Dammit man, I'm a doctor, not a condom dispenser!
CIVILIAN LIFE:
Q1. Name: Nix or Nic. I also answer to 'Oi, you' but that's not a name suitable for polite company.
Q2. How did you find out about Elite of the Fleet?
I found the pimpage post on kirkspock and couldn't resist.
Q3. When did you first become interested in Star Trek?
This is the part where i hide in a corner and draw non-existent circles on the floor with the tip of my finger right? Ahem. I admit (very guiltily) to having a very scanty awareness of Star Trek until Reboot came along. I also plead the fifth on making a D: face (this is like my new favourite expression, thanks to leupagus and rageprufrock) when I was forced by a friend to watch it. Now... I think I owe him my firstborn and the next three years of my life because Star Trek? Practically owns my soul.
Q4. Why have you decided to join Elite of the Fleet?
The entire concept of it sounded interesting and fun and I have an insane love for challenge communities. Couple that to Star Trek and the guilty pleasure of attending the Starfleet Academy? I couldn't sign up fast enough.
Q5. Who is your favourite Star Trek character?
Spock, without a doubt. Particularly Reboot!Spock, who stood out to me as an incredibly compelling character- an individual trapped between two worlds that couldn't be more dissimilar, struggling to achieve a harmony between the two aspects of himself. What i really appreciate is the reality that Spock himself has acknowledged: that he cannot be equal parts Human and Vulcan, and how one side will ultimately win out. However, although he has embraced the Vulcan way of logic and emotional control (and logically this makes sense due to his predominantly-Vulcan genetic make-up) Spock gradually learns to incorporate the Human part of himself into this mix as well, and I find that truly admirable. His actions and expressions, though steeped in logic, also run with an undercurrent of feeling and emotion that can't help but show though, especially in his dealings with his mother, Jim and McCoy. Though perhaps a hard person to get along with, Spock's definitely someone I truly respect and admire.
Q6. And the least?
I admit to not liking TOS!Jim occasionally. He occasionally comes across as overbearing and not very respectful of Spock's views.
Q7. Which television (or film) series is your favourite?
Reboot, being my first Trek love, is my favourite, but I'm slowly working my way through TOS and it's a close second.
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STARFLEET LIFE:
Q8. What do you hope to gain from your service in Starfleet?
The experience of a fun challenge community along with the opportunity of meeting new interesting people. It's an interesting concept which gives a friendly push to members to participate in the much-varied activities instead of letting them skulk in the background. Lurking is all well and good but being pro-active is a wonderful thing and we'll all grow together in Trek, cheesy as it sounds. I think it's a great chance for me to gain a new perspective on things as well as improve my knowledge of Star Trek since it's a fairly new thing for me.
Q9. Is there any occupation in Starfleet you feel you would be particularly unsuited for?
I would have to go with Engineering. I have two left thumbs and a mind filled with sawdust when forced to fix things that don't come with a simple instruction manual. Toasters, IKEA furniture, warp core nacelles- they're all pretty much the same to me in terms of difficulty. I'm also absolutely horrible at Math and Physics, which effectively throws a career in Engineering for me out of the window.
Q10. The four current Academic Tracks at the Academy are Tactics, Operations, Exploratory Sciences and Medical Sciences. Describe how you could be an asset to each of these departments.
Tactical:
In all honesty, I would make an awful Navigations Officer. My (utter lack of) sense of direction is so horrendous my name would probably go down in the annals of Starfleet history as the worst Navigations Officer that ever lived. But I'd probably flunk out of the course before coming to that so I guess that's not something i have to worry about. If, however, I did manage to graduate from the course, I think I'd still be able to redeem myself occasionally as a well-placed red herring if baddies ever decide Navigation Officers are suitable kidnapees for grand schemes involving locations of classified Starfleet outposts/planets rich in Dilithium deposits/pirate booty.
On a more serious note, of the 4 examples mentioned above I would be most suited to Command, having had some experience in a number of leadership positions. Although I prefer making decisions of the long-haul detail-laden variety, which I treat with careful consideration and with satisfactory attention to the relevant facts, information and detail, if pressed to make a snap decision I can and will, but not without concerted effort to gain enough time to make a decision for the good of my crew. I take all decisions I make extremely seriously, and I can be trusted to be fair and impartial leader, weighing the pros and cons of each situation logically (but not unemotionally) before coming to a conclusion.
