Luciano Mantovanni

Captain Luciano Cicero Mantovanni was the first commanding officer of the Sovereign-class USS Liberty in the late 24th century. He was born in Syracuse, Sicily on Earth on 21 June 2266. (Star Trek: Liberty)

Several weeks later, he was orphaned in an accident at the ShiKahr spaceport on Vulcan. He became a ward of the Vulcan state, then adopted into the family of T'Pau and placed in the care of Sevek. (STL: "Orphans and Strays")

Starfleet career
In 2281, he failed to gain admittance to Starfleet Academy, but nontheless enlisted in the fleet. Four years later, he was granted a field commission for his heroic actions during the infamous "Guenevere Incident." In 2293, he underwent mandatory training at the Academy, where his in-class debates with instructor James T. Kirk became legendary. Though he graduated dead last in a class of 918, Kirk saw that Lieutenant Mantovanni was assigned as weapons officer aboard the USS Excelsior under Captain Hikaru Sulu. (STL: "Winning the Exchange", "Rank and Privilege")

Mantovanni was promoted to lieutenant commander in 2296, assigned as first as security chief, then executive officer aboard the Miranda-class USS Liberty. Within a year, after the retirement of Liberty's previous commander, Mantovanni took the center seat with the rank of commander. Mantovanni's command was short-lived however. During a classified engagement in 2298, the Liberty engaged several Romulan vessels near Galorondon Core. With the ship badly-damaged and had to be scuttled, Mantovanni saved his crew and took out the Romulans. Starfleet turned him into a hero of the moment, promoted him to captain and awarded him command of the USS Intrepid, the third Constitution class vessel to bear the name, manned entirely by Vulcans.

24th century
On its first deep-space mission in 2300, the Intrepid fell into a spatio-temporal rift, sending Mantovanni and his crew over half a century into the future, reemerging in the year 2368. (Star Trek: Liberty)