Bravo Fleet
Taking home the first Sim of the Month Award for Task Force 99 this month is none other than the Endeavour NX-06. Commanded by Captain Edward Pearson, the Endeavour is currently simming in the year 2156, two years after the final televised adventure of the NX-01 (not counting the series finale).
At press time, ten intrepid writers aboard the Endeavour bravely explore a frontier never explored on the small screen, the Earth-Romulan War.
It’s no surprise to learn that the man behind Captain Pearson, J.P. (or CaptainPorthos as he’s known on RSB) has a special place in his heart for Enterprise-Era Trek. “When Star Trek: Enterprise came along,” J.P. told BFNS, “this was my first opportunity to watch a Star Trek series on TV from start to finish, and I did that. The Enterprise-era means alot to me. In a way, it was MY Trek. It’s what I was able to grow up with.”
The Endeavour does not represent J.P.’s first attempt to explore more stories in the 2150s. He first tried with the Discovery, an independent sim that simply didn’t last. While J.P. moved on to creating more unique sims, the Imperiax in Task Force 93 and the USS Jericho in Task Force 9, J.P. could not forget about his first love. “I wanted to play in an era that I wasn’t able to do justice to before. Based on the story and background that I was using, Endeavour seemed like the perfect fit and thus the sim itself was born.”
Two years have since passed, and the Endeavour continues to stand strong, especially as it must deal with the early days of the Earth-Romulan War. Official canon states that the war will not end until 2160, so one can easily expect the war to deliver more ups and downs as the missions continue.
And despite the Discovery’s early failures, J.P. has found the Endeavour to bring a refreshing change. “I can’t deny that it is my favourite of the three ships,” he declares, though he quickly professed his love for his other ships. “I think it probably just boils down to my love for the Enterprise-era.” And by looking at his website, his love can’t be overlooked. Thanks to his incredible graphics and coding skills, the Endeavour’s website looks like it was lifted off of T’Pol’s bridge station!
Of course, an impressive website does not make a sim great. J.P. knows the secret, “Of course in the end, it just all falls down upon the shoulders of my players who have helped Endeavour get to where it is today. I have a loyal group of players there with whom I’ve had the privilege of writing with for some time and it’s just great when you can count on others to help you out.”
But what is next for the Endeavour? Aside from exploring the Romulan War, they’ll continue the ageless spirit of The Original Series, exploring new worlds and encountering alien life, even life in the form of probes left to their own devices.
When asked how he handles the challenge of running an Ent-Era simulation in today’s choppy simming waters, J.P. had this to say: “I let my players know that I’m in it for the long haul through thick and thin. If we only have four or six players, I’m still going to continue writing and playing, and telling stories. I think that it’s important for people to know that the time they’re investing isn’t going to be just thrown away the first moment you encounter troubled waters. In today’s simming world you need to be patient and persistent. You have to worry less about the downfalls around you, and more about what you’re doing to improve things. Eventually the pieces will fall into place and you’ll be rewarded in kind.”
Truer words can not be said. On behalf of Bravo Fleet, we here at BFNS salute the Endeavour NX-06 on their well-deserved award!