[edgeofhearing]

Welcome to Will of the Collective VII: Bottom's Up! This time around we're designing a non-unique character from the bottom up, starting with faction and ending with the story.



Today it is time to have a runoff vote for our personnel's species. The options are:

Human
Angosian

Each person gets one vote, and two days to cast that vote. In case of a tie, I will cast the tie-breaking vote.

In the meantime, nominations for title and lore are still open. If Angosian wins, I'll extend the nomination time so that you have a chance to adjust your lore nominations. I'd also like to point out that, since Genetically Enhanced won, there is no longer room for four lines of lore. Our longer nominations, Mattgomery's "Resourceful battlefield medic..." and Armus' mortifyingly flattering lore, specifically no longer fit. Monty42's lore never did.

[GooeyChewie]

Humans and Angosians are visually identical, and both species have been known to engage in genetic enhancements. In fact, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D met both Human and Angosian genetically enhanced personnel, so it's reasonable that somebody from either of those planets joined Starfleet in this alternate timeline. In short, I'd be okay with either option.

[Danny]

In short, I'd be okay with either option.

Same.

[Ashbey]

The question is if there are enough Angosians in Starfleet to justify non-uniqueness?

[MattgomeryScott]

Something to bear in mind. We're creating a character using the image of a regular background extra, who appeared in multiple episodes of TNG, not just Yesterday's Enterprise, apparently as the same character. So while this card is her in the alternate timeline, there is also a regular timeline version of her.

In addition, Angosia isn't a Federation member in the episode they appear, while this extra had been appearing in episodes earlier in the season as a member of Starfleet.

All the Best,

Mattgomery Scott.

[The Prefect]

Human gets my vote.

Making a case for a hypothetically Genetically Enhanced human aboard a star ship in an alternate timeline that finds the Federation locked in a decades-long life and death struggle with a formidable foe isn't all that difficult at all. Especially since there's already precedent for Genetically Enhanced humans in Starfleet uniforms.

Creatively re-writing Federation history to include Angosia in the Federation feels like an exercise in fan fiction, and that's something 2e has generally avoided. I'm not saying it's not entertaining to think about, and I'm not saying it's an impossible case to make. But it would be stretching the creative limits of what 2e design can do going forward in ways I'm not sure we're really considering here.

[Cmdr Xym]

Something to bear in mind. We're creating a character using the image of a regular background extra, who appeared in multiple episodes of TNG, not just Yesterday's Enterprise, apparently as the same character. So while this card is her in the alternate timeline, there is also a regular timeline version of her.

In addition, Angosia isn't a Federation member in the episode they appear, while this extra had been appearing in episodes earlier in the season as a member of Starfleet.

Exactly what I was going to say. Thank you!

[Old Kor]

oh man, forget the crap about Trek sense. It's all about creating some kind of TNG-Frankensteins-Monster-Baby and that's why I voted for Angosian. And by the way - it is all fiction but I like it ...

[edgeofhearing]

In addition, Angosia isn't a Federation member in the episode they appear, while this extra had been appearing in episodes earlier in the season as a member of Starfleet.

Note that Federation membership for the planet an individual is from isn't necessarily a prerequisite for that individual being a member of starfleet. It would be a bit odd if it didn't come up that there's an Angosian member of the crew during the events of The Hunted though.