Glossary of Terms

There is a lot of specific terminology used aboard the Dauntless. If you're confused about something, look it up here. If you don't find what you're looking for here, you can always ask your direct superior.

Active Duty

Away Team

Active Duty

Members who are actively involved in USS Dauntless activities.

In order to qualify for active duty, the member must meet at least one of the following requirements:

Posts on the Dauntless Facebook or Discord channels or on the Dauntless Google Group. (Commenting on a post counts, simply "liking" it does not);
Attends Away Missions as a member of the crew (as opposed to simply being present when an Away Mission is taking place, with no intent or involvement as a crew-member). This should be signified by something like wearing an accurate uniform, seeking out a team leader to check in, or posting on social media using the name of the USS Dauntless;
Responds to check-in requests from Department Heads

Members who do not retain an Active Duty status are automatically reassigned as Reserves after 6 months.

Away Team

In order to help us organise real-world meetings and Away Missions more efficiently, the crew of the USS Dauntless has been divided up into the teams listed below on a geographical basis. Each team is assigned to a Sector. The Sector and Team share the same name.

Although the USS Dauntless is based in South Africa, Region 8, a significant portion of our members live outside the Region.

The highest ranking crew-member who lives in an active Sector is the Team Leader by default

There is a map of the active Sectors, and a list of the Away Team Leaders here.

Away Mission

Away Missions are occasions when Dauntless crew-members engage in activities out in the real world.

Ideally, an Away Mission would be attended by all the members of an Away Team, and commanded by the Away Team Leader, but this is seldom the case. At a minimum, if at least one crew-member attends an event while officially representing the Dauntless, the event may be considered an Away Mission.

To ensure that an event you attend is considered an official Away Mission, add the event to the Dauntless' Calendar several days in advance, take lots of photos at the event, and post a report afterwards.

Duty Station Holders

Volunteers who are prepared to be actively involved in the running of the ship.

We hope that all members will choose to be Duty Station holders. For this reason, these members are awarded rank promotions and other accolades at a higher rate than all other members, in recognition of their efforts. Volunteering is prestigious, and we endeavour to make sure it's never thankless.

Mission Attendance

Attending Missions is one of the ways crew-members can earn credit towards rank promotions. It is also an important social exercise, that allows the crew to engage with each other in person, building trust and cohesion.

It is the task of the Mission Commander to log the attendance of all Dauntless crew-members at each event.

It is at the discretion of the Mission Commander what tool he wishes to employ in order to log the crew attendance. A report must be submitted to the Executive Officer on or before the last day of each calendar month listing all events you commanded, and which crew-members attended each one.

From time to time, it may happen that multiple Away Missions are taking place simultaneously, in the same location. The protocol for how to log attendance for that would depend on the specifics. In general, any crew-members who check in with the Mission Commander of either mission can be considered to have attended one or both. It is at the Mission Commander's discretion how that should be allocated. For guidance on this, contact the XO or CO.

Attendance Points

For the purposes of rank promotions, it may be useful to think of attendance in terms of 'points'. These points are applied only to the Attendance requirement of the rank promotion criteria; Hosting or commanding a mission is listed under a separate requirement.

For rank promotion purposes, there are four possible point values a crew-member might earn. One per mission, per crew-member:

2 - Attended the mission while wearing a CAUC uniform.
1 - Attended the mission
0 - Did not attend
-1 - Failed to report in

What counts as attending?

It is important to note that, under normal circumstances, attendance is logged, not participation. For the purposes of rank promotion, the Dauntless recognises only the act of being present when a mission is underway. We consider moral support to be as important as actual participation.

However, some SFMC awards specify participation, not mere attendance, in certain types of events. If your mission is one such event, you should log attendance in addition to actual participation. If the event is a competitive gaming tournament, the final scores should be included in your report.

It is ultimately at the discretion of the Mission Commander how attendance is measured, but there are some common-sense guidelines that should be considered. One or more of the following could be employed as the criteria:

The member was in the immediate vicinity of the rendezvous point for a significant period of time, such as 20 minutes or more.
The member checked in with the Mission Commander, by exchanging vocal greetings, introductions and proper salutations.
The member was present in uniform, or displaying Dauntless/SFI insignia (such as wearing an SFI polo shirt or a Dauntless cap).

In essence, we want to ensure that any crew-member who made the effort to be a part of the Away Mission, even if it was in a supportive or spectator sense, is recorded as having attended. The Mission Commander may use whatever criteria you believe represents that intent, given the specific nature of your event.

Failed to Report In

A disciplinary protocol allocated to a member on the basis of dereliction of duty under specific circumstances.

The vast majority of Dauntless events are for recreational, social or educational purposes. Although attendance is encouraged, it's not obligatory. There are certain events, however, that are so important and critical to the core mission of the Dauntless, that attendance of all available personnel is expected. These events are categorised as "Priority 1".

