Super Space Command 3000: 2020 Edition

If you visited our website yesterday, you might have seen something peculiar: IDF replacing Star Trek with Super Space Command 3000 branding after a court order authorized CBS to collect royalties from fan fiction websites. April fools! In case you missed it, we’ve recreated that main page at the bottom of this post.

This is actually the third time IDF has pulled the ole’ SSC3K joke. The first was all the way back in 2003. The second was in 2011, when we were joined by Theta Fleet and Starfleet Legacy Alliance. Theta Fleet played along with us again this year.

Of course, thank you to everyone for being a good sport about it once more! Here are some of the best comments we received for 2020’s joke:

You’ve got to be kidding!!!!!

Not cool.

It seems wrong and I am sure even from an outsider perspective.

Come on CBS, that is such a mean move!?

This is an outrage! Greedy corporate execs! We should all write in and give them a piece of our minds 😡

How the heck are we supposed to pay royalties to CBS?

How much do I need to pay to not see that?

Did you get this on a graphic design consultation website or in house? 😛

Omg hahahaha!

Love it lol

Hahaha Hilarious!

This better be an April Fools joke.

I hate this day.

Nice April fool’s day gag.

I hate April Fool’s Day. 😝

I’m not a huge fan of April Fool’s, but well done 😉

Independence Fleet website, April 1, 2020:

The Fleet

Alert: Yes, it’s true. CBS is going to require that Star Trek role play sites pay royalties that we simply can’t afford. Here’s a link to the article we’ve cut and pasted below:

SAN FRANCISCO-A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled yesterday that CBS Studios has the authority to collect royalties from Star Trek fan fiction websites, even if the websites generate no revenue. All privately-owned publicly-facing Star Trek themed sites will be required to register with CBS immediately to pay fees based on policy to be set later by CBS.

The decision was a blow to many Star Trek fan writers, who commonly organize themselves into groups called “sims” or “role plays”. Lawyers representing an anonymous group unsuccessfully argued that CBS’s demands are a violation of free speech. CBS countered that “Star Trek” is a registered trademark. The court agreed with CBS in its 44-page decision.

Immediately following the ruling, CBS announced that official policy will be determined in six to eight weeks. Since so few fan fiction websites collect revenue, CBS is expected to charge royalties based on membership and participation. All affected websites who refuse or are unable to meet the financial demands will be forced to choose a new theme. Representatives for several websites have vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court.

It is unclear if CBS plans to pursue a similar policy with any of its other trademarked franchises or if other media companies will follow suit.

But not to worry! We’ve come up with something even better than Star Trek: Super Space Command 3000! That’s SSC3K for short! We think this will give us all more flexibility with our stories and characters, and most importantly, we hold all the legal rights for SSC3K. In short, we’re excited about our future in Super Space Command 3000 starting today. Please send any comments or suggestions to star.idf@gmail.com

Thank you,
Independence Fleet Command

Welcome to Independence Fleet Command! We’ve hosted top quality Super Space Command 3000 role playing since 2001. Regardless of what you call it–simming, play-by-post (PbP), play-by-email (PbEm), or even creative writing–it’s what we’ve been doing for nearly 19 years.

Join one of our exciting adventures below and tell your Star Fleet tale with other Trekkies from around the world!

USS Ganymede

USS Ganymede	NCC-80107
Format: Prose & Script	Era: Post-Dominion War
Type: Traditional	Class: Luna
CO: Captain Dyllon McMahon	Join!

USS Washington

USS Washington	NCC-81533-E
Format: Prose	Era: Post-Dominion War
Type: Open	Class: Sovereign
CO: Captain Shran dh’Klar	Join!

USS Chuck Norris

USS Chuck Norris	NCC-4005
Format: Prose & Script	Era: TNG/DSN/VOY
Type: Open	Class: Defiant
CO: Captain Grover vonMcCormick	Join!

Stay tuned…

What does prose and script mean?

That’s simply the style of writing used for the particular game. Prose means it’s written in regular language like you would find in a novel or short story. Script refers to a specific role playing syntax:

{Location}

Character: (Thoughts.) ::action:: “Dialogue.” =/\=Communicator dialogue.=/\=

Still don’t get it? Here’s the same line written in each format:

{Planet’s Surface}

John picked the communicator up from the table. He wasn’t sure what to do. “Here goes nothing,” he muttered before speaking into the device. “Bridge, this is John.”

{Planet’s Surface}

John: ::picks up communicator from the table:: (I’m not sure what to do.) “Here goes nothing.” =/\=Bridge, this is John.=/\=

As you can see, the {Location} tag is frequently used in both formats. Also, the exact syntax will likely vary from sim to sim.

What’s the difference between traditional and open role playing?

In traditional role playing, you only write for your own character without explicit permission or guidance from other players, generally speaking. This is how almost all Star Trek simming games usually work.

Open role playing differs in that everyone writes for everyone. All characters are at at your disposal for use with every post. While this is uncommon in the role playing community, you’ll see a higher number of open role playing sims in Independence Fleet. Here’s an article from Ongoing Worlds that explains open role playing in more detail.