Sophea Bennington-Fox

Sophea Bennington-Fox ("Sophie" to her friends) was the chief engineer of the starship USS Lexington (NCC-1709-A). (The Lexington Adventures)

Early life & career
Sophea Bennington-Fox has been compared to some of the best engineers in Starfleet: Montgomery Scott, Brieanna Smith, and Charles Tucker, to name a few. However, it is her complete disregard for politics and her lack of tact that had kept her from being promoted or assigned to high-profile assignments. This has not bothered her in the slightest, as she is happy in being an engineer; she doesn’t care if she were to ever get a starship command. It’s been said that she’d be happy to retire as a full Commander, as she knows she’d never get a captain’s billet.

Bennington-Fox didn’t have much of a childhood. During a routine EVA as part of a cruise liner vacation, her parents were killed in an EVA when their suit systems failed and left the little 9-year-old Sophea an orphan. She spent her pre-teen and teenage years in the Hawaii foster home system, graduating from Pearl City High School and immediately entered Starfleet Academy in 2268. She graduated in the top 10 percent of the Class of 2272.

Early Career
Her first assignment was the U.S.S. Leyte (the same ship that Petty Officer Kimberly Bautista had recently served on) and found engineering to be to her taste. She enjoyed the ship and made very many friends quickly. So it was a surprise when she found herself with orders to the Leyte’s sister ship, the Hornet (another Constitution-class refit). Between 2275 to 2281, she had found herself on three refit Constitution-class starships (Hornet, Bunker Hill, and Bennington). Each time, she would find herself at odds with someone on the command staff, which would make for some uncomfortable meetings.

In 2283, Sophea was assigned as the Deputy Chief Engineer of the Constitution-class Valley Forge. It was here that Captain Alexander McKnight, himself returning to the center seat after nearly a decade being at Starfleet Command, found an unhappy Sophea Bennington-Fox. Sophea was thinking of getting out of Starfleet; she was almost 36 and still only a Lieutenant Commander, with chances of her becoming a chief engineer pretty much non-existent. McKnight offered her the slot of her dreams, though Sophea could not figure out why a captain like McKnight would want someone like her but she wasn’t about to turn down the only chance to make a difference.

Family and personal life
Alex has a younger sister Michelle McKnight and a younger brother, Captain Jason McKnight. Jason is in command of the USS Intrepid while Michelle is a curator at Starfleet Museum. Alex is married to Angelica McKnight. He has one son, Montgomery McKnight.

Chronology

 * Junior Helmsman, USS Hood (NCC-1703), NCC-1713 (2256-61)
 * Senior Helmsman, USS Lexington (NCC-1709), NCC-1709 (2261-69)
 * Commanding Officer, USS Lexington (NCC-1709), NCC-1709 (2269-71)
 * Commanding Officer, Third Fleet (2271-82)
 * Chief of Staff, Starfleet Commander-in-Chief (2282-2286)
 * Commanding Officer, USS Lexington (NCC-1709-A), NCC-1709-A (2286-present)

Trivia

 * His father was a US Air Force ammunition inspector and his mother was a housewife. Both parents were killed during World War III with a nuclear strike on Malmstrom Air Force Base.
 * By his 18th birthday, Alex and his family had been at the following US Air Force bases: 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom; 366th Air Expeditionary Wing, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota; 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, South Korea; 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri; 52nd Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany; and 341st Space Wing, Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana.
 * Alexander was one of the youngest Rear Admirals (O-7) ever promoted, then again for the position of Chief of Staff to the Starfleet Commander. Only James Kirk beat him for Rear Admiral; McKnight set the record for Admiral (O-9).

External link

 * The Lexington Adventures Facebook Page