsellor – we will see how that plays out. Other than that, I have a few major personal storylines planned for the next few months, and I am fairly sure that those plot developments will allow her to grow in a personal and professional context.
Thanks for your time, Lieutenant JG Trovek Arys!
You can read more about Lieutenant JG Trovek Arys on the wiki.
