Captain of the Enterprise...Or Else

[Zagreus]

The Plot Gods are at it again. This time they take you and make you the Captain of the USS Enterprise NCC 1701 D, in the Next Generation Era. (You are forced to do it, dire consequences if you refuse, yadda, yadda. The Plot Gods give you a seven year mission. If you survive, you can keep any skills and knowledge you've been granted, and return home as if no time has passed as a reward- or you can stay in the Star Trek future and bring up to 10 loved ones. If you die, you're dead. If you get fired from Starfleet, or resign your commission, the Plot Gods punish you.)

The Plot Gods give you the background and knowledge appropriate of someone who would be Captain of the Enterprise and you can choose to have Three Advanced Skills downloaded into your brain to help you including (but not limited to)

Advanced Tactical Training
Advanced Scientific or Technical Training (One Field) (Selectable Multiple Times)
Advanced Medical Training
Advanced Combat Training
Advanced Engineering Training
Create Your Own

You also get to choose your own command crew of 7. Four must be normal humans with no enhancements, but can be fictional characters, or real people. When choosing a fictional "real person" their abilities cannot exceed real world human norms (although comic book Batman is, in DC canon, a normal human, he is, for all extents and purposes, well beyond human norms. Though he is selectable here as an "enhanced" choice.) The exception being a Star Fleet scientist may have scientific acumen beyond what 2022 humans have developed, so some leeway is granted here for fictional "real human" scientists chosen. All crew members will be granted a Basic Star Fleet training mental download and a background appropriate to the setting. If the person are currently alive on Earth in 2022, if they die in the scenario, they will be unharmed (so you can choose a friend to go with you without fear). Historical (deceased) humans can also be selected.

Up to three crewmembers can be "enhanced". Aliens, half-humans, androids, mutants, mutates, whatever. No Crewmember can be Stronger or Faster than Spider-Man, Smarter than Spock or Data, have greater telepathic powers than a Full-blooded Betazoid, or generate more energy projection capability than a standard issue Star Fleet Phaser Rifle.

Nothing approaching an Omega Level Mutant, in general for miscellaneous abilities, and no dimensional travel, time travel, long range teleportation, or reality manipulation. I.e. If you choose to have Lt. Commander Peter Parker, Science Officer on your crew, he will have the same powers and abilities, but he will have a background appropriate to the Star Fleet universe- as much as it can be altered to fit the 24th century. He will still have been bitten a radioactive spider during an experiment, and have similar enemies but there will be no costumes as such. He will wear a Star Fleet uniform, perhaps subtly altered to allow his peculiar abilities to function... etc.

Positions that must be filled are:

Captain: You
First Officer:
Security Officer:
Chief Engineer:
Chief Medical Officer:
Others are left to the Captain's Discretion.

Your missions will be different than the TNG crew's mission because of the "butterfly" effect. (If Peter Parker is on your crew, expect a story where Otto Octavius joins up with the Borg, or Lursa and Beator... or perhaps you will run into Klyntar). You will not be able to predict outcomes.

Who do you choose as crew members? What skills do you choose?

Do you think you will survive 7 years?

[Powerboy]

Tactical, Combat, and Bridge Operations.

First Officer/ Science: Spock
Security: Worf
Chief Engineer: Scotty (Yes, Geordi does real engineering while Scotty's a plumber but Scotty is presented as the guy who, literally, wrote the book).
Chief Medical: McCoy

I'd stack up all of the TOS characters I could- except for Security- because they are presented as almost mythical characters, sort of the "Print the Myth" ideal personified.

Even so, survival depends on whether we have the same plot armor the various Trek crews have. Can we get away with taking that one in a million chance over and over because, like, surviving once was beating the odds by 999,999 to one.

[The MunchKING]

I'd stack up all of the TOS characters I could- except for Security- because they are presented as almost mythical characters, sort of the "Print the Myth" ideal personified.

Even so, survival depends on whether we have the same plot armor the various Trek crews have. Can we get away with taking that one in a million chance over and over because, like, surviving once was beating the odds by 999,999 to one.

Well you picked most of the OG Trek crew and they have some pretty good Plot Armor, but most of it came from Kirk, the one guy you can't pick. He's the one who went around punching out Gods or ordering the Enterprise to shoot God with Photon Torpedoes. He did or ordered done most of the craziest things.

So if Plot armor is what you want, you should get some people with REAL Plot Armor. Like... ....

SMALL CHILDREN!

