Latest News Items

» Sim Updates

Posted on Sun Oct 27th, 2024 @ 4:51pm by Captain Nycolas Temple in Sim Announcement

Greetings Crew!

As we are now deep into our new mission, I thought it would be a good idea to update the sim's premise, review what's come before, and show what is yet to come. We're about to hit 8 years since the Pandora launched and we enjoyed around 6 years of simming before the hiatus. Now that we're back again and embarking on a new journey, it's time to start this new chapter in our story.

Previously... Phase One and Two:

The Pandora's stories are actually categorized into phases, based loosely after the phases of the moon. The first two Phases of the Pandora's journey were code-named "Rise" and "Dark Side" respectively and contained three missions each. "Rise" saw the beginning of the new Pandora as we started our journey into the Expanse ("New Moon Rising"), came face to face with the dangers and mysteries of the area ("Into the Wild"), and encountered the unique phenomena within ("Divided We Fall"). "Dark Side" continued our trend of bold mission types as we assisted with the Breen occupation on Paradise Outpost and a traitor ("Death in Paradise"), uncovered a Section 31 plot that threatened an innocent planet ("Evils Within"), and had a tumultuous confrontation with the Alrakis Pact as we attempted to reach home ("The Gauntlet").

Updating the Canon

It has been three years since the Pandora returned home to the Sol system. The year is now 2394.

The Inconnu Expanse remains too dangerous to explore due to the on-going conflict between the remaining forces of the Alrakis Pact, namely the Breen, and the Resistance born from the battle for Paradise. The Pact has fallen into disarray as members such as the Talarians and Tzenkethi break off to serve their own goals, while the Resistance struggles to protect their planets. As such, the Federation has deemed the area off-limits to further scientific exploration while they attempt to negotiate a peace settlement.

The Pandora will not return to the Inconnu Expanse for now but may do so in a future mission.

Phase Three: Gibbous Light

During the waxing gibbous phase of the moon, the moon will appear brighter in the night's sky as the sun illuminates its surface up to 90%. For the Pandora, this indicates a brighter period for us and a move away from the heavier, darker missions of Phase Two. We have already begun this journey with "The Only Thing Left was Hope", as our crew finds each other again, finds the Pandora, and finds a new purpose. The mission title is a play on the Pandora fable where after the box was opened and all the evils were unleashed to the world, the only thing that remained inside was hope.

Upcoming missions will focus more on exploration, adventure, and discovery, in a more episodic nature. The intent is still to have missions that pose interesting ideas, dilemmas, and conflicts to resolve - just without the constant impending doom hanging over our heads.

And all of that bring us to our new sim premise:

Pandora: The Rapid Response Vessel

"Across the borders of the Federation, the USS Pandora is Starfleet's new rapid response investigation vessel. Dispatched as first contact to unravel cosmic enigmas and interesting problems, to find answers to new and emerging mysteries across the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, our Luna Class vessel is equipped with cutting-edge technology and a crew renowned for their sharp intellect, experience, and skills. Well-versed in the unknown and the difficult, the Pandora's urgent response is required when phenomena and strange events threaten our borders. Our mission is to investigate the issue, gather the information, and hopefully find a solution that will protect the Federation."

Essentially instead of being based in one particular area, the Pandora can be sent to anywhere on the Federation's borders. We are sent as a first response to find out the problem and come up with a solution (or to recommend a solution to Starfleet). We will have a mix of different mission types and problems to solve - be they scientific, mechanical, diplomatic, conflict, etc. Importantly, the missions will be ours to solve and deal with - no set ending in place, more episodic instead of fitting an overall arc.

No other sim in our Fleet's task force is doing something like this. This premise will help us stand apart from the other Star Trek sims and provide us with a brand-new phase of story possibilities for us. Everyone will have the opportunity to shine and to make decisions that move the story forward.

We shape the outcome of the mission together.

And we will definitely have downtime for personal stories or away missions, or fun things that you want to explore without being forced into the narrative of being trapped in the Expanse. We won't be jumping from mission to mission right away, we will only respond when there's an unknown mystery to solve. So plenty of opportunities for character work and joint posts still.

Part of this new premise will mean the Pandora may have a home base station to come back to, which will allow for civilians to be based at as well.

The future is brighter

Eight years on and we're still finding fun new things to write about. I'm really excited about this new phase and I hope you will each embrace the new ship's premise with enthusiasm and promise. We are opening up the possibilities for the sim, creating a broader scope in which to play missions, inviting new opportunities to show off your characters and their skills, allowing more in-depth time for personal stories and doing something that no one else is doing right now.

Are you ready to go boldly, Pandora?

- AJ
Captain Temple

» 2021 - Our Fifth Year

Posted on Wed Dec 29th, 2021 @ 1:22pm by Captain Nycolas Temple in General News

Greetings Crew!

As 2021 draws to a close, I want to thank each and every one of you for being onboard the Pandora and for continuing to make this one of the best Star Trek sims around. This was our fifth year flying on our beloved Luna Class star ship, on our unique and interesting mission into the Inconnu Expanse, and I can't imagine doing this with any other ship or crew.

