Biographies of Startrek TNG

Jean-Luc Picard is captain of the fifth Starship Enterprise and a noted figure in space exploration, science, and interstellar diplomacy.

Family
Picard was born on Earth in 2305 to Maurice Picard and Yvette Gessard Picard. Maurice was a tradition-bound French vintner who opposed Jean-Luc's ambitions of voyaging among the stars. Jean-Luc was raised on a family farm in LaBarre, France, along with his older brother, Robert Picard. As a boy, young Jean-Luc enjoyed building ships in bottles; his collection included a legendary Promellian battle cruiser, a ship that he would one day discover in his voyages aboard the Enterprise -D. Those toy ships served as a springboard for the future captain's imagination. Jean-Luc Picard was proud of his illustrious family history. One of his ancestors fought at the Battle of Trafalgar, a Picard won a Nobel Prize for chemistry, and Picards were among those who settled the first Martian Colonies. On the other hand, Picard felt guilt over the role of another ancestor, Javier Maribona-Picard, in the infamous crushing of the Pueblo Revolt on Earth in 1692.

Academy and early career
Picard failed in 2322 to gain entrance to Starfleet Academy at the age of 17, but was admitted a year later. As a first-year cadet in 2323, Picard became the only freshman ever to win the Starfleet Academy marathon on Danula II. Picard won top academic honors as well. Cadet Picard committed a serious offense while at the Academy. Years later, he credited Academy groundskeeper Boothby with making it possible for him to graduate by helping him to do the right thing. Shortly after graduating from Starfleet Academy with the class of 2327, Picard was on leave with several classmates at Starbase Earhart, where he picked a fight with three Nausicaans at the Bonestell Recreation Facility. One of the Nausicaans stabbed Picard through the heart, necessitating a cardiac replacement procedure, leaving Picard with an artificial heart. (Q commented that the injury to Picard's heart had occurred '30 years ago', which would set the Nausicaan incident in 2338. Unfortunately, this was a mistake, since 'The First Duty' [TNG] established that Picard graduated in 2327, but the oversight was not caught until after the episode was filmed. The young Ensign Picard was played by Marcus Nash.) As a young lieutenant, Picard met Ambassador Sarek at the wedding of the ambassador's son. Picard recalled how in awe he was at meeting someone who had helped to shape the Federation. (The episode does not make it clear which 'son' Picard was referring to, although Gene Roddenberry said he thought it was Spock.) As a young officer, Picard was romantically involved with the future Jenice Manheim. Although the two had been strongly attracted to each other, Picard feared commitment, and eventually broke off the relationship in 2342. Picard regretted losing Jenice for many years, and the two saw each other again in 2364 when the Enterprise -D saved her husband, Dr. Paul Manheim, after a serious laboratory accident on Vandor IX. In his early career, Picard distinguished himself when he led an away team to planet Milika III, to save an endangered ambassador.

On the Stargazer
Lieutenant Picard was a bridge officer on the U.S.S. Stargazer when the ship's captain was killed. Picard took charge of the bridge and for his service in the emergency was offered the command of the Stargazer. Picard commanded the Stargazer for some 20 years, until 2355, when the ship was nearly destroyed by an unprovoked sneak attack near the Maxia Zeta star system. The surviving Stargazer crew, including Picard, drifted for weeks in shuttlecraft before being rescued. The assailant in the incident was unknown, but was later found to be a Ferengi spacecraft. Following the loss of the Stargazer, Picard was court-martialed as required by standard Starfleet procedure, but he was exonerated. The prosecutor in the case was Phillipa Louvois, with whom Picard had been romantically involved.

Aboard the Enterprise -D
Jean-Luc Picard was appointed captain of the fifth Starship Enterprise in 2363, shortly after the ship was commissioned. Picard was offered a promotion to the admiralty in 2364 when Admiral Gregory Quinn was attempting to consolidate his power base to combat an unknown alien intelligence that was trying to take over Starfleet Command. Picard declined the offer, citing his belief that he could better serve the Federation as a starship commander. An energy vortex near the Endicor system created a duplicate of Picard from six hours in the future in 2365. Although identical to the 'present' person, Picard had difficulty accepting the existence of his twin because he believed the twin might have been responsible for the destruction of his ship, a deeply repugnant thought. Picard's artificial heart required routine replacement, most recently in 2365, when complications in the cardiac replacement procedure performed at Starbase 515 necessitated emergency assistance by Dr. Katherine Pulaski. Picard met Ambassador Sarek again in 2366, when Sarek's last mission was jeopardized by Bendii Syndrome, which caused the ambassador to lose emotional control. Picard mind-melded with Sarek to lend the ambassador the emotional stability needed to conclude the historic treaty with the Legarans. Picard was abducted by the Borg in late 2366 as part of the Borg assault on the Federation. Picard was surgically mutilated and transformed into an entity called Locutus of Borg. As Locutus, Picard was forced to cooperate in the devastating battle of Wolf 359, in which he was forced to help destroy 39 Federation starships and their crews. Picard was rescued by an Enterprise -D away team, then surgically restored by Dr. Crusher. (In an alternate quantum reality, Picard was lost to the Borg in 2366. In this reality, Riker was promoted to captain following his loss). Following his return from the Borg, Picard spent several weeks in rehabilitation from the terrible physical and psychological trauma. While the Enterprise -D was undergoing repairs at Earth Station McKinley, Picard took the opportunity to visit his home town of LaBarre for the first time in almost 20 years. While there, he stayed with his brother Robert Picard, met Robert's wife, Marie Picard, and their son, RenŽ Picard, for the first time. Picard briefly toyed with the idea of leaving Starfleet to accept directorship of the Atlantis Project, but his return home helped him realize that he belonged on the Enterprise -D. Picard was reduced to a child after passing through an energy field in 2369. Jean-Luc Picard suffered profound emotional abuse in 2369 when he was captured by Gul Madred, a Cardassian officer who tortured Picard for Starfleet tactical information. Picard resisted, but later confessed that the experience so brutalized him that he would have told Madred anything had he not been rescued. Picard's command of the Enterprise -D came to a premature end in 2371, when the ship was destroyed at planet Veridian III while trying to prevent Dr. Tolian Soran from destroying the Veridian system. Working with Picard to stop Soran was James T. Kirk, captain of the original Starship Enterprise. Kirk, who had been missing for some 78 years following the launch of the Enterprise -B, was killed while stopping Soran.