That's right! Star Trek Babies. No TV Show would let you get away with getting small children killed off, so you'll either effortlessly defeat all your problems, or it'll be the most boring 7 year run an Enterprise ever had as you are never put in threatening situations.

[Sharpandpointies]

Well you picked most of the OG Trek crew and they have some pretty good Plot Armor, but most of it came from Kirk, the one guy you can't pick. He's the one who went around punching out Gods or ordering the Enterprise to shoot God with Photon Torpedoes. He did or ordered done most of the craziest things.

So if Plot armor is what you want, you should get some people with REAL Plot Armor. Like... ....

SMALL CHILDREN!

That's right! Star Trek Babies. No TV Show would let you get away with getting small children killed off, so you'll either effortlessly defeat all your problems, or it'll be the most boring 7 year run an Enterprise ever had as you are never put in threatening situations.

...well played, sir. ^_^

[Shai-Hulud]

First Officer: Alexander of Macedonia

Security Officer: "Dirty" Harry Callahan

Chief Engineer: Nikola Tesla

Chief Medical Officer: Dr. John H. Watson

Counsellor: Carl Gustav Jung

Chief Operations Officer: Doug "Cypher" Ramsey

Chief Science Officer: Werner Karl Heisenberg

[Sharpandpointies]

We're basically prevented from choosing anyone who is hugely better than what's already there. Given that I would want a dynamic similar to the series, I don't want any loners, killers, potential radicals, or anything similar to that. Since everyone is limited to low-level powers and real world human stats, I don't see a lot of benefit to not choosing the people who were already top-end in their own shows. So I'll actually follow Powerboy's idea down to the letter.

I will add in that my bridge crew will include Data (seriously, we need Data) and Wesley (yes, Wesley, annoying as he was the kid saved the day in the show). Worf will be taken from DS9, in his competent phase.

For me, it would be 'Tactical, Combat, and Knowing Every Little Detail About My Ship'. I need the tactics (I'm not a highly trained para-military officer), I need the combat (even phasers on stun require some skill and experience), and knowing every little thing about my ship down to the smallest detail will help on the many times something terrible happens aboard the ship.

Choice #1 (mostly stolen from Powerboy):

First Officer/ Science: Spock
Security: Worf
Chief Engineer: Scotty (Yes, Geordi does real engineering while Scotty's a plumber but Scotty is presented as the guy who, literally, wrote the book).
Chief Medical: McCoy
Bridge Crew: Data, Wesley
Counselor: Troi (not a fan of the character, but her powers were useful on the show).

So that's seven.

...I'm noting that most of the really important Trek characters are men. Depressing.

Really, the only other possibility would be a Babylon 5/Trek mix. It would make things a little more militaristic, but still.

So, choice #2:

First Officer: Ivanova
Security Officer: Garibaldi
Chief Engineer: Scotty
Chief Medical Officer: McCoy
Bridge Crew: Data, Wesley (again)
Military and Diplomatic Advisor: John Sheridan

And that's seven.

[Photon Torme]

Tactical Combat and engineering
First officer - Dick Grayson
Science Officer- Tony Stark
Engineering- Data
Medical officer- Perry Cox
Security- Odo
Ships counsler- Frazier Crane
Diplomacy, Tactical and Events planning Chief- Shawn Spenser

Also- Marvin from Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy is there in some capacity- Runs Ten Forward maybe. Also. I’m adding 2 Weslelies. Will Robinson and Steve Urkel oh and Reg Barclays is on the engineering or science team. End transmission. Activate shields.

[Sharkerbob]

Skills: Tactical, Scientific, Medical

Captain: Pants-Loose Peckered (that's what it says on my name tag)
First Officer: Odei (Dreadstar)
Security Officer: Nick Fury (MCU)
Chief Engineer: Grubb (SepterraCore)
Chief Medical Officer: Citan (Xenogears)

Others: TattleTale (Worm), Deja Thoris (John Carter), Scrappy Doo (Scooby Doo)


Odds of Survival: Slim

[The MunchKING]

For me, it would be 'Tactical, Combat, and Knowing Every Little Detail About My Ship'. I need the tactics (I'm not a highly trained para-military officer), I need the combat (even phasers on stun require some skill and experience), and knowing every little thing about my ship down to the smallest detail will help on the many times something terrible happens aboard the ship.

I would think basic chops and phaser training would be standard for Starfleet Captain training. Advanced combat probably gets you some judo or something.

Wesley (yes, Wesley, annoying as he was the kid saved the day in the show).

