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Page 1: STARFLEET PRESS KIT - SFIsfi.org/docs/PR/starfleetpresskit_april_2013.pdfWe are people of all ages and from all walks of life who enjoy Star Trek and science fiction in all its forms:
Page 2: STARFLEET PRESS KIT - SFIsfi.org/docs/PR/starfleetpresskit_april_2013.pdfWe are people of all ages and from all walks of life who enjoy Star Trek and science fiction in all its forms:

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STARFLEET PRESS KITApril 2013 Edition

Published by: ADM Brandt Heatherington Director, Public Relations

STARFLEET, the International Star Trek Fan Association, Incorporated, is a not-for-profit corporation chartered by the state of North Carolina, and is dedicated to uniting the fans of Star Trek as well as pursuing the future envisioned by Gene Roddenberry as depicted in the Star Trek television series and movies.

This document is the official Press Kit of STARFLEET. Its contents are copyright © 2013 STARFLEET, and all rights are reserved.

Star Trek and related marks are registered trademarks of CBS Studios Incorporated and/or Paramount Pictures Corporation. Neither the STARFLEET copyright in this material, nor any part of the material itself, nor STARFLEET’s use of the name Star Trek, are intended in any way to infringe upon any copyrights or trademarks with regard to any of the Star Trek television series or any of the movies or any other licensed use of the properties previously or currently held by CBS Studios Incorporated, Paramount Pictures Corporation, nor any other persons or organizations.

Permission is granted to the general news media and to STARFLEET chapters to reproduce and utilize sections of this material dealing with STARFLEET information and member activities--except in such cases as said material falls under the registered trademark of another entity.

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CONTENTS

Media Quick Facts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 About STARFLEET. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Organization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Chain of Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Media Citations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Corporate Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8STARFLEET Is All About Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 STARFLEET in the News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Community Outreach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Celebrities in STARFLEET. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Advertising Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16History of STARFLEET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Recent Press Releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Contact STARFLEET. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

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MEDIA Quick FactsYear Founded: 1974

Number of Members: Approximately 4,800(90% of our members are in the United States; 10% live in such foreign countries as Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, and the United Kingdom)

Number of Chapters: 250 worldwide

Web Site URL: www.sfi.org

Annual Membership Rate:$15/year for an individual (family membership dues range from $22 to $34/year depending on family size)

Membership Materials and Benefits:• Printed ID card and certificate• Vessel Registry (listing of all chapters)• Membership Handbook• Four quarterly issues of the STARFLEET Communique Newsletter (mailed to members and

available online)

• Special discounts at selected hotels, car rental companies, office supply stores, and more

Special Programs for Members:STARFLEET Academy (over 3,000 correspondence courses in subjects both inside of Star Trek and beyond)

STARFLEET Marine Corps (for those who want a more structured military-like flavour to their Star Trek fandom)

Department of Technical Services (resources for members interested in the technical aspects of Star Trek)

Holodeck Programs (Special support services and information in topics ranging from medical and health issues to science, charity services, spiritual outreach)

PhilanthropyRaised over $100,000 for various charities (including donations of food, toys, books, personal necessities, as well as volunteering time and effort in local community projects)

Achievements•ParticipatedinanAdvisoryCommitteeforStarTrekOnlinevideogame•SupportingtheGalileo Restoration Project of original series shuttlecraft prop•RecognizedbytheGuinnessBookofRecordsastheworld’slargestStarTrekfanclub•ThefirstStarTrekfanclubwithachapterinCuba

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About STARFLEETSTARFLEET is an organization of approximately 4,800 enthusiasts who have united in their appreciation of Star Trek, science fiction, and space exploration. Founded in 1974, STARFLEET remains the oldest and largest continuously operating Star Trek fan organization in the world. STARFLEET celebrated its 35th year just as Star Trek received a new injection of energy and enthusiasm in 2009 with the release of the 11th feature film in the franchise.

For almost 40 years, STARFLEET has provided Star Trek fans a way to meet each other, make friends, have fun, give back to theircommunities,andshowthatthedreamofStarTrek’screator,GeneRoddenberry,canlivelongandprosper.

On the local level, members gather with other fans for a variety of activities. This unique organization has over 250 chapters worldwide linking members from one corner of the planet to the other into one huge fan-run organization. On the international level, STARFLEET offers our members a wealth of unique fan resources and cross-cultural connections that cannot be found in any other Star Trek fan club.

Who joins STARFLEET? There is no “typical” STARFLEET member. We are people of all ages and from all walks of life who enjoy Star Trek and science fiction in all its forms: the major motion pictures, the television series, and the numerous books and magazines. There are members in high school and college, people at middle age, great-grandmothers in their 90s and children in preschool. Some members with families have signed up their newborns as cadets. There are no restrictions on joining STARFLEET. We enthusiastically celebrate the Vulcan concept of IDIC: Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.

