Bravo Fleet
Difference between pages "Intrepid Class" and "Starfleet Academy"

Difference between pages "Intrepid Class" and "Starfleet Academy"

From Bravo Fleet
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{{icons|bfc}}
{{Organisation
{{Specification
|name= Starfleet Academy
| image = [[Image:Intrepidclass.png]]
|image= [[File:StarfleetAcademyLogo.png]]
| displayName = '''''Intrepid'' Class'''
|founded=2161
| name = Intrepid
|affiliation=*United Federation of Planets
| affiliation = [[United Federation of Planets]]
*Starfleet
| operator = [[Starfleet]]
|headquarters=San Francisco, Earth
| status =  
|primary mission=Starfleet Officer Training
| role = Light Explorer
|location=
| type =  
|leadership=Rear Admiral T'rirrik (Vulcan Female)
| precedingClass =  
|flagship=
| succeedingClass =
|motto=''ex astris, scientia''
| dateEntered = 2370
|status=Active
| productionEnd = 2395
}}'''Starfleet Academy''' is Starfleet’s in-house university, intended to train officers to join Starfleet. A part of [[Starfleet Training Command]], this institution spans multiple campuses across Federation space, educating tens of thousands of cadets each year. The original flagship campus is located on Earth in San Francisco, within walking distance of Starfleet Command.  
| retired =
| expectedDuration = 100 Years
| expectedRefit = 10 Years
| timeResupply = 3 Years
| crewComplement = 170
| emergencyCap = 500
| civilians =
| populationCap =
| flightCrew =
| passengers =
| length = 344 meters
| width = 133 meters
| diameter =
| height = 66 meters
| decks = 15
| propulsionSystem = M/AM Warp Drive
| cruiseSpeed = Warp 7
| maxSpeed = Warp 9.7
| emergencySpeed = Warp 9.975 (36 hours)
| energyWeapons = *13x Type-X phaser arrays
| torpLaunchers = *2 forward
*2 aft
| torpPayload = *40 Photon Torpedoes
*20 Quantum Torpedoes
| shields = Multi-Layered Shielding System
| dockingfacilities =
| shuttleBays = 1
| shuttles = 6
| runabouts = 1
| fighters =
| aux = [[Aeroshuttle]]
| msd = [[File:IntrepidMSD.jpg]]
| playable = yes
}}
The '''''Intrepid''-class light explorer''' is a fast and highly-capable independent research and exploration platform. First developed as a less crew-intensive complement to the [[Galaxy Class|''Galaxy''-class explorer]], this class was the culmination of several experimental technologies for Starfleet in its efforts to launch a new generation of exploration type vessels in the late 2360s. As a testbed, the ''Intrepid'' was a decade in the making to offer the exploration and scientific capabilities of the ''Galaxy'' without the massive space frame or resources required to operate the much larger ''Galaxy''. The seven-year journey of the USS ''Voyager'' to return home from the Delta Quadrant only validated the versatility and endurance of the ''Intrepid'', making it a mainstay of Starfleet’s exploration arm. By the beginning of the 25th century, it remains useful but is beginning to show its age in comparison to the likes of the [[Luna Class|''Luna'']] and [[Vesta Class|''Vesta'']].


=== Exploration and Science ===
== Admissions ==
The ''Intrepid'' is solidly capable of long-term exploration missions without significant support, a capability proven by ''Voyager''<nowiki/>'s seven-year mission in uncharted Delta Quadrant. In terms of pure science, she can handle anything ranging from logging gaseous anomalies to planetary analysis to scanning sub-quantum mass particulates. As an explorer, vessels of this class have been responsible for many first contacts.
{{For|article=[[ma:Starfleet Academy entrance exam|Starfleet Academy Entrance Examination]]}}
{{For|article=[[ma:Starfleet Academy Preparatory Program|Starfleet Academy Preparatory Program]]}}


The ''Intrepid'', at the time of its launch, had sensors on par with the equipment found aboard ''Galaxy''-class explorers and [[Nebula Class|''Nebula''-class heavy cruisers]], limited only by the smaller number of actual pallets it could mount. One advantage this class has over its elder sisters is a large forward sensor platform located on the forward dorsal of the primary hull, which is attuned to pathfinding operations. By the 25th century, regular updates to the ''Intrepid''<nowiki/>'s cutting-edge sensors have ensured that she keeps pace with newer explorer classes, though newer science vessels, such as the ''[[Pathfinder Class|Pathfinder]]'' (itself based on the ''Intrepid'' spaceframe) and the ''[[Sutherland Class|Sutherland]]'', now boast more sophisticated and specialized equipment. All ''Intrepid''-class ships are now equipped with an astrometrics lab based on the innovations created by Seven of Nine for ''Voyager'', and Borg-inspired sensor enhancements have been implemented across the class.
Admission to Starfleet Academy is exceptionally competitive, with academics, physical fitness, life experience, aptitude, and character references all being considered in the initial application process. Even after an applicant is selected, they must go through an entrance examination, which includes intense psychological scrutiny, exams covering a wide range of subject areas, and in-person interviews. Applicants not scoring high enough to attain admission but above a certain range are allowed to take the exam again after twelve months have passed.  


By definition, a light explorer such as the Intrepid has its capabilities limited compared to larger explorers because of its limited available space. This was intentional, though, as it allows the ''Intrepid'' to perform similar missions to the ''Galaxy, [[Sovereign Class|Sovereign]],'' and ''[[Odyssey Class|Odyssey]]'' with a much smaller footprint. In practical terms, this means fewer labs, smaller fuel reserves, and fewer redundancies in staff; while a Galaxy captain could expect her crew to be able to staff four shifts in every lab, that is not so of an ''Intrepid'' captain. Because of size constraints, an ''Intrepid'' has fewer specialized labs compared to a large explorer, but they are very well equipped to be configured as needed; for example the botany lab has the equipment to handle agricultural science, microbotany, paleobotany, and astrobotany studies.
Non-Federation citizens are allowed to apply to the academy with the sponsorship of a command-grade officer. Unlike citizens, however, they were required to complete the Starfleet Academy Preparatory Program (SAPP), which was six weeks of classes set between the San Francisco campus's spring and fall semesters. This is an intensive, grueling experience with a high attrition rate. If the applicant successfully completes the program, they are then able to take the entrance examination itself.  


When designed, it was envisioned that the ''Intrepid'' may be able to complete three or four-year missions, as the ADSB believed that the increases in efficiency created by her advanced systems would be outweighed by her extensive maintenance demands and small fuel reserves. ''Voyager''<nowiki/>'s ability to survive without Starfleet support for seven years proved this belief to be incorrect and lessons learned from this journey have streamlined ''Intrepid'' maintenance schemes and vessels of this class have engaged in five, six, and seven-year missions in deep space. Starfleet now prefers to limit this class to three-year missions, as those vessels that have been sent on longer journeys tend to arrive back in spacedock needing extensive work to put them back into service.
Some secondary schools within the Federation also offer the Starfleet Academy Preparatory Program, allowing students to prepare themselves for the entrance examination while still in high school or its equivalent.