Picard and the Klingon Empire
Picard assumed an unprecedented role in Klingon politics when he served as Arbiter of Succession following the death of Klingon leader K'mpec in 2367. K'mpec took the highly unusual step of appointing an outsider as arbiter so as to insure that the choice of K'mpec's successor would not plunge the Empire into civil war. Under Picard's arbitration, council member Gowron emerged as the sole challenger for leadership of the High Council.

Personal interests
Picard was something of a Renaissance man, whose areas of interest ranged from drama to astrophysics. Picard was an avid amateur archaeologist, occasionally publishing scientific papers on the subject, and even addressing the Federation Archaeology Council in 2367. Early in his career, at the urging of his teacher, noted archaeologist Richard Galen, Picard seriously considered pursuing archaeology on a professional level. Picard's path later crossed Galen's again just before Galen's death in 2369. Picard helped complete Galen's greatest discovery, the reconstruction of an ancient message from a humanoid species that lived some 4 billion years ago. Picard studied the legendary ancient Iconians while at the Academy. Picard was also an accomplished equestrian, and one of his favorite holodeck programs was a woodland setting in which he enjoyed riding a computer-simulated Arabian mare. Picard played the piano when he was young, but his deep love of music may have stemmed from an incident in 2368 when his mind received a lifetime of memories from the now-dead planet Kataan, and he experienced the life of a man named Kamin, who died a thousand years ago. Kamin had played a Ressikan flute, and Picard treasured that instrument because of having shared Kamin's memories. Picard shared his music with Neela Daren, an Enterprise -D crew member with whom he became romantically involved in 2369. Picard was involved with Miranda Vigo in 2364 during shore leave on Earth and although they attempted to keep in touch, never saw her again. In 2370, Bok resequenced Jason Vigo's DNA to appear as Picard's son. Bok planned to kill Jason in retaliation for Picard supposedly murder his son in 2355. Picard was introduced to Beverly Howard, the future Beverly Crusher, in 2344, and fell in love with her. Picard never acted on his feelings because Beverly was involved with his best friend, Jack Crusher, whom she married in 2348. When Jack was killed in 2354, Picard still did not reveal his attraction for her, because he felt to do so would be to betray his friend. Beverly finally learned of Picard's feelings in 2370, when Picard and Crusher were implanted with psi-wave devices so that she could read his thoughts. With the tragic death of his brother, Robert, and his nephew, Ren, in 2371, Picard experienced regret at his decision not to have children.

According to Star Trek
The Next Generation supervising producer Robert Justman, Captain Picard was named for French oceanographer Jacques Piccard (1922-), who explored the depths of Earth's Marianas Trench aboard the bathyscaph Trieste. Young Picard in 'Rascals' was played by David Tristen Birkin, who also played Ren Picard in 'Family' (TNG). Picard's mother was seen briefly in 'Where No One Has Gone Before' (TNG), and his father made an appearance in 'Tapestry' (TNG), both flashbacks of sorts, since both people were dead at the time of those episodes.
Jean-Luc Picard was first seen in 'Encounter at Farpoint' [TNG).

William T. Riker is executive officer of the Starship Enterprise -D under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Starfleet serial number SC 231-427.
William Thomas Riker was born in Valdez, Alaska, on Earth in 2335. Riker's mother died when he was only two years old, and he was raised by his father, Kyle Riker. The elder Riker abandoned his son at age 15, an act that William held against his father until 2365 when, at age 30, father and son were reunited aboard the Enterprise -D. Riker graduated from Starfleet Academy in 2357, and was ranked eighth in his class at graduation. As of 2369, he had been decorated five times.
Riker's first assignment after graduating from the academy was as helm officer aboard the U.S.S. Pegasus, a ship that disappeared in 2358 under mysterious circumstances. Years later, it was reveled that Pegasus captain Erik Pressman had been illegally testing a Federation cloaking device in violation of the Treaty of Algeron. The crew of the Pegasus mutinied to try to prevent Pressman from testing the device. Riker fought to defend his captain, and Riker and Pressman were the only two to escape when the ship apparently exploded. Afterwards, Pressman suppressed all records of the incident. Early in his Starfleet career, Riker was stationed on planet Betazed, where he became romantically involved with psychology student Deanna Troi. Riker, then a lieutenant, chose to make his Starfleet career his priority over his relationship with Deanna, and accepted a posting to the U.S.S. Potemkin. While aboard the Potemkin, Riker led a rescue mission to planet Nervala IV and was subsequently promoted to lieutenant commander and commended for 'exceptional valor' during the rescue. It was not realized until years later that a transporter malfunction during the final beam-out caused an identical copy of Riker to be created on the planet's surface. William Riker was later promoted to executive officer aboard the U.S.S. Hood, where he served under the command of Captain Robert DeSoto.
Riker joined the Enterprise -D at planet Deneb IV, having transferred from the Hood. Riker accepted the Enterprise -D posting, despite the fact that he'd been offered command of the U.S.S. Drake. One of Riker's greatest personal tests came in 2364 when the entity Q offered him a gift of supernatural powers, an offer that Riker was able to refuse. Riker became the first Federation Starfleet officer to serve aboard a Klingon vessel when he participated in an Officer Exchange Program in 2365, serving as first officer aboard the Klingon ship Pagh. Riker was offered command of the U.S.S. Aries in 2365, but he declined the appointment, preferring to remain on the Enterprise -D. Riker suffered a near brush with death while on a survey mission to planet Surata IV, where contact with an indigenous plant form caused him to lose consciousness for several hours. Riker was charged with murder in the 2366 death of Dr. Nel Apgar at planet Tanuga IV after Apgar's research station exploded. He was acquitted after a holodeck re-creation of the events leading to the death demonstrated that Apgar had been responsible for the explosion. In late 2366, Riker refused a third opportunity to command a starship when he was offered the U.S.S. Melbourne during the Borg incursion that year. Shortly thereafter, Riker was granted a temporary field promotion to captain, and given command of the Enterprise -D following the capture of Captain Picard by the Borg. The Melbourne was later destroyed by the Borg in the battle of Wolf 359. Riker did, however, have ambitions of becoming a starship commander. After the loss of the Enterprise -D in 2371, Riker expressed regret that he would not have the opportunity of someday commanding that great ship. (In an alternate quantum reality, Picard was lost to the Borg in 2366. In this reality, Riker was promoted to captain following Picard's loss.
Riker's approach to command was frequently unconventional. Prior to his service aboard the Enterprise -D, Riker had been a lieutenant aboard the Starship Potemkin. During a crisis aboard that ship, Riker positioned the Potemkin over a planet's magnetic pole, thus confusing his opponent's sensors. Indeed, Data once observed that Riker relied upon traditional problem-solving techniques less than one-quarter of the time.
As a boy, Riker was responsible for cooking for himself and his father. As Enterprise -D executive officer, Riker regarded cooking as a hobby. One of Riker's passions was for old Earth jazz music, and he was a pretty fair trombone player.
William Riker was first seen in 'Encounter at Farpoint' (TNG).

