Application Guide

Wondering what the CO looks for in an application? Read on to find a few key points that will help you get off on the right foot.

The Basics

Name and physical description are pretty straightforward. If there's something unique about how your character looks, you can add it here. Many people choose to use an actor as an avatar as a way to help people picture them, but that will be added once you're accepted.

Biography and Personality

The biggest factor in whether an application is accepted is the quality of the biography and personality sections. This is your chance to show that you've put thought into your character. You don't have to fill in every single slot right now, like "Middle Name" and "Other Relatives", or ones that don't apply to everyone like pre-Starfleet career. I care more that what you do fill out is creative and thoughtful.

Be sure that your character is interesting for other people to interact with. One pitfall many players hit is trying to make their character either too perfect or too over-the-top. Think back to your favorite Trek episodes or movies, and you'll probably find that the character's flaws are at least as important as their virtues and abilities. I'd rather have an officer who's fallen down a couple times and gotten back up than someone who got straight As at the academy and excelled at everything since. With that said, don't heap tons of trauma on them - that's just as unrealistic as perfection.

The minimum word count is 100 for personality (including the strengths and weaknesses field) and 250 for the biography. It's not that much, barely more than a few sentences, and you'll probably find that you're shooting way past that.

Diversity

One of the ways to make a character stand out is to make them different from others already aboard or on other ships. This could mean things like different genders or alien species, but it also includes backgrounds. Not everyone grew up on Earth or passed the Academy at the top of the class. The more viewpoints the ship has, the more interesting character interactions will be. We're particularly looking for people who fit the ship's themes - second chancers, oddballs, and other folk who might not quite fit in on the Enterprise.

Sample Post

The sample post is another chance to show off your writing chops. A good sample post can help offset a short biography, because it gives a glimpse of how creative you are and what your skill level is.

After Applying

Once you apply, you should hear from the CO or XO within a few days. Usually a decision will be made by then, but you will at least know that it was received.

Reply with a No

We rarely flat-out reject a player. If there are problems with an application, we will explain why it was rejected, and give you tips on how to improve it. People are welcome to reapply and we would be happy to work with you by chat or email. Pegasus Fleet also has resources on how to improve applications.

Reply with a Yes

If you are accepted, your account will be activated and you'll be filled in on the state of the current story. The command staff will work with you to decide how to get your character onto the ship and involved with the mission. Try to hit the ground running - it would be a shame to go to all this trouble and then go inactive.

Your starting rank will be determined in part by your application quality and biography. The standard starting point is lieutenant (jg). A good application may start higher. You can also voluntarily start lower, for example if your character is fresh from the academy. For obvious reasons, the department heads must be the highest rank in their departments, and they in turn can't outrank the XO unless there's something very weird going on. (Please refrain from killing the XO to get a promotion.)

Resources

Check out the rest of the "Character Guide" pages if you need biography help. The Pegasus Fleet wiki and Memory Alpha provide good resources for Trek background information.