Star Trek: Excelsior

Star Trek Excelsior is an audio drama based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry. The series was created by James Heaney in 2007. It is produced by Starship Excelsior productions.

History of the series
The Series premiered on September 28th, 2007 with Season One, Act I, "There You Are". An average of five or six episodes are produced each season, released at irregular intervals, with special episodes and interviews interspersed throughout. The series has been in production for three seasons, and is currently in production.

Summary
The USS Excelsior (NCC-2000-C), last of the Great Dominion War dreadnoughts, first in the hearts and minds of the men and women of Task Force 38. It had once been the ship of legends, Grenn, Duvall, Underwood, Raku. From 2375 to 2379 Excelsior had been the front line of defense for the Iconian Gateway that opened up Starfleet's territory to a hard won sector of the Delta Quadrant. Two years ago, short of crew, facing Federation-wide force redistribution, the Excelsior was temporarily mothballed. One year later, the Borg offensive pushed Starfleet's Delta forces back through the gateway to the Alpha Quadrant. High ranking Excelsior veterans scattered throughout Starfleet saw this and decided, two years was far too long.

After two years of storage, Excelsior was pulled out of mothballs for a special mission of critical importance to the Federation. Under the command of retired Captain Sharvah C Sheresh, Excelsior launched from Starbase 911 to the extreme edge of the galaxy, answering a distress call from a ship missing for over 60 years, the SS Anbar. During the mission, something went horribly wrong. The First Officer, a Commander Rachel Cortez, was forced to kill Captain Shiresh.

Following that disastrous mission, Excelsior was fully reactivated and returned to active duty. Under the command of now Captain Rachel Cortez, Her first mission, was to establish diplomatic relations with Valandria, a planet near the galactic barrier.

Captain Cortez also had a second, more covert mission. Take high-resolution scans of a nebula in the area of space where a distress call from a ship named the SS Anbar originated. This portion of the mission was under the control of General Isaac Brahms of Starfleet Intelligence. Her orders were to review the scans, and report back directly to the General. Her final report to Brahms recommended he be prepared to take "extreme measures."

Gevinon Prime
A waterworld, and the base of operations for the zero fleet in the sector of space the SS Anbar was found. Twenty years ago, the planet was invaded by the Bluegill fleet. Having no planetary defenses, let alone spaceflight, the Gevinese were conquered and infested. Their bodies live on, but nothing of Gevinon's people remain. Located beneath the surface are gigantic air bubbles that contain facilities for land dwelling bluegills.

Paradise
A class M world beyond the Milky Way Galactic barrier. Sometime during their 69 year exile from the Federation, the SS Anbar found this marginally habitable world and established a colony on it, the primary mission was to feed the Anbar crew. Under its Governor, Becca Saunders, the colony prospered despite zero attacks, as well as local predators, such as bog hogs. When the Anbar left to make its run for the passage, a number of colonists, as well as Anbar crewmembers decided to remain behind and try to make a home for themselves, away from the zero invasion. The current fate of the colony remains unknown.

Union
Union is a class M world, as well as the planet Starbase 911 orbits. Union supports a substantial Federation population. Starfleet also has planet based facilities, including a high-security holding area that briefly incarcerated General Isaac Brahms. In addition to the starbase itself, there is also an array in orbit capable of performing a barrion sweep.

Valandria
A class M world, just beyond the Iconian gateway in the Delta quadrant. The planet is ruled by a reptillian species known as the Valandrians. A Matriarcal society, they were peaceful planet of herbivores until the crash landing of a ship carrying a species known as "The Myriad". The Myriad took refuge inside a pillar deep within the caverns of Valandria and 'spoke to the Valandrians' telepathically. The Valandrians changed, becoming a race of bloodthirsty warriors.

Valandria's proximity to the gateway in the Delta quadrant was of such strategic importance to the Federation, that multiple attempts were made to establish diplomatic relations. All the attempts ended in disaster, not only because the Myriad were manipulating the Valandrians, making them paranoid, but they had been warned by "The Oracle" That when "The Gods" made planetfall, they would bring "The Wasting" and it would be the harbinger of their planet's destruction. Acting on the orders of the rebel General Sorid-Gee, the Valandrians initiated a sneak attack against the Excelsior, severely damaging the ship. Evading the onslaught, Commander Dovan and Lieutenant Yubari managed to beam into the catacombs, and with the aid of Planetary Premier Betren-Na exposed, then neutralized the telepathic attack known as the wasting, and the telepathic control by the Myriad over the Valandrians. With the telepathic link broken, the Valandrians stopped fighting, and began the slow return to their peaceful way of life. Betren-Na thanked Dovan and crew for their aid but refused to sign any treaty. Given time, Valandria might consider the question at some later date.

