TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Page -1
1.1 - Fleet Membership
1.2 - Non-Assigned Civilian
1.3 – Civilian
Page -2
2.1 - Military Officer
2.2 - Non-Commissioned Officer
2.3 - Retaining Former Rank
2.4 - Affiliation Types
Page -3
3.1 - Commissioning A Chapter
3.2 - Manning Levels
3.3 - Honorary Membership Status
3.4 - Ship Reporting Failure
3.5 - Promotion Cycle
Page -4
4.1 - Membership Removal or Termination (IN WORK)
Introduction:
Attention on deck!
Welcome aboard the Battlestar Fan Club (BFC) Fleet. As a member of the BFC whether your role is Officer, Enlisted, or Civilian. Your membership is exclusive to the assigned role you chose. Your membership in the BFC gives you opportunities. Choose your level of involvement as you wish. The levels of involvement I will explain later in this write up. During your time as a BFC member you will need to abide by the guidance and policies set forth by the club President. These rules of conduct if you will, are designed to ensure everyone is respects each other on every level. Disrespect and intolerance will NOT be tolerated by any member/s within the BFC.
Remember the overall goal of any fan club community is to be enjoyable and fun across the board. As a new member of the BFC you are automatically part of the Fleet. However, you as the member get to decide your own level of participation. As you continue to read on there will be different sections covering many areas. If you ever have any questions, or perhaps something is not very clear feel free to contact me. I will do my best to clarify and make revision to said section.
In closing your level of participation is dictated by you. In the BFC we acknowledge real life comes first. Sci Fi is just an escape from the dramas of real life in general. However, participation is not mandatory. As long as you are happy you’re good to go. Again, we completely understand no one can give an absolute 100%. Being a realist give balance to you and the community overall. Please enjoy your stay and again welcome to the Battlestar Fan Club! ~Salutes~
Respectfully,
FADM Rivera, M.A.(CF)
COMMANDER FLEET, BFC
SECTION ONE:
1.1 Fleet Membership:
As a member of the Battlestar Fan Club Fleet your roles fall into the several categories listed below. However, if a particular role is not listed it can be added unless it may fall under an existing role. For example: You want to choose your role as a Pilot. To expand further do want your role to be as a Civilian Pilot, Viper Pilot, Raptor Pilot, Shuttle Pilot etc etc. All this fall under the role of being a Pilot. Depending on the needs of the Feet I may add or remove roles as needed. My overall goal is to balance the needs to the BFC Fleet. You can always decide to change your mind and be re-designated to another role. Just send an email to your Chapter leader and CC the BFC Fleet Admiral.
1.2 Non-Assigned Civilian:
This role is basically a member that does not want to be assigned to any particular role. Just wanting to be part of the Battlestar Fan Club and a sense of belonging to a community. However you can change your role whenever you wish.
1.3 Civilian:
Civilian member is a non-military status. Where a member is part of the BFC Fleet, but is serving as a civilian in a non-official status. However, can serve as a civilian contractor, civilian pilot, civilian general-purpose roles etc etc.
SECTION TWO:
2.1 Military Officer:
Military Officers (MO) are assigned to the Colonial Fleet / Marine Combat Forces. These MOs are assigned to different ships serving the BFC Fleet or military base commands. Such as (Battlestar’s, Gunstars, Heavy Cruisers, Communication Ships, Hospital Ship etc etc). Be advised this position means you are categorized as a military asset in the BFC Fleet.
2.2 Non-Commissioned Officer:
NCO Military enlisted members who not commissioned officers. However, serve in the Colonial Fleet / Colonial Marines military forces. Whether they are assigned to serve on a ship or shore base activity. Be advised this position mean you are categorized as a military asset in the BFC Fleet.
2.3 Retaining Former Rank:
If you had a former military rank from another community and want it to be reinstated in the Battlestar Fan Club. You must email your request to the BFC President and BFC Fleet Admiral. There are some instances where your former rank can be reinstated. If it cannot then you must start over as an Ensign or Lower NCO rank. You must be able to provide proof of your former rank. Such as a certificate of completion from a previous community. If you have one from the Colonial Defense Forces, or Colonial Cylon Alliance. Your certificate can be validated and then approved for reinstatement. In order to remain fair to fellow members in the BFC validation is needed no exceptions.