As usual, I have made a birthday message for the sim. Normally, I like to do something fun and silly, but given the year that 2021 was, I've gone for a more reflective and thankful tone. This year, we lost our dear friend and absolute superstar player in Kim. A loss I know that his hit us - and indeed all of the ships she was part of - incredibly hard. Kim was a talented, amazing writer and a generous, dedicated friend to many. This ship will simply not be the same without her voice here.

In addition, I wanted to thank all of you for continuing to write for the Pandora and for staying on board in 2021, despite the loss and the challenges that we have faced. The real world has been a nasty, unforgiving place the past two years, and I know that simming has sometimes been hard to find the time (or passion) to do. But we have continued trucking along, continued to tell our stories, and given our characters their lives. We have spent more time on The Gauntlet mission than any others, and I think we've had some absolutely stellar posts this year as a result.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Here is the Birthday Video!

On a positive note, this is also the year we found our home in Theta Fleet. Theta has taken us in after the BF nonsense of the past and given us the space (pun intended?) and freedom to write for ourselves. It is a measure of a great Fleet when the sims within it can enjoy the safety, respect, and support of their Fleet to continue their sim in peace and harmony, without all the drama and negativity. Theta has given us that and more, and I am so thankful for them.

AND this is also the year where the Pandora received some galactic recognition. We have gotten so many awards, I stopped mentioning them one by one each month (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.) We have had some incredible recognition from Theta Fleet this year and I wanted to take a moment to list everything you guys have achieved:

Unit of Distinction
January - Bronze
February - Bronze
March - Bronze
April - Silver
May - Bronze
July - Bronze
August - Silver
September - Bronze
October - Bronze
November - Bronze

TGCO - Award of Merit
February
April
July
August
October
November

Player / Writer of the Month
February - Shae and Cailus Griffin (Mon and Suliac)
April - Aenardha (Brad)
May - Vecon Fick (Kim)
August - Nyx Temple (AJ)

Player of the Quarter
2nd Quarter 2021 - Kim

Executive Officer of the Quarter
Commander Owen Nash (Phil)

Post of the Month
October - "Under Fire"
July - "A Fiery Idea "
February - "Paradise Or Bust"

Admiral's Choice Award
Kim
From the words of the Admiral: "Kim was an excellent player who wrote with everyone. She was a vibrant and vital part of her sims. She was frequently nominated for awards, and deserved them all. She was also a good friend to many. She passed away recently and will be sorely missed by those who care about her, respect her, and write with her. We honor her memory, and her contributions."

Tournament of Sims Awards
USS Pandora - Outstanding Trek Award

Once again, thank you to everyone who was part of the Pandora in 2021. Let's make 2022 a fabulous year.

Cheers,
AJ

» A Year Ago

Posted on Thu Jun 24th, 2021 @ 1:04pm by Captain Nycolas Temple in General News

Hey gang!

The milestones page tells me it's been just over one year since we came to this new site, which means it's been a year since we left the old fleet and chose to take control of our sim.

I am still immensely thankful for all of you for putting our history and community first; for choosing to keep us together as a family rather than allow the old fleet to tear us apart; and for remembering the true purpose of simming - to write and have fun! When others so clearly lost their values, we held true to ours. When an ultimatum was forced upon us, we chose to stay together. Anyway, I won't harp on too much about the old Fleet; I'm sure you all know my thoughts on those people by now. But I will say that I could not have asked for a better group of people to sim with. The only good thing that has ever come from being in that fleet is meeting all of you.

ALSO, we cannot forget the ginormous efforts of those behind the scenes who painstakingly saved all of our posts and bios, then transferred it to the new site. Post by freaking post. We would not be standing here today if it were not for you guys putting in that ridiculous effort to save our history and work. And for Mon in particular for hosting the new Pandora site and keeping us alive.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

In the past year we have seen some people leave, one sadly pass away, and other bright new faces join us, too. Through it all, the Pandora has survived and thrived. After a few months of independence, we are now in the stable, welcoming Theta Fleet - who actually recognises our writing and, especially, your amazing talents! It is such a thrill to see the sim and individual players being awarded for your work. Plus, Theta just lets us do what we do best - writing Trek RP! I'm grateful to them for giving us a soft place to land and letting us sim how we want to sim.

Speaking of Awards...

I have been absolutely terrible in posting the awards announcements here, but for those who don't know, we have received some wonderful recognition in the past few months:

Writer of the Month - March 2021

Lance joined us several months ago as Aenardha Sh'vastarth, and has been a bright addition to the crew. Aenardha is a unique, established character with a well-considered personality and unique traits that are fascinating to read. Lance is also a generous and courteous co-writer, and an eager participant in mission posts. His posts recently with another character, Qaraq, are detailed and genuine, they have a lovely rhythm and sense of character. Lance is an incredibly talented writer and a brilliant asset to the Pandora.

Writer of the Month - May 2021

Kim - aka Ensign Fick. Kim was an incredibly gifted, gracious writer. She was a close friend of so many on board the ship and part of our crew for four wonderful years. She hadn't been able to write much in the previous few months but she has typically been a force of energy, ideas, and enthusiasm onboard the Pandora. Her characters were a joy to write with because Kim was such an amazing writer and player. I would like to nominate her in honour of her many years of hard work and contributions to not only the Pandora but to so many sims across Theta Fleet and others.

