Alexandra Dalton

Alex Dalton was a rookie Starfleet starfighter pilot that flew with Banshee Squadron in 2383. (Star Trek: Banshee Squadron)

History

Alex Dalton was born in the farmlands of Iowa on Earth. The clear, open skies called to her from an early age, and as she watched her father's old crop duster skim by overhead, she dreamed of someday being able to follow him into the wide blue yonder. When she was twelve, her father gave her her first flying lesson, and she was hooked from that moment on.

Like everyone else living around Riverside, Iowa, Alex grew up with tall tales of the local hero, legendary Starfleet Captain James T. Kirk. She was inspired by Kirk's heroism and bravery, and to the impressionable young girl, the stories of Kirk's grand adventures and hair-raising exploits were intoxicating and irresistible. Her three older brothers were grown enough to help around the farm, which freed Alex to apply to Starfleet Academy.

At the Academy, she naturally decided to follow the Pilot Training curriculum. Her natural aptitude was honed and refined until her skill was such that she was even given the option of joining Red Squad. She turned them down. To her eyes, Red Squad seemed too intense and eager for battle, whereas her love was strictly for the flying.

During her senior year at the Academy, on a training flight inside Saturn's rings, her wingman's plane was struck by a rogue piece of ring material and spun out of control. In defiance of orders and at great risk to herself, Alex went after him with her own plane and managed to grapple him and tow him to safety. Afterwards, an official reprimand was noted on her permanent record, but because of the supreme skill she showed in maneuvering through the treacherous rings, she was allowed to graduate and was placed on the A-list for duty assignments.

Alex's first assignment was to Banshee Squadron, replacing Kimberly Tycho. She fought in the closing days of the Second Mulluran War.

Alex began spending a lot of time with the squad's recon ship co-pilot, Dexter Gray. When the Squadron was forced to land on the sentient planet Gaia, she and Gray decided to stay behind and become the planet's caretakers.

Personality

Alex was sweet and gentle. She was perky, energetic, positive, and had a can-do attitude. She was a total tomboy but was also aware of her own cuteness and was fully capable of using it with devastating effectiveness. Her mild, innocent demeanor was curiously at odds with her chosen profession of space fighter pilot.

Alex was obsessed with flying. Everything she did was with flying in mind. She learned mechanics to keep the planes flying. She learned combat and tactics because that was the requirement to fly Starfleet planes.

Notes

Alex Dalton was originally named Alex Dawson. Unfortunately, that name always made me think of "Dawson's Creek". Teen soap opera references were something I didn't want in Banshee Squadron, so her last name was changed to Dalton, after the recurring character Jack Dalton on "MacGyver". Jack was a quirky free spirit, so his vibe fit in perfectly with Banshee Squadron. By this time, several stories had been written, so a global find & replace on the Banshee website swapped all instances of "Dawson" for "Dalton", and the change was made.