Commanders,

The strongest game communities are built when players have a meaningful voice—and when that voice can reach the people shaping the game.

We’re excited to introduce the Star Trek Fleet Command Player Council, a program designed to bring players together to represent the wider community, discuss the issues that matter most, and provide thoughtful, constructive feedback directly to the STFC team.

Applications are now open for players who care deeply about the game and want to help make a difference.

What is the Player Council?

The Player Council will consist of approximately 10 members representing a broad range of experiences, progression levels, platforms, playstyles, and community perspectives. Most members will be elected by the community, with up to two seats reserved for members selected by the STFC Team.

Members will serve a six-month term, during which they will meet regularly with the STFC team and one another. Their role will not be limited to sharing their own opinions: Council members must listen to fellow players, identify recurring concerns, and represent perspectives beyond their immediate alliance or social circle.

This is not an honorary title. It is a working council built around responsibility, constructive discussion, and meaningful collaboration.

A Council for our Global Community

STFC is played by Commanders around the world, and the experiences of players can vary significantly across regions. For that reason, we would ideally like the Council to include representation from all three major community regions: APAC, EU and US. 

Regional representation will be considered when reviewing the overall strength and diversity of the candidate group. This does not mean that candidates will be selected solely because of where they live, nor does it guarantee a fixed number of seats for each region. Every candidate must still demonstrate the qualities, commitment, and judgment required to serve effectively.

We strongly encourage applications from every region and player grade, particularly from communities and player groups whose perspectives may not always receive the same level of visibility.

What will the Player Council do?

The Council is a more structured and consistent connection between players and the STFC team. Its role includes:

• Exploring new concepts and discussing future opportunities
• Delving into hidden treasures in the game that need spotlighting
• Gathering and representing feedback from different parts of the community
• Discussing gameplay systems, events, communications, and community initiatives
• Helping the team understand how changes affect different regions and player groups
• Identifying areas where game information or expectations may be unclear
• Providing structured feedback on appropriate topics
• Challenging assumptions constructively and offering alternative perspectives
• Helping prioritize the subjects that matter most to players

The Council will be an advisory body. Membership will not provide moderation powers, decision-making authority over the game, access to player accounts, or a guarantee that every suggestion will be implemented, but it is your opportunity to contribute to the future of STFC and the daily experience of 100,000s of people.

The Council’s influence will come from the quality of its insight: identifying the problems, explaining their impact, and helping the team understand what a better player experience could look like.

Who should apply?

We encourage you to apply if you:

• Care about the long-term future of STFC and its community
• Understand that representation means listening as well as speaking
• Can separate personal preferences from wider community needs
• Communicate clearly, respectfully, and constructively
• Can explain problems in detail and consider realistic solutions
• Are comfortable working with people who may strongly disagree with you
• Can commit the necessary time throughout the six-month term
• Are prepared to follow confidentiality and conduct requirements
• Want to contribute consistently, rather than simply receive recognition or access

You do not need to be the loudest person in the room, the highest-level player, or an expert in every part of the game. We are looking for thoughtful players who ask good questions, consider different perspectives, and participate reliably.

Why are moderators and content creators excluded?

For the first Player Council term, community moderators and active STFC content creators will not be eligible to apply.

Moderators and content creators already hold important and highly visible positions within the community, and have established channels through which they can communicate with the team. The Council is intended to create an additional path for players whose perspectives may not otherwise receive the same visibility.

This restriction also maintains clear boundaries between community representation, moderation responsibilities, CCs, and Council participation. It reduces potential conflicts of interest and creates more space for previously underrepresented voices.

This is not a reflection of the value of moderators or content creators. Their work remains essential to the STFC community; the Player Council simply serves a different purpose.

Confidentiality and NDA

To participate fully, elected Council members will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA, before their term begins.

Council discussions may occasionally include information that is not yet and may never become public, such as early concepts, unreleased features, future plans, internal research, or confidential business information. Members must be able to engage with these discussions responsibly and protect the trust placed in them.

The NDA is not intended to prevent Council members from raising concerns, disagreeing with the team, or representing player sentiment. It establishes clear boundaries around what may and may not be shared publicly.

Council members will be free to discuss approved public updates, community feedback themes, and information that the STFC team has explicitly authorized for publication. They may not share confidential meeting details, screenshots, recordings, documents, private player information, or unreleased content.

Candidates should only apply if they are comfortable signing and following these confidentiality requirements. An elected candidate who cannot sign the NDA will not be able to take their Council seat.

