Randy Thomas

Ensign Randy Thomas was Operations Officer of the Oberth class starshipUSS Chimera, in the mid-24th century. (Star Trek: Outpost)

Starfleet career
Jennifer Forrestal was your typical Starfleet Engineering Officer with a good understanding of technical, as well as administrative aspects of the job. However, as prepared as she was, she was not expecting what was awaiting her when she reported for duty at Deep Space Station Three.

At normal Starfleet starbases and space stations, full Lieutenants could expect to be assigned as watch supervisors, even a department head within engineering. So it was a complete shock when Deep Space Three Station Commander Captain Montaine Buchanan dropped the responsibility for the entire station in Lieutenant Forrestal's lap. The station itself was already in a deteriorated state, with more than one system needing attention. As per procedure,LT Forrestal began the exhaustive task of undertaking a full engineering assessment of the station and requisitioned parts as necessary to keep the station functional. Captain Buchanan took Forrestal's requisitions under advisement. The requsition requests were deemed as superflous and unnecessary even though the need was well documented.

Refusing to allow the station's condition to deteriorate any further, Forrestal, with the help of Master Chief Petty Officer Burt "Hard" Knox, bargained, haggled, and bartered whatever it took to get the parts and supplies she needed to keep the station running. Her efforts even led her to the black markets of the sector to get what she needed. Still, despite her best efforts, she came up short.

Compounding Forrestal's troubles was the fact that Deep Space Three had never been truly completed. At some point during its construction, Starfleet closed off the unfinished sections and "called it good." Forrestal and her teams scavenged parts from unoccupied sections of the station to keep the occupied portions functioning.

One concession Buchanan made was to allow Forrestal and Knox to accepting decommissioned Starfleet vessels for salvage. This proved to be a good source for spare parts for the station as well as a veritable gold mine of spare parts for Chimera. Forrestal and Knox frequently battled over the "scraps." Ships accepted for dismantling included the USS Sutter's Mill, the USS Cassiopeia and the USS Leone.

Sadly, as hard as Forrestal fought to keep the station together, even she couldn't stop the downward spiral of the station's condition. Four years after her arrival at the station, Captain Buchanan was critically injured in a turbolift accident. The subsequent investigation revealed that a majority of the turbolift shafts had suffered galvanic corrosion due to leaks from the antigrav coolant. The corrosion had made the turbolif's duranium shells brittle, compromising not only the turbolifts themselves, but the shaft in which they operated. When Forrestal briefed the acting station commander, Lieutenant Commander Gregory Torkelson, she accepted full responsiblity for what happened, saying, "I thought I was doing what was best for the station...patting myself on my back for my ingenuity - even dared to compare myself to Chief Knox...I know the Captain would rather have him on the station than me, if Knox would give up his obsession with the Chimera..." Torkelson dismissed Forrestal's "confession," telling her it wasn't her fault; she had done the best she could with what she had. However, Torkelson also indicated that it was time to deal with the problem, directly, not just from the periphery. Torkelson ordered that the engineering assessment be completed and arranged for additional help from the crew of the USS Remington which was docked at the station. Torkelson set Commander Gant, the Chief Engineer of the Remington on the task of completing the assessment, despite Forrestal's protests. Torkelson also arranged for outside help from the 214th Construction Battalion, which was based out of Starbase 512.

The reality of outside help hit Forrestal when Gant excluded her from assisting with the engineering assessment. "No, Lieutenant. It is now MY review," he said. "My understanding is that my team and I have been conscripted to do this review and report for you...because you obviously didn't feel it was valuable or deserving of your time." The situation worsened when Forrestal met Commander Olivia Twist, the CO of the 214th. When Forrestal expressed enthusiasm about the 214's arrival, Twist not only dismissed Forrestal's involvement, but told Forrestal that the best thing she could do would be to "Stay out of our way."

Following the arrival of the 214th to DS3, Twist's initial frosty attitude toward Forrestal warmed slightly when she saw the herculean effort she had made to keep the station running. Even Gant had to concede: "Credit is due where credit is due, Lieutenant," he said. "It is hardly up to Starfleet's operational codes...I'm not even sure it can be compared to Starfleet's operational codes. But I do acknowledge that it does function."