As with the ''Nova''-class surveyor designed contemporaneously, the ''Intrepid'' has the ability to land and take off from a planetary surface, this generation of Starfleet vessel being the first classes to do so as part of routine rather than emergency operations. The ''Intrepid''-class hull design allows for a smooth atmospheric entry and egress, while landing gear on the bottom of the vessel supports the starship firmly on the surface of a planet, allowing for all ships systems to be taken offline if necessary. Landing mode was a two-fold problem solver for Starfleet. It allows for both extensive repairs in the field that would otherwise require a spacedock (to increase her exploratory range), and also allows for easier transfer of equipment and personnel for any extensive planetary surveys.
'''In-Play'''  


Finally, the ''Intrepid'' is equipped with an embarked runabout docked directly to the primary hull, the [[Aeroshuttle]]. This craft is based on the Danube-class design, though with an integrated hull design that provides lift in planetary atmospheres. It is designed for conducting scientific surveys and other away missions.
* Delinquents don't get into Starfleet Academy. It's for the best-of-the-best, as evidenced through the application process. If your character had a troubled adolescence or found academic success late, the only way they'd be likely to gain admittance is raw talent.
* Traditional academic experience is not the only route into Starfleet Academy. In fact, as long as you've reached the age of majority for your species, you're welcome to apply regardless of what your background is, with your profile being evaluated holistically.
* Unless your character is a savant or went through rigorous preparation, the admissions process was likely a stressful experience.  


=== Diplomacy ===
== Campuses ==
As with all explorers, ''Intrepid''-class starships are designed to be able to perform first contact missions. Her relatively small size led her designers to prioritize this type of mission over hosting large conferences or multi-party talks. Her guest quarters are small but well-appointed, and captains have several onboard briefing rooms and lounges to choose from for welcoming guests. ''Intrepid''-class captains must be well versed in the art of diplomacy, as the size of their vessels generally does not allow for a huge diplomatic support staff to be embarked.  
{{For|article=[[ma:Starfleet Academy|Starfleet Academy]]}}
{{For|article=[[Starfleet Academy—Mellstoxx III]]}}
[[File:FourthFleetAcademyLogo.png|thumb]]
Starfleet Academy’s main campus is located in San Francisco, California on Earth. Originally formed to serve the nascent Earth Starfleet in the 22nd century, it became the primary training facility for the Federation Starfleet in 2161. To this day, the vast majority of cadets across the Starfleet Academy system spent at least a few weeks here, and many spend at least a year on its perfectly-manicured grounds.  


Because of their high speed, Intrepid-class starships have been popular as couriers for flag officers and diplomats, most notably the USS Bellerophon's use by Admiral William Ross to travel to Romulus during the Dominion War. This assignment is rare, because these ships are better used on the frontier, and newer vessels like the [[Manticore Class|''Manticore'']] can perform the task more quickly and with more security.
On Earth and within the Sol system there are dozens of subsidiary facilities, ranging from flight ranges, to zero gee training grounds, to faculties specializing in particular areas of academia. In addition to these local facilities, nearly every Federation member world has a campus of some size, as do older colonies. This allows the Academy to handle its massive student population, which is steady between a quarter million and a half million students at any one time, depending on Starfleet's recruitment and staffing needs. While this is massive when it comes to the scope of an academic institution, but it is miniscule compared to the hundreds of billions of beings living on Federation worlds.


=== Engineering ===
While all Starfleet Academy campuses follow a single, unified curriculum, they can differ in terms of how long it takes to complete a program based on the cultural traditions concerning academics of their host planet: for example, ‘summer breaks’ are a North American tradition in higher education, so some planets do not have them. Others break the academic year into three or four parts, rather than into two parts. This variation is considered desirable, both to offer different schedules for individuals’ preferences, but also because it results in new officers being commissioned at many different dates throughout the year, keeping a constant stream of new officers flowing into the fleet.  
Upon its launch, the ''Intrepid'' was the testbed for experimental, cutting-edge technology that later became standard issue on all ships ahead of it. The most significant of these advances were the class-9 warp drive, variable-geometry warp nacelles, integrated bio-neural circuitry, and the Emergency Medical Hologram system. Maintenance advances have improved efficiency over the years, but these finely-tuned systems remain a major challenge for any engineering team. Indeed, the class retains a very similar configuration to the original design because of how closely all of its systems are integrated, limiting the possibilities for radical overhauls.  


The ''Intrepid'' was the first design to implement the new class-9 warp drive which allowed it to top speeds of warp 9.975, which made it the fastest Starfleet vessel at the time of its launch. Additionally, it was the first Starfleet vessel to field variable-geometry warp nacelles. The nacelles, when at warp velocities, pivot up at an angle. These two things combined made it the most subspace-friendly vessel that Starfleet had fielded to date with concerns of subspace damage due to extensive warp use spreading across the Alpha Quadrant. It also allowed the ''Intrepid'' to sustain much higher warp speeds for much longer periods of time than any vessel before it. With three decades of service history logged on these engines, they are now extremely reliable and some daring engineers have managed to coax a few more points of speed out of them. This design went on to be used in the ''Odyssey'' and [[Rhode Island Class|Rhode Island]] classes as well, and led to the class-10 in the ''[[Vesta Class|Vesta]].''
All of the numbered fleets have a subsidiary campus that funnels new officers to its stations and starships. Cadets are often transferred to these academies in their second or third year from the main campus, when their talents are identified to align with that fleet's staffing needs. The Fourth Fleet's primary training facility is located at Mellstoxx III, and this is the subsidiary campus that provides this fleet with the majority of its new officers. In fact, officers earmarked to join this fleet invariably spend at least a few months here, or go through command school here.
[[File:IntrepidBeauty.jpg|alt=A forward view of an Intrepid-class starship, showing off her sleek but traditional design.|thumb|A forward view of an ''Intrepid''-class starship, showing off her sleek but traditional design.]]
One of the most important innovations developed for the ''Intrepid'' was its integrated bio-neural circuitry. As a supplement to the traditional isolinear circuitry, the bio-neural gel packs act as a nervous system throughout the Intrepid. The bio-neural gel packs allows the ''Intrepid''-class computer core and systems to process information more efficiently, using more instinctive data processing, speed up probability calculations, and cutting down on the amount of crew needed to maintain its systems. The Intrepid also proved as a steep learning curve for the bio-neural systems. While far more robust and durable than traditional circuitry systems, and therefore requiring far less maintenance, they proved to require just as much previously unforeseen medical monitoring as they do engineering monitoring. This system has now been implemented widely across Starfleet, and maintenance protocols have made it much less susceptible to the biological threats encountered by ''Voyager'', but such failures remain a possibility.


