Christopher O'Laughlin

Gunnery Sergeant Christopher O'Laughlin is a member of Starfleet Marine Corps Special Contingent 41 aboard the USS Dauntless. (Star Trek: Dauntless)

Early Life and Career

Christopher O'Laughlin was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1964. He spent most of his youth skirting the law but never crossed the line. One thing that bothered him his whole life was his inability to find someplace where he fit in until he joined the United States Marine Corps at the age of 18 in 1982.

In 1992, Sergeant O'Laughlin was on special assignment to the Army Base Fort Belvoir, Virginia near Washington, DC, where he 'volunteered' to participate in a cryogenics experiment testing equipment being developed for the DY-100 project. Several days after being placed in stasis in a laboratory deep below Fort Belvoir, the Eugenics Wars began and the Army base was destroyed. O'Laughlin was forgotten for almost 400 years until the laboratory was discovered by accident in 2373.

Starfleet Marine Corps Career

After leaving the hospital where he recovered after being discovered alive in stasis, O'Laughlin traveled across the North American continent in search of any remaining family. Several months later he reached San Francisco, where, despondent, he contemplated suicide before running into several Starfleet officers who told him about Starfleet and the Starfleet Marine Corps. He joined the Corps within days.

Aboard USS Dauntless

In 2374, O'Laughlin, who had been assigned the rank of Sergeant upon graduation from Boot Camp in recognition of his past service, was assigned to Special Contingent 41, a small strike force assigned to the starship {uss|Dauntless|NCC-74658| (NCC-74658)}} as the Dominion War started turning against the Federation. O'Laughlin was instrumental in evacuating the crew from the disabled starship before the Dauntless-74658 was destroyed by a warp core breach.

Like many of the other surviving crew, O'Laughlin and Special Contingent 41 were reassigned to the new Sovereign-class USS Dauntless (NCC-75310) upon its launch in 2375. However, in recognition of the fact the Dominion War seemed to be turning against the Federation and its Klingon allies, the Starfleet Marine Corps increased the size of Special Contingent 41 from a fast-strike squad to a full company of troops.

One of O'Laughlin's biggest problems his entire life, especially his life in the 24th century, has been his prejudices. The Marine had found it hard enough in the 20th century working alongside females as equals, this was compounded by the fact he must now work with aliens on occasion. And while in combat, he sees any other Marine as simply a fellow Marine; while off duty, he often has to remind himself these are fellow sentient beings. As a result of his 'stone-age' attitude, O'Laughlin often found himself rising and falling in rank very quickly, anywhere from Sergeant to Gunnery Sergeant, and he has been quoted saying, "It's not so much rank as bandwidth." However, his actions during the Battle of Cardassia, particularly after Special Contingent 41 started fighting on the planet's surface in intense urban combat, were rewarded with a permanent rank of Gunnery Sergeant with no fear of being demoted again.

Department reorganization

In early 2377, when Captain Virgil Kane assumed command of the starship Dauntless, several of the shipboard departments were re-organized. This included the assumption of security duties by the Marine Special Contingent aboard. O'Laughlin's commanding officer, Marine Captain [[Sean McIntyre],] was assigned as Chief of Security and all the Marines under his command as starship security officers. Upon the return of Captain Peter Koester in 2380, the department organization remained the same. However, Gunny O'Laughlin took on the added responsibility of mentoring the new unit of the Starfleet Space Cadet Corps that had formed aboard the starship, taking command of what started with four young pre-teen cadets. With the help of Ship's Counselor Tanzia Gera, O'Laughlin has taught the cadet unit, which has grown to almost a dozen members in three years, discipline, honor and commitment. After several years in the 24th century, this 'throwback' has finally found the place where he truly fits in.