Ta-da! Here's the rest of the Ganesha crew so far. Name: Esperanza Blackshear Position (Rank): Chief of Security (Lieutenant Commander) Species; Appearance: Human; Central American descent, long black hair, height of 190 cm. Personality; Trivia: A hand-to-hand combat expert, Esperanza is fascinated with Klingon culture. She keeps a Bat’Leth mounted on her wall, and performs numerous Klingon rituals. Some people find her emulation of Klingons to be strange or disrespectful. Jo’Kha, a part-Klingon officer serving on the Athena, is a little put off by her, though she always seems eager to interact with him. History: She performed well at Starfleet Academy, however, she was notorious for being in fights. She served on a Klingon bird of prey during the Dominion war. Name: Jaiyune Position (Rank): Comm Officer (Lieutenant) Species; Appearance: Kembar (Vertical eyelids, nose and forehead markings) Height of 157 cm, average weight and build. Personality; Trivia: As Kireny’s twin, she is psychologically connected to him in the same way that he is connected to her. They eat meals together every day, though they work and live on separate ships. She pursues social contact with others more than he does. History: She and Kireny spent most of their lives doing the same things, including most of the same courses at the academy. However, unlike him, she is more adept with computerized communication, rather than verbal or psychological. Name: Tal Celes Position (Rank): Astrometrics Officer (Ensign) Species; Appearance: Bajoran; black hair, fair skin. Personality; Trivia: Ensign Tal was a crewmember aboard USS Voyager, also working in Astrometrics. She is often sought out by other crew members because of her supposed expertise, but is often frazzled by their requests. Her feelings of comparative incompetence from VOY have carried over, however, her actual levels of competence and training have increased. History: Lol, you expect me to write this? Look on Memory Alpha if you really wanna know. Name: Malai Position (Rank): Science Officer (Ensign) Species; Appearance: Awn (Insectoid appearance, chitinous exoskeleton, compound eyes, mandibles) Personality; Trivia: Malai is a reserved, rather antisocial sort of person. They are extremely attached to their culture and people, and hesitates to share information about their planet to others. History: Most details of their life are unknown, however, they were the candidate voted on by their planet’s government to join Starfleet, out of 1,315 other candidates. There is much speculation surround their past, however, the only one that holds any merit is that he has undergone genetic modification procedures. Name: Argan Position (Rank): Maintenance Technician (Crewman) Species; Appearance: Ferengi Personality; Trivia: Similarly to Draxen, Argan serves a purpose on the ship, however, he is also the cook. Also like Draxen, he is very good at making inedible things technically edible, however, his food tends to taste less than palatable. He is, however, gifted at mixing drinks. (Though he charges latinum for non-synthesised alcoholic drinks.) History: Argan, despite being a member of Starfleet, dislikes the organization as a whole. The only reason he joined was because the Ferengi Engineering Corps had terrible living conditions. Stopped putting appearance details cause muh laziness.
I'd like to say that with all the work you have put into these characters for your idea it's apparent that you do have some drive to pursue the idea. My hearty suggestion is that you continue with plotting and story development, and then write some stories. I'd say the best way to get feedback and improve would be to write novelizations, because that's most read type of fan fiction. BUT, if you really hope to have something you do on the screen someday, there is no reason not to learn to write screenplay. I'd suggest both for one reason. If you really really really want to see something you do on the screen, the way the current movie/tv production climate seems to me from a very cursory look, is that not many "ideas" are getting picked up, but finished products are.
I most certainly agree. I've decided on writing these as novelisations, one chapter = one episode, something like that. If they really start to gain traction, I'll convert them to screenplays. By the way, may I say that something I'm thankful for today is my readers. I get a little thrill each time I log on and see a response, and can see that someone, somewhere, actually gives a damn about my half-baked ideas.
So I got bored and composed something that could pass as a Star Trek theme. I decided it'd be Journey On's theme. https://musescore.com/synthmirai/journey-on
Since they were specially built for this mission, it's a new class of ship called Pathfinder class. They're comparatively small, only a little bigger than Voyager was, with extra space and resources allocated to the modified warp drives, astrometrics mapping and scanning technology, and extra photon torpedoes. No throwing shuttles at the enemy this time, boys!