Finally, as a supplement to the ship’s medical facilities, the ''Intrepid'' was one of the first to also field the Emergency Medical Hologram. Utilizing the holographic emitters in the ''Intrepid''’s sickbay, the program was meant to supplement medical staff in the case of an emergency, allowing a holographic doctor to help diagnose, triage, and treat patients. In the case of at least one starship, it was able to completely replace the ship's entire medical staff with several expansions to its program. Overall, the technology proved to be incredibly useful to Starfleet vessels, particularly those ''Intrepid''-class starships on the frontier, and has been supplemented, enhanced, and improved across multiple Starfleet classes since the first implementation on the ''Intrepid''. Ships of this class now have ship-wide holographic projectors, and many now carry additional emergency or long-term holograms, but not at the fidelity of more modern ships.
'''In-Play'''


=== Tactical ===
* In the various shows, it's clear that the vast majority of Starfleet officers have at least a passing familiarity with Starfleet Academy's main campus. Give the size of the Federation and of Starfleet itself, though, it's unlikely that just this one campus would be able to train all of the fleet's officers, hence the subsidiary campuses mentioned here. Your character might have been in San Francisco for their entire degree, for just a year, or for a training program of a few weeks.
[[File:IntrepidTypeX.jpg|alt=Voyager using her phaser arrays against a Borg probe.|thumb|''Voyager'' using her phaser arrays against a Borg probe.]]
* If your character is a cadet, they're enrolled at the academy on Mellstoxx III, i.e. the Fourth Fleet Academy.
Initially classified officially as a “light cruiser”, the ''Intrepid'' boasts a comprehensive but modest array of weaponry in its arsenal. Though easily out-classed by medium-sized threat vessels like the ''[[Valdore Class|Valdore]] or [[Vor'cha Class|Vor'cha]]'', the ''Intrepid'' has impressive phaser array coverage with very few blind spots. Her 13 phaser arrays are originally shared from the original Type-X system designed for the ''Galaxy'' class. Her overall firepower is substantially more limited than the ''Galaxy'' because of her much smaller power generation capabilities, putting out only a fraction of the firepower the ''Galaxy'' can while at peak operating power. Design studies were conducted to upgrade the arrays to Type-XII standards in parallel with the [[Rhode Island Class|''Rhode Island''-class scout]], but the ADSB could not solve power generation shortfalls such an upgrade would create without completely redesigning the warp engine systems as well, and it was deemed non-essential for an exploratory vessel. The ''Intrepid'' also sports two forward and two aft torpedo launchers, all of which are capable of firing both photon and quantum torpedoes as needed. The launchers can also be configured to fire probes and tricobalt devices if mission priorities require it.
* If your character is a junior officer, they might take additional coursework or specialized training at the Fourth Fleet Academy before being posted to one of our ships.
* If your character is a senior officer and needs to go to command school, they would do that at the Fourth Fleet Academy.
* Because of the Academy system's size, there are as diverse a set of campuses as you could imagine, allowing for some interesting character possibilities. We know that [[ma:Benzite|Benzites]] need breathing apparatus on standard M-Class worlds, but how would a Human handle a term on [[ma:Benzar|Benzar]]?


Ships of this class are generally not assigned to purely tactical missions, but their defensive capabilities make them well-suited to operating independently in moderately dangerous areas. Indeed, production of this class was limited during the Dominion War because of the comparative waste of resources it would be to use them ''en masse'' in battle situations. An ''Intrepid'' can out-run nearly any threat, and this is usually the preferred alternative to conflict. With large numbers of similarly-sized ''[[Prometheus Class|Prometheus]]'' and [[Manticore Class|''Manticore''-class heavy escorts]] now in service, along with the large fleet of [[Inquiry Class|''Inquiry''-class heavy cruisers]], Starfleet is able to keep the ''Intrepid'' assigned to the role it is best at: exploration.
== Academic Programs ==
The time it takes to complete a particular program at Starfleet Academy depends on several factors, ranging from the individual’s age and prior experience to which campus it’s being taken on to the program itself. Generally, it takes four years to graduate from most programs as an Ensign with a bachelor’s degree. Specialized programs such as medicine and counseling take an additional two or four years. In addition, individuals may opt to spend longer at the academy to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree, especially in the sciences.  


=== Shipboard Life ===
While cadets wear the branch color of either Command, Engineering, or Sciences during their time at the academy based on their intended career path, they receive degrees in an academic area during their time there. All cadets receive training in starship operations and self-defense, alongside a rigorous core curriculum of science, history, mathematics, and the arts, to become well-rounded critical thinkers. Cadets declare both a major (and possibly a minor or additional major(s)) and a career path, which informs how they pass through the academy.  
[[File:Stargazer.png|alt=An Intrepid-class ship departing a planet after a survey.|thumb|An ''Intrepid''-class ship departing a planet after a survey.]]
While smaller than the ''Galaxy'', the ''Intrepid'' was built to a similar standard of crew comfort, as her crew is also proportionally smaller. The ''Intrepid'' does not employ residential hallways, and crewmen at the most are two to a room and two rooms to a shared living area and head. Lieutenants and above have their own quarters, and the ship's senior officers have quarters with very large viewports. The ship's captain has an impressive suite on deck 3. Even in the 25th century, these accomodations are considered quite comfortable, and they have kept up with improvements in holography that allow for on-the-fly furniture and decor reconfigurations. The ''Intrepid'' is more limited in terms of the number and type of recreational facilities available, though, which means that the whole crew tend to see each other in places like the mess hall on deck 2 and the more intimate lounge on the stern.


Relying more on holodecks than larger ships, the Intrepid was launched with the most advanced standard of holodeck available. Over the years, some vessels of this class have been equipped with additional holosuites to help meet crew demand, but this is always a balance between crew comfort and mission capabilities. Medical facilities are compact but state-of-the-art; many ships of this class have had their sickbays increased in size substantially, thanks to lessons learned from ''Voyager''. Improvements in holography also allow for spaces within sickbay to be reconfigured for specialized procedures.  
=== Degrees and Subject Areas ===
Everyone graduating through Starfleet Academy’s traditional four-year program earns a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. These degrees are always in an academic discipline, rather than just in a branch of Starfleet or in a position. Starfleet Academy also offers masters and doctoral programs in most of its academic areas.
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|Social Sciences
|Natural Sciences
|Formal Sciences
|Applied Sciences
|Engineering
|-
|(Xeno)Anthropology
|Astronautics
|Computer Science
|Agriculture
|Aerospace Engineering
|-
|(Xeno)Archaeology
|Astronomy
|Logic
|Architecture
|Bio-Electronic Engineering
|-
|Art History
|Astrophysics
|Mathematics
|Archival Science
|Mechanical Engineering
|-
|Criminal Justice
|(Xeno)Biology
|Statistics
|Astronautical Tactics
|Quantum Engineering
|-
|Cultural Studies
|Chemistry
|Systems Science
|Counseling
|Structural Engineering
|-
|Economics
|Cosmology
|
|Cybernetics
|Warp Systems Engineering
|-
|Geography
|Geology
|
|Education
|
|-
|History
|Meteorology
|
|Exology
|
|-
|Xeno/Linguistics
|Minerology
|
|Forensics
|
|-
|Philosophy
|Planetology
|
|Interstellar Relations
|
|-
|Political Science
|Physics
|
|Nursing
|
|-
|Xeno/Psychology
|Stellar Cartography
|
|Public Health
|
|-
|Xeno/Sociology
|Vulcanology
|
|Small-Group Tactics
|
|-
|Rhetoric
|
|
|
|
|}
Starfleet Legal Academy offers the degree of Juris Doctor (JD), which is a four-year program covering interstellar law, Federation law, the Starfleet Uniform Code of Justice, and legal history.