Our Prime Directive is to make new friends, to share our interest in Star Trek in an open environment, to serve our communities, and most of all, to have fun. Each member brings his or her special abilities to the group. We recognize this value by assigning fictional ranks and positions within the Fleet, reflecting the interests of the members. Members get promoted for participation in their local Chapter, or at the Regional or international Fleet level. New members in Chapters can start with introductory ranks like Cadet and Ensign and get promoted up through higher ranks like Lieutenant and Commander. When members get involved more actively at higher levels of the organization, they can get promoted even further to Captain or to flag ranks like Commodore or Admiral.

Why Star Trek ? Theshow’sdebutontelevisionbackin1966wasthefirstsuccessfulmassvisualizationofthefuture.StarTrek’senduringstrength arose from the fact that it was the first science fiction show to emphasize plot and character—and to present a universe where people of all races worked together to solve common problems. In short, Star Trek presents a hopeful future.

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STARFLEET Organization

REGIONS and CHAPTERS

STARFLEET is currently divided into 250 local Chapters spread across North America and onto three other continents. Each chapter is named as a different starship or space station. Chapters range in size from as small as ten members to as many as a hundred. Each chapter is unique; some meet in person, others gather over the Internet for online chats and e-mail exchanges.

STARFLEET Chapters are grouped into Regions with each Region covering a different geographical area. These regions will often hold gatherings where crews of many Chapters get together for conferences, parties, charity events, and a whole range of other activities.

All STARFLEET members can gather at our annual International Conference, which is held in a different location each year. Some of our recent International Conferences have been located in such diverse cities as Dallas in 2013, Philadelphia, Denver, and San Jose. Other International Conferences have been in rural locations such as upstate New York; Greensboro, North Carolina and Wagoner, Oklahoma.

STARFLEET Chapter events and activities have been featured in the news media, both press and televised. STARFLEET Chapters work both with local communities and with national charities.

Chain of CommandWhat the casual member sees

As in Star Trek, STARFLEET has a chain of command. Each Chapter is led by a Commanding Officer and an Executive Officer. Most members never need to go beyond their Chapter CO or XO to get a problem solved.

Chapters report to Regional Coordinators, who form a legislative body known as the Admiralty Board. Each Region elects their Coordinator for a period of two years, usually from a pool of Commanding Officers who wish to run for the position. If a member has a problem which their CO or XO cannot handle (or a problem with the CO or XO themselves), the member can approach their Regional Coordinator for assistance.

The members of STARFLEET also elect a president and vice-president for the entire organization once every three years via a club-wide mail-in ballot. The Commander and Vice-Commander usually run with a “cabinet” of members who will take the positions of the 7-member Executive Committee (see page 8). The Executive Committee handles the day-to-day business of STARFLEET along with certain key club functions.

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Media Citations• TheNewYorkTimes• Newsweek• MSNBC• TheWallStreetJournal• TheNewYorkDailyNews• TheBostonGlobe• MaximMagazine• Fox5inNewYorkCity• CBSaffiliateNews10inTampaBay,FL• Q13FoxinSeattle• WAFBChannel9newsBatonRouge,LA• KYW1060,Philadelphia’snewsradiostation• TheDailyRecordinMorrisCountry,NJ• TheNewsandAdvanceofLynchburg,VA• ThePittsburghPostGazette• SouthCarolina’sTheState• TheAdvocateinBatonRouge,LA• TheWestVirginiaGazette• TheAsburyParkPressinNewJersey• WashingtonPost.com• PressOfAtlanticCity.com• Boston.com• NJ.com• AirlockAlpha.com

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Corporate Structure

Operating as a Non-Profit 501(C)7 Corporation

Most members never encounter the corporate aspects of STARFLEET, but the organization must still adhere to the reporting and regulatory requirements outlined by the IRS and the State of North Carolina for non-profit corporations. STARFLEET was incorporated back in 1991, and the advantage of being non-profit to an organization of our size is immense when one considers the revenue generated from thousands of new and renewing members each year.

The Admiralty Board forms the Board of Directors for STARFLEET, with the Commander, STARFLEET serving as the Chairman.

The eight members of the Executive Commitee then fulfill the responsibilities of the Corporate Offices. The following is a brief description of the functions of these officers:

Commander STARFLEET ([email protected]) - responsible for the overall administration and supervision of the Fleet, as well as representing the Fleet in an official capacity to other organizations and to the general public.

Vice-Commander ([email protected]) - the departments in the office of the VCS are primarily concerned with providing customer service support and designing programs to enhance the STARFLEET experience in a positive way to the membership.

Chief of Operations ([email protected]) - collects reports from all Regional Coordinators and Chapter COs, and is responsible for the commissioning and decommissioning of chapters and assisting members and chapters with operational programs.

Chief of Communications ([email protected]) - the information hub of STARFLEET, this officer is responsible for publishing theCommuniqué,STARFLEET’sbimonthlynewsletter.CommunicationsalsooverseesSTARFLEET’sPublicRelationsDepartment as well as the Regional Relay Officer program, which is a network of members from each Region who are tasked with relaying important e-mail messages from the Executive Committee to all of the Regional online chat lists.

