Burt Knox

Master Chief Petty Officer Burt Knox was Chief engineer of starship USS Chimera in the mid-24th century. (Star Trek: Outpost)

Starfleet career
With a career that spans over 50 years, Master Chief Petty Officer Burt "Hard" Knox's career began on his homeworld. He had the choice of taking care of some old X-35s, or joining Starfleet. He chose Starfleet, bringing with him his 'issues', such as mistrust of authority, lack of social skills, self-centered behavior. His singular saving grace, which sustained him was that Burt Knox was a natural engineer, as well as a consumate tinkerer. Knox had a natural curiousity regarding how things worked. His career enjoyed multiple ups and downs as he progressed through the years. By his own admission, his record had so many black marks it had become a black hole.

At some point in his career, Knox served in the Andorian systems, where he served with Lieutenant Winchester Thomas, Grandfather of Ensign Randy Thomas. Knox thought him a moron.

It was when Knox reported aboard the Oberth class starship USS Chimera that Knox found his place. He was assigned the position of Chief Engineer for a starship as an enlisted, a rarity, even in the 24th century. It was there that he found what he was looking for, a ship to call his own, and an opportunity to tinker and create something unique. His desire meshed well with Deep Space Three station commander Captain Montaine Buchanan. Captain Buchanan was obsessed with seriously cutting back on the amount of supplies he was requisitioning from Starfleet. Knox had little or no interest in maintaining Starfleet standards when it came to Chimera. He was determined to make Chimera something akin to a work of art.

Lieutenant Renova Exler
Though no one on the station actually finds Chief Knox an agreeable sort, Lieutenant Renova Exler is about as close as family to Knox. Exler views the entire crew of the Chimera as a family and Knox as the uncle no one wants to talk about. Their relationship is described by Lieutenant Karen Denali: "As I understand it, both Lieutenant Exler and Chief Knox are both people who enjoy their disagreements." This played out during a brief and unwarranted incarceration of the chief; he complained to Exler: "You know, Exler, you've gone soft. Torkelson shows up, and you've gone soft." Exler then retorted that Knox "makes me so angry!...I hate to see a friend getting jobbed, especially by a mate! The Chief has no right to act like such an ass! How can he not see that what he's doing is affecting so many more people than just himself! I could just strangle the big oaf!" Yet, despite not seeing eye to eye, the Exler and Knox have developed a workable and amiable relationship.

Lieutenant Jennifer Forrestal
Lieutenant Jennifer Forrestal, as the Chief of Engineering of Deep Space 3, is nominally Chief Knox's supervisor, but in Forrestal's words, "Master Chief Petty Officer Burt 'Hard' Knox works only for Master Chief Petty Officer Burt 'Hard' Knox!" Knox and Forrestal are constantly engaged in a battle over the meager scraps of Starfleet replacement parts that the station's commander, Captain Montaine Buchanan, allows them. Competition for replacement parts aside, Forrestal depends on Knox as a point of contact for non-Starfleet sources of replacement parts. Following Buchanan's turbolift accident, it was Forrestal who sought out Knox for advice on whether or not Lieutenant Commander Torkelson would try to improve conditions on the station during Buchanan's convalesence. Despite Knox's insubordinate attitude, he and Forrestal do share a grudging respect for each other's skills.

Doctor Rachel Winston
Until the time that Lieutenant Commander Torkelson came to DS3, Knox had been playing a game of cat and mouse with the chief medical officer of the USS Chimera, Dr. Rachel Winston. At some point in the past, he arranged with Frastel, his Ferengi point of contact aboard the Profitable Venture to procure an neural implant of unknown origin, though it was believed it was Escherite in origin. After obtaining the implant, Knox found a physician to implant it. Knox hoped it would enable him to interact with the Chimera better. Since the time the device was implanted, Knox has found ways to hide its existence, including causing Dr. Winston's biobeds to go offline at a particular time, with the exception of one, which he programmed to not detect it. The existence of the implant was exposed following the first battle between the USS Chimera and the Pirate Vessel Solar Winds. When Dr. Winston filed her report, the report was flagged by a scanning program Knox had set up for station commander, Captain Montaine Buchanan. After failing to browbeat Winston into altering her report, Buchanan classified the existence of the implant and ordered her to "Keep it quiet." The implant's existence became more widely known when the Captain himself inadvertently mentioned the doctor and her discovery during an interview with Captain Taldeen who was inquiring about another piece of unauthorized tech installed in the Chimera. The device Taldeen was investigating was one obtained by Knox on the black market; it was a weapon system Knox referred to as "The Big Gun." Buchanan, thinking Winston had "spilled the beans" about the implant, ordered Knox locked up for everyone's "safety" -- all in order to curry favor with Taldeen, as well as Admiral Bartholomew Thomas, who was on the station at the time.

