NEWSLETTER

Dear Starfleet Command,

I just read the latest newsletter and I have to say I am extremely disappointed in Alistair Finch's article about Academy. Not due to the controversy, but because there are so many glaring factual inaccuracies in it! Either Alistair hasn't actually watched the show or, (and I feel more likely) it was written by a Large Language Model and no one, either Alistair or the newsletter editor, bothered to proof it.

1. I am quite certain Image 1 was AI generated. I have no recollection of a scene like this; a reverse image search brings up no matches. Additionally Ethan Peck's Spock (here incorrectly labeled T'Pring?!?) never appears in the series. The rest of the caption itself is also rubbish. There *may* be a cadet named Jan Carter in the show, but they are definitely not one of the leads. Same for this mysterious "Kael."

2. The "pilot" (which is actually episode 1) does not feature the Academy endangered by a shuttle. It's under attack by the Veneri Rael.

3. Image 2 is just as made up as image 1. No such scene appears in the show.

4. "Must it always be a tense discussion around a conference table, or can it be a young cadet like Jan Carter (seen in Image 2) having to make a split-second decision in a crisis?" There is no main character Jan Carter!

5. There's a section devoted to existing characters, but they don't mention The Doctor, Jett Reno, or the entire episode about Benjamin Sisko. Instead, they hallucinate an imaginary Seven of Nine visit to campus.

There are other indicators that this is AI slop, and I am disappointed.

We are a club full of smart, eloquent people. Those people should do the writing.

We are a club full of smart, exacting people. We will notice when we're being given crap. And we will NOT be happy.

Lt. Jessica Lewis

Hello Starfleet Command,

This morning, my XO reviewed the fleetwide newsletter and alerted me to what first seemed like a goof, but upon investigation by her, myself, and members of the Terminus crew, revealed that images and an article of the Starfleet Command newsletter appear to be completely made by generative AI and LLM.

One of the things I enjoy about the Starfleet Command fanclub is the people. Everything has the touch of care and enthusiasm we have for Star Trek as a property and an ideal. So, to see an article and images with no human touch, with confusing information, and an invented author citing fake experts in the fleetwide newsletter was beyond disappointing - it was an insult.

The ship I command is the USS Terminus. One of the badges we wear with pride is that we are a Ship of Makers. Be it materials crafting, graphic design, sewing, drawing, photography, writing, we put our hearts and souls into our creations and take them very seriously. So, this time of "AI Slop" has been anathema to our very passions. We do not keep it in our social media, we do not use it in our outreach. My XO crafts a monthly newsletter all by herself, and ensures it is all made by her and our crew's hands.

I had hoped that Starfleet Command itself would have a similar standing given the current status of generative AI and LLMs, out of respect for its members' intelligence if nothing else. But the June 2026 newsletter proved that hope incorrect.

This newsletter should have been a joyous note of the work we've done, and the people who make this fanclub great. It should have been another chapter in the quirky charm of SFC's newsletter history. Instead, it insulted my crew, and demonstrated a decision for literal fallacious filler over quality. We all would have been happier with a shorter newsletter than what was offered this time.

I know others of my crew will be speaking up about this, and I fully support them. I urge the admiralty to reflect on this matter and deliberate on a course of action with the fanclub in mind. I would also urge them to ask if THIS is the direction we want to go as Starfleet.

Today is not a proud moment for Starfleet Command. I hope that tomorrow, we do better.

Best. LTCDR January Sterling