I come up with a lotta story ideas. Some, like Swift Fox and Black Mask & Pale Rider, see the light of day. Others are attempted, but often get swept under the rug. There is an idea I have that I’d like to try and bring out fully.
Mind you, it’ll most likely be relegated to fanfiction, but I don’t have an issue with that, as long as people read it. This story holds something dear for me, in that it represents an aspect of hope.
The story takes place in the Star Trek universe. Star Trek has to be the biggest ideal of hope. Hope for the future. We saw that hope grow as in the early to mid 90s, the series Deep Space Nine had the first commanding officer (and eventually captain) of not just a starship, but an entire space station was African American. Ben Sisko’s role in the Dominion War was an important one, and he was a voice that many listened to. He was seen as the Emissary by the Bajoran people. That hope continued when years later, Star Trek Voyager came to television, with the first Starship from an on going series had a woman as captain. Katheryn Janeway was a diplomat and a scientist, and had the arduous task of returning the crew of both Voyager and the Maqis back to the Alpha Quadrant.
This idea I have is going to go one step further. First, the ship that will be commanded is a Bellerophon Class starship. Basically a souped up Intrepid Class (Voyager starship as an example).
Second, the main character (or at least the captain of the starship, as with Star Trek, the crew is always featured around the captain) will be a woman, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Her name is Fadra Englen and she is a first generation Canadian, born to parents who emigrated to Canada from Palestine. Fadra was born with a genetic mutation that granted her heightened strength, sight, hearing, resistance to disease and slowed her aging process and granted her a regenerative ability. This genetic mutation gave her an interest in science and medicine, something she pursued with vigor. She eventually graduated with a masters in medicine from the University of Saskatchewan, but instead of being content with research grants and writing papers, she wished to do some good. Fadra eventually took a position at a medical facility in the town of Silver Spring, on the Whitecap Dakota First Nation, south of Saskatoon.
After a time, however, Fadra would realize her skills were needed elsewhere, and so she enrolled in Starfleet. Her first assignment would be aboard the USS Toronto, a medical ship that assisted during the Dominion War.
After the war, Fadra hoped to return to Silver Spring, but was instead called by Starfleet and asked for her services once more. She was promoted to the rank of captain, and commissioned a Bellerophon Class starship dubbed the Nightingale. The Nightingale was unlike any other starship in the fleet. Dedicated to scientific research and development, the ship had a larger medical bay to aid wounded. That was the ship’s purpose, to go into heavy war inflicted areas, and offer medical aid. Such a mission required that the Nightingale would be outfitted with defensive and offensive capabilities to defend herself against attack. Improved ablative armour plating, increased shield capabilities and even weapons arrays (four phaser banks, four photon torpedo bays).
I’ll jot down more as the days go by (and eventually, write this thing). I guess if there is any question why I’m wanting to write this, it boils down to two answers. First, because I can. Second, because I think that something like this would interest people.
Right now, the idea is in its infancy.
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