In previous Q2&A posts we’ve went over our ranking structure and what it means in reality, as well as how to join the Captains Table and become part of Q2’s valued leadership team. But every now and then, we have someone who’s ambitions are a little higher and those Admirals bars seem very appealing to some.
In the Star Trek Universe what Starfleet is and how it operations tends to deviate from script to script. Sometimes its a strict military structure, sometimes it’s an idealistic job and sometimes it’s a peace keeping armada where you can become captain on a whim. It works in the greater context as a futurist navy where you earn your way to the top, or without the up and out rules of most navies, stay where you are and work on where you best fit. Q2 adopting that structure as a basis of membership back in the 70’s was straight forward. The more you contribute, the more you advance up the zipperole, lickity split with the top of the ‘career path’ being Admiralty and operations overall. In Q1 there’s a similar structure mixed with a voting system where administration is selected by the membership. For Q2, things are a touch different and lean more towards how Starfleet is portrayed on screen now by sheer accident.
The Admiralty Board is the ‘top of the ladder’ and sits right at the top of the chain of command. Which makes it all sound more serious than it is. With Q2 largely being a collection of groups of people across a vast distance, the board’s job is to keep things aligned and ticking whilst dealing with all the boring – and occasionally expensive!- stuff that keeps the larger organisation running. In terms of leadership, Captains on the ground have more fun with more regular and face to face interaction with mostly localised members that can often become life long friends. Fleet Operations is largely administrative, maintaining we hold up to all legal and regulatory requirements, a lot of paperwork and processing, day to day maintenance, problem solving, occasional mediation and generally far from fun. Theres no alignment to any group and a responsibility to support and attend to every group and matter through their leaders.
The board also inherit any financial responsibility – this site as an example – and in a money-free environment, often will cover costs or make arrangements for any outgoings that are needed where we can. The board also needs to have a balanced knowledge of how SFC works and why it’s been put together the way it has, as well as a relatively good understanding of the clubs history on top of procedural knowledge.
Board members aren’t voted in, but selected. At the top is the Director of Fleet Operations (DOPS) which is a role carefully passed on by the outgoing DOPS. An outgoing DOPS knows the role, and knows the people helping them organise things and uses the knowledge and trust to select a successor to take their place; either to enact massive change or keep a continuity. Or both! Once in place the new DOPS selects their administrative team just as any similar real world role would, again using the trust and knowledge of people as well as offering and accepting members who are willing and able to contribute to the larger scale operations of Q2 life. Some roles carry over, some don’t.
Numbers within the AMDB change over time. For some time now the magic number has been to have three people with varying responsibilities on the board – a nice and small number to make sure things pass efficiently and offset so that we can arrange things with two thirds with DOPS having final say if anything comes up for debate we can’t settle on.
Making up the board currently is Mark Mitchell standing in as DOPS. Mark was appointed by the outgoing DOPS per tradition and was selected to oversee Q2 following Scott Arlow’s long time in charge. Mark had previously worked in leadership with Q2 as a local captain as well as the originator of the Director of Administration role and has a wealth of experience on all levels.
James Tyler/Marczynka (its complicated!) was appointed in a previous administration as Director of Fleet Communications and held the position for several years before – somewhat accidentally – becoming de facto Director of Administration. Following in the footsteps of Tom Burns, who passed down both roles, James came on board with outside experience after being a (perhaps too) vocal member of the Sovereign.
Rounding up our current trio is Scott Arlow; Scott had been Director of Fleet Operations for eight years before passing the baton. Having been a CO of more than one unit across more than one region of the UK, Scott has been through the gauntlet of SFC membership and after overseeing a massive fleet divergence program felt confident enough to step away. Then we brought him back in by sheer accident to pull in his decades of club experience. Currently holding the honour role of Chief of Staff, Scott has the luxury of being an active participant in board matters but gets none of the paperwork!
Not every member will have regular contact with the board, which is to our detriment most of the time. As Admin processing everyone’s information early on, it’s usually Admin you’ll know more than most; especially with the site currently run by the same person. But behind the scenes Admin is only one part of the puzzle with Scott advising with experience and Mark using his balanced approach to making sure things run smoothly and don’t get out of control -particularly approving new units, change and policies to maintain Q2’s operation.
