Terms of Participation

Last updated: 1 August 2026

1. Introduction

These Terms of Participation explain the conditions that apply when you join or take part in Star Trek: Uncharted Course.

They apply to:

  • crew applicants;
  • accepted players;
  • members of the project Discord;
  • contributors to live missions;
  • writers submitting personal logs or collaborative stories;
  • and anyone participating in project activities.

By submitting an application, joining the project Discord, participating in a live mission or contributing creative material, you agree to follow these Terms of Participation together with the project’s:

  • Community Standards;
  • Privacy Policy;
  • mission and writing guidance;
  • and any reasonable instructions issued by the Game Director.

Please read these terms before applying.

2. About the Project

Star Trek: Uncharted Course is a free, unofficial, non-commercial Star Trek fan roleplaying and collaborative-writing project.

The project centres on the continuing adventures of the USS Navigator and its principal crew.

Participation may include:

  • scheduled live text missions through Discord;
  • personal character logs;
  • joint posts and collaborative scenes;
  • character biographies and personnel records;
  • community discussions;
  • mission planning;
  • and publication of approved material on the project website.

Participation is voluntary and does not create employment, agency, partnership or any entitlement to payment.

3. Fan Project Status

Star Trek: Uncharted Course is an independent fan creation.

It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Paramount Global, CBS Studios, Star Trek, its licence holders or any related company.

Star Trek names, concepts, designs and other established intellectual property remain the property of their respective owners.

No participant may represent themselves as acting officially on behalf of Star Trek, Paramount, CBS Studios or any related rights holder.

4. Eligibility

Participation is limited to people aged 18 or over.

By submitting an application, you confirm that:

  • you are at least 18 years old;
  • the information you provide is accurate to the best of your knowledge;
  • and you are legally able to agree to these terms.

Applications from anyone known or reasonably believed to be under 18 will not be accepted.

The Game Director may request reasonable clarification where there is genuine doubt about an applicant’s eligibility. Participants should never send unnecessary identity documents through Discord or the public website.

5. Applying to Join

Submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance.

Applications may be assessed according to:

  • current position availability;
  • availability for live missions;
  • suitability of the proposed character;
  • understanding of collaborative roleplay;
  • willingness to share the spotlight;
  • compatibility with the existing crew;
  • communication style;
  • and the overall needs of the project.

The Game Director may:

  • request more information;
  • suggest changes to a character;
  • recommend a different position;
  • invite an applicant to an informal conversation;
  • place an application on hold;
  • accept an application;
  • or decline an application.

Where possible, unsuccessful applicants will be treated courteously, but the Game Director is not required to provide a detailed critique or enter into prolonged discussion about an application decision.

6. Character Approval

All principal characters must be approved by the Game Director before entering the official story.

Approval may cover:

  • character name;
  • species;
  • age;
  • rank;
  • position;
  • biography;
  • service record;
  • abilities;
  • qualifications;
  • connections to established Star Trek events or characters;
  • portrait;
  • and any unusual technology, background or narrative element.

A character should be capable and interesting without being able to solve every problem alone.

Characters should not:

  • possess implausible authority, abilities or qualifications;
  • have unsupported personal relationships with major canonical characters;
  • introduce unique powers or technologies without approval;
  • undermine the purpose of another player’s position;
  • or create material that conflicts substantially with the project’s established continuity.

Approval applies to the agreed version of the character. Significant later changes should be discussed with the Game Director.

7. Position and Rank

A crew position is assigned to a player for the purpose of participating in the project.

It is not owned permanently by the player.

Ranks and positions are agreed according to:

  • character experience;
  • departmental responsibility;
  • the needs of the crew;
  • narrative balance;
  • and the structure of Starfleet aboard the USS Navigator.

The Game Director may discuss a change of position or rank where:

  • the story reasonably requires it;
  • the player requests it;
  • a character’s role is no longer working effectively;
  • activity levels change;
  • or the needs of the project develop.

Major changes will normally be discussed with the affected player before they are introduced.

8. Principal and Supporting Characters

A participant may be approved to write one principal character.

Additional supporting or secondary characters may be permitted where they:

  • serve a clear story purpose;
  • do not distract from the principal crew;
  • do not occupy another player’s role;
  • and have been approved by the Game Director.

Approval to use a supporting character may be temporary or limited to a particular mission or story.

Supporting characters, background personnel and non-player characters may also be written by the Game Director or authorised mission staff.

9. Live Missions

Live missions are scheduled text-based roleplaying sessions, normally conducted through designated Discord channels.

During a live mission:

  • each player controls their own character;
  • the Game Director controls the wider setting, events and non-player characters;
  • actions may be attempted, but their outcomes are determined by the Game Director;
  • the main mission channel should remain in character;
  • out-of-character questions should be placed in the designated OOC channel;
  • and players should allow others reasonable time to respond.