Data is a humanoid android so sophisticated that he was regarded as a sentient life-form with full civil rights.

Creation
Data was built around 2336 by the reclusive scientist Noonien Soong and his wife, Juliana Soong at the Omicron Theta colony. Data was actually the fifth positronic android constructed by Soong; the first three were unsuccessful. The fourth, the first to become functional, was known as Lore. After Lore's behavior forced Soong to disassemble him, Soong pursued the idea of manufacturing an android free of emotions. Soong hoped this new android would not exhibit the dangerous cruelty shown by Lore. Juliana had wanted Data to have a female form, but Noonien, as before, created Data in his own image. Following his activation, Data was much like a baby, though he was made in the form of a full grown adult. Data had difficulty learning basic social skills, and 'social niceties' had to be built into his programming. In addition, a creative capacity was also programmed into Data by Mrs. Soong, who reasoned that without emotions, the android would need another way to express himself. After this initial period, Data was thought unsuccessful and was deactivated. He was programmed with the logs and journals of the Omicron Theta colonists in an effort to help Data function better in human society. Unfortunately, before Data could be reactivated, the Crystalline Entity attacked the colony, and Soong and his wife Juliana, were forced to abandon their work. Fearing that when reactivated, Data might behave as Lore did, Juliana made Dr. Soong leave Data at the colony site. Data remained in a dormant condition underground, where he was discovered in 2338 by the crew of the Starship Tripoli. Data subsequently joined the Starfleet and eventually became operations manager aboard the Enterprise -D.

Form and function
Data was based on a sophisticated positronic brain developed by Soong, from concepts first postulated in the 20th century by Dr. Isaac Asimov. Data's body closely mimicked humanoid form, and contained approximately 24.6 kilograms of tripolymer composites, 11.8 kilograms of molybdenum-cobalt alloys, and 1.3 kilograms of bioplast sheeting. His upper spinal support was polyalloy, while his skull was composed of cortenide and duranium. Soong went to extraordinary lengths to create a naturalistic human appearance in Data. He gave Data a functional respiration system, although its purpose was primarily for thermal regulation. (Data was in fact capable of functioning for extended periods in a vacuum.) He gave Data a pulse in his circulatory system that distributed biochemical lubricants and regulated microhydraulic power throughout Data's body. Data's hair was even capable of growth at a controllable rate. Data did not require food; he occasionally ingested a semi-organic nutrient suspension in a silicon-based liquid medium. Although Data's systems were primarily mechanical, cybernetic, and positronic, sufficient biological components were present to allow him to become infected by the Psi 2000 virus in 2364. While under the influence of the inhibition-stripping effects of that virus, Data apparently became intimate with Enterprise -D security chief Tasha Yar. Data's basic programming included a strong inhibition against harming living beings, but he nevertheless had the ability to use deadly force to protect others.

Data in Starfleet
Prior to his assignment to the Enterprise -D, Data served aboard the U.S.S. Trieste. During this tour-of-duty, the Trieste once fell through a wormhole. Aboard the Enterprise -D, Data served as operations manager, and was in charge of coordinating the many departments aboard the ship. In 2366, Commander Data was seriously injured trying to save Q from an attack by gaseous creatures called the Calamarain. In gratitude, Q gave Data the gift of allowing Data to experience human laughter for a brief time. Data served as father of the bride for the wedding of Miles O'Brien and Keiko Ishikawa in 2367, and found it necessary to learn to dance to fulfill this ceremonial function. Data's first opportunity to command a starship came during the Federation blockade during the Klingon civil war of 2368. Data was assigned temporary command of the Starship Sutherland in Picard's armada. As an android, Data encountered a small amount of prejudice among his human crew, but was nevertheless able to lead effectively. In late 2368, Data traveled back in time to old San Francisco when bizarre evidence was found suggesting that he had died some 500 years ago. The evidence was Data's severed head, unearthed from beneath the city of San Francisco, where it had been buried for five centuries. Back in the year 1893, Data uncovered a plot by aliens from the planet Devidia II who were using the cholera plague of the time to conceal their murder of humans. While attempting to stop the Devidians, Data's head was severed, and his body was sent forward in time, back to 2368. Aboard the Enterprise -D, Geordi La Forge was successful in reattaching Data's head and body.

