Last week Starfleet Academy debuted and something odd happened. If you’re a regular to any Trek news or discussion site, you noticed a spike. Even our usually sleepy Facebook profile went from a handful of likes to over 2,000, am good chunk of which got deleted. It wasn’t a normal spike, certainly not normal for a debut show, not normal to be everywhere and – to be frank – not normal in terms of comments. It was a mix of disturbing and sad. Disturbing for the high amount of bigoted and sexist memes and commentary that seemed to mock murdered US citizens. For a subculture of fandom that grew up praising – to the point of gloating – that Star Trek was about intellectualism and inclusion, it certainly showed that as a fandom, and a united international culture, we’ve taken more steps backwards than forwards. That’s not right. And it’s certainly not what Star Trek is about.
When lurking on the internet these days it sometimes feels that the best way to piss off a Star Trek fan is by giving them more Star Trek. This isn’t anything new. By this point we’ve all seen the response to the announcement of the Next Generation in the 80’s. We’ve seen the reports with jokes about Deep Space Nine being the anti-Trek.
Even the franchises own creator would fight against the changes made for The Wrath of Khan. And yet, decades later these are the templates for what we see as not only the best of Star Trek, but it’s template. And here we are again in another cycle where we repeat the same as before. Enterprise was once an affront to Star Trek and now people post about humming Faith of the Heart. Even the formation of the Kelvin Timeline is seen with a certain rose tint from people who fifteen years ago would dedicate hours of keystrokes to decrying the blasphemy of anyone other than William Shatner as Kirk.
Modern technology and a rise of social media where the clicks and ad revenue is made by manufactured ragebait just make it weird. Granted, it’s not just social media. I’ve had the unfortunate situation of attending a Star Trek convention that featured the entire cast of Discovery, and was pretty much a weekend long Discovery promotional event, and having someone sit down next to me, spot a Section 31 pin (I was wearing a black cyberpunk style shirt, it was a lazy day one costume, shoosh!) and tell me what was wrong with everything Discovery. I sat there listening and, even if it made sense, it just baffled me. Why are you paying this much money to see Sonequa Martin Green, Jason Isaacs and everyone else just to seek people out and moan?
It’s not unique to Star Trek, of course. Other franchises including Star Wars and Doctor Who – even Eastenders and WWE – have got the same treatment. But there’s a certain subset of fandom on all levels, emboldened by this idea that just because everyone has a platform, that their word is gospel and that they must tell everyone else that their opinions and tastes are inherently wrong. And by the Gods, they’ll tell people. Multiple times a week I’ll see the same three comments recycled ad infinitum or conversations where there’s a ham-fisted reason to bash something that was made without Rick Berman hanging around the costume trailer (less said the better there).
I don’t think the recent era’s of Star Trek are perfect. But I don’t think it ever has been – and neither did the rest of the fandom who’d laugh with each other reading Phill Farrand’s nittpickers guide! Time, age and the years to turn a one shot experience into comfort viewing has given us a tilted view. We saw things we connected with. SFC was built on original series fans. The bulk of us were TNG fans. I’m a DS9 guy and can give you fifty reasons why. Some of us, at least one CO, discovered Star Trek in 2009. My eleven year old son was obviously around Trek for a bit, but his Star Trek is Dal and Gwen on board Prodigy.
If a younger audience see’s something they connect with – whether that’s the feeling of hopelessness of Kelvin Kirk, to the frustration of asserting a pronoun, to having a lifetime of egotistical importer syndrome like Mariner – then let them enjoy things. Maybe they’ll see what you see and connect. Maybe they’ll see something different and connect in a way you couldn’t.
They certainly won’t connect if you tell them how wrong they are. Once upon a time we could see a negative and put it down. Now? There’s a dedicated focus to telling you what not to like that doesn’t come with a letter in a magazine. It comes with a chorus, an argument, a fight to the bitter end to say blue is red.
We’re not here to dig our heels in and make you like what we like. If the hope we’re aspiring to is unity and understanding, we can’t gate keep the ideal until we live by it. If we are Starfleet, we should practice what we preach.
If you want to dislike a show because it doesn’t appeal, don’t mock and belittle others for enjoying it. Don’t berate ‘woke’ because, seriously, that doesn’t need an inclination. If Jet Reno’s existence upsets you, and you want to scream at people for having an opposite view, maybe a show about finding universal peace isn’t for you.