You could use A Wesley, sure. But the guy himself was only so useful...


Hmmmm... Thinking on it when did he save the day? There was the time everyone was playing the video games, I think he went and rebooted Data (who didn't have a biological brain for the game to mind-control) and that time he became a time god. He saved Picard that one time they were in the cave-in but anyone could have done that.

According to this I forgot a whole bunch of times, though they were more generous with "contributing to saving the day" than I was.

But yeah "observant teen for the adult crew to moralize at" seems to be a useful slot.

[Dalak]

Advanced Tactical Training
Advanced Combat Training
Advanced Diplomatic Training

First Officer: Mad-Eye Moody (If he counts under Enhanced)
Security Officer: David Xanatos
Chief Engineer: Scotty
Chief Medical Officer: Dr. McNinja

Bridge Crew: Data & Tom Paris

Plucky Youngin': Penny from Inspector Gadget



I think I stand a chance of making it through the series.

[The MunchKING]

Dang it, the post was too long. Looks like it's time to 2-post it.

Your missions will be different than the TNG crew's mission because of the "butterfly" effect. (If Peter Parker is on your crew, expect a story where Otto Octavius joins up with the Borg, or Lursa and Beator... or perhaps you will run into Klyntar). You will not be able to predict outcomes.

Oh I'll be able to predict outcomes. The predictions may not be RIGHT or come true, but unless your throwing in a free lobotomy I'll be predicting the outcomes of everything I do for the whole time. ;-)

The Plot Gods are at it again. This time they take you and make you the Captain of the USS Enterprise NCC 1701 D, in the Next Generation Era. (You are forced to do it, dire consequences if you refuse, yadda, yadda. The Plot Gods give you a seven year mission. If you survive, you can keep any skills and knowledge you've been granted, and return home as if no time has passed as a reward- or you can stay in the Star Trek future and bring up to 10 loved ones. If you die, you're dead. If you get fired from Starfleet, or resign your commission, the Plot Gods punish you.)

Oh great, I had to get stuck with the "pacifist run" era of Starfleet. Well they better be able to handle some Kirking it up if they want to keep the power of the MunchKING on commission.

EDIT: The more I think about it, the more I am convinced The MunchKING is basically the opposite of Picard in terms of Leadership and problem solving. Picard was a diplomat and a pacifist who fought only as a last resort. Where as The MunchKING is a battle maniac who talks his way out of problems only if it looks like violence wasn't ever an option. So aside from any ripple effect we would have on the continuity just from this being a scenario, the missions any rational Starfleet would send us on would be totally different.

The Plot Gods give you the background and knowledge appropriate of someone who would be Captain of the Enterprise and you can choose to have Three Advanced Skills downloaded into your brain to help you including (but not limited to)

Advanced Tactical Training

Starfleet's idea of Tactics? meh. The important stuff about dealing with their sensors and stuff will be in the basic captain package, and their main strat was "pull up and exchange broadsides". contrary to what some people say.

Advanced Scientific or Technical Training (One Field) (Selectable Multiple Times)

Could be useful, they had loads of wackytech, and Picard had to use most of it himself at some point or another.

That said most of it could be run by the computer if you asked. Also basic survival tip, always be polite to the computer. I know it was always portrayed as not being sentient, but it keeps you in the right mindset for when you run into sentient computers, and in my line of work I may run into Eggman or something who will make the ship's computer sentient. And it controls the ship far more than I do.

Advanced Medical Training

Mostly seemed to be "put them in the bed and push the buttons". I get they actually had more knowledge than that, but it seems like the thing for the Medical Officer. I'll coast on Cure Spells.

Advanced Combat Training

Starfleet's idea of "Advanced Combat"?? I'd literally be better off with any base class from Final Fantasy.

Advanced Engineering Training

Hmmm, I lumped that in with Science. This is another solid choice for practical field repairs on your gear and/or ship.

Create Your Own

Someone who wanted an Easy "A" took Starfleet Pop Culture. (It's a joke because Star Fleet doesn't have any pop stuff since the 1930s. :-p )

Someone who was worried about mind attacks might want to take a Betazed mental defense class.