Data and Lore
Upon returning to the Omicron Theta colony site in 2364, Data participated in the discovery and activation of his android brother, Lore. Physically identical to Data, Lore had radically different personality programming, and attempted to commandeer the Enterprise -D before he was beamed into space. Although Soong was believed to have died at Omicron Theta, he was discovered to have escaped the colony when, in 2367, he remotely gained control of Data, commanding his creation to visit him in his new secret laboratory. There, Soong attempted to install a new chip in Data's positronic brain that would have given Data the ability to experience human emotions. Unfortunately, Lore also responded to Soong's call, and stole the emotion chip from Soong's lab. Dr. Soong died shortly thereafter. Data began to experience emotions in 2369 when Lore secretly bombarded Data with signals that triggered negative emotions in his positronic brain. Lore used these negative emotions to guide Data into joining him and the Borg against the Federation. When Data realized that Lore was manipulating him and harming the Borg, he was forced to deactivate Lore. Data kept Soong's emotion chip, but was reluctant to install it for fear of causing further harm to his friends.

Efforts to understand humanity
Data's attempts to understand human nature once included an effort to learn about the concept of humor, which he studied with the assistance of Guinan and a holodeck-created comedian. Data even tried a beard once, to the considerable amusement of his shipmates. Aboard the Enterprise -D, Data shared his living quarters with a cat that he named Spot. Data tried to provide for Spot's well-being, but found it difficult to predict the cat's preferences in food. One of Data's more challenging efforts to experience humanity was his attempt to pursue a romantic relationship with Enterprise -D security officer Jenna D'Sora in late 2367. Although D'Sora was attracted to Data, he was unable to return the affection, at least in a manner that she wanted. Data began to experience dreams in 2369 as a result of an accidental plasma shock received during an experiment. It was later learned that the shock had triggered a program designed for this purpose by Soong, who had hoped the program would be activated when Data reached a certain level of development. Data's initial dreams were of Soong as a blacksmith, incongruously forging the wings of a bird, which Data believed represented himself. Those dreams turned to nightmares while under the influence of interphasic organisms in 2370. Later that year, following the Enterprise -D's discovery of the D'Arsay archive, Data's own personality became completely submerged by a series of personas, enacting the mythology of a long-dead civilization. Following the experience, Captain Picard commented that even if Data never become human, he had transcended the human condition by becoming an entire civilization. One of Data's most noteworthy efforts in his quest for humanity was his construction of an android daughter in 2366. Data employed a new submicron matrix transfer technology to allow his own neural pathways to be duplicated in another positronic brain, which he used as the basis for his child. His daughter, whom he named Lal (Hindi for 'beloved'), developed at a remarkable rate and showed evidence of growth potential beyond that of her father, even experiencing emotions. Lal died after having lived little more than two weeks, when she experienced a serious failure in her positronic brain. In 2371, Data finally decided to install the emotion chip that Dr. Soong had created for him. Although Data had initial difficulty coping with the resulting flood of emotions, a problem made worse when the chip became fused into his neural net, the chip represented a significant step in his quest to become more human.

Android rights
The question of Data's sentience, and more specifically whether Data was entitled to civil rights under the Constitution of the United Federation of Planets, was addressed in a number of important legal decisions. The first, in 2341, was rendered by a Starfleet Academy entrance committee that permitted Data to enter the Academy and serve as a member of Starfleet. Several years later, the question was more definitively addressed when Judge Advocate General Phillipa Louvois ruled that Data was indeed a sentient being and therefore entitled to civil rights, including the right to resign from Starfleet if he so chose. As of stardate 42527, Data had been decorated by Starfleet Command for gallantry and had received the Medal of Honor with clusters, the Legion of Honor, and the Star Cross.
Data first appeared in 'Encounter at Farpoint' (TNG). Many fans have noticed similarities between Data and the character, Questor, from Gene Roddenberry's 1974 television movie/pilot The Questor Tapes that featured Robert Foxworth as a humanoid android who searched for his creator while seeking to be human.

Deanna Troi is counselor aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise -D under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
Daughter of Lwaxana Troi and Ian Andrew Troi, Deanna was betrothed to Wyatt Miller through the Betazoid custom of genetic bonding when they were both children. Deanna and Wyatt never married, though, because Wyatt chose to join the last surviving Tarellians in search of a cure for the Tarellian plague.
Deanna's father used to read her heroic stories about the ancient American West on planet Earth, and she remained fond of these stories into her adulthood. Troi studied psychology at the University of Betazed prior to her joining Starfleet.
While a psychology student on Betazed, Troi became romantically involved with Lieutenant William T. Riker. Troi had hopes of a serious commitment between the two, but Riker's career plans took him away to an assignment aboard the U.S.S. Potemkin. Troi graduated from the Academy (possibly having taken classes on Betazed) in 2359. Troi was once involuntarily impregnated by an unknown noncorporeal life-form. Troi named the child Ian Andrew Troi, after her late father.
Troi suffered a brief loss of her empathic powers in 2367 from proximity to a newly discovered group of two-dimensional creatures. Although Troi found the loss disconcerting, she was pleased to discover that she could still function as ship's counselor without her Betazoid abilities. Counselor Troi assumed temporary command of the Enterprise -D on stardate 45156 when the ship was disabled from collision with two quantum filaments. Troi, who held the rank of lieutenant commander, was the senior officer on the bridge at the time. Troi said she never met a chocolate she didn't like.
Deanna Troi was first seen in 'Encounter at Farpoint' (TNG).
Marina Sirtis originally auditioned for the part of Natasha Yar and was almost cast for the part, but Gene Roddenberry decided at the last moment to switch the roles of Yar and Troi between Sirtis and Denise Crosby.