2.4 Affiliation Types:
There are several ways to claim that you are, “Affiliated” with the Battlestar Fan Club. This rule is followed by a few other communities. These rules are strictly enforced by said communities in order to avoid people, other communities or Battlestar Chapters claiming to be affiliated with the Battlestar Fan Club when they are NOT.
-Member Affiliation:
One can claim this b/c they have a membership in the Battlestar Fan Club. Your membership is recorded on the BFC database as an official entry. If you ever decide to leave the BFC for whatever reason. Your information will be removed from the BFC database. This will end your membership and affiliation within the BFC community.
-External Community Affiliation:
This is for other Sci Fi / Non-Sci Fi communities wanting to be affiliated with the Battlestar Fan Club. The President, Community Leader or Leading Community representative can submit a written request. This written request will be reviewed by the BFC Leadership and discussed to render a decision. All decisions are not final until the BFC President makes it final. This decision will be based on all the info discussed by the BFC staff and given to the BFC President.
After a decision has been made and approved by the BFC President. The community which requested the status of affiliation to be granted. Will receive an email with approval and signed by the BFC Leadership. This document carries weight and will be honored by the community as well as any other communities that already have affiliation with the BFC. Claiming that your community is affiliated with the Battlestar Fan Club or any other community entity without proper proof. Is a false statement by said person or that person whom resides as the community leader. As such you risk being removed as a member of the BFC.
-External Battlestar Chapters Affiliation:
If you are Battlestar chapter from a community outside the Battlestar Fan Club (BFC). There are procedures that must be adhered to in order to commission your chapter within the BFC Fleet. As a rule, chapters regardless of their origin or commissioned communities. Are for all intent and purposes assigned to said communities. For example: Your chapter was commissioned and launched from Area 51 Club. It was created and formed within that community. Your entire chapter crew is also compromised from the membership within said club. Without the individuals within the club the chapter would not exist. There are no cross-community memberships meaning a chapter has dual community status. You either belong to one community or another you cannot be both. It’s a conflict of interest as far as military assets within a fan club community go.
The only way an external chapter can be commissioned within the BFC Fleet is to relinquish all ties with original community. The community leaders where the chapter was originally launched from need to send an email. This email needs to be sent to the Battlestar Fan Club President and BFC Fleet Admiral. The email is proof that community leaders have released the chapter and its members from any obligations to its former fan club.
This email also serves as proof that no pouching of members from one fan club community to another has occurred. BFC as a whole does not want to be involved in any conflict involving hearsay of any kind. Once the email has been received the process to can begin to commission the external Battlestar Chapter in the BFC.
Requirements are as follows and apply to any external chapter ships from other communities wanting to be part of the BFC Fleet. All members of the chapter must individually register for membership in the BFC. However, prior to members joining the BFC the external ship Chapter Leader/s must provide a list of the crew compliment. This list will be emailed to the BFC Fleet Admiral. This is to track said members and assign them to newly commissioned chapter. Once each member has registered and is part of the BFC community. The names will be crossed off the list showing accounted for. After the entire crew has been accounted for on the BFC membership database. The chapter commissioning process can begin immediately. Failure to have individual members serving on the external chapter register for membership in the BFC is a non-starter.
It also raises red flag about the actual intent of the external chapter and its leadership. There have been instances where a chapter leader/s claimed to have X amount of members, but in fact they did not.
SECTION THREE:
3.1 Commissioning a Chapter:
Procedures for a new member wanting to start a new ship chapter in the Battlestar Fan Club. Here is information you will need to know and requirements in order to have a new chapter officially commissioned.
As a member in the BFC your initial rank is Ensign within the Battlestar Fan Club Fleet (BFC). Anyone starting new starts at the rank. However, if you are wanting to start a Chapter in the BFC. I will help you from beginning to end until you become “Officially Commissioned”. Until such time your Chapter is “Under Construction”. Once the Chapter is commissioned you will be promoted to the rank of Major. Instead of being promoted to Colonel quickly I want to make sure you can handle leading a Chapter and the people who have joined you as the ship’s crew. Promotions are not just handed out for Command you must earn it.
Attitude reflects leadership so your crew will look to you for guidance. I can be reached at any time on the BFC website. You can leave me a message there, or email me and I will contact you. Every ship commissioned in the BFC starts at a certain rank in order to allow for growth. Naming your ship can be done by you or a group vote.