The Game Director may:

  • pause a scene;
  • clarify what characters can perceive;
  • determine the result of an attempted action;
  • change the scene order;
  • redirect discussion;
  • limit disruptive posting;
  • or end a mission when necessary.

The Game Director’s ruling should be followed during the live session. Questions or disagreements can be discussed respectfully after the mission.

10. No Control of Other Players’ Characters

You may control only your own approved character unless another player has clearly given permission.

You must not decide another player character’s:

  • dialogue;
  • thoughts;
  • emotions;
  • injuries;
  • reactions;
  • movements;
  • relationships;
  • or important personal decisions.

You may attempt an action involving another character, but the other player and, where appropriate, the Game Director determine the outcome.

Permission for one scene does not create permanent permission to control that character.

11. Attendance and Participation

Regular participation helps the project maintain a coherent continuing story.

Players are expected to:

  • attend scheduled live missions where reasonably possible;
  • notify the Game Director when they expect to be absent;
  • respond to important administrative messages;
  • remain reasonably engaged with the project;
  • and contribute to collaborative writing when agreed.

Perfect attendance is not required.

Real-life responsibilities, health, family, work and other commitments take priority. The project asks only for honest and timely communication.

Where a player is repeatedly absent or unresponsive, the Game Director may:

  • check on their availability;
  • reduce their character’s immediate story responsibilities;
  • arrange a leave of absence;
  • move the character to inactive status;
  • or reopen the position.

These decisions will normally follow an attempt to contact the player.

12. Leave of Absence

A player may request a temporary leave of absence.

Where practical, the Game Director and player will agree:

  • the approximate duration;
  • how the character’s absence will be explained;
  • whether the character may still appear in occasional writing;
  • and when the arrangement will be reviewed.

A position cannot always be held open indefinitely. Extended leave may eventually require the position to be reopened, particularly where the vacancy affects live missions.

This will be discussed with the player wherever reasonably possible.

13. Community Conduct

All participants must follow the Community Standards.

This includes expectations relating to:

  • respect and inclusion;
  • harassment and discrimination;
  • personal boundaries;
  • private messages;
  • sensitive content;
  • sharing the spotlight;
  • player and character separation;
  • communication;
  • live-mission conduct;
  • and dispute resolution.

Creative disagreement between characters is permitted.

Personal hostility, bullying, harassment, intimidation or discriminatory behaviour between players is not.

14. Sensitive Material and Consent

Stories may involve danger, injury, grief, conflict and other serious themes.

Players should discuss sensitive material in advance when it directly affects another participant’s character.

Clear agreement is required before introducing storylines involving matters such as:

  • romance or intimacy;
  • pregnancy;
  • serious or permanent injury;
  • torture;
  • sexual content;
  • abuse;
  • suicide or self-harm;
  • traumatic personal histories;
  • or the death of another player’s character.

A participant may ask to pause, redirect or end a scene that causes significant discomfort.

The project is intended for adults, but this does not mean all adult material is automatically appropriate.

Explicit sexual content, exploitative material and content included primarily to shock or distress others are not permitted.

15. Discord and External Platforms

Discord is the project’s main community and live-mission platform.

Participants are responsible for:

  • maintaining their own Discord account;
  • complying with Discord’s applicable terms and policies;
  • protecting their account credentials;
  • and controlling the personal information displayed on their profile.

The Game Director does not control the operation, availability, security or policies of Discord or other external services.

A participant whose external account is suspended, deleted or compromised should contact the Game Director through the project email address where possible.

16. Mission Transcripts

Messages posted in designated in-character mission channels may be recorded, reviewed, formatted and published as part of the permanent Uncharted Course archive.

Transcript review may include:

  • correcting obvious formatting problems;
  • removing accidental duplicate messages;
  • removing technical interruptions;
  • excluding out-of-character material;
  • adding scene headings;
  • standardising character labels;
  • and correcting minor typographical errors.

Transcript editing should not materially change a player’s intended actions, dialogue or decisions without consultation.

Private messages and ordinary OOC community conversations are not intended to be included in the public canonical archive.

17. Creative Contributions

Creative contributions may include:

  • live-mission dialogue and actions;
  • personal logs;
  • joint posts;
  • biographies;
  • service records;
  • mission reports;
  • artwork;
  • character portraits;
  • and other submitted material.

You should submit only material that:

  • you created;
  • you have permission to use;
  • is legally available for the intended use;
  • or is clearly identified as authorised reference material.

Do not submit plagiarised writing, stolen artwork or material copied substantially from another creator without permission.

18. Ownership of Original Contributions

You retain ownership of the original writing, artwork and character material you create, subject to any existing third-party rights contained within it.