Lwaxana Troi is ambassador for the government of Betazed, and Deanna Troi's mother. Lwaxana Troi was daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed. Lwaxana, a full Betazoid, married a Starfleet officer, Ian Andrew Troi, and the couple had two children, Kestra and Deanna. Kestra died in 2336 in a swimming accident. Lwaxana suppressed the memory of her death until 2370. Her other daughter, Deanna Troi, became a Starfleet officer. Ian Troi died when Deanna was seven.
Lwaxana Troi became a full ambassador of Betazed in 2365, and represented her government at the Pacifica Conference in that year. At about that time, Troi entered what is known in Betazoid culture as the phase, during which a woman's sexuality matures and her sex drive quadruples. At one point during her phase, Troi had hoped to marry either Jean-Luc Picard or William Riker. In 2366, Troi was kidnapped by DaiMon Tog in an attempt to use her empathic powers for his personal gain. The ambassador was able to escape by convincing Tog that her 'jealous lover' Picard would destroy Tog's ship if she was not returned. Lwaxana became engaged to marry Minister Campio of planet Kostolain in 2368, but the wedding was canceled when Campio could not accept the traditional Betazoid custom of conducting the ceremony in the nude. Something of a free spirit, Lwaxana enjoyed vacationing at the colorful Parallax Colony on planet Shiralea VI, where she was very fond of the mud baths. When she could not actually visit there, she indulged in a holodeck re-creation of the colony.
Ambassador Troi paid an official visit to Deep Space 9 in 2371 as the Betazoid representative to the Bajoran Gratitude Festival. Troi did not realize that she was suffering from Zanthi fever, which caused her to project amorous emotions onto several DS9 personnel.
Majel Barrett, the widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, also played Number One in the first Star Trek pilot, 'The Cage' (TOS), as well as Nurse Christine Chapel. Barrett also lent her voice to the U.S.S. Enterprise computer, the Companion ('Metamorphosis' [TOS]), and the Beta 5 computer ('Assignment: Earth' [TOS]). Lwaxana Troi's first appearance was in 'Haven' (TNG). She also appeared in 'The Forsaken' (DS9).

Worf is the first Klingon warrior to serve in the Federation Starfleet and an influential figure in Klingon politics.

Childhood and family
Worf, son of Mogh, was born on the Klingon Homeworld in 2340. As a young child, Worf accompanied his parents to the Khitomer Outpost in 2346.
Worf was orphaned later that year in the brutal Khitomer massacre, a Romulan attack in which 4,000 Klingons were killed. Worf was rescued by Sergey Rozhenko, a human crew member from the U.S.S. Intrepid. Sergey and his wife, Helena Rozhenko, adopted Worf and raised him as their own son, because it was believed that Worf had no remaining family on the Homeworld.
With his new family on the farm world of Gault and later on Earth, Worf found it difficult to fit into the alien world of Humans and was a bit of a hell-raiser. Worf was raised along with an adoptive brother, Nikolai Rozhenko, the biological son of the Rozhenkos. Nikolai entered Starfleet Academy at the same time as Worf, but later dropped out because he found Starfleet not to his liking.
Worf’s hobbies include the building of ancient Klingon ocean sailing vessels in a bottle, considered difficult handiwork.
Worf’s adoptive parents remained close to him over the years, and made it a point to visit him in early 2367 when the Enterprise -D was docked at Earth Station McKinley for repairs. Worf had a son, Alexander Rozhenko, in 2366, with Ambassador K’Ehleyr, with whom he had been romantically involved. When K’Ehleyr was murdered by Klingon high council member Duras, Alexander returned to Earth to be cared for by Sergey and Helena.
For some reason, Worf’s experiences on Earth never included drinking prune juice. When given a taste of it by Guinan in 2365, Worf pronounced it “a warrior’s drink”.

The first Klingon in Starfleet
Following his graduation from Starfleet Academy in 2361, Worf held the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade, and served as flight control officer (conn) aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise -D. (There is a three-year period between his graduation and the start of Star Trek: The Next Generation that is still unaccounted for.)
Worf was promoted to acting chief of security and made a full lieutenant following the death of Lieutenant Natasha Yar at planet Vagra II in late 2364. Worf felt intense guilt when Lieutenant Marla Aster was accidentally killed on an away mission in 2366, orphaning her son Jeremy Aster. Worf later took Jeremy into his family through the Klingon R’uustai, or bonding, ceremony. In 2368, Worf’s spinal column was shattered in an accident when several cargo containers collapsed onto him. Worf was left paralyzed, and his prognosis indicated little hope for a full recovery. In accordance with Klingon tradition, Worf refused medical treatment and opted for the Hegh’bat form of ritual suicide. He was dissuaded from taking his life when Dr. Toby Russell performed a dangerous experimental surgical procedure called genetronic replication, in which a new spinal column was generated to replace the damaged organ. The surgery was successful, in part because Klingon physiology includes redundancy for nearly all vital bodily functions. Worf once investigated a claim that his father had not died at Khitomer, but was instead being held prisoner at a secret Romulan prison camp in the Carraya System. Although the report was false, Worf did indeed find a prison camp where survivors of the Khitomer massacre and their families were being held. At the camp, Worf fell in love with a half-Romulan, half-Klingon woman named Ba’el. Worf led some of the prisoners to freedom, but the majority (including Ba’el) chose to remain, regarding the Carraya prison as their home. Worf and the freed prisoners all promised never to reveal the story of the prison camp at Carraya, so we assume Starfleet has no knowledge of it.
Worf was promoted to lieutenant commander in 2371 in a ceremony held on a holodeck representation of the 19th century sailing frigate Enterprise. Following the destruction of the Enterprise -D, Worf accepted an assignment to serve as strategic operations officer at station Deep Space 9.

