It is post-war Alpha Quadrant (roughly 5-6 years since the Dominion withdrew to their side of the Wormhole) and every major government is still rebuilding after the devastating conflict. The U.S.S. Columbia is a newly commissioned Sovereign-Class ship, assigned to the new expanse of space opened up in the former Cardassian Union and beyond. They are flying the flag for the Federation, whilst also conducting relief missions, routine patrols and reconnaissance, exploration and defence.
It is part old fashioned Trek, with the crew ‘boldly going’, but still in a damaged and troubled galaxy that needs putting back together, with some still suffering the ill effects of the war. Columbia combines aspects of the dark and gritty feeling of DS9, but with the hope and aspiration of TNG. Despite the time the crew are in, with all the dangers and uncertainties that lurk in the black waiting for them, they won’t solve every situation with a phaser fight. This ship is the beginning of what Starfleet hopes is a return to their previous mandate of peaceful exploration (emphasis on peaceful).
Ideally, I would prefer a smaller ship, but seeing what Starfleet hopes the Columbia will represent, it kinda made sense to make her a big iconic ship. Besides, it would be good to see more of the Sovereign-Class.
As for the time period, yeah wars are exciting and daring and action-packed, but after the treaty has been signed and the dust starts to settle, that is when the really hard work begins. Post-war just offers a rich diversity for stories I think, with characters who are still trying to deal with what they endured—making them more human (even the alien ones).
Captain Adele Keller is the Columbia’s new Commanding Officer. She is an experienced and distinguished officer, commended for her service in both war and peacetime—though it is in the latter that she really made her mark, as an explorer and a diplomat. Prior to assuming command of the Columbia, she was CO of the Akira-Class Gryphon—which holds the record for the most battles fought during the war. But when the Columbia was offered to her, she readily accepted.
[Possible Actors: Lauren Holly, Susanna Thompson]
The First Officer is Commander Balarajin th’Klene, an Andorian. He has an impressive wartime record, quickly climbing the ranks due to losses. He has his sights set on his own command in the near future, and looks set to achieve it. Ajin (as he is better known) is somewhat impatient and hot-headed, all too willing to leap before he looks. He was assigned to the Columbia from the Tecumseh, where it is hoped that Captain Keller will prove a calming influence on him.
[Possible Actors: Jensen Ackles]
Second / Science Officer, Lieutenant Commander Amani is an exotic and enticing Deltan. Intelligent and astute, she is very much a scholar and academic, though she isn’t one to be underestimated. Her stunning looks and sensual manner belay a woman who has been published in almost ever scientific journal in the Federation, as well as having gained degrees from several prestigious universities. She is often the foil to Commander Ajin, often by playing devil’s advocate, so that he has to look at things from other perspectives.
[Possible Actors: ???]
Lieutenant Commander Kalan Nev was once a member of the Bajoran Militia, but when it was absorbed into Starfleet he transferred over, and now serves as Chief Engineer on the Columbia. Having grown up in a Resistance Cell and not gone through the Academy, he often has a very different way of dealing with things—in innovative and imaginative ways. When Ensign Dahkal comes onboard, there is obvious tension between them. He is proud to wear the uniform, and as such won’t do anything to bring it into disrepute.
[Possible Actors: ???]
El-Aurian Counsellor Toben Naras brings together his extensive training, long lifespan and his species keen ability to listen, in order to make him a highly sought-after therapist. An enigma to all, he has the uncanny knack of knowing what a person is thinking with just a glance, without ever giving away anything about himself. Since the war ended, his talents and skills have been in high demand—treating all those that were left with severe psychological trauma—but he requested the transfer, and no one quite knows why.
[Possible Actors: ???]
Lieutenant Diego Salazar is the Operations Manager, and a long-time friend of Captain Keller’s. He came with her from the Gryphon, despite being in line to become the ship’s new Second Officer. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the Akira-Class ship in the midst of the war, where he was taken under Keller’s wing—which is exactly what his father did for her. He has proven himself time and again to be a highly adaptable and dependable officer, never one to back down from a challenge, or get his hands dirty.
[Possible Actors: ???]
Security Chief, Lieutenant Veronica “Ronnie” Munro may be petite, but she is a force to be reckoned with. A veteran of the war, she received numerous awards and commendations for her service—including two purple hearts and a Christopher Pike Medal of Valour. She may still be young, but her focus is intense, once she gets her teeth into something she won’t let go. She does however have a softer side to her, something she shares with only very few people.
[Possible Actors: Summer Glau]
Doctor Reiko Takashima is a compassionate healer and knowledgeable scientist. She saw a lot in the war and afterwards, but she never once thought about quitting—there were too many people that needed help. A workaholic and a perfectionist, she demands a lot from herself and often pushes her limits in order to do her job—which to her is more important than accolades or rank. She can often be a little buttoned up, and it takes a little coercion for her to relax and unwind.
[Possible Actors: Michelle Krusiec]
Lieutenant JG Trem ghesh Moq mans the Tactical console on the bridge, and despite his youth, he has proven to have a keen strategic mind. Being Tellarite, he is blunt and argumentative, and often comes off as abrasive and brash. If he has something on his mind or an opinion, he will voice it—even if no one wants to hear it. He never served in the war, but lost his older brother and sister, which spurred him on to enrol at the Academy as soon as he was old enough. Their deaths still weigh on him.
[Possible Actors: ???]
Fresh from Starfleet Academy, Ensign Joret Dahkal serves as the Chief Flight Control Officer. As the first Cardassian to graduate, he has a lot to prove to those around him—and himself. With the war a recent memory for most, he has had to put up with a lot resentment and bitterness, which has made him something of a loner. A rough life on Cardassia forced him to grow up quickly, and he has become an emotionally distant and hard, both outside and in.