Academy Commandant ([email protected]) - runs the education/entertainment branch of STARFLEET, offering a wide variety of courses ranging from testing trivia knowledge of the Star Trek universe to expanding general knowledge about the world around us. The Academy also overseas the STARFLEET Scholarship program.

Chief of Computer Operations ([email protected]) - manages the information technology infrastructure of STARFLEET, its departments, and projects. In addition, CompOps oversees membership processing and is responsible for the design, development,maintenance,andoversightofSTARFLEET’svariouswebsites.

Chief Financial Officer ([email protected]) - responsible for the general oversight of all financial matters: corporate, federal, and state compliance, and taxation. The Finance Office maintains funds in various accounts from the General Operating Fund, Academy, Scholarships, the Marine Corps, and the International Conference which serves as our corporate annual business meeting.

Chief of Shakedown Operations ([email protected]) - oversees the day-to-day operations of the Chapters-in-Training within the Fleet, making certain that Shakedown Chapters have the necessary information, paperwork, and support to make it to fully-commissioned Chapter status (this position is now under Operations and is not part of the Executive Committee).

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STARFLEET Is All About EducationSTARFLEET Academy

STARFLEET Academy is a special collection of correspondence courses within our fan organization available to every STARFLEET member. Over 60 Academy Colleges offer courses spanning all aspects of Star Trek and science fiction. Some courses even cover non-sci-fi real world topics. Each college offers dozens of different courses at varying levels of challenge from introductory to advanced. In total, there are nearly 1,000 different courses available!

STARFLEET Academy Colleges include:

* College of Federation Studies * STARFLEET College of Medicine * College of Strategy and Tactics * The Vulcan Academy of Sciences * College of Engineering * College of Temporal Physics * College of Computing History * Klingon Warrior Academy * Cadet College of Borg Technololgy*Officer’sLeadershipSchool *RomulanOrientationCollege *CollegeofSci-FiCinema

Academy courses are generally free to all members, and nearly all have their course materials available online. Non-computer members can request hard copies be mailed to them for the cost of printing and postage. There is no limit to how many STARFLEET Academy courses a member can take. Submitted answers are scored and grades are received. Thousands of STARFLEET members have already taken countless courses and had endless hours of fun.

STARFLEET Scholarships

Ever since 1990, our organization has presented monetary scholarships to special active STARFLEET members who are attending community colleges, four-year colleges, most technical schools, junior colleges, and universities or graduate school.

Scholarships are awarded in amounts of up to $500 based on number of applicants and availability of funds. The application period runs from January 1st through July 1st of each year. At our annual International Conference each summer, the scholarship winners are announced for classes beginning in the fall semester.

From doctors and veterinarians to foreign language specialists and engineers, from music and law to space and beyond, STARFLEET has a scholarship to fit most interests and fields of study. Many scholarships are based upon a StarTrekactor’scharacterorinterest,andmanyhavebeensponsoredbytheactorsthemselves.Forexample,thereisthe DeForest Kelley/Dr. Leonard McCoy Medical Scholarship and the James Doohan/Montgomery Scott Engineering Scholarship. There is also the Patrick Stewart Scholarship for the Performing Arts and the LeVar Burton Educational Scholarshiptohonorthelatter’sworkwithliteracythroughhisPBSseries“ReadingRainbow.”MarinaSirtis(CounselorTroi of Star Trek: The Next Generation) is an animal rights advocate and wants to encourage people to study veterinary medicine and related fields through her scholarship. One of the scholarships memorializes Gene Roddenberry for his love of writing to encourage future writers. The STARFLEET Marine Corps sponsors a scholarship for students attending military colleges. There is also a scholarship that honors the NASA Apollo, Challenger, and Columbia astronauts and Russian cosmonauts who have died to further our efforts in space exploration. It is a “general duty” scholarship and applies to all courses of study.

Over the years, the number and variety of our scholarships has grown, and many thousands of dollars have helped numerous STARFLEET members pay for their continuing education.

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STARFLEET In the NewsWhen the last Star Trek film debuted in May of 2009, STARFLEET was there at theaters across the country...and so was the news media. In the weeks and days leading up to the premiere, STARFLEET members and chapters received unprecedented coverage in the news media--in print, on television and radio, and even over the Internet. A complete list of STARFLEET coverage in the news media can be found on our website: www.sfi.org. Below is a partial list of some of that coverage:

The New York TimesNewsweekMSNBCThe Wall Street JournalThe New York Daily NewsThe Boston GlobeMaxim MagazineFox 5 in New York City

CBS affiliate News10 in Tampa Bay, FLQ13 Fox in SeattleWAFB Channel 9 news Baton Rouge, LAKYW1060,Philadelphia’snewsradiostationThe Daily Record in Morris Country, NJThe News and Advance of Lynchburg, VAThe Pittsburgh Post GazetteSouthCarolina’sTheState

