🏛️ Term 2 - Current Term -
Star Atlas DAO Council
The second term officially started on April 11th, 2024, at 16:00 UTC It will end exactly 9 months later, on January 11th, 2026, at 16:00 UTC
Overview
The second Star Atlas DAO Council (SAC-2) presided over a defining period in governance development. Building on the foundational work of the first council, SAC-2 strengthened governance systems, refined operational standards, enabled transparency in proposals, and expanded community involvement.
Elected Council Members
Emperor — Council Chair
Lanzer — Presiding Officer
DrumCarl05 — Secretary
Bodhi — Treasurer
Signal — Public Relations Lead
Term Information
Start Date: April 11, 2025, at 16:00 UTC
Duration: 9 months
Expected End Date: January 11, 2026, at 16:00 UTC
Major Accomplishments
SAC-2 processed over 25 active proposals across all PIP categories, establishing new standards for proposal evaluation, financial operations, and community engagement. The council introduced the Comprehensive PIP format for complex, multi-phase projects and created the RFP → PIP pipeline to streamline proposal development.
Financial operations saw significant improvements through the design and maintenance of the PIP Accounting & Payment Tracker. The council coordinated the 87M ATLAS Ecosystem Fund top-up, implemented real-time USD→ATLAS conversion to prevent slippage, and recovered 10M ATLAS through PIP-17 cancellation. These changes reduced volatility risk and introduced milestone-based payout structures that enhanced accountability.
The council overhauled transparency through new public reporting channels. Weekly public sessions consistently attracted 12–25 community attendees and 10–90 live viewers, with additional reach through Star Atlas TV and Lanzer's YouTube channels. The introduction of #dao-links and #dao-reports Discord channels centralized governance materials, while every meeting slide deck, recording, and transcript was published for long-term preservation.
Community engagement expanded globally through the Iris Bounty program, supporting meetups and events across Thailand, Abu Dhabi, the Philippines, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and numerous local communities. The council hosted major governance-focused AMAs, published dozens of updates across Discord and X, and provided educational content to improve voter understanding.
Term Timeline
Q1 (April 11 – July 10, 2025): Foundation & Stabilization
The council completed handover on April 9 and immediately established a weekly public meeting cadence. Organizational roles and responsibilities were published, NDAs and KYC requirements were completed with foundational entities, and an open-governance communication model was adopted.
Infrastructure development included building finance tracking systems, publishing Knowledgebase categories, designing new PIP templates, and introducing structured PIP evaluation processes. Official Council social media accounts were rolled out to improve communication reach.
Early proposals processed during this period included PIP-12 (Iris's Bounty), PIP-13 (Term Limits, which failed), PIP-14 (THEO Integration), PIP-15 (Meetups, which failed), PIP-16 (Ryden Systems game module), and PIP-17 (Media Expansion). The multisig for PIP-12 Iris Bounty was established, global event reimbursements began, and treasury tracking was improved following the Flipside shutdown. The council introduced an "Actionable vs. Non-actionable" feedback triage system to streamline proposal reviews.
Q2 (July 11 – October 10, 2025): Expansion & Governance Refinement
Financial structure improvements dominated this quarter, with the council overseeing the top-up of the 87M ATLAS Ecosystem Fund. New accounting transparency standards were introduced alongside mandatory milestone schedules and limits for initial disbursements. Treasury conversion methods were enhanced to reduce slippage risk.
The council launched the first Comprehensive PIP for voting on September 20 (PIP-19). This new process, drafted and refined by the council, added supporting materials and formatting standards for a series of PIPs that would encompass a bigger picture than allowed in the single PIP format by Ecosystem Fund rules. The framework was designed to inform voters about continuous funding efforts that require larger DAO investments, with complete transparency from the first proposal. PIP-19 did not pass, but the process itself represented a significant governance innovation.
Governance policy underwent a comprehensive review, including clarifying the Council's duties and powers, aligning the Ecosystem Fund rules, and ensuring processes are consistent with the Sustainable Governance model. The Governance Refresh of PIP-4 was drafted during this period.
The transparency push created centralized repositories via #dao-links and #dao-reports, published [20] public reports and logged [68] accomplishments, and standardized communication templates for all updates.
Q3 (October 11 – January 11, 2026): High-Activity Cycle, Elections & Closing
This quarter saw intensive PIP review activity for PIP-24 (DAO Hosting Service), PIP-4 Refresh, Iris Bounty: The Arena, Star Seekers (multiple revisions), Rogue Data Hub, and DAO Casters. Financial actions included managing global Iris Bounty reimbursements, recovering 10M ATLAS following the PIP-17 cancellation, and establishing payment-scheduling clarity for Comprehensive PIPs. All transactions continued to be tracked in the public ledger.