Ships of these class almost always have fewer than 200 crew members aboard, and their extended mission profiles mean that crew members will get to know each other very well during their time together. It's not quite so close quarters that folks don't have any privacy at all, but a small ship means that scuttlebutt will quickly uncover any secrets or drama. This remains a sought-after assignment for nearly any career path, and ''Intrepid''-class captains continue to be among Starfleet's best and brightest.  
Starfleet Medical Academy offers medical doctorates, research doctorates in medical fields, and advanced degrees in fields like public health and nursing. Many new MDs also complete residencies, which do not earn a further degree but do grant additional qualifications.


== Intrepid Class History ==
'''In-Play'''
The ''Intrepid''-class was an astonishing feat of technological innovation that began its development in the midst of the launch of the ''Galaxy''-class platform. As Starfleet pined for larger, more multi-mission starships in lieu of the ''Constitution''-class starships a century before, there were some in Starfleet Command who wanted to bring forward a new line of smaller, faster, less resource-intensive exploration vessels; essentially bringing the ''Galaxy''-class down into a starship with a crew no more than 200. In order to do so, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers would have to bring to life technologies that were only thoughts in the imagination.


The hull design for the ''Intrepid''-class was simple and sleek, returning to the ''Constitution''-class ethos in size, but it was the internal mechanisms that took over a decade to develop. When the ''Intrepid''-class launched in the early 2370s it was believed to be a sufficient supplement to Starfleet’s exploratory wing. During the Dominion War, several ''Intrepid''-class starships proved to be invaluable assets because of their incredible speed and extensive sensor suite. But it wasn’t until 2378 when the starship ''Voyager'' returned to the Alpha Quadrant after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant for 7 years that Starfleet finally knew it had a robust workhorse exploratory vessel that could withstand the rigors of deep space for extended periods of time.
* One does not graduate with a degree in Command or Security, but rather with a degree in a relevant academic area.
* This is not an all-inclusive list; you could drill down much more specifically in almost every scientific area.


''Voyager'' herself was analyzed with a fine-tooth comb, and was disassembled over the course of a year-long after-action report, leading to design innovations for many other classes, as well as a comprehensive refit program for the ''Intrepid''. Indeed, Starfleet had been on the fence about continuing production of the class, but this sentiment evaporated when the true range and endurance of the design were revealed. Production continued steadily over the 2380s, though at a slower pace than tactically-oriented designs, and there are now many of these ships in service. Production ended in 2395 after a 25-year run. By the 25th century, regular refits have kept this design up to modern standards, but it is starting to show its age, especially in terms of her tactical capabilities and maintenance demands.
=== 4-year Bridge Officer Track ===
Cadets in a traditional four-year program will spend most of their first two years going through the core curriculum, with their second two years spent specializing. Interspersed throughout classroom studies are practical excursions, such as survival training, zero-gee training, and the all-important cadet cruises performed on actual starships. Ensigns who graduate in this manner are qualified to serve as bridge officers immediately upon their commissioning without taking the Bridge Officer’s Exam, as this is built into the program.
{| class="wikitable"
|+4-year Bridge Officer Track
!Years 1 & 2
! colspan="2" |Years 3 & 4
!Graduation
|-
|General Education
Basic Starship Operations
| colspan="2" |Specialization in major content area
Advanced Starship Operations
|Bachelor's Degree
Ensign


== The ''Intrepid'' In Play ==
Bridge-Qualified
|}
'''In-Play'''


* Made famous by Star Trek: Voyager, the ''Intrepid'' is (relatively) small, fast, and smart. This ship can do a lot of the things larger explorers like the ''Galaxy'' can but with a much smaller crew. This allows you to tell stories where you can hit all of the standard ''Star Trek'' beats, but there's a much more credible danger and peril in the story, as it's 170 people versus the world and not a thousand.  
* Generally, if your character wants to become a bridge officer, they’ll spend four years at Starfleet Academy, earning a content degree (astrophysics, interstellar relations, engineering, etc.) and robust training in starship operations, resulting in a commission as an ensign.
* By the 25th century, this is an older design, but it's still extremely capable. While probably not as numerous as the ''Excelsiors'' ever were, they remain a useful frontline explorer after decades in service like they did. It wouldn't be accurate to describe them as run-down or second-rate, as they have been kept at the front of Starfleet's upgrade priorities, but they're not at the front of the pack anymore either.
* Someone who wants to be both bridge-qualified and earn a Ph.D. might spend eight or ten years between Starfleet Academy and their graduate program, possibly even earning a commission as a full lieutenant in the process.
* ''Intrepid''-class ships are very well balanced, which offers you a lot of story possibilities with them.  
* This is the standard academy experience.


{{clear}}
=== 4-year Specialist Officer Track ===
[[Category:Federation Starship Classes (2368-2375)]]
Some programs, including nursing, and interstellar relations where the academic requirements are too rigorous to allow for completion of both advanced starship operations and their discipline's requirements within four years. Cadets in these programs take just one year of general education and basic starship operations, followed by three intensive years in their discipline. This is also an option for cadets in other areas who wish to add another major or minor while completing their degree. Cadets who take this path must take the Bridge Officer’s Exam later in their career to qualify for bridge duty and be eligible for promotion beyond the rank of lieutenant commander.
{| class="wikitable"
|+4-year Specialist Officer Track (Nursing, Interstellar Relations, Counseling, etc.)
!Year 1
!Years 2, 3, & 4
!Graduation
|-
|General Education
Basic Starship Operations
|Specialization in major content area
|Bachelor's Degree
Ensign
|}
In-Play
 
* This track represents spending more time on one's specialty at the expense of being an expert in starship operations like the ensigns graduating from the traditional four-year track would.
* What would be considered "Staff Officers" in many modern militaries, such as nurses, diplomatic aids, intelligence specialists, and so on are represented here. Each of these fields, especially nursing, requires extensive academic training, meaning that they have less time to spend on starship operations. This is why they must take the bridge officer's exam to be eligible for command and for promotion past Lieutenant Commander.
* Scientists and engineers also have the option of an abbreviated general studies program, with three years in the specialized study of their content area. This is the track that researchers who don’t intend on becoming bridge officers initially might take. They would also graduate as ensigns and then need to eventually take the bridge officer’s exam if they wanted to progress past lieutenant commander.
* Counselors undergoing this track would complete on-the-job training as Ensigns before being promoted to Lieutenant J.G. upon being qualified as counselors, the example being [[ma:Ezri Dax|Ezri Dax]].
 
