Commander Saul Whitford
Name Saul Whitford
Position Executive Officer
Second Position Chief Operations Officer
Rank Commander
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Human (Martian) | |
| Age | 44 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 5'9" | |
| Weight | 217lbs | |
| Hair Color | Dark brown, almost black, but cut short | |
| Eye Color | Hazel | |
| Physical Description | Average in height for a human, Whitford has a powerful frame, the result of an active life and love of the outdoors. Unfortunately, in his twenties he began balding so he now shaves it short and wears a slight goatee. He holds himself with a quiet confidence and always has a ready smile. As with many Martians of his age he has several tattoos placed across his body. |
Family
| Spouse | None | |
| Children | None he assumes | |
| Father | Abel Whitford | |
| Mother | Louisa Whitford | |
| Brother(s) | None | |
| Sister(s) | None |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | As an individual, Whtiford is easygoing and finds making friends easy. As an officer he makes himself available to any and all who need his assistance. He enjoys his work and takes it seriously, ensuring he is meticulously prepared for his shifts and that regulations are adhered to the letter. His downtime is equally important to Whitford. Aboard ship he prefers social engagement that get him interacting with his fellow crewmembers, mostly cards and games of chance. Although he is a competitive and enjoys winning Whitford does try to ensure he doesn't take anything away from his subordinates if the stakes involve more than trinkets. When on shoreleave he lets his hair down big time, enjoying partying and bar hopping until the early mornings. After getting this out of his system, he enjoys hiking, kayaking and other outdoor pursuits and sports to relax. Whitford keeps a secluded property out on the Olympic Peninsula for just this purpose. |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | + Dedicated Officer + Natural leader + Friendly and welcoming - needs to feel appreciated - Can be hot-headed and passionate - Enjoys partying too much |
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| Ambitions | Whitford wants to go all the way: an explorer ship of his own to blaze a trail into the history books. After years treading water on Jupiter Station, he's eager to make up time. | |
| Hobbies & Interests | Hiking, swimming, and kayaking are favoured hobbies as well as ‘hunting' serial drones in the Martian outback. Whitford enjoys fine whiskeys and cigars as well. When possible, he enjoys working on his Harley Davidson bike. He also enjoys watching broadcasts of his hometown baseball team, the Ares City Aquilans and the Martian Rugby League. |
| Personal History | Saul Whitford was born to Louisa and Abel Whitford in 2124. Both parents were planetary biologists and were heavily involved with the ongoing terraforming of Mars, projects they oversaw from a distance. For the first eight years of his life, Saul lived in Buenos Aires from where his mother’s family hailed. It left a profound impact on his life. In 2132 both Abel and Luisa were offered supervisory positions on Mars. Both scientists leapt at the chance and enthusiastically embraced the possibilities that living on one of Earth’s oldest colonies could bring. It was a profound change for the young Saul. He would never forget his first interplanetary voyage, or the sheer speed the vessel travelled at. It unlocked a yearning for the stars in the young boy that would only be assuaged later. He adjusted to life on Mars fairly easily as children do. By his early teens it was routine to don civilian environment suits to wander the Martian surface outside the domed safety of Ares City where his family had settled. Saul did passably well at school, though to his parents’ evident disappointment he showed no interest in the sciences, preferring more physical activities and geography as subjects. As he grew older he became an avid fan of Martian baseball, going to watch the Aquilans as often as he could, as well as the Spartans rugby union club. Saul followed their example at high school, becoming a member of his school baseball and rugby team. In hindsight he found the position of Inside Centre helped develop his situational awareness and leadership skills as he got older. Still, as satisfied as he was with his life – a wide circle of friends, tolerable pastimes and mostly indulgent parents – Saul found that there was still something missing in his life. He was aware that he was an outsider on Mars – the scars of the Martian War of Independence ran deep. His grandparents on Earth ensured he had constant reminders of his childhood in Buenos Aires, and they returned to Earth relatively often for holidays. His life lacked purpose, and he still found himself looking towards the stars. Towards the end of his schooling in 2142, and following a recruitment officer’s visit to his school, Saul announced his intention to apply to the United Earth Starfleet. Saul’s parents weren’t angry, they were disappointed. They had left Earth years before, and for them there was only a sentimental connection. Besides, they had still hoped that their only son would follow in their footsteps. It was crushing for the young man. Nevertheless, he transmitted his application and was accepted to the Academy in 2142. San Francisco was a revelation to the young man. Mars was a liberal colony, but SanFran, and Earth in general had more people around that allowed him to give the college try a proper go. Saul found himself at ease with his fellow cadets, quickly making friends and joining the university rugby and baseball teams – he wasn’t varsity, but he did enjoy