Thinking of becoming a Starfleet cadet? Your first duty is to watch this video!
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00:00So, you're thinking of applying to Starfleet Academy, it's an option considered by many
00:13of those coming of age across the Federation and beyond.
00:16Starfleet Academy offers a four-year training program for all those seeking a career in
00:21space, producing as many legends as it has lawbreakers over the years.
00:25Its main campus is situated just north of San Francisco on Earth and on over 80 worlds
00:31throughout the Federation.
00:32Given the recent fleet-wide Frontier Day fiasco, you might be worried that signing up will
00:37get you assimilated by Transporter or replaced by a vengeful Changeling.
00:41The Galaxy Truth Network has been told that Starfleet Medical is rushing to gather a solution.
00:45There might be plenty of rewards, but risk has always been Starfleet's business.
00:50Don't say we didn't warn you.
00:52Using publicly available sources and our vast network of whistleblowers, GTN has compiled
00:57a list of 10 things you should consider before applying to one of the Galaxy's most famous,
01:02now 250-year-old institutions.
01:05So arm yourself with the following facts that the Federation doesn't want you to know.
01:09I am Thomas C. Drexler for GTN with a special report, Things You Should Know Before Applying
01:15to Starfleet Academy.
01:17First up, the Entrance Exam.
01:20Finding a place at Starfleet Academy is tough.
01:22You should think about whether you want to put yourself or your child through the gruelling
01:26application process in the first place.
01:28To apply as a non-Federation citizen, you'll need a letter of recommendation from a command-level
01:33officer.
01:34So start sucking up to anyone with a few pips on their collar.
01:37After that, you'll face the Starfleet Academy Preparatory Program, which, unironically,
01:41you'll have to prep for.
01:43All candidates must sit the Entrance Exam, a series of assessments so challenging they
01:47make the Klingon Rite of Ascension look like a walk in the park.
01:51Someone once said, the only person you are truly competing against is yourself.
01:55When there are other people in the room and only one place at the Academy up for grabs,
01:59that's clearly not the case.
02:00Don't worry though, it took some digging but we found out that even the great Jean-Luc
02:04Picard failed the first time.
02:06From what GTN could gleam from former students, you can expect the following during the exam.
02:11The Hyperspace Physics Test, the Dynamic Relationships Test, an Interspecies Interactions Test, and
02:16to be quizzed on your knowledge of everything from astrometrics to quantum theory.
02:21Last but not least, there's the dreaded, and frankly traumatising, Psych Test, in which
02:25you have to overcome your biggest fear.
02:27Knowing all that, do you really want to take the Entrance Exam?
02:30Next.
02:31Help!
02:32I'm Genetically Enhanced
02:34A frequent question to our dear counsellor column comes from readers worried that their
02:38genetic status will bar them from service in Starfleet.
02:41But what is the truth behind one of the Federation's most notorious policies?
02:45Officially speaking, no genetically modified augmented individual may become a Starfleet
02:50officer, and no species that uses genetic engineering may join the Federation.
02:55There have been exceptions to this blanket rule, however, there are signs that the higher-ups
02:59are reconsidering their rather draconian approach.
03:02GTN has obtained previously unseen documents revealing that the arrest of the Illyrian
03:06and genetically enhanced Oonachin Riley, first officer of the Enterprise under Captain Pike
03:11in the 2250s.
03:13Little is known about her trial, as Starfleet has persistently stonewalled our requests
03:17for further information.
03:18In 2373, it was discovered that serving Starfleet officer Dr. Julian Beshear had undergone DNA
03:25re-sequencing as a child and failed to disclose the fact.
03:29Records show that Dr. Beshear was able to maintain his commission and medical license
03:33after his father, Richard Beshear, agreed to accept a guilty plea and prison sentence
03:38for illegal genetic engineering.
03:40In 2384, a major step was made for the differently gened when Admiral Janeway convinced a Starfleet
03:46tribunal to allow so-called Augment Dahl to become a warrant officer in training under
03:51her command.
03:52Let's hope Starfleet puts an end to genetic discrimination once and for all.
03:57Next up, beware the butt bugs.
04:00When Dr. Cochrane spoke at the dedication ceremony for the Warp 5 complex in 2119, he
04:06laid the groundwork for what is still Starfleet's mission statement at the dawn of the 25th
04:10century.
04:11To seek out new life and new civilizations and to go boldly, or split the infinitive
04:16if you prefer.
04:17Note that each year the Galaxy Truth Network offers the chance to win a guided visit to
04:21Bozeman, Montana with Sean Blass.
04:23Was this the real site for First Contact?
04:25You decide.
04:26Some would say First Contact was made in the 1940s with a group of Ferengi.
04:31Starfleet's exploratory imperative means that day, usually a couple of unfortunate
04:35ensigns, will also seek you out for the academy at the recruitment booth.
04:39Often set up at busy commuter's markets near Federation embassies, recruitment fairs attract
04:44not just Starfleet, but a wide range of curiosities from across the quadrants.
