Pastafarianism

This entry is intended as a game specific interpretation and expansion of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and as such is not a source of Pastafarianism canon. Go check out the official word at https://www.spaghettimonster.org/

Pastafarianism reached the public eye on earth in 2005 when an open letter was published in response to the Kansas School Board declaring it would teach the religious belief Intelligent Design along side Evolutionary theory as if Intelligent Design were also a scientific theory, with the letter stating that the universe was created by the Flying Spaghetti Monster and this theory stood on equally credible scientific ground. After this very splashy introduction to the public eye, the number of visible members of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster grew, leading to a number of challenges to unevenly applied religious freedom laws, donation campaigns for humanitarian causes, and a lot of people dressed as pirates eating pasta and drinking rum.

Some people dismissed it as just satire, but regardless of if its members really believed a being made of spaghetti and meatballs created the universe or not, the one thing that Pastafarianism succeeded at on equal ground with any other religion in the world was fostering a community.

Fast forward to the 24th century, and Pastafarianism was going strong but it had changed. Over the centuries humanity had gotten better about stopping their bigotry and a lot of the laws and societal problems the church pushed back against weren't enough to keep the pirates busy anymore. Humanity also reached the stars and met other species. The church splintered into mainly two groups as a result:

One group leaned into the pirate lore, forming crews of people who dressed up much like the old Hollywood movies portrayed pirates. These were informally called Silvers, after Long John Silver from the book Treasure Island. They purchased ships—both tall sailing ships on earth's oceans and spaceships—or land surrounding bays on islands near earth's equator to build into cities modeled after Nassau as portrayed in the "historical" series Black Sails, and formed communities that leaned into all the romanticized glory of pirate life: sword fighting, rum, every person their own boss, and high adventure. Sea Shanties sung, rum drunk, and pasta eaten on Fridays, and art often portrayed the Flying Spaghetti Monster. When people elected to become ordained ministers, they would take on a name inspired by the famous pirates of old — real and fictional alike. The post scarcity society of the Federation made this lifestyle pretty easy to achieve.

The other group leaned more into faith and service, becoming known as Durums after the wheat traditionally used to make the flour used for Italian style pasta such as spaghetti. Where the Silvers were often a mix of ordained ministers and followers, Durums were largely ministers who would wander and spread the noodley word to any who would listen, and do good deeds as they needed doing without expectation that those they helped would need to listen to a sermon to get it. Their dress was more humble and based in the historical fact of the golden age of piracy, practical garments with lines and finishing in line with what was actually worn during the tall ship era. They also would learn trades that would better enable them to help others, ranging from carpentry and engineering, creative pursuits such as writing, music, and physical arts, or more academic and skill based things like medicine and law.

The two groups had overlap, and Durums would often stop over to visit Silvers at their magnificent port towns and on their ships, or even travel with them when their paths were pointed in the same direction for a spell, but the perspectives of the two groups were different enough that they were hard pressed to find common ground outside of sharing pasta and rum on Fridays.

Members of Note

Rev. Noah Waterhouse

Noah got ordained while he was at the Art Academy on Andor, though he'd been a faithful Pastafarian since he was a child. He was introduced to the Flying Spaghetti Monster when his father had been archive diving and stumbled upon information about the church's origins. Noah had been taken by the talk of pirates and divine spaghetti and meatballs, so he did research of his own. Finding out that the church was alive and well lead to him dressing like a pirate, adopting some Cockney linguistic ticks from his Grandad Jasper's side of the family and his Uncle Stace, because they felt piratey, and insisting that every Friday there must be some noodle involved in at least one of his meals.

Though he does appear much like a Silver at first glance, as time passes he finds himself walking more and more of a Durum path. Where the Silver flash is what drew him to the church, at his core he really just wants to bring a bit of light into the universe. He tries to do this with his art, but will lend a hand in any way he can if he comes across someone in need. He's also well known among Silvers and Durums alike for his rum, which he learned how to make with the help of his uncle Spiegel. He wanders the Alpha quadrant in a small starship named The Pelican.

Rev. Grace O'Malley

The Captain of a small port town she's named Clew Bay after the historical base of operations of her namesake, O'Malley has a reputation for putting on the best parties for all the major holidays — any Silver worth their salt considers it a snub not to get an invite to an O'Malley party. The parties usually are enough of an event that cleanup usually takes at least a week after each one. Between parties, O'Malley runs a pretty ship shape little community. Anyone who wants to stay is welcome, and will find a number of things to keep them busy: schools for children, apprenticeships to learn trades, and space for artisans of both creative and practical nature.

Clew Bay is one of the most popular ports for those Silvers who live on tall ships, as the facilities are well maintained, the dock workers are knowledgeable and skilled, and the artisans in the community can provide all the trimmings for a well run ship. It is also where a lot of the ships recruit for their crew, as they can learn all the skills they'll need for success out on the seven seas there.

James Flint

Born Ridley Wyndham, Flint was the son of two Pastafarian ministers and raised in New Tortuga until he was old enough to sign on as a cabin boy at the age of 13 for one of the tall ships that called the port home. Though his parents were Durums, they'd elected to settle in a Silver port town to raise him because they wanted him to have a stable foundation to make his own choice for his life path. After he spent most of his teen years at sea, his parents went back to wandering after he elected to get ordained himself on his 21st birthday. He took on the name James Flint, his parents cashed in their credit with the good folks of New Tortuga to get him into the queue to commission a ship, and by 25 he was recruiting for the Walrus's maiden voyage.

He never stays in one port very long, no longer than he stays with any lover in fact, but he does circle back to Clew Bay and O'Malley with a frequency that belies a fondness for both. Whenever his parents wander back Earth ways, they'll usually catch a ride with him from one port to the next before wandering off where their good deeds take them.

Captain Aarul

A Kelpien who stumbled across a wandering Durum one day, he made his way to Earth to study their faith because he just couldn't resist after sitting enraptured through multiple evenings of discussion. He took a room at the tavern in Clew Bay three years ago, and shows no signs of leaving any time soon. He's nearly learned enough sword fighting and net making to qualify to teach, though he is considering serving a tour or two on a tall ship first.

Vaebnak

When Rev. Waterhouse's wanderings brought him through New Romulus, he managed to sweet talk his way into an audience with Empress Janika Selok and left her curious about his unusual faith. After agreeing to let him paint her portrait, she dispatched Vaebnak to learn more about the Pastafarians. He was in Clew Bay when the coup occurred on New Romulus, and has not heard anything other than what the Federation and the New Romulan Star Empire have released through official channels. He's resigned himself to being stuck on Earth for the foreseeable future, but despite his attempts to soothe himself with gambling and alcohol, that resignation has certainly started to manifest in some anger as he continues to try to reach out looking for anyone he can trust to help him navigate the power change and determine if he can go home.