Character Creation Guide

Before joining the crew, all players are required to create an original character who fits within the Star Trek universe and the established setting of the simulation. This guide outlines the requirements, expectations, and general guidelines for creating a character who can contribute to the ongoing missions and the shared storytelling experience aboard the Eclipse.

Our goal is to create a diverse, believable crew whose members have individual strengths, weaknesses, experiences, and opportunities for development. Characters should be capable Starfleet officers, but they should also be people who are still learning, growing, and discovering their place within the service.

1. General Character Requirements

All characters must meet the following general requirements unless an exception has been approved by the Commanding Officer.

Original characters: Players must create original characters rather than portraying established characters from Star Trek television series, films, novels, or other published material.
Starfleet service: Characters serving as commissioned Starfleet officers must have completed the required four year Starfleet Academy program, or an approved equivalent recognized by Starfleet.

Minimum age: Applicants must be at least 18 Earth years old, or the culturally appropriate equivalent for their species, when entering Starfleet Academy.
Initial rank: Newly commissioned officers generally begin their Starfleet careers at the rank of Ensign.
Realistic progression: Character ranks, qualifications, and professional experience must be consistent with their age, education, service history, and responsibilities.
Established setting: Characters must fit within the Star Trek universe and the established continuity of the USS Eclipse simulation.
Balanced abilities: Characters may possess exceptional talents, but no character should be written as all powerful, infallible, or capable of resolving every situation without assistance.

Exceptions may be considered by the Commanding Officer when a character concept has a compelling explanation and fits the needs of the simulation.

2. Starfleet Academy and Commissioning

Starfleet Academy is the standard training institution for individuals seeking to become commissioned Starfleet officers. The normal Academy program requires four years of education and training, including academic instruction, practical exercises, professional development, and preparation for service aboard Starfleet vessels and installations. Characters entering the Academy must be at least 18 years old, or the equivalent for their species. The age at which a character graduates will depend on their age at enrollment and any approved circumstances affecting their education. Upon successful graduation, officers are normally commissioned at the rank of Ensign.

Characters may have attended universities, completed advanced degrees, served in civilian scientific or technical positions, or acquired other relevant qualifications before entering the Academy. These experiences can influence their specialty, expertise, or career opportunities, but they do not automatically entitle a character to an elevated Starfleet rank. In exceptional cases, Starfleet may recognize prior education, specialized training, or extraordinary professional experience when determining a character's initial standing. Any such arrangement must be discussed with and approved by the Commanding Officer before the character is accepted.

Completion of a civilian degree or specialized training program does not, by itself, replace the four year Academy requirement for commissioned officers.

Enlisted Personnel and Other Career Paths

Not every Starfleet character must follow the commissioned officer career path. Enlisted personnel, civilian specialists, and other approved roles may be considered where appropriate to the simulation.

These characters must have a credible background appropriate to their position and responsibilities. Players interested in creating a character outside the standard commissioned officer pathway should consult the Commanding Officer before submitting their application.

3. Rank and Promotion

Rank should reflect a character's experience, professional development, and demonstrated service rather than being selected solely according to personal preference. Newly graduated officers normally enter Starfleet as Ensigns. An officer must generally serve a minimum of two years at the rank of Ensign before qualifying for promotion to Lieutenant Junior Grade. Exceptions may be granted when justified by exceptional circumstances, prior recognized service, or other compelling reasons approved by the Commanding Officer. Meeting the minimum time requirement does not guarantee promotion. Advancement depends on a character's performance, maturity, qualifications, conduct, and contribution to the simulation. Characters should not begin with senior ranks simply because the player wishes to portray a senior officer. Higher ranking characters require appropriate professional histories and must be approved before play begins. Players should also understand that promotion is a process of character development. Starting at a junior rank gives a character room to gain experience, establish relationships, demonstrate leadership, and earn advancement through participation in missions.

4. Species and Federation Membership

The USS Eclipse is a Starfleet vessel operating within the established Star Trek universe. Most characters should therefore be members of species that belong to the United Federation of Planets or otherwise have a credible, established connection to Starfleet. Common and familiar Federation species, including Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, Tellarites, Betazoids, Trill, Bajorans, and other established Federation members, are welcome.

Characters from non-Federation species may also be considered where their background supports a plausible reason for serving aboard a Starfleet vessel. Such characters might come from allied civilizations, species with established diplomatic or exchange arrangements, or cultures whose individuals have been accepted into Starfleet through recognized channels.

Players wishing to portray a member of a newly introduced, noncanon, or otherwise unusual species should seek approval before developing the character in detail.

Species selection should take the following considerations into account:
The character's species must fit the established Star Trek setting.
The character's cultural background, physiology, lifespan, and developmental stages should be consistent with established lore or an approved species description.
Any unusual abilities must have a reasonable explanation and appropriate limitations.

A character's species should not be used as justification for automatic superiority over other crew members.

Characters from hostile or politically sensitive civilizations require a credible explanation for their Starfleet service and acceptance by the Federation.

The purpose of these guidelines is not to restrict creativity, but to maintain a cohesive setting in which characters from different backgrounds can interact naturally.