The Advocate in Baton Rouge, LAThe West Virginia GazetteThe Asbury Park Press in New JerseyWashingtonPost.comPressOfAtlanticCity.comBoston.comNJ.comAirlockAlpha.com

MembersofseveralofFlorida’schapters recruited at a theater in the Tampa Bay area. They were covered by the local “10 Connects” television

STARFLEET members from around the country attended the red carpet premiere of the new Star Trek film in Hollywood as guests of Paramount Pictures. Several network and cable news outlets interviewed the STARFLEET

STARFLEET Chief of CommunicationsJon Lane does a 3-minute segment on MSNBC on the day of the Star Trek movie premiere, discussing the

The USS Corsair in Baton Rouge, LA built a huge shuttle pod as part of their theater display. CBS affiliate WAFB news spotlighted the STARFLEET chapter.

Fox 5 “Good Morning New York” reporter Anne Craig (right) borrowed a Star Trek uniform and interviewed members of the USS Challenger and USS Abraham Lincoln at the Orchard 10 Cinemas in Toms River, New Jersey.

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Community OutreachAlthough many of our Chapters engage in social events like parties, picnics, going to the movies, bowling, attending conventions, and just sitting around talking about Star Trek at meetings, STARFLEET also has a proud tradition of serving our local communities though volunteer programs, charitable donations, and general public involvement.

On the following three pages are some examples of recent community and charitable activities that our STARFLEET Chapters have been involved with during the last year. This is by far not a complete list, and charity is not limited solely to our Chapters. Our Regions often collect donations for philanthropic causes, and on the international level, our central organization of STARFLEET sponsors numerous scholarships each year, as well as holding auctions at out annual International Conferences to raise money for numerous charities including pet shelters, medical research, and the construction of a science center.

Iowa: the Future Birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk

Each year, the city of Riverside, Iowa, holds an event called Trek Fest, a county fair with a Star Trek theme. Dubbed the “future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk” back in 1986 (when it was revealed in a film that Kirk was born in Iowa), the town is now famous. And each year, members of the USS Riverside help to organize events, judge contests, and march in the parade. The Chapter even has two floats, one of a giant starship and another of a shuttlecraft.

Aluminum Turns into Toys in Utah

Members of the USS Alioth in Orem, Utah, love to help out their community. Each year, the crew collects aluminum cans from across the county to donate to the “Sub for Santa” program through the United Way. The proceeds are put toward toys for underprivileged children in the Utah County area. The Alioth crew also meets to assemble “hygiene kits” (donations of personal care products) for the poor and homeless. And the members never miss the annual MS Walk charity event in Provo, Utah.

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New York Member Turns His Hybrid Car into a STARFLEET Shuttlecraft

Dr.Willie Yee, Executive Officer of the USS Abraham Lincoln in upstate New York, has turned his 2007 Toyota Prius into a Star Trek-inspired “shuttle- craft.” In the past two years, he has taken this vehicle to numerous car shows and energy fairs to advocate the use of hybrid vehicles, fuel-conserving driving techniques, and alternative energy. He has also presented the car at various fund raisers. The car has attracted worldwideattentionandhasbeenfeaturedonToyota’sOpenRoadBlog,and in magazine and newspaper articles. It has won a dozen awards, including placing 2nd Place at the Green Grand Prix Fuel Economy competition at Watkins Glen, NY in 2007.

Southern California Chapter Supports U.S. Troops Serving in the Middle East

Three times each year, the USS Angeles takes part in the “Any Soldier” Program, collecting and boxing donations for U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. These care packages contain many staples we take for granted but are rare luxuries for the troops: personal hygiene products, spices and condiments, books and magazines, video games, dry foods like cookies and microwave popcorn, hard candy, and cards from thankful Americans. Last Christmas, the Angeles assembled and donated money to ship 25 care packages to different platoons and infantry divisions

Assisting with Search and Rescue in Denver, Colorado

Several members of the USS Omega Glory are part of an independent response group consisting of dedicated volunteers. They serve as a well-trained emergency resource available to any official law enforcement, fire, or otherwise-designated incident command agency, including state, county, and municipal offices of Emergency Management and other Search And Rescue units. They will not self-deploy without an authorized request, but they have assisted in many SAR operations throughout the Denver area. Recently, five members with caving experience participated in a massive (70-person) underground search for two injured cave explorers. Both cavers were safely evacuated after

Cleaning Up Virginia’s Waterways

Members of the USS Chesapeake took part in the Clean Virginia Waterways InternationalCoastalCleanup2008eventatAncarrow’sLandingalongtheJamesRiver in Richmond, Virginia. Mike Lewis, pictured here, participates in this event every year as a “site captain” and has encouraged his fellow STARFLEET members to join him, both locally in Virginia and also in clean-up projects within their own communities. Like many STARFLEET members, Mike believes in thinking globally and acting locally.