=== Medical, Counseling, and Law Tracks ===
{{For|article=[[ma:Starfleet Medical Academy|Starfleet Medical Academy]]}}
Medicine, counseling, and the law have two options: an accelerated six-year track which allows them to earn a bachelor's degree and a master's or professional doctorate at the same time without bridge officer qualification, and an eight-year track with the two degrees earned separately, with or without bridge officer qualification, depending on their career path. A law student, for instance, might find it useful in their future role advocating for Starfleet officers to be fully qualified for bridge duty, while a physician might take on a xenobiology major alongside their pre-medical studies in preparation for studying xeno-medicine. A counselor would take the eight year path to become a psychiatrist, and thus a medical doctor. Counselors, Judge-Advocates, and Doctors end their studies as Lieutenants Junior Grade, with the eight year track including an initial commission as an Ensign before professional school.
{| class="wikitable"
|+6-year Specialist Officer Track (Medicine, Counseling, Law)
!Year 1
!Years 2 & 3
!Years 4, 5, & 6
!Graduation
|-
|General Education
Basic Starship Operations
|Specialization in pre-professional area
|Professional studies
|Bachelor's Degree
M.D., J.D., or M.S.
 
Lieutenant Junior Grade
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+8-year Specialist Officer Track (Medicine, Counseling, Law)
!Year 1
!Years 2, 3, & 4
!Graduation
!Years 5, 6, 7, & 8
!Graduation
|-
|General Education
Basic Starship Operations
|Specialization in major content area
|Bachelor's Degree
Ensign
|Professional Studies
|M.D. or J.D.
Lieutenant Junior Grade
|-
!Years 1 & 2
!Years 3 & 4
!Graduation
!Years 5, 6, 7, & 8
!Graduation
|-
|General Education
Basic Starship Operations
|Specialization in major content area
Advanced Starship Operations
|Bachelor's Degree
Ensign
 
Bridge-Qualified
|Professional Studies
|M.D. or J.D.
Lieutenant Junior Grade
|}
 
'''In-Play'''
 
* We know from the ''Deep Space 9'' that medical officers and fully-trained counselors enter their service as Lieutenants Junior Grade. It is logical that Judge-Advocates would also enter at this level, given that law school is a professional doctorate like medicine. These two different tracks, an accelerated program which combines the professional and undergraduate credentialing process, and a more standard program where candidates earn their bachelor's degree separately from their secondary degree, provide multiple options for your character's backstory.
* Counselor's could either be psychologists or psychiatrists, the latter of which would require a medical doctorate.
 
== General Training ==
Whether you're meant to be a records officer or a captain, every graduate of Starfleet Academy receives at least basic training in starship operations. No one graduates from the academy without ever having been in space, and graduates of traditional four-year bridge officer programs are among the most capable starship crew members of any power in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants. This training includes wilderness survival, zero-gee training, basic flight control, and self-defense training, all of which is expected beyond any academic program a cadet might be engaged in. 
 
=== Training Squadrons ===
All cadets are part of a training squadron while at Starfleet Academy. Despite the name, this is not a reference to them needing to be pilots necessarily, but is a hold-over from earlier Academy structures on a number of Federation worlds. Typically, a cadet will remain with the same squadron for their entire tenure at Starfleet Academy, and squadrons generally include members of all four cadet ranks. Squadrons are typically made up of between 48 and 64 cadets, overseen by a senior cadet who is mentored by a command-grade officer ranked between Lieutenant Commander and Captain.
 
Training squadrons are the locus of most of the training in survival, self-defense, leadership, and discipline at Starfleet Academy. These units function as self-contained residential groups as well, with cadets in the same squadron living, working, and eating together. Mentorships naturally occur and more senior cadets are encouraged to take more junior ones under their wings, which is meant to set up that same behavior within the fleet itself.
 
There are a number of elite training squadrons for cadets in different areas:
 
* Red Squadron is Starfleet Academy's most elite squadron. Dominated by command cadets and tactical, this unit is often given extended cadet cruises. All members of this squadron are seen as future captains. Between 2374 and 2384, this unit was disbanded after the ignominious fate of the USS ''Valiant''.
* Gold Squadron is Starfleet Academy's dedicated elite technical squadron, made up of cadets destined for a future in engineering and operations. Cadets in this squadron often see significant secondments to the Starfleet Corps of Engineers during their tenure at the academy.
* Blue Squadron is Starfleet Academy's dedicated elite scientific squadron, made up of cadets destined for a future in the sciences. They receive additional field training assisting with scientific projects in the Sol system.
* White Squadron is Starfleet Academy's dedicate elite medical and nursing squadron, with cadets both from the nursing program and those intending to enter Starfleet Medical Academy. They receive additional hands-on experience at Starfleet Medical's main facility.
* Nova Squadron was an elite training squadron that was disbanded following a disastrous accident in 2368. Unlike other squadrons, it was a dedicated flight team. It was also much smaller than other squadrons, at only 5 members.
 
In addition, numbered fleets maintain training squadrons at the academies that service them. Notably:
 
* The Fourth Fleet's training squadron is known as Cadet Squadron Bravo. It prepares cadets for the unique burden of being placed with Starfleet's premiere rapid-response fleet. It is based out of the Mellstox III campus.
 
'''In-Play'''
 
* Most of your characters will belong to a random cadet squadron, like Cadet Squadron Seven or Cadet Squadron Thirty, rather than one of the elite squadrons noted here. That is, they will unless you assign them to the Fourth Fleet Academy, where they'd be a member of Cadet Squadron Bravo!
* The colored squadrons would be a great placement for someone who truly shines in their disciplinary area. Someone used to getting special treatment and extra opportunities might chafe at the realities of being a junior officer, though.
* Your squadron at the academy would be your Hogwarts House, your tribe, your clan, etc. This is the team that you would belong to, which would celebrate your successes and punish misbehavior.
=== Training Vessels and Cadet Cruises ===
Every cadet at Starfleet Academy undergoes at lease one cadet cruise on one of the Academy's training vessels, either following their third or fourth year. While aboard a training vessel, cadets are known as midshipmen and stand in the place of regular officers. The most advanced cadets serve as department heads, while the rest of their class fill in roles all over the ship, with commissioned officers overseeing them the entire time. These cruises last for several weeks at a time, as cadets get accustomed to life aboard a starship and practice practical skills that can't be simulated in a classroom. Without exception, training cruises are commanded by Starfleet captains.
 
Starfleet Academy employs a number of different training vessels, the most famous being the [[ma:USS Republic|USS ''Republic'']]. Subsidiary campuses either have their own training vessel or have active service starships stand in temporarily. The Mellstoxx III campus which serves the Fourth Fleet, for example, has the [[USS Exeter|USS ''Exeter'']] at its disposal.
 
