I have a sneaking suspicion that, like Straak's rock enthusiasm, T'Lorel's orbital phaser strikes, or Nash's skirt-chasing, Saavik's chronic bad luck and narrow escapes may be a function of how she's written.

Certainly there's nothing in her stat line or her record to suggest she's doing anything wrong.

EDIT:

Since this calls back to an issue we saw just a year or so ago with the loss of Miracht, I guess I want to add:

If we're going to get into the habit of making digs at Explorer Corps captains because of the difficulty of the situations they get into, we might as well not even have an Explorer Corps. Because by definition, they're getting weirder and more difficult situations than the rest of the fleet. Whether any given captain is going to struggle or "make it look easy" is in large part a function of forces outside their control. What matters is success versus failure, in the elements of the mission that are under the captain's control.

A captain who finds themselves in difficult situations, when the odds look grim, and manages to struggle through by the skin of their teeth, is to be commended, not frowned at because they are "unlucky."
 
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I'm fairly sure that's true of all characters, though I'd say that their first few events are likely more to the rolls, with later events building up on the 'personality' formed by those few events. Or omakes, if those were available.
 
The Miracle of (Starship) Birth - 2306.Q4.M1 - 2306.Q4.M2
The Miracle of Starship Birth

2306.Q4.M1.W3

"The calf straps connected to the boot hooks, and then knee-fasteners slide to the calf straps," signs Calai Tabriec. "And... we're done." She nods to herself with satisfaction and stands up in the shipyard women's locker room. "There, suited perfectly."

Off to her side, she notices Cassie cocking an eyebrow at her. "Do you really need to do the whole song each time, Tabs?"

"If doing the song helps save me from another emergency beam out, then I'll do the song," replies Tabriec.

Cassie rolls her eyes. "That was two weeks ago, I'm sure you've got it down now."

"Rob had me repeat the song a hundred times in front of the admin staff," points out Tabriec. "I don't want to ever do that again."

Cassie snorts and stands up, picking up her vacuum helmet from the bench and pulling it over her head.

Fifteen minutes later a dazzling swirl of transporter motes fade away to leave Calai and Cassie hanging onto the frame of the USS Bob's engineering hull. Like the rib cage of some ancient titan of yore the framework encompasses them. A tough array of interlocking struts comes together near the front; the 'basket' for the main deflector dish. Or Navigational Deflector Principal Housing Framework. But 'basket' was much easier to remember.

A voice crackles in their ear. "Okay, Tabs, Cass, we want visual inspections on the connector ports before we haul it in."

The voice doesn't belong to Rob, but rather to Commander Shahpour Attar, the man in charge of specialist installations, such as navigational deflectors, warp cores, computer systems, bridge modules, and similar equipment. He isn't part of the berth's crew, belonging directly to the Shipyard instead. Whenever operations like this one come around, he takes command directly to ensure these delicate operations go smoothly.


-

4 Days Later

Tabriec blinks, rearing back. "That's big."

Rob can't help but grin. "It certainly is."

"It's huge."

"Yep."

Tabriec shakes her head. "I've never seen one that big."

"Not even back on Amarkia?" asks Rob.

Tabriec shakes her head and gestures up at the tremendous metal-and-exotic-compound assembly heading their way. "That's like twice the size of the one on the Riala-class."

Under precisely calculated tractor control the deflector dish assembly, itself a piece of equipment greater is mass than the old battleships of wet navy days, is slowly inching it's way into the basket, long prongs reaching out to catch electro-magnetic clamps.

"Wow, you know, looking at it, I'm not sure if it will fit."

Rob waves the concern aside. "Don't worry, it'll be a tight squeeze but that's the way it's meant to be."

-

2 Days Later

"I told you it wouldn't fit."

"No one likes a smart-arse, Tabs," snorts Captain Henderson as he leans over schematics. "Alright everyone. We need to rearrange a few things, but I don't think it'll be anything major. We have a couple days of slack built in to our schedule, so no worries. Let's just clip the frame on these four docking engagement prongs and we'll be good to go. That's the easy part."

"If that's the easy part," begins Lt Cassie. "I'd hate to see what the hard part is."

"The hard part is stopping me from strangling the rep from the manufacturing plant, obviously, Cass," retorts Rob. "Get with the program."

"Ah, right, right, of course," says Cass as her eyes roll.