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Ohio Chapter Uses Their Parade Float to Help the Food Bank

The shuttlecraft parade float of the USS Lagrange is a familiar sight around Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (a suburb of Cleveland). But when the new Star Trek film opened in early May of 2009, the Lagrange crew brought their float to the Valley View Ciemark theater and worked with the Owens Group to collect donations of money and food for the local Food Bank charity. Posing for photos in costume in front of the float with excited theater-goers, the crew raised over $1,000 in food and money

Answering Phones during the PBS Pledge Drive in Atlanta, Georgia

Living up to their mission of “Boldly Going, Boldly Doing,” the USS Republic in Atlanta, Georgia, enjoys helping their community in a variety of ways. Each December, members and friends answer phones on live televisionduringGeorgiaPublicBroadcasting’sannualpledgedrive,broadcast throughout the state. Also, each spring and fall, the Republic partners with a Klingon club, KAG Atlanta, and other local sci-fi groups for a Putt-Putt Challenge at the Malibu Grand Prix theme park in Norcross to collect nonperishable food items for the Bread of Life Food Ministry, a food bank in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Virginia Chapter Sends a Local Middle School Student to Space Camp

It took the USS Heimdal chapter of Amherst, Virginia nearly three years to raise the more than $1,400 to send a local student to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, for one week (including registration, travel expenses, and a flight suit). When there was enough money available, the Heimdal contacted all of the junior high schools in Amherst Country and had them each select five of their best students to write essays on why they wanted to go to Space Camp. The winner, Travis Dean, attended Space Camp in early July, 2009, and had an amazing time. This was the second student the Heimdal has sent to Space Camp, the previous winner going in 1999. In addition to raising money for this Space Camp endeavor, the Heimdal also donates time and money to ten other local charities, including sponsoring welfare children at Christmas, helping hurricane victims, and feeding animals in shelters.

Two STARFLEET Crews Team Up to Fight Cancer in Maryland

During the summer of 2009, members of the USS Richthofen and the USS Thor teamed up in Baltimore to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The “Relay for Life”, now in its 25th year, is a unique event. Unlike other walk fund raisers, this is a team event where groups of 8-10 people take turns walking around a track while other members encourage them. Its a wonderful metaphor for providing support for those struggling with the disease and their friends and family. The crews’philosophyabouttheeventisthis:“Thereisnofinishlineuntilwefind a cure for cancer.”

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Celebrities in STARFLEETApollo 13 Astronaut Fred Haise - STARFLEET Member since 1997

When the Apollo 13 crew radioed back to Earth, “Houston, we have a problem...” one of the most dramatic series of events in manned space exploration history unfurled over the next five days. Safely back on Earth, Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise stayed with NASA and went on to command the first and only mission of the prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise. Now a civilian, Mr. Haise joined STARFLEET back in 1997, not just as an honorary member, but as a full, active member on board the USS Haise, a Chapter based in Mississippi that carries his name. Mr. Haise attends Chapter meetings and functions, and he was the guest of honor at the 3-day 2009 STARFLEET International Conference in Greensboro, NC...where he spoke in front of the gathered membership, socialized with members, helped to fund raise, and was awarded a lifetime membership in STARFLEET in recognition of his many accomplishments.

Star Trek Actors Active in STARFLEET

Many Star Trek actors are given honorary memberships by various fan clubs, but STARFLEET has as active members three actors who each had recurring roles in the various television series. Vaughn Armstrong, Casey Biggs, and Richard Herd are all members of the USS Lone Star in Texas, and they also appeared as guests the 2005 STARFLEET International Conference in San Antonio.

Vaughn Armstrong“Admiral Forest” from Star Trek: Enterprise

Casey Biggs“Damar” from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Richard Herd“Admiral Paris” from Star Trek: Voyager

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Tim Russ (“Tuvok”) Appears at STARFLEET Functions

Tim Russ played the Vulcan security officer “Tuvok” for seven years on Star Trek: Voyager. Although not a member of STARFLEET, Mr. Russ is no stranger to our organization. He appeared as a special guest for two days at the 2007 STARFLEET International Conference in Denver, Colorado, talking to members, signing autographs, and hanging out. Mr. Russ and his family also joined the crew of the USS Angeles Chapter of Southern California for a crew meeting and stargazing party. Mr. Russ is an amateur astronomer and brought his high-power telescope along for a clear night sky viewing in the hills of Palos Verdes. For several hours, Mr. Russ spoke with Vulcan-like authority about various celestial objects which could be viewed though his telescope.

Robin Curtis (“Lieutenant Saavik”) and J.G. Hertzler (General Martok) Appear at STARFLEET International Conference in Upstate New York

When the STARFLEET International Conference went to Ithaca, New York in 2008, two Star Trek celebrities lived close by and were contacted by the hosting Chapter, USS Accord. Usually, these two actors are guests at large Star Trek conventions in major cities where thousands or even tens of thousands of fans show up. However, Ms. Curtis and Mr. Hertzler were more than happy to put in an appearance where only a couple of hundred fans would be in attendance. In fact, they sincerely enjoyed the more intimate setting, and STARFLEET certainly enjoyed having them as special guests for the weekend.