[Possible Actors: ???]
It is part old fashioned Trek, with the crew ‘boldly going’, but still in a damaged and troubled galaxy that needs putting back together, with some still suffering the ill effects of the war. Columbia combines aspects of the dark and gritty feeling of DS9, but with the hope and aspiration of TNG. Despite the time the crew are in, with all the dangers and uncertainties that lurk in the black waiting for them, they won’t solve every situation with a phaser fight. This ship is the beginning of what Starfleet hopes is a return to their previous mandate of peaceful exploration (emphasis on peaceful).
Ideally, I would prefer a smaller ship, but seeing what Starfleet hopes the Columbia will represent, it kinda made sense to make her a big iconic ship. Besides, it would be good to see more of the Sovereign-Class.
As for the time period, yeah wars are exciting and daring and action-packed, but after the treaty has been signed and the dust starts to settle, that is when the really hard work begins. Post-war just offers a rich diversity for stories I think, with characters who are still trying to deal with what they endured—making them more human (even the alien ones).
Captain Adele Keller is the Columbia’s new Commanding Officer. She is an experienced and distinguished officer, commended for her service in both war and peacetime—though it is in the latter that she really made her mark, as an explorer and a diplomat. Prior to assuming command of the Columbia, she was CO of the Akira-Class Gryphon—which holds the record for the most battles fought during the war. But when the Columbia was offered to her, she readily accepted.
[Possible Actors: Lauren Holly, Susanna Thompson]
The First Officer is Commander Balarajin th’Klene, an Andorian. He has an impressive wartime record, quickly climbing the ranks due to losses. He has his sights set on his own command in the near future, and looks set to achieve it. Ajin (as he is better known) is somewhat impatient and hot-headed, all too willing to leap before he looks. He was assigned to the Columbia from the Tecumseh, where it is hoped that Captain Keller will prove a calming influence on him.
[Possible Actors: Jensen Ackles]
Second / Science Officer, Lieutenant Commander Amani is an exotic and enticing Deltan. Intelligent and astute, she is very much a scholar and academic, though she isn’t one to be underestimated. Her stunning looks and sensual manner belay a woman who has been published in almost ever scientific journal in the Federation, as well as having gained degrees from several prestigious universities. She is often the foil to Commander Ajin, often by playing devil’s advocate, so that he has to look at things from other perspectives.
[Possible Actors: ???]
Lieutenant Commander Kalan Nev was once a member of the Bajoran Militia, but when it was absorbed into Starfleet he transferred over, and now serves as Chief Engineer on the Columbia. Having grown up in a Resistance Cell and not gone through the Academy, he often has a very different way of dealing with things—in innovative and imaginative ways. When Ensign Dahkal comes onboard, there is obvious tension between them. He is proud to wear the uniform, and as such won’t do anything to bring it into disrepute.
[Possible Actors: ???]
El-Aurian Counsellor Toben Naras brings together his extensive training, long lifespan and his species keen ability to listen, in order to make him a highly sought-after therapist. An enigma to all, he has the uncanny knack of knowing what a person is thinking with just a glance, without ever giving away anything about himself. Since the war ended, his talents and skills have been in high demand—treating all those that were left with severe psychological trauma—but he requested the transfer, and no one quite knows why.
[Possible Actors: ???]
Lieutenant Diego Salazar is the Operations Manager, and a long-time friend of Captain Keller’s. He came with her from the Gryphon, despite being in line to become the ship’s new Second Officer. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the Akira-Class ship in the midst of the war, where he was taken under Keller’s wing—which is exactly what his father did for her. He has proven himself time and again to be a highly adaptable and dependable officer, never one to back down from a challenge, or get his hands dirty.
[Possible Actors: ???]
Security Chief, Lieutenant Veronica “Ronnie” Munro may be petite, but she is a force to be reckoned with. A veteran of the war, she received numerous awards and commendations for her service—including two purple hearts and a Christopher Pike Medal of Valour. She may still be young, but her focus is intense, once she gets her teeth into something she won’t let go. She does however have a softer side to her, something she shares with only very few people.
[Possible Actors: Summer Glau]
Doctor Reiko Takashima is a compassionate healer and knowledgeable scientist. She saw a lot in the war and afterwards, but she never once thought about quitting—there were too many people that needed help. A workaholic and a perfectionist, she demands a lot from herself and often pushes her limits in order to do her job—which to her is more important than accolades or rank. She can often be a little buttoned up, and it takes a little coercion for her to relax and unwind.
[Possible Actors: Michelle Krusiec]
Lieutenant JG Trem ghesh Moq mans the Tactical console on the bridge, and despite his youth, he has proven to have a keen strategic mind. Being Tellarite, he is blunt and argumentative, and often comes off as abrasive and brash. If he has something on his mind or an opinion, he will voice it—even if no one wants to hear it. He never served in the war, but lost his older brother and sister, which spurred him on to enrol at the Academy as soon as he was old enough. Their deaths still weigh on him.
[Possible Actors: ???]
Fresh from Starfleet Academy, Ensign Joret Dahkal serves as the Chief Flight Control Officer. As the first Cardassian to graduate, he has a lot to prove to those around him—and himself. With the war a recent memory for most, he has had to put up with a lot resentment and bitterness, which has made him something of a loner. A rough life on Cardassia forced him to grow up quickly, and he has become an emotionally distant and hard, both outside and in.
[Possible Actors: ???]