himself immensely. With his physical size further filled out by life at the Academy, and his enjoyment of spatial tactics he quickly found his calling was for the Armoury department track. Graduation came all to soon for him. Though a profoundly ambitious man – mainly to prove his parents wrong – Saul was still learning how to balance his personal life with his studies. Though no slouch, he graduated in the middle percentiles of his class. His first assignment felt like the graveyard shift: Jupiter Station. Though a commissioned an Ensign, his assignment had a secondary role, a thorough grounding in the Armory departments duties, both security- and tactical-wise, to ensure that his Academy training bedded in. After feeling sorry for himself for most of the voyage over from Earth to the Jovian satellite, Saul swore to himself he wouldn’t disappoint again. He’d heard there was a Warp 5 ship close to commissioning – he would get there. Somehow. Jupiter station as United Earth’s main station beyond Earth proved to be an eye-opener to the young officer. Though not as glamorous a posting as a starship, the Station was an important asset, and saw frequent stopovers from Earth’s new near-neighbours. Saul applied himself diligently to his work, ensuring he read the latest briefings and training manuals to better himself, and his reputation within the service. It soon became noted his was quite the stickler when it came to docking procedures. Though he took his duties seriously, Saul was still the party animal off-duty, often frequenting Jupiter station’s bars and sole nightclub, ensuring he and his partners had a good time. He was also noted for hosting a friendly game of cards in his quarters on a weekly basis. His good work soon paid off. In 2148 Saul was granted leave to transfer to the Daedalus-class SS Brandywine. Moreover, he was now an Armory Officer, third in line for his department’s command, and ran the show on Gamma shift. It still wasn’t glamourous. Brandywine’s main duty was to patrol the Earth to Deneva routes, focussing on pirate activity. Still, Saul applied himself, ensuring that his duties were performed to the best of his abilities. Starfleet vessels in the mid-22nd centuries were small, spartan affairs despite United Earth’s best efforts. There were truly little opportunities for Saul to let his hair down in his traditional manner. He did, however, maintain his card game night. After a few run-ins with Nausicaan pirates, particularly the action on Denebran II where he acquitted himself well, Saul was promoted in 2151 to Lieutenant (JG). He was glad it wasn’t just for time served. Now in his late twenties, he finally felt he had his Starfleet career under control and that his future was in his hands. During the period 2151-3, the Brandywine’s patrol route was shifted to take in the Alpha Centauri colonies because of her experience with Nausicaans. All in all, it was a pleasurable tour for Saul who found that Alpha Centauri was a more cosmopolitan shore leave destination than Deneva. In 2153 Saul applied for a promotion and a transfer. Starfleet, in need of experienced officers throughout the fleet in light of the growing Xindi agreed to transfer him and promote him to Assistant Chief Armory Officer of the Ganges-class SS Ganymede. Once more it was an older ship, and Saul was admittedly disappointed – but he couldn’t very well turn down the opportunity to show his abilities at a higher level. The Ganges’ patrol route was mostly confined to the Sol system whilst Starfleet rushed more NX- and Daedalus-class vessels into production to meet the crisis point. This suited Saul at this time, as he had been away from Earth and Mars for long stretches of time since joining Starfleet. He had had few opportunities to visit his family, particularly his parents. Even now over a decade since he had left, relations were still somewhat strained, his family still indefinably disappointed in him. He could only hope that the situation United Earth and the Confederated Martian Colonies found themselves in at the time would justify his decisions. His time aboard the Ganymede passed quietly, though he did distinguish himself in his diligence and adherence to protocol and regulations. Little would get past a surprise cargo inspection conducted by the Ganymede’s Armory Officer. With the continuing shortages of personnel coupled with Starfleet’s major recruitment initiative, Command identified a training bottleneck at Starfleet Academy: good Armory officers with sufficient experience were in short supply as trainers. Given he was in the Sol system at the time, Saul was offered the chance to spend time at the Academy as a trainer. As it happened, Saul’s relationship with his family had improved over the time he had served aboard the Ganymede. Not wishing to throw away their hard work over the past few years with an extended tour at the frontiers of United Earth space, Saul agreed. It was perhaps the most trying assignment of his career in Starfleet. To him it was clear he was not an instructor or trainer in the academic sense. Saul much preferred to be aboard ship – even aboard a station – than at San Francisco. During this year he spent some of his hard-earned savings in purchasing a small property on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State as a way of getting away from the pressures of his job. At the weekends he would teach himself how to kayak and would go on long hikes to relax. After a year of instruction, Saul threw in the towel and asked for a transfer once more. Though he was grateful for the opportunity to mend some fences with his family, and to find a healthier way to spend his downtime, he had learned enough about himself to understand that his place