Maxwell Traenor

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First Officers in Focus – Maxwell Traenor, Constitution

May 27, 2017by Tristan Wolf in First Officer in Focus tagged ,

Each month we interview a First Officer or Commanding Officer of the fleet as part of our “First Officer in Focus” and “Captain’s Corner” columns to get to know them better, and learn more about what their positions entail.

Our last interview was with a commanding officer (Capt. Keelah Rhani of the USS Za), so this month we’re sitting down with LtCmdr. Maxwell Traenor, First Officer of USS Constitution-B.

We previously profiled Traenor in April of last year, and March of 2015 before that, so take a look at those for more background on this dedicated and fascinating member of our fleet.

Let’s get started!

WOLF: Glad to be interviewing you again for our Community News! How have you been since we talked about your role as training officer, last year?

TRAENOR: I’ve been awesome, thank you! I went through a very busy year in real life last year, which necessitated some changes in my SB118 profile, but I’m back to full strength and having a ton of fun, as always. And now that spring has finally sprung and the weather is getting great, there’s little to not be happy about!

What ships have you served on and what duty posts have you played so far in your Starfleet career?

I have been truly fortunate to work with some of the best top officers in the fleet through the ships I’ve served on, as well as the extracurricular groups I have participated in such as the Academy Training group. I started out on the Apollo under Andrus Jaxx, then got to participate in the grand relaunch of the Darwin (now Andaris Task Force) under Renos. When the Za launched, I took the opportunity to help out another new ship and serve under Zalea Solzano and Keelah Rhani. Now, I’m under the tutelage and guidance of Jalana Rajel on the Constitution. What a pedigree of knowledge and experience that I’ve gotten to draw from, and I can’t thank them all enough!

In real life, I’m an aviation meteorologist and air traffic controller, so the Science duty post was a natural fit for my analytical mind. Through the years in other groups and through PNPCs here in SB118, I’ve tried most all other duty posts on for size, but I keep finding myself drawn back to Science. My main PC, Maxwell Traenor, has been a perfect foil for me to explore how a journeyman scientist, with all the attendant stereotypes and traits, could successfully move up the ranks in the command structure of Starfleet. I couldn’t abandon the guy, he still has so many stories to tell, and First Officer is but one more chapter in that story.

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Trained by the best: Maxwell Traenor

April 25, 2016by Tristan Wolf in Trained by the best tagged ,

Do you remember your time in the Academy? Hopefully it was a positive introduction to our community, thanks to the efforts of our dedicated and experienced Academy Training Team members, like LtCmdr. Maxwell Traenor, First Officer of the Darwin.

You may not realize how much time goes into making our training experience professional and streamlined, but it’s actually a highly tuned machine that not only helps bring in new members, but also train our future commanding officers in leadership skills. That is why this particular team is so important.

Today, we’re going to be talking to another member of the Academy Training Team. This month’s featured officer was suggested by all of the Academy Training Staff unanimously!

WOLF: Hello LtCmdr. Traenor, and thanks for sitting down with me to talk more about our training program!

TRAENOR: The honor is all mine. Thank you for extending this opportunity!

How long have you been a part of our community and how did you find it?

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The Lower Decks: Lt JG Maxwell Traenor

March 17, 2015by Kalianna Nicholotti in Lower Decks tagged ,

In this edition of ‘The Lower Decks’, we have a sit-down with the newly promoted Lieutenant JG Maxwell Traenor from the USS Apollo. The writer behind the character is a lifelong fan of both Trek and the Sci-Fi genre. What started at first as self-described merciless mocking of TOS as a kid morphed into a lifelong love that he maintains today even after the shows have stopped airing. “Imagine two young boys watching syndicated reruns, carrying on their best (worst) MST3K-style commentary in front of the TV screen. Drove our parents nuts! Yet, by the time TNG came out, that good-natured derision had shifted into unabashed passion, and I have found it to be my favorite sci-fi universe ever since,” says Jason, the writer behind the mask of Traenor.

And that passion, coupled by a simple web search, brought him to the doorstep of Starbase 118. He claims that the organization behind the group drew him in, while the Academy and mentoring that we offer aboard our ships got him involved quickly. He’s got experience too. Of this, he says, “I have been involved with several IRC and PBEM Star Trek roleplays through the years, and not a one held a candle to the level of support and encouragement that SB:118 provides from the moment you send in your initial application.”

Of course not everyone draws 100% of their inspiration from Star Trek, and Jason is no different.

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Sinda Essen, Maxwell Traenor Win Final Writing Challenge of 2014

January 12, 2015by Aron Kells in Writing Challenges tagged , , ,

Congratulations to Chris, the writer behind Sinda Essen and Jhen Thelev, who has won the November & December 2014 Writing Challenge. This is Chris’s sixth win, an unprecedented number in the history of the Challenges, so special congratulations to him. Judge Jamie, the writer behind Lt. Cmdr. Sal Taybrim, had this to say about the piece:

 I think the plot and the twist was well developed and delivered.  The whole idea behind the piece was one of the best of the round.  I particularly liked how you sprung the Klingon attack with very little preamble.  Marsha was surprised, the audience was surprised, it pushed the action forward in a big burst – a very nice effect!

This round’s runner-up was a first-time entrant, the writer behind Maxwell Traenor, who received his honor because of his short story “Chocolate.” My comments, as judge Cassandra Egan Manno:

It’s as stilted and awkward as I’d expect a first contact between a physicist and an alien over food and drinks to be. What really makes that atmosphere work, though, is that it revels in its minutiae — the untranslatable “cuisine” and “dessert,” the description and delight involved when Maxwell eats that desert. In my experience, it’s very difficult to write an awkward story that isn’t constantly tripping over itself to prove its awkwardness, but “Chocolate” pulls it off: We’ve already seen, by the time the dessert arrives, how uncomfortable Maxwell is feeling, so that provides a whole different perspective with which to view his sudden obsession with the dessert. … The twist, such as it is, is both funny and oddly touching, as Maxwell’s companion protests ignorance and Maxwell himself doesn’t ever want to stop eating. “Delightful,” in retrospect, is definitely the right word to describe “Chocolate.”

Please drop by the forums to offer these writers, and all our entrants, your congratulations if you haven’t yet done so!