The six-month commitment

During their six-month term, Council members will be expected to:

• Attend scheduled Council meetings and discussions
• Prepare meeting agendas by reviewing relevant topics in advance, as required
• Gather perspectives from players beyond their immediate community
• Participate consistently and respond within reasonable timeframes
• Follow the Council Code of Conduct and NDA
• Represent community concerns accurately and in good faith
• Declare relevant conflicts of interest
• Protect confidential information
• Notify the team if they can no longer meet the commitment

The fixed term gives members time to build working relationships and contribute meaningfully while ensuring that other players will have opportunities to participate in future Councils.

What makes a strong application?

A strong application will:

• Explain your motivation beyond simply loving the game
• Describe the regions, playstyles, or player communities you understand
• Demonstrate how you listen to people with different opinions
• Provide examples of constructive feedback or community involvement
• Identify meaningful player issues and explain why they matter
• Show that you understand the responsibility of representing others
• Be specific, authentic, and written in your own voice

Avoid generic statements such as “I have played for a long time” or “I know what players want” without explaining what you have learned and how you would contribute.

Applicants who do not agree to abide by the Player Council Code of Conduct (below) will not be eligible.

Why is the application so detailed?

We recognize that the application requires time and careful thought. That is intentional.

Council members will need to engage with complex subjects, consider competing perspectives, communicate clearly, protect confidential information, and participate reliably for six months. The application gives candidates an opportunity to demonstrate those qualities before the election begins.

A detailed application also helps discourage spam, duplicate entries, and low-effort submissions. The goal is not to make applying unnecessarily difficult, but to identify thoughtful and committed candidates who can make the Council effective from its first meeting.

How will candidates be selected?

Applications will first be assessed by the STFC team against a set of criteria including:

• Understanding of the player council
• Quality and practicality of ideas
• Ability to represent different perspectives
• Regional and community awareness
• Constructive and clear communication
• Reliability and commitment

If the number of eligible candidates exceeds the maximum ballot size, the strongest applications will advance. Up to 30 finalists will be presented to the community, in the #player-council-election channel. 

Finalists will receive an equal opportunity to introduce themselves, share their priorities, and explain why players should vote for them. The community will also be invited to participate in a Q&A with the finalists before voting begins.

The final Council will then be selected through a community election.

Ready to represent your fellow players?

Applications for the STFC Player Council are now open. If you can represent different perspectives, communicate constructively, and commit to helping improve the wider player experience, we encourage you to apply.

Take your time and tell us what you believe the Council should accomplish, which communities and experiences you can represent, and why players should trust you with their vote.

• Submit your application: Player Council Application Form
• Application deadline: July 31, 2026

Players are welcome to discuss the initiative throughout the official STFC Discord. #player-council-election will be reserved for official election announcements, important updates, candidate information, and the finalist Q&A.

Your experience could shape the discussion. Your perspective could help us see something differently. And your voice could help build a stronger future for the STFC community.

Player Council Code of Conduct

Purpose

The Player Council exists to provide thoughtful, representative, and constructive player feedback to the STFC team.

Council membership is a position of trust. Members are expected to act in the interests of the wider community, participate in good faith, and maintain professional standards throughout their six-month term.

Acceptance of a Council seat requires agreement to this Code of Conduct and the applicable NDA.

Represent the wider community

The Player Council exists to provide thoughtful, representative, and constructive player feedback to the STFC team.

Council membership is a position of trust. Members are expected to act in the interests of the wider community, participate in good faith, and maintain professional standards throughout their six-month term.

Participate constructively

Members must communicate respectfully with other Council members, players, and STFC employees.

Healthy disagreement is welcome. The following are not:

• Personal attacks, insults, or harassment
• Discrimination or hateful conduct
• Threats or intimidation
• Doxxing or sharing personal information
• Deliberately disruptive behavior
• Repeatedly talking over or silencing others
• Bad-faith arguments or intentional misrepresentation
• Retaliation against someone for expressing a different opinion

Criticism should focus on decisions, systems, experiences, and outcomes, not individuals.

 Protect confidential information

Council members must comply fully with the NDA and any confidentiality instructions attached to specific meetings or materials.

Confidential information may include:

• Unreleased features, events, content, or game changes
• Internal plans, schedules, research, or business information
• Meeting recordings, screenshots, transcripts, and documents
• Private communications with STFC employees
• Personally identifiable or private player information
• Information explicitly marked confidential or shared in a confidential setting

Members must not hint at, tease, trade, leak, or indirectly confirm confidential information. Confidential material may not be shared with alliance members, friends, content creators, moderators, or other third parties.