Master Chief Burt Knox
Personal animosities aside, Lieutenant Forrestal held a grudging respect for Master Chief Petty Officer Burt Knox's engineering skills. The two of them engaged in a full-on battle for the meager remnants of supplies Captain Buchanan permitted. More often than not, Master Chief Knox was Forrestal's point of contact for obtaining replacement parts via "alternate sources" when Captain Buchanan took Forrestal's supply requisitions "under advisement."

Jack Graves
Since her arrival on the station, Forrestal's right-hand-man was Engineer Jack Graves. With the arrival of the 214th Construction Battalion, Forrestal came to realize how much Graves resented being assigned to DS3, and having to endure the abusive austerity of Captain Montaine Buchanan and his policies. Graves challenged Forrestal by saying, "If you had a choice of staying here, or leaving with the 214, even if it meant being hit with a nerve stunner every day from now on, wouldn't you take it?" Despite Graves' anger toward the situation, he didn't hold any of it against Forrestal. (Star Trek Outpost - Episode 33 - The Tell-Tale Ferengi)

Neela Gliss
Engineering Specialist Neela Gliss was among the newest to be assigned to DS3, having previously served aboard the Excelsior class USS Joseph Kittinger. She wanted the opportunity to perform "real engineering" as compared the Kittinger, the "modern marvel" of technology it was. Her enthusiasm and upbeat nature stood in stark contrast to the general malaise permeating DS3. Forrestal had taken a personal interest in the young engineer, going so far as to consider her "Chief Engineer material." Gliss confessed an enthusiasm for the idea, though she realized she had a lot yet to learn.

Lieutenant Karen Denali
From the moment of her arrival on the station, Karen Denali engendered an atmosphere of animosity with regard to the station and the personnel of DS3. One of the earliest recipients of Denali's angry outbursts was Lieutenant Forrestal. Without realizing she was speaking to the Chief of Engineering aboard the station, Denali spoke frankly (some would say brutally so) about the austere conditions onboard the station. Denali's comments were so frank that Forrestal had to broach the subject with Lieutenant Commander Greg Torkelson. (Star Trek: Outpost - Shades of the Past) It was not until the incident with the Sovreignty, when the two women were forced to work together, that they developed a measure of respect for each other. (Star Trek: Outpost - Death Sentence)

Lieutenant Nathaniel Farmer
DS3's Chief of Security, Lieutenant Nathaniel Farmer, was Lieutenant Forrestal's harshest critic, often citing the lack of sensors and communication units in the non-occupied areas as a threat to station and personnel security. Using Captain Buchanan's disappearance during his convalesence as an example, Farmer complained, "You're the Chief of Engineering. If something isn't working, it is your fault. If we had scanners in these areas, our work would be done by now."

Commander Olivia Twist
From the moment they met over subspace communication, Commander Olivia Twist had been the source of consternation, frustration and agitation for Lieutenant Forrestal. When Forrestal told the Commander, "I look forward to working with you on the station." Twist's reaction was as simple as it was brusque: "What the 214 does as a construction battalion is very different than what a station's Chief of Engineering does under normal circumstances, Lieutenant. Given the scope and magnitude of our task at Deep Space Three, staying out of our way may be the best help you can give us." Despite Lieutenant Commander Torkelson's support and persistence, Twist was incredulous at the idea of a station the size of DS3 had as its Chief Engineer a "mere Lieutenant." Normally, Twist said, a station the size of DS3 had a full Commander or even a Captain as Chief Engineer. Twist even gave consideration to the idea of taking over as Chief Engineer, herself. Following her arrival. However, as time passed, Twist developed a grudging measure of respect for Forrestal's efforts in maintaining the station. As a measure of her new appreciation, she endorsed Commander Torkelson's recommendation for Forrestal's promotion. Despite this, Twist is still of the conviction that Forrestal's rank "Is still an issue". (Star Trek: Outpost - Episode 33 - The Tell-Tale Ferengi)

