Robert DeSoto

Captain Robert DeSoto was a Starfleet officer in the late 24th century. One of the more famous captains, he served as commanding officer of the starships Hood until 2373, and subsequently took command of the new Edmund Fitzgerald.

Upon the start of the Dominion War, DeSoto commanded the Hood on a patrol of the Federation-Cardassian border. Hood came under attack and was seriously damaged. USS Baldwin (NCC-2013) responded and escorted Hood back to Federation Territory. (: Meet the Baldwin) Captain DeSoto was subsequently given command of the new USS Edmund Fitzgerald (NCC-75000) and was made the field commander of the Fifth Fleet. DeSoto took his second officer from Hood, Kelly Petrelli, as gus bew XO and passed command of Hood to his previous XO, James Trafficant. .

In late 2375, DeSoto relayed to USS Baldwin (NCC-2013) captain Richie Kennedy instructions to have him send USS Ticonderoga (NCC-62926) to the Briar Patch with a set of diplomatic envoy to begin relations with the, and an engineering crew for field installation of a warp core for the USS

Background
In a early version of the story Meet the Baldwin, the Hood was so severely damaged, Baldwin had to torpedo Hood,leading to DeSoto being given command of the USS Edmund Fitzgerald (NCC-75000). After later appearances in, the story was rewritten to salvage the ship, but DeSoto's reassignment, and the Edmund Fitzgerald, were kept.