[McClintock]

McClintock and Three of Seven sit down to discuss and commemorate their shared three-year milestone at UFP.


McClintock: First off Admiral, tell us what it is you do for us these days at UFP?
Three of Seven: These days I spend much of my time assisting the command staff of our gaming divisions, ensuring that plans are carried out and everything is running smoothly. On the side, I work as an RSO [Recruit Support Officer] to ensure a smooth transition into the community for new members. In the past, I had worked in all of the STO gaming areas. Having since left all of those roles when I took over as Head of Starfleet, now I'm learning more about some games that I never knew before because it was never part of what I do. It's certainly an exciting change, I love learning!

So yes, these days, I am tasked with making sure all our gaming divisions run smoothly, taking on feedback from members of the community and making sure what is required is carried out. Although I make it a point not interfere with the daily running of these divisions, that is up to them to do what they see fit. Words of advice from Mikester's final interview have been taken on board, but I have also worked with him in the past, so I have picked up on some of what he did.

McC: How does it feel to be in command of so many..drones?
ToS: I wouldn't call them drones, unfortunately they have free thinking and occasionally have disagreements or discussions, far less efficient! But on a serious note, I don't think of it as commanding many people, but rather advising and ensuring the feelings of the UFP membership are reflected in the decisions made - to make sure our gaming divisions are working for the members, not for me.

“ ..TO MAKE SURE OUR GAMING DIVISIONS ARE WORKING FOR THE MEMBERS, NOT FOR ME. ”

McC: How have you progressed so high career-wise in only three years? What’s your secret?
ToS: I don't really think there is a secret, my feeling is that it's the amount of time and dedication I have put into every role that I have held. When I first joined, I didn't have a whole lot of ambition but when I took on a position, I put everything into it, driving ever forward and picking up new skills on the way. You have to be able to keep engaged and driven even when things are going against you, be it a specific game or a commanding officer telling you that you need to improve in an area. Mistakes are important to make, we learn from them.

If anyone has a high level of determination, they will be rewarded for it. Take up your first volunteer role in the UFP and see where you can take it from there! It's a wonderful thing if you have the time to put into it, you can also meet a wide range of people.

McC: Can you mention any plans you have in motion this year?
ToS: All of the plans are all out in the public domain, anything else is more of a surprise! Surprises can be fun, I don't plan evil ones, you can quote me on that. But the first plan out is the Holodeck, I certainly am looking forward to working with the new CO to that area and seeing what they can come up with to helping our gaming areas. Additionally, some may have noticed the poll for the SIMM roleplay, this is something that I am working on bringing back. It's not an area I have had much experience in, but I continue to learn everyday!

“ BUT WHEN I TOOK ON A POSITION, I PUT EVERYTHING INTO IT, DRIVING EVER FORWARD AND PICKING UP NEW SKILLS ON THE WAY. ”

McC: I personally have always wanted to know; what’s the origin behind Three of Seven - choosing that ‘designation’ specifically?
ToS: Well, this will ruin all mystery behind the name, but Seven of Nine was among my favourite characters and I liked the idea of a Liberated Borg, so I came to creating one. When I did, I just picked two random numbers, there's nothing more to it. Coincidentally, it does add up to ten and I like multiples of ten, I can't really say what I was thinking at the time.

McC: Do you feel you have less time for gaming now in your new role than you did three years ago? Has it been more gradual?
ToS: I quite possibly play more games since joining the UFP than I otherwise would have, generally speaking I used to just read news sites and find amusing pictures, or stick with single player games. The whole multiplayer and social aspect is more new to me than a lot of people, but deep down I still enjoy the single player experience of a game. Even though I might not play STO as much as I used to, I still get plenty of time to mix it up!

McC: What do you do in your spare time - if any?
ToS: Read the news, look at cat pictures, go shopping - generally nothing overly out of the ordinary. But I'll be reading the news or other such things, like watching programmes on my PC whilst being on TeamSpeak. If it's not something that I go out for (like shopping) or need to move for (like eating/cleaning), then I will generally be doing multiple things at once. I can't focus on just one thing, I have to be doing many things at one time.

McC: What’s your first opinions about this year’s Anniversary Event at Star Trek Online?
ToS: Laggy, poor launch but rainbows. That pretty much sums up my first impressions.

For a more detailed response, the initial launch was buggy with the minigame not working and even after an emergency patch, still not working correctly. The party popper is the most impressive thing I have had from this anniversary but a lot of people have also enjoyed the new story content, not sure on the ship as I have not unlocked it yet. At the moment, I am enjoying the shiny minigame because I am easily amused by the little things.

McC: Where do you see yourself in another three years? Or dare I say, seven?
ToS: Hopefully still with the UFP in some form or other - for the foreseeable future anyway - helping people out and seeing them get the most out of the community. The only goal I continue to have is to ensure everyone is getting some form of enjoyment from being a part of the community. Currently, a large number of members are here to play games with each other and I can keep that moving along. In the future, perhaps there will be a lot more discussion and debate going on, forums are an old interest of mine and I would still wish to remain a key part even with a big change.

I do like to also imagine that one day, I will win the lottery, so in seven years time, a millionaire perhaps? One can dream of such things. I certainly hope to be smarter though, get a decent job in the meantime and save up towards a Masters degree. I enjoyed my time at university, I would like to go back.

McC: If you happened to travel in say, a Bird of Prey at high warp around Sol, what would you say to yourself back in 2012?
ToS: I can't even remember what I was doing back in 2012, I was quite possibly unemployed, so I can't give myself any answers to any exams unfortunately. There are perhaps things that could have been done differently, but if you change the past, you could mess with the future and who knows what that would be like.

I could give myself many ideas from the world today that work and explain them to the past me, then I'd be really cool, but then I'd have to deal with the knowledge of stealing work someone else made, and I don't think I would be comfortable with that...

Tricky to say, time travel is a dangerous beast.

“ ..IF YOU CHANGE THE PAST, YOU COULD MESS WITH THE FUTURE AND WHO KNOWS WHAT THAT WOULD BE LIKE. ”

McC: Do you have anything else to add - anything you’d like to shout out or mention?
ToS: I can't say I can think of much to add. I can ramble, but when it comes to these kinds of questions, I tend to stumble. I like questions where there is an answer but this question has any number of answers, this does not compute well.

Regardless, a shout out to everyone who is amazing, keep being amazing! If you think you are amazing, this applies to you! I could not shout out to anyone specific, far too many people to name.

Commander, set a new course. There's coffee in that nebula.

WHAT BURNING QUESTION DO YOU WANT TO ASK THREE OF SEVEN?
ASK IT BELOW!

WRITTEN BY McCLINTOCK & THREE OF SEVEN
EDITED BY McCLINTOCK - UFP.CLINT@HACARI.COM

[Kains]

Go back two years in time, and worried about potential damage to the timeline? Easy. I'll bring this week's lottery numbers back two years and tell past me to hold on to them in a safety deposit box. Flash forward to today and I become a millionaire.

No damage to the timeline, and Kains is a rich dude... well, my wife would be rich, and I would get to look at it from time to time.

Joking aside, great interview. So glad to see this done up, and hopefully you'll do more!

[Kerry Malone]

Excellent interview. I hope to see more of these in the future.