If you log into Star Trek Online, the massively online role-playing game developed by Cryptic Studios and focus your subspace scanners into the Beta Quadrant arm of the Milky Way galaxy you’ll find a star base in the Aldebaran sector.

Stationed there is a medium-sized fleet named the Legacy of Mol’Rihan, forged approximately six years ago – during the launch of the Legacy of Romulus expansion for Star Trek Online. Like most fleets, it formed out of a need for likeminded people to get together.

“The name of the fleet was chosen based on the Legacy of Romulus expansion,” Cody, the founder and president of Legacy of Mol’Rihan, told the voces when we interviewed him. “As many know, it’s hard to find the right fit, as some fleets can be overbearing. So, I decided to form my own to make a place where members could relax, rather than have orders barked at them, since gamers should have fun.”

STO brings fleets together by providing group tasks, primarily “space paperwork,” that involves gathering resources from across the galaxy. This can be in the form of provisions, materials, resources, currency, dilithium, commodities, personnel, and similar in order to build up a star base that acts as a central home instance for the fleet that can be visited and acts as a home base.

As the fleet grows so does the base; and Legacy has quite the star base now.

Additionally, the Legacy of Romulus expansion brought an Embassy on New Romulus, which the fleet also has access to. When it comes to fleet properties, STO has quite a few of them from the embassy, the mysterious Solanae spire, a dilithium mine, a colony world, and the old K-13 starbase thrown out of time.

Group screenshot left to right: Lieutenant Trevor Green, Tre’laina, Fleet Founder Cody (Red Angel suit, behind), Vice Admiral Joseph Michael Liotta, Rear Admiral Zel Anne Brin (Reporter)

“When it comes to our growth,” Cody added, “getting the fleet projects done over the period of six years wasn’t always easy but it was worth it and the fact we are now seeing it to its conclusion is a godsend. The fleet still goes through completion through some fast and some slow paces.”

To better understand the inner workings of the community of the Legacy of Mol’Rihan, the voces went and spoke with the membership of the Legacy and here’s what some of them said about their experience.

When it comes to Cody and the Legacy, Fleet Admiral Marcus Kelson had a most glowing report, telling us:

“I’ll say that Cody, especially when I was first starting out, has really been there for me,” he said. “If it was something someone in the fleet needed, he’d go out and get it himself. He’s that generous. As far as the rest of the fleet members go, they’re always willing to help newcomers out as well; not to mention the fact that we have many craftsmen and donators in the fleet itself.”

Fleet Admiral Gaius Baltar, with the fleet only a couple months, told us that the best thing about the fleet is that the Legacy of Mol’Rihan is acceptance. “No one cares about your age, level, background, money, etc. everyone helps. It would be nice if they chatted a bit more, but then again I come on when it’s 3 a.m. for them.”

Baltar lives in Australia, so his time zone is a little bit off kilter when it comes to the rest of the fleet, so he understands if he might not see everyone else when they’re awake.

When the voces spoke to Baltar he added that he believes the Legacy of Mol’Rihan is an extremely generous fleet and features feels very welcoming and became a homecoming for him when he was away from the game for so long. Everyone has been so nice and warm.

Captain Joseph Michael Liotta (at the time) and the U.S.S. Siegfried

Finally, we spoke to Vice Admiral Joseph Michael Liotta, with the fleet for approximately a year, who says that he spends most of his time relaxing with the fleet when they’re not flying task force operations against the enemies of Starfleet to make the galaxy a safer place.

“It’s a family, united in spirit and purpose. We help each other out, not from compulsion, but freely – because we are brethren,” Liotta told the voces. “As a family and armada we celebrate individuality even as we unite in purpose and in spirit.”

Our own reporter joined the Legacy of Mol’Rihan several years ago, during the Legacy of Romulus. We don’t chat very often – but we do sometimes participate in task forces and fleet alerts with Cody and other fleet members, and do sometimes hang out on Risa in swimsuits.

We can say we agree with many of these quotes that indeed, it’s true, Legacy has been a friendly and welcoming place. Its growth has been slow, without much flash or panache, but it also has its own cozy atmosphere and the resources of a tier five fleet and an active membership.

Although it is a little bit difficult this time of year to get people together for a group photo due to time zones, work, and school – we did get part of the Legacy of Mol’Rihan together on the starbase. And, while we were there, some uppity Tholians, Star Trek’s crystalline race of spider people decided to attack, so we repelled them with extreme prejudice.

Image taken during the defense of our fleet starbase against Tholian aggression protecting our assets and personnel
More action at the defense of the Legacy of Mol’Rihan fleet starbase, many Tholians ate hot phaser banks that night!

According to Cody, he expects that Legacy of Mol’Rihan will keep growing into 2021 along with Star Trek Online. Of course, we have to make it through 2020 first — Tholian fleets be damned — these crystalline spiders didn’t really phase us much, so we asked him for one final quote.

“To keep growing stronger make new friends,” he said, when asked about plans for the future, and, “to help more players get what they need and to give players who return to the game a new fleet home to be welcomed to.”

We voces certainly have found a home with Legacy of Mol’Rihan and it has been good to fly with them and we look forward to return to the fleet.

See everyone among the stars.