In Klingon politics
Worf was thrust into high-level Klingon politics in 2366 when he discovered that he had a biological brother, Kurn. The Klingon High Council had ruled that their father, Mogh, had committed treason at Khitomer. Worf and Kurn challenged this judgment, but found the High Council unwilling to hear evidence that the politically powerful Duras family had falsified the charges against Mogh. Although Worf was willing to die in the challenge to protect his family honor, he eventually chose to accept a humiliating discommendation rather than allow his brother to be killed. Worf later killed Duras for having murdered K’Ehleyr. Worf was once again dragged into high-level Klingon politics in late 2367 and early 2368 when a challenge to the Gowron regime by the Duras family triggered a Klingon civil war. Worf and Kurn agreed to support the Gowron regime in exchange for the rightful restoration of honor to the Mogh family. During the conflict, Worf was forced to resign his Starfleet commission because he would not otherwise be permitted to take sides in that internal political matter.
In 2369, Worf experienced a crisis of faith, and requested a leave of absence to visit the Klingon monastery on Boreth. While meditating to invoke visions of Kahless the Unforgettable, Worf met a very real vision of Kahless. It was discovered that this Kahless was in fact a clone of the original, created by the clerics of Boreth. At Worf’s suggestion, and with the support of High Council leader Gowron, the new Kahless was installed as the ceremonial Emperor of the Klingon people in 2369.
Worf’s first appearance was in 'Encounter at Farpoint' [TNG]). The character was conceived by Gene Roddenberry and Bob Justman, who wanted a Klingon on the bridge as a reminder to the audience that today’s enemies can become tomorrow’s friends. Although Worf was originally intended to be little more than a costumed extra with elaborate makeup, he has since grown into one of the most complex and interesting of Star Trek characters.

Dr. Katherine Pulaski was chief medical officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise -D during the year 2365. While aboard the Enterprise -D, Pulaski nearly died of a disease closely resembling old age after she was exposed to genetically engineered human children at the Darwin Genetic Research Station on planet Gagarin IV. Pulaski recovered from the disease thanks to a transporter-based technique, this despite the fact that she harbored a phobia about transporter use. Pulaski cared for Kyle Riker after he was nearly killed in a Tholian attack in 2353. The two fell in love and Pulaski would later recall she would have married him 'in a cold minute' given the opportunity, but that Riker had 'other priorities'. Following her involvement with Riker, Pulaski married three times. As of 2365, she noted that she remained good friends with all three men. Counselor Troi commented once that Pulaski's greatest medical skill was her empathy with her patients, evidenced by the use of 'PCS' (Pulaski's Chicken Soup) in treating the flu virus.
Dr. Pulaski was part of the regular Star Trek: The Next Generation cast during the second season. Her first episode was 'The Child' (TNG), and her last was 'Shades of Gray' (TNG). She replaced Dr. Beverly Crusher, who in turn replaced Pulaski when Diana Muldaur left the series at the end of the second season. Muldaur had previously played Dr. Ann Mulhall in 'Return to Tomorrow' (TOS) and Dr. Miranda Jones in 'Is There in Truth No Beauty?' (TOS). There is no truth to the rumor that an ancestor of Dr. Pulaski was killed falling down the elevator shaft at a prestigious Los Angeles law firm. None at all.

Dr. Beverly Crusher is chief medical officer aboard the Enterprise -D under the command of Jean-Luc Picard. Crusher was born Beverly Howard in 2324, and graduated from medical school in 2350. She was at the Arvada III colony, and helped her grandmother, Felisa Howard, care for the survivors of that terrible tragedy. Although her grandmother was not a physician, she taught Beverly much about the medicinal uses of herbs and roots to help care for the sick and wounded after regular medical supplies had been exhausted.
Beverly was introduced to her future husband, Starfleet officer Jack Crusher, by their mutual friend Walker Keel. She married Jack in 2348, and the two had a child, Wesley Crusher, the following year.As a young married couple, Beverly and her husband Jack spent a great deal of time with Jean-Luc Picard. She did not learn until many years later, that Picard had fallen in love with her, but he didn't act on his feelings in order to not betray his friend. Crusher did her internship on planet Delos IV under the tutelage of Dr. Dalen Quaice in 2352. Following her husband's death in 2354, Beverly continued to pursue her Starfleet career, attaining the position of CMO aboard the Enterprise -D in 2364. Crusher left the Enterprise -D in 2365 to accept a position as head of Starfleet Medical, but returned to the ship a year later, and was reunited with her son, Wesley. In 2366, Crusher became romantically interested in a man from planet Zalkon whom she had named John Doe. The following year, she became involved with a Trill named Ambassador Odan. Although the two were very much in love, Beverly found it difficult to accept her lover inhabiting a different body. Beverly's grandmother, Felisa Howard, died in 2370, and Beverly returned to her grandmother's home at the Caldos colony to speak at the funeral. Beverly discovered her grandmother had taken a lover, apparently a 34 year old man named Ronin, who was actually an anaphasic life-form that had been a 'spirit lover' of Howard women for 20 generations. Beverly was at first taken in by Ronin, and even went so far as to resign from Starfleet to remain on Caldos with him, before Beverly was forced to kill him in order to protect her friends.
Although a physician aboard a starship is not normally regarded as a line officer, Crusher was left in command of the Enterprise -D when virtually the entire crew was transported to the surface of a planet to search for Data in early 2330. Crusher employed the metaphasic shield technology which the ship had aquired from Dr. Reyga in order to escape a pursuing Borg ship and rescue the crew on the surface. Later that year, Crusher was severely injured by Worf, who was under the influence of Barclay's Proto-morphosis Syndrome. She was placed in stasis and required reconstructive surgery.
Crusher's stint in stasis helped facilitate the fact that Gates McFadden was directing this episode.
Beverly was quite an accomplished dancer. Her colleagues named her 'The Dancing Doctor', a nickname she disliked, so aboard the Enterprise -D she did her best to avoid demonstrating her skills. Nevertheless, the fact that she had won first place in a dance competition in St. Louis was part of her Starfleet record, so Data asked her to help him learn to dance for the wedding of Miles O'Brien and Keiko Ishikawa in 2367. Beverly also had a strong interest in amateur theatrics, and was director of a successful theater company aboard the Enterprise -D. Among the productions performed by her company in 2367 was Cyrano de Bergerac. Several months later, her troupe performed Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance. Crusher wrote a play for her troupe, called Something for Breakfast. Another play written by Crusher was entitled Frame of Mind.
Beverly's maiden name, Howard, is from her biographical computer screen in 'Conundrum' (TNG), named for Star Trek: The Next Generation producer Merri Howard, although the name was used for her maternal grandmother. Gates McFadden left the Star Trek cast in the second season, during which the chief medical officer was played by Diana Muldaur as Dr. Katherine Pulaski (which is why Crusher left the ship to become head of Starfleet Medical during that year). McFadden and Crusher returned to the Enterprise -D during the third and subsequent seasons. Beverly Crusher first appeared in 'Encounter at Farpoint' (TNG).

