[Chris Wilkinson]

EX ASTRIS, SCIENTIA
FROM THE STARS, KNOWLEDGE

Greetings All! Welcome to the fourth edition of the 2021 Academy News! I am Chris Wilkinson, Executive Officer of Starfleet Academy. This newsletter is an initiative from the Academy that is intended to keep you abreast of the latest news from across the United Federation of Planets.

NEW MEMBERS
We welcome the following new members who have joined (or re-joined) the UFP since the last edition:

• XristosDimo
• jjbalsis
• AdonisPatel
• 20Ervin
• Foxbait
• AndyParis
• InquisitiveCrow
• Kammus
• DarkL0rdAlec
• raz1980
  

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

• STO Staff Additions:
  (From the Star Trek Online Executive Officer Jestersmith)
  Personnel Officer:
  Morris:
  Morris has decided to join the staff as Personnel Officer, He has been playing STO since the game was in Beta and has been a member of the community for just under 9 years after joining UFP in 2012 he has held CL4 in the past and had to step away for personal reasons and we are pleased to welcome him back, he is someone many in the community already know from weekly events participation to helping people both in game and on forums with improving ship builds he also regulary takes part in the discussion on the various show related threads.
  
• New Ares Roleplay Executive Office:
  (From the Ares Commanding Officer Welshavenger)
  Josh Broughm:
  Josh has been a valued member of the Ares roleplay community for a while now. A couple of years ago, Josh volunteered to become a Simulation Officer, moderating the roleplay forum posts to ensure that the story wasn't affected by wayward plotlines or offensive posts. During his time with the Ares, Josh has developed his character and his skill at story crafting makes interaction with his character effortless. I look forward to working with Josh to develop new plots, schemes, heroes and villans. Welcome to CL5 Josh.
  
• Bedders steps down as Holodeck CO:
  (From the Deputy Head of Gaming Mack)
  I am sad to announce that Bedders has decided to step down from the position of Commanding Officer of the Holodeck Division for personal reasons. Bedders has been the face of Holodeck for many years now, serving as an Event Officer, Executive Officer and finally Commanding Officer. We would like to thank Bedders for all his love and effort he put towards hosting various events for non-trek games within the community and wish him the best!
  
  
• VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
  
  The UFP would not be the place it is today without our volunteers who selflessly sacrifice their time to help out. Check out the currently open volunteer positions, and how to apply for one, here. If you don't find something there that aligns with your interests, you can always fill out the volunteer interest form to express your desire for something specific to help our community grow. Use the bottom section of the form for that and make sure you treat it just as importantly as an application for an open position. Put in as many details as possible and thank you for your interest!

UPCOMING EVENTS
The United Federation of Planets has a good number of events coming up! You can sign up for any of these events here:

• R.A.F - Red Alert Friday:
  On Friday the 9th of April at 2000 BST/UFP; Special OPS Commander Miles: Greetings Captains and Welcome to Red Alert Friday!
  
  This event is open to everybody to have fun, but most of all destroy our enemies!
  
  What we can do:
  TFO runs (Advanced or Elite)
  Endeavors
  Patrol runs
  Discuss about builds and game's additions/features
  
  LLAP / QAPLA'
  
• WOW RAID NIGHT:
  On Saturday the 10th of April at 1830 BST/UFP; Raid Leader Rattlehead We are taking on the denizens of Castle Nathria with the goal of defeating Sire Denathrius and re-establishing order in the Shadowlands.
  
  If you wish to join our raid team make sure to speak with Sammygm, Mack or Rattlehead and read this post in order to get an idea about what we are looking for and what you should expect when joining our ranks.
  
  We have started Heroic progress!
  
• SPECIAL OPERATIONS SATURDAY:
  On Saturday the 10th of April at 2000 BST/UFP; Special Ops Commander Solace Greetings members! Welcome to Special Operations Saturday!
  
  This is event is open everybody to have some fun and hang out with fleet mates!
  
  This is what we typically get up to:
  Any TFO requested by attendees
  Endeavours
  Accolade hunting
  Build Advice
  Elite content runs for some extra challenge!
  
  So, come along and hangout with us! We'd love to see you there

FEDERATION NEWS SERVICE ARTICLES
Our Federation News Service has a number of dedicated writers who've written the following articles for you to read. They're always a great read.

• Star Trek Legends by Saelanna: Turn-based squad combat in a Star Trek setting. You can read it here.
  
• 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Announces Start of Production By Revealing Cast List by Silek: This week Disney announced that the 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' television series would officially start production in April, 2021. You can read it here.
  
• Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Four by Saelanna: The pandemic-delayed continuation of the MCU is underway. You can read it here.
  
• Far Cry 6 Teases Release - Viva la Libertad by AlexRider: The popular FarCry series gets its latest re-iteration as fans wait for release. You can read it here.
  
• GTA Online - Loading Times Fixed (Finally!) by Chris Wilkinson: We've finally got a fix for those excruciatingly long load times coming. You can read it here.
  
• Epic Games Store Announces New Features In Development by Emmy: The game provider unveils new features to meet consumers demands. You can read it here.
  
• Astronomers Discover a Black Hole Right In Our Own 'Backyard' by Silek: Scientists discover a black hole as close as 1000 lightyears to Earth. You can read it here.
  
• Production Officially Begins On 'Strange New Worlds' by Silek: Yesterday a video was released announcing that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is officially in production and has added five more cast members. You can read it here.
  
• Voyager Space Station Begins Accepting Reservations For 2027 by Silek: This week the Gateway Foundation announced that their previously revealed plans for the world's 'first hotel in space', will begin construction the first part of 2026. You can read it here.

Thanks for reading and we’ll see you around the galaxy!