Cell

Cell (formerly known as Daniel) was the Commanding Officer of the USS Phoenix-X.

History
Cell was a Changeling from the Gamma Quadrant who escaped the Founders' homeworld due to his ethics. In the early beginnings of the Federation, he joined Starfleet under the pretense that he was human. As his lifespan lasted longer than normal, his true nature came out, but was covered up by an agreement with Section 31. In 2374, Cell became the Captain of the Section 31-driven USS Phoenix-X.

The Gamma Quadrant
Cell was a young Changeling when he existed with the Great Link on their homeworld in 1879. In February of that year, an El Aurian by the name of Daniel crash-landed his shuttle on the homeworld. He quickly met with the Changeling (Cell/Daniel), who innocently imitated the El Aurian. Unfortunately, when the Female Changeling caught sight of this, she immediately killed the El Aurian - leaving the Changeling (Cell/Daniel) to take his name and likeness.

Cell was quick to escape the homeworld on a shuttle, due to his rising ethics, and warn a new friend, Guinan, that the Founders intended to destroy thier newly colonized world located on the 4th planet in the Founder system. Unfortunately, the shuttle was unable to reach the colony in time. Twenty to thirty ships escaped - one of which contained Guinan's father.

The El Aurian Daniel had been set to marry Guinan not long before. But after Guinan's efforts to find her lost engagement turned up ill-fated, she allowed the Changeling imitation Daniel/Cell to carry on with the illusion of being her husband - a thanks for warning her and attempting to save her people; and a sympathetic gesture for his escape of his people. That same day, the El Aurian ships evacuated through a Wormhole, of whence they came recently. (PNX: "The Links Traitor")

Vulcan
In 1879, the El Aurian had become momentary friends with the Vulcans. Some were allowed to even live on their world. One of these was Cell/Daniel. Cell moved to Vulcan to settle for some time, while Guinan moved on to explore other worlds - the first being Earth.

After about a century, in 1983, Cell/Daniel was contacted via subspace transmission, on Vulcan, by the Female Changeling. She wished for him to return, but he was quick to refuse.

Cell/Daniel then went to visit Earth, in search of Guinan. Unfortunately, he could not find her, so he returned to Vulcan and spent another few hundred years there - learning to fight, to teach, and be a leader.

It wasn't until the 22nd century when Cell/Daniel decided to join Starfleet under the false pretense that he was human. (PNX: "The Links Traitor")


 * Note: It is not certain as of yet how he was able to fool Starfleet bio-scanners of the lie that he was human. But in 2382, Theseus revealed that Section 31 was there to help Cell/Daniel out in the beginning. (PNX: "Spider Agencies, Part II") It is possible that Cell/Daniel either struck a deal with Section 31, or that he was naive to their assistance at first in keeping him registered as a human.

Starfleet Service
Cell/Daniel joined Starfleet under the alias Daniel Ex - species: human | place of birth: Vulcan - in the early 23rd century.

In May 2234, Cell/Daniel had been ranked Ensign during a lockdown on Flortarios III - where the Federation was battling an enemy on the surface. There, he fought along side Starfleet Captain Laumar Gotens until she was knocked out close to death. Cell/Daniel brought her into a cave to wait out the firing in the area, until he was able to take her to a ship where she needed her Symbiont transferred. During his stay in the cave, he encountered the Female Changeling in the wall, approaching him in the same manner as earlier.
 * Note: It has not been stated who the enemy Starfleet was fighting against on Flortarios III.

Cell retired his commission on Trill, after taking Captain Laumar Gotens to a hospital there where he witnessed her death. After a few years on Trill, he was summoned by Starfleet. He noted that, for an odd and unexplained reason, he was not severly penalized for his absence.

Cell rejoined Starfleet (presumably sometime on or before 2240). From here on, he worked his way up the ranks unti hitting Admiral in the mid-2300s.
 * Note: It is uncertain how or if the issue of his lack of aging was addressed by his colleagues during these years. Although, in the Starfleet databse, it was miraculously covered up by Section 31.

A few decades in, during this rank-climbing from the mid-23rd century to the mid-24th century, Cell/Daniel was sent on an away mission to one of the moons surrounding the Klingon homeworld. There, he met and befriended Menchez after Menchez saved Daniel/Cell's life in an attack by other Klingons.
 * Note: It us uncertain what vessel Daniel worked on in this time, or what rank he was. The mission and the reasons for being attacked are unconfirmed as well.