Admiral's Choice Award

Kim was an excellent player who wrote with everyone. She was a vibrant and vital part of her sims. She was frequently nominated for awards, and deserved them all. She was also a good friend to many. She passed away recently and will be sorely missed by those who care about her, respect her, and write with her. We honor her memory, and her contributions.

Executive Officer of the Quarter

The best XOs are good team players, writers, and go above and beyond to help the CO with missions. A good part of the Nash success is due to Pendragon.

Unit of Distinction - Bronze

Unit of Distinction - Silver

OUR FIRST SILVER UNIT OF DISTINCTION!!!

Task Group CO Award of Merit

WOW! What an amazing few months we've had. Congratulations to Lance/Aneardha for the Writer of the Month Away and to Nash for XO of the Quarter!!! It was also so nice to see Kim being honoured and recognised for her years of contributions to not only the Pandora, but to the simming community as well. Finally, congrats to EVERYONE for the multiple Unit of Distinction Awards and the Award of Merit!

Let's keep up the amazing work and keep doing what we do best!

=/\=

» Vale Kim - Ensign Fick

Posted on Fri Jun 4th, 2021 @ 5:03am by Captain Nycolas Temple in General News

To the Pandora family,

For those of you not on Discord or already aware, the Pandora has lost a member of our crew.

Tragically, our fellow player, Kim - who primarily played Ensign Vecon Fick, Chief Flight Control Officer - was involved in a car accident in real life. Though she was taken to hospital and placed on life support, she could not recover and has passed.

Kim was an incredibly gifted writer, a beacon of energy and ideas, a respectful player, a genuinely passionate RPer. There are many here who knew Kim from other sims and ships, and those who have played with her over several years. To those of us who have not just lost a crew member but also, a friend - my heart goes out to you during this sad, awful time. The Pandora sends our sincere condolences to her family and friends.

Kim joined this version of the Pandora on July 13th, 2017 - having previously served on the original Pandora with many of our players as well. During the past four years, she brought to life the vibrant, earnest character of Vecon Fick, whom she played with energy, honesty, and depth. Fick was a delight to interact with because Kim was such an amazing player to write with. She has won the Player of the Month award, Post of the Month award, and been nominated for awards many times over because of her kind nature and collaborative skills.

We can remember Fick and Kim through the work she did on the Pandora and her other ships. Please have a read of Fick's posts at your choosing. Personally, I think the 6-part series where K'Laus and Fick return to Risa was a compelling, personal storyline and well-worth the read. She also brought us Tisar Zemel, the Cardassian with a passion for music, and the loving couple of Lieutenant Eiri Ashshy and Ashshy Ayan. In Theta Fleet, Kim was writing for the USS Wolff and USS Standing Bear. The Pandora joins with the Wolff and Standing Bear in this time of loss.

We will make a decision in due time about how to respectfully deal with the IC departure of these characters.

Though we may just appear as names on a screen writing for fictional Star Trek officers, that doesn't take away the sense of loss we should feel from Kim's passing. She was a part of this crew for 4 years and for many years with others in the RP community. This loss is real. I encourage anyone who requires time away from writing to please take as much time as you need to process this in your own way. I also encourage you to seek assistance from professional counselling services if you require it. Please ask for help if you need it.

Rest in peace, Kim. It was an honour to have served with you on the Pandora and a joy to count you as a member of this crew.

You will be missed.

=/\=

» Awards!

Posted on Wed Mar 24th, 2021 @ 1:09pm by Captain Nycolas Temple in General News

It's Awards time once again and the Pandora has received some amazing honours this month.

Tournament of Simulations - Outstanding Star Trek

A wonderful panel of judges from OngoingWorlds has chosen the Pandora to receive one of their Outstanding Star Trek Award for 2020. The panel is made up of a prolific group of highly respected and experienced RPG writers, who looked at many, many sims from several different groups. We share this honour with the USS Wolff of Theta Fleet, and Memory Theta of 22nd Fleet. The award is given to sims on a points systems judged on a fresh concept, interesting plot developments, original characters, and the readability of the sim. It is a high privilege to be recognised by our peers and a reflection of the incredible work you all have done to build the USS Pandora into a remarkable, fun, and creative sim.

Congratulations to each and every one of you for making the Pandora such a great place to write.

Theta Fleet: Post of the Month Feb 2021

"Paradise Or Bust" - Aenardha and Qaraq

This is an interesting post because of the gentle conversation between a Starfleet Ensign and her new-found friend Qaraq and the two having a discussion of deep understanding. I think the post is very Star Trek, in that it's an exploration of cultures and different people coming together; two strangers connecting in the name of a larger goal. Both characters are very well thought-out and realised, so there's a reality and authenticity to the scene that is sweet and genuine. Also, the ending where Katya sees the Pandora safe and sound at Paradise is nice.

Theta Fleet: Unit of Distinction, Bronze - Feb 2021

We have once again received the Unit of Distinction for Area 51. Congratulations everyone!

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