Wesley Crusher, son of Starfleet officers Jack Crusher and Beverly Crusher. Wesley was born in 2349, and was raised by his mother following the death of his father, Jack, in 2354 when Wesley was five years old Wesley went to live on the Starship Enterprise -D in 2364, when his mother was assigned to that ship as chief medical officer. Wesley spent little time with his father before his death, but recalled that Jack taught him to play baseball.
Wesley showed a keen interest in science and technology, and had an extraordinary ability to visualize complex mathematical concepts, an ability that the Traveler once urged Captain Picard to nurture. Perhaps in response, Picard commissioned Crusher an acting ensign on stardate 41263.4 in recognition of Wesley's key role in returning the Enterprise -D to Federation space after it was stranded by Kosinski's failed warp-drive experiments.
As a member of an away team to planet Rubicun III, Crusher inadvertently broke a local law and was sentenced to death by the planetary government. Crusher was later freed by Enterprise -D captain Picard, although Picard acknowledged that the act violated the Prime Directive.
Wesley's first experience with command was when Commander Riker assigned him the task of supervising geological surveys of the planets in the Selcundi Drema Sector in 2365. Although Crusher initially found it difficult to supervise officers older than himself, he eventually found that the experience built self-confidence, and Crusher's leadership led to scientifically important discoveries. Crusher conducted a test using medical nanites in 2366, accidentally resulting in the creation of an enhanced version of the tiny robots possessing enough intelligence to be considered a legitimate life-form. The nanites were so recognized and granted colonization rights on planet Kavis Alpha IV.
Wesley's first romantic interest was with the lovely young Salia, leader of planet Daled IV. Although not human, Salia was a shape-shifting allasomorph who appeared as a teenaged human girl whose keen intelligence and wit captured his interest.
Wesley first attempted to gain entrance to Starfleet Academy in 2364 at age 15. Although he did not win admission at that time, he continued his studies and gained academic credit for his work aboard the Enterprise -D. Wesley was accepted to Starfleet Academy in 2366, but missed his transport to the Academy because he was participating in a rescue mission after William Riker, Deanna Troi, and Lwaxana Troi had been kidnapped by Ferengi DaiMon Tog. In recognition of his sacrifice, Captain Picard granted Wesley a field promotion to the rank of ensign shortly after the incident. Wesley finally entered Starfleet Academy in 2367 when a position opened up mid-term in the current class. His final assignment as part of the Enterprise -D crew was to accompany Captain Picard on a diplomatic mission to planet Pentarus V. The mission was interrupted with their transport shuttle, the Nenebek, crashed on Lambda Paz, after which Captain Picard became critically injured. Crusher cared for Picard until a rescue party arrived.
Crusher's first year at the Academy went well, and he even gained entry into the Academy's elite Nova Squadron flight team. Wesley returned to the Enterprise -D for a brief visit on stardate 45208, where he became very fond of mission specialist Robin Lefler. Crusher's sophomore year was marred by a serious incident in which he and other members of Nova Squadron attempted a prohibited maneuver, and cadet Joshua Albert died in the resulting accident. Although initial testimony by members of the squadron suggested Albert was responsible for the accident, Crusher later came forward with the truth. A reprimand was entered into Crusher's academic record, and he was forced to repeat his sophomore year.
Wesley Crusher became disenchanted with his studies at Starfleet and resigned his commission to the Academy in 2370, choosing instead to live among the American Indians on planet Dorvan V, a world currently under Cardassian jurisdiction. Crusher's decision to leave Starfleet in favor of self-exploration was a difficult one, aided by insight offered by the Traveler.
In an alternate quantum reality visited by Worf in 2370, Wesley Crusher had not left the Enterprise -D but had remained, achieved the rank of Lieutenant, and was assigned to tactical.
Wesley Crusher first appeared in 'Encounter at Farpoint' (TNG). Actor Wil Wheaton left the series during the fourth season (in 'Final Mission' [TNG]), although he has since returned for 'The Game' (TNG) 'The First Duty' (TNG), 'Parallels' (TNG), and 'Journey's End' (TNG). Wesley was named for Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, whose middle name was Wesley.

Geordi La Forge is chief engineer aboard the Starship Enterprise -D. Born blind in 2335 because of a birth defect, La Forge wore a remarkable device called a VISOR that permitted him to see with greater clarity than other humans could. Geordi La Forge came from a family of Starfleet officers. His mother, Silva La Forge, was captain of the U.S.S. Hera at the time of her death in 2370, and his father was an exobiologist.
Geordi recalled that, even though he moved around a great deal, he considered his childhood a great adventure.
La Forge did not receive his VISOR until after his fifth birthday. Geordi was caught in a fire when he was five years old. He was rescued by his parents, and was not injured. Geordi recalled how for a time after the incident it was extremely important for him to know where his parents were at all times.
Geordi had a pet Circassian cat when he was eight. Possibly because his parents traveled so much when he was a child, Geordi had something of a knack for languages. One such language was Halii. Geordi La Forge graduated from Starfleet Academy in 2357. One of La Forge's first Starfleet assignments was as shuttle pilot for the Jovian run between Jupiter and Saturn.
La Forge first met Captain Picard when La Forge piloted Picard's shuttle on an inspection tour. During the tour, Picard made an offhanded remark about a minor inefficiency in the shuttle's engines, and La Forge subsequently stayed up all night to repair the problem. Picard was so impressed with the incident that he requested La Forge be assigned to the Enterprise -D in 2364.
La Forge later served as an ensign on the U.S.S. Victory under the command of Captain Zimbata. One of Geordi's closest friends on that ship was Lieutenant Susanna Leijten. In 2362, both La Forge and Leijten participated in an away mission to planet Tarchannen III. It was later realized that all members of that away team were infected by an alien DNA strand that would, if unchecked, compel them to return to Tarchannen III, where they would be transformed into a native Tarchannen life-form. La Forge was saved from the transformation in 2367 by Leijten's actions and medical intervention by Enterprise -D CMO Crusher. La Forge transferred to the Enterprise -D as flight controller (conn) in 2364. Geordi was promoted to full lieutenant and assigned as U.S.S. Enterprise -D chief engineer the following year, just prior to stardate 42073.1. Although brilliantly proficient as a starship engineer, La Forge had difficulty building relationships with women. Perhaps as a result, Geordi developed an attachment to a holographic representation of Enterprise -D designer Leah Brahms. The real Dr. Brahms was outraged to learn of this simulation, noting that creating such a replica without her permission was an invasion of privacy. Brahms did eventually become friends with La Forge, although Geordi was disappointed to learn that Leah was already married.
La Forge was promoted to lieutenant commander in early 2366.
The name of Geordi's mother was listed as Alvera K. La Forge on Geordi's death certificate, seen in 'The Next Phase' (TNG), but was established as Silva La Forge in 'Interface' (TNG). His father (played by Ben Vereen) was seen in that episode, but no first name was established for him, although his bio screen seen in 'Conundrum' (TNG) suggested it might be Edward M. La Forge. Geordi La Forge, whose first appearance was in 'Encounter at Farpoint' (TNG), was named in memory of the late, handicapped Star Trek fan George La Forge.