The ship name cannot be called by any ship which has appeared on the Original Series or New reimagined Battlestar Galactica show. Those ships Galactica and Pegasus etc represent the origin Fleet. We honor them by following their lead as they battle the Cylons to get away in search of the far away planet Earth. You can keep the name you choose among you and your shipmates. If you and your crew decide to change the name to something else. Please contact me in order for me to make the change and document it. Once you have the name, I will issue you your ship Registry Number (BSR/GSR/Civilian). The name and registry are how your ship and crew will be identified here in the BFC. This is NOT a race to get a Chapter started immediately instead it needs to be done correctly there is a process.
If not you and your Chapter will slowly fail and fade away. I don’t want that to happen. The commissioning process is not a long one unless the criteria’s that are mentioned above are not meant. I am here to support provide guidance, feedback and assist you anyway that I can for you and your ship to be successful within the BFC Fleet.
Below you will find more information on the aspects for starting a Chapter and guidelines / procedures. On the BFC site please go into the forum section and you will also find Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). I am releasing them as I go and I am big on Quality Control b/c fast and short cuts can undermine a fan club or a chapter. Battlestar Galactica is what we want to keep and strive for according to our founders. Always consider short cuts really do not cut it and any hidden agendas will eventually come out into the open and cause issues. In the BFC it’s all about having fun and leaving the drama in the cold vastness of space.
Here is the formation you will need in order to form a new ship chapter. There are a few stipulations which I will list below and if you have any more questions, please let me know.
1- A Chapter cannot be started if another chapter is 1 to 2 hours away. From your exact locations this is important. This is to help Chapters not get into any issues in recruiting new members or pouching. Instead, it helps the chapter grow in numbers and add to team cohesiveness which makes you all stronger as members.
2- There are manning rules which are carefully watched from Command HQ. In
order to launch your own Battlestar, Basestar, Gunstar or other type ship regardless if it’s from the new series or old you need a minimum of 15 people. If the number gets below 15 you risk losing your Chapter, or it can be downgraded to a different ship classification of my choosing. Until you can get the manning numbers back up.
You can always have more people, but for starting out you only need the above numbers. Your Chapter/Ship can be from the Original or Re-Imagined series. As always I am here to help I have a great reputation in the BFC so you can always feel free to ask about anything to help you out.
POSITIONS REQUIRED to be filled in order to launch ships is listed below.
Battlestar, Basestar, Gunstar or other Type = 15 People the positions are listed.
-Commanding Officer
-Executive Officer
-Operations Officer (2nd in Command just below the XO)
-Communications Officer
-Chief Engineering Officer
-Chief of Security
-Commander, Airwing Group CAG (Only for Battlestar’s and Gunstars/ military ship). Have your CAG contact me via email so I can give them more details on their specific duties aside from the norm.
3.2 Manning Levels:
Manning levels are crucial to the success of a Chapter if you drop below the 15 members. You risk your Chapter going into decommissioned status b/c you as the Commanding Officer failed to maintain manning levels. However, if you know you are going to lose a member or members. Please email or contact me immediately in order to come up with an extension or game plan. It helps to keep you honest as well as me in order for me to perform my duties effectively. You will be given the opportunity to recruit personnel in order to retain your manning status. Always keep track of your personnel aboard ship. Part of your duties as a Commanding Officer as well as your Executive Officer job role.
Manning aboard a Battlestar is everything if a Chapter falls under manning in this case less than 15 members. The Chapter will go from active duty into a dry dock status until the manning level are raised back to the standard level no exceptions. This is the responsibility of the Commanding and Executive Officer. Smaller ship manning level will be 10 this is not counting the command staff aboard ship. Monthly ship status can be emailed to me for activity as well as manning status.
It is the mission of every Commanding Officer to keep the Chapter (SHIP) clear of dry dock. Everyone is aware there will be problems in each chapter as well as disharmony or lack of cooperation. I am confident everyone will do their very best to be cooperative and fun well-rounded individuals. I will not decommission any Chapter unless I have no choice and have exhausted every option. The shipboard reporting every month will be the standard on communications with Commander, BFC. When implemented I will have a section which I will record all Chapters reporting in for each month.
