Federation Commander

Dear Friends,

I love the SFU. For me, it is the REAL Trek, Trek as it should be.

One way I explain what the SFU is all about to friends is - "imagine Ross Perot taking over and financing Star Trek from Gene Roddenberry after the third season of the Original Series." It's Trek with a militaristic (and Texan !!!) flavor - not everyone's cup of Tranya, but it sure as hell is mine !!!

Another reason why I have come to love the SFU, aside from its intrinsic merits, is because I really cannot get myself to like Star Trek TNG - DS9 - VOY. I really am a TOS man - well TOS plus, to include the movies (I-VI and XI only) and the TAS. (I also grok the FASA RPG, and Starfleet Command Games I-II).

It's also the nostalgia aspect - SFB was one of the few visible manifestations of Trek (albeit with a unique legal regime) in the late 70's / early 80's, during my High School years. Sure there was the movies, but they were few and far between.

With due respect to the "Great Bird of the Universe" I could not stomach the new directions he was taking the franchise beginning with TNG, and as continued by Rick Berman. It really is amazing how creators seem to do better with shoestring budgets, and ruin their masterpieces when they get huge budgets - George Lucas and SW Ep I-III is another classic example of this unfortunate phenomenon.

Well, SFU is really potentially much bigger than just the games - it could be as all-encompassing a hobby (or lifestyle ?) as standard Trekkie/Trekker- ism - ergo the costumes / cosplay, fanflics, fan conventions, art, comics, etc. We certainly see some movement along these lines, such as the filksongs in the ADB Facebook website. But it would be interesting to see if there is interest among SFU enthusiasts to really go beyond the games.

What would you call the SFU equivalent of a Trekkie/Trekker ? Any thoughts ?

Cheers,

Gary

I haven't any idea what to call us, other than gamers. Welcome to the board, regardless.

SFU-er???

"Sa-foo-er"

Es-ef-yoo-er. ?

Sir

I agree with the OP about ST-TNG and 'BerTrek' in general, with an honorable exception for the Manny Coto-helmed last two seasons of ENT.

It's Trek with a militaristic (and Texan !!!) flavour

I'd not thought about the Texan thing before. Of course, Roddenberry came over all New-Age after he fell in with Timothy Leary and the dregs of the Californian counter-culture... Some sort of East coast vs West coast thing you colonials have going?

Creating a higher profile for the SFU in general can only be a good thing, though. Maybe a huge, rogue Romulan mining X-ship that travels back to alternative past and...OK, maybe not that.

Dan Ibekwe wrote:Maybe a huge, rogue Romulan mining X-ship that travels back to alternative past and...OK, maybe not that.

Honestly though, I like both universes. SFU is a more militaristic (and more consistent) version, whereas the shine of Star Trek is the classic "There's a problemc and we need to fix it" scenario. Except it takes that scenario to a Sci-fi world and although the consistency is bad, the solutions are always unexpected and fun. TOS and TNG are my favorites though, I think that DS9 and VOY were more like stories than solutions.

Dear SVC and Friends,

I'm intrigued about SVC's comments about SFU having a negative image among Trek Fans. I'd just like to further comment that in a sense Trek Fandom is like a religion, which has many denominations, schisms and sects. So, the SFU is just as valid an expression of Trek enthusiasm as any other, with unique characteristics.

Well, obviously SFU Fandom would have some inherent challenges as it is not one with connections to the post-TOS/TAS series. Nevertheless, given the incredibly broad nature of Trek Fandom, and the guiding Vulcan Philosophical principle of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinate Combinations), I'd like to see SFU Fans begin to have a higher profile in Trek Fandom.

The ST XI Movie is an interesting development as it now posits an alternative timeline to the "mainstream" Trek Milieu, we now see elements of the Trek Fanbase devoted to this. In a similar vein, the SFU is an alternative timeline to the mainstream, and one which is well developed and has been oft pointed out much more internally consistent.

As said earlier, the SFU should appeal to two constituencies in Trek Fandom: those who are TOS or ST XI oriented, and those interested in the strategic / military aspects of Trek / Trek wargamers.

It is a shame that the Starfleet Command PC Game series has discontinued, as it was a good bridge to SFB and mainstream Trek, particularly with the SFC I and SFC II which included both SFU and post-TOS mainstream ships.

So, if anyone here is keen, I propose those interested band together as a "delegation" to a Sci-Fi or Trek Convention in the near future, even holding an exhibition SFB/FC/PD/SFMA /SFBF game. Or, even a SFU Convention on its own !

Cheers,

Gary