Guinan is bartender at the Ten-Forward lounge aboard the Starship Enterprise -D. Guinan was a member of a race of listeners, but her people, the El-Aurians, were nearly wiped out by the Borg in the late 23rd century. While fleeing from her homeworld aboard the S.S. Lakul in 2293, Guinan was briefly swept into an alternate reality known as the nexus. The few survivors among her people escaped by spreading themselves across the galaxy. Guinan was one of the survivors. Guinan spent some time on Earth prior to that planet's development of space travel. She lived in the Earth city of San Francisco in the year 1893, where she met writer Samuel Clemens, as well as future shipmates Data, Picard, etc., who had traveled back in time. Guinan was born sometime in the 19th century, making her about 500 years old when she served on the Enterprise -D. Her father was about 200 years old at the time of Guinan's birth. She also had an uncle named Termin. Guinan and Q were acquaintances, having met each other some two centuries ago, but neither has been particularly enlightening about the encounter, save for the fact that neither liked the other. She has been married several times, and had many children. She said that all of them turned out all right, except for one that wouldn't listen. Guinan possessed an unusual sense that extended beyond normal linear space-time. She, alone, was intuitively aware of the damage to the 'normal' flow of time caused when the Enterprise -C was swept some 22 years into its future, creating an alternate timeline. Guinan warned Picard that history had been altered, persuading him to return the Enterprise -C back to 2344 to restore the flow of time. Such was Picard's faith in Guinan that he accepted this extraordinary recommendation.

Much remains unknown about Guinan, largely because Star Trek's producers made a conscious decision to keep her background something of a mystery. Guinan, played by Whoopi Goldberg, joined the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast at the beginning of the second season after calling Gene Roddenberry and telling him that she'd like to be part of the Enterprise crew. Guinan was named after famed bartender Texas Guinan, who ran a saloon during the Prohibition. Young Guinan in 'Rascals' was played by Isis Jones.
Guinan's first appearance was in 'The Child' [TNG]).

Natasha Yar was on the Enterprise -D chief of security under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Ukrainian in descent, Yar was born on a failed Federation colony on planet Turkana IV. Her parents were killed when she was only five, and she spent much of her childhood in a bitter struggle for survival, evading marauding rape gangs and caring for her younger sister, Ishara Yar. One of the few 'normal' aspects of her childhood was her ownership of a pet kitten that she protected. Tasha escaped from Turkana IV at the age of 15, choosing to join Starfleet.

As a Starfleet officer, she impressed Captain Picard with her courage in rescuing a wounded colonist, making her way through a Carnellian mine field. Thus, Picard requested that she be transferred to the Enterprise -D in early 2364. While under the inhibition-stripping effects of the Psi 2000 virus, Tasha apparently became intimate with fellow Enterprise -D crew member Data.

Yar was killed in late 2364 while participating in a rescue mission on planet Vagra II. Tasha, knowing her line of work entailed considerable risk, left a holographic farewell to her comrades in which she thanked her shipmates for being part of her life. Data kept a small holographic portrait of Tasha, and he considered it one of his most precious personal possessions.

Tasha Yar was first seen in 'Encounter at Farpoint' (TNG). Although her character died in 'Skin of Evil' (TNG), we saw her holographic portrait in 'The Measure of a Man' (TNG), and her alternate-timeline version in 'Yesterday's Enterprise' (TNG). The alternate Tasha's daughter, Sela, was also played by Denise Crosby.

Natasha Yar was In the alternate timeline created when the Enterprise -C vanished from its 'proper' place in 2344 into a temporal rift, Enterprise -D security officer Tasha Yar did not die at planet Vagra II in 2364. Instead, she remained as security chief aboard that ship during a war between the Federation and the Klingons. The alternate Yar was on duty when the Enterprise -C emerged from a temporal rift, and she served as liaison between the two ships, working closely with Lieutenant Richard Castillo, with whom she became romantically involved. When it was learned that the Enterprise -C had to return to the past, the alternate Yar volunteered to return with that ship, despite the knowledge that the mission meant virtually certain death. No direct evidence survived of the existence of the alternate Yar (or the emergence of the Enterprise -C) after the return of the Enterprise -C to the past. However, in 2367, a Romulan operative named Sela began a series of covert operations against the Klingon government. Sela was apparently the child of Yar and a Romulan general who had captured the Enterprise -C bridge crew at Narendra III. The Romulan general agreed to spare the bridge crew if Yar agreed to become his consort. Sela was born a year later, in 2345. Sela claimed that the alternate Yar was killed trying to escape when Sela was four.

Facts and background come from 'Startrek Omnipedia' from Paramount Pictures, All right reserved.
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