Captain Montaine Buchanan
They were as close to opposites in personalities as one could get. Heavy handed martinet as opposed to chaos driven freelancer. But it was a symbiotic relationship. Station commander Captain Montaine Buchanan wanted short-term gains. In order to make his numbers look good, he needed Knox and his connections in and around the Pinchot expanse. To minimize requisitions to Starfleet, he would force Knox and the station engineer off the grid to get what they need so it wouldn't show up in any documentation. Buchanan needed Knox for more than just austerity. He also needed control over all outgoing messages, so he had Knox set up a program that would flag any information the Captain didn't want going out. In the words of Commander Torkelson, "The Chief is a product of his environment. Captain Buchanan may not have created Chief Knox, but he certainly encouraged him. Starfleet after all could've stepped in at any time with the supplies that we should've had, or brought in a commanding officer whose vision is more in line with Starfleet norms. They haven't done any of that. Therefore, we have Chief Knox."

Captain Taldeen
Captain Taldeen was sent by the Judge Advocate General's office at Starfleet Headuarters to investigate station operations at Deep Space, after HQ computers flagged DS3's requisition levels. The Captain made multiple attempts to interview Chief Knox, but the Chief was well practiced at evasive behavior, even with regards to a Vulcan. After the second attempt, the Captain observed Knox during an EVA removing non-standard equipment from Chimera's main deflector dish. When Captain Taldeen asked about what it was, Knox admitted later "I probably said more than I should've." After having a conversation with station commander Captain Montaine Buchanan, in an attempt to curry favor, Buchanan ordered Knox locked up, despite the fact that not only did Taldeen not ask for Knox's incarceration, but he was unaware the two of them were discussing two separate subjects.

Lieutenant Commander Gregory Torkelson
Knox initially dismissed LCDR Gregory Torkelson as "Just another up and comer buckin to make pips." He wouldn't even let him enter the engineering spaces after he discovered that Torkelson was immersed in etiquette and rules and regulations. So when the commander wouldn't enter the engineerig space without the Chief's permission, he ordered the computer to close and lock the door. When he was tossed in the brig on the orders of Captain Buchanan, When Torkelson announcd he was going to seek out Captain Taldeen to try and spring him, Knox dismissed his efforts with a parting shot of "pantywaist", which earned him a venomous dressing down, courtesy of LT Exler. When Knox found himself sprung, and in charge of the engineering teams from the task force that were now task with repairs, he recognized what the commander had done for him and granted him access to the engineering spaces.

Ensign Randy Thomas
Along with a majority of the Chimera and DS3 senior staff, Chief Knox has little patience with Ensign Thomas' spoiled, self-indulgent behavior. On Chimera's first trip into the Rough Seas with Thomas onboard, Knox had to throw him out of the ops station on the bridge because he froze in a pressure situation. When Thomas made a feeble attempt to use his family name to intimidate Knox while in the turbolift. Knox curtly replied, "If I were you, I'd watch myself." On their first away team mission together on the planet Melnora, Knox used Thomas as little more than a beast of burden, carrying all the items Knox purchased in the Marketplace. When the marketplace came under attack, Thomas panicked and hailed the Chimera, requesting immediate beamout, against orders. Knox snatched his combadge from him, and told him, "We're fine!" After Thomas suffered (minor) injuries, Knox picked him up and carried him back to the Betazoid safe house.

With his subordinates
Trust issues, eccentricities and ego aside, Knox considers most of the people working for him, "They may be the most worthless group of hacks and slackers that have ever graduated at the bottom of their class, but People and machines are alike in one way. You can't work em too hard, or they'll start to break down before their time."

Memorable Quotes
"Take it from me. They may be prissy, but you don't want to get in a fistfight with a Vulcan!"

"Hey, don't be growin no backbone on my behalf!

"You're useless you are. Tyrellian at least, he knew how to get things done."

"How else am I going to find out what's weak unless someone's working her hard? If the starboard power grid shorts out, then I know I need a stronger starboard power grid, don't I?"

"You want to know why I tolerate you on my ship? You and all your other Starfleet know it alls? You and all your etiquette and rules? Because you're supposed to try and break her, and when you can't, I'll know I'm done! Tyrellian, now he knew how to challenge the Chimera, and break what wasn't strong enough!"

"Well, ain't you a fine group of spit and polish. Useless! Every last one of you! Well, if you're the best Starfleet has to offer, Chimera's in worse trouble than I thought! This here's Takahara. He may be an NCO, but if he tells you to do something, you do it! If I tell you to do something, it had already be done! You hurt her, and now you're going to fix her."

Background
Burt Knox is played by John Specht in all his appearances in Star Trek: Outpost.