Join us for another in a series of interviews with winners of awards from our 2401 Awards Ceremony. Our goal is to give you insight into how our fleet’s best simmers write, and imagine their characters as well as their out of character contributions and achievements.
This month we’re interviewing the writer behind Lieutenant Drex playing a male Denobulan Science officer assigned to Denali Station. She won the Xalor Clan Xifilis Award: “Awarded to simmers who overcome a disadvantage throughout simming. This award was initially known as the “Rachel Garett Pendant,” but was renamed for the 2000 event to commemorate a valued StarBase 118 PBEM RPG simmer who died that year. In each event, this award can be given to all qualifying simmers.“
SALKATH: It has been less than half a year since we last spoke with you – besides an award win and a promotion (congratulations!) is there anything new you can tell us about you or your character?
DREX: Hi! First of all, thanks for contacting me for this interview. Yeah, it hasn’t been that long since the last one, and honestly I hope there will be opportunities in the future to do more of them. That would mean I’m doing a good job, right?
Not much has happened in the last few months, Drex has almost not returned home from mission a couple of times and has learned that archaeology and history are not enough to survive in space. He is growing up (I hope) slowly to become a valid science officer. And recently, he has discovered a side of him that he didn’t know he had and has become a good babysitter.
You are soon celebrating your one year anniversary with SB118! Looking back at your time here, what experiences or events stand out the most for you?
Definitely the people I’ve met. Which aren’t that many: Denali is a big city but a small community, and I struggle to follow the chatter on the Discord global channels. But the people I have been fortunate enough to interact with the most are a very important part of my personal growth.
And, of course, the 2401 Awards Ceremony. Not only because I received this precious Xalor Clan Xifilis Award, but because I really enjoyed being able to recognize the efforts of other players, too.
In your award presentation, Commodore Oddas Aria mentions that you are, “[…] one of the ‘non-native’ English speakers we have in our Fleet, but if she does not tell you you would never know”. Do you have any difficulties with the sim format here being in English, and if so, how do you cope?
I chose SB118 because it was in English and I wanted to improve my language skills. I don’t have much trouble following the main sequence of events of a scene, but sometimes I get lost in the details or the wordplays. Is wordplays the correct word? Anyway, when this happens I know I can count on the help of all the other players and don’t forget the Internet is always at hand.
Star Trek, like many science fiction universes, utilizes a lot of ‘treknobabble’, or made-up names and phrases to explain away fictional concepts. As a Science officer, you certainly must face or even use a lot of these types of made-up words. Does the use of these types of words make it more or less difficult for you to write for your character?
Eh, I haven’t had the courage to use it yet. Thinking back, I don’t remember using it in Italian games either, I always preferred to stick to the canon and study the official manuals . But I don’t have problems reading it.
Also, Drex is always very vague when he is outside his comfort zone, which is very small! He is an architect, a historian and an archaeologist, so if he finds himself having to work like the typical scientist we see in the TV series, he struggles a lot, and when I have to explain some fictional concepts I sometimes use Italian expressions translated word for word. I can always justify that he spoke in Denobulan, right?
What advice would you give to anyone who is thinking about joining, or has newly joined SB118, if English isn’t their first language? Do you have any hints or tips to help them feel more comfortable with our group?
Don’t be scared! Trust yourself and your imagination and common sense.
I’ve been scared of writing the wrong thing for months, I’m still afraid actually and I think twice before pushing the plot, but I’m working on it. If you’re unsure you can ask your mentor, or any other player, and they will help you, also the Internet can clear up many doubts. And trust me, there is no need for artificial intelligence (even if it makes searches faster).
Finally, even though it was a short time ago, we asked you about where you envision your character in the future. Do you have any new goals or aspirations for yourself or your character since we last spoke?
As for Drex, he is working on becoming a better Science Officer. He is studying a lot! And in the future I hope to see him working on some great archeological discovery on the Ring.
As for me, since Drex got promoted to Lieutenant, I would love to find the time to play also on other units, maybe as a guest, a secondary character is too challenging at the moment. I also have an ambition in the drawer, but it’s too early to talk about it, maybe I’ll tell you about it next time!
Thanks for your time, Lieutenant Drex!
You can read more about Lieutenant Drex on the wiki.
