Antonia Sawalha

Antonia van Maanen Sawalha was a Starfleet engineer on active duty in at least the 23rd century.

Sawalha was born on June 6, 2259, somewhere in the European Hegemony. (It was never explained why she always told people she was born in London, despite no evidence to support this.)

Upon graduation from Starfleet Academy in 2281, Ensign Sawalha was assigned to USS Tereshkova as a junior engineering officer. During her service on the ship, she was often on landing and boarding parties because of her expertise in pre-Warp era Earth, as well as non-Federation, technologies. (Star Trek: Shadowstar Station: "Rescue the Perishing", "Hegemony", "Center of Attention")

Seven years later, she was nearly assigned as a warp specialist to Operation Blackjack but contracted Vegan choriomeningitis and was sidelined for many months. (Star Trek: Shadowstar: Operation Blackjack)

By 2292, Lieutenant Sawalha was an auxiliary systems officer on the USS Avenger. (Star Trek: Avenger: "Belonging") She was a friendly rival to Lieut. Peter Alderson, Avenger's alien technologies officer.

Three years later, as a lieutenant commander, she transferred to Shadowstar Station. (Star Trek: Shadowstar: "Pomp and Circumstantial Evidence")

By 2301, Sawalha had become chief engineer of the shuttlecarrier USS Malverne, a position she held for ten years. (Star Trek: Malverne: At Gamma Hydrae)

Background information

The character was named after Antonia Minor, the wife of the Roman emperor Nero, the astronomer Adriaan van Maanen, and the actors Nadim Sawalha and Julia Sawalha.