Under UK copyright law, the author is generally the first owner of copyright in an original literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, subject to statutory exceptions. Collaborative works may involve joint authorship depending on how they were created.

Nothing in these terms transfers full ownership of your original work to Star Trek: Uncharted Course.

Because the project exists within the Star Trek universe, no participant gains ownership of Star Trek’s established intellectual property by contributing to the project.

19. Permission to Use Contributions

By submitting creative material for inclusion in the project, you grant Star Trek: Uncharted Course a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free permission to:

  • store it;
  • reproduce it;
  • format it;
  • publish it on the website;
  • include it in mission archives;
  • display it in connection with your character;
  • quote reasonable excerpts in project announcements;
  • and preserve it as part of the project’s historical record.

This permission is limited to operating, presenting, archiving and promoting the non-commercial project.

It does not permit the project to sell your original work commercially without a separate agreement.

“Non-exclusive” means you remain free to use your own original material elsewhere, provided doing so does not falsely represent another participant’s work as your own or breach an agreed collaborative arrangement.

20. Joint Posts and Collaborative Work

Where two or more players create a joint post, each participant retains their rights in their own contribution.

The completed post may also constitute a collaborative or jointly authored work, depending on how the contributions are combined. UK legislation recognises joint authorship where a work is produced through collaboration and individual contributions are not distinct.

Participants should not:

  • publish another writer’s unpublished contribution elsewhere without permission;
  • substantially rewrite another participant’s character without agreement;
  • remove another credited writer’s name;
  • or claim sole authorship of a genuinely collaborative story.

Once a joint post has entered the official archive, proposed major alterations should be discussed with the other contributors and the Game Director.

21. Editing and Publication Decisions

The Game Director may review submitted material for:

  • continuity;
  • clarity;
  • spelling and formatting;
  • suitability for the project;
  • character consistency;
  • compliance with the Community Standards;
  • and potential legal or copyright concerns.

Minor corrections may be made without prior approval.

Significant editorial changes should normally be discussed with the writer.

The project is not required to publish every submitted item. Material may be returned for revision or declined where it:

  • conflicts with established continuity;
  • substantially controls another player’s character;
  • contains inappropriate content;
  • creates legal or copyright concerns;
  • is incomplete;
  • or is unsuitable for the public archive.

22. Character Portraits and Artificial Intelligence

Character portraits must follow the project’s current artwork rules.

Participants must disclose when an image is:

  • generated using artificial intelligence;
  • substantially edited from an existing photograph;
  • based upon a real person;
  • or created by another artist.

Do not submit an identifiable private person’s photograph without their permission.

The Game Director may reject artwork that:

  • appears to infringe another creator’s rights;
  • misrepresents its source;
  • depicts inappropriate material;
  • does not match the project’s visual continuity;
  • or creates a reasonable risk of confusion with a real individual.

23. Public Identity and Privacy

Public character pages and mission archives will normally identify participants through their fictional characters rather than their private legal identities.

Participants should not publicly disclose another member’s:

  • legal name;
  • home address;
  • private email address;
  • telephone number;
  • workplace;
  • health information;
  • private photographs;
  • or other personal information

without clear permission.

Personal information is handled in accordance with the project’s Privacy Policy.

24. Withdrawing Publication Consent

A participant may contact the Game Director to discuss future use of their contributions.

Withdrawal of consent relating to personal data will be handled according to the Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection law. The right to erasure can apply in certain circumstances but is not absolute.

Already published collaborative material may not always be capable of complete removal without affecting:

  • other writers’ contributions;
  • the coherence of mission records;
  • or the project’s legitimate archival interests.

Where full removal is not reasonably possible or legally required, alternatives may include:

  • removing private identifying information;
  • replacing a public credit with a character-only credit;
  • anonymising administrative information;
  • closing or transferring a character;
  • adding a correction;
  • or limiting future use.

Each request will be considered individually and fairly.

25. Leaving the Project

A participant may leave at any time by informing the Game Director.

Where practical, the participant and Game Director may agree how the character departs. Possibilities include:

  • transfer;
  • resignation;
  • reassignment;
  • extended leave;
  • retirement;
  • remaining aboard as a background character;
  • or another mutually suitable conclusion.

A departing player is not required to continue writing an exit storyline.

The Game Director will not normally continue using a former player’s character as an active principal character without permission.

However, the character may remain referenced in historical material and previously published missions.

26. Inactive and Abandoned Characters

Where a participant disappears without communication, reasonable attempts may be made to contact them.

If no response is received, the Game Director may mark the character inactive and reopen the crew position.

The character may be moved off active duty using a minimal administrative explanation, but should not be substantially developed, killed or transformed into a recurring NPC without the creator’s permission unless exceptional continuity needs arise.

Previously published appearances remain part of the archive.

