Marie Bourget

Marie Grace Bourget, MD, (née Ndoye), was the chief medical officer of the USS Cantabrian (NCC-24705) between 2372 and 2373, and, from 2374 and beyond, the USS Cantabrian-A.

History

Childhood

In 2322, Marie Bourget was born to Michel and Dominique Ndoye in Dakar, Senegal on Earth.

Marriage and children

Marie Bourget and her husband were married in 2340, and their first and only child, daughter Helena Bourget, was born later that same year.

Starfleet Medical Academy

Marie Bourget started her medical training at Starfleet Medical Academy in 2346, completing her training in 2354.

Starfleet history

One of the starships Bourget served aboard was the USS Coral Sea (NCC-63047), and her daughter was also present aboard the ship. During this time, Helena Bourget ran afoul of the commanding officer and his rules and regulations on several occasions, the last of which saw her kicked off the Coral Sea. Marie Bourget supported this move.

Personal history, pre-Cantabrian

Sometime before joining the Cantabrian team, Marie Bourget and her husband divorced.

Bourget only saw her daughter once between her being removed from the Coral Sea and the present day. Helena came to her mother to tell her she'd finished medical school, but, as usual, their conversation ended up being an argument.

Professional accolades

Bourget was nominated for the Carrington Award twice before 2372.

This obviously wasn't 2371 as Dr. Julian Bashir and four others were nominated for the award in that year, and Marie Bourget was not mentioned as one of the finalists.

Aboard the Cantabrian

2372

Marie Bourget joined the Cantabrian team in 2372 at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards as chief medical officer.

Captain Noah Wrightson charged her with finding more about Myhr'an anatomy and physiology: a relatively unresearched topic. Bourget also accompanied away teams to both Krakania to rescue survivors of a Myhr'an orbital bombardment and the Myhr'an scout ship. Aboard the ship, she helped discover a Myhr'an body to be brought aboard the Cantabrian for autopsy, but the body mysteriously disappeared. (Star Trek: The Cantabrian Expeditions: "Catalyst, Part One")

As per Lelari judicial requirements, Bourget was required to serve as the defense for the Lelari charges of attempted genocide and attempted mass murder against Benjamin Caldwell. Even though she needed only to prove there was reasonable doubt in the case, which was very easy to do, she gathered enough evidence to clear Caldwell quite clearly. In the courtroom, Bourget was pitted against her estranged daughter, Dr. Helena Bourget, a then-member of the Arkrand Society. This event not only reunited her with her daughter but also sparked her interest in Taris Syndrome. Disgusted by the witch-hunt the trial became, she argued the resources squandered in trying to place the blame should have been devoted to researching the disease and trying to find a cure: an argument hitting the Lelari too close to home for their liking. (Star Trek: The Cantabrian Expeditions: "Breaking Benjamin")

Bourget attempted to avoid her daughter as best as she could, even attempting to encourage Wrightson to drop Helena off at Starbase Expanse 7 when the Cantabrian arrived. When Wrightson fell ill and was isolated aboard a derelict station in orbit of Caldea IV, the responsibility of finding a cure fell to Bourget and her team. Setting their differences aside, her research sparked a train-of-thought that led to her daughter Helena devising a cure: something that impressed Bourget. (Star Trek: The Cantabrian Expeditions: "Isolation")

As the Myhr'an attacked Canaileus Prime, Bourget served as the top medical officer after the destruction of the colony's main hospital and the death of its medical staff. Under pressure, she reacted extremely calm and collected. When her second-in-command, Dr. Akeras Pela refused to work on fellow Bolian Milami Thall, Bourget ordered her to, and, when Pela did not comply, Bourget swapped patients with Pela. After the event, she put Pela on report. (Star Trek: The Cantabrian Expeditions: "Oh, What a Lovely War")

After the discovery of the "Devil's Cube" and the possibility Elizabeth Singh's daughter Rahel was a Borg drone aboard it, Bourget supported Singh's request to find the drone and investigate whether or not she was, in fact, Rahel. (Star Trek: The Cantabrian Expeditions: "Devil's Cube")

