Each month we interview a First Officer of the fleet as part of our “First Officer in Focus” column to get to know them better, and learn more about what their positions entail.
This month, we’re interviewing the First Officer of Starbase 118 Ops, Commander Gogigobo Fairhug, a Bardeezan male.
DeVeau: You told us a little about yourself the last time we interviewed you. Would you mind sharing with us a bit more, such as hobbies, interests, etc?
Fairhug: Thank you for having me back! As a father of two young kids, it can be difficult to find time for my own hobbies and interests these days, which is one of the many reasons I enjoy and appreciate SB118 so much – it’s nice to escape into our little fantasy world for a while, whether that’s writing sims, updating Wiki pages, or chatting to the many lovely folk from our community on Discord.
Other than SB118, I am a big music lover and play a few instruments, as well as trying to get to as many gigs as I can (which, again, is a lot fewer than I used to).
I’m also a sports fan and although my first love is football (soccer), I’m also a big NHL fan and play in my local ice hockey team as a goaltender.
You became the first officer of Starbase 118 Ops back in 2023, but this isn’t the first time you’ve served in that position. Would you describe what it was like both times, what you have found to stay the same, and what has changed during those times?
Fairhug: I find being FO to be so rewarding. Because the role is a more general one, it’s great for building IC relationships with the whole crew and also for expanding your character’s knowledge and skill set. I also enjoy the fact that the role requires you to build OOC relationships, too, as you help others to develop.
The game itself is mostly the same, of course – and thank goodness for that! Some ships and installations have come and gone, but I was glad to “see” many familiar faces when I came back from LOA, as well as the many awesome new recruits that SB118 continues to attract.
In terms of what has changed – on Ops specifically, the major (pun intended) change for me personally, is that we don’t have any Marine officers at the moment. The last time I was on Ops, I had started off there as Marine CO, before becoming FO. As such, the Iron Jaegers were often involved in events that happened on the base. Of course, this kind of thing happens on every ship/installation depending on the way the characters ebb and flow, so it’s just one of those things.
On the OOC side of things, moving to Project Aria, as opposed to the way we used to do the sim trackers was a revelation for me! Project Aria had been developed during my LOA, so I was initially unaware of it upon my return, but what a fantastic tool it is!
What is the hardest part about being a First Officer?
I think the hardest part of being FO is trying to balance your own character development, while facilitating the game for others.
We all have ideas for what we want to do with our characters, but as FO, it’s important to keep up your interaction with the crew. You can therefore sometimes find yourself in multiple scenes in which you are supporting others, leaving you with less time to do some character development of your own.
The way I get around this, personally, is to make sure I get at least one solo mini-arc in during each shore leave, just to keep my own character growing and progressing, as well.
What’s your favourite part of the position?
I’m going to break this one down into IC and OOC.
IC – Getting to lead missions and away teams, for sure. I just find it so much fun, especially seeing how other writers react to what is going on and the unexpected twists and turns missions can take.
OOC – Building relationships with the crew, both as individuals and as a whole. Helping them to develop their characters and plan their story arcs and then seeing it all play out.
How do you think your character has changed since returning from your LOA?
One of the most satisfying things that I’ve achieved on SB118 was that I recently was able to close off a story arc that I’d had in mind for Gogi for a long time.
The Bardeezans and their system neighbours, the Byzallians, have been at loggerheads for almost as long as they have been aware of each other’s existence and I always had it in mind that one day, I wanted to do a mission in which they could come to some kind of peace agreement.
Sadly, the reason for my LOA was because I had suffered a couple of bereavements and of course, such things change us as people, whether we intend it to or not.
Even while on LOA, I still felt like I had unfinished business with Gogi and I always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to return one day, so when I finally did, I used my experiences and weaved them into Gogi’s story. It felt like a tribute to the loved ones I had lost IRL and writing about how Gogi has dealt with his losses has been somewhat cathartic.
In our most recent mission on Ops, I was finally able to bring the conflict between the Bardeezans and Byzallians to life (with the help of Ops’ amazing crew) and now that I have done so, I feel like that chapter has finally closed for Gogi.
The losses will always be with him, but he’s found some closure and meaning in it all now.
You were just recently promoted to Commander, congratulations! What do you see for yourself and your character in the coming year?
Thank you!
I’m very grateful to have been given the opportunity to go for Commander by Ops’ long-standing CO – Commodore Sal Taybrim, as well as my previous CO on Denali – Commodore Oddas Aria. The latter having made the initial nomination and the former having guided me through the process after I transferred to Ops to resume my role as FO.
There’s a lot of big things planned for the near future which I don’t think I’m at liberty to discuss for the time being, but as long as I can continue to write with this amazing community and have fun telling these wonderful stories, then I will be a very happy Bardeezan!
Thanks for your time, Commander Fairhug!
You can read more about Commander Gogi Fairhug on the wiki.