Robin Curtis“Lieutenant Saavik” from

Star Trek III and Star Trek IV

J.G. Hertzler“General Martok” from

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

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Advertising RatesThe STARFLEET website - www.sfi.org

Newly redesigned in 2009, the STARFLEET website features content intended for both members and non-members. And thanks to our efforts in Search Engine Optimization, when an Internet user types in “Star Trek fan club” on Google or Yahoo, the STARFLEET website is always among the top one or two matches. Because of this, our website gets upwards of 17,000 unique visits per month.

The cost for a banner ad can be either per impression or per month. We charge $25 per 10,000 impressions (which is about two weeks) or $50 per month (regardless of impressions). Banner ads on our website appear primarily on the home page and should be sized at 250 x 160 pixels (other sizes may be requested). Ads can be static or animated gifs and must first be approved by us.

Our advertisers tend to fall into two categories. The first are businesses with science fiction based offerings looking for a gathering place of Star Trek fans on the Internet. The second are service companies and retailers such as hotel chains, rental car agencies, office supply vendors, etc. who offer STARFLEET members special discounts. One of our discount partners, Red Roof Inns (see below) was ecstatic to see an almost immediate response to their 20% off discount offer when eight room

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History of STARFLEET1973: The roots of STARFLEET begin when John Bradbury and a group of Texas Star Trek fans form the USS Enterprise.

1974: STARFLEET is founded on May 23, 1974. The first issue oftheorganization’snewsletter,STARFLEETCommunications,announced that, “The USS Enterprise has been reorganized, effective Stardate 2538.0. It will henceforth be known as STARFLEET, due to directives determined during reorganization.” The chapter USS Enterprise then commissioned in Lufkin, Texas, which also became the location of STARFLEET Headquarters. Two more chapters were quickly commissioned: the USS Constellation in Memphis, TN, and the USS Constitution in Coppel, TX. By the end of 1975, there were 14 chapters across the country, including the USS Eagle in California, which remains in existence to this day.

1977: Bradbury retired from active duty and was replaced by FleetAdmiralAdelineLongshaw.STARFLEET’sorganizationalstructure began to solidify. During the Longshaw Administration, STARFLEET operated with 16 active starships and 35 planetary outposts (chapters-in-training). Recruiting continued at a fast rate. In October of 1979, STARFLEET stood at 700 members.

1978: Commodore John Wetsch opened STARFLEET Academy, featuring correspondence courses on Star Trek trivia and STARFLEET procedures for any member wanting to get more involved in the club.

1979: STARFLEET changed commanders twice. Longshaw had to put STARFLEETmatters aside to deal with a serious hospitalizing illnesses in her family and stepped down as the Commanding Admiral of STARFLEET, and Admiral Brandt HeatheringtonbecameSTARFLEET’sfirstinterimCommander,STARFLEET. A few short months later, Admiral John Wetschbecamethe3rdCommander,STARFLEET.Wetsch’sadministration improved even more on the organizational structure of the fleet.

1981: STARFLEET had its first schism, as Fleet Admiral Wetsch struggled for control of the organization against a young reformer named Eric Stillwell. By the time the smoke had cleared, Eric Stillwell had become the 4th Commander, STARFLEET. John Wetsch went on to gather members into a different fan organization which he called “Starfleet Command.”

1983: Eric Stillwell guided STARFLEET into a new renaissance. The newsletter, now called the Communiqué, was being published on a regular basis and membership packets were going out promptly. STARFLEET had grown to over 3,000 members and 200 chapters around the world, and was even advertising in Starlog magazine. But all these expenses began to take their toll on the STARFLEET treasury, and by 1983, the organization was struggling to produce any membership materials.

1984: Stillwell officially resigned as the Commanding Admiral of STARFLEET. (Stillwell would later go on to Hollywood to work as a Production Assistant on Star Trek: The Next Generation.) AfterSTARFLEET’sfirst-everelection,CaptainFranBoothofthe USS Antares in Texas became the new Fleet Admiral and 5th Commander, STARFLEET on March 27, 1984. She took command of a much-depleted STARFLEET. Membership had dropped from nearly 4,000 to 1,000 and chapters had decreased from close to 200 to fewer than 30.

The Booth Administration began immediately to rebuild the Fleet, and quickly brought the Communications Department back online with a streamlined, less expensive newsletter and membership materials. The remaining thousand members worked tirelessly to recruit new members and continued to renew themselves. The central organization set up the “Shuttle” Program to help nurture and support new chapters. The Academy, which had faded into obscurity, was reinvigorated into the fun and engaging membership offering it is today.

STARFLEET pulled itself up by its bootstraps. But the toll of rebuilding the Fleet weighed heavily on Fleet Admiral Booth, and at the end of her two-year term, she announced her intention not to run for reelection.