In 2369, Daniel/Cell took an on-again/off-again role as Captain of the USS Phoenix (NCC-65420) when needed. Sometime between this year and 2373, the Phoenix had encountered Menchez commanding the IKS Bochnah. At the time, the Bochnah was under scrutiny by the Klingon Empire for Menchez's supposed intention on ruining relations with the Federation. Though, Daniel set the records straight and cleared Menchez's name - and in thanks, Menchez gave his ship's cloaking device to the Admiral. (PNX: "The Links Traitor")
 * Note: It is uncertain to the reasons why Menchez was suspected for treason; and what mission the Admiral was on.

In 2373, Admiral Daniel(/Cell) took full command of the Phoenix. (PNX: "Betrayal and Honour")

In 2374, on a mapping mission to the Tiloniam system, he encountered the Female Changeling once more, who beamed aboard his ship from a cloaked Dominion vessel. After another failed attempt to persuade Daniel to return, she beamed away. But almost immediately after, Daniel met Night Gotens who was drifting nearby in a Starfleet shuttle from the USS Xena - Daniel was forced to save Night's life from sudden incoming Jem'Hadar warships. After some battle, the Phoenix was totalled (but salvaged - the Phoenix was seen again in PNX: "New Beginnings") and Daniel was given command of the USS Phoenix-X. Unfortunately, due to the near-destruction of the Phoenix, Daniel's rank was knocked down to Captain. But the truth was, that this was Admiral Theseus' wish... (a man who was working for Section 31). The reasons for this wish was uncertain at the time, but it is concievable that Theseus and Section 31 just wanted full control of a Changeling, figuring that Daniel had gone too far by becoming an Admiral. Yet, Theseus sent Admiral Cloud to come up with proper reasoning behind Daniel's demotion. (PNX: "The Tiloniam System", "The Links Traitor")
 * Note: By the time of Daniel's service aboard the Phoenix-X, it is known (by only those rare enough who happened to know of Daniel) that Daniel was a Changeling working in Starfleet. Since the issue of when his truth came about was uncertain, it is safe to say that the issue could have been brought up at this time by Cloud - and that it could have contributed to his demotion.

Section 31
It is concievable that Daniel/Cell has been assisted by Section 31 since he ever entered Starfleet in the early 23rd century. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense as to how a Changeling was capable of surviving in Starfleet for so long without getting any notice. (PNX: "The Links Traitor", "Spider Agencies, Part II")

Cell's first known link to serving Section 31 was through Admiral Theseus, and to a sub-ordinate degree, Admiral Cloud in 2374. Theseus wasn't a direct member of Section 31, but he launched the Phoenix-X with intentions of Daniel/Cell as being its Captain. He would hand out top-secret missions to Daniel/Cell that were of a covert nature. Cloud would do the same, but Cloud's memory would be altered or erased after giving out such missions. At times, a third party would give out the missions (i.e. a Council Representative, another Admiral, or Captain Cid). (PNX: "The Tiloniam System", "Cookies", "Deal", "Bio Level 4", "Pure Evil", "Warefare", Experimentalism", "Secret Shuttles, Part I", "Secret Shuttles, Part IV", "The Invisible Enemy", "Loyalties, Part II", "Food for the Labyrinth", "The Nega'Jem, Part II", "Jumpers, Part I", "Jumpers, Part II", "Phoenix Restoration", "Omega", "Mosquito", "Crystal Method, Part I", "Occurrence, Part I")

Night Gotens/Seifer
In 2234, Daniel/Cell gave up his rank and commission of Ensign, after taking a dieing Laumar Gotens to the Trill homeworld. He chose to stay on Trill for the next couple of years, as he had befriended the next host to the Gotens symbiont, Rivera Gotens. (PNX: "The Links Traitor")

Cell, who was known as Daniel at the time, met the joined Trill, Gotens (symbiont), at a Federation Eelstock Convention on Flortarios III in 2302. Gotens, at the time, was in his 4th Host, and ranked a Lieutenant. Ever since meeting Gotens again, in 2374, Cell and Gotens have not bothered to bring it up. (PNX: "The Tiloniam System")

In 2374, Daniel encountered Night Gotens and Ensign Dan on a shuttle from the USS Xena in the Tiloniam system. He beamed them aboard when Jem'Hadar attacked - and it wasn't long before the Phoenix was destroyed and all personnel rescued by the Xena.

Night Gotens joined Daniel's command structure as the Executive officer, as Daniel was given the command of the USS Phoenix-X at Deep Space 9 immediately after the incident. (PNX: "The Tiloniam System", "The Links Traitor")

Name Change
In 2379, Captain Daniel changed his name to Cell. The decision was caused by being knocked into the year 2344, where he spent 35 years in the past in an unchangeable liquid state. When the Captain was finally recovered in the present and allowed to take humanoid form again, he decided to change his name. (PNX: "Occurrence, Part II")