Operations:
Diplomacy or Communications are both fields I'd love to be in. I've always been interested about seeing new places and things in the world, while learning about the culture, beliefs and language of the place. I'm so crazy over this I suspect I'm kind of insane- when I was 15, I taught myself the Japanese Hiragana and Katakana script just so I could read road signs and other objects in Japan (sadly i no longer retain most of it, and now all i can ask is where the toilet is in Japanese). Understanding and respecting other cultures is also exceedingly important to me, as I've lived all my life in a place that prides itself on being a harmonious multiracial society. I can't abide racism, and I find the refusal to associate with another person based on the grounds of distrust and incomprehension utterly unacceptable.
Also, when cultures and traditions are inherently different, tact and restraint becomes crucial to communication. I'm naturally a non-confrontational sort of person and I dislike discord and conflict in most forms so I do self-censor myself at times. I don't see this as a naturally bad trait which some people do- I don't enjoy hurting people with careless phrases and words can really damage a person emotionally.
However, I do feel I'm more naturally suited to Administration. I'm a shameless perfectionist and extremely detail-oriented, meticulous and nit-picky, which has even carried through to my normal day-to-day habits. Weird as it is, I find organization calming and I sometimes do strange things like file documents and rearrange bookcases just to relieve stress. I'm also a bit of a spelling nazi, especially in relation to texting and internet-speak. So, If u tYpE 2 m3 lyk dis, I will shoot you, no questions asked.
Exploratory Sciences:
Xenobiology, without a doubt, would be my favourite. I've loved science ever since I was little, and I've always been interested in how the human body worked. I'm pretty sure this passes on to Xenobiology as well- I had a long, in-depth discussion with le_culdesac on whether Spock's Vulcan copper-based blood would allow for a successful blood transfusion with Jim, taking into account a Human's iron-based haemoglobin oxygen transport system. AND I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF ITS GEEKY MEDICAL-NESS.
Medical:
As I'm currently a suffering medical student, I'm not lying or exaggerating when I say Medicine owns my life. Sure, Trek owns my soul, but Medicine is what has me waking at ungodly hours to go to school and studying a ridiculous amount of coursework late into the night. But despite my constant whining, the intricacies and intricate correlations between body systems are an amazing stimulus as a drive for constant learning, and I enjoy every minute of it. Having inhaled several textbooks, I also have an extensive knowledge of human anatomy, physiology and biochemistry which is practically useful in a medical career. Additionally, compassion and empathy are important traits crucial to the make of a good doctor capable of understanding and feeling for their patients. What doctors treat is not merely a disease, and I feel I am able to put myself in a patient's shoes and view things from their perspective, moving beyond the concept of 'curing an illness' and into the idea of treating and helping a person instead.
Q11. What are your top five strengths?
01. Diligence. I'm not particularly brilliant or exemplary- but for what I lack in noteworthiness I try to make up in sheer persistence and hard work.
02. Empathy. Regardless if I like a person or not, I'm the sort that will make the effort in trying to understand a person's reasons and motives for doing things. I try to put my own pre-conceived notions and personal judgments aside when dealing with people because I want to accept them for who they are. It can be hard at times, but I think it's worth it.
03. Loyalty.
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
- the Sorting Hat, 1991
Remember all those Harry Potter Sorting Quizzes that ran rife around the net some years back? I got thrown into Hufflepuff by the Sorting Hat every single time. I treasure my friends and family more than life itself and will stick with them though thick and thin.
04. Quirkiness. And by this, I mean eccentric? It's not a concerted effort to be different or unique- I just process things on a different level from other people, and it's not a bad thing most of the time. I can always be trusted upon to come up with creative ideas as well as to add humour and hilarity to a situation. I can also be a ditz at times and I'm not afraid to laugh at myself and be laughed along with.
