Commander Walter Prescott
Name Walter Alan Prescott
Position Chief of Operations
Rank Commander
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Human | |
| Age | 34 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 6'0" | |
| Weight | 165 lbs. | |
| Hair Color | Brown | |
| Eye Color | Blue |
Family
| Father | Charles Prescott (2330) | |
| Mother | Victoria Prescott (nee Marlowe) (2328) | |
| Brother(s) | William Prescott (2354) | |
| Sister(s) | Alicia Devereux (nee Prescott) (2356) | |
| Other Family | Brother-in-Law: Oscar Devereux (2355) Sister-in-Law: Rebecca Prescott (nee Chamberlain) (2354) Nephew(s): Noah Prescott (2378), William Devereux (2383), Mason Devereux (2385) Niece(s): Shirley Devereux (2382), Melanie Devereux (2385) |
Personality & Traits
| Strengths & Weaknesses | • Hard Working (+) • Self-Motivated (+) • Team Player (+) • Reluctance to Delegate Tasks (-) • Discomfort Leaving a Project Unfinished (-) • Being Straight Forward (-) |
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| Ambitions | • No immediate plans to raise a family of his own, but deeply invested in extended family (e.g. nieces & nephews) • Never felt “destined” for a command of his own, fairly content with the work he’s doing (though some friends and colleagues have suggested he might do well teaching at the Academy someday) |
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| Hobbies & Interests | • Model Building • Reading • Table Tennis • Photography • Debate • Disc Golf • Traveling • People Watching |
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| Languages | Federation Standard (English), Andorian |
| Personal History | Childhood (2358 – 2376) Walter Alan Prescott was born 10 October 2358 aboard the Excelsior-class USS Lor'Tan, the youngest child of parents Charles and Victoria Prescott. His mother, then a Lieutenant Commander, served as the Lor'Tan's Chief Engineering Officer. His father was a free-lance writer and journalist who frequently wrote scientific articles about the crew's eighteen-month survey of the Azure Nebula for the Federation News Service. Having a parent who served in Starfleet meant Walter and his family were always on the move. Every two to three years it seemed, his mother would receive orders transferring her to a new duty assignment. This presented its own set of unique challenges and rewards for each member of the family. They would all have to give up whatever community they'd come to know in order to travel somewhere else. Then the cycle would start all over again. Despite the challenges of being a Starfleet family, moving never seemed to have too negative an impact on Walter. Growing up with such an itinerant lifestyle taught him how to live in the moment and to enjoy what he had without taking it for granted. It wasn't long before Walter was able to acclimate himself to new environments and make new friends quickly. At the same time, he learned not to make too many long-term commitments or attachments since most never lasted very long after they moved on to the next place. Walter spent a lot of time with his older siblings, William and Alicia, or with the other kids aboard ship. They would often take advantage of whatever activities and resources were available to them including holodecks, recreation centers, and even the ship's lounge. Walter's personal favorite was the large arboretum they had when they were living aboard the Nebula-class USS Akakor. It was bigger than anything they'd seen outside of Starbase 621, the perfect place to play without getting in the way of ship's personnel. When he was old enough, Walter began attending classes with the other children on board. His teachers found that Walter seemed to fall somewhere between average and slightly above average when it came to academics. He paid attention in class, participated in activities, and always volunteered to help out. However, school work did not always come easily. Walter had to work at it constantly. The same was true when it came to athletic performance. Most of the time, he was more interested in simply having fun, but that did not mean Walter wasn't without a friendly competitive streak. This was especially true when it came to his siblings. Many a game with William or Alicia ended in playful wrestling matches over who should make the winning score. Throughout most of Walter's childhood, the Prescott family was blessed with the chance to live together wherever his mother was assigned to active duty. There were only two exceptions to this. The first was when the family spent two years living aboard Starbase 621. From 2363 to 2365, the vessels Walter's mother served aboard as Executive Officer were involved in combat operations with the Cardassians and the Tzenkethi. Concerned for the safety of those aboard ship, the Commanding Officers of both vessels ordered all non-essential and civilian personnel evacuated, including crew members' families. Walter was too young to understand at the time, but the separation did have an effect on him just as it did his siblings and his father. The second came ten years later with the onset of the Dominion War. Walter's mother had risen to command the Norway-class USS Prague and, like her superiors a decade prior, realized the front lines were no place for the families of herself or her crew. Between 2373 and 2375, the family spent two years living with relatives in Chesterton, Maine. Earth seemed like the safest place for them to be given its relative distance from the war. Physical distance, however, did little to keep the war at bay. Walter was old enough