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 the Amity Outpost,Commander, Wil Ukinix, a male Betazoid/Human.
S. Richards: This is not your first FO in focus interview. Tell us what Wil has been up to since last year’s “give Wil attention” interview.
Ukinix: I don’t think I remember what I said in the last interview! But I would say you could class his experiences this year as “pre-Frontier Day” and “post-Frontier Day. Pre-Frontier Day, he helped deescalate a potential conflict between New Talax and the Nedic Dreznin, which saw the genesis of a new Talaxian colony being built on the nearby Betazoid multi-colony planet of Idrustix.
Frontier Day knocked him around, and he’s still recovering from the trauma of that. In his infinite “wisdom”, he ran away from Starfleet counselling and spent 8 weeks on Betazed. His second cousin, Amity’s Envoy Keehani Ukinix of the Federation Diplomatic Corps, had to drag him back, so the crew could go on a team building camping trip. Unfortunately he was down in the dumps for most of the time, still suffering from the impact of Frontier Day.
But he’s since sucked it up and gotten back to his cheery self – just in time for an Hirogen Alpha named “Ravarj” to attack Amity’s main auxiliary Defiant Class craft, the USS Independence-B. Wil didn’t fare well in that attack unfortunately, suffering from injuries such as death, and time will tell if he can recover from that.
We know you play more than just Wil on Amity. Tell us more about what some of your other characters are up to these days!
Wil’s second cousin Keehani Ukinix, the one who is the master of eyerolls, is now an Envoy and still diligently working on her diplomatic career as the chief of staff to Ambassador (and Matriarch Ascendant of the Eleventh House) Niarivi (Rivi) Vataix on Amity Outpost. Keehani, also a Matriarch Ascendant of the Ninth House after a protracted legal battle, is still focused on her single life/career goal – becoming an Ambassador one day. Her hobbies include working, working, and working – with the occasional purchase of a designer corporate outfit through Fednet when she has time, and of course stirring up her cousin Wil for the singular purpose of getting a reaction.
Crewman Second Class Annamae Barberra, the dark and weird trainee who’s transferred to the Science department, has also been traumatised by the events of Frontier Day – given that, you know, she was one of those youngins that were assimilated! It’s the karma bus hitting her really, given that she was previously obsessed with The Borg and a small part of her was fascinated by what it would be like to be a Borg queen… well, “One of Eleven” soon got a taste of it! And fair to say regretted it. She’s currently on leave from Starfleet, instead choosing to assist the Talaxians build their colony on the multi-Betazoid-colony of Idrustix, near Amity. But she’ll be back on Amity in the near future to terrorise the whole crew, especially girlfriend Bec Iko.
With Frontier Day adding to Amity’s usual chaotic charm. This year has been wild to say the least. What kind of chaos can we expect from Wil this next year?
Well it depends on the missions we do! I would say that he’s going to grow more into his role of responsibility of being the lead representative for Starfleet on Amity. He’s discovered it’s lonely at the top, and Frontier Day has had him questioning his satisfaction in being a Starfleet officer. He’ll recover from that to mature, and start to accept himself as someone who can actually lead confidently.
Also, a brewery. I think he’ll start up a brewery – or maybe a distillery. That sounds very Wil like. I mean, who needs all those floors in the Science and Research Centre on Amity, when they could be used to produce “Not By The Hair Of My Ginny Gin Gin” instead?! (No-one tell Robin Hopper)
There are some changes coming to Amity, which will change the dynamic of the Federation’s presence in the Delta Quadrant. Stay tuned…
In the many years since you’ve joined the fleet how have you seen the community grow and change? What would you say is one of SB118’s strengths?
What I’ve seen is a diverse community all collaborating together to have fun, based around a franchise we all love and an ideal we all hope and strive for. As I’ve moved up the ranks, I’ve got more insight into how SB118 is run, and why it holds together so well which attracts so many fantastic people to our community. There are some amazing people behind the scenes, at every level, who put in place frameworks and guide rails so that we can all write in this game together and tell fantastic stories. From the Academy to those at the Executive Council, I’m grateful for the work they all put in to make SB118 what it is.
You used to be stationed on the USS Veritas. How has station life been different from ship life? Does Wil yearn to be back on a starship or is he comfy on Amity?
Oh, you bet he’s comfortable living in a cushy apartment in the Habitat Ring of Amity. He’s got a balcony with a small barbeque – what’s not to love? Plus Amity has a pretty good lifestyle. If one day he goes back to serving on a ship again, I think there’s going to have to be some serious adjustment for him. Not being able to head up to Amity’s cosmopolitan Mezzanine and enjoy an ice cream, pub dinner, some karaoke, or an upmarket cocktail, all a train ride away? For a man that likes the simpler things in life, he will struggle!
Thanks for your time, Commander Wil Ukinix!
You’re welcome. And next time, can you please not sneak into my apartment to hold an impromptu interview session?
Only if you promise to wear pants next time. Thanks Wil!
You can read more about Commander Ukinix on the wiki.