You also get to choose your own command crew of 7. Four must be normal humans with no enhancements, but can be fictional characters, or real people. When choosing a fictional "real person" their abilities cannot exceed real world human norms (although comic book Batman is, in DC canon, a normal human, he is, for all extents and purposes, well beyond human norms. Though he is selectable here as an "enhanced" choice.) The exception being a Star Fleet scientist may have scientific acumen beyond what 2022 humans have developed, so some leeway is granted here for fictional "real human" scientists chosen. All crew members will be granted a Basic Star Fleet training mental download and a background appropriate to the setting. If the person are currently alive on Earth in 2022, if they die in the scenario, they will be unharmed (so you can choose a friend to go with you without fear). Historical (deceased) humans can also be selected.

Oh well if brains are unquantifiable, and so we can pick any really smart guy who is normal human for the scientist, that opens up a lot of doors.

Up to three crewmembers can be "enhanced". Aliens, half-humans, androids, mutants, mutates, whatever. No Crewmember can be Stronger or Faster than Spider-Man, Smarter than Spock or Data, have greater telepathic powers than a Full-blooded Betazoid, or generate more energy projection capability than a standard issue Star Fleet Phaser Rifle.

Well that varied wildly depending on the episode (and I guess what setting they were set to), so I'll let the peers be my judge on that one.

It DOES knock out a lot of fun RPG guys from Final Fantasy or Disgaea though.

Nothing approaching an Omega Level Mutant,

Well that's like "Literally any mutant" according to Marvel. : P

and no dimensional travel, time travel, long range teleportation, or reality manipulation.

Good thing I already come with those and don't need to rely on them for that.

Goodbye "Taran, God of Thieves" though I guess.

I.e. If you choose to have Lt. Commander Peter Parker, Science Officer on your crew, he will have the same powers and abilities, but he will have a background appropriate to the Star Fleet universe- as much as it can be altered to fit the 24th century. He will still have been bitten a radioactive spider during an experiment, and have similar enemies but there will be no costumes as such. He will wear a Star Fleet uniform, perhaps subtly altered to allow his peculiar abilities to function... etc.

Peter Parker wears a standard science officer uniform, but I do hope Spider-man has a cool suit in Peter's closet; just in case he needs to do some "extra-curricular" activities.

Do you think you will survive 7 years?

We'll see how long I can resist pushing the metaphorical big red button. Even Picard, noted pacifist, couldn't wait to hit the self-destruct on his ship.

[The MunchKING]

Positions that must be filled are:

Captain: You
First Officer:
Security Officer:
Chief Engineer:
Chief Medical Officer:
Others are left to the Captain's Discretion.

Who do you choose as crew members? What skills do you choose?

Well let's see how well I remember what they do, then we can see who is the best choice.

First Officer: Runs things with the Captain is busy/can't. Works best if he offers a complementary, but different leadership style, so he can handle problems the Captain's leadership style can't. Also is the highest level go-between for lower ranked crew-members and the Captain, so he's got to be able to bring up their problems to the captain. Going to need some serious thought.

Security Guy: He needs to be a good enough fighter to handle trouble, but not good enough to overshadow me. Knowledge of Starfleet Security systems and such is probably part of the basic package. However he's also the top guy for investigating/police work, and his job is also the main ship combat guy. So someone who can handle the idea of 3-D combat is probably best.

Chief Engineer: Fixes our stuff and technobabbles our way to victory whenever he can.

Chief Medical Officer: Our Doc, they are the one I'm counting on to keep our crew and Civilian populace (because the D had that!) alive and healthy. Healthy crew are productive crew after all. Also called on to technobabble their way out of any plague/disease based problems we run across.


Other fun positions:

Bar Maid: A listner, an advice-giver, a dispenser of sage wisdom and practical solutions, fine conversation and finer drinks. One of the requirements, was the character canonically was able to scare Q with your power-level, so I don't think I'm allowed to draft someone for that slot.

Science Officer: I mean we're still an Enterprise. Starfleet is going to want us to boldly go where no one has gone before, seek out new life, and new civilizations, etc. Having a nerd on board to keep track of all that would probably be nice.

The Wesley: AH yes, the observant teen for the more experienced crew to ignore or moralize at while the teen gets stuff done. Would have liked a Taran here...

Transporter Specialist: Someone who needs to handle loads of standing around until the main characters are ready to go, and then be ready to get them out of there as soon as they call for it. Also needs to be really skilled/well trained so you don't wind up a goo-blob like that guy from the movie.

Helm Officer: Someone to fly the ship. Apparently one of the most interchangeable positions on the ship, as they always just used whoever wasn't ranked high enough to get other duty.







