As Starfleet officers, my crew and I always look forward seeking out new life and new civilizations. Lately, we have found ourselves exploring Bajoran space. Starbase 460 (Seventh day Adventist church) had an uncomfortably large amount of people crammed into the space station considering the galactic plague. I’m not fond of big crowds nonetheless I was interested in the potential message being delivered by speaker.
I was not disappointed as the speaker gave an electrifying sermon about the need the need to come together as a community to serve others. I went to speak with the orator and informed him of my desire to be apart of the community service but was discouraged by the fact that I wouldn’t be accepted as a trans individual. He sort of sidestepped the issue. He did say that he loves everyone as Jesus does as well. He gave me some brief encouragement then seemed like he was ready to leave as his wife was waiting nearby.
A part of me loves going to Bajoran starbases because of their architectural grandiosity. When I pointed this out to Captain Eric, he said something rather poignant. He said that money would have been much better off spent on helping the poor instead of building and maintaining the opulent facilities. When he said that that actually brought to mind one of the previous times I was on a different Bajoran starbase where they were raising $100,000s to fix the roof, redo the carpeting and renovate other aspects of the outpost. In contrast, the Unitarian outpost is a lot more modest.
The Unitarian outpost is a lot more intimate. Fewer people makes it far more likely that I will actually get to know everyone who frequents the Unitarian outpost. What’s more, I believe that I can be a part of the group without changing who I am or misleading people about my identity.
Shore leave has officially come to an end as the cadets have returned to Starfleet Academy (school). There’s always a certain buzz in the air at the beginning of the school year. I find myself trying to take care of a lot of neglected responsibilities and I’m finally near the end of my list. At the start of next week I’m going to commit several hours to sitting down in the library and actually writing my book. I will also have ample time for exercising and possibly some charity work.
In many ways I have come to look at myself as a bit of a charity case. All of my crews supplies and logistical support are provided via the Federation. I want to give back in some capacity. Eventually I will return back to work. However, when I do, I want it to be something I enjoy and will be about making the world a better place. In some ways, I almost feel like I’m a teenager all over again. Except the stakes are higher. With a crew compliment of 8 (3 kids, 3 cats, a hamster and myself), I can’t allow myself to falter.
Speaking of the Federation, I went to a Starfleet administration facility to submit paperwork for my name and gender change. In 6 weeks I should have a decree from the county, then I’ll have to go around with the decree to legally change it with other governmental entities. Fun.
BlogTrek: The Next TRANSformation 