We understand that it's not always possible for everyone to attend a Priority 1 event. But given the importance of these events, we do require an active engagement from each and every Active Duty crew-member indicating whether they plan to attend, and if not, a reasonable explanation of why not. Should a crew-member not submit such an engagement, that is considered a very serious matter, calling into question their very reason for being a member of the Dauntless.

Under normal circumstances it is only appropriate to allocate scores of 0 to 2 to a crew-member who was invited to an event. "Failed to Report In" is a drastic measure that should only be applied under exceptional circumstances. Such circumstances must include all three of the criteria below:

The mission is Priority 1. If you are in doubt as to whether your mission qualifies for this category, you are encouraged to ask the Executive Officer or Commanding Officer for clarification on that point.
One of the following two:
1. The crew-member has ignored all requests for their attendance. They have not given an answer as to whether or not they would attend, nor have they given any reasons why they might not attend.
2. The crew-member has RSVP'd in the affirmative, stating that they will attend the event.
The crew-member did not attend the event.

In other words, if a crew-member either ignores the invitation to a Priority 1 event ('no response'), or reports that they will attend but then doesn't show up ('no show'), the requirements are met, and the Mission Commander has the authority to assign a "Failed to report in" to the crew-member. When submitting the Mission Log either immediately after the mission, or at the end of the month, a brief justification of any "Failed to report in" allocations must be included.

Assigning a "Failed to Report In" to a crew-member is a serious matter, and cannot be undertaken lightly. If the Mission Commander assigns a "Failed to Report In", it is at the discretion of the Executive Officer or Commanding Officer to overrule that allocation, and downgrade the allocation to the "Did not attend" instead. If a crew-member has been assigned a "Failed to Report In", and feels that such an allocation is unfair or that there were extenuating circumstances that should count in their favour, they are encouraged to appeal the decision with the XO or CO.

Having a "Failed to Report In" on your record will disqualify you from all rank promotions, awards or other recognition or advancement opportunities for 1 year, after which it will be removed from your record. Having multiple "Failed to Report In" instances on your record concurrently may result in being relieved of Active Duty status.

Receiving a "Failed to Report In" is a serious blight on your reputation. It tells your peers, subordinates and superiors that you are not a dedicated or committed member of the crew, and that you may be unreliable or untrustworthy. You should always do whatever is necessary to avoid having a "Failed to Report In" allocated to you. If you have received one, it should be an urgent concern for you to either appeal the allocation, or to regain the trust of your crew-mates.

Passengers

Members in good standing of STARFLEET International who have selected the USS Dauntless as their chapter of choice, but have not completed the Dauntless on-boarding process.

Priority (Missions)

Some missions are more important than others. In order to clarify the importance of a mission, it will be classified according to a priority system, as follows:

Priority 1

Events of critical importance to the existence and overall mission of the USS Dauntless, especially as it relates to Standing Orders #1 and #2:

Standing order #1: To promote Star Trek to our friends, families and the people around us.

These events are core to the purpose and existence of the USS Dauntless, such as opening nights for new Star Trek feature films in theatres, local Star Trek conventions and so on.

Standing order #2: Encourage initiatives to help bring about the future envisioned in Star Trek.

These events are core to the philosophy and purpose of the USS Dauntless, and have real-world, life-or-death consequences associated with participation, and would include missions with an active philanthropic focus, especially Blood Donations.

This category also includes chapter General Meetings.

Participation in these events is mandatory for all Active Duty crew-members within the Sector. If unable to attend, a negative RSVP is required, along with an explanation of the reason for dereliction.

Crew-members who fail to attend (or RSVP negatively) for the event may be assigned a "Failed to report in" flag on their Crew Evaluation, which will count against consideration of future recognition and advancement opportunities.

Priority 2

Events of significant importance, or events of great importance but with a limited scope.

These events represent the day-to-day functioning of the Dauntless. Active Duty members are expected to attend the majority of these events, as relevant to their Department and/or Sector assignment.

These may include local generic fandom conventions, Star Trek watch parties, mission-readiness training, staff meetings, community service events or sanctioned competitive gaming events.

While participation in these events is not mandatory, Active Duty members who consistently fail to attend a majority of relevant events will likely not be considered for recognition and advancement.

Priority 3

Casual events, or events of low importance.

These events represent the purely social aspect of Dauntless life. Crew-members are encouraged to gather for activities that don’t necessarily relate to the function or purpose of the USS Dauntless.

These may include hikes, picnics, non-Star Trek movie nights, non-competitive gaming events, camping trips or general social events.

Participation in these events is entirely optional for all members, but attendance will improve the likelihood of being considered for recognition and advancement.

Reserves

Crew-members who meet the minimum requirements for Dauntless membership and have completed on-boarding, but who do not participate in ship's activities.

This is a category for members who choose to be entirely passive in their Dauntless membership. All Active Duty members are reassigned as Reserves after 6 months of no participation in Dauntless activities.

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