Members of specialized training squadrons or who demonstrate particular promise might spend a cadet cruise aboard an active service starship.
 
'''In-Play'''
 
* The cadet cruise is an integral part of the Starfleet Academy experience. It's something cadets look forward to (and possibly dread?) and serves as the culmination of their training in starship operations.
* If your character wasn't trained as some sort of bridge officer or specialist (like a doctor or nurse), they might have served in roles like records officer or yeoman during their cruise.
* Cadets are never in command of the cruise itself, but might have a stint on the bridge. This is evidenced by Nog's shock that the ''Valiant'' was in command of a cadet, given that cadets ''never'' had commands of anything larger than a runabout.
 
== Officer Candidate School ==
The Federation has tens of thousands of colleges and universities. For Federation citizens interested in joining Starfleet after completing a degree elsewhere, they can either enlist directly or go through Officer Training School, which is a one-year program offered at most academy campuses. This program prepares candidates for spaceflight, through a combination of the basic survival and emergency procedures training offered by Basic Training and some of the leadership training that cadets get. Completion of this program would allow a member to enter the fleet as an Ensign or Lieutenant Junior Grade, depending on their prior experience and education. (Generally speaking, physicians and lawyers would enter at the higher rank.)
 
Entry to this program has the same standards as entry to Starfleet Academy itself, with rigorous expectations for physical fitness and intellectual capability, to ensure that officers entering the fleet via this route are just as well-prepared as those going through the Academy itself. Generally, this route is most common for scientists, physicians, lawyers, and diplomats, and the officers who graduate from Officer Candidate School are usually not bridge qualified, but individuals with degrees in astronautics, small group tactics, or similar fields can become flight control, security, or operations officers.
 
'''In-Play'''
 
* Just because of how big the Federation is, it's difficult to imagine Starfleet Academy being the ''only'' source of officers in Starfleet.
* Going this route would be a way of giving a character a different academic experience than most, while still having them be an officer.

Revision as of 20:10, 6 August 2023

StarfleetAcademyLogo.png
Starfleet Academy
Founded

2161

Affiliation
  • United Federation of Planets
  • Starfleet
Headquarters

San Francisco, Earth

Primary Mission

Starfleet Officer Training

Leadership

Rear Admiral T'rirrik (Vulcan Female)

Motto

ex astris, scientia

Status

Active

Template:Organisation

Starfleet Academy is Starfleet’s in-house university, intended to train officers to join Starfleet. A part of Starfleet Training Command, this institution spans multiple campuses across Federation space, educating tens of thousands of cadets each year. The original flagship campus is located on Earth in San Francisco, within walking distance of Starfleet Command.

Admissions

Disambiguation.svgFor the article, see Starfleet Academy Entrance Examination.
Disambiguation.svgFor the article, see Starfleet Academy Preparatory Program.


Admission to Starfleet Academy is exceptionally competitive, with academics, physical fitness, life experience, aptitude, and character references all being considered in the initial application process. Even after an applicant is selected, they must go through an entrance examination, which includes intense psychological scrutiny, exams covering a wide range of subject areas, and in-person interviews. Applicants not scoring high enough to attain admission but above a certain range are allowed to take the exam again after twelve months have passed.

Non-Federation citizens are allowed to apply to the academy with the sponsorship of a command-grade officer. Unlike citizens, however, they were required to complete the Starfleet Academy Preparatory Program (SAPP), which was six weeks of classes set between the San Francisco campus's spring and fall semesters. This is an intensive, grueling experience with a high attrition rate. If the applicant successfully completes the program, they are then able to take the entrance examination itself.

Some secondary schools within the Federation also offer the Starfleet Academy Preparatory Program, allowing students to prepare themselves for the entrance examination while still in high school or its equivalent.

In-Play

  • Delinquents don't get into Starfleet Academy. It's for the best-of-the-best, as evidenced through the application process. If your character had a troubled adolescence or found academic success late, the only way they'd be likely to gain admittance is raw talent.
  • Traditional academic experience is not the only route into Starfleet Academy. In fact, as long as you've reached the age of majority for your species, you're welcome to apply regardless of what your background is, with your profile being evaluated holistically.
  • Unless your character is a savant or went through rigorous preparation, the admissions process was likely a stressful experience.

Campuses

Disambiguation.svgFor the article, see Starfleet Academy.
Disambiguation.svgFor the article, see Starfleet Academy—Mellstoxx III.
FourthFleetAcademyLogo.png

Starfleet Academy’s main campus is located in San Francisco, California on Earth. Originally formed to serve the nascent Earth Starfleet in the 22nd century, it became the primary training facility for the Federation Starfleet in 2161. To this day, the vast majority of cadets across the Starfleet Academy system spent at least a few weeks here, and many spend at least a year on its perfectly-manicured grounds.

On Earth and within the Sol system there are dozens of subsidiary facilities, ranging from flight ranges, to zero gee training grounds, to faculties specializing in particular areas of academia. In addition to these local facilities, nearly every Federation member world has a campus of some size, as do older colonies. This allows the Academy to handle its massive student population, which is steady between a quarter million and a half million students at any one time, depending on Starfleet's recruitment and staffing needs. While this is massive when it comes to the scope of an academic institution, but it is miniscule compared to the hundreds of billions of beings living on Federation worlds.

While all Starfleet Academy campuses follow a single, unified curriculum, they can differ in terms of how long it takes to complete a program based on the cultural traditions concerning academics of their host planet: for example, ‘summer breaks’ are a North American tradition in higher education, so some planets do not have them. Others break the academic year into three or four parts, rather than into two parts. This variation is considered desirable, both to offer different schedules for individuals’ preferences, but also because it results in new officers being commissioned at many different dates throughout the year, keeping a constant stream of new officers flowing into the fleet.

All of the numbered fleets have a subsidiary campus that funnels new officers to its stations and starships. Cadets are often transferred to these academies in their second or third year from the main campus, when their talents are identified to align with that fleet's staffing needs. The Fourth Fleet's primary training facility is located at Mellstoxx III, and this is the subsidiary campus that provides this fleet with the majority of its new officers. In fact, officers earmarked to join this fleet invariably spend at least a few months here, or go through command school here.

In-Play

  • In the various shows, it's clear that the vast majority of Starfleet officers have at least a passing familiarity with Starfleet Academy's main campus. Give the size of the Federation and of Starfleet itself, though, it's unlikely that just this one campus would be able to train all of the fleet's officers, hence the subsidiary campuses mentioned here. Your character might have been in San Francisco for their entire degree, for just a year, or for a training program of a few weeks.
  • If your character is a cadet, they're enrolled at the academy on Mellstoxx III, i.e. the Fourth Fleet Academy.
  • If your character is a junior officer, they might take additional coursework or specialized training at the Fourth Fleet Academy before being posted to one of our ships.
  • If your character is a senior officer and needs to go to command school, they would do that at the Fourth Fleet Academy.
  • Because of the Academy system's size, there are as diverse a set of campuses as you could imagine, allowing for some interesting character possibilities. We know that Benzites need breathing apparatus on standard M-Class worlds, but how would a Human handle a term on Benzar?

