main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Story An Interview With My OC: Karen Snow of the USS Cerulean [Star Trek: Cerulean]

Discussion in 'Non Star Wars Fan Fiction' started by HinkleFieldhouse, Aug 15, 2014.

  1. HinkleFieldhouse

    HinkleFieldhouse Jedi Padawan

    Registered:
    Sep 1, 2013
    [​IMG]

    The following is a transcript of Federation News Service correspondent Jake Sisko’s audio-only interview with Commander Karen Snow (Michaela McManus), chief science officer of the USS Cerulean. Commander Snow is on an extended leave of absence from Starfleet and is currently working with the Federation Department of Temporal Investigations. She was kind enough to do this interview from her apartment in San Francisco.


    Jake Sisko: “Thank you for agreeing to give this interview, Commander. I appreciate your generosity and hospitality.”

    Karen Snow: “Not at all. And please call me Karen. I hear my given name so infrequently these days that I sometimes have trouble remembering it.”

    JS: “Is that right?”

    KS: “I’ve had to stop myself from signing ‘Commander Snow’ on greeting cards before. It’s not something I’m proud of. By the way, would you like a cup of tea or coffee?”

    JS: (laughs) “I remember my dad telling me a similar story once. And I’m fine, thank you.”

    KS: “From what I know of him, your father has many titles he can legitimately claim, so that’s not surprising. Sometimes, I think Starfleet officers forget about life outside the uniform.”

    JS: “Speaking of uniforms…”

    KS: “People may not realize that although the DTI is part of the Federation, it’s not Starfleet. The men and women who work there are civilians, though there are a few people like me who have a military background.”

    JS: “So you’re following their dress code…”

    KS: “Their field-agents wear all-black jumpsuits. As a consultant, I’m free to wear whatever I want.”

    JS: “Are you comfortable telling our listeners what you’re wearing?”

    KS: “I’ve on a comfortable navy blue sweater, beige khaki pants and dark brown knee-high boots that make a lot of noise when I walk. If I’m anywhere close by, you’ll hear me before you see me.”

    JS: “I can attest to that. I heard you cross your apartment to open the door for me. ”

    KS: “When my assignment at DTI is over, maybe I should design an experiment to see if a cloaking device can hide me with these on.”

    JS: (laughs) “And what is your assignment at DTI?”

    KS: “I can’t share specific details, unfortunately. Much of what DTI does is classified, and I’d be arrested if I shared anything sensitive. In general, DTI is a think-tank made up of people who study time for a living. They try to figure out how time travel works and if it’s possible to interact with alternate universes—provided such things exists.”

    JS: “You’re saying you don’t believe in the Mirror Universe?”

    KS: “I know that you’ve been there before, Jake. But as a scientist, I can’t just take your word for it. I have to see things for myself before I accept them as true.”

    JS: “Yet you’re wearing a crucifix necklace.”

    KS: (laughs) “I never said I wasn’t complicated. And I can see God’s work everywhere I go, so I’ve got more than enough proof that He exists.”

    JS: “Does anyone at DTI have a God-complex? I could see someone getting a big head from knowing so much about a scary subject.

    KS: (laughs) “There are a couple of people like that, but most of the agents and scientists I work with are friendly and approachable. I’ve never felt uncomfortable about being there.”

    JS: “Was that something you were worried about going in?”

    KS: “A little. There’s always been tension between the DTI and Starfleet, which really goes back when DTI first started. Everyone’s heard the stories about James Kirk and the Enterprise crew. There are a few people at DTI who talk about Kirk like he’s the spawn of Satan.”

    JS: “But not you…”

    KS: “The scientist in me again. I know Starfleet’s history and everything that Kirk did for the Federation. You and I might not be here were it not for him. But I wasn’t around during his heyday and can’t speak to things I didn’t witness. I’m sure he did a lot of things he was proud of and a number of things he later regretted. Violating DTI’s laws seems like something most people would feel bad about.”

    JS: “You’re twenty nine and have most of your career in front of you. Is there anything you feel bad about as you look back on what you’ve accomplished so far?”

    KS: “Passing gas in a turbolift and blaming it on a Klingon.”

    JS: “Uh…”

    KS: (laughs) “I’m joking. I sometimes forget how dry—and crude--my sense of humor can be. I apologize if I’ve offended any of this morning’s listeners. But seriously, I regret not taking the time to get to know the people working under me better. Right before I left the Cerulean, we lost two crew members to accidents, including a botanist who was killed when a plasma conduit outside her quarters ruptured. I had maybe two conversations with her that weren’t duty-related.”

    JS: “Does that bother you, Karen?”