05. Introspection. I'm actually really really introverted on a whole. I tend to enjoy delving into self-reflection and active reasoning, and a mission of mine is to understand the fundamentals in my character that make 'me' me. I'm a very emotional person and self-analysis helps me to be in control of myself and not let my feelings dictate my actions too much. I'm really big on self-improvement and going through things in my head, reliving good experiences and bad does help to make me a better person because I always careful not to make the same mistakes twice.
Q12. What are your top five weaknesses?
01. Idealistic. I'd like to believe the innate nature of humans is good and that most people are genuinely nice and well-meaning. I don't usually question motives and it's led to me getting burned a couple of times, and though I've tried to instill a healthy level of caution in myself, my friends and family still feel I'm entirely too trusting.
02. Obsessive Compulsive. I am anal-retentive. There's no easy way to put this really, because how can anyone defend themselves when they can spend an entire day retyping all the song file details in their iTunes just to suit a standardized norm? I can be that crazy at times and I occasionally drive people up the wall with my nit-picking over things, and I have a horrible habit of doing time-consuming things like cataloging photographs and books when I'm stressed and pressed for time.
03. Stubborn. I can be quite mulish. When I make a decision, I tend to stick by it and I can be quite insistent on my decision until someone proves me wrong.
04. Insecure. Ugh. My very worst personality trait. I'm not a very confident person in general and my perception of self-worth is a little low. I don't always trust myself to make the hard decisions and I like to run my ideas off other people just to confirm that they're valid and appropriate.
05. Demanding and Judgmental. I have a bad habit of imposing the high standards I set on myself on others as well, which isn't exactly fair. To add to that, I can be horribly judgmental no matter how much I try to perceive things objectively. That said, though I come to conclusions about people easily, I make up for it by never letting prior negative impressions impede my friendships once I've been proven wrong about them.
Q13. What is your biggest fear?
My biggest fear is of being incapable of doing anything when it is imperative that I should. I hate the feeling of being powerless and the idea of freezing and not being able to improve the situation or help people scares the hell out of me.
Q14. Do you consider yourself to be a leader, or a follower?
In truth, I really consider myself to be both? I'm okay with leading, especially if it's a small, familiar group of people tuned to my particular working style and habits. I'm also perfectly comfortable to be a follower and take orders from others. Honestly, I find the distinction unnecessary as both roles are fundamentally interlinked and interchangeable, and no one role is superior to the other.
Q15. What do you admire the most in your peers?
People who are quietly confident and comfortable in their own skin, who don't need to be loud and showy, or feel the need to prove that they have an unwavering belief in themselves. These people make great leaders and are a real inspiration.
Q16. You are stranded on a Class M planet that has not been mapped by The Federation. You are only allowed to choose two of the following items to keep with you: a phaser, a tricorder or a communicator. Which two would you choose to have?
Phaser and communicator. Being stranded isn't a situation anyone wants to be in, and keeping the communicator is practically a requirement if you do plan on being found. The hard part of the decision was making the choice between phaser and tricorder. Although the planet hasn't been mapped and your primary reason for even being on that planet is for readings, I'd take the phaser as the planet may not be necessarily safe. There might be a need for a weapon to protect myself or the crew and survival takes precedence over scientific discovery, which can be attempted again on a later date. On the whole, I think Starfleet Command will agree with me, unless of course it's in violation of the Prime Directive. Then we're welcome to get squashed like flies.
Q17. Please describe your understanding of the Federation’s Prime Directive.
It all boils down to the concept of 'non-interference'. Oh you know- I came, I saw, I got banned from conquering of any kind? Starfleet's like a hands-off approach mother who just watches at the side while the children fight and wrestle in the sandbox, and when someone gets a boo-boo (which was an eventuality at this point), she ignores that too because Mommy's love and cuddling doesn't help anyone grow big and strong.
The analogy ends here because I'm equating hugs and kisses to advanced technology and laser warfare and it already sounds kind of insane.
So Starfleet operates on a strict 'Look But Don't Touch' policy, mostly so new worlds they come into contact with have a chance to grow and develop at a natural, uninterrupted and appropriately-advancing state. So Starfleet sits back and watches them as they learn, make their own stupid mistakes, start their own wars, create their own weapons of mass destruction- and Starfleet can only step in if someone's getting their asses kicked, right around the time before one side gets completely exterminated by the other.