was aboard ship. He set his eyes on his ultimate goal: the centre chair, and vowed to make it, whether it be a rickety Daedalus or whatever top-of-the-line deep space explorer Starfleet would develop in the time it would take him to get there. Starfleet Command took a while in deciding his transfer, but in the end his record spoke for itself: He would be assigned to the Unicorn, one of Starfleet’s premiere ships. With tensions increasing in the Quadrant, Command felt that every capable officer would need to be utilised to their best extent. Starfleet Command took a while in deciding his transfer, but in the end his record spoke for itself: He would be assigned to the Unicorn, one of Starfleet’s premiere ships. With tensions increasing in the Quadrant, Command felt that every capable officer would need to be utilised to their best extent. War with the Romulans quickly broke out, and Whitford saw actions on the front lines. The Unicorn and her crew performed exemplary work during the Battle for Coridan, ensuring that as many of the Starfleet and civilian personnel as possible were evacuated before the Romulans detonated their atomic weaponry in a last-ditch attempt to destroy the planet’s dilithium resources. Following the destruction of Coridan, the Unicorn, and Whitford, were placed on detached duties. Dispatched across the frontlines and beyond, the Unicorn spent the rest of the war tackling problems that would have required a small task force, using her size and armour to deter aggressive Romulan actions and ultimately hastening the end of the war. Midway through 2158 Whitford accepted a transfer away from the Unicorn, and joined the USS Magpie. One of the many Daedalus-class vessels United Earth was churning out to contribute to the war effort, the Magpie was placed under the aegis of Starfleet Intelligence. For the remaining two years of the war, Whitford brought to bear his expertise in single-ship deployments, aiding his Commanding Officer in bringing the clandestine fight to the Romulans. Following the War, the Magpie, like many of the Dedalus-class vessels then in service, was ordered back to Earth space to undergo an extensive refit that would take almost an entire year to complete. During this time, Whitford took advantage of extensive shoreleave accrued during the war to take some downtime, and visit family on Mars, and explore Alpha Centauri. In 2161, the Magpie was assigned an exploration mission, allowing Whitford to fulfil a life-long dream of embarking on a five-year mission. An explorer at heart, the Commander felt great joy on the departure of the Magpie. It was an affirmation of the war they had fought. With the incorporation of the Federation, Whitford marked another milestone as he was formally inducted into the service of the United Federation of Planet’s Starfleet. Integration with other Coalition of Planet space navies was accomplished during the Magpie’s first five-year mission. Whitford, with experience of serving with different Coalition members during the war, was a good fit to integrate the disparate cultures together aboard the Magpie. By 2164, the Magpie had completed its five-year mission, exploring the nebulous space between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. Magpie returned in triumph, being one of the first Daedalus-classes to achieve a five-year voyage. The ship was directed to the newly-completed Alpha-Centauri shipyards for repairs and resupply. Whilst the Magpie was in drydock, Whitford received an unusual summons. To report to Starfleet Academy for additional training. In the time since Magpie had left, Starfleet had found that its increased role and scope had led to greater complications in its organisation. As such, they were training some of the first cohort of Operations Department officers, dedicated to fleet and ship logistics. Although leaving the Magpie was a wrench, Whitford was glad of the break, and of the change in pace. Returning to San Francisco, he was pleased to see how diverse the Academy campus had become, hosting many species as they joined the expanding Federation. Most of the Operations cohort were already Starfleet veterans, and they stuck fast together amidst a sea of youth. Following an accelerated course, Whitford found himself graduating for a second time within two years. Following his graduation, he was assigned command of the USS Ganymede, a Ganges-class vessel that was tasked with patrolling the tradelanes out to the non-aligned Denobula Triaxia. The deployment allowed Whitford to apply his new Operations training, and experience command of his own vessel for the first time. Protecting convoys, routing out pirates and smugglers, and cargo runs to newly-established colonies took up the bulk of the next two years, allowing Whitford extensive experience in command. In 2168, just as he was becoming comfortable with his berth, he was yanked away again. Starfleet Command had seen fit to assign the Commander to a new posting: Sentinel Station, at the edge of Federation space. Excited for a posting on the Frontier once more, even if not strictly speaking exploring, excited the Starfleet officer to no end. |
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| Service Record | 2142-45 – Cadet, Starfleet Academy, Earth 2145-47 – Armory/Security Officer, Ensign, Jupiter Station 2148-51 – Armory Officer, Ensign, SS Brandywine 2151-53 – Armory Officer, Lieutenant (JG), SS Brandywine 2153-55 –Armory Officer, Lieutenant (JG), SS Ganymede 2155-56 – Trainer, Starfleet Academy 2156-2156 – Chief Armory Officer, Lieutenant (JG), Unicorn 2156-2158 – Executive Officer, Commander, Unicorn 2158-2164 - Executive Officer, Commander, Magpie 2168 - Executive Officer, Commander, Sentinel Station |