USS TICONDEROGA FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS LIST
Greetings from the Starship USS Ticonderoga, a founding chapter of Starfleet Command’s Seventh Fleet. The Ticonderoga is on patrol in Northern Utah’s Weber and Davis counties. Our mission is providing a wide range of ongoing recreational, diplomatic, cultural and scientific research and exploration projects. Our crew is made up of members of all ages and interests. We encourage you to join us for a tour of duty of FUN!!! To help you get an idea of what we are all about, we have provided an information and recruiting package which should answer most of the questions you have. Welcome Aboard!
Here are the most common questions we have been asked. Don’t be surprised if we add more in the future.
1. What is the Starship USS Ticonderoga?
The Starship USS Ticonderoga is a club for all fans of the Star Trek television series, from The Cage to the latest Star Trek movie. This includes fans of The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Movies, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery and more. We are also fans of other science fiction franchises including (but not limited to) Doctor Who, Star Wars, Firefly/Serenity, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, Stargate, LOTR, Harry Potter, Babylon 5, Dune, Ghostbusters, Aliens/Predator, Orville, Supernatural, V, Anime, Game of Thrones, Superheroes and many many more. Its purpose is to provide a warm and appropriate environment and vehicle for the earthly pursuit of unity and brotherhood and tenets of behavior and spirit as espoused by the Star Trek concept.
2. How can I join your club?
Membership is open to any person interested in the purposes and objectives of this ship without regard to race, creed, color, sex, any disability or lifestyle. In short it’s an excuse to get together with fellow Star Trek fans and enjoy fun and rewarding activities. To join simply fill out a membership application, attend two of our monthly activities, and meet the command staff. Once your application is accepted you will receive your orders.
3. Where and when are the meetings held?
The Starship USS Ticonderoga holds a business meeting once a month at the Weber County Library-Southwest Branch (Roy, UT) on the second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 PM. Additional activities can be held at libraries, members’ homes, parks or other meeting areas. It is usually determined by what the activity is for that month. We also have joint activities with other clubs. The different departments in the club can also hold monthly activities as well. Visitors and guests are always welcome. We ask that you abide by our rules and regulations and be prepared to have fun at our activities. You can discover the latest information on upcoming activities by contacting a member of the Command Staff or a Department Chief.
4. What do you do at the meetings?
Meetings of the Starship USS Ticonderoga encompass a wide range of activities. There is always some club business to perform, welcoming new members, issuing orders, department reports and update on coming activities. We may also have a guest speaker bringing us news of the space program, new technology or just topics of community interest. We might go to movie premiers, entertainment centers, or sporting events. Other meetings have featured demonstrations of alien makeup, costuming and model building. Activities have ranged from potluck dinners to bowling to hikes. We also will be attending any Star Trek convention that comes into Utah and we have a few road trips to attend out-of-state conventions. We frequently show videos of Star Trek and science fiction news or we may have games, hold contests, do a little role-playing, and, of course, talk about Star Trek.
5. Are there any membership dues?
The Starship USS Ticonderoga is a FREE Star Trek fan club. Likewise there are no national dues to join our parent organization, Starfleet Command’s Seventh Fleet. We figured that there is already too much to pay for when you are a fan of Star Trek. This also eliminates any pressure to “Get your moneys worth” out of the club. Just come and have fun. We have the policy of “pay your own way”. This means that if we go to an activity that requires an admission fee or any type of rental equipment. You will pay for yourself. We do have some items and products for sale (T-shirts, Name Badges, etc.) however these prices are mostly at cost just covering the setup fees, or printing costs. To cover other operational expenses we usually hold a fund-raiser once or twice a year.
6. Is there a problem if I’m already a member of another club?
No. The Starship USS Ticonderoga allows dual memberships. We have members who also have joined other local and national Star Trek and Science Fiction fan clubs. Including general Star Trek clubs, actors’ fan clubs, treknology fan clubs, fan clubs for favorite Star Trek races, Star Wars fan clubs, etc. We do this for fun. If your idea of fun is being a member of several different fan clubs, then we are more than happy to help you.
7. Do I have to join a department?
As a member of the Starship USS Ticonderoga, the level of your involvement is totally at your discretion. We do encourage you to select a department so that you will have an immediate contact if you have questions and so that there is someone assigned to keep in touch with you and let you know about ship events outside the meetings. Departments have primary and secondary duties that help run the ship. You may find a certain department’s primary function to be an item that you are interested in, these are listed on the membership application. Some departments also sponsor their own activities but any member is welcome to participate in any and all ship or department events. There are also sub-departments for specialty interests (such as Klingons, Star Wars, etc.). Sub-departments hold a meeting/activity at a minimum of once a year and are not used for inter-ship communications.
8. What are the Primary Departmental Duties?
Each department has a primary duty to enhance the club and help it grow. The department chief will coordinate these duties and activities. Volunteer participation will help you earn points towards rank advancement.
Communication Department — Working with the Conn department to put together the club newsletter.
Conn (Flight Control) Department — Working with the Communications department to put together the club newsletter.
Engineering Department — Club Merchandising. Organizing the production of club t-shirts, badges, and other paraphernalia.
Medical Department — Emergency preparedness. Coordinating training for emergencies.
Operations Department — Organizing Computer Operations on the ship. Specifically social media.
Science Department — Ship’s Archive and scrapbook/photo album. Coordinating the USS Ticonderoga scrapbook of past events.
Security Department — Ships lending library. Storing the items and checking them out.
Tactical Department — Games & Intership Competition. Keep the crew informed about Star Trek related games and organize competitions vs. other Special Interests Groups.
9. Where does the USS Ticonderoga fit in the Star Trek universe?
The USS Ticonderoga is a RONIN CLASS Starship (formerly an Intrepid-Class). We serve in the same Star Trek time line as the Enterprise-E (currently being explored in Star Trek Online). The USS Ticonderoga has a proud tradition of past starships and ocean going vessels. Their histories will be detailed in future editions of the newsletter and on the web page.
10. I want to be a Lieutenant, Captain, Admiral, Department Chief, etc. What do I have to do?
All new members of the USS Ticonderoga, after completing the membership requirements, are assigned a rank of Crewman. To become an officer you must take the Academy Exam (Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager or Enterprise) and earn Promotional Merit Points (PMP) in four categories. These four categories are:
Participation — coming to activities and other ways of having fun,
Service — helping out the Community and the ship,
Knowledge — learning about Star Trek and the World around us, and
Leadership — helping others have fun.
The USS Ticonderoga follows the standard Seventh Fleet rank structure as defined on the Official Seventh Fleet Website. Starfleet Command’s Seventh Fleet must grant ranks of Captain and above. Besides the points officers have other rank requirements as well. For more information on the other requirements contact your Department Chief or a member of the Command Staff. The Command Staff assigns department chiefs. They will look at candidates based upon past history within the club and have reached the minimum rank of Lieutenant (j.g.).
11. OK, all this sounds pretty good but what is the best reason for joining?
Friends. Members of the USS Ticonderoga all share a love of Star Trek and science fiction. This common bond makes for the very best of friendships. The USS Ticonderoga crew is well known for their sense of sticking together and looking out for one another. We play together, help our community be a better place and in so doing, forge friendships that will last a lifetime.
12. Do you have any other interests besides Star Trek?
Star Trek is the main item of common interest that brings us together, however in the spirit of IDIC you will discover that a lot of us are fans of Comics, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Lord of the Rings, Battlestar Galactica, Anime, Stargate, and many more as well. We consider ourselves a Star Trek/Science Fiction fan club.