27. Warnings, Restrictions and Removal

A participant may receive guidance or a warning where their conduct does not meet project expectations.

Depending on the circumstances, the Game Director may:

  • discuss the concern privately;
  • request a change in behaviour;
  • issue a formal warning;
  • pause participation;
  • restrict access to particular channels;
  • remove material;
  • place the character on inactive status;
  • remove the participant from a live mission;
  • or end their participation in the project.

Serious behaviour may result in immediate removal without a prior warning. This includes credible threats, serious harassment, discriminatory abuse, deliberate exposure of private information or conduct presenting a significant risk to others.

Decisions will be made as fairly as reasonably possible, but the Game Director must retain the ability to protect the community and the project.

28. Appeals and Questions

A participant may ask the Game Director to reconsider a warning, restriction or removal.

The request should:

  • be made calmly;
  • explain why the participant believes the decision should be reviewed;
  • include any relevant context;
  • and avoid pressuring other members to intervene.

A review does not guarantee that the original decision will change.

The Game Director’s decision following a reasonable review will be final within the project.

29. Availability of the Project

The project is provided on a voluntary and free basis.

There is no guarantee that:

  • every planned mission will take place;
  • the website or Discord will always be available;
  • every position will remain open;
  • every contribution will be published;
  • every player will appear in every storyline;
  • or the project will continue indefinitely.

Missions may be postponed or cancelled because of:

  • Game Director availability;
  • insufficient attendance;
  • technical problems;
  • external-platform disruption;
  • personal circumstances;
  • or other reasonable operational needs.

Where possible, participants will be informed of significant changes.

30. No Professional Services

The project provides entertainment, roleplay and community interaction.

The Game Director and other participants are not acting as:

  • medical professionals;
  • therapists;
  • legal advisers;
  • safeguarding professionals;
  • emergency services;
  • or providers of professional counselling.

The Ship’s Counsellor and medical characters are fictional roles. In-character advice should not be treated as real-world professional advice.

Anyone facing a real-world emergency or serious personal concern should contact an appropriate qualified service.

31. Responsibility and Liability

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits responsibility where doing so would be unlawful.

In particular, the terms are not intended to exclude responsibility that cannot legally be excluded, such as responsibility for death or personal injury caused by negligence. UK guidance warns that terms attempting to exclude legally protected responsibilities may be unfair and unenforceable.

Subject to applicable law, the project and Game Director are not responsible for:

  • temporary website or Discord outages;
  • loss caused by an external service;
  • loss of unsaved drafts;
  • the actions of independent third-party platforms;
  • unauthorised conduct that could not reasonably have been prevented;
  • or indirect losses arising from voluntary participation.

Participants should retain personal copies of important original writing and artwork.

32. Changes to Positions, Systems or Format

The project may evolve over time.

The Game Director may make reasonable changes to:

  • the crew structure;
  • mission schedule;
  • posting format;
  • website organisation;
  • Discord channels;
  • archive processes;
  • application procedures;
  • character templates;
  • or supporting rules.

Significant changes affecting active players will be communicated in advance where reasonably possible.

Changes will not be used simply to deprive participants of rights already granted unfairly or without reasonable notice. Terms presented to participants should be transparent and balanced.

33. Changes to These Terms

These Terms of Participation may be updated when:

  • the project expands;
  • community needs change;
  • new platforms or systems are introduced;
  • legal or privacy requirements change;
  • or experience shows that clarification is needed.

The current version will appear on this page with the date of the latest revision.

Active members will be informed of significant changes.

Continued participation after reasonable notice of an update will normally indicate acceptance of the revised terms. Where a change materially affects a specific consent or licence, additional agreement may be requested.

34. Severability

If any part of these terms is found to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply so far as legally possible.

An invalid provision should be interpreted or adjusted only to the minimum extent necessary to make it lawful and workable.

35. No Waiver

Where the Game Director does not immediately enforce a provision, this does not permanently waive the right to address the same or similar issue later.

Informal flexibility in one situation does not automatically alter these terms for every participant.

36. Governing Law

These Terms of Participation are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

Any dispute that cannot be resolved informally will be subject to the courts having lawful jurisdiction.

Nothing in this section removes any mandatory legal rights that may apply to a participant based on their place of residence.

37. Agreement

By submitting an application, joining the project Discord, participating in live missions or contributing material to Star Trek: Uncharted Course, you confirm that:

  • you are aged 18 or over;
  • you have read these Terms of Participation;
  • you agree to follow the Community Standards;
  • you understand how mission contributions may be archived;
  • you have reviewed the Privacy Policy;
  • and you agree to the reasonable administration of the project by the Game Director.

38. Contact

Questions about these terms can be sent to:

Lee Tyers
Creator and Game Director
Star Trek: Uncharted Course

game.director@startrekunchartedcourse.com