Starfleet is for everyone. Everyone is welcome. And no one, absolutely no one, should feel unwelcome here.
About the author
Site & Service Updates July 2026
It's been a strange year as we adapt to then changing landscape of the Star Trek franchise with recent corporate shenanigans in the media industry, as well as adjusting to and anticipating new regulation sin our home base of the UK which has taken up more brain power than we'd expected!Still, despite distractions, we've been working away in the background with a revised Admin schedule to ensure at the very least every Sunday we can check off some items on the to do list and keep everyone updated on the changes whether minor, major or a bit pointless! On Screen Additions After being placed on the low priority list for a while, the On Screen Mission Log section has begun taking shape. Previously the On Screen section had it's own section per show since the launch of Discovery, however with […]
New Unit Application Guide
Account Academy Database Fleet Updates Calendar Latest Entries Explore Database Index Starfleet Academy Help & Support ⯇ DATABASE INDEX ACCOUNT HUB NEw Unit Application Guide Clarification This section is both for information and for making formal applications for creating or importing a new unit into SFCQ2. Applications can also be made directly to Fleet Administration. All applications are considered for review. × JOIN THE CAPTAINS TABLE Every Star Trek fans dreams of being the captain of their own Starship. Although running an SFC Quadrant 2 Unit is (probably) easier than commanding a starship, both roles require commitment and dedication.Unit’s are, and always will be, the core of SFC. It is within them that members can indulge in their shared interests for Star Trek and science fiction while enjoying the company of fellow fans and like minded people. At their best, […]
[Q2&A] Membership Handbook: Revised & Updated for 2026
With over fifty years (and counting) of history, joining SFC can sometimes be a whirlwind and while we're always focused on a more casual experience, tit can sometimes be overwhelming knowing where to start. While we offer our Academy as an induction tour of Quadrant 2's organisation and structure, and are always open to expanding more information in the Fleet Database, our Officers Pack gives you a one stop resource to highlight our core policies, membership information and more; The Membership Handbook/ Membership within Q2 is fairly laid back. But since it's inception - both overall as Starfleet Command as well as the administrative split for Quadrant 2 - out handbook has outlined who we are, how we operate and as a resource for members to be able to understand what membership entails from our core mission statement, to our […]
[Retro Review] The Galileo Seven
Pulled in two directions, the Enterprise has to deliver critical medical supplies to avert a plague and conduct vital research at the same time. Unable to turn down the order, Kirk thinks on his feet by carrying forward to save the planet, while sending Spock to lead a research team on the Galileo shuttle to carry out their mission until the Enterprise has finished it's mission of mercy. It's a good idea. Until it isn't. Isolated form the Enterprise, the Galileo runs into a bit of bother. Thrown off course by plot, the shuttle crash lands on a primitive planet. Alone with a broken ship and a people who are as barbaric as they are terrified by the shuttles sudden arrival, Spock has to lead his own team through fear and frustration with cool and calming logic. On the first […]
A Fistful of O’Brien
Entering the Star Trek world as an unnamed extra with a few bits of dialogue, O'Brien soon became a fixture on the Enterprise D as it's transporter chief before moving to Deep Space Nine to head up engineering and operations on what was thought to be a backwater outpost before it became one of the most strategically important stations in the quadrant!As the only enlisted or non commissioned officer to feature in the main cast of any Star Trek show to date, O'Brien stands as the only working class hero in the Star Trek universe with a vast and varied career taking from the front lines of the Cardassian war as a soldier, to the front lines of the Dominion War as an engineer, retrofitting DS9, keeping the Defiant from blowing itself apart, and even sniping Dominion troops. All in […]
[Q2&A] Career Track
SFC has always structured it's internal reward and recognition system on the command structure of Starfleet on screen. Newbies are cadets. When they become full members, they become Ensigns. And those eager to take on a leadership role can rank up to Commander or Captain. Even the board of directors are mirrored within the theme as Commodores and Admirals! It's always been the way, but the path of an officer isn't for everyone... Despite the original idea of all star ship personnel being highly trained astronauts, therefore nullifying the need for enlisted crew, the enlisted ranks have existed in some form since the original series. More defined in the film era, particularly under the revision of style and structure in The Wrath of Khan, they have been slightly more prominent since. Most notable of the enlisted members of Starfleet was […]
