Help:Sample Background
From Star Trek: Gamma One
Below is a sample set of background answers which will help to illustrate what we are looking for in applications. They include a good mix of detail and character insight.
Describe your PC's concept. What makes your PC tick?
Ensign Robert Sample has never let his diminutive size stop him from anything. His friends called him a fireplug. Those less generously inclined have said he has a Napoleon complex. He has a sharp mind and a sharper voice to match, which has served to get him into an ample amount of trouble in his short career. He's a shuttle jock, for the moment, and proud of it. As he's pointed out repeatedly, he is, after all, one of the first in the class to get his own command - however humble.
Describe your PC's parents, siblings, and your PC's early home life. What influence did this have on your PC?
The only son of two well-known archaeologists employed by the Federation Science Council, Robert traveled frequently in his early years, seeing all sorts of worlds, and studying under a variety of tutors. His education focused on the basic subjects, but he also got some hands on training with his parents. All of which served only to convince him that archaeology was dreadfully boring stuff, and that he wanted to live in the future, and not the past. His recreation opportunities were limited, but he read, and played sports - soccer was a particular favorite, the ball was easy to transport, and it was always easy to find some other children to play with.
Describe your PC's teenage years, friends your PC made, lessons your PC learned as well as any major events.
Fortunately for Robert, his parents decided to settle down, accepting professorships at a university in Western Europe shortly after his twelfth birthday. By that time it was apparent that he would never be tall, but Robert didn't let that stand in the way of his physical workouts. He found that he had an affinity for sport that helped him make friends, and he was a starting midfielder on his school's soccer team for his last two years there, known for his physicality, more than his pure skill. He was also a natural leader, and was elected the team captain. His grades were not spectacular, but were solid, and his discipline was a problem - he had an almost knee-jerk reflex to respond with a smartaleky crack whenever he was questioned about something.
Why did your PC choose Starfleet? Why did your PC choose the branch he or she did? Did your PC's family or friends influence the decision? How did they react when your PC enrolled in the academy? (If your PC is not Starfleet, then answer this from an appropriate viewpoint. Substitute the Academy for university or for the military academy of your race.
Starfleet seemed like a good choice for Robert. His memories, seen through the rose-colored glasses of childhood, were of imposing men and women in uniform, seeing the universe. The fact that they were engaged in shuttling Robert and his parents from one research site on the Federation frontier to another should have given him a dose of reality, but didn't. A desire to be in the command branch came from the combination of his own natural leadership ability and his desire to be the one out in front. His family supported his decision, especially once it became clear that he had no intent of following them into academia.
Describe your PC's experience at Starfleet Academy (or college or the military academy of your PC's race). Describe your PC's friends, rivals, mentors, and what your PC learned during his or her academy years.
Robert approached Starfleet Academy much like he did soccer. What he couldn't do with skill, he made up for in raw determination and an ability to bull his way through. Starfleet, however, does not tolerate backtalk quite as much as school does, and he learned quickly that there were plenty of people who were willing to put him in his place. It took the discipline of the academy to break him of bad habits, but break those habits he did. His Flight Control instructor, Lt. Commander Winnefrey, was a great help to him (even if he wouldn't have admitted it at the time), taking quick steps to silence any sass. Later, she took more of a mentoring role for the young cadet, making him something of a personal project, and helping him improve his precision flying skills until he was able to successfully audition for a place in one of the Academy squadrons.
On what ship or facility was your PC assigned for his or her cadet cruise? What people helped your PC to learn and adapt? What major events occurred?
Cadet Sample didn't go far for his cadet cruise. He was assigned to Earth Spacedock as a shuttlecraft pilot (more often, co-pilot with a more experienced officer), ferrying dignitaries and other passengers back and forth from the planet to Spacedock, the Fleetyards, and other locations in the Sol System. As a result of this posting, he had an unusually high amount of exposure to the upper echelons of Starfleet Command, and while a cadet was generally beneath notice, he did make a few connections among older officers who were willing to offer advice to a young cadet. Sample served in the capacity of a shuttle pilot when the Breen Attack occured in 2375, and worked seventy-two hours straight helping to evacuate the wounded by shuttle, and carry medical and other supplies to San Francisco.
What other assignments has your PC had prior to being posted to the Gamma One Task Force? How did these postings affect your PC?
After his cadet cruise, Sample earned his pip and reported for advanced pilot training. He was assigned briefly as a courier pilot attached to the Seventh Fleet near the end of the Dominion War, but did not see any combat. He subsequently volunteered for assignment to the Gamma One Task Force, and has been assigned as a shuttle pilot aboard the USS Marathon.
What are your PC's goals? What motivates your PC?
ENS Sample has the red shirt he coveted, but in his considered opinion, that one pip looks very, very lonely on the collar. He has big plans to someday trade in the pilots chair for the big chair of a starship. He realizes, of course, that's in the distant future. For now, he'd settle for a few more independent missions to get his feet wet, until he jumps up into a Flight Control slot, or maybe moves into a tactical shuttle.