Q18. The United Federation of Planets includes more than 150 member planets, and the galaxy has many more besides. Which planet do you most want to visit?
Delta IV. I find it particularly curious that Deltans are obliged to take a vow of celibacy before enlisting in Starfleet while Orions are allowed to be as promiscuous as they want. All I really want is a day of shore leave to explore- drop by Deltan museums, healing facilities, cultural exhibitions and just experience Deltan society in general to get an insight to the culture and unique biology.
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KOBAYASHI MARU:
The following questions describe situations you may commonly find yourself in as a member of Starfleet. You will be read the scenario, and then given two options to choose from. You may expand upon the reasons for your choice, but you must indicate one of the two that you feel best describes your likely response to the situation provided.
Q19. Service in the Fleet can be draining at the best of times, and on one particular day everything seems to have gone wrong. You’re exhausted, but your shift is finally over and it’s time to unwind. Your roommate is already on their bed when you get back to your quarters. Do you:
a. Settle in for a lengthy chat with them - you’d really like to vent about your day and you’d quite like to hear about theirs too. It’s a bit of a ritual by this point anyway. Maybe you’ll even head out to the Rec Hall together to unwind over a card game with the others.
In all honesty, I'm sort of in-between between answers, but I'm more inclined towards option A. After a long day of work, my usual preference of activity would be to relax and hide in a corner with a good book and good music, and I'd totally do that if I didn't have a roommate. But since I do have one, and if it's someone I like, I'd be happy to be a bit more sociable and have a good venting session to let loose some steam. This kind of channel for excess stress really works and I think we'd both feel much better after. I personally feel like I can survive anything after having a good bitchfest with a pal. But going to the rec hall after would be a stretch for me though. I'd much prefer to curl up and sleep away my exhaustion.
Q20. You’ve intercepted what sounds like a pretty important transmission - you feel like the Captain needs to know. When you report, do you:
a. Give them all the facts: what it said, what the voice sounded like, where the inflection was, the language it was in, and so on. Details and facts are the important part, everything else is subjective.
Definitely A. As a professional, I owe it to my Commanding Officer to provide him with the relevant information uncoloured by my own personal opinion and interpretation. By presenting him with all the information available, the Captain can assess the situation and come to an informed decision on the action to be taken. Conveying a truncated message layered with my subjectivity is potentially dangerous as I might have come to the wrong conclusion about it, not being privy to the in-depth information of the situation available to the Captain and the lack of adequate Command training to even make such a decision. Should the Captain desire my own personal opinion, I would give it to him and I am sure he would take it into consideration.
Q21. There are many decisions to be made in Starfleet, and some are harder than others. Faced with a decision where things could go wrong in any number of ways, do you:
b. Try to understand the perspectives of the people involved. They are the ones that will be influenced by the decision, and conflict is the least desirable outcome. Be certain to be tactful, even if some of the message is lost in the communication.
We're not running a soul-less dictatorship here, people. It's absolutely crucial to take into account the consequences such a serious decision would have on those involved, especially if it's one of those situations where everything gets bad really fast and not everyone survives. Even if it's not possibly-dead-people kind of bad, there's still someone who's going to be unhappy at your decision. If I have to make hard decisions for these people, I'd want to know how they'd feel about it and I'd like to see if I could do anything for them, even if it means compromising a little on time and resources.
Q22. The day-to-day life of Starfleet can be quite arduous at times, and quite exciting at others. Everyone has their own way of approaching everyday work, but would others see your approach as:
a. Planned and orderly. You seem to prefer to have decisions made and matters settled, rather than hanging over your head. You appear comfortable when in control over such matters. You seem to be task-oriented, and plan ahead.
A. As i've mentioned earlier, I much prefer planning ahead. Being organized makes me happy, which is slightly weird but still. A happy Nix is an efficient Nix and I love the feeling of not having impending doom in the form of deadlines- I absolutely hate rushed work, not just because I get frazzled and grumpy and non-communicative like a troglodyte, but also because I feel like I'm submitting sub-standard work and that really gets to me.
