Simulator Rules of Operation
The Star Trek Service Record Simulator is a turn-based role-playing game that allows players to join Starfleet and pursue any career path they choose. Players direct the arc of their character: heroic, troubled, or somewhere in between, as time advances. Over the course of that career, a living service record is generated, chronicling every assignment, promotion, commendation, and setback. That record may be viewed at any time through this website.
Each turn in the simulator represents one month of time in the Star Trek universe. The simulation spans from January 2135 through December 2405 and is divided into two major phases: the Pre-Game and the Simulator Game.
Pre-Game (2135 - 2149)
The Pre-Game covers the formative years of Starfleet in the 2130s and 2140s, just prior to the events of Star Trek: Enterprise. During this period, the Game Master develops the political, technological, and organizational foundations of Starfleet up to the point seen in the series.
Players may begin creating characters as soon as Starfleet is formally founded on Turn One of the simulator. A special “Turn Zero” precedes it, during which no characters may be created while the initial legislation and structure of Starfleet are established.
The Pre-Game period covers the evolution of the NX Project and the early years of Starfleet
Players who enter during the Pre-Game experience a sparsely explored era of Starfleet history, witnessing the evolution of the NX Project and the earliest years of interstellar service.
Simulator Game (2150 - 2405)
During the Simulator Game, players may serve on a variety of Starships and with most historical characters from the Star Trek universe.
The Simulator Game encompasses the entire breadth of Starfleet history as seen throughout the various television series and films. Players creating characters during the simulator game may serve aboard a wide variety of starships, encounter historical characters, and participate in major events throughout the Star Trek timeline.
This phase of the simulator operates in tandem with an active game of Stellaris using the Star Trek: New Horizons “Alpha/Beta Quadrant” standard map. Most conflicts, discoveries, political shifts, starships, and major developments in the simulator are drawn from that live strategic simulation.
Players are encouraged to build lineages across several eras, continuing the story through the children or successors of earlier characters, or by creating entirely new Starfleet members. A single service record represents one life in Starfleet, but participation in the simulator may span many.
Canon Status
The Star Trek Service Record Simulator is a semi-canon representation of the Star Trek universe as portrayed in the television series and films. Historical Star Trek characters and starships will frequently appear within the simulator, allowing players to serve alongside figures from the franchise as well as original characters created by other participants.
The corresponding Stellaris game is configured to adhere as closely as possible to established Star Trek canon, with all canon features enabled and historical conflict events active. However, because Stellaris is an emergent, unscripted simulation, certain events, conflicts, and even the fates of historical characters may diverge from canon as a natural result of the game’s progression.
The fate of canon characters may differ in the simulator game
Records not Covered
The following types of records have been stated to exist within Star Trek but are not represented in the Service Record Simulator.
Section 31
The covert Starfleet agency known as Section 31 has a complicated history has a complicated history throughout the Star Trek universe. First introduced as a shadow intelligence group in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Section 31 was later reinterpreted in Star Trek: Discovery as an open branch of Starfleet Intelligence, complete with uniforms, insignia, and a headquarters facility. Due to the contradictory portrayal of Section 31 across the various series, as well as the covert and largely unknown nature of the organization’s true functions, characters in the Star Trek Service Record Simulator may not join Section 31, and no service records are generated for this organization.
Starfleet Reserve Records
"In simpler language...
They drafted me!"
Beginning with Leonard McCoy’s protestations of the “Reserve Activation Clause” in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and continuing through the recent revelation of Captain Riker serving as a Starfleet reservist in Star Trek: Picard, the existence of a reserve component within Starfleet has all but been confirmed.
In the real-world United States armed forces, reserve service is divided into two categories: the Ready Reserve and the Inactive Reserve, with inactive reservists being the most common. Inactive reservists are those who have completed a standard tour of active duty and remain in an inactive military status for a limited number of additional years before final discharge.
Ready Reservists are service members who participate in regular training, traditionally through “weekend drills,” and typically complete additional training each year. In more recent decades, Ready Reservists have also been routinely recalled to active duty and deployed in support of ongoing operations.
Reserve records can become complex and lengthy, depending on the amount of training undertaken and whether the reservist is recalled to active duty. Because a Starfleet Reserve would likely function in a similar manner, attempting to maintain reserve records would detract from the primary focus of the Star Trek Service Record Simulator. For this reason, characters may retire or be discharged at the conclusion of their Starfleet careers, but may not enter the Starfleet Reserve.