at the time to know exactly what was going on. He frequently worried about his mother's safety and would listen to news broadcasts at all hours of the day. It eventually got to the point that his father urged him to meet with a counselor, someone he could talk to and process his feelings with. This seemed to help. As part of dealing with Walter's anxiety around the war, his counselor encouraged him to think about his own future. It wasn't something he had really considered much up to that point. Walter had never felt "destined" for a glorious career in Starfleet nor did he feel pressured to follow in his mother's footsteps. He didn't really have dreams of earning a command of his own (at least, no more so than any other young person his age). Yet the more Walter thought about it, the more he realized serving in Starfleet seemed like the "natural" thing to do. There was just something about the Starfleet life that resonated with him. Walter preferred what he'd experienced growing up more than what he'd seen of the civilian life, which seemed too settled after having traveled half the quadrant. By the time the Prescott family was reunited aboard the Allegiance-class USS Hiram Roth in 2375, Walter was already working hard to prepare himself for taking the Starfleet Academy entrance exams. Starfleet Academy (2376 – 2380) Walter was accepted into the Starship Operations and Systems Engineering programs at Starfleet Academy beginning in July 2376. As had been the case for much of his life, Walter found he had to work hard to keep up with the expectations of his instructors. This often meant taking more time outside of class for reading and homework. Walter found this to be more difficult whenever he was working alone. Even if he wasn't the center of attention, he appreciated being in the company of other people. Late nights in the library and small group study sessions were a frequent part of his Academy experience. The same held true during his off-duty hours. It was not uncommon to find him frequenting public common areas like the library, lounge, or fitness center inviting people to hang out. As a sophomore cadet, Walter took advantage of the opportunity to spend a semester studying aboard at the Andorian Academy in Lor'Tan. He had interacted with a few Andorians growing up aboard starships and even knew a couple Andorian cadets studying at the Academy. To be completely immersed in their culture, however, was a different experience entirely. The most immediate change for Walter was dealing with new foods, new customs, and colder temperatures. These were things Walter was able to get used to over time. Other experiences, such as the chance to study engineering methods used to careve the great Andorian cities from beneath the ice, made a lasting impact on him as well. In addition to a semester abroad, Walter completed two year-long field assignments. The first was as part of the Engineering department aboard the Allegiance-class USS Ra-ghoratreii from July 2378 thru June 2379. Walter was already quite familiar with shipboard life and had little trouble acclimating himself to the assignment. The first several weeks were spent familiarizing himself with more basic, practical aspects of Starship Operations such as routine maintenance and inspection. As time went on, however, his responsibilities increased. Perhaps the most difficult part of Walter's tour aboard the Ra-ghoratreii came in the form of the Starfleet Bridge Officer Examination (which he was required to complete). Walter attempted the test four separate times without success before he finally realized there was no way to complete it without making some sort of sacrifice. He eventually passed the exam and was granted clearance to serve on the bridge, but continued to wrestle with the experience for some time afterward. Walter's second field assignment was aboard the Shiro-class Deep Space Four from July 2379 thru June 2380. Many of the skills Walter had developed aboard the Ra-ghoratreii proved equally beneficial to his responsibilities on the station. At the same time, there were other aspects of station life that his earlier experiences hadn't necessarily prepared him for such as dealing with multiple incoming and outgoing starships while also maintaining the station itself. All this was further complicated by the actions of the Reman Shinzon whose attempted coup of the Romulan Star Empire in November 2379 led to all vessels and installations along the Neutral Zone being placed on high alert. Again, though the situation was resolved, it left a lasting impact on young Walter for some time afterward. Early Starfleet Career (2380 – 2385) Walter graduated from Starfleet Academy following the completion of his second field assignment in June 2380. He was immediately assigned to the Engineering department aboard the Intrepid-class USS Venera where he had little trouble making a place for himself. As one of the few commissioned officers within the department, Walter found himself with the responsibility of supervising others including non-commissioned personnel and specialists. The experience reinforced for him the importance of having reciprocal relationships with those under one's supervision. Walter ended up learning as much from his subordinates as he did from his superiors. This eventually culminated in him being assigned to oversee the night watch in Main Engineering. By 2382, Walter had received orders transferring him to the the Akira-class USS Nakamura where his responsibilities continued to grow. Serving aboard the Nakamura reminded Walter in some