Q23. You can earn 5 points for your future Track by promoting the community in your Journal. Please link the post here if you wish to do so: here
Q1. Name: Nix or Nic. I also answer to 'Oi, you' but that's not a name suitable for polite company.
Q2. How did you find out about Elite of the Fleet?
I found the pimpage post on kirkspock and couldn't resist.
Q3. When did you first become interested in Star Trek?
This is the part where i hide in a corner and draw non-existent circles on the floor with the tip of my finger right? Ahem. I admit (very guiltily) to having a very scanty awareness of Star Trek until Reboot came along. I also plead the fifth on making a D: face (this is like my new favourite expression, thanks to leupagus and rageprufrock) when I was forced by a friend to watch it. Now... I think I owe him my firstborn and the next three years of my life because Star Trek? Practically owns my soul.
Q4. Why have you decided to join Elite of the Fleet?
The entire concept of it sounded interesting and fun and I have an insane love for challenge communities. Couple that to Star Trek and the guilty pleasure of attending the Starfleet Academy? I couldn't sign up fast enough.
Q5. Who is your favourite Star Trek character?
Spock, without a doubt. Particularly Reboot!Spock, who stood out to me as an incredibly compelling character- an individual trapped between two worlds that couldn't be more dissimilar, struggling to achieve a harmony between the two aspects of himself. What i really appreciate is the reality that Spock himself has acknowledged: that he cannot be equal parts Human and Vulcan, and how one side will ultimately win out. However, although he has embraced the Vulcan way of logic and emotional control (and logically this makes sense due to his predominantly-Vulcan genetic make-up) Spock gradually learns to incorporate the Human part of himself into this mix as well, and I find that truly admirable. His actions and expressions, though steeped in logic, also run with an undercurrent of feeling and emotion that can't help but show though, especially in his dealings with his mother, Jim and McCoy. Though perhaps a hard person to get along with, Spock's definitely someone I truly respect and admire.
Q6. And the least?
I admit to not liking TOS!Jim occasionally. He occasionally comes across as overbearing and not very respectful of Spock's views.
Q7. Which television (or film) series is your favourite?
Reboot, being my first Trek love, is my favourite, but I'm slowly working my way through TOS and it's a close second.
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STARFLEET LIFE:
Q8. What do you hope to gain from your service in Starfleet?
The experience of a fun challenge community along with the opportunity of meeting new interesting people. It's an interesting concept which gives a friendly push to members to participate in the much-varied activities instead of letting them skulk in the background. Lurking is all well and good but being pro-active is a wonderful thing and we'll all grow together in Trek, cheesy as it sounds. I think it's a great chance for me to gain a new perspective on things as well as improve my knowledge of Star Trek since it's a fairly new thing for me.
Q9. Is there any occupation in Starfleet you feel you would be particularly unsuited for?
I would have to go with Engineering. I have two left thumbs and a mind filled with sawdust when forced to fix things that don't come with a simple instruction manual. Toasters, IKEA furniture, warp core nacelles- they're all pretty much the same to me in terms of difficulty. I'm also absolutely horrible at Math and Physics, which effectively throws a career in Engineering for me out of the window.
Q10. The four current Academic Tracks at the Academy are Tactics, Operations, Exploratory Sciences and Medical Sciences. Describe how you could be an asset to each of these departments.
Tactical:
In all honesty, I would make an awful Navigations Officer. My (utter lack of) sense of direction is so horrendous my name would probably go down in the annals of Starfleet history as the worst Navigations Officer that ever lived. But I'd probably flunk out of the course before coming to that so I guess that's not something i have to worry about. If, however, I did manage to graduate from the course, I think I'd still be able to redeem myself occasionally as a well-placed red herring if baddies ever decide Navigation Officers are suitable kidnapees for grand schemes involving locations of classified Starfleet outposts/planets rich in Dilithium deposits/pirate booty.
On a more serious note, of the 4 examples mentioned above I would be most suited to Command, having had some experience in a number of leadership positions. Although I prefer making decisions of the long-haul detail-laden variety, which I treat with careful consideration and with satisfactory attention to the relevant facts, information and detail, if pressed to make a snap decision I can and will, but not without concerted effort to gain enough time to make a decision for the good of my crew. I take all decisions I make extremely seriously, and I can be trusted to be fair and impartial leader, weighing the pros and cons of each situation logically (but not unemotionally) before coming to a conclusion.
