In the late Spring of 2011, I joined the crew of the USS Tiburon after moving to the Denver area and was surprised at how amazing active the Tiburon was. I had previously been part of other fan groups that meet only once or twice of month and did a few community events, where the Tiburon crew met almost every weekend.
It did help that I already knew a majority of the Command crew prior to joining, and was accepted as one of their own soon after attending just a few events.
Not long after that, I was brought on to the command staff as the Chief Security officer. This is where I began seeing a more positive and significant change. We continued doing our regular activities, but began branching into new unexplored territory for the group. We became more than we were, doing events like comic con and other conventions, making ourselves more known to the public.
I was soon asked to change my post as Chief Security officer and become the Chief Operations officer. A position where I could contribute more effectively to the crew.
Our reignited exposure to the fandom pulse in Denver soon grew to where we began gaining a following, which opened even more opportunities to us and led us to serving as staff at conventions, and even being featured as major roles at 2013 and 2014’s Colorado Springs Sky Soxs, Star Trek theme nights.
As I reflect on what these past four years have been like as part of the crew, I realize what they have meant to me. Being part of this crew makes me feel that apart of my life that was missing has been replaced. I found new friends, new adventures and a new family. A round of cheers for the completion of our second five year mission (a milestone, since not many make it to one) and here is to the next ten years.