1987: Admiral Steven Smith became the 6th Commander, STARFLEET, on December 28, 1986. The Smith Administration saw another explosion in the size and scope of STARFLEET. The Academy continued to grow, and the pocket-sized Communiqué went color. The first STARFLEET National Conference was held.

1989: Commodore Jeannette Maddox became the 7th Commander, STARFLEET, in January 1989. Maddox was elected unopposed. The Maddox Administration can be credited for bringingSTARFLEEToutofourparents’basementsandintothe mainstream of respectability. To stabilize the finances, STARFLEET went back to black and white Communiqués. Only after STARFLEET could afford it did the organization move to a larger, colored magazine format to bring more information to the membership.

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1990: The STARFLEET Scholarship program got off the ground, and almost every other month it seemed that another scholarshipwasadded.DuringFleetAdmiralMaddox’sfirstterm, STARFLEET was once again in the black, membership was growing, and the Shuttle Program (started under Fleet Admiral Booth) was fine-tuned into a useful tool to expand the organization. Another highlight was the authorization of the STARFLEET Marine Corps as a recognized appending body of the organization. And finally, the annual National Conference became the annual International Conference and was officially acknowledged as a regular event that would be held each year in a different city.

All in all, Fleet Admiral Maddox went into the election for her second term riding high, and STARFLEET was right there withher.FleetAdmiralMaddox’ssecondtermwasjustassuccessful as the first. She was able to convince Fleet to raise the dues from $10 to $15 a year (where dues have remained for nearly two decades).

1991: Fleet Admiral Maddox began the process to incorporate STARFLEET as a Not-For-Profit organization in her home state of North Carolina. Although there were a few snags, STARFLEET remains incorporated to this day and is the only Non-Profit Star Trek fan organization in existence.

1993: Admiral Rob Lerman became the 8th Fleet Admiral and Commander, STARFLEET, in January 1993. STARFLEET Academy continued to grow, and Regional Summits became popular, allowing STARFLEET members even more reasons to get together and socialize.

1995:STARFLEET’sfirstelectioncrisisresultedinafairamountof controversy and angst, but in the end, Dan McGinnis became Fleet Admiral and the 9th Commander, STARFLEET. Unfortunately, the two years of the McGinnis administration wouldberememberedasSTARFLEET’sdarkesthour.DanMcGinnis was a lightning rod for animosity, not all of it undeserved.

By his second year in office, several high-ranking members who were calling for McGinnis to resign were forcibly removed from their positions as Commanding Officers and Regional Coordinators. This action resulted in many Chapters from two of the Regions to leave STARFLEET as a group. These Chapters then formed an independent fan organization called the “United Federation of Planets Internationale” which no longer exists today, and many of these chapters have returned to STARFLEET.

1996: Two cnsecutive Vice-Commanders would each resign aftermajordisagreementswithDanMcGinnis’actionsandpolicies. With no Vice-Commander, crumbling support, and

an organization in both financial and operational chaos, Fleet Admiral McGinnis announced at the end of October that he would resign the position of Commander, STARFLEET.

Commodore James Herring, STARFLEET Chief of Operations and next in the line of succession, became the 3rd Interim Commander, STARFLEET. Commodore Herring refused to take a promotion to the rank of Fleet Admiral, citing the brief length of time he would be in office, but was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral.

1998: After a turbulent period of nearly a year during which time paperwork and forms had to be tracked down and new candidates for Commander, STARFLEET, were given the opportunity to prepare and campaign, an election was finally held in late 1997. On January 3, 1998, Admiral Glenn announced that Michael D. Smith was elected the 10th Commander, STARFLEET.

With the growing popularity of e-mail and the Internet, Fleet Admiral Smith declared that all forms of communication, in particular electronic and/or e-mail communications, could and would be considered an official way to communicate with STARFLEET, even though the old way, postal mail, was still acceptable. (The McGinnis Administration had declared electronic forms of communication, especially e-mail, “unofficial” and thus not to be used during his term of office.)

After the difficulties of the previous three years, it was widely agreed throughout STARFLEET that there was a need for real reform. So Fleet Admiral Smith appointed a committee to fashion a new Constitution for STARFLEET. The committee actively sought out the help and advice of all STARFLEET members, keeping the membership updated periodically. Thus, the reform of STARFLEET became a hallmark of the Fleet Admiral Michael D. Smith Administration. This new Constitution would make the Commander, STARFLEET more accountable to the membership, separate the Executive Committee and the Admiralty Board, and would guarantee Chapter autonomy and member rights. The new Constitution was completed and voted on at the end of 1998. It was ratified by a wide margin and put into effect in January of 1999.

1999: STARFLEET was still scheduled to hold elections in even-numbered years. So in 1998, Michael Smith was elected to a second term in office, which began in January of 1999.STARFLEET celebrated its 25th Anniversary as the 1999 International Conference was held in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a time for reflection and patting ourselves on the back. The organization had emerged from almost near collapse to feel it was again truly at the forefront of Star Trek fandom. This gathering was, to that point, the most attended International Conference ever.