Related
[Q2&A] Membership Handbook: Revised & Updated for 2026
With over fifty years (and counting) of history, joining SFC can sometimes be a whirlwind and while we're always focused on a more casual experience, tit can sometimes be overwhelming knowing where to start. While we offer our Academy as an induction tour of Quadrant 2's organisation and structure, and are always open to expanding more information in the Fleet Database, our Officers Pack gives you a one stop resource to highlight our core policies, membership information and more; The Membership Handbook/ Membership within Q2 is fairly laid back. But since it's inception - both overall as Starfleet Command as well as the administrative split for Quadrant 2 - out handbook has outlined who we are, how we operate and as a resource for members to be able to understand what membership entails from our core mission statement, to our […]
[Q2&A] Career Track
SFC has always structured it's internal reward and recognition system on the command structure of Starfleet on screen. Newbies are cadets. When they become full members, they become Ensigns. And those eager to take on a leadership role can rank up to Commander or Captain. Even the board of directors are mirrored within the theme as Commodores and Admirals! It's always been the way, but the path of an officer isn't for everyone... Despite the original idea of all star ship personnel being highly trained astronauts, therefore nullifying the need for enlisted crew, the enlisted ranks have existed in some form since the original series. More defined in the film era, particularly under the revision of style and structure in The Wrath of Khan, they have been slightly more prominent since. Most notable of the enlisted members of Starfleet was […]
[Q2&A] Fleet Recognition
While SFC's rank system is one of the most obvious form of rewards within Quadrant 2, with members informally given the rank and title for each grade, rank is just one level of recognition within the fleet for out Captains and Fleet Support to highlight a members contributions. While SFC's rank system is one of the most obvious form of rewards within Quadrant 2, with members informally given the rank and title for each grade, rank is just one level of recognition within the fleet for out Captains and Fleet Support to highlight a members contributions. A more common form of recognition are our Commendations and Citations. Having taken various forms over the years, our commendations are the more open of all with four categories – Service, Departmental, Leadership or Special Commendations. Commendations and Special Commendations are the most common […]
[Q2&A] Orientation: The Officers Hub
In the past ten years we've tried to make a conscious effort to make things easier for members to manage and consult the admin side of Q2. Before the days of the internet, any guides, documents or forms were issued by request and a little harder to come by but now things tend to be found within our online membership portal that's constantly changing and growing based on feedback from across the fleet. Now we try to make things as easy add adaptable as possible, utilising our online home for as many member needs as we can with our key resource online being our Officers Hub. In it's current form the Officers Hub is a catch all place for fleet updates and membership administration, allowing you to make changes, updates or get information about Q2 and it's processes without having […]
[Q2&A] Celebrating Ten Years of the USS Churchill
Commissioned in February 2016 to oversee operations in Southern England and Wales, the USS Churchil is one of two online-centric units created by merging several localised units into one larger region. Throughout 2015-16, SFC was experiencing some fatigue and, to cut it short, needed a bit of a reboot. While there was activity and things were ticking along, the fleet as a whole was in a bit of a rough patch. After a huge fleet wide consultation, we went full Voyager and hit the reset button. Keeping Sovereign active as the 'catch all' unit with a heavy base in the North of England and Ireland, there was enough spark in the South to keep things alive with a new combined 'super-unit', a second online base from which to grow. Using the Sovereign as a template, the USS Churchill was created […]
[Meet The Fleet] Academy Interim Commandant
Joining SFC can sometimes be a whirlwind. As part of our Q2&A Updates, we've decided it's time to Meet The Fleet! After introducing our Director of Administration, we're heading to the Academy to meet the person in charge of the new restructure and developments in progress for the fleets training program! Jovak (Jo) Interim Academy Commandant, SFCHQ Service ID: SC-785884-DVP Current Rank: Senior Specialist Enlisted: 78612.63 (August 2024) A relatively new addition to Q2's Fleet Support, Jo joined as part of the Devonport Reserve for inactive members due to having a personal dislike for social media groups but a big fan of the Universe. Working in training in development in the real world they joined the team in a background role to specifically work on new ideas for Academy on a short-term basis to give it a stronger presence heading […]
