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 Evan Ross playing a Human Male Intelligence Officer assigned to Starbase 118 Ops. He won the Black Cross for Intelligence: “Awarded to Intelligence officers who strive to accomplish the goals of Starfleet Intelligence while simultaneously upholding the ideals and structure of Starfleet Command. They display the ability to obtain intelligence through deceptive dialogue or espionage rather than forced admissions. While intelligence is frequently a game changer, this individual attempts to achieve those aims within the constraints of their commanding Officer and Starfleet laws. They are experts in research and diplomacy, as well as reconnaissance and communication.”
S. Richards: Tell us a little about the writer behind the character — where in the world do you hail from?
Ross: Hi there and thanks so much for having me! My name is Hannah and I’m from a small city in Western Germany, whose name probably won’t tell you anything. Funnily, the only thing it is known for is a popular conspiracy theory claiming that it doesn’t exist. But living and studying here feels pretty real, so I think I can debunk that one.
Are there elements of real life that you especially enjoy incorporating into your simming?
There are! I am profoundly in love with the regularness of life. The small, mundane tasks, the in-betweens amidst all those great and epic tales. Mindless chatter between colleagues, the infamous Monday mornings you barely get out of bed, all those little slices of life you witness on your daily commute (the pigeons, the people!). I really enjoy looking for those calmer, everyday-moments in an exciting world like the Star Trek universe. And that’s also something I’ve always loved about the shows and movies – that beyond all those adventures and the action it all came down to the crew in the end: a bunch of colleagues sharing their life on a tiny vessel amidst the vastness of space. I like to think there must be days in the life of a fleet officer that aren’t much more exciting than mine. …Right?
What’s been your favorite part of being with the community so far?
Definitely getting to know my crew (Shoutout!). On Ops we have (and did have) various international writers and it’s such a joy to find out where in the world everyone’s out and about – sharing little ups and downs of life and working together to craft these beautiful stories has been a real game changer for me and I enjoy every second of it. It’s also great to get a glimpse of the other ships and crews in the forum or the fleet-wide chats. The whole community feels incredibly rich and lively, that’s why I love cross-ship interaction, IC and OOC.
Where would you like to be in a few years? Have a taste of command of your own? Or maybe planning on joining one of our great OOC groups?
I think everyone who has interacted with Ross knows what I mean when I say that he’s not really up for command – he’s a huge softie at heart, the ideal second row man and I think he will stay a Lieutenant happily ever after. I’m looking forward to contributing to plots and helping new simmers as part of the Junior Staff though – and I feel like StarBase 118 deserves a fun and active Instagram channel, which is why I joined the Social Media Collective a while back. We’re still working out a way to revive it, so I’d love to play a little part in that, coming from a background in media myself.
Were you a Star Trek fan before joining UFOP: StarBase 118? If so, what were your favorite shows and/or movies?
Before joining the game I was always a huge fan of Star Trek: TOS for its unmistakable and charming earnestness. I also grew up with the Kelvin Universe, which is why those movies also still occupy a soft spot in my heart, even though I know they are not a fan-favorite. Kirk, Spock, Scotty & Co will forever be my ride-or-die’s. I joined 118 being highly aware I have lots of content to catch up with – since then I’ve fallen in love with Lower Decks for its brilliant way to portray a more human and down-to-earth fleet-reality. On my chronological catch-up I’ve just reached TNG’s season two, and I am also having a blast with that. And there’s still so much more lore to come! Maybe one day I’ll be simming and actually know what I’m doing, wouldn’t that be crazy? Until then, Memory Alpha and my patient, so much wiser writing partners on discord are my best friends.
Thanks for your time, Lieutenant Ross!
You can read more about Lieutenant Evan Ross on the wiki, here.