04:48Do hear out the purveyors of so-called conspiracies, as there is some truth to the butt bugs after
04:54all.
04:55Was Wolf 359 a hoax?
04:57Did the Dominion War really happen?
05:00GTN has been seeking answers for decades.
05:02I'd also like my ex-wife to answer the phone every once in a while.
05:06We know that Starfleet isn't above the use of trickery and deception.
05:10The organisation neither confirms nor denies it, and now, life hacks for no-win scenarios.
05:16Even if you didn't grow up around Starfleet, you've probably still heard of the Kobayashi
05:19Maru.
05:20The sore loser types especially might want to bone up on this command training conundrum
05:25and other no-win scenarios before their application hits subspace.
05:28It is common knowledge by now that young cadet Kirk found a creative solution to the
05:33Academy's impossible test by reprogramming the simulation to allow the rescue of the
05:38Kobayashi Maru from the Klingon neutral zone.
05:40Far from getting his marching orders for the crafty workaround, Kirk received a commendation
05:45for original thinking.
05:46Starfleet is unlikely to accept the computer trick twice, but the fact that Kirk beat it
05:51does prove that you can strategise your way through the seemingly inevitable and come
05:55off better for it.
05:56When another captain faced her own no-win scenario in the Delta Quadrant, she reportedly
06:00said to her crew, if you can't out-think the think-tank, don't try.
06:04Sometimes it pays to completely switch tactics.
06:07However, don't go chasing Norsicans.
06:09They're bigger, stronger, meaner, and they won't hesitate to stab you in through the
06:14back.
06:15Red Squad, Red Flag
06:18There are those cadets who aren't content with being the second or third brightest star
06:22of the constellation.
06:23For elite cadets, Starfleet Academy offers special training programs, one of which is
06:28Red Squad.
06:29If you're approached to join during your studies, be warned, things have never gone
06:33well for this band of young upstarts.
06:35Whilst it has been difficult to gather any information about the group's origins, leaked
06:39reports suggest Red Squad was pretty new in 2372 at the time of Admiral Layton's failed
06:45coup.
06:46If you were on Earth that year, you may remember the lights going out and armed Starfleet officers
06:50beaming into every street corner.
06:52Well, as it turned out, Red Squad cadets were responsible for the global power failures.
06:56Although, much like the rest of the planet as a result, they were apparently in the dark
07:01about the true nature of their sabotage mission.
07:03During the Dominion War, reporter for the Federation News Service Jake Sisko and friend
07:08Ensign Nog were rescued by the USS Valiant behind enemy lines.
07:12The pair were shocked to learn that the advanced Defiant-class starship was crewed entirely
07:17by Red Squad members.
07:18The story has a tragic conclusion as field-promoted Captain Waters led all but one of his fellow
07:24cadets to their deaths in a futile quest for glory against an enemy that outmatched them.
07:29A tale of hubris recounted in Jake Sisko's harrowing piece on the incident.
07:34Would you want your child on a ship full of cadets in a war zone?
07:37I think bloody not.
07:39Next, who's the groundskeeper?
07:41His name is synonymous with the Academy.
07:43The late, great Boothby was a fixture of the San Francisco campus for decades, serving
07:48not only as a diligent groundskeeper, but as a sounding board for countless cadets who
07:52came to rely on his sage advice.
07:54It is no exaggeration to say that many of today's most decorated Starfleet officers
07:59would not be where they are without him.
08:01Such was the influence and aura of the man that when, as we found out from Declassified
08:05Logs, the starship Voyager, still stranded in the Delta Quadrant, chanced upon the extremely
08:10detailed and lifelike recreation of Starfleet command and the Academy that turned out to
08:14be the work of Species 8472.
08:17It was the Boothby replicant who was in charge of the whole operation.
08:21Events culminated in a standoff.
08:22As an attempt to resolve the situation, Captain Janeway proposed a class reunion and Boothby
08:28settled on a truce with a rose.
08:30So for all those tough times at the Academy and for when you just need a friendly face
08:34to hear you out, we suggest you run the Boothby program on the holodeck.
08:38Next up, Zero-G is fun and other study tips.
08:42From the stars, knowledge.
08:44The Academy's motto, translated from the Latin, could not be more apt to describe an
08:48institution that must prepare its cadets for all aspects of service in Starfleet.
08:53Sure, there will be a lot of practical training and running, but ultimately, you're going
08:58to spend most of your time head firmly buried in a pad or two.
09:02Taught courses range from astrophysics to warp theory, through organic chemistry, xenobiology,
09:08interspecies ethics and much, much more.
09:11In her autobiography, Catherine Janeway looks back at her time as a cadet, recalling the
09:15coursework was a heavy burden.
09:17Janeway often had to pull an all-nighter just to get through.
09:20As such, the now-Admiral developed some handy revision techniques to help her memorise all
09:25those complex facts.
09:27What are the four analytical aspects of the subspace infrared algorithm, you ask?