5. Character Abilities and Limitations

Characters should be capable and interesting without being overpowered. Starfleet officers are trained professionals, but they are not perfect, and even experienced personnel have limitations. A character may be exceptionally talented in a particular field, possess specialized training, or have an unusual personal history. However, exceptional qualities should be balanced by believable weaknesses, challenges, or areas where the character lacks experience. Characters should not be created with abilities that allow them to dominate every situation or make other characters irrelevant.

The following concepts are generally not appropriate without specific approval:
Characters who are effectively invulnerable or possess unlimited abilities.
Characters who are experts in every Starfleet department or discipline.
Characters who can independently defeat entire groups of trained personnel without a credible explanation.
Characters with extraordinary psychic, technological, or physical abilities that have no meaningful limitations.
Characters whose backgrounds grant them automatic authority over senior officers or the ship's command staff.
Characters who possess unique technology, secret powers, or extraordinary resources that would fundamentally alter the balance of the simulation.

Powerful or unusual concepts are not automatically prohibited. They simply require careful consideration, a sound explanation, and approval where necessary.

6. Background and Personal History

Every character should have a background that explains how they became the person they are when they join the Eclipse. A character biography should provide enough information to establish their identity, upbringing, education, professional experience, and motivations. It does not need to document every year of the character's life, but it should offer a credible account of the experiences that shaped them.

Consider including:

Early life: Where the character was born or raised, their family circumstances, and any significant cultural influences.
Education: Their schooling, Academy experience, and any relevant qualifications.
Career history: Previous assignments, professional specialties, and important achievements.
Personality: Their temperament, values, strengths, weaknesses, and approach to other people.
Motivation: Why they joined Starfleet and what they hope to accomplish.
Personal challenges: Fears, shortcomings, unresolved conflicts, or experiences that provide opportunities for future development.

A character does not need a tragic past to be interesting. Ordinary experiences, professional ambitions, family relationships, personal convictions, and everyday challenges can be just as effective in creating a believable character. Characters should also have room to develop during play. Their personalities, relationships, and professional abilities may evolve as a result of missions and interactions with the crew.

7. Career Experience and Previous Assignments

A character's service record must be consistent with their age, rank, and experience. A newly commissioned Ensign should not have a service history spanning decades of Starfleet command experience. Similarly, a Lieutenant Junior Grade should have a credible explanation for their qualifications and responsibilities. Previous assignments may include postings aboard starships, starbases, research facilities, medical installations, diplomatic missions, or other appropriate Starfleet organizations. Players are encouraged to develop career histories that provide useful context without overshadowing the character's future role aboard the Eclipse. Prior service may be used to establish specialist skills, professional relationships, or personal history, but it must not be used to bypass the rank and assignment approval process. Characters with extensive previous service, unusual career paths, or advanced professional standing should be discussed with the Commanding Officer before submission.

8. Department Assignments and Responsibilities

Characters should have a clear reason for their assignment aboard the Eclipse and a defined role within the ship's organization. Players should consult the current roster and departmental structure before selecting a position. Not every department has unlimited vacancies, and some positions may already be occupied by established characters. New characters will generally begin as junior officers or departmental assistants, working under the supervision of the relevant department head. Department head positions and senior command assignments are subject to approval and are not automatically available to new players. A character's qualifications should match their assignment. A medical officer should possess appropriate medical education and training; an engineering officer should have a credible technical background; and a security officer should have relevant tactical, investigative, or security training. Characters may have secondary interests or additional qualifications, but their primary assignment should remain clear. Players should not assume that a character's rank automatically entitles them to a leadership position or unrestricted authority over other players' characters.

9. Relationships and Connections to Existing Characters

Connections to established characters can be useful for developing a character's history, but they must be handled carefully. Players may propose family relationships, prior professional connections, friendships, rivalries, or other shared history with existing characters. These relationships must be discussed with the affected player and approved where necessary. A character should not be created with an established relationship to another character without the other player's consent, nor should a new character's background rely on unapproved claims about major events, senior officers, or the established history of the simulation. Existing canon characters from the wider Star Trek universe may be referenced where appropriate, but original characters should remain central to the player's own story.

10. Character Approval and Submission

Before submitting a character, players should ensure that the concept meets the guidelines outlined above. The Commanding Officer may request revisions if a concept conflicts with established continuity, contains inconsistencies, or requires adjustment to fit the ship's roster and organizational structure. Approval may be conditional on changes to rank, species, history, abilities, or department assignment. Players are encouraged to discuss unusual concepts before investing significant time in a detailed biography. Characters should not be considered officially accepted into the simulation until approval has been granted.

11. Final Guidelines

The USS Eclipse is a collaborative storytelling environment. Character creation is not a competition to develop the highest ranking officer, the most impressive service record, or the most extraordinary abilities. The most effective characters are those who contribute to the stories of others as well as their own. They have strengths that make them valuable members of the crew, weaknesses that create opportunities for development, and personalities that allow meaningful interactions with other characters. We encourage players to be creative, explore interesting backgrounds, and develop characters who bring something distinctive to the Eclipse. At the same time, all characters must respect the shared setting, established continuity, and collaborative nature of the simulation. Create a character who belongs in Starfleet, has room to grow, and gives the rest of the crew a reason to want them aboard.