SS Anbar
The SS Anbar (NAR-11007) was a Antares class III Neutronic Fuel carrier, the same type ship as the Kobayashi Maru. 69 years ago while under the command of Captain Christopher Cox, it was on a routine transport run when it fell into a wormhole and travelled 200,000 light-years, beyond the galactic barrier. Eventually the Anbar found a class M planet, which they named Paradise. Some of the crew made homes on the surface, raising families, and growing crops to feed the crew. The Anbar encountered a hostile lifeform in the big empty called the Zero. For the next fifty years, the crew of the Anbar fought, lived, raised families, and died, struggling for the slightest hope to return home. In one of the Anbar's many battles with the zero, Captain Cox was killed when the hull surrounding the bridge ruptured, and vented into space. His daughter, Samantha assumed the duties of Captain. Eventually, the Anbar gained an ally in the void, the Scions. A means was created in a nearby nebula to generate a passage into the Milky Way Galaxy. The Zero arrived first and had opened the passage, pouring ships through as fast as they could. After the Captain's daughter Tawny, was killed while trying to make a run for the passage in the Anbar's sole shuttlecraft, Cox was determined to make another attempt with the Anbar, with or without the Scions ' help. With a crew made up of volunteers, The Anbar entered the nebula for the passage. Inside, they were met by over two million Zero warships. With nothing more than antiquated energy weapons, along with nuclear tipped missiles, the Anbar was overwhelmed. The damage to the ship was catastrophic. Warp drive and impulse engines were destroyed, 2/3rds of the crew were dead. The Zero would have finished them were it not for the intervention of the Scion Triassa and his group of ten Scion defender warships. The Scions closed the passage and followed the Anbar through. Despite having no shields, engines or weapons, the Anbar survived the transit through the passage. After transmitting a distress signal, the Anbar survivors were rescued by the Federation starship USS Excelsior. Unfortunately, during an inspection of the Anbar by Captain Sheresh, Ensign Phillipe Ermez, a zero operative, fired a phaser into a zero swarm pod, also known as a "bug bomb". The resulting swarm of zero parasites overwhelmed the defenses on the Anbar, and very nearly took the Excelsior as well. The swarm was fought off, and Captain Cox, Brady Winters, and schoolmarm Mrs. Chen volunteered to return to the Anbar and cover the escape of the Excelsior as she left with the remaining Anbar survivors.

The Anbar was encountered again two years later when it was once more visited by the Excelsior, this time under the command of Commander Alcar Dovan. The crew was searching for something called "The Sword of Damocles", and the clues pointed to the Anbar. Upon arriving at the wreck, no lifesigns were detected. An away team was sent over. Shortly following their arrival, they were attacked by the no longer dormant swarm still aboard Anbar. At the same time, Excelsior was attacked by three zero frigates. With the timely arrival of the Section 31 ship USS Renegade, they were able to hold their own. Despite the combined efforts of both starships, the zero were able to prevent the away team from beaming back to Excelsior. When the two ships finally were able to make a run for the Anbar, one of the zero ships rammed into the Anbar, in an attempt to cover its retreat. The Anbar was destroyed, the away team, presumed lost.

Starbase 911
A major Federation Starbase located in orbit over Planet Union. SB911 was established shortly after the discovery of an Iconian gateway into an unexplored sector of the Delta Quadrant. Fully operational, the Starbase boasts full starship repair and refit facilities, short of a full shipyard, as well as a barrion array as located in orbit.

The Starbase proper is a typical stand alone Spacedock, capable of holding 16 capital ships in dock, with another 12 along the outer wall. Some of the facilities are planetbound, such as the high security facility that briefly held General Isaac Brahms.

USS Excelsior
USS Excelsior (NCC-2000-C) Sovereign class. The primary ship the series is based upon.

USS Mercury
Intrepid class starship. Rachel Cortez served as First Officer of this starship prior to her appointment as Captain of the Excelsior.

USS Oracle
(NCV-83124) Advanced prototype starship developed in the future during Starfleet's conflict with the Myriad. The Oracle was invovlved in a collision with a Myriad vessel and crashed on the surface of Valandria. A side effect of the collision was the two vessels passed through the surface and partially melded into the planet itself. It was also thrown back 500 years into the past. The ship's artificial intelligence hologram survived planetfall and contaminated the Valandrian culture. The ship's remains, as well as the hologram were discovered by Captain Cortez and her away teams. Lieutenants Rol and Lorhrok were transported to the future prior to the ship's crash landing and tried to save the lives of the crew despite the possible implications within the limited time available. Chief Medical Officer: Commander Melissa Sharp

