One of the most rewarding aspects of simming in the SB118 fleet is the diversity of roles available, ranging from helm and medical to diplomacy and marines. This series highlights that diversity by delving deep into each role and sharing insights from those in the fleet who have experienced them.
In this edition, we explore the role of the diplomat. They serve as representatives of the United Federation of Planets, and it is a role that requires a lot of creativity since it is a department that is often underexploited in sims. Due to this, there can often be a sense of isolation compared to what the other departments offer. You have no crewmembers to heal, labs to run, or engines to maintain. As a diplomat, your function is to understand the sector where your ship/starbase/colony operates.
However, there’s much more to this role. To gain further insight, we reached out to some of our fleet’s simmers.
When asked what they enjoy most about the diplomatic role, Will Ukinix said
“I really enjoy telling traditional Star Trek type stories from a different perspective. Having a character that works for the Federation Diplomatic Corps, working hand in hand with Starfleet, allows you to explore decisions made IC (in character) and their impacts from a political and diplomatic point of view.”
Yinn from the USS Octavia E Butler expanded upon this and said
“As writing goes, it’s more about interacting with the other simmers than pushing the story forwards. (Nice to have a balance between the two)”
These two points show us that despite the sense of isolation that having so few simmers in a role might bring, this role affords you many more opportunities to interact with your fellow simmers and to see the longer-lasting consequences of those in-character actions.
Meanwhile, an anonymous contributor expanded upon the opportunities to interact with others.
“In an action-filled and fast-paced world like Star Trek, it’s actually nice to sit down once in a while in order to have a good conversation. Diplomacy often calls for those situations, relying heavily on talks and mediation. A written game like ours is predestined for discourse between numerous parties, and I think the best pieces of dialogue are often born in scenes that don’t contain much more than a room and a table. “
The author of this article can certainly confirm that some of the most intense scenes that he’s ever simmed have been in a conference room or across a table.
We then asked our simmers why they chose to play a diplomatic role
Will Ukinix said
“It found me really. I created a complex “long lost family” back story for my primary character, and in that process created a long lost second cousin who was studying at university to become a diplomat. When Amity Outpost started and I was promoted to First Officer, my CO asked me to include Keehani Ukinix as one of the main FDC characters. The career driven young Betazoid is now Chief of Staff to Ambassador Vataix. It’s been a blast!”
Yinn said.
“I was creating a Klingon NPC, and liked the idea of a Klingon with a nontraditional career path.”
Another source said:
“Intelligence contains aspects of diplomacy.”
This raises an interesting point. It could be argued that intelligence and diplomacy share a lot in common, particularly as a diplomat would value the information that an intelligence officer/department might give. There would be various opportunities for the two to work together. Remember, intelligence doesn’t have to be the secret agent/James Bond stereotype.
Then we ask our contributors, what is the most difficult part of playing a diplomatic role?
Will Ukinix said:
“Researching and learning what diplomats actually do. That wasn’t a necessary step, but it has helped me write a more believable character in Keehani.”
and an anonymous contributor wrote:
“Starting a conversation at one point and ending it at another feels impossible sometimes. You can’t always influence other characters the way you want to, and so mediation and negotiation are sometimes a question of trial and error. That can get tiring. Also, diplomacy calls for a huge amount of research and extensive knowledge about all parties. Most of the time that research takes me twice as long as actually writing a sim, which can get exhausting. “
So a lot of research is required, both in general and regarding the specific parties involved. This can be time-consuming, often taking longer than writing the actual sim and Directing conversations and influencing other characters can be challenging. Diplomacy often involves trial and error, which can be tiring for the player.
Finally, we asked what advice or guidance would you give anyone who might want to play a diplomatic officer.
Will Ukinx said:
“Research online the basics of diplomacy, and familiarise yourself with the Federation Diplomatic Corps wiki pages on both our fantastic SB118 wiki and Memory Alpha. Also remember this quote by Sir David Frost – “Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have your way.”
An anonymous contributor said:
“Do it! I’ve had the experience that other writers are very grateful if someone takes the time to research and analyse their characters’ backgrounds and intentions. Diplomacy is a real team effort and maybe one of the most fun ways of collaborative writing! “
In conclusion, the diplomatic role in simming allows for in-depth exploration of political and diplomatic consequences. While it may seem isolating at first, this role actually fosters increased interaction with fellow simmers and focuses on building character relationships. Diplomats often find themselves at the center of intense, dialogue-driven scenes that can be just as thrilling as action sequences.
The role does come with its challenges, such as the need for extensive research however this also presents opportunities for growth, worldbuilding and collaborative storytelling, and if this author can comment, those challenges can be a lot of fun.
For those interested in taking on a diplomatic role, it’s recommended to study real-world diplomacy, familiarize yourself with the relevant wiki pages, and remember that the art of diplomacy often involves achieving your goals indirectly.
So maybe that’s persuaded you to give the diplomatic role a go. Don’t forget to check out the wiki and the diplomacy role page and if you’ve yet to join us, head on over to https://www.starbase118.net/
We would like to thank Wil Ukinix of Amity outpost, Yinn of the USS Octavia E Butler and all others who contributed to this piece.