Collectively our job isn’t to be the Badmiral we see on TV or just point to fake pins on our collars that we bought on eBay. Our job is to serve the clubs in taking out the boring bits, the hard pars and offer our time and services to ensure every part runs smoothly together – and if it doesn’t, fix it. And with things changing all he time, our to do list never ends! But in essence, despite the ‘rank and title’ as it were, our job is for the club. Whether it be an Ensign or a Captain who needs us, we’re there. If you want to build your own new unit? We’ll take the walk to the chair with you. If you’re looking for help in media contacts? We’ll help. If you want to know why we don’t have Marines or Section 31 like some other clubs? Well, we’ll likely open a bottle of green stuff and tell you a tale of how someone ruined that for everyone.
The most important member of the club is, well, everyone. Our jobs aren’t to follow the military way and demand respect and salutes. Nor is it the Star Trek way where we’ll suddenly become evil. It’s to make sure each and every member gets out of Q2 what they need and want to get out of it and make sure that a new Cadet and a Captain are always on equal footing.
Being on the Board isn’t typically something we have open to apply for. But as the years move on we’re always looking towards the Next Generation to lead the next fifty years for Q2 and what it means for us all. While the board is by selection, we’re always on the look out for people who can take the first steps and show their potential to potentially lead Q2’s Admiralty and contribute to the operational level between all elements of Quadrant 2.
For those looking to make that leap, or interested in contributing more to the membership, our second wave of Fleet Support applications will be opening soon and we’re eager to see who will help shape the next era of Quadrant 2…
About the author
For The Uniform: The Muted Tones of The Motion Picture
Starfleet's wardrobe always seems to change. Different producers and designers always bring something new to the table, whether it's a need to create a more militarised uniform, something nice and simple for a more real-world feel, or sometimes – just sometimes – space pyjamas. In the 1960s, colour television was all the rage and Star Trek was at the forefront of that huge leap in visual technology. It's outfits and set design were crafted to be bold and brash, resulting in the bright paintwork, scenes lit with vibrant pinks and purples and of course the now iconic division coloured uniforms. In both the planned launch of Phase II in 1978 and the earlier animated series in 1973, the iconic look of Starfleet was retained in all its bright and colourful glory. But when plans were scrapped and Paramount opted to […]
A Fistful of Star Trek Online’s Best Bits!
This week marks fifteen years since the launch of whats become Star Trek's most consistent and longest reigning video game, Star Trek Online. Developed following the relaunch of a new movie franchise, STO told the other side of the story. While NEro went back in time and created the Kelvin Timeline offshoot, STO focused on the galactic politics following the collapse of the Hobus Star. Customising your player character, you begin at the Academy, get yourself a star ship and rank up as you balance exploration, politics and shooting a lot of things! Over the years the game has changed and developed with expansions, new additions, rotating Executive Producers - and now new owners! - using multiple guest appearances into the mix for story mission while allowing group events, developing annual traditions and generally letting us all play with cool […]
Upcoming Away Missions in Glasgow & Edinburgh for the Tesla!
As we enter 2025 (or... 2402...?) there's no rest for the crew of the Tesla as the team are already back in action making a return to two of the biggest events in Scotland! One of the most active and welcoming crew, the year is already off to a flying start with more to come through the year! The first events of the year include.... Capital Sci Fi Con February 15th & 16th, O2 Academy Edinburgh Always the best way to kick start the year, Tesla is once again heading to Edinburgh for their first away mission in 2025! This years guest line up is one for the Whovians! This year the Fifth Doctor himself Peter Davidson will be in attendance for photo and autograph opportunities alongside co-star Janet Fielding, better known in the TARDIS as Fifth Doctor Companion Tegan! […]
Across The Universe! Black Ops Missions & Lifetime Achievements!
