BLOG

USS Chuck Norris Change of Command

Posted on | by Charles Star | 2 Comments on USS Chuck Norris Change of Command

As of today, Captain Michael Intermeezo has relieved Captain Aurther Winters as Commanding Officer of the USS Chuck Norris. Captain Winters concludes 36 months in command. However, his history with the Chuck Norris goes back much further. As a Lieutenant, he officially joined the sim on June 26, 2012 as Chief Engineer, and then sent his first post on June 28th. He picked up his first award, an MVP, in November of that year. He later became Executive Officer in 2014, and then Commanding Officer in 2020. Along the way, he snagged 12.5 total awards, including 4 MVPs and 3.5 Genesis awards, good for 8th place all-time. He also chaired the 2021 SciWorld Online Convention, for which he was awarded an Ongoing World Community Honor. If there’s one thing that stands out, it’s been Aurther’s loyalty to both the fleet and his sim! Aurther, best of luck with everything and we hope you don’t wander too far!

Captain Intermeezo, welcome to the command team! We know that you have what it takes to lead this wonderful and historical sim to even greater heights.

Monthly Awards: July 2023

Posted on | by Rook Mirtoh | Leave a Comment on Monthly Awards: July 2023

What a great anniversary celebration! Now it’s time to celebrate our latest monthly awardees.

Best Post (Single Author)

Ensign Kate Kono
Intelligence Officer
USS Washington

For “Simulated Potential”

Nice description, well written, plus a tie to Area 51.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Paxton Beckett & Lt. Cmdr. Klesh Ezah, Daughter of Aklow & Lt. Awal Kronnelti & Lt. JG Betaras K’ner & Ens. Jack Keegan
Guest / CSOO / CSTO / ACMO / ACFOO
USS Chuck Norris

For “Finding Sanctuary”

I love the Star Fleet personnel in a modern day angle. Well done!

Funniest Post

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

For “Is Something Out There ?????”

A very funny break from the action. Love it!

Genesis

Cmdr. Jonathan Grayson & Capt. Shran dh’Klar & Lt. Cmdr. Callie Raven-Grayson
CO / XO / CC
USS Washington

For “I’ll be a Monkey’s Uncle”

A great and very original way to start a mission!

MVP

Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

Lt. Durnell is the glue that holds the Sunfire while the Captain points the direction.

Most Posts

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

For writing 9 posts.

Most Improved

Lieutenant Awal Kronnelti
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Chuck Norris

Lt. Kronnelti went from strength to more strength by adding great contributions to joint posts and successfully encouraging others to be more active.

Rookie of the Month

Ensign Kate Kono
Intelligence Officer
USS Washington

The new Ensign showed a great willingness to jump into action with both solo and joint posting for great contributions all around.

Recruitment

Captain Paxton Beckett
Guest
USS Chuck Norris

He recruited two new members to the Chuck Norris through advertising and networking.

This is the first month in quite a while that we’ve had an awardee for each category. Well done, fleet!

For your additional viewing pleasure, here are a few of the alternate sim move posters that didn’t make it into the anniversary competition last month:

Monthly Awards: June 2023

Posted on | by Rook Mirtoh | Leave a Comment on Monthly Awards: June 2023

What a great anniversary celebration! Now it’s time to celebrate our latest monthly awardees.

Best Post (Single Author)

Ensign James Phoenix
Tactical Officer
USS Washington

For “Kobayashi Maru Part One”

Ah yes, the tried and true Kobayashi Maru. What a fun read!

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Aven LaCroix & Lt. Cmdr. Aria Winters & Lt. Ikuyo Kita & Lt. JG Hank Solomon & Lt. JG Adrianna Baciami & Lt. JG Karri & Ens. Ethan O’Donnaghue & Ens. Bek’a ir Az
CO / CSO / COO / CEO / CSTO / CMO / CFCO / DCS
USS Eclipse

For “Sharpening the Blade”

I love the good old fashioned episodic format. Well done!

Funniest Post

Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

For “Snatch and Grab an Intervention”

“Meat bag” reminds me of the HK assassin droid from Knights of the Old Republic. Love it!

Genesis

None this month.

MVP

Commander Donald “Don” Key
Flight Control Officer
USS Albion

Cmdr. Key continued his excellent performance from last month with outstanding contributions to the story and creating opening for other players to get involved this month. His mentorship of newer players has also been invaluable.

Most Posts

Cmdr. Savar cha’Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lt. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Executive Officer / Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

For writing 5 posts.

Most Improved

Commander Samantha Howard
Chief Medical Officer
USS Washington

Commander Howard wrote some really impressive posts this month, including her character dealing with the death of an NPC.

Rookie of the Month

None this month.

Recruitment

None this month.

Here’s to year 23, IDF!

22nd Anniversary Webcast: Saturday at 5pm Eastern

Posted on | by Charles Star | 2 Comments on 22nd Anniversary Webcast: Saturday at 5pm Eastern

It’s almost time for our third annual anniversary webcast. Admiral Ken Gillis returns as host, and yes, it will again include real prizes!

