I guess some explanation is in order. I am part of a group of Star Trek fan clubs. Because there are several groups together, the group as a whole is a 'fleet'. (If, at this point, you are thinking "Geez, grow up", then you may as well navigate to someplace more 'grown up' right now.) The different smaller groups are 'ships'. These are just the local chapters. I have been involved with this fleet, on this ship, for more than 13 years now, the last 10 of which were as executive officer. As such, it was my job to help keep the rest of the club members informed of activities, gather information and input into the planning of the activities, and keep track of the points each crew member earned toward their rank advancements. Just like on the show, members can gain higher ranks and take on leadership positions within the club. Our rank structure is a simplified version, because, yes, we all know it's just a television show, and this is all play time. Within the Seventh Fleet, the higher your rank, the more time and energy you are willing to devote to the crew, the ship, and the fleet. Yes, it's play time. Yes, real life comes first. But, if you have stepped up to the 'glory' of a leadership position, then, in theory, you understand that there are people counting on you to - in some way, shape, or form - take care of them. Within the context of the fleet, it means you will do what you can to help them enjoy their fandom. Passing along information, gathering suggestions and input for activities, etc.
Back in January of 2010, the fleet's commanding officer approached me about taking over the Ticonderoga, so he could move Carl - who was, at that time, Captain of the Ticonderoga - into a fleet position. The fleet has been growing, and will hopefully continue to grow, and so more than just one person was needed to take care of fleet operations. Over the previous 2 years, at least, the fleet council - which is made up of all the commanding officers of the ships - had been urging Admiral Hollinger to take on an assistant who was dedicated to the fleet. In the interim, he had been drafting the various captains for assignments that needed to be taken care of, but that didn't always work out. The captain in question would then have to divide his/her time between fleet and ship business, which often meant that both ship and fleet suffered. Finally, in 2010, the fleet welcomed it's newest ship, the USS Atlantis. Most of the fleet is located in northern Utah. The Atlantis is in southern Idaho, a 4-hour drive. The Admiral and his family experienced several personal losses during the year, and all of this served to drive home the point that the Admiral, hard as he worked, and devoted as he is to the fleet, had become a single point of failure. There are several things that the fleet takes care of, as opposed to the individual ships. The individual ships were growing, and now a new ship was added. It all served to bring home the fact that the Admiral simply could not do it all on his own anymore, and it really wasn't fair to expect the captains to take time from their ships to focus on fleet stuff, which often either didn't get done at all, or was poor quality and/or behind schedule. There were a few reasons behind Carl's being selected. One, he was already running the fleet website. Two, the Kelly had already lost one CO to retirement, and Commodore Henline didn't really want to be terribly involved. One or two small things were fine, but, after commanding the Kelly for well over a decade, he was ready for a break from direct command. The Retributor, the Rendezvous, and the Ursa Major were not in a position staff wise to lose their CO. On the Ticonderoga, Carl had already been running the 'Captain for a Month' program, searching for people who would, at some point, be able to run their own ships. Most of those who took on the assignment seemed to consider it a babysitting job. I was the last to try it out, and apparently, did a good enough job that when the admiral finally asked Carl if there was someone to whom he could entrust the Tico, I was mentioned. It was the better part of a year before everything was announced and made official, because it was a huge step for the fleet. And, it marks the second field promotion to the position of ' acting captain' within the fleet, in two years' time. The first occurred when Captain Henline stepped down as CO of the Kelly back in 2009. Lt. Cmdr. David Thalmann was officially promoted to the position of acting captain in January of 2010, and I followed a year later.
A little background here. Within the Seventh fleet, there is a very defined path to gaining rank. It's not like some groups where you're given a rank depending on how many meetings you attend, or whether you are the captain's best friend or some such. We have to prove that we know our stuff about the show. We have to demonstrate the ability to lead and the willingness to serve, because that's what leaders do. If someone wants to be a leader for bragging rights, or to feed their own ego, this fleet is not for them. We had this situation happen just in the last week, where a person was given command he didn't deserve, and, after proving this point in spades and being removed from command, he decided to throw around baseless accusations and outright lies, basically throwing shovelfuls of sh*t against the wall to see if anything would stick, hurting my husband and my friends in the process. It was a lesson for the fleet in better vetting of those who would command. Ego has no place in running a ship, specifically because there are people counting on you.
Now, while I have been promoted to 'acting captain', and am 'entitled' to the honorific of "Captain" while on my ship, that is not my rank. It is my position... my job title. My current rank is lieutenant. Over this next year, in addition to running the Ticonderoga, I also have to demonstrate to the fleet council that I am working toward gaining the rank of Captain. Because this is all new territory for the fleet, both myself and 'acting captain' Thalmann have been assigned mentors. Our mentors are captains of their own ships, and can guide us as we, in essence, take on double duty. We have to acquire our own ranks, we have to run our ships, we have to grow our ships, and we have to help our respective crews to attain whatever ranks they want to shoot for.
So, the purpose for this blog is mainly to have a record of what I'm doing. It's very easy to see if I'm on the right track. It also serves accountability. Since everyone that cares to can read - and comment, if they wish.
I will likely also get political from time to time, and, as I am a proud pagan, some of that is bound to turn up on occasion.
Now, since it's late, and I have work in the morning, I'm going to wrap up this post.
Welcome to my journey. I'm always happy to have company.
~It's better to walk together in the dark, than alone in the light. Helen Keller.