Starfleet Medical Records
Military medical records are a subset of a personnel file and include a wide range of documentation covering routine outpatient care, hospitalizations, and dental treatment. Within Starfleet, the various television series and films establish that medical records do exist and are typically maintained by a vessel’s or installation’s Chief Medical Officer.
Due to the volume of documentation such records would naturally require, and the time commitment necessary to create and track them, medical records are not maintained within the Service Record Simulator.
Leave and Pay Records
In the real-world armed forces, a service member’s leave (vacation) records may be as extensive as the service record itself. These track accumulated leave, requests for time off, and associated pay adjustments. No pay records exist within the simulator, as Earth and the Federation do not operate under a monetary system.
Within the Star Trek Service Record Simulator, individual leave records are not maintained as part of a character’s service record. In modern militaries, these are typically kept as separate documents known as Leave and Pay Records.
Star Trek canon does establish, however, that procedures exist for extended leave, during which a Starfleet member may depart their duty station for months or even years, something real-world militaries do not ordinarily permit. In such cases, the service record may reflect extended leave or prolonged leaves-of-absence.
Evaluation and Fitness Reports
Evaluation and fitness reports (known in the United States military as “evals” and “fitreps”) are major components of a service record, tracking performance, promotions, and assignments. During early testing of the Service Record Simulator, these documents were included. Testing demonstrated, however, that they were time-consuming to maintain, and added little to the flow of the simulator.
Much like in the actual military, Star Trek depicts crew evaluations as a time consuming and monotonous affair
For these reasons, evaluation and fitness reports are no longer included in the Service Record Simulator.
Player Participation
The Star Trek Service Record Simulator supports different styles of participation. Some players engage actively through correspondence and narrative development. Others prefer to observe, explore, or interact in quieter ways.
Player Verification
When a submission is created for a simulator character, a verification email is sent to ensure that the address is valid. This step exists solely to prevent system messages from being sent to mistyped or unreachable addresses.
Until an email address is confirmed the initial service record is created, but no game updates or player communications are sent. If no verification is received, a reminder is issued after seven days. If no reply is received within ten days, the account is treated as simulator-managed rather than player-participated. The service record remains fully intact and continues to exist.
Definition of “Active Player"
A player is considered active in the simulator if they reply to a system or game email, post messages or comments on the site, or log-in or otherwise are generating visible site activity. Email silence alone does not constitute inactivity. When no player activity is observed across any channel for an extended period (typically 6 - 8 months), a courtesy message may be sent to confirm whether the player wishes to remain actively involved in the service record simulator.
If no response or activity follows, the account is not deleted. The service record continues to exist and is treated as simulator-managed rather than player-participated. After this point, player-specific updates and correspondence will cease. At any time, a player may return and request that active participation resume.
Voluntary Departure
Players may leave the simulator at any time by sending a message stating that they wish to stop participating. Upon receipt all player messages and updates will stop immediately. The service record remains intact, and the account becomes simulator-managed. A former player may return at any time and resume active participation.
Character Completion and Legacies
When a character’s story naturally concludes through discharge, retirement, or death, the service record is considered closed. At that point, the player may create a new, unrelated character, or begin a legacy character connected to the original (such as a child or successor). To create a legacy character, players may message the STSRS Game Master with details about the new character.
Terms of Service
By using this website, you assume all responsibility and risk with respect to your use of the Star Trek Service Record Simulator. The website and all associated services are provided “as is,” without warranties, representations, or conditions of any kind, either express or implied, with regard to information accessed from or through the site.
All character profiles, service records, and related materials created on this website are considered the property of the website administrator. The administrator reserves the right to alter, modify, or remove any record at any time. Characters that are abandoned by players or associated with players who are removed for violation of these terms, may be assumed and operated by the simulator.
Communications on this website, including all messaging and chat features, must conform to general internet communication standards and may not contain material that is unlawful, deceptive, harmful, obscene, threatening, or spam in nature.
The administrator reserves the right to ignore, remove, or act upon any communication or request that falls outside the spirit, rules, or technical limits of the simulator, including requests that contradict established canon or core aspects of the Star Trek universe.
Use of the website constitutes acceptance of these terms.