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CURT DANHAUSER'S GUIDE TO
STAR TREK
NEW FRONTIER
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LT SOLETA
Lieutenant Soleta.
Science Officer aboard the Starship Excalibur under the command of Captain Calhoun.
Background:
Soleta was born on a scientific Vulcan research planet in 2340.
She was an only child, and she grew up there and was trained in traditional Vulcan
disciplines. In addition, Soleta had some medical
training at the hands of her parents. She entered the Starfleet Academy in 2357 in the
same class as Zak Kebron, Mark McHenry, Worf and Tania Tobias. The five cadets were
often called the dream team because their various talents and temperaments complemented
one another and they were quite effective at the various missions they were sent on.
Upon graduation in 2361, she was posted as a junior science officer aboard the
Oberth-class U.S.S. Aldrin. In 2362 the crew of the Aldrin. captured a notorious
Romulan criminal who had built up quite a reputation and had a very impressive smuggling operation
set up. Soleta had, of course, heard about Romulans, but had never met one, so she went to the
Brig where he was being held. While trying to shock the young Vulcan officer, the Romulan man told
her the particularly distasteful tale of how he brutally abused and forced himself upon a Vulcan woman
some years ago on a Vulcan science colony. The details of the incident made it clear to Soleta that
this man was her biological father. He had no idea that he was talking to his daughter. She later
visited her parents on Vulcan who confirmed the awful truth that she suspected.
After the revelation about her true heritage, Soleta took extended leave and
decided to roam space to sort things out. She felt that her whole life as a Vulcan was somehow a sham, and
she needed time to consider who she was and just what was her place in the universe.
In 2364, during this time, Ensign Soleta ventured to the planet Thallon to study the extraordinary
geological makeup of the planet which she had heard about. Shortly after visiting the planet, she was arrested by
the xenophobic Thallonians and thrown into a dungeon. She was able to escape with the
help of Ambassador Spock, who was on Thallon as a undercover cultural observer, and Lord
Si Cwan, a member of the Thallonian royal family. Afterward, she continued her soul searching.
A year later, in 2365, Starfleet Command got word to her that she would be removed from the rolls
of Starfleet if she did not return. Soon after this she received a grave message from Vulcan
informing her that mother was dying. Soleta returned home and was with her mother when she passed
away. It was her dying wish that Soleta return to Starfleet, which she did after some thought.
Upon her return to Starfleet in 2365, Soleta was posted as
an instructor at Starfleet Academy and she remained there for eight years. In 2367 Soleta received
a promotion to Lieutenant junior grade, a number of years later than her Academy classmates, owing
to her three-year unauthorized "sabbatical." She then became a Lieutenant two years later.
In 2373, the Thallonian Empire collapsed. Starfleet Command made the decision to send the
Starship Excalibur into the former Thallonian Empire to act as a Federation presence and to
lend assistance. On the recommendation of the legendary Ambassador Spock, Lieutenant Soleta was assigned
as science officer of the Excalibur under the command of Captain Mackenzie Calhoun.
Personality:
Although raised as a full Vulcan, Soleta is half Romulan.
She often appears to be in a bad mood due to her stern expression. In her twenties,
she was good at making friends even though she was characteristically unemotional even then.
She always had a zest for life especially while at the Academy and in her early career. After
the revelation about her true lineage, however, Soleta became increasingly withdrawn. She began to have
trouble deciding how she should feel. As a Vulcan, she does not readily admit it, but she does have
some close friends, all of which were classmates with her at the Academy. These are Zak Kebron, Mark
McHenry, Worf and Tania Tobias who was her roommate. All of these friends were made before that
character defining incident with her father. Soleta is especially gifted in scientific subjects and
geology and astrophysics are particular interest of hers. She is also fairly adept at the Vulcan mind
meld and mind brush and has performed the technique while on various missions with the dream team.
Soleta almost always wears a particular hair pin which has the Vulcan IDIC symbol on it. The pin was somewhat of a
cherished family heirloom. It had belonged to her mother, and she had given it to Soleta when she went off to
the Academy.
Current Assignment/Duties:
Lieutenant Soleta is the Science Officer aboard the U.S.S. Excalibur.
A ship's Science Officer is responsible for investigating any new phenomenon and acts as an advisor to
the command staff regarding questions of science, such as spatial phenomenon, new lifeforms and unknown energy
forces. The science officer presides over all science missions performed by the ship, and is in charge of
any visiting science teams. Not all Federation vessels have science officers. On those ships, science
duties are often delegated to the operations officer. Scientific research starships, however, have large science
departments and the CO and/or XO are usually science specialists in their own right. All Federation ships
sent on exploration missions always have a science officer aboard.
Recent Events:
In 2373, Dr. Selar started having trouble with her emotions. Fearing the
onset of Bendii Syndrome, Selar turned to Soleta, the only other Vulcan aboard the Excalibur,
to help her determine what was happening to her. They mind melded and Soleta determined that Selar had
entered pon farr. Through dealings with each other during this difficult time for
Selar, the two revealed much about themselves and the two formed a friendship. Selar is the only member
of Starfleet who knows that Soleta is half Romulan.
Notes:
The characters of Zak Kebron, Soleta and Mark McHenry first appreared in three STAR TREK: The
Next Generation Starfleet Academy books written by Peter David and published in 1993 by Minstrel
Books, an imprint of Pocket Books.
The Vulcan character of Lieutenant Saavik, who appeared in the features STAR TREK II: The Wrath of Kahn
and STAR TREK III: The Search For Spock, was originally intended to be half Romulan, like Soleta.
The scenes in STAR TREK II in which her dual heritage was mentioned were cut from
the film.
Other Members of the Excalibur Command Staff:
STAR TREK is a Registered Trademark of
Paramount Pictures Corporation.
All Rights Reserved. The STAR TREK: New Frontier books are published by Pocket Books,
a division of Simon & Shuster Inc., under exclusive license from Paramount Pictures.
New Frontier concept by John J. Ordover and Peter David.
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Email: cdanhauser@yahoo.com
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