-

No sound travels through the vacuum, of course, but Calai fancies that she can still hear a distinct 'click' as the various connection points all engage, and the deflector dish is properly put into place. She knows that in many designs, the deflector dish is in fact one of the last parts to be installed, but for the current procedures on the Excelsior class, the deflector housing has a role to play in stabilising the Warp Core during installation.

"We have contact!" reports Chief Petty Officer McNeil. "Locks 1 through 4 are Green, 5 through 8 are Green, 9 through 12 are Green. Utility connections Green. We have a good seal, good alignment."

"Bingo." Rob leans back in his seat, grinning wildly. "No thanks to that drop kick from the plant, of course. I still don't know why you lot stopped me from strangling him."

-

2306.Q4.M2.W1

High-density carbon-weave tritanium-meshed material is wrapped around a collection of tanks and refrigerative units, as well as a dizzying array of piping and pumps. These are the tanks that store the deuterium slush, stored at near absolute zero temperatures, along the dorsal lining of the engineering hull. They take shape both in reality out beyond the window of the berth control room, but also on Tabriec's computer display as she carefully tracks the progress for Rob.

The control room is quiet, with familiar work keeping everyone occupied. Large project management charts in bright colours show them that they are still firmly on track for the 2310 launch date, the mishap with the deflector dish causing no meaningful harm. But there is one day on the project charts that is highlighted, circled, underlined and with arrows pointing to it.

One month from now, the assembly plant at Venus will deliver the warp core, a hundred meter, multi-hundred thousand ton rod that, in full operation, harnesses powers capable of punching a hole clean through a planetary crust.

Tabriec can't wait.


====

Project Milestones
2306.Q1.M1 - Notice of Intent Received - Register with Suppliers
2306.Q1.M1.W3 - Main Navigational Deflector Assembly Begins
2306.Q1.M2.W1 - Build Order Received
2306.Q1.M2.W2 - Saucer Frame Assembly Begins
2306.Q1.M2.W4 - Warp Core Assembly Begins
2306.Q2.M3 - Saucer Framework Complete
2306.Q3.M1 - Engineering Hull Frame Assembly Begins
2306.Q4.M1.W1 - Arrival of Main Navigational Deflector Assembly
2306.Q4.M1.W3 - Installation of Key Lateral Hull Supports for Navigational Deflector Assembly Complete
2306.Q4.M1.W4 - Installation of Navigational Deflector Assembly Complete
2306.Q4.M2.W1 - Primary Deuterium Fuel Tank Park Installed
2306.Q4.M1.W3 - Main Power Transfer Conduits installed from MARA Void to Nacelle Mounts
2306.Q4.M2.W1 - Principal Warp Plasma Manifold Installed
2306.Q4.M2.W3 - Antimatter Feed Systems installed
2306.Q4.M2.W4 - Antimatter pod housing installed
2306.Q4.M3.W1 - Warp Core Delivered from Venus Assembly Plant
2306.Q4.M3.W4 - Warp Core Installation Complete, Installation of Deuterium Feed Systems
2307.Q1.M1 - Entire month dedicated to diagnostic runs of the Warp Core
 
Just don't have Leslie showing up during the warp core bits; chronologically he didn't start heading up Warp Core Fabrication until 2309, shortly after the Courageous Incident. During the construction of this particular USS Bob, he's still over at Quality Assurance Division. Which, hm...

[starts thinking]

If not even Nash ka'Sharren could escape the dread grip of Father Time, which is to say, Rear Admiral Seruk, then Captain Straak hasn't a chance.
I dunno. It's like the story about the lawyer and the shark.

Rear Admiral Seruk may have an odd, Vulcanesque fondness for a person who compulsively and lovingly keeps doing one aspect of their job so perfectly, and with such obvious appreciation, while being utterly indifferent (and yet hypercompetent) at all the others.

I mean, obviously Seruk is to promotions and transfers what Straak is to rocks. Perhaps he'll recognize a kindred spirit.
 
If not even Nash ka'Sharren could escape the dread grip of Father Time, which is to say, Rear Admiral Seruk, then Captain Straak hasn't a chance.
Oh, but! We have a plan!
If this works, we'll have to reward Straak with a demotion. Maybe bust him down to Commander after his 5YM is over so that he can be first officer on an Oberth and is then in position to be promoted back to Captain when the Kepler prototype is finished.
You can't get us, you pointy-eared chronovore!
 