Operations:
Diplomacy or Communications are both fields I'd love to be in. I've always been interested about seeing new places and things in the world, while learning about the culture, beliefs and language of the place. I'm so crazy over this I suspect I'm kind of insane- when I was 15, I taught myself the Japanese Hiragana and Katakana script just so I could read road signs and other objects in Japan (sadly i no longer retain most of it, and now all i can ask is where the toilet is in Japanese). Understanding and respecting other cultures is also exceedingly important to me, as I've lived all my life in a place that prides itself on being a harmonious multiracial society. I can't abide racism, and I find the refusal to associate with another person based on the grounds of distrust and incomprehension utterly unacceptable.
Also, when cultures and traditions are inherently different, tact and restraint becomes crucial to communication. I'm naturally a non-confrontational sort of person and I dislike discord and conflict in most forms so I do self-censor myself at times. I don't see this as a naturally bad trait which some people do- I don't enjoy hurting people with careless phrases and words can really damage a person emotionally.
However, I do feel I'm more naturally suited to Administration. I'm a shameless perfectionist and extremely detail-oriented, meticulous and nit-picky, which has even carried through to my normal day-to-day habits. Weird as it is, I find organization calming and I sometimes do strange things like file documents and rearrange bookcases just to relieve stress. I'm also a bit of a spelling nazi, especially in relation to texting and internet-speak. So, If u tYpE 2 m3 lyk dis, I will shoot you, no questions asked.
Exploratory Sciences:
Xenobiology, without a doubt, would be my favourite. I've loved science ever since I was little, and I've always been interested in how the human body worked. I'm pretty sure this passes on to Xenobiology as well- I had a long, in-depth discussion with le_culdesac on whether Spock's Vulcan copper-based blood would allow for a successful blood transfusion with Jim, taking into account a Human's iron-based haemoglobin oxygen transport system. AND I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF ITS GEEKY MEDICAL-NESS.
Medical:
As I'm currently a suffering medical student, I'm not lying or exaggerating when I say Medicine owns my life. Sure, Trek owns my soul, but Medicine is what has me waking at ungodly hours to go to school and studying a ridiculous amount of coursework late into the night. But despite my constant whining, the intricacies and intricate correlations between body systems are an amazing stimulus as a drive for constant learning, and I enjoy every minute of it. Having inhaled several textbooks, I also have an extensive knowledge of human anatomy, physiology and biochemistry which is practically useful in a medical career. Additionally, compassion and empathy are important traits crucial to the make of a good doctor capable of understanding and feeling for their patients. What doctors treat is not merely a disease, and I feel I am able to put myself in a patient's shoes and view things from their perspective, moving beyond the concept of 'curing an illness' and into the idea of treating and helping a person instead.
Q11. What are your top five strengths?
01. Diligence. I'm not particularly brilliant or exemplary- but for what I lack in noteworthiness I try to make up in sheer persistence and hard work.
02. Empathy. Regardless if I like a person or not, I'm the sort that will make the effort in trying to understand a person's reasons and motives for doing things. I try to put my own pre-conceived notions and personal judgments aside when dealing with people because I want to accept them for who they are. It can be hard at times, but I think it's worth it.
03. Loyalty.
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
- the Sorting Hat, 1991
Remember all those Harry Potter Sorting Quizzes that ran rife around the net some years back? I got thrown into Hufflepuff by the Sorting Hat every single time. I treasure my friends and family more than life itself and will stick with them though thick and thin.
04. Quirkiness. And by this, I mean eccentric? It's not a concerted effort to be different or unique- I just process things on a different level from other people, and it's not a bad thing most of the time. I can always be trusted upon to come up with creative ideas as well as to add humour and hilarity to a situation. I can also be a ditz at times and I'm not afraid to laugh at myself and be laughed along with.
