Hello! Welcome back to the third ever Fandom Friday! Last month we got to meet the amazing author, Joan Marie Verba, and the month before that we met the meme maestra herself, Mala Sasikumar. This month I interviewed Isla Ross, a new Trek fan and university student studying literature and creative writing. Though her introduction to Trek was unorthodox, she is an awesome fan. It was nice to get to know a fellow Gen Z Trek fan as we’re pretty hard to come by. 

Daily Star Trek News: Tell us a bit about yourself and your life outside of Star Trek.

Isla Ross: I'm currently in my first year of university studying Literature and Creative Writing. I've always loved stories, so this degree was perfect for me. When I'm not studying, I can usually be found watching a film or TV show, reading a book, writing or playing one of my musical instruments.

DSTN: How and when did you get into Star Trek?

IR: It was August of 2022. I didn't have a TV show to watch and ended up scrolling around on Amazon Prime. Star Trek: Picard came up and I watched the trailer; my very first thought as I watched it was "that looks good". It took me less than a week to watch both of the available seasons and then in the autumn I began The Next Generation at a friend's recommendation. I'm still getting through Star Trek over a year and a half later.

DSTN: What is it about Star Trek that you love?

IR: The optimism. No matter how much any of the characters lose, they never lose hope. My favorite example of this is the crew of Voyager. They never stop believing that everything will be okay. For this reason, the episodes "Message in a Bottle" and "Pathfinder" are both comforting to me, because neither Starfleet nor Voyager ever doubts that Voyager will get home in the end. And they do.

DSTN: Has Star Trek impacted your life in any way? If so, how?

IR: Star Trek has given me hope. I live in the UK, and it feels like I'm watching the country, and the world, fall apart right before my eyes. But by falling in love with Star Trek, it's enabled me to have faith that everything will turn out alright in the end. I didn't have that before.

DSTN: If you have one, tell us a story that you have about Star Trek or being in the Star Trek fandom.

IR: In October of 2022, a couple of months after I finished Picard, I caught COVID-19. The day I tested positive I began TNG, obviously starting with "Encounter at Farpoint". I was so ill that the episode felt like a fever dream, but when I rewatched it about a year later, I realised it hadn't been! Looking back now, I know that "Encounter at Farpoint" is nowhere near to being as insane as Star Trek can get.

DSTN: You are a relatively new Trek fan. What has it been like entering the fandom? Do you feel welcomed?

IR: It's been fantastic. Almost everyone on social media, especially Tumblr and Reddit, have been incredibly welcoming to me. I now have a solid group of Trekkie friends that I talk to regularly, and it's also brought me closer to another friend of mine whom I've known for years.

DSTN: What is your favorite Star Trek show and why?

ISLA: Deep Space Nine. The Dominion War is quite possibly the best narrative arc that I've ever come across on television. Because of its reputation amongst other Trekkies, I knew that it happened but not the specific details. The first time DS9 alluded to the Dominion I sat up straight in my chair. The pacing over the seasons going from occasional mentions to a full-out war was incredibly well done. I don't think I'll ever stop being in awe of that arc, both as a Trekkie and as someone who wants to be a professional writer.

DSTN: Do you have a favorite character? If so, which one and why that one?

IR: I actually have two that interchange: Kira Nerys and Kathryn Janeway. Despite everything Nerys has been through, she's still able to be open with people she's close to such as Odo or Jadzia, and she's deeply kind, even if it doesn't necessarily seem like that at first. Kathryn cares so deeply about Voyager and her crew and she always wants to do what she thinks is right, no matter what. Both of them are such well-written, fleshed-out characters, and Nana Visitor and Kate Mulgrew each bring them to life perfectly.

DSTN: What's something you want the readers of DSTN to know about you?

IR: I'm hoping one day to actually write a Star Trek project, whether it be a book or an episode of a show. Considering my degree, it's a possibility. It would be an honour to contribute, however small, to this incredible universe.

I hope you all enjoyed getting to know Isla as much as I did. I’m very excited for when she becomes the next big Star Trek author and I’ll get to say I’m the first person who ever interviewed her. 

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