    KS: “A lot. I never envisioned myself commanding a starship. But the increased responsibilities I’ve taken on over the past year—my time at DTI notwithstanding—have me thinking more and more about becoming a captain. But then I think about what a captain has to know about his or her crew, and I just don’t think I’ve a strong enough sense of who the people around me really are. I can’t imagine what I’d have said about those crew members if I’d given their eulogies or written letters to their families. I’ve spent so much of my career asking ‘what’ that I sometimes forget to ask ‘who.’

    JS: “And who are you, Karen?”

    KS: “I’m a vibrant and beautiful woman who’s passionate about her career, her family and her friends. But I’m still a young woman and don’t have things as figured out as most people believe. I still eat peanut butter and jelly for lunch and keep a stuffed bulldog by my bed.”

    JS: “Does he bite?”

    KS: (laughs) “Only if I get woken up in the middle of the night, which happens a lot less now that I’m on Earth.”

    JS: “How long is your assignment supposed to be?”

    KS: “I agreed to work with DTI for six months. I’ve been there for two, so I’ve four months to go.

    JS: “Who’s keeping your seat warm back on the Cerulean?”

    KS: “A junior science officer named Juren th’Shan. He’s Andorian, as you may have guessed, and he’s absolutely brilliant. Part of me wonders if I’ll still have a job when it’s time to go back.”

    JS: “Worried about becoming Starfleet’s version of Wally Pip?”

    KS: “I’m sorry?”

    JS: “It’s a long story. I’m guessing you’re not a baseball fan?”

    KS: “Wrong sport. I grew up in Indiana. We play basketball there. But I get the gist of what you’re saying, Jake, and I know that although Juren has bright future ahead of him, he’ll have to pay his dues before anyone makes him a senior officer.”

    JS: “Your personnel file says you paid your dues piloting shuttles.”

    KS: “My first posting after I graduated the Academy was at the Academy, supervising science cadets. But there was only so much I could teach them, having just earned an officer’s commission myself, so I spent the bulk of my time working as a test-pilot flying prototype shuttles.”

    JS: “Any stories you can share about that?”

    KS: “One of the shuttles was having a problem with its inertial dampeners—though no one that prior to my flight. When I tried to take the craft to warp, the G forces pinned me to my seat. I passed out.”

    JS: “When did everyone else realize what happened to you?”

    KS: “When I didn’t answer the hail asking if my warp-jump was successful. It didn’t take long to find me, but I was still out when the T’Kumbra beamed me off the shuttle.

    JS: “The T’Kumbra? Isn’t that…?”

    KS: (laughs) “I know what you’re going to say. I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting him, as I came to in the T’Kumbra’s sickbay and was discharged once the CMO examined me.”

    JS: “Was there any sort of fallout from incident?”

    KS: “If there was, I wasn’t told. I was back piloting the next day, so I didn’t worry too much about it. And as I spent most of the ordeal slumped over in the pilot’s seat, I didn’t have much to add to the official record.”

    JS: “I meant to ask this earlier, but you’re part of one of the most diverse crews in all of Starfleet, aren’t you?”

    KS: “I don’t know exactly where Cerulean falls on the diversity scale, but we’re definitely up there.”

    JS: “And your closest friends are Bajoran, Cardassian and Romulan.”

    KS: “What can I say? I’m a sucker for anyone who doesn’t look like me. “ (laughs) “I didn’t know what to expect when I came aboard, but things just worked out that way. “

    JS: “I’ve heard Cerulean’s crew quarters are kind of an experiment.”

    KS: “Yes, they are. Because the ship’s designed for deep-space missions, Starfleet decided to make the crew quarters more like actual houses. Junior officers and enlisted personnel share four-person units with two people in each room. There’s a central living area where everyone can hang out. Senior officers have their own quarters just like any other ship, but their quarters have multiple levels. The first level has a kitchen and a living room with a fireplace. The second level is more like a loft, as the bedroom overlooks the living room.”

    JS: “It looks like we’re out of time. Anything else you’d like to share?”

    KS: “Never drink Romulan ale on an empty stomach. Thanks, everyone!”

    A/N: I've wanted to do something like this for a while to introduce characters I've created for different works of fan fiction. Anyone is welcome to reply to this thread with a similar interview if they're interested. Thanks for reading!
     
  2. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Hi, there! Pinch me unless I read the title bar - I never would've known that was an OC. =D= She seamlessly fits into the Trek-verse and makes me very curious about DTI in general :cool: I love the tone - upbeat and down to earth LOL for Karen. She does sound very vibrant and the Cerulean sounds a great and interesting place to serve. :cool:

    Tag me in for anything else you write which includes Karen and the Cerulean. [face_batting]

    [:D]
     
  3. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2002
    Wrong sport. I grew up in Indiana. We play basketball there.

    Truer words have never been spoken :p

    I love this! Had me absolutely cracking up :D

    One request, though; please tag your story to say [Star Trek: DSN] (or whatever Star Trek this is from) to give readers a heads-up. Thanks!
     
    Nyota's Heart likes this.