Worried about the Taris Syndrome and its effects on the area, a medical conference was called. Both Marie Bourget and her daughter Helena attended, but Helena had an ulterior motive. After a cat-and-mouse chase between the two, with Marie discovering the truth about her daughter's intentions, Helena cornered Marie, a phaser rifle aimed at her, in order to silence her. Helena's humanity made her pause long enough for Captain Liam de Gaillimhe to stun Helena. Bourget and de Gaillimhe were unsuccessful in stopping Helena Bourget from escaping a Cantabrian shuttlecraft. (Star Trek: The Cantabrian Expeditions: "Daughter's Keeper")

Bourget's worst suspicions became truth when Daniel Radke, returned from being kidnapped by the Myhr'an, confirmed Helena had freed them but she had, and continued to, work for the M'Tar. In a rage, Bourget stormed Helena's lab, destroying vital equipment and research. Unfortunately, in the rampage, she triggered a booby-trap, rendering her in a coma. (Star Trek: The Cantabrian Expeditions: "Deceptions")

2373

Months later, at Deep Space 4, Bourget was still in a coma from which medical staff were unable to revive her. Wrightson, Radke and Singh visited her as often as they could. (Star Trek: The Cantabrian Expeditions: "Repercussions")

Upon hearing about her mother's coma, Helena Bourget came to Deep Space 4 under an amnesty brokered with Noah Wrightson. (Star Trek: The Cantabrian Expeditions: "Thicker Than Water") Working in one of DS4's labs, Helena formulated a cure, bringing her mother out of the coma, but Marie Bourget reacted by disowning her daughter: not the reaction Helena expected. (Star Trek: The Cantabrian Expeditions: "The Betrayed")

Excerpt from captain's report

Profile by Captain Gerold McLeod. Stardate 49182.9.

There's no doubt about it; Marie Bourget is a brilliant doctor.

In her years of working under my command, Dr. Bourget has consistently demonstrated she's one of the most versatile medical officers in Starfleet and the Federation today. Her nomination for the Carrington Award on two occasions pays tribute to her dedication to medical research; she's not afraid to try alternative medicines when the time and place dictates it. I've also seen Dr. Bourget adapt existing medicines and treatments, along with integrating conventional and alternative therapies, to treat the specific person's condition, despite perhaps what medical texts may say.

Dr. Bourget feels she must move on, so, whilst I will miss her vast skills and medical knowledge aboard my ship, I wish her well aboard the USS Cantabrian.

Personal relationships

Family

Helena Bourget

Marie Bourget and her daughter Helena Bourget had a difficult relationship.

When a teenager, Helena accompanied her mother aboard the USS Coral Sea and had several run-ins with the commanding officer. This put enormous pressure on their relationship. Helena smuggled elicit substances aboard which saw the commanding officer of the Coral Sea kick Helena off the ship, a move Marie Bourget supported.

It is assumed at this point Helena went to live with her father.

Bourget only saw her daughter once between her being removed from the Coral Sea and 2372. Helena came to her mother to tell her she'd finished medical school, but, as usual, their conversation ended up being an argument. (Star Trek: The Cantabrian Expeditions: "Breaking Benjamin")

Cantabrian crewmates

Daniel Radke

After discovering Daniel Radke's genetic manipulation by the M'Tar, she treated him very coolly, even going as far as to suggest he was being manipulated by the M'Tar or Myhr'an in 2372. Their argument over observing the Myhr'an autopsy led to Bourget saying she didn't trust Special Operations or Radke. (Star Trek: The Cantabrian Expeditions: "Catalyst, Part One")

As a side note, it's not clear whether or not Bourget said these things because she was tired. She seemed to treat Radke with more respect throughout the rest of "Catalyst, Part One".

Relationships

Ex-husband

Marie Bourget's relationship with her ex-husband was always rocky, and the two decided to split up. Marie kept her married surname.

Memorable quotes

"That little reunion went amazingly well, didn't it?"

— Bourget to Ethan Arden in "Catalyst, Part One"

"You and your conspiracy theories, Helena. Really. The Federation's nearly on its knees with all the struggles going on around us, and you think there's something to be gained by significantly weakening a technologically-superior race? Instead of simply asking them to help us?"

"Sometimes, Mama, the truth is stranger than fiction."

"The truth is, Helena, that these people need to find a solution, not someone to blame. That's the truth."

— Bourget and Helena Bourget debate about Benjamin Caldwell's trial in "Breaking Benjamin"