Academic Programs

The time it takes to complete a particular program at Starfleet Academy depends on several factors, ranging from the individual’s age and prior experience to which campus it’s being taken on to the program itself. Generally, it takes four years to graduate from most programs as an Ensign with a bachelor’s degree. Specialized programs such as medicine and counseling take an additional two or four years. In addition, individuals may opt to spend longer at the academy to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree, especially in the sciences.

While cadets wear the branch color of either Command, Engineering, or Sciences during their time at the academy based on their intended career path, they receive degrees in an academic area during their time there. All cadets receive training in starship operations and self-defense, alongside a rigorous core curriculum of science, history, mathematics, and the arts, to become well-rounded critical thinkers. Cadets declare both a major (and possibly a minor or additional major(s)) and a career path, which informs how they pass through the academy.

Degrees and Subject Areas

Everyone graduating through Starfleet Academy’s traditional four-year program earns a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. These degrees are always in an academic discipline, rather than just in a branch of Starfleet or in a position. Starfleet Academy also offers masters and doctoral programs in most of its academic areas.

Social Sciences Natural Sciences Formal Sciences Applied Sciences Engineering
(Xeno)Anthropology Astronautics Computer Science Agriculture Aerospace Engineering
(Xeno)Archaeology Astronomy Logic Architecture Bio-Electronic Engineering
Art History Astrophysics Mathematics Archival Science Mechanical Engineering
Criminal Justice (Xeno)Biology Statistics Astronautical Tactics Quantum Engineering
Cultural Studies Chemistry Systems Science Counseling Structural Engineering
Economics Cosmology Cybernetics Warp Systems Engineering
Geography Geology Education
History Meteorology Exology
Xeno/Linguistics Minerology Forensics
Philosophy Planetology Interstellar Relations
Political Science Physics Nursing
Xeno/Psychology Stellar Cartography Public Health
Xeno/Sociology Vulcanology Small-Group Tactics
Rhetoric

Starfleet Legal Academy offers the degree of Juris Doctor (JD), which is a four-year program covering interstellar law, Federation law, the Starfleet Uniform Code of Justice, and legal history.

Starfleet Medical Academy offers medical doctorates, research doctorates in medical fields, and advanced degrees in fields like public health and nursing. Many new MDs also complete residencies, which do not earn a further degree but do grant additional qualifications.

In-Play

  • One does not graduate with a degree in Command or Security, but rather with a degree in a relevant academic area.
  • This is not an all-inclusive list; you could drill down much more specifically in almost every scientific area.

4-year Bridge Officer Track

Cadets in a traditional four-year program will spend most of their first two years going through the core curriculum, with their second two years spent specializing. Interspersed throughout classroom studies are practical excursions, such as survival training, zero-gee training, and the all-important cadet cruises performed on actual starships. Ensigns who graduate in this manner are qualified to serve as bridge officers immediately upon their commissioning without taking the Bridge Officer’s Exam, as this is built into the program.

4-year Bridge Officer Track
Years 1 & 2 Years 3 & 4 Graduation
General Education

Basic Starship Operations

Specialization in major content area

Advanced Starship Operations

Bachelor's Degree

Ensign

Bridge-Qualified

In-Play

  • Generally, if your character wants to become a bridge officer, they’ll spend four years at Starfleet Academy, earning a content degree (astrophysics, interstellar relations, engineering, etc.) and robust training in starship operations, resulting in a commission as an ensign.
  • Someone who wants to be both bridge-qualified and earn a Ph.D. might spend eight or ten years between Starfleet Academy and their graduate program, possibly even earning a commission as a full lieutenant in the process.
  • This is the standard academy experience.

4-year Specialist Officer Track

Some programs, including nursing, and interstellar relations where the academic requirements are too rigorous to allow for completion of both advanced starship operations and their discipline's requirements within four years. Cadets in these programs take just one year of general education and basic starship operations, followed by three intensive years in their discipline. This is also an option for cadets in other areas who wish to add another major or minor while completing their degree. Cadets who take this path must take the Bridge Officer’s Exam later in their career to qualify for bridge duty and be eligible for promotion beyond the rank of lieutenant commander.

4-year Specialist Officer Track (Nursing, Interstellar Relations, Counseling, etc.)
Year 1 Years 2, 3, & 4 Graduation
General Education

Basic Starship Operations

Specialization in major content area Bachelor's Degree

Ensign

In-Play

  • This track represents spending more time on one's specialty at the expense of being an expert in starship operations like the ensigns graduating from the traditional four-year track would.
  • What would be considered "Staff Officers" in many modern militaries, such as nurses, diplomatic aids, intelligence specialists, and so on are represented here. Each of these fields, especially nursing, requires extensive academic training, meaning that they have less time to spend on starship operations. This is why they must take the bridge officer's exam to be eligible for command and for promotion past Lieutenant Commander.
  • Scientists and engineers also have the option of an abbreviated general studies program, with three years in the specialized study of their content area. This is the track that researchers who don’t intend on becoming bridge officers initially might take. They would also graduate as ensigns and then need to eventually take the bridge officer’s exam if they wanted to progress past lieutenant commander.
  • Counselors undergoing this track would complete on-the-job training as Ensigns before being promoted to Lieutenant J.G. upon being qualified as counselors, the example being Ezri Dax.

Medical, Counseling, and Law Tracks

Disambiguation.svgFor the article, see Starfleet Medical Academy.

Medicine, counseling, and the law have two options: an accelerated six-year track which allows them to earn a bachelor's degree and a master's or professional doctorate at the same time without bridge officer qualification, and an eight-year track with the two degrees earned separately, with or without bridge officer qualification, depending on their career path. A law student, for instance, might find it useful in their future role advocating for Starfleet officers to be fully qualified for bridge duty, while a physician might take on a xenobiology major alongside their pre-medical studies in preparation for studying xeno-medicine. A counselor would take the eight year path to become a psychiatrist, and thus a medical doctor. Counselors, Judge-Advocates, and Doctors end their studies as Lieutenants Junior Grade, with the eight year track including an initial commission as an Ensign before professional school.

6-year Specialist Officer Track (Medicine, Counseling, Law)
Year 1 Years 2 & 3 Years 4, 5, & 6 Graduation
General Education

Basic Starship Operations

Specialization in pre-professional area Professional studies Bachelor's Degree

M.D., J.D., or M.S.

Lieutenant Junior Grade

8-year Specialist Officer Track (Medicine, Counseling, Law)
Year 1 Years 2, 3, & 4 Graduation Years 5, 6, 7, & 8 Graduation
General Education

Basic Starship Operations

Specialization in major content area Bachelor's Degree

Ensign

Professional Studies M.D. or J.D.

