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 Connor Dewitt playing a Human male Engineer assigned to the USS Arrow.
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!
Dewitt: I am living the thrilling life of a small-town dweller south of Hamburg! While the chaos of everyday existence is around me, I find solace amidst the trees and meadows nearby. Recently, I’ve made the daring leap from steering a fledgling startup to imparting wisdom as a teacher – or let’s just say that I love working with the kids and hope they take a little something from each lesson. As if that weren’t enough excitement, my partner and I have just built a new house (well, we paid others to build it, but details, details) and welcomed a delightful little human into the world. Naturally, these newfound responsibilities mean my usual pastimes must take a back seat—whether it’s earning extra brownie points at work, adding the final flourishes to our humble abode, or simply reveling in quality time with my family. Ah, the joys of juggling life’s many hats!
What was your introduction to Science Fiction in general and Star Trek specifically?
For all I remember, those two things coincided early in my life. It was during the first run of Voyager that I found my love for Star Trek. That must have been around my early teen years. I can still recall the ritual of tuning in at my grandma’s place when the clock struck 4 pm for the classics, and the newer installments around the evening. There she sat, my grandmother – engrossed in her reading, yet ever-ready to offer commentary on “the funny one” (Neelix). Little did she suspect that what she deemed “space rubbish” was planting seeds of lifelong devotion within me. After I finished watching all Star Trek shows (multiple times), I went on to almost everything SciFi you can find out there – whether it was Stargate, Star Wars, or Expanse. When I got to know my wife she forced me through A LOT of musicals. She returned the favor by watching Star Trek with me and became her own little version of a SciFi nerd.
What is your experience with roleplaying?
In the early years of my Star Trek love, I started playing a German PBEM roleplaying game. We’ve been of similar size to what SB118 is today and I’ve enjoyed my time there IC and OOC. Things moved slower back there, so you got the chance to 3-5 characters on different ships moving up to command one day, starting to run the game for a few of the players.
I quit that once I went off to university and started playing some Tabletop RPGs over the coming years—everything Sci-Fi related (Star Wars, Star Trek, Traveller, …) and, of course, some DnD. Usually, I was the nerd GMing because it took a lot of time to prepare. But I equally enjoy taking part as a player, which I even try to do today if the time allows. (It usually does not)
What brought you to SB118?
A couple of years back, I was facing a pretty turbulent time. A lot of things did not go according to plan. We’ve probably all been there, and we all know what it can do to us. One night, I started to watch old Star Trek episodes, and it brought me back to the time with the German PBEM RPG. I searched for it just to find it has shrunken to a very small group of players. One thing I liked about it back in the day was the sheer amount of background and structures in place – all of that was gone. That’s why I started looking for an alternative, and soon stumbled upon SB118. The only challenge was that everything was in English. While I think I am somewhat proficient at understanding – and partly speaking – the language, writing in English is a different story. But I took the leap, and I am very happy that I did.
Why did you choose this specific character and duty post?
I think Star Trek is what started my fascination for physics and the inner workings of the universe. At university, I did my Master’s and my PhD in physics, but part of me always regretted that I did not choose to become an engineer. I think that’s why Connor had to become an engineer and try to keep pace with the big names of Scotty, LaForge, and Hobart. I also enjoy all the technobabble we can come up with and hope some of my crew do, too! As for the character itself, I wanted to create somebody I could grow with. He’s probably not the most interesting when it comes to backstory, but he has to overcome his share of challenges, and I enjoy doing so with him. I wanted to create somebody who could evolve over a couple of years, and I am trying to take a small step with every mission and shore leave.
Where do you see your character five years from now?
That’s a very good question that I have not asked myself yet. Rising through the ranks naturally comes with the IC question of moving into command one day and becoming a first officer. While I enjoy being on the Arrow’s staff and helping organize our play, I am unsure if Connor is up for command yet. Additionally, despite enjoying it, being on staff is a time-consuming matter – and I don’t know yet when my life will become a little less busy, so I will have more time to give. But let’s stick with the reasoning about Connor for the time being ;). Maybe that will be just another opportunity for him – and me – to grow one day.
On the other hand, I have a few ideas on what will happen next with him when it comes to character development when he stays Chief Engineer, but I’ll try not to spoil them. Additionally, I am working on making him an academy instructor by joining the Training team. That plan suffers from my busy schedule and limited time, but I think he will be there in five years’ time ;).
One way or another, I think the important part is that Connor is still part of SB118 in five years. I love being around this small family of writers. I have found a home for my creativity here, and I am thankful for that.
Thanks for your time, Lieutenant Dewitt!
You can read more about Lieutenant Connor Dewitt on the wiki.
