Bayle Olin Erikssen

Captain Bayle Olin Erikssen is commanding officer of the Federation starship USS Venture. (Star Trek: Luna)

Background

Biography

When one compiles a list of the most skilled captains currently serving in Starfleet, the name Bayle Olin Eriksson is often considered, along with the likes of Jean-Luc Picard and William Riker. Over the course of his almost 50 years in Starfleet, Erikssen has defended his legendary record time and time again.

Erikssen was born in Oslo in 2308. His father, a fisherman, taught young Bayle the value of a hard day's work, as well as tremendous respect for the natural world and a sense of adventure. In grade school, he studied the exploits of the USS Enterprise and resolved to join Starfleet. Erikssen entered the academy and graduated second in his class in 2330. He then went on to Command School where he showed himself to be a brilliant young officer.

Upon graduation, Erikssen was posted to the USS Ironsides, an Excelsior-class starship assigned to the Romulan border. In his five years on Ironsides, Erikssen proved himself in multiple instances to be a capable commander, leading away teams and even taking over the night watch. At the end of his tour, Erikssen transferred to the USS Metternich, a state-of-the-art Ambassador-class heavy cruiser. He served on Metternich for a six-year exploration assignment, charting the "southern" edge of Federation space. By the end of this tour, Erikssen was promoted to lieutenant commander and served as the Senior Watch Commander. In 2343 Erikssen was transferred to the Cheyenne-class USS Arapaho as that ship's first officer.

Erikssen's time on Arapaho was marked by the beginning of the Cardassian Wars. During the wars, Arapaho was assigned to deep scouting runs in Cardassian space. In 2350, at the height of the confrontation, Erikssen was promoted to captain and given command of the USS Comanche, due to his previous experience with Excelsior-class ships. He commanded Comanche for five years, before taking a posting as a professor at Starfleet Academy. While there, he met a cadet named Aaron Kennedy, who he took under his wing and mentored. After ten years, he was given the prestigious James T. Kirk Chair at Starfleet Command School.

As war loomed ominously on the horizon, Starfleet Command needed every experienced officer available to return to active duty. Erikssen, with his extensive experience from the Cardassian Wars, was a prime candidate. Despite his advanced age, Erikssen welcomed the opportunity to regain command. Starfleet gave him a crash-retraining course and assigned him to the Galaxy-class USS Venture as her captain. Venture fought in every major confrontation in the war, from Deep Space Nine to Cardassia. When it was all over, Captain Erikssen was awarded the Federation Council Medal of Honor for his nearly fifty years of dedicated service.

Erikssen still serves as commanding officer of the Venture. He is one of the most respected line officers in the fleet, and while rumors of a long-overdue promotion to admiral circulate, Erikssen has, in the past, been reluctant to give up the center seat.

Service Jacket

Previous Assignments

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  Junior Watch Officer, USS Ironsides, 2332-2335
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  Watch Officer, USS Ironsides, 2335-2337
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  Senior Watch Officer, USS Metternich, 2337-2339
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  Senior Watch Commander, USS Metternich, 2339-2343
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  First Officer, USS Arapaho, 2343-2350
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  Commanding Officer, USS Comanche, 2350-2355
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  Professor of Command Strategy, Starfleet Academy, 2355-2365
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  James T. Kirk Professor of Advanced Command Strategies, Starfleet Command School, 2365-2371

Current Assignment

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  Commanding Officer, USS Venture, 2371-PRES

Decorations