Penji Fil

Rear Admiral Penji Fil was a Federation ambassador-at-large, assigned to the USS Dauntless. (Star Trek: Dauntless)

Early life and career

Admiral Penji Fil has had more adventure in his life than almost any three other Starfleet officers put together.

Born in 2259, at the cusp of what many people describe as the golden age of Federation exploration, on the planet Catulla. Entered Starfleet Academy in 2278, graduating the services school as an ensign in 2283. After advanced communications training, Fil was assigned to the communications division aboard the starship USS Arcturus. In 2286, the Arcturus was assigned to the command of Captain Eric W. Johnson. Several weeks later, the Arcturus entered drydock for upgrades. The starship resumed its mission of exploration in 2287.

Temporal accident

In 2288, Arcturus was assigned a special mission of historical research. Using the slingshot time warp method, the starship was supposed to return to late 1960s Earth. An unexpected accident caused the starship to shoot forward in time instead, emerging in 2367, only several months after the Battle of Wolf 359. Like the majority of Arcturus's crew, Ensign Fil decided to remain in Starfleet, returning to the Academy for updated training. While there, Fil attended several security school courses for eventual assignment to the security division since communications fell under sciences in the 24th century. After six months of Academy retraining, including a month spent aboard an active starship, the Arcturus crew were reassigned back aboard their starship, which had received several upgrades but not enough to be a front-line starship again, for a one-year training mission of exploration within secure sectors of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. At this time, Fil was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade.

In 2369, the Arcturus crew were reassigned once again, this time to the large Arcturus-class exploration cruiser USS Arcturus-A.

Gamma Exploration Mission

In early 2370, Fil's shipmate Kalin Kale was promoted to Captain and assigned command of the Galaxy class USS Sarek, which was assigned to chart and explore the Gamma Quadrant through the recently discovered Bajoran wormhole. Penji Fil was one of the several members of the Arcturus crew Captain Kale requested transferred to the Sarek. Fil was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned as Chief of Security.

After two years exploring the Gamma Quadrant, the Sarek was recalled to the Alpha Quadrant and its mission canceled in light of the rising tensions with the Klingon Empire and the advent of the Dominion War. Shortly after its return in 2372, Fil was transferred to Starfleet's new Leviathan-class warship USS Besiege, where he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and assigned as Chief of Security. By the end of the Dominion War, Fil was Executive Officer of the Besiege. Following the end of the war, Fil was promoted to Captain and assigned as the Starfleet Liason to the Federation Council.

Life beyond death

By 2378, Fleet Captain Fil was assigned a mission to observe the pre-warp society on the planet Zera IV, close to the Tholian border. Fil was chosen for the assignment due to the Catullans physical resemblance to the native Zerans. On approach to Zera IV, Fil's scout ship was attacked by a Tholian patrol vessel, claiming the Tholian Assembly had annexed the sector while the Federation was preoccupied with the Dominion War. Fil's vessel was severely damaged and forced to crash on the surface of Zera IV, whose society resembled 1950's Earth except for the fact the planet had not suffered a major war in almost a century. Fil survived the crash, but with no means of returning to space or communicating with the Federation, he integrated himself into the Zeran's society.

Over the course of the next four years, Fil entered and worked his way up through the Zerans fledgling space program. In early 2382, he became the first Zeran astronaut. The mission appeared to be a failure after Fil was rescued just short of orbit by the Federation starship Dauntless and the capsule was allowed to burn up on re-entry.

Aboard USS Dauntless

Shortly after Fleet Captain Fil's rescue from Zera IV, Starfleet decided to let Fil reacclimate to 24th century life after four years living among an atomic age society. In recognition of his hardships, Fil was promoted to Rear Admiral and assigned as the starship's diplomatic officer and Federation Ambassador-At-Large, a position he has filled ever since.