09:31The answer is zeta particle derivation, gamma wave frequency, ion distribution, flow rate
09:37of positrons.
09:39And how on Andoria is anyone supposed to remember that?
09:42Try Janeway's neat mnemonic, zero G is fun or ZGIF.
09:47Next up, just say no to the Locarnos.
09:50If your application is successful, you pass the entrance exam with flying colours and
09:54secure a place at the academy, then, first of all, congratulations.
09:59Prepare yourself, however, to meet a cast of characters during your studies.
10:02Not all of them will end up serving you well like a Tom Paris.
10:06You are also likely to encounter the Nicholas Locarnos of the universe.
10:10It happened over three decades ago, but the Nova Squadron accident and cover-up of 2368
10:16cast a long shadow over the Presidio.
10:18That year, Locarno was head of the prestigious five-cadet flight team, including Enterprise
10:22D golden boy Wesley Crusher and cadet Sito Jaksa, who graduated but was sadly later killed
10:28in the line of duty.
10:30Locarno persuaded the team to perform the banned Colvord starburst manoeuvre for the
10:34academy graduation ceremony, but a crash during training cost the life of cadet Joshua
10:38Albert.
10:39In interviews given to other whistleblowers at the time, Locarno was said to have had
10:43an emotional hold over the group, convincing them to lie about the accident until the truth
10:48was finally revealed.
10:49And damn do I love truth.
10:52James T. Kirk also suffered a troublesome fellow cadet at the academy.
10:56Obnoxious upperclassman Prankster Finnegan reportedly made the legendary captain's first
11:02year a living hell, with bowls of soup and buckets of cold water.
11:06And now, Shea Sandrin or Sisko's Creole Kitchen.
11:10The Sol System is a great place to study whether you're applying to Starfleet Academy or not.
11:14Earth and Luna, or simply the Moon to the locals, have a lot to offer, with some of
11:19the galaxy's hottest tourist attractions to knock off your bucket list whilst you're there.
11:24Four years is a long time after all, as Admiral Jane Ray might say, you've got to let your
11:28hair down.
11:29For all those coming to the Sector 001 for the first time, note that there's always a
11:33chance of a boar cube hidden inside a gas giant, and let's not forget that the Utopia
11:38Planitia shipyards are still in ruins.
11:41One of the most important decisions you'll make as a cadet, if not for the rest of your
11:45Starfleet career, is where you choose to eat and drink.
11:48Earth has enough bars and restaurants to mean you never have to go near a replicator, but
11:52pick your regular haunt wisely as these are networking opportunities.
11:5610 Forward Avenue is best if you want some advice from John Luke over his fish and chips.
12:02Sisko's Creole Kitchen speaks for itself, especially in the hope that a certain captain
12:06returns from his heavenly duties, if he even is in the Celestial Temple.
12:11What Sector 001 really needs is a franchise license for quarks.
12:16In Roswell.
12:17And lastly, you can always go travelling instead.
12:20Despite what some pushy parents would have you believe, there's more to life than Starfleet.
12:25The Federation alone is a vast and diverse union of planets, brimming with career opportunities
12:30and experiences to be had.
12:32Sure, you'll get to see a lot of the galaxy if you don the uniform, but you'll also spend
12:36quite a while with a pretty lousy view from the lower decks.
12:39Before applying to the Academy, it is important that you consider all of your options.
12:44Why not go study in London and get a British accent?
12:47Perhaps try your hand at writing a holonovel.
12:49If you've not heard of the adventures of Flotter, Captain Proton, or even Photons Be Free, then
12:54you've been living under a rock.
12:56Speaking of rocks, archaeology can be far more exciting than it sounds, especially with
13:01a generous benefactor, and you might just make a discovery with cosmic conclusions.
13:06If none of this is tempting, you can try Xenobotany, Teaching on a Space Station, Temporal Investigations,
13:12The Federation Diplomatic Corps, Fenris Ranging, and the list goes on.
13:16It's the 25th century, ignore your folks and become a writer-slash-journalist if you want.
13:22Even if you do enter the Academy, you can leave any time if you reach your journey's end.
13:26Wesley Crusher made headline news when he quit to go travelling, only to return to Starfleet
13:30in time for 2379's most-talked-about wedding, though our sources tell us he is now back
13:36to the ways of Tau Alpha C.
13:38That was things you should know before applying to Starfleet Academy.
13:42Are you sure you still want to apply?
13:45Make sure to like and share the video and subscribe if you haven't already, and tap
13:49the notification bell to be alerted of future videos.
13:52If you can think of anything that we may have missed, like how I miss Linda and the kids,
13:56then let us know down in the comments below.
13:58You can find us on Twitter at Trek Culture or on Instagram at Trek Culture YT.
14:02You can find myself on Twitter at Tom C. Finn, and on various other socials as well.
14:06Thanks for watching, I'm Thomas C. Drexler for GTN, and there are wasps in my brain.