STAR TREK MEMORY BANKS

It all begins with Star Trek.

Happy Star Trek Day everybody! It's Star Trek's 59th birthday, with The Original Series first airing on September 8th, 1966. 

A major contributor to my life long love of Space Adventure Science Fiction, the original Star Trek television series has sparked my imagination since I was a very small boy. I would play Star Trek with friends the way other kids played Cops and Robbers, complete with toy Phasers and walkie-talkie Communicators. We collected Star Trek Action Figures, went as Mr. Spock for Halloween, and just ate up anything related to Space...The Final Frontier.

FASA's Star Trek, The Role-Playing Game was therefore a dream come true for me. It was the first tabletop RPG I purchased with my own money, completely by myself. Up to that point, I had received all of my game books, boxes, and dice through holiday or birthday gifts. I did buy Villains and Vigilantes with my own money before I got the Star Trek RPG but I split the cost of the former with a friend. This felt different and it remains a special moment for me within my time in the hobby.

From purchasing the FASA RPG in 1982 to my current Modiphius Star Trek Adventures game, now in its 11th year, it is safe to say I've run A LOT of Star Trek. From innumerable one-shots to several long term campaigns, I've run so many scenarios in the Star Trek universe I could start a new campaign tonight and have it last decades with only material from previous games. 

And that, in a manner of speaking, is what this MEMORY BANKS post is all about. To celebrate Star Trek's Anniversary I thought it might be fun to give you some examples of original creations that have appeared in my various Star Trek games over the years. Everything that happens in one of my games becomes part of that universe's canon, so all the elements entered into the 'Barking Alien Memory Banks' can be reused in a future session months, years, or even decades later. 

Now you can include some of it in your games.

Initiating Uplink...Memory Banks activated...Display onscreen...

The Bonhomme Richard

The first Bonhomme Richard to appear in a campaign and the one that started the tradition

was a Bonaventure Class Survey Vessel based on the USS Bonaventure 

from Star Trek: The Animated Series. CG rendition by Aaron T. Harvey. 

The USS Bonhomme Richard (Good Man Richard) is destroyed in every campaign I've ever run. It isn't the same Bonhomme Richard but rather any ship christened with that name ends up in a very bad way, often resulting in the loss of the vessel and all its crew. We've seen ships with this dedication lost to Spatial Anomalies, Klingon Battleships, Interphasic Aliens, a Sentient Computer Virus, and more. 

It has been suggested that the name may be cursed but we are beings of Intellect, Reason, and Science. We know for a fact that there is no such things as a 'curse'. For this reason, starships continue to be dubbed the Bonhomme Richard.

Cross my heart and knock on wood.

Starfleet Starfighters - The PT-009 'Attack Craft' and 'The Mars Defense'

PT-009 Attack Craft in mid-ground of image.

Concept Art by Andrew Probert.

Largely inspired by this concept art from the incredibly talented Andrew Probert, my longest running TNG Era campaign had the PC's ship carry three PT-009 Attack Craft. Never referred to as Starfighters by any character in the campaign, neither PC nor NPC, it was clear that that's exactly what they were. 

In one Episode/Session two squadrons of these are launched from Mars, making up a protective group known as the Mars Defense Perimeter, a reference to a similar group in the Star Trek TNG episode, 'The Best of Both Worlds - Part II'. In the episode the Borg are coming to Earth and three tiny, roughly missile-shaped pods are launched to stop it. Seriously. It was so ridiculous and pathetic looking that my friends insisted that our campaign feature something far more substantial. Given that Mars is the site of the Utopia Planitia Shipyards, I agreed that it needed considerably better guardians than a few unmanned space darts.  

The PT-009 is a Sublight/Impulse, single being spacecraft, armed with Phaser Cannons, Micro-Photon Torpedoes, and light Shields. It is extremely quick and agile, being ten times more maneuverable than a standard Type-8 Shuttlecraft and considerably faster at Impulse than a Type-11. It is a difficult ship to pilot and if a character lacks a specific Attack Craft Piloting Skill or Focus, increase the level of Difficulty or number of Successes needed for any given action by at least 1 (or one Difficulty Level depending on system). 

