Happy 24th Anniversary, Independence Fleet! These anniversaries seem to be happening quicker and quicker these days! Continuing a tradition we began a few years ago, we again have a video message from a very special guest:
- Independence Fleet 24th Anniversary Message (YouTube)
- Independence Fleet 24th Anniversary Message (mp4)
As some of you are already aware, we recently acquired a prop used on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier during the shuttle crash landing scene:
See it on the right side of the screen next to the stacked barrels? Yes, that’s it!
Turns out, it’s a miniature of a highly prolific movie prop. Dubbed the “most important device in the universe” by some, it’s been used in more than 200 movies and television shows. Ex Astris Scientia notes that this full sized version appears in two Star Trek movies and six episodes, and refers to it as “blinking tubes” here.
This guy even created his own working copy of the thing. This full-size device belonged to Modern Props, which unfortunately closed back in 2020. While we don’t know the fate of Modern Props #195-290-1, we’re happy to hold a piece of history with this mini version. What did we do with it?
We asked each ship to write a post using the object in some way. Here are those submissions in alphabetical order by sim:
- A Tale of Two Spragues (and Keys) by the USS Albion
- What in the World? by the USS Chuck Norris
- Transfer Arrival by the USS Churchill
- Genesis by the USS Eminence
- The Thing Is Broken by the USS Firebird
- Shakedown out the window by the USS Liberty
- Potential Problem by the USS Montana
- Ikar’s Folly by the USS Sunfire
- Brigid’s Gift by the USS Washington
- Goes Nowhere, Does Nothing by the USS Wayfarer
We then asked three individuals from independent sims to serve as judges:
- Christie of Gnashville
- Tavey of USS Potemkin
- WizardBeard of Memory Theta
And your winners are…
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
| 1st Place: USS Chuck Norris for What in the World? CO: Captain Mira Rodale | 2nd Place: USS Washington for Brigid’s Gift CO: Captain Shran dh’Klar | 3rd Place: USS Sunfire for Ikar’s Folly CO: Captain Rhenora Kaylen |
| “Any device that knows that Raktajino is needed is awesome in my opinion. Awesome plot.” “I liked the casual subtlety that was employed here.” “The writing style here is very clean with very good grammar, which makes it easy to read. Well done!” | “This post had peak Treknobabble and it was fantastic.” “Disclosure – I have a fascination with Celtic deities, so I was immediately drawn in anyway. This was fun, and I am curious about what happens next!” “I absolutely adore the Quantum Physics take.” | “Starfleet and Snow.. Neat.” “‘Outsmarted by snow’ is definitely a new take on the ‘acts of God’ trope and I am here for it!” “I found the battle portions to be particularly engaging, especially the dialogue.” |
Superlative winners:
| Most integral to story use of the object: USS Firebird for The Thing Is Broken CO: Captain Malcom Llwyedd | Most creative use of the object: USS Montana for Potential Problem CO: Captain Michael Murphy | Most humorous use of the object: USS Wayfarer for Goes Nowhere, Does Nothing CO: Captain Akeno Misaki |
| “I will forevermore wonder what The Thing ™ does! I cared about the characters and the plot!” “This sim does a great job of rounding out all bases in a post.” “‘The thing is broken’ is now my new favorite sentence.” | “This sim does a good job of showing before telling.” “I wanted to know more about the mysterious officers.. Tell me more!” “The whole ‘Men in Black’ story line is absolutely wonderful!” | “I wasn’t sure what to expect with the cat at first but the post turned out to be a lot of fun.” “Cats In Space! I could feel how comfortable Barry the GNDN is for Isoroku!” “I’m pretty sure you’re the only sim in history who would think to use an unknown object as a cat bed and I love it” |
| Great all around use: USS Eminence for Genesis CO: Captain Alex Shepard | Avant-garde: USS Liberty for Shakedown out the window CO: Captain Kaylia Strenvale | This is Trek: USS Churchill for Transfer Arrival CO: Captain James Stewart |
| “The cameos were surprisingly well done.” “A good way to bring in a familiar character. Hi Geordie! OK folks on the Eminence, how do you find the device??” “The writing, grammar, and punctuation are impeccable!” | “An interesting dilemma, and some equally interesting people in the middle of a time twist!” “There was a great sense of urgency in the story.” “From this post, it sounds like the object was incorporated into a larger story, which I find very creative.” | “The sim did a good job of writing the post by the numbers. Right on.” “I wondered where the device was…” “I love the detailed descriptions of the scenery.” |
| Yes, it is a post: USS Albion for A Tale of Two Spragues (and Keys) (CO: Captain Dick Sprague) |
| “This was one of the funniest things I’ve read, although I may have found it even funnier if some of the context wasn’t lost on me.” “I liked the differentiation between the real characters and the fake ones.” |
Congratulations to everyone, and a special thank you to our judges! All three judges expressed to me how much they enjoyed reading the 10 posts. They were all highly entertaining while showcasing the unique personalities of each sim. I hope the Captains and crews had as much fun writing them!
Happy 24th anniversary, Independence Fleet! Thank you for all you do to make our community what it is!