When uncertain, members must ask the STFC team before sharing.

Respect player privacy

Council members may raise player concerns, but they should avoid sharing usernames, account information, private messages, or other identifying details unless permission has been provided and the information is necessary.

Sensitive account or support issues should be directed to the appropriate official channel rather than investigated by Council members.

Council membership does not grant access to private player records or authority to intervene in individual support cases.

Declare conflicts of interest

Members must disclose relationships or interests that could reasonably affect their judgment, including:

• Employment or commercial relationships connected to STFC
• Undisclosed content creation or promotional activity
• Leadership positions in communities directly affected by a discussion
• Financial interests connected to a proposal
• Close personal involvement in a dispute under discussion

A conflict does not automatically disqualify a member. However, the STFC team may ask that member to step back from a particular discussion or recommendation.

Do not misuse Council status

Council membership must not be used to:

• Claim authority over other players
• Obtain preferential support or account treatment
• Secure rewards, access, or favors for an alliance or individual
• Promote commercial services or personal projects
• Pressure players into supporting a position
• Threaten others with influence over the STFC team
• Present speculation as confidential or official information
• Imply that personal statements represent an official STFC position

Council members must clearly distinguish their own opinions from official announcements.

Maintain election integrity

During the election and throughout the Council term, candidates and members must not:

• Buy, trade, or incentivize votes
• Use alternate or fraudulent accounts to influence voting
• Coordinate harassment against another candidate
• Spread knowingly false information about candidates or the process
• Send excessive unsolicited campaign messages
• Abuse alliance authority, moderation access, or other positions to pressure voters

Good-faith campaigning and respectful endorsements are permitted within the published election rules.

Meet the participation commitment

Members are expected to attend meetings, prepare appropriately, and participate consistently.

If a member cannot attend or complete an agreed responsibility, they should notify the Council coordinator as early as possible. Repeated unexplained absence, prolonged inactivity, or consistently unprepared participation may result in removal.

Reasonable accommodations should be discussed with the STFC team where needed.

Engage responsibly on Discord

Council members may participate in public discussions, gather feedback, and clarify their own views, but they must:

• Follow Discord’s rules and the official STFC server rules
• Keep confidential Council conversations separate from public discussion
• Avoid presenting unconfirmed information as fact
• Correct significant inaccuracies when they become aware of them
• Avoid escalating hostile exchanges
• Refer official process questions to the STFC team when appropriate

Accountability and enforcement

Potential violations may be reviewed by the STFC team. Depending on the seriousness and frequency of the behavior, action may include:

1. Informal guidance
2. A formal warning
3. Temporary restriction from Council activities
4. Removal from the Player Council
5. Additional action under applicable Discord or game policies

Serious misconduct—including confidentiality breaches, harassment, discrimination, threats, fraud, or misuse of private information—will result in immediate removal.

Council members will normally be informed of the concern and given an opportunity to respond before a decision is made, unless urgent action is required to protect players, confidential information, or the integrity of the Council.

Acknowledgment

By accepting a seat, each Council member confirms that they:

• Have read, understood and agreed to the Code of Conduct
• Agree to comply with the NDA
• Understand the six-month participation commitment
• Will represent player feedback honestly and responsibly
• Accept that serious or repeated violations may result in removal

Zero-tolerance policy for leaks

The Player Council will operate on a strict foundation of trust. One leak of confidential Council information will result in the immediate dissolution of the entire current Council.

If confidential information—including screenshots, recordings, documents, unreleased content, meeting details, or private communications—is disclosed without authorization:

• All Council activities will stop immediately.
• Every member’s access to confidential spaces and materials will be revoked.
• The current six-month Council term will end.
• The incident will be investigated to determine responsibility.
• The responsible individual may face additional action under the NDA, Discord rules, or applicable game policies.
• A replacement Council or new selection process may be established at the STFC team’s discretion.

This policy applies once a leak has been reasonably investigated and confirmed; allegations alone will not trigger dissolution. The confidentiality obligations of every member will continue after the Council has been dissolved or their individual term has ended.

This standard is intentionally strict. The Council can only receive meaningful access and participate in candid discussions if every member protects the trust placed in the group. One member’s decision to leak confidential information puts the integrity of the entire Council at risk—and ends the current Council for everyone.