Iris Bounty growth accelerated with the approval of events across multiple continents and numerous local Atlas community groups. The council managed the entire SAC-3 election process, including self-nominations (October 29 – November 12), the campaign period, the election PIP publication (November 26), and the election conclusion (December 10). The implementation of a one-month transition overlap represented a structural improvement that will benefit future governance continuity. SAC-2 produced all associated election documentation, forms, and announcements.
Proposal Summary During SAC-2 (PIPs)
Approved
PIP-12 – Iris’s Bounty: The Feast
PIP-14 – THEO Integration
PIP-16 – Ryden Systems: Rise of Ryden 2
PIP-17 – Media Expansion (Later Cancelled; funding recovered)
PIP-18 – Star Atlas Comet / Gamescom 2025
PIP-20 – The DAO Casters Program
PIP-21 – Rogue Data Hub
PIP-22 - Iris Bounty: The Arena
PIP-23 - Refresh PIP-4 – Ecosystem Fund
PIP-24 - DAO-Supported Hosting for Sly Assistant
PIP-25 - Council Election: Term 3
Failed:
PIP-13 (Term Limits),
PIP-15 (Meetups Platform)
PIP-19 (Funding Independent Economic Research) [Comprehensive PIP]
Cancelled:
PIP-17 (Media Expansion - funding recovered)
Advanced:
Star Seekers (ongoing development)
Treasury Status (Late Q2 2025)
DAO Treasury: ~1,029,676,051 ATLAS and ~472,455 USDC (Total ≈ $1.27M USD) Ecosystem Fund (PIP-4): ~203,901,246 ATLAS (Total ≈ $158K USD)
Council Member Contributions
Each SAC-2 member contributed essential work that enabled the council to function effectively through collective effort, shared responsibility, and strong collaboration.
Bodhi — Treasurer & Financial Operations
Maintained treasury records and PIP payment logs
Resolved multiple payment discrepancies
Established payment SOPs
Coordinated with ATMTA on conversion accuracy
Supported financial compliance for all PIPs
DrumCarl05 — Secretary & Knowledgebase Manager
Introduced the Council workload model
Led updates to the Knowledgebase
Drafted and refined the Comprehensive PIP template
Coordinated PIP author guidance and accountability structures
Assisted in governance refinements and documentation
Maintained and updated Discord DAO Channels, threads, roles, and tags.
Emperor — Council Chair & PIP Structure Lead
Facilitated all public meetings and internal syncs
Oversaw PIP standardization and quality control
Coordinated with ATMTA/Foundation for compliance
Supported proposal authors through review cycles
Ensured consistent communication and coordination
Managed the Iris' Bounty: The Feast applications.
Lanzer — Presiding Officer & Governance Policy Lead
Drafted governance clarifications and RFP-to-PIP pipeline
Reviewed complex PIP structures and Milestone requirements
Guided Ecosystem Fund top-up processes
Contributed policy insights to accountability systems
Produced agendas and minutes for all public meetings
Signal — Public Relations & Community Communications
Published DAO announcements across Discord and X
Supported election communications and PIP visibility
Helped improve the clarity and accessibility of governance updates
Provided community-focused feedback in PIP reviews
Assisted with Iris Bounty outreach and event coordination
The council's defining characteristic was its collective ethos, where everyone reviewed PIPs, contributed to elections, maintained public-facing transparency, supported community events, and shared accountability for outcomes. The council's strength came from teamwork, not individual credit.
Lessons Learned
1. Milestone Funding Works: Reduces risk, increases accountability, and protects DAO resources.
2. Communication Must Be Structured: Centralizing information solved long-standing visibility issues.
3. Governance Documents Require Maintenance: PIPs 1 and 4 needed clarity updates; Governance Refresh will benefit future councils.
4. The DAO Needs Strong Archival Infrastructure: SAC-2 took significant steps to ensure no knowledge is lost.
5. Scope Discipline Protects the DAO: Focusing on Ecosystem Fund governance, not game mechanisms or tokenomics, keeps Council work sustainable.
Conclusion
The second Star Atlas DAO Council guided the DAO through a transformative phase defined by structure building, transparency, process evolution, and community empowerment.
The systems created during this term—from PIP templates and payment rules to public reporting channels and governance refresh efforts—will support every future council.
SAC-2 strengthened the DAO's relationship with its community, enhanced global engagement, and ensured that Star Atlas's governance continues to mature responsibly.
This term stands as a collective achievement built through the combined work of all five council members, the Foundation, ATMTA, and, most importantly, the active participation of the Star Atlas community.
*Candidates re-elected for a second term Last updated: November 29, 2025
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