“What cultural and religious traditions were introduced from the Andorians, Denobulans, or Tellarites?”.

“How were legal issues negotiated between new trade partners like the Trill?”.

“What roadblocks had to be overcome to improve Andorian-Vulcan relations?”.

They had to give gamemasters and players the power to answer questions such as: This collection of ten mission briefs had to hit the mark. In that role, I became aware that many gamemasters and players were eager to try their hand at playing Andorian- and Tellarite-themed games, two species that had more of a spotlight in Enterprise than in any other series to date. Many out there know me to be a cofounder/contributor on Continuing Missions, a fan site dedicated to all things Star Trek Adventures. Vessels became cornucopia collections of distinct species with a variety of diverse and, often, conflicting cultural or political values.

Ancient cultures had to get to know each other. Canon establishes that the decades following were tumultuous times. I could not assume that the four founding species just flew off happily into the sunset shortly after the formation of the UFP. Building the framework for an era in which the Star Trek: Enterprise series was set would be a true task. My mind spiraled with ideas when STA Project Manager Jim Johnson asked me to write “Growing Pains,” the first compilation of Star Trek Adventures mission briefs based after 2161, the year the Federation was officially born. What a thrilling time in Federation history! Unexplored and possibly lethal anomalies lurk around every moon and star. More new worlds and new civilizations are being added to the UFP every year.

In addition, new and increasingly advanced vessels come off the line every few months. Often, a captain and their crew are days, if not weeks, away from a friendly face. They must rely more on armchair diplomacy and jury-rigging than years of astronautic experience or technological superiority to overcome the challenges this quadrant of space will present. This is a period in history when Starfleet captains are a rugged, quick-thinking bunch. It will be a careful balancing act as former adversaries become trusted allies. The four founding species – Andorians, Humans, Tellarites, and Vulcans – have a rough road ahead. The United Federation of Planets is newly formed. By Michael Dismuke, STA Contributing Writer

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