USS Renegade
Kindred class scout ship. A Section 31 vessel under the command of General Isaac Brahms. Like her sister ship, the Nosferatu, the Renegade is overweaponed, overpowered, and has a cloaking device. In the words of Admiral Parker, Renegade was "Quick, deadly, and highly illegal". When the Excelsior and her crew broke out of Starbase 911 and made its dash for the dark matter nebula near the Hesperus sector, General Brahms volunteered to take the Renegade and stop them. When Parker scoffed at the idea, Brahms broke out of prison, boarded the Renegade, and began his pursuit. The Renegade finally caught up with Excelsior as she was engaged with three Bluegill frigates at the location of the SS Anbar. Realizing that stopping the Excelsior was now a moot point, Renegade joined the fight on the side of Excelsior. They destroyed one frigate, and pusued the other back to its base on Gevinon Prime. Bluegill reinforcements joined the fight, and Renegade was destroyed covering Excelsior's retreat. Commanding Officer: General Isaac Brahms

USS Tornado
The Tornado was at Starbase 911 for a barrion sweep when it was drafted by Admiral Parker to help with the recapture of the Renegade and General Isaac Brahms. Commanding Officer: Admiral Tenson

Natukov, Faith
A Lieutenant in Starfleet Special operations. the original Faith Natukov had been murdered, and her place taken by a changeling. Her orders were to kill Lieutenant Colonel Alex Rol, and assume his identity. The Changeling served with distinction as part of Colonel Rol's team, eventually getting a recommendation from Rol for qualification as a solo operative. On her final mission with her team, she infiltrated a Cardassian reasearch facility on Planet Loval. The team discovered the Cardassians were developing a morphogenic bio-weapon for use against the Founders. After being injured by enemy weapons fire, she revealed herself to her other team mate, Major Isaac Brahms and tried to kill him. She was stopped by Col Rol. She professed her love for him, and begged him to join her at the great link, promising he would be happy. With great great sadness, Rol killed the Changeling, and collected the virus.

Siresh, Sharvah
A retired Starfleet Captain. After leaving Starfleet, Sheresh took up residence on Planet Deneva. Isaac Brahms and Ryan Willis approached the Captain with a request for his services. Initially declining, Sheresh reconsidered after Brahms told him, that in exchange for his cooperation, he would be offered command of the currently mothballed USS Excelsior. His mission would be to investigate a distress signal near a dark matter nebula that appeared to be from the SS Anbar, a class III Neutronic fuel carrier that disappeared on a routine run nearly 70 years previous.

Season 1 - The Excelsior Returns

 * Act I - There You Are (Released 28 September 2007)
 * Act II - The Valandrian Expedition (Released 05 December 2007)
 * Act III - Turns of Events (Released 25 January 2008)
 * Act IV - Wildfire (Released 05 April 2008)
 * Act V - Down The Rabbit Hole (Released 12 July 2008)

Season 2 - Murder in the Blue Morgue

 * Act I - The First Two Deaths (Released 05 October 2008)
 * Act II - The Investigation (Released 04 January 2009)
 * Act III - Her Hardest Hue to Hold (Released 29 March 2009)
 * Act IV - The Manchurian Officer (Released 01 July 2009)
 * Act V - Golden Things (Released 24 October 2009)

Season 3 - The Sword of Damocles

 * Part I - Every Good Captain has Admiral Issues (Released 19 March 2010)
 * Part II - The Pursuit (Released 09 May 2010)
 * Part III - The Wreck in the Hesperus (Released 20 October 2010)
 * Part IV - The Infestation (Released 26 December 2010)
 * Part V - Trust but Verify (Released 06 February 2011)
 * Part VI - The Man From Syracuse (Released 01 June 2011)
 * Part VII - Ozymandius (Released 26 December 2011)
 * Part VIII - What Happened on Gevenon Prime (Released on 08 July 2012)
 * Part IX - The Graceful End (Unreleased)

Specials

 * 1A - Debugging Entry (Released 01 April 2008)
 * 2A - The Line (Released 10 September 2009)
 * 2B - No One Gets out alive (Released 26 December 09)
 * 3A - Star Trek: Anbar, The Barrier Part XII (Released 07 August 2010)
 * 3B - Safeties Off (Released 08 September 2010)
 * 3D - Swordplay: A Recap (Released 01 April 2011)
 * 3E - Five Minute The Excelsior Returns (Released 01 April 2012)

Memorable quotes
"You're our Captain! You can be a hero on your own time! But your job right now is to get your people out of here alive!" - Lt Yubari Asuka, Ep 103 Wildfire

"I'm not a nice man! Polite, but not nice!" - Admiral Parker, Ep 301 Every Good Captain has Admiral Issues

"I've gotten a second chance, Dovan! I intend to use it!" - LCDR Joshua Underwood, Ep 301 Every Good Captain has Admiral Issues

''"Your record is one of the most heavily reprimanded in Starfleet! You're insubordinate and self-righteous! Now, those qualities have made some great Starfleet Captains, I'm very optimistic about your future, Commander. But not this time. _This_ time, I need you to follow my orders. Commander Underwood is my guarantee that you will." ''-Admiral Parker, Ep 301, Every Good Captain has Admiral Issues

External link

 * Starship Excelsior