Join us on July 8th at 5:00 PM ET (-4) / 10:00 PM BST (+1) in the fleet watch party channel of our Discord server. We’ll be announcing the newest members of the Hall of Fame (in case you missed it!), drawing names from among our monthly award winners over the last year for some real-world prizes, and there might also be a surprise or two.

See you there!

At the movies… with Independence Fleet!

Posted on | by Charles Star | 7 Comments on At the movies… with Independence Fleet!

And yet another year of IDF is in the books with our 22nd Anniversary today. To remind you of how old we really are, here’s a quote from last year’s anniversary post:

“On our 22nd Anniversary, we will be further removed from the premiere of the 2009 Star Trek film (May 8, 2009) than IDF’s launch was from the premiere of The Next Generation (September 28, 1987): 14 years, 1 month, 26 days vs. 13 years, 9 months, 6 days.”

Well, here we are! For this year’s celebration, each of our 12 sims created a movie poster to capture their unique essence and feel. We are also very fortunate to have Amanda Rose from RPG Writing, NX-1701-G from Zodiac Fleet, and Beth from Sim Central to judge the entries in three categories: overall image quality, how much does it look like an actual movie poster, and general creativity/originality. Before we get to the posters themselves, we first have an announcement from a special guest:

Now, the 12 movie posters:

And your winners are…
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

1st Place:

USS Wayfarer
CO: Captain Akeno Misaki
Poster by: Akeno Misaki		2nd Place:

USS Sunfire
CO: Captain Rhenora Kaylen
Poster by: Bonnie Durnell		3rd Place:

USS Eclipse
CO: Captain Aven LaCroix
Poster by: Aven LaCroix
“I’m impressed by the technical skill and originality that went into this poster.”

“If you’re familiar with Anime movie posters, this is spot on.”

“Having anime Trek characters in the mirror universe with the crack showing the Federation and Terran emblems on different sides was brilliant.”		“Of all the posters shared this was the one that actually made me want to join the game in question.”

“Image expertly merged the dinosaur imagery with clear Trek imagery without making them appear distinct.”

“This poster screamed movie poster. I would expect to see this on the wall in some theater. A starship with dinosaurs and big lettering. Well done!”		“I’m not typically a fan of the starship and character posters, but this one spoke to me.”

“I kept wanting to rate this poster higher in my rankings. There’s a lot to like with the faded facial imagery and ship…

…[including] ‘Coming Never,’ which was mildly amusing.”

Congratulations to all three winners, and a special thanks to our judges! However, to quote Kirk from Star Trek III, we’re not finished yet! Here are superlative awards for our other nine games:

Best poster for Seinfeld/Trek crossover

USS Albion
CO: Captain Dick Sprague
Poster by: Akeno Misaki		Some bold judges not to pick this one!

USS Chuck Norris
CO: Captain Aurther Winters
Poster by: Bonnie Durnell		Best poster for past meeting the future

USS Churchill
CO: Captain James Stewart
Poster by: Akeno Misaki
Best poster if you actually watch Picard

USS Eminence
CO: Captain Alex Shepard
Poster by: Akeno Misaki		Best poster for a random trailing light

USS Ganymede
CO: Captain Dyllon McMahon
Poster by: Akeno Misaki		Best poster for a low Earth orbit view

USS Liberty
CO: Captain Kaylia Strenvale
Poster by: Akeno Misaki
Best poster for the IMAX experience

USS Montana
CO: Captain Jackson Adams
Poster by: Bonnie Durnell		Best poster for “Aft torpedoes, fire!!!”

USS Washington
CO: Captain Shran dh’Klar
Poster by: Akeno Misaki		Best poster that could double for Dune

Starbase 80
CO: Captain Kathleen O’Shea
Poster by: Bonnie Durnell

While we’re on the topic of movies, we are now further removed from our July 4, 2001 founding than it was from the premiere of the first Star Trek film Star Trek: The Motion Picture (December 6, 1979): 22 years vs. 21 years, 6 months, 28 days. Feel old yet?

Continuing last year’s tradition, we again have a second video message:

Happy IDF anniversary, everyone!

2023 Hall of Fame Inductees

Posted on | by Charles Star | 3 Comments on 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees

With yet another July, it is again my great privilege to formally announce the newest members of the Independence Fleet Hall of Fame. Induction is the highest honor this club offers–reserved for those with exemplary service or extraordinary contributions to the fleet, according to the Hall of Fame Charter (pdf). Without further ado, your Hall of Fame Class of 2023 is as follows:

Inducted by Election:

Colonel Steven MayTa Death

of the USS Sanctuary

The longtime Commanding Officer of the Sanctuary, Steven MayTa Death was the fleet’s all-time leader in command months with 89 when he and his sim transferred to sister club UCIP in 2020. He also managed 17 posting titles during his IDF career. Finding his niche by leading offbeat missions, his crew enjoyed their Marine-centric and action-packed storylines. There will never be another MayTa!