Oh, but! We have a plan!

You can't get us, you pointy-eared chronovore!
Seruk:

"It is most illogical to assume that Captain Straak, one of the most thorough beings I have ever encountered, will commit any manner of act such as might provide a pretext for demotion."

[Blink and you'll miss it, but for just a moment, the head of Personnel seems to be replaced by an evilly grinning skeleton. :D ]
 
If this works, we'll have to reward Straak with a demotion. Maybe bust him down to Commander after his 5YM is over so that he can be first officer on an Oberth and is then in position to be promoted back to Captain when the Kepler prototype is finished.
So Straak might get to keep a captainship, but Nash didn't even get the time of day for the third FYM? Yeah, that's VERY FAIR.
I hate Vulcans.
 
Let's promote Straak to head of his own Mineral Technology team. We need a second one anyway given how many really good techs there are in there.
 
It appears that Explorer Captains are lucky to get a second mission, a third is currently not on the cards (not even if Kirk reappears)

Need those experienced Captains becoming Commodores and fresh meat stepping into the big seat on the Explorer vessels.
 
It appears that Explorer Captains are lucky to get a second mission, a third is currently not on the cards (not even if Kirk reappears)

Need those experienced Captains becoming Commodores and fresh meat stepping into the big seat on the Explorer vessels.
But Nash was awesome, and she was BEST as a Captain, but Seruk waved his political dick around and we lost the best captain we have. I have seen hints of Nash around sense, but I wonder how much of her has been wasted where she is now. @OneirosTheWriter was Nash doing ANY good where she was before the assignment to Task Force 2? any way near as much as Captain of the Enterprise?
 
But Nash was awesome, and she was BEST as a Captain, but Seruk waved his political dick around and we lost the best captain we have. I have seen hints of Nash around sense, but I wonder how much of her has been wasted where she is now. @OneirosTheWriter was Nash doing ANY good where she was before the assignment to Task Force 2? any way near as much as Captain of the Enterprise?
She was entering a cocoon, undergoing a metamorphosis.

One day, she will emerge as a beautiful butterflyVice Admiral.
 
Are you being Sarcastic? If not, it's normally very cool to be back. If so, I hate doing that as much as you guys hate reading it.

My issue is that the Explorer Corps was colorful and awesome, even Non-Nash captains were awesome and cool to see? Now, it seems like the Explorer Corps lost it's color for me.
In your opinion, how can the Corps be made to be more interesting?
 
So Straak might get to keep a captainship, but Nash didn't even get the time of day for the third FYM? Yeah, that's VERY FAIR.
I hate Vulcans.
...Really?

Because some random individuals discuss the possibility of keeping Straak, just as other individuals discussed keeping Nash, you hate Vulcans?

Are you being Sarcastic? If not, it's normally very cool to be back. If so, I hate doing that as much as you guys hate reading it.

My issue is that the Explorer Corps was colorful and awesome, even Non-Nash captains were awesome and cool to see? Now, it seems like the Explorer Corps lost it's color for me.
Hawke, what's really killing you here isn't that Nash isn't an explorer captain anymore.

What's killing you is that AKuz (or someone of comparable skill) isn't writing omakes about the Explorer Corps as often as she did back in fall of 2016. The reason Nash was so doggone 'colorful' is because people wrote about her. Just about any one of the events in the Explorer Corps captain's logs would constitute an interesting and exciting story if someone wrote it up. But whereas people habitually wrote up Nash's adventures, there's a lot less of that going around with McAdams and Saavik and Mrr'shan and Straak.

This isn't the fault of some Vulcan conspiracy to deprive you of fun. It's not even the fault of a voter conspiracy to deprive you of fun.

She was entering a cocoon, undergoing a metamorphosis.

One day, she will emerge as a beautiful butterflyVice Admiral.
This. So very much this. Why do you think she's understudying as one of Uhura's task force commanders? She needs to learn the ways of being awesome and sixty at the same time. She's not gone, she's levelling up.

I mean seriously, who do you think is going to be 2335's equivalent of Sulu? Sooner or later the magnificent old coot's going to retire.

Then may I suggest you brainstorm the issue? Be creative. What could we do to make it better?
 
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