Captain: The MunchKING
First Officer: Hailey Starshine, as a diplomat and a rogue, she's better at talking her way out of trouble. but as a D&D character, she knows when to fight, and how to get the most out of it. (Order of the Stick, Normal Human-ish)
Security Officer: Officer Cosgrove. People just don't want to do crimes around him when he gives them a stern look and tells them to cut it out. We'll just get someone else to do the ship-to-ship combat. (Freakazoid, Normal Human)
Chief Engineer: Lucca, inventor of supertech, also good in a fight. (Chrono Trigger, uses magic. Enhanced)
Chief Medical Officer: Nurse Joy: Already used to putting beings in a machine and letting it go "boop boop boop-boop boop." (Pokemon series, normal human) I would for the Disgaea Hospital people if I could as they don't technically have any of the combat feats of Disgaea characters but COULD bring you back from being disintigrated.
Chief Science Officer: Dr. Positron was very nerdy, liked doing science and recorded all his findings automatically. (PS238, Super-human Robot. Enhanced)
Psych Officer: Gardevoir from the Webcomic where she's a licensed Psychiatrist. (Lv 30 Psychiatry, Enhanced)
Plucky kid: Gosalyn Mallard (Darkwing Duck. Less than "standard human" in most stats. I'm calling her a "Normal Person")


There's the right way, the wrong way and then the Munchkin way. Beverly and Worf prove family is allowed, so let's abuse that "Civilian populace".



Captain: The MunchKING
First Officer: Reed Richards (See if he invites Mr. "Bend reality to my whim" as his kid. And his wife isn't a bad asset either)
Security Officer: Wolverine (brings like EVERY girl mutant in Marvel. )
Chief Engineer: Nora Wakeman (and see if she'll bring XJ-9 along as a daughter)
Chief Medical Officer: Doctor Lincoln (Maybe we can get Abby AND Cree onboard)
Junior Science Officer: Professor Utonium (See if he'll bring the girls along as civilians)
Chief Science Officer: Bulma (please invite Trunks, but maybe not Vegita)
And for the reverse:

Scrappy Kid: Taran, early Scion version (Please bring along Hermes, Messenger God as a legal guardian)

[Sharpandpointies]

I would think basic chops and phaser training would be standard for Starfleet Captain training. Advanced combat probably gets you some judo or something.

Probably. I guess it's up to the OP to determine what 'Advanced combat training' means. If it's 'Advanced phaser w. practical and stress testing' over just 'how to use gun', then I need that; I have zero experience in firefights and shooting stuff under stress (thank goodness), and even Phasers on Stun require that.

If it's just 'Advanced Hand to Hand', that would be pointless for me as my own training is more extensive and stress tested than any four-year course at Starfleet. Including Judo. ^_^

You could use A Wesley, sure. But the guy himself was only so useful...

Hmmmm... Thinking on it when did he save the day? There was the time everyone was playing the video games, I think he went and rebooted Data (who didn't have a biological brain for the game to mind-control) and that time he became a time god. He saved Picard that one time they were in the cave-in but anyone could have done that.

According to this I forgot a whole bunch of times, though they were more generous with "contributing to saving the day" than I was.

I'll take the Talented Teen Bullshit for $200, Alex. ^_^ I already have the basics filled up with the people who have solid foundations, so having a wild card in my pocket could be useful.

[The MunchKING]

Probably. I guess it's up to the OP to determine what 'Advanced combat training' means. If it's 'Advanced phaser w. practical and stress testing' over just 'how to use gun', then I need that; I have zero experience in firefights and shooting stuff under stress (thank goodness), and even Phasers on Stun require that.

If it's just 'Advanced Hand to Hand', that would be pointless for me as my own training is more extensive and stress tested than any four-year course at Starfleet. Including Judo. ^_^

All I'm saying is, from what I remember, everyone who went through Starfleet knows how to use a phaser, but only Riker knew Akido and Worf his Klingon style Martial Arts.

[Sharpandpointies]

All I'm saying is, from what I remember, everyone who went through Starfleet knows how to use a phaser, but only Riker knew Akido and Worf his Klingon style Martial Arts.

Makes sense. If that's what it is, I'll pass; I really don't need more of that. And I'm rather disinterested in layering Aikido or whatever on top of the stuff I already know. Sure, it would be nice to have yet another perspective and some refinement of fundamentals from another point of view, but realistically it's not going to help a lot (a smidgen, maybe) and would be effectively worthless compared to me learning 'Advanced Scientific' or whatever.

Zagreus, some clarity on what 'Advanced Combat Training' is?