Lt. Cmdr. Maryam Syed

of the USS Sunfire

A mainstay of the renaissance era Sunfire, Maryam Syed was an integral part of helping lead the fleet back to its earlier glory days. Her outstanding contributions in-story, affable nature, and excellent recruiting also ensured the Sunfire remained great for many years. Showing superb breadth, she won six total awards, including Rookie of the Month, Best Post, MVP, and the Recruitment award.

Lieutenant Spaardra Tamis

of the USS Sunfire

A first-rate team player, Spaardra Tamis was an indispensable member of both the Sunfire and the fleet. As IDF was reestablishing itself during the renaissance era, her superior posting quantity and wide recruiting efforts were exactly what was needed at the time to jumpstart operations. Of her five total awards, two were for Recruitment and three were for Most Posts.

Inducted by the Veterans Committee:

None this year.

Congratulations to our three 2023 inductees! Thank you for providing a timeless example for us still role playing today to emulate. You will hereby forever be remembered for your extraordinary service to Independence Fleet. Well done! There are now 41 total members of this most exclusive club.

That’s two more inductees from the Sunfire, and our first from the Sanctuary.

Monthly Awards: May 2023

Posted on | by Rook Mirtoh | Leave a Comment on Monthly Awards: May 2023

Late June brings May awards:

Best Post (Single Author)

Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
Computer Systems Specialist
USS Sunfire

For “The Mrs.”

Whoah! Nice post with rich description and a chilling enemy. Very well done!

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Akeno Misaki & Cmdr. Mashiro Munetani “Shiro” & Lt. Cmdr. Raelyn Mckenzie & Lt. Cmdr. Mark Johnson & Lt. Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok
CO / XO / CSTO / CMO / CFCO
USS Wayfarer

For “Klingon Accusations”

Great action, and an interesting plot twist. Nice work!

Funniest Post

Commander Donald “Don” Key
Flight Control Officer
USS Albion

For “He’s Dead Jim”

An important plot advancement and funny shenanigans to boot.

Genesis

Captain Dick Sprague
Commanding Officer
USS Albion

For “Albion, on Ice!”

Hilaroius! But more importantly, interesting and with lots of openings for people to explore. Well done!

MVP

Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T’ghann-Travis
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Washington

She put forth outstanding material throughout the month and created excellent openings for other crewmembers to get involved. Great work!

Most Posts

Commander Donald “Don” Key
Flight Control Officer
USS Albion

For writing 17 posts.

Most Improved

Ensign J.B. Dersch
Tactical Officer
USS Washington

In only his second month, he tied for the second most posts on the sim and worked diligently to further integrate himself both in game and behind the scenes.

Rookie of the Month

None this month.

Recruitment

None this month.

Thanks again for another great month in IDF!

Spot Special Commendation Medal 2023

Posted on | by Charles Star | 3 Comments on Spot Special Commendation Medal 2023

It’s been more than a year since the last major awards were presented. Here is our fourth Special Commendation Medal, which is awarded for achievement above and beyond the call of duty at the crewmember level.

Special Commendation Medal

Awarded to Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T’ghann-Travis (previously known as Shoniara T’ghann Dex before her marriage in-story) of the USS Washington for sustained superior role playing. Using her encyclopedic knowledge of Trek, she effortlessly writes detailed posts and collaborates with others to tell truly immersive stories within the canon. In the nearly two years since her first post on August 19, 2021, she has tallied 9.33 total awards, good for 13th place all-time, which includes one MVP and five Most Posts.

Monthly Awards: April 2023

Posted on | by Rook Mirtoh | 1 Comment on Monthly Awards: April 2023

On the Ides of May, here are your April awards:

Best Post (Single Author)

Lieutenant Commander Mark Johnson
Chief Medical Officer
USS Wayfarer

For “Day 7: Deena, a pleasant surprise.”

Nice post, not rushed, with very good detail and description. Well done!

Best Post (Joint Post)

Lieutenant Ayana Hillis & Commander Jonathan Grayson & Commander Samantha Howard
ACSTO / XO / CMO
USS Washington

For “A Pleasant Visit”

A very interesting predicament of a First Contact with a human civilization–and outstanding job among several excellent nominations this month.

Funniest Post

Ensign Alyssa Strong
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Albion

For “Shower, Hot Chocolate, SURPRISE!”

Awesome.

Genesis

Captain Rhenora Kaylen
Commanding Officer
USS Sunfire

For “GENESIS”

Great way to start a mission–with the Obsidian Order bashing your door in. Good luck!

MVP

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

Commander Grayson had a great month leading a new mission, working closely with a new player, and keeping the story moving with inputs from everyone. Great job!

Most Posts

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

For writing 10 posts.

Most Improved

Lieutenant Callisi Veera
Chief Operations Officer
USS Churchill

Really stepped up to fill in while the Captain was unwell to keep the sim moving after having zero posts the month prior.

Rookie of the Month

Ensign J.B. Dersch
Tactical Officer
USS Washington

The new Ensign was active right out of the gate with great contributions.

Recruitment

None this month.

As always, great posting!