05. Introspection. I'm actually really really introverted on a whole. I tend to enjoy delving into self-reflection and active reasoning, and a mission of mine is to understand the fundamentals in my character that make 'me' me. I'm a very emotional person and self-analysis helps me to be in control of myself and not let my feelings dictate my actions too much. I'm really big on self-improvement and going through things in my head, reliving good experiences and bad does help to make me a better person because I always careful not to make the same mistakes twice.
Q12. What are your top five weaknesses?
01. Idealistic. I'd like to believe the innate nature of humans is good and that most people are genuinely nice and well-meaning. I don't usually question motives and it's led to me getting burned a couple of times, and though I've tried to instill a healthy level of caution in myself, my friends and family still feel I'm entirely too trusting.
02. Obsessive Compulsive. I am anal-retentive. There's no easy way to put this really, because how can anyone defend themselves when they can spend an entire day retyping all the song file details in their iTunes just to suit a standardized norm? I can be that crazy at times and I occasionally drive people up the wall with my nit-picking over things, and I have a horrible habit of doing time-consuming things like cataloging photographs and books when I'm stressed and pressed for time.
03. Stubborn. I can be quite mulish. When I make a decision, I tend to stick by it and I can be quite insistent on my decision until someone proves me wrong.
04. Insecure. Ugh. My very worst personality trait. I'm not a very confident person in general and my perception of self-worth is a little low. I don't always trust myself to make the hard decisions and I like to run my ideas off other people just to confirm that they're valid and appropriate.
05. Demanding and Judgmental. I have a bad habit of imposing the high standards I set on myself on others as well, which isn't exactly fair. To add to that, I can be horribly judgmental no matter how much I try to perceive things objectively. That said, though I come to conclusions about people easily, I make up for it by never letting prior negative impressions impede my friendships once I've been proven wrong about them.
Q13. What is your biggest fear?
My biggest fear is of being incapable of doing anything when it is imperative that I should. I hate the feeling of being powerless and the idea of freezing and not being able to improve the situation or help people scares the hell out of me.
Q14. Do you consider yourself to be a leader, or a follower?
In truth, I really consider myself to be both? I'm okay with leading, especially if it's a small, familiar group of people tuned to my particular working style and habits. I'm also perfectly comfortable to be a follower and take orders from others. Honestly, I find the distinction unnecessary as both roles are fundamentally interlinked and interchangeable, and no one role is superior to the other.
Q15. What do you admire the most in your peers?
People who are quietly confident and comfortable in their own skin, who don't need to be loud and showy, or feel the need to prove that they have an unwavering belief in themselves. These people make great leaders and are a real inspiration.
Q16. You are stranded on a Class M planet that has not been mapped by The Federation. You are only allowed to choose two of the following items to keep with you: a phaser, a tricorder or a communicator. Which two would you choose to have?
Phaser and communicator. Being stranded isn't a situation anyone wants to be in, and keeping the communicator is practically a requirement if you do plan on being found. The hard part of the decision was making the choice between phaser and tricorder. Although the planet hasn't been mapped and your primary reason for even being on that planet is for readings, I'd take the phaser as the planet may not be necessarily safe. There might be a need for a weapon to protect myself or the crew and survival takes precedence over scientific discovery, which can be attempted again on a later date. On the whole, I think Starfleet Command will agree with me, unless of course it's in violation of the Prime Directive. Then we're welcome to get squashed like flies.
Q17. Please describe your understanding of the Federation’s Prime Directive.
It all boils down to the concept of 'non-interference'. Oh you know- I came, I saw, I got banned from conquering of any kind? Starfleet's like a hands-off approach mother who just watches at the side while the children fight and wrestle in the sandbox, and when someone gets a boo-boo (which was an eventuality at this point), she ignores that too because Mommy's love and cuddling doesn't help anyone grow big and strong.
The analogy ends here because I'm equating hugs and kisses to advanced technology and laser warfare and it already sounds kind of insane.
So Starfleet operates on a strict 'Look But Don't Touch' policy, mostly so new worlds they come into contact with have a chance to grow and develop at a natural, uninterrupted and appropriately-advancing state. So Starfleet sits back and watches them as they learn, make their own stupid mistakes, start their own wars, create their own weapons of mass destruction- and Starfleet can only step in if someone's getting their asses kicked, right around the time before one side gets completely exterminated by the other.