respects of his time on Deep Space Four. For one thing, there were more personnel and resources to consider. That meant a great deal more communication was needed to ensure things ran as smoothly as possible. This was especially true when it came to coordinating between those servicing the numerous support craft and those working to maintain the ship itself, just like it had been aboard the station. The fact that Walter seemed able to balance the two fairly well did not escape notice. His willingness to work across divisions and even departments meant that he was able to complete tasks more efficiently. Walter was soon promoted to the rank of Lieutenant JG and eventually elevated to the position of Assistant Chief Engineering Officer. In this capacity, he became even more involved in collaborative efforts, coordinated with flight deck operations, and helped to oversee the entire Engineering department throughout the remainder of his time aboard the Nakamura. Transition to Starbase Operations (2385 – 2392) Walter's performance of his duties and his ability to supervise those serving under him continued to improve through experience. This led to his being transferred to the Regula-class Starbase 211 where he was appointed Operations Officer, Station Maintenance in 2385. In this position, Walter was responsible for overseeing all personnel and operations related to maintaining the station and its various systems. The duties were quite similar, in fact, to those of the Chief Engineering Officer aboard a starship. Yet it marked an important step in Walter's eventual transition from the realm of Starship Operations to the broader responsibilities of overseeing operations aboard Federation starbases. By 2386, Walter had received a promotion to Lieutenant for time served and duties performed. He had also taken advantage of an opportunity to request a brief personal leave of absence. It was the first such request since graduating from the Academy six years prior. Walter used the time to visit with relatives on Earth including the neices and nephews whom he had only ever seen over subspace. The visit gave him the chance to catch up with his siblings, but it also made him realize in a more tangible way the sacrifices that he had made in choosing the path he had. Another important step in Walter's professional career came in 2387 when he was transferred to the Ethereal-class Starbase 117. He continued to serve as Operations Officer, Station Maintenance for several months, during which time he grew more accustomed to the increased responsibilities of servicing a larger facility like Starbase 117. The decision was eventually made to appoint Walter as Operations Officer, Non-Resident Ships. This new position brought with it the responsibility of coordinating the maintenance, supply, and refit of all non-resident vessels visiting the base. Walter found it challenging at first, but with time and effort, was able to reach a balance that allowed him to effectively carry out his duties. In the process, he ended up learning a great deal more about what it took to support the operation of multiple starships on a regular basis. Not long after Walter started his new position, the Hobus star went supernova and the Romulan home system was devastated. Starbase 117 was among the countless Starfleet vessels and installations tasked with supporting the Federation's response to the disaster. In particular, they helped to support relief efforts and to make sure no one would decide to take advantage of the Romulans' weakened state. Walter's role in ensuring every starship was well-supplied and ready for action was an essential part of their efforts in that regard. Walter was elevated to Assistant Chief of Operations in 2389. It was a move that surprised him at first. Walter had never had responsibility for so much before nor was he the most experienced candidate for the position. Yet his supervisor insisted he was the right person for the job. She mentored and encouraged him through the process, helping to make the transition as smooth as possible, something Walter remains incredibly grateful for to this day. Being in the position taught Walter to bring together all the different facets of station operations he'd experienced over the years into one cohesive unit. His hard work and determination eventually saw him promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Aboard Starbase 332 (2392 – Present) Walter continued to serve aboard Starbase 117 for another two years. He witnessed the re-emergence of the Romulan Star Empire following the Hobus disaster as well as increasing hostilities between the Klingons and the Gorn. Then, in early 2392, Walter received new orders transferring him to the Stardock-class Starbase 332 where he was to be appointed Chief of Operations. The journey from Walter's previous assignment was completed in two separate legs over the course of roughly thirty-three days. This certainly gave him plenty of time to think about what sort of experiences might have awaited him. In over two decades of service, Starbase 332 had made quite a reputation for itself, to say nothing of its impressive size and crew compliment. Walter knew this new assignment was going to present its own unique set of challenges. It would not be enough to deal with one aspect or another on their own. Rather, he would need to stay focused on how all the pieces fit together within the bigger picture. He arrived aboard the station ready to assess the situation for himself and eager to get to work. |
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