The year begins with a New Trek bringing us to even strange new worlds while franchise - both old and new - celebrate upcoming awards ceremonies. Section 31 Released... After a long, long wait the potentially least anticipated project in the Star Trek Universe was released on January 25th as Section 31, starring Michelle Yeoh reprising her role as reformed (kinda) Emperor Georgiou displaced in time and recruited to rejoin Section 31 for a dangerous mission to protect the Federation in the most non Federation way possible. Initially developed as a full series exploring the nature of the organisation's questionable origins and motives, the project was placed in the hands of new writers to transform the concept into a made for streaming movie as a condensed action piece that limited the original intention and replaced it with something a little […]
Boldly Going Nowhere: Section 31 Quick Review
REVIEW SCORE FLEET SCORE Focused on the outliers of the Star Trek Universe, the idea of the Section 31 film was to go beyond Starfleet and present the universe from a different perspective and in a different way. An idea thats been done with some hit and miss success over the past ten years. Section 31's initial pitch and writing team was something that had the potential to be something we could enjoy and even with mild hesitation, we were eager to see where the once series would go now a new writer had condensed the vague idea into a one off experiment, a streaming based movie to add to the tapestry of different flavours Star Trek has offered in resent years. It was also an experiment in offering a first real glimpse at a batch of heroes […]
[Q2&A] Who Are The ADMB And What Do They Do?
In previous Q2&A posts we've went over our ranking structure and what it means in reality, as well as how to join the Captains Table and become part of Q2's valued leadership team. But every now and then, we have someone who's ambitions are a little higher and those Admirals bars seem very appealing to some. In the Star Trek Universe what Starfleet is and how it operations tends to deviate from script to script. Sometimes its a strict military structure, sometimes it's an idealistic job and sometimes it's a peace keeping armada where you can become captain on a whim. It works in the greater context as a futurist navy where you earn your way to the top, or without the up and out rules of most navies, stay where you are and work on where you best fit. […]
Related
[Q2&A] Simplicity In Structure
As much as the rank and rewards system mirrors the fictionalised naval structure of Starfleet, so so does the Chain of Command. On screen each crew is led by it's Captain while back home they answer to Admirals sendin gout the assignments and supervising the exploration into the unknown. Our unknown is a little less space adventure, but the logic remains the same and has remained one of the most consistent elements of how Q2 operates to this day.
[Q2&A] The Academy
It's become a thing of legend that Star Trek fans are the type of fans who like to know the details. All the details. It's a stereotype that's been enhanced by our own fandom. We had the Nitpickers Guide series. We had Technical manuals. We had fans writing to production staff to ask how transporters worked. In turn we had the infamous 'Get A Life' sketch and tributes to the fandoms from news pieces of people doing jury duty in uniform to shows like Futurama introducing the Star Trek church (in a rather affectionate nod!).
[Q2&A] Joining The Captains Table
Since our humble beginnings fifty years ago, SFC hasn't been a singular thing. We're a collective. Groups of people with the same interests, connected by an ideal or a fandom that can bring people together locally or reach out further beyond. Each of those groups, or units in our fleet focused wording, are the core of the fleet and everything we're here for.
[Q2&A] Infinite Diversity. Infinite Combinations.
While the decades have seen us change a lot, there's one thing that's always been front and centre to Quadrant 2 and the 'Starfleet values' that we take a great deal of pride in. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.
[Q2&A] Fandom Doesnt Come At A Premium
These days nearly everything has a subscription fee. From the common issue of multiple streaming platforms to the ability to keep the heated car seat you paid extra for turned on there's barely anything left that doesn't come without some hidden cost or fee. In a world of squeezing out every penny from loyalty, Q2 has committed to never charge a penny for membership.
[Q2&A] Rank. What Is It Good For?
Ever since the formation of SFC way back in the days of old, fans all over the world would immerse themselves in the idea of being as close to a real Starfleet as they could possibly get. Right down to it's orignisational structure. With Captains, Commanders and even Admirals living among us in the Starfleet world, fandom has both held on to the concept with some holding their rank and title close to their heard and others not really bothering. So where does rank fit here in the 21st century of Q2?
