Thursday, November 17, 2011

Star Trek New Frontier: First Officer Elizabeth Shelby

While Commander Elizabeth Shelby is the first office for much of the Star Trek New Frontier series, her inclusion in our Star Trek Chronology is important for several different reasons. First, her history along the Star Trek TNG timeline, and later if we decide to start including Star Trek Fan Fiction and other short stories into this chronology. All I can say about that is we will deal with that on a case by case basis when it becomes time too.

So we first see Shelby at the end of Star Trek TNG's third season. She appears in the episode Best of both worlds part one. The star date for this episode is 43989.1. She would also appear in the fourth season premier Best of both worlds part two. The given star date for that episode is 44001.4. The actual year appears to be 2366.

From the New Frontier series we learn that she entered the academy in year 2354, and while there entered into a relationship with future Captain of the USS Excalibur (NCC 26517) Mackenzie Calhoun. Since I have yet to decide if we will include information from Star Trek Computer games, we will skip ahead a bit.

By 2366 Shelby is a full Lieutenant and the Chief Engineer on the USS Yosemite (NCC 19002). We know from New Frontier short stories that she had decided by that point to transfer from engineering to a command track and was disappointed in her apparent inability to do so.

By Star Date 50000.0 Shelby has taken her assignment as first officer aboard the USS Excalibur. We also learn that Shelby previously served as first officer of that ship under Captain Korsmo.

Through the course of the New Frontier series, we also learn that Shelby is eventually promoted to Captain of the USS Trident (NCC 31347) and past that eventually is promoted to Admiral and placed in command of Starfleet’s Bravo Station.

Star Trek babe of the day: Ishara yar

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Star Trek New Frontier: Captain Mackenzie Calhoun

So we shall use what is known about Star Trek New Frontier Captain Mackenzie Calhoun as a baseline to start establishing dates within the Star Trek TNG and DS9 timelines. According to the Star Trek Wiki: Star Trek the expanded universe, Calhoun was born in the year 2334 on the planet Xenex.


According to the book Star Trek NF: House of Cards Captain Jean Luc Picard visited that planet as Captain of the USS Stargazer (NCC 2893) in the year 2353. Doctor Beverly Crusher's (Star Trek TNG) husband jack Crusher was also on this mission. There Picard helps to recruit Calhoun into Star Fleet.

We also know that Calhoun entered the Starfleet academy in the year 2355, and while there became romantically involved with a fellow cadet Elizabeth Shelby (Star Trek TNG). By the year 2369, Calhoun had risen to the rank of Commander and was the first officer of the USS Grissom (NCC 42857). There he deals with a crisis that leads to him leaving Starfleet all together. In all of this, he also conflicted with Star Trek TNG nemesis Edward Jellico.

For the next three years of his life, Calhoun works for Starfleet Intelligence under the command of Admiral Alynna Nechayev. After the fall of the Thallonian Empire in sector 221-G, Nechayev and Captain Picard convince Calhoun to return to Starfleet where he is given command of the USS Excalibur (NCC 26517). This is where the adventures of the Star Trek New Frontier timeline begin.

We know from the book and the inclusion of the USS Enterprise E (NCC 1701 E) that these events happen after the events of Star Trek First Contact. Wikipedia places the year as 2373. That seems consistent with the above information it lists the star date of First Contact as 50000.0 to 50999.9. Placing these events squarely in the fifth season of Star Trek Deep Space Nine.

Since the second episode of DS9 season five lists the star date as 50499.3 we can safely assume that the events of First Contact take place before the season five of DS9 begins. That is important as we try to explain the inclusion of Lt. Commander Worf in the events of First Contact, and the following TNG films.

Since the events of First Contact take place before the fifth season of DS9, and before the Alpha Quadrant was enthralled in the Dominion War, it is safe to assume that the dispatch of the Defiant to protect Earth from the Borg is credible. Therefore, all of these events will be included, as they stand in Star Trek Cannon, in my Star Trek timeline.