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2000 and Beyond: In the summer of 2000, the first elections under the new constitution commenced. On November 17, 2000, Election Coordinator, Admiral Allyson Dyar, announced that Lieutenant General Edwin L. “Les” Rickard (SFMC) was to become the 11th Commander, STARFLEET, assuming the rank of Fleet Admiral on January 1st, 2001.

STARFLEET had started as the Starship USS Enterprise Fan Club in 1974, and now with the new millennium about to start, STARFLEET membership was close to 5,000 members and more than 300 chapters worldwide.

The Les Rickard administration was followed by the 12th Commander, STARFLEET, Fleet Admiral Michael Malotte, who took office on January 1st, 2003. Malotte, with the agreement of the Executive Committee and Admiralty Board, and ratified by a vote of the full STARFLEET membership, adjusted the new Constitution with a change to the length of a term in office for the Commander, STARFLEET. It had been felt by many previous holders of the position that two years was not enough time to get done all the needed doing. But four years (two terms) was more than enough to wear out a Fleet Admiral and his or her administration. And so, starting with the next commander of STARFLEET, the term in office would be three years.

The Malotte administration was followed by the election of Fleet Admiral Mandi Livingston as Commander STARFLEET starting in 2005. However, accusations of an election scandal resulted in Fleet Admiral Livingston resigning before the halfway point of her term in office, to be replaced by the ascension of General Les Rickard once again to the position of Commander, STARFLEET.

WhilecompletingtheremainderofMandiLivingston’sterm,Rickard (a soldier in the U.S. military) was shipped out to the Middle East. While Rickard remained connected to STARFLEET through e-mail and phone contacts, his Vice-Commander, STARFLEET, General Mark H. Anbinder, stepped in to become Acting Commander, STARFLEET, until the end ofRickard’sterm.LesRickardisnowbacksafelyfromhistourof duty.

In the latter half of 2007, STARFLEET held its most recent election, and for the first time in our history, four candidates ran for the office. The winner was a former Executive Committee member who had served previously in multiple administrations: Sal Lizard.

Taking office on January 1st, 2008, Fleet Admiral Lizard is the 15th individual to hold the elected position of Commander,

STARFLEET. Lizard and his Executive Committee got off to a rocky start, with four of the original eight Department Chiefs either resigning for personal reasons or else needing to be replaced when their work performance deteriorated. Lizard would not accept anything other than top performance from his team. And that is just what he got as new members were appointed to the vacated positions.

DuringLizard’sterminoffice,STARFLEEThasreceivedamajorface lift. A complete redesign of the STARFLEET Communiqué newsletter and an upgrade in paper quality has resulted in nearly universal enthusiasm from the membership at large. Likewise, the STARFLEET website was given a bottom-up makeover under the direction of a skilled designer, a knowledgeable information architect, and a team of top notch programmers. New membership recruitment materials were designed and circulated, and STARFLEET issued its first two national Press Releases to the general media.

All of the above endeavors were carefully timed to coincide with the release of the blockbuster 11th Star Trek feature film. Along with an outreach to Paramount Pictures, Roddenberry Productions, and several other notable Star Trek and Science Fictionmediasources,STARFLEET’sstrategysucceededbeyond our wildest expectations. Membership grew by 15% (nearly 500 new members) in just under a month, and several major news outlets featured STARFLEET members in their coverage of the new Star Trek film, including Newsweek,The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Maxim Magazine, and MSNBC.

Fleet Admiral Dave Blaser was elected to office in 2011 and has continued to evolve and improve STARFLEET operations and gain notice for the ogranization. Membership has grown byover700underBlaser’sterm.Asaconcensus-builderhe has developed a strong leadership team which will see STARFLEETintothenextdecadeandensureit’scontinuedsuccess.

STARFLEET is still strong with 4,800 members in 250+ chapters on four different continents. STARFLEET continues the proud tradition started over 35 years ago by a small group of Star Trek fans in Texas. With an infrastructure that is constantly growing and improving, dedicated volunteers, and a new supply of enthusiastic fans thanks to the resurgence in popularly for Star Trek, STARFLEET is well-positioned to continue to be a leader in Star Trek fandom throughout the world.

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Recent Press Releases

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Recent Press Releases

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Recent Press Releases

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Contact STARFLEET

Media Contact

Admiral Brandt Heatherington Director of Public Relations 1-888-SFI-TREK (888-734-8735) x102 703-659-7194 [email protected]

Corporate Contact

Fleet Admiral David BlaserCommander, STARFLEET1-888-SFI-TREK (888-734-8735) x701 [email protected]

Communications (newsletter and advertising)Vice Admiral Michael DugasChief of Communications1-888-SFI-TREK (888-734-8735) x704 [email protected]

Computer Operations (website)Brigadier General Chris CarothersChief of Computer Operations1-888-SFI-TREK (888-734-8735) x707 [email protected]

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