The Morena / Meropean Chelons

Commander Merot, Chief Engineer and 3rd in Command,

Miranda Class, USS Odyssey

The highest ranking Morena in Starfleet as of 2290

A sentient, starfaring species from the planet Moren (also known as 'Merope II' or '23 Tauri Aa II'), the Morena (plural and singular are the same) are amphibious humanoids descended from a shell-less, turtle-like ancestor. Instead of a shell, the Morena have flexible armor plates on their heads and backs. They possess webbed hands and feet but are primarily land dwelling at this point, returning to the water for various courtship, reproduction, spiritual activities and rituals, and for fun of course. Morena just enjoy swimming. A Morena's eyes have evolved for operation in low-light and underwater conditions but can adapt to Federation/Starfleet standard illumination with time and exposure. Their vision extends into the ultra-violet range. 

Although there are some biological similarities between the Meropean Chelons and the Rigellian Chelons, the two species are not directly related in any way. 

A curious element of Morena sociology, philosophy, and culture is that they self-professed perfectionists. Although individuals can become obsessive in this regard, the Morena's cultural drive is to try to achieve 'perfection' in whatever it is they do. What constitutes 'perfect' can vary from individual to individual but a Morena never does anything half-heartedly. Their government includes a 'Council of Perfection' that advises the other legislative and executive bodies, identifying flaws in various laws or operations and constantly seeks ways to improve and perfect them. 

Sometime after First Contact with the United Federation of Planets in 2239, the rather impassive and even-keeled Morena became fascinated with the emotional displays of other intelligent species. Most notably, they were intrigued by Human emotion, the Vulcans' apparent lack of emotion, and the intense emotional reactions of Andorians. It became common practice for Morena to choose an emotion or mental state and attempt to 'perfect it'. This eventually developed into a major aspect of their civilization, organically growing from fad curiousity to common planetary pasttime. 

For example, a Morena might decide to be 'Enthusiastic' and react to any and all situations with positive enthusiasm. After at least 5-10 years of this practice (on average), when the individual feels they completely understand the emotion they've chosen, they have a small celebration with close friends and/or family in which they display their chosen mental or emotional state for the entire event. At the end of the party, the oldest, youngest, and closet peer are assembled and judge whether or not the Morena has 'mastered' or 'perfected' being Enthusiastic. If so, there is much joy, drinking, eating, singing, etc., and return to a more normal way of life. They might also choose a new emotion or mental state to perfect.

If not, if their mastery of the chosen concept is deemed 'imperfect', the hosting Morena thanks everyone and then leaves their own party, encouraging everyone else to enjoy themselves. The Morena then proceeds to take a contemplative 'walkabout', a few days to a week off to figure out where they went wrong. What was it they missed? Upon their return they are likely to try again for a shorter time, 3-5 years, before throughing another such celebration. 

Morena entering Starfleet Academy are given psychological screening to ensure their chosen mental state will not interfere with their potential duties and the safety of their future crewmates.

We've had at least 3 Morena Player Characters over the years attempting to perfect 'Calm', 'Gregarious', and 'Determined' to both exciting and hilarious effect. My current Star Trek: Prosperity campaign has a Morena NPC, Engineering Ensign Megop, who was only recently assigned to the ship after graduating from Starfleet Academy. He is 'Meticulous' and its sometimes very helpful, other times very annoying to his fellow crewmates. 

The perfectly Meticulous Ensign Megop.

I forget what exactly inspired the creation of the Morena but their homeworld was mentioned in one of the FASA sourcebooks as a major Starfleet/UFP Shipyard. When one of my campaign crews ventured there during a mission I introduced a number of Morena NPCs working and managing the facility. 

Well, that's all for now. My brain is experiencing 'creative turmoil' so you're either gonna get some oddball posts over the next few weeks or hardly any posts at all. Which will it be? Who knows? That's the fun of it!

Heh. *Sigh*

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Barking Alien