Captain Montaine Buchanan
The station commander of Deep Space Three was the bane of Lieutenant Forrestal's existence -- from the beginning in 2360 (when the responsibility of Chief of Engineering of the station was unexpectedly dumped on Forrestal) to the turbolift accident in 2364 (when Captain Montaine Buchanan (wrongly) placed the blame for the accident on Forrestal's shoulders, citing her negligence and dereliction of duty). Forrestal constantly battled with Buchanan's miserly obsession with his demands for absolute control over all submitted requisitions going out to Starfleet Command. Often, her requests for supplies had been taken "under advisement" by Buchanan, meaning that he would sit on the request until Forrestal's needs became so great that she would be forced to find "alternate" ways of providing for them -- such as bartering on the black market. Given that, Master Chief Petty Officer Burt "Hard" Knox was Forrestal's point of contact for getting supplies using non-Starfleet sources. Buchanan was generous in blaming Forrestal for equipment failures, despite her heroic efforts. When Buchanan was told that Lieutenant Commander Gregory Torkelson had recommended Forrestal for promotion, the Captain demanded that the recommendation be withdrawn. Torkelson refused, stating, "She is very much deserving. She's done a remarkable job given the circumstances... better than anyone could be expected to do given the conditions in which she has had to do them."

Lieutenant Commander Gregory Torkelson
Jennifer Forrestal first met Lieutenant Commander Gregory Torkelson as he disembarked from the USS Gorgon, reporting aboard DS3. She curtly demanded to know why he had released control of the USS Leone to Master Chief Petty Officer Burt "Hard" Knox. When Torkelson sputtered that Knox had told him that he was acting under her authority, Forrestal shot back, "Master Chief Petty Officer Burt 'Hard' Knox works for only one person, Master Chief Petty Officer Burt 'Hard' Knox!" First impressions aside, Commander Torkelson quickly became one of Forrestal's supporters, defending her to Captain Buchanan, Commander Twist, and Lieutenant Commander Gant, as well as any other would be detractors. Forrestal was with Commander Torkelson when he presented his recommendations for improving and upgrading the station facilities to Captain Buchanan. Buchanan scoffed at the idea, threatening to shut down and recycle the holodeck and the recreational module in his continuing quest for short-term gains, in lieu of long-term viability of the station. Forrestal lamented, "I knew this was a bad idea." Forrestal's respect for Torkelson grew, to the point where she even supported his own attempts at austerity. As recognition for her hard work, Torkelson recommended her for promotion, despite demands from Captain Buchanan that he withdraw the recommendation. Torkelson understood that the accident was not Forrestal's fault; she had done everything to keep the station running under the most difficult of conditions.

Chronology
2360 - Reported aboard Deep Space 3. Is assigned position of Chief Engineer by Captain Buchanan

2364 - Captain Buchanan injured in a severe turbolift accident. Investigation revealed structural failure was a result of extensive galvanic corrosion via leaking antrigrav coolant. Acting-Station Commander Lieutenant Commander Gregory Torkelson requested assistance from the 214th Construction Battalion which was based out of Starbase 512.

Memorable quotes
''"I'm not as lucky as you are, Lieutenant Farmer. I deal with equipment, not people. Captain Buchanan may interpret regulations regarding technical issues in a way no other command officer does, but that dosen't mean his interpretation is wrong - just unpopular.And I have to deal with it. On the other hand, Starfleet regulations are very specific regarding how many hours and how much work you can assign a crew. You may automatically get assigned so many security officers per human asset posted to this station, but I have to argue to Captain Buchanan that I need more power conduits to service the 20 additional petty officers being sent our way." (Star Trek: Outpost - The Gathering Storm)''

''"Well, welcome to Deep Space Three. You've now got to start thinking outside the box, Gliss. It's not a matter of what the damage requires, but what Captain Buchanan will allow. He'll have all of us hustling up and down Jeffries tubes before he authorizes anything from outside the station to make these repairs." (Star Trek Outpost - Shades of the Future)''

''"I thought I was doing what was best for the station ... patting myself on the back for my ingenuity - even dared to compare myself to Chief Knox .... I know the Captain would rather have him on the station than me, if Knox would give up obsession with the Chimera...." (Star Trek Outpost - The Needs of The Many)''

Background
Jennifer Forrestal is played by Cathy Rinella in all her appearances in Star Trek: Outpost.