The Star Trek universe has many unique and interesting characters, quite a few of which have become iconic. Whether it’s “fascinating”, “make it so” or "damnit Jim!", we recognize these catch phrases and instantly replay the voices of those characters.

However, although we heard from a wide variety of characters over the years, a real time strategy game like Fleet Operations has far more characters than have appeared on any Star Trek series.

Furthermore, while in the various series you might hear from engineers, footmen, holographs, and ensigns, there aren’t that many captains that lend their voice. However, when you’re playing any game, it’s the boss who’s answering the hails, not typically his or her underlings!

Lastly, since it’s Star Trek we’re after, and not Revenge of the Looney Toons, captains must [i]feel[/i] like they are from Star Trek. Harry Mudd, while a real Star Trek character, just wouldn’t make a good Starfleet captain, no matter how you spin him. Captains must feel true to their faction, while still being unique. Even if Romulans are arrogant, a clone of the same for 20 vessels just isn’t fun!

So how do we go about creating a character which feels like a captain, fits the faction in question, and doesn’t come off as cartoony - yet still exudes that unique Star Trek feel?

The first thing we do is to try and find a role model for our putative captain. In this case, let’s talk about the Fakairu - the Romulan freighter vessel. We’ve only seen a few freighter captains in Star Trek and none of them have been Romulan. Right off the bat we’ve got a challenge! However, from what we know of the Romulans, they are insular, prize efficiency, and are haughty about their station.

The Fakairu - as her captain would surely tell you - supports all the war efforts of the Romulan Empire. She’s the lifeblood: delivering goods to any and all Romulan outposts, keeping even the mighty Warbirds aloft.

Such an important station, where even the slightest perturbation might cause disastrous repercussions for the Romulan war machine, carries with it a certain resolve. However, not mounting any weapons, the Fakairu is defenseless. So, being too cocky would not seem right. Altogether, we have a character who knows how important she is to keeping the Empire running smoothly, but also is keenly aware of her vulnerability to the Romulan People’s enemies. And you can bet she’ll remind you of that fact!

Next time we’ll talk more closely about the types of situations a ship can get itself in, and what types of lines you might expect to hear! Have a special ship you’d like to hear from? Voice your opinion and we’ll see if we have her in stock!