*Bursts into room, clutching pile of padds and panting* Sorry I'm late! I've gotten the first few profiles for the Athena's crew done. Name: Byron Cortes Position (Rank): Captain Species; Appearance: Human, multi-ethnic, buzz-cut grey hair. Tan skin, grey eyes, 6’4” Personality; Trivia: Cortes is as serious and straitlaced as they come. Hard to read for anyone, including the empathic Kembar, his feelings towards most everything remain unknown. It has been long suspected that he disapproves of captain Shreve’s attitude and methods, however, no one can know for sure. History: His teachers at the Academy knew him as the most disciplined student they’d ever had. He’s had five command postings in his 65 years alive, three of which were on the front lines during combat. Name: Dana Mendel Position (Rank): Chief of Security (Lieutenant Commander) Species; Appearance: Human, somewhat pale, curly sable hair. 5’6” Personality; Trivia: An unsuspecting, compact man, Dana packs a real punch. He looks somewhat scrawny, and is pretty damn short, but is strong and wiry. He seems quiet, until you get him talking, and get him a drink. History: He’s an expert in martial arts and weaponry from all over the galaxy, from Karate to Jem’Hadar training exercises. He was somewhat of a teacher’s pet at the Academy. Name: Mirelli Jo’Kha Position (Rank): First Officer (Field Colonel) Species; Appearance: Half-Klingon, Half-Bajoran. If you think it’s a weird combination, take it up with his parents. Long, auburn hair, often worn in a bun. 5’10” Personality; Trivia: Jo’Kha is a sociable person who enjoys frequenting the mess hall for a drink. However, don’t challenge him to an argument if you value your life. He’ll overwhelm you with sheer verbal brute force, if reasoning can’t work. Has a strained relationship with Lieutenant Commander Blackshear and Gul Marel. History: He was raised on Bajor by his father after his mother died fighting for the Klingon Empire. He has kept distant from Klingon culture, and Lieutenant Commander Blackshear would be horrified to know that he keeps a Bajoran prayer mandala in his room instead of battle trophies. He was sent here by insistence of the Bajoran Militia. Name: Ryan Simmons Position (Rank): Chief Engineer (Lieutenant Commander) Species; Appearance: Human, slightly tan skin, dark brown hair often worn in a ponytail. 5’7” Personality; Trivia: She doesn’t talk very much at all, but is friendly. She often prefers to observe rather than to interact. Dry sense of humour, persistent to a fault. Enjoys solo parkour sessions in the holodeck. Never gives up on anything. History: No one knows much about Ryan’s personal life and history, since she doesn’t really talk to a lot of people. She achieved high-average grades at Starfleet Academy, had a relatively normal life. However, many of the records surrounding her 27-29th years of life are missing. No one knows why. Name: Katan Marel Position (Rank): Co-Chief Liaison (Gul) Species; Appearance: Cardassian, stocky build, 5’9” Personality; Trivia: Gul Marel is a very secretive person. Though she is willing to humour the crew and glisten to their questions, she answers none clearly. She is extremely skilled at debating, especially from a dispassionate point of view. She and Ensign Ghanaar often meet in the mess hall for a debate over a glass of kanar. History: She is here on the orders of Starfleet. That’s all anyone knows about her. There is rampant speculation about her involvement with the Obsidian Order, however, she refuses to answer anyone. Her debate and persuasion skills are legendary, which is why Starfleet wanted her. We have lots of scary people on board the Athena. Don't make them angry. Especially not the captain. And if you're wondering why the measurements are in the horrendous imperial system, it's because I let my friend help me write these. Uncultured heathen.
