Sanek Info

     
Sanek - Character Information

Real World Background

     Sanek actually has a very long history that began more than 20 years ago. The original incarnation and idea of the character started when I purchased the original Star Trek Role Playing Game (FASA, 2nd Edition, 1983). The STRPG had a fairly lengthy and somewhat complex character creation system, that eventually included actually rolling dice to determine the results of cadet cruises (the results of which could have a profound affect on the remainder of the characters careers). Thus, sometime in 1983 (the date of which has been forgotten), Sanek was rolled up and created as a pen and paper character.
     When creating the character, his cadet cruise rolls were all very lucky for the most part, and he was assigned to Constitution or Galaxy class starships throughout most of his cadet career. However, one roll was drastic, and ended up with him back at the Academy for a year. While this didn't necessarily mean bad marks or wrong doing on his part, the idea was formed that some sort of potential personality clash occurred during this cruise that caused the reassignment. Eventually the rolls were completed, and he was assigned to Galaxy Exploration Command as a Ship's Science Officer.
     Unfortunately, Sanek never was actually used in any Star Trek role playing game experience, so he sat in the box for many years... unused, but never forgotten.

Star Trek Online - Sanek Reborn

     With the release of Star Trek Online, the possibility of Sanek becoming a real online character was realized. I had purchased the Collector's Edition of Star Trek Online after taking part in the beta, and as such was able to begin playing two weeks earlier than general release. On the first day the game was open to the pre-release players, Sanek was born in electronic format.
     The character creation system allowed for the creation of a character that looks strikingly similar to the original concept look of Sanek from 20 years prior. As the character progressed through the game, skills were chosen that closely reflected the original STRPG character sheet data, and eventually the character - game wise - resembled the original pen and paper character as closely as the game would allow.
     It wasn't until I joined the Alpha Centauri Institute however that things really took off for Sanek. With the idea already in place for the character in question, a detailed biography was written based upon the original pen and paper ideas. That biography embellished the actual pen and paper character sheet's cadet cruise rolls, and allowed for the idea of a personality clash causing Sanek to be re-assigned to teach Physics at the Academy as the reason why his 7th cadet cruise ended so differently than the rest.
     The end result was a Star Trek Online character that was finally realized in full almost 20 years after the fact.

Building a Personality

     Sanek's personality had always been considered with specific ideas related to his philosophies and his attraction to science and mathematics, but it was the role-playing at the ACI, as well as the story arcs written about him and which involved him, that finally fully fleshed him out as the Vulcan he became. He was always solemn, soft spoken, and introspective - even for a Vulcan - but with Sanek it was more than all that which eventually defined his inner person... his philosophical nature and desire to understand the Universe, and his dedication to science and raw data in pursuit of that understanding. All of the role-playing done allowed that individual to be molded into the character that exists today as Sanek.

A Personal Note

     Sanek in many ways is the person I always wished I could be. Quiet, supremely intelligent, highly educated, constantly searching and seeking answers to questions, driven by a feeling of oneness with space and the cosmos, eminently logical with the ability to make decisions without recourse based on facts and logic and not emotions. He is the culmination of years of character building and ideas, and considerable effort has gone into researching Vulcan history, background, and ideas to ensure that he is as "Vulcan" as he can be made to be.
     Vulcans had always held a fascination to me ever since watching The Original Series. McCoy was generally my favorite character, but with Spock, and eventually the tidbits of Vulcan culture that emerged, there was something tantalizingly peaceful and philosophical that attracted me to Vulcan culture and philosophy. It was due to the admiration of Spock and this fascination with Vulcan culture that the idea of the character of Sanek was originally born.
     Role-playing Sanek in Star Trek Online proved to be extremely challenging, as well as rewarding. Most people, until they actually try it, believe that attempting to speak "like a Vulcan" (i.e., without emotional inflection or words) should be fairly simple - until they try it. Phrasing responses and conversation without any emotional verbiage or words that convey emotion is not easy to do, and it took several weeks of practice until I was able to do so without conscious thought... and even still it required constant guard to ensure there were no mistakes.
     But with Sanek it was even more difficult. Due to his personality trait of being as open as possible with facts, he frequently will speak in lengthy diatribes related to the subject at hand where scientific fact or analysis is concerned. I had additionally decided early on that Sanek's use of language would be precise, without typical slang, limited use of conjunctions, and without any contractions whatsoever. All of that made speaking as Sanek, particularly in live role-playing situations, very challenging.