Lieutenant Junior Grade

Years 1 & 2 Years 3 & 4 Graduation Years 5, 6, 7, & 8 Graduation
General Education

Basic Starship Operations

Specialization in major content area

Advanced Starship Operations

Bachelor's Degree

Ensign

Bridge-Qualified

Professional Studies M.D. or J.D.

Lieutenant Junior Grade

In-Play

  • We know from the Deep Space 9 that medical officers and fully-trained counselors enter their service as Lieutenants Junior Grade. It is logical that Judge-Advocates would also enter at this level, given that law school is a professional doctorate like medicine. These two different tracks, an accelerated program which combines the professional and undergraduate credentialing process, and a more standard program where candidates earn their bachelor's degree separately from their secondary degree, provide multiple options for your character's backstory.
  • Counselor's could either be psychologists or psychiatrists, the latter of which would require a medical doctorate.

General Training

Whether you're meant to be a records officer or a captain, every graduate of Starfleet Academy receives at least basic training in starship operations. No one graduates from the academy without ever having been in space, and graduates of traditional four-year bridge officer programs are among the most capable starship crew members of any power in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants. This training includes wilderness survival, zero-gee training, basic flight control, and self-defense training, all of which is expected beyond any academic program a cadet might be engaged in.

Training Squadrons

All cadets are part of a training squadron while at Starfleet Academy. Despite the name, this is not a reference to them needing to be pilots necessarily, but is a hold-over from earlier Academy structures on a number of Federation worlds. Typically, a cadet will remain with the same squadron for their entire tenure at Starfleet Academy, and squadrons generally include members of all four cadet ranks. Squadrons are typically made up of between 48 and 64 cadets, overseen by a senior cadet who is mentored by a command-grade officer ranked between Lieutenant Commander and Captain.

Training squadrons are the locus of most of the training in survival, self-defense, leadership, and discipline at Starfleet Academy. These units function as self-contained residential groups as well, with cadets in the same squadron living, working, and eating together. Mentorships naturally occur and more senior cadets are encouraged to take more junior ones under their wings, which is meant to set up that same behavior within the fleet itself.

There are a number of elite training squadrons for cadets in different areas:

  • Red Squadron is Starfleet Academy's most elite squadron. Dominated by command cadets and tactical, this unit is often given extended cadet cruises. All members of this squadron are seen as future captains. Between 2374 and 2384, this unit was disbanded after the ignominious fate of the USS Valiant.
  • Gold Squadron is Starfleet Academy's dedicated elite technical squadron, made up of cadets destined for a future in engineering and operations. Cadets in this squadron often see significant secondments to the Starfleet Corps of Engineers during their tenure at the academy.
  • Blue Squadron is Starfleet Academy's dedicated elite scientific squadron, made up of cadets destined for a future in the sciences. They receive additional field training assisting with scientific projects in the Sol system.
  • White Squadron is Starfleet Academy's dedicate elite medical and nursing squadron, with cadets both from the nursing program and those intending to enter Starfleet Medical Academy. They receive additional hands-on experience at Starfleet Medical's main facility.
  • Nova Squadron was an elite training squadron that was disbanded following a disastrous accident in 2368. Unlike other squadrons, it was a dedicated flight team. It was also much smaller than other squadrons, at only 5 members.

In addition, numbered fleets maintain training squadrons at the academies that service them. Notably:

  • The Fourth Fleet's training squadron is known as Cadet Squadron Bravo. It prepares cadets for the unique burden of being placed with Starfleet's premiere rapid-response fleet. It is based out of the Mellstox III campus.

In-Play

  • Most of your characters will belong to a random cadet squadron, like Cadet Squadron Seven or Cadet Squadron Thirty, rather than one of the elite squadrons noted here. That is, they will unless you assign them to the Fourth Fleet Academy, where they'd be a member of Cadet Squadron Bravo!
  • The colored squadrons would be a great placement for someone who truly shines in their disciplinary area. Someone used to getting special treatment and extra opportunities might chafe at the realities of being a junior officer, though.
  • Your squadron at the academy would be your Hogwarts House, your tribe, your clan, etc. This is the team that you would belong to, which would celebrate your successes and punish misbehavior.

Training Vessels and Cadet Cruises

Every cadet at Starfleet Academy undergoes at lease one cadet cruise on one of the Academy's training vessels, either following their third or fourth year. While aboard a training vessel, cadets are known as midshipmen and stand in the place of regular officers. The most advanced cadets serve as department heads, while the rest of their class fill in roles all over the ship, with commissioned officers overseeing them the entire time. These cruises last for several weeks at a time, as cadets get accustomed to life aboard a starship and practice practical skills that can't be simulated in a classroom. Without exception, training cruises are commanded by Starfleet captains.

Starfleet Academy employs a number of different training vessels, the most famous being the USS Republic. Subsidiary campuses either have their own training vessel or have active service starships stand in temporarily. The Mellstoxx III campus which serves the Fourth Fleet, for example, has the USS Exeter at its disposal.

Members of specialized training squadrons or who demonstrate particular promise might spend a cadet cruise aboard an active service starship.

In-Play

  • The cadet cruise is an integral part of the Starfleet Academy experience. It's something cadets look forward to (and possibly dread?) and serves as the culmination of their training in starship operations.
  • If your character wasn't trained as some sort of bridge officer or specialist (like a doctor or nurse), they might have served in roles like records officer or yeoman during their cruise.
  • Cadets are never in command of the cruise itself, but might have a stint on the bridge. This is evidenced by Nog's shock that the Valiant was in command of a cadet, given that cadets never had commands of anything larger than a runabout.

Officer Candidate School

The Federation has tens of thousands of colleges and universities. For Federation citizens interested in joining Starfleet after completing a degree elsewhere, they can either enlist directly or go through Officer Training School, which is a one-year program offered at most academy campuses. This program prepares candidates for spaceflight, through a combination of the basic survival and emergency procedures training offered by Basic Training and some of the leadership training that cadets get. Completion of this program would allow a member to enter the fleet as an Ensign or Lieutenant Junior Grade, depending on their prior experience and education. (Generally speaking, physicians and lawyers would enter at the higher rank.)

Entry to this program has the same standards as entry to Starfleet Academy itself, with rigorous expectations for physical fitness and intellectual capability, to ensure that officers entering the fleet via this route are just as well-prepared as those going through the Academy itself. Generally, this route is most common for scientists, physicians, lawyers, and diplomats, and the officers who graduate from Officer Candidate School are usually not bridge qualified, but individuals with degrees in astronautics, small group tactics, or similar fields can become flight control, security, or operations officers.

In-Play

  • Just because of how big the Federation is, it's difficult to imagine Starfleet Academy being the only source of officers in Starfleet.
  • Going this route would be a way of giving a character a different academic experience than most, while still having them be an officer.
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