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 Starbase 118 Ops, Lt Commander Shar’Wyn Foster, an Andorian Male.
Promontory: You’ve been with SB118 for a while now and are no stranger to these interviews. What do you most want others to know about the writer behind your characters?
Foster: That’s a good question! Behind my many Star Trek masks I enjoy maintaining a stable and pleasantly boring real life. I have a wonderful family, I’m a fitness enthusiast who runs long distances, and I love lifting weights! I love writing to bring the drama and intrigue into my life, but love sunny mornings with a nice cup of tea and bringing family together to play billiards in our basement!
You’ve been a CO, an FO, and OOC hold the rank of Commodore. What do you think is the most misunderstood aspect of leadership in SB118?
Foster: Leadership, when done well, is working with players and other staff to build positive storytelling experiences and good community conversations. Most of us come to the game at the end of a long day and really want this to be an enriching environment where we can relax, pretend to be someone else, write stories of future optimism and heroism and enjoy spending time with like minded friends. The leaders of the game want to give this to the players, and sometimes we need to make difficult decisions based on experience to ensure the game remains as positive as possible for the most players. It is a labor of love, and I think overall the staff of every level does a very good job of this.
You’ve served in a number of roles on a number of facilities across the fleet. What is it that unifies all those experiences?
Foster: All of the roles serve the purpose of trying to make the game fun! I have a strong belief that if a game isn’t fun – don’t play it. So my goal is to try to make the story meaningful, the simming fun and the community elements memorable.
What are the advantages of serving as a first officer instead of a Commanding Officer? What are the challenges?
Foster: There are a lot of advantages! I find the first officer role extremely compelling, there’s a great amount of character building to be done as a second-in-command and how that character interacts with not only the crew, but the commanding officer. And it’s super refreshing to play a character who is the same rank or slightly higher rank than the crew. It makes me feel very connected and engaged with the crew! As for the challenges – they are all self imposed for good drama. I chose Shar’Wyn Foster as my first officer character and he’s not a typical leadership character like Sal Taybrim was. The character has to go through a lot of character development and growth which is challenging yet fun to write!
Lastly, what are your plans for the future for yourself and your character in SB118?
Foster: My plans are to work up to run a half marathon, have a fantastic summer with my family and enjoy writing year after year!
Thanks for your time, Commander Foster!
You can read more about Lt Commander Shar’Wyn Foster on the wiki.