Q18. The United Federation of Planets includes more than 150 member planets, and the galaxy has many more besides. Which planet do you most want to visit?
Delta IV. I find it particularly curious that Deltans are obliged to take a vow of celibacy before enlisting in Starfleet while Orions are allowed to be as promiscuous as they want. All I really want is a day of shore leave to explore- drop by Deltan museums, healing facilities, cultural exhibitions and just experience Deltan society in general to get an insight to the culture and unique biology.
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KOBAYASHI MARU:
The following questions describe situations you may commonly find yourself in as a member of Starfleet. You will be read the scenario, and then given two options to choose from. You may expand upon the reasons for your choice, but you must indicate one of the two that you feel best describes your likely response to the situation provided.
Q19. Service in the Fleet can be draining at the best of times, and on one particular day everything seems to have gone wrong. You’re exhausted, but your shift is finally over and it’s time to unwind. Your roommate is already on their bed when you get back to your quarters. Do you:
a. Settle in for a lengthy chat with them - you’d really like to vent about your day and you’d quite like to hear about theirs too. It’s a bit of a ritual by this point anyway. Maybe you’ll even head out to the Rec Hall together to unwind over a card game with the others.
In all honesty, I'm sort of in-between between answers, but I'm more inclined towards option A. After a long day of work, my usual preference of activity would be to relax and hide in a corner with a good book and good music, and I'd totally do that if I didn't have a roommate. But since I do have one, and if it's someone I like, I'd be happy to be a bit more sociable and have a good venting session to let loose some steam. This kind of channel for excess stress really works and I think we'd both feel much better after. I personally feel like I can survive anything after having a good bitchfest with a pal. But going to the rec hall after would be a stretch for me though. I'd much prefer to curl up and sleep away my exhaustion.
Q20. You’ve intercepted what sounds like a pretty important transmission - you feel like the Captain needs to know. When you report, do you:
a. Give them all the facts: what it said, what the voice sounded like, where the inflection was, the language it was in, and so on. Details and facts are the important part, everything else is subjective.
Definitely A. As a professional, I owe it to my Commanding Officer to provide him with the relevant information uncoloured by my own personal opinion and interpretation. By presenting him with all the information available, the Captain can assess the situation and come to an informed decision on the action to be taken. Conveying a truncated message layered with my subjectivity is potentially dangerous as I might have come to the wrong conclusion about it, not being privy to the in-depth information of the situation available to the Captain and the lack of adequate Command training to even make such a decision. Should the Captain desire my own personal opinion, I would give it to him and I am sure he would take it into consideration.
Q21. There are many decisions to be made in Starfleet, and some are harder than others. Faced with a decision where things could go wrong in any number of ways, do you:
b. Try to understand the perspectives of the people involved. They are the ones that will be influenced by the decision, and conflict is the least desirable outcome. Be certain to be tactful, even if some of the message is lost in the communication.
We're not running a soul-less dictatorship here, people. It's absolutely crucial to take into account the consequences such a serious decision would have on those involved, especially if it's one of those situations where everything gets bad really fast and not everyone survives. Even if it's not possibly-dead-people kind of bad, there's still someone who's going to be unhappy at your decision. If I have to make hard decisions for these people, I'd want to know how they'd feel about it and I'd like to see if I could do anything for them, even if it means compromising a little on time and resources.
Q22. The day-to-day life of Starfleet can be quite arduous at times, and quite exciting at others. Everyone has their own way of approaching everyday work, but would others see your approach as:
a. Planned and orderly. You seem to prefer to have decisions made and matters settled, rather than hanging over your head. You appear comfortable when in control over such matters. You seem to be task-oriented, and plan ahead.
A. As i've mentioned earlier, I much prefer planning ahead. Being organized makes me happy, which is slightly weird but still. A happy Nix is an efficient Nix and I love the feeling of not having impending doom in the form of deadlines- I absolutely hate rushed work, not just because I get frazzled and grumpy and non-communicative like a troglodyte, but also because I feel like I'm submitting sub-standard work and that really gets to me.
Q23. You can earn 5 points for your future Track by promoting the community in your Journal. Please link the post here if you wish to do so: here