Aaannd here's the rest. Name: Arra Mien Position (Rank): Chief Medical Officer Species; Appearance: Half-human, half Tellarite. Light skin, slightly ruddy, a well-kept beard, heavy brow, and snub nose. Personality; Trivia: He is an expert on holistic and alternative medicine, though he usually discounts it completely as an option. He has a wonderful sense of humour, infectious laugh, and stand by the old adage, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Not literally, of course. He’s a very competent professional. History: Raised on Tellar, Arra developed an appreciation for the outdoor from a young age. He often went backpacking in the mountains, and discovered the uses for various herbs and roots. Name: Torel Position (Rank): Science Officer (Lieutenant) Species; Appearance: Vulcan; dark skin, braided hair. 5’11” Personality; Trivia: Lieutenant Torel is practically married to his work. He rarely does anything else, and rarely socialises with the rest of the crew. He has a surprising temper for a vulcan, and a knack for botany, and works the ship’s kitchen when necessary. History: Up until this mission, he was part of the Security branch of Starfleet. No one really knows why he switched. Name: Ilya Vren Position (Rank): Helm Officer (Ensign) Species; Appearance: Yalosian (Greyish-white skin, nose ridges, hairless oval-shaped head.) Personality; Trivia: Ilya is quiet, shy, and usually keeps to herself. She is nothing if not punctual, however, and volunteers to deliver padds to the bridge when not on duty. She wears a hood as part of her cultural custom. History: She is one of few Yalosians in Starfleet, or on any other planet besides Yalos, for that matter. Their atmosphere is extremely corrosive, and she has to wear a special breathing mask. Name: Janai Position (Rank): Engineer (Ensign) Species; Appearance: Namaniya; usually has black hair and a somewhat long face, 6’2”, although it depends. Personality; Trivia: Janai is an easygoing kind of man. He’s taken a lot of hard knocks, and has learned to take them in stride. He performs party tricks quite willingly. Although he tries not to let it show, he still harbors insecurities about his abilities and what they make others think of him. History: He was the first Namaniya in Starfleet, as his people have always faced prejudice, especially during the dominion war. They are not necessarily shapeshifters, but their genetic code is extremely malleable. Drugs are easily synthesised that would allow them to demonstrate certain characteristics. He keeps a suitcase full of hyposprays for party tricks and favorite faces. Name: Ezekiel Mira Position (Rank): Reporter (Civilian) Species; Appearance: Human, Asiatic descent, graying hair. 5’11” Personality; Trivia: Extremely curious and extremely persistent. This makes him the worst nightmare of people like Ensign Malai and Gul Marel. History: He is the chief reporter of Earth’s biggest news”paper”, the New York Times. He was given special dispensation to be on this mission.
You have an impressive case of characters, and all with backgrounds and personalities to! Have you done any thinking about actual dramatic roles and relationships between these characters to allow you to tell tight and personally (for the characters) significant stories?
Eeyup. I'm posting it here, because I want to see you try to make sense of it. If anyone can, I will be extremely impressed, because this is about the most confusing chart in the known universe. NOTE: There are relationships with characters too minor to be listed on this chart.
So, have you given thought to how many crew members each one needs to operate? My guess, given that the Intrepid-class Voyager was supposed to be about 150-175, your ship has 175-200, perhaps 225 but not more than 250. Initially, you only need a listing by rank and duty title. Rank will lead you to time-in-service, which will lead you to age. Next, you can add race/species and gender. After that, you can make up a name and general appearance as you write and grab a "new" crewman for the story. His/her background will come along as it wants to. Also, you might want to dig back into the archives for a topic a couple years ago titled "Creating a realistic crew manifest for a Starship. Ideas & comments?" There's a ton of data to wade thru, but I think it's worth it. (Of course, many of the postings were mine.)
Well, that's a really good idea. I'm going to be spending a lot of time on random name generators, but it's going to be worth it.
One of the nice things about building the crew roster on a spreadsheet is it can do a lot of the counting for you. I've been working on a project (off and on, more off than on) for a ship that has a crew of about a hundred. I may tweak things around a little more, but as of right now I have 40 Human-males, 24 Human-females, 30 Alien-male, and 13 Alien-females. With a spreadsheet, it's easy to keep changing race/gender until you get the mix you're looking for.
So I'm almost done writing the first episode, and I've ran into several problems. The first of which is that I can't seem to get a handle on Captain Shreve's personality. My brain seems to automatically want her to be sarcastic in, of course, appropriate situations. However, I have to question if this is an appropriate trait for a Starfleet captain. I need your advice. Would you mind seeing a captain with a more caustic wit?
Yeah, sure, I have no problem with that character, as long as she keeps it professional. I've actually worked with / for officers who had such a sense of humor. One in particular comes to mind. He was a Captain (O-3, not O-6) and our detachment commander, and I was a lowly SSgt (E-5). He could cut loose with all of us, but there was always that line no-one crossed. Years later, we were stationed together again; he was an Colonel (O-6) and I was a MSgt (E-7). I noticed that he was more reserved around junior officers and most enlisted save for a few of us in the top-tier. In private, with just higher ranking officers (O-5/O-6) and senior enlisted, he'd let his hair down like he used to back in the day.