3.3 Honorary Membership Status:
You as the Commanding Officer can grant any member within the BFC Honorary Membership status. Be advised that Honorary Members do not count as part of your crew manning and should never be listed as such. They are already serving on a BFC Chapter, so be careful pouching rule can be harsh. Another reason I inform all new personnel to please read all the SOPs I have posted and there will be more. In order for someone out of the BFC to be granted Honorary Membership (HM) you can grant as well they don’t have to be part of the BFC in order to be HM onboard ship such as friends, family or a BSG Actor/ Actress. If you have any further questions email for more details.
3.4 Ship reporting failure:
All BFC Chapters will be obligated to submit a Dradis Situation Report(DSR) to me in order to maintain contact and continuity throughout the Fleet. It will contain areas for you to fill out such as name, crew total, problems, assistance required and much, much more. It a great tool and it helps me to help everyone in the BFC Fleet! If a Chapter fails to report 30 days of the actual reporting day said chapter goes may go to dry dock. No comms from the senior three as I called them, (Commanding Officer, Executive Officer and Operations Officer) ship falls into a 30-day dry dock period. If after 30 days there is still no communications, I will try to reach out to the senior three and get a status. If there is no reply from my sub-space communications and I will give a few days. If not, the Chapter will go into a 60 dry dock period. Here is where the ship gets closer to getting decommissioned. From here I will try and get a hold of anyone on the ship to establish comms. If no one contacts me then the ship drops into a critical status with 90 days total now and the ship will be decommissioned. The Dradis Situation Report(DSR) doesn’t have to be if you do not want to, but a simple email will suffice.
In order to regain your Chapter again there will be a 30 days re-commissioning period for the ship to launch again. If any of the senior three will be away please contact me, so I know who will be submitting reporting in absence of the Commanding Officer.
3.5 Promotion cycle:
As the Commanding Officer you will be allowed to promote within your Chapter. I caution you about being rank heavy if people work hard and deserve it then by all means. However, if they are just along to ride the bus then don’t even if you lose a crewmate. People should be for the love and joy of BSG fandom not just b/c of rank. This method also help you know who the real fans are. As a Major or Colonel, you can promote to the highest rank below yours. Once you reach rank of Commander then you can then promote someone to Colonel. Yes, you can have two Colonels on the same Chapter it is not an issue.
As the Fleet Admiral I reserve the right to promote said chapter leaders to the rank of Commander. If they work hard and can show proof to back it up all in good time b/c I don’t believe in rushing anyone through the ranks. Many BSG Fans want the rank, but none want to put in the effort/work to know they have earned it. All I ask personally is to not promote people to quickly. Just ensure they earn it b/c it means they will work hard to keep the Chapter going and for the next higher rank. There is an official promotion cycle I am working on, but I am still working things out. Once it is ready, I will release as an SOPs. However Commanding Officer use your best discretion.
SECTION FOUR:
4.1 Membership Removal or Termination (IN WORK)
The Integrity, Honor and Reputation of the Battlestar Fan Club (BFC) will be of the UPMOST importance. As such this section will be adhered to without exception when having to engage in removing or terminating a membership. This course of action will be taken on a case by case situation. It be will be discussed at length among the Senior Leadership of the BFC. The final decision for removing or terminating a membership will be decided by the BFC President. Grounds for membership removal or termination will be listed below. Be advised this section may be expanded upon based of different situtations. The ultimate goal is to ensure the Battlestar Fan Club remains untarnished and maintains high standards as a leading fan club among its members and fellow Battlestar communities.
4.2 Membership Removal:
4.3 Membership Termination:
There are a few other key areas, but we can touch on those when over email, so there is no confusion. Remember if you have any questions contact me and I will respond. Once commissioned I will release to you your Ship Seal logos, Official Commissioning Letter with your first set of orders and I will make an ALL-HANDS announcement to the BFC Community on your Chapter Commissioning Day. If you need help making squadron logos, I can also assist with that. I am happy to see you have chosen interest in making a new Chapter within the Battlestar Fan Club.
I am here to help please email me anytime CAG_VF84@yahoo.com and I will get back to you soon. I am US Navy retired military as it is an Honor to serve in real life as it is in the Sci Fi community. Be safe and watch out for Cylons in your area of operations. ~Salutes~
Respectfully,
FADM Rivera, M.A.(CF)
Fleet Commander, BFC
Revised: 202407.29
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