What is a “Rocketpunk”?

That was the first post in the Rocketpunk SPACE PATROL group, over seven and a half years ago. We had just separated from a TREK fan club as USS Kaohsiung, and decided that we could create our own community predicated on being open and inclusive, and without other people telling us how to play this game called fandom. In essence the group was a STAR TREK group with the serial numbers filed off.

In the beginning I defined “rocketpunk” as follows:

Rocketpunk (n): a genre of science fiction based on retro visions of the future, particularly those of the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s.

To some extent this definition may still be true, but I think it has come to mean something else; it has come to define the philosophy with which we choose to approach fandom:

Rocketpunk (n): a philosophical approach to fandom notable in its attempt to recognize and validate all aspects of the hobby as equally legitimate and seeking to consciously avoid gatekeeping in an effort to provide an inclusive and supportive community.

Over the years we have tried to connect with other groups, and those attempts haven’t always gone that well. But we keep trying, and we keep to the values that work for us. In 2020 we celebrated seven years together – this December it will be a decade – in one way or another, from 8th FLEET – MOBILE, to IKV ADJUDICATOR, to USS KAOHSIUNG, to USS KAGA and beyond…

From a group of six who started a Star Trek Online fleet on 2013.12.02 to the group of almost sixty we have grown to become.

We are fans. We are creators. We are players. We are friends. We are Rocketpunks.