Richard James

Richard Daniel James was a Starfleet officer. He served from 2354 until at least 2375, during the Federation-Dominion War. (Star Trek: The Quarterdeck Breed)

Early life

James was born in the city of Sausalito on Earth in 2332 to then-Petty Officer First Class Daniel James and Lieutenant (jg) Iris McInerney (though his birth record would show his mother had a very different name). He was baptized as a Roman Catholic at Mission San Francisco. He never got to know his parents, as they sent him to live with his father's sister, Anne James who lived south of San Francisco. His younger sister Anne joined him eight years later. It would not be until his time at Starfleet Academy that he would meet his mother. They were raised by his Aunt Anne until he graduated from secondary school and gained an appointment to Starfleet Academy in 2350.

Academy Midshipman

Midshipman James did not perform to standards set by the Academy in his freshman year. By the end of his first semester, he sought a transfer to the Vulcan Science Academy to pursue his interest in astronavigation. It took an intervention by his father to convince him to remain at the Academy for the duration. When he completed his freshman year with barely acceptable scores, on the cusp of being expelled, his mother, Commander McInerney of the USS Hood, had him "serve" aboard her starship for three months.

When he returned to the Academy for his sophomore year, he attacked his studies with a previously unseen voraciousness. He would attain the rank of Midshipman Captain by his senior year, but the race for valedictorian was so fierce that he would rank sixth in his class overall. For the first time since he was born, both of his parents publicly attended his graduation, risking exposure as a couple.

Berlin

James' first assignment out of the Academy was the Excelsior-class USS Berlin. The executive officer assigned him to the team of flight controllers aboard. Due to incorrect information on his birth record, his mother served as his commanding officer for the first two years of his assignment before she was transferred to another ship. By that time, James would see a promotion to the rank of Lieutenant (jg) and become one of the senior helmsmen aboard the ship.

Repulse

Although James's tour of duty was completed aboard the Berlin, he was unable to seek a second tour due to the ship's refit at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. His transfer to the USS Repulse came before the Berlin reached the Sol System and he reported aboard for his first shift at Starbase 515. His arrival coincided with the arrival of the ship's new commanding officer, Captain Patrick Taggart. Captain Taggart took a special interest in Lieutenant James, allowing him to take on duties outside the helm. It was aboard Repulse that James led his first away mission to the Dorvan V colony. His interaction with the Native American colony led to a letter of commendation from the ship's executive officer as he was able to reach an agreement for the colony to receive Federation support.

He reached the rank of full Lieutenant within two years of his arrival, and by 2362, at the end of his tour, he was transferred to a third Excelsior-class starship; the USS Fearless.

Fearless

Although he arrived as a flight controller aboard the Fearless in 2362, his rank and service record afford him the position of lead flight controller. As a department head, James formulated a training program for ensigns recently matriculated (either from Starfleet Academy or an Officer Training School). The training program ended up being maintained on the Fearless for the next fifteen years.

Venture

To Lieutenant Commander James, his tenure aboard the Venture was anything but. Four long and very slow years of mapping and cataloguing stellar phenomenon did very little to his career. Although he was under the command of a very senior Captain Hastur, he would write to his younger sister that he wished he had never left the Fearless. By 2370, he applied for and was granted a transfer back to the Fearless, but he would be under a different captain than before.

Return to Fearless

James' return to the Fearless was met with very little fanfare. Most of the crew he had served with during his first tenure had transferred or rotated off to other assignments, including the commanding officer—the new CO, Captain B. J. "Blackjack" Simpson was well-known for running his ship and crew by the book, with no opportunity or latitude for deviation. Fearless was assigned to follow the Venture's lead in mapping, to begin surveying those sectors and search for resources. The situation with the Dominion began to deteriorate by 2372 and within a year, the war began. Fearless was taken off of its exploration mission and reassigned to the Third Tactical Fleet out of Starbase 375.

It would be during this war that James would earn a majority of his decorations and an appointment as executive officer; a position he accepted after his predecessor was killed during the First Battle of Chin'toka. He was honored with the Citation for Conspicuous Gallanty in late 2374 when he made the decision to order his away team to defend a civilian encampment. He was wounded during that incident and was awarded the Purple Heart in addition to the citation. Six months later, Fearless and her crew received the Starfleet Unit Commendation for actions taken during the Battle of Ricktor Prime. By the time the war ended, James would enjoy another letter of commendation from Captain Simpson and the full confidence of the ship's crew.

After the end of hostilities, James requested to remain on Fearless, but it was made clear to him by the Admiralty that his experience and talents would best serve Starfleet were he to transfer to a vessel that needed it. Starfleet intended to take the surviving personnel and ensure that those with combat experience were able to pass that experience on to those without. He put in his request for transfer, hoping to get a similar assignment.

Agamemnon

The transfer order to the Agamemnon caught Commander James by surprise. He had intended to transfer to the Sovereign-class USS Sovereign as the executive officer, however, Rear Admiral Davies intercepted his request and had him transferred from the Exploration Command to the Border Patrol service. His arrival to the Agamemnon was also met by resistance by her crew, although her commanding officer, Commander Henry Grayum, saw him as a possible suitor to take over as captain after he retired.

Agamemnon's first mission with James aboard was a reconnaissance operation deep into the Black Cluster. They were granted the use of a Romulan cloaking device and a member of the Galae (khre'Arrain t'Aimne) was assigned to their ship to oversee its use and operation. Their purpose was to find and seek a rogue element of Breen forces that had departed from the conventions established by the Treay of Bajor at the end of the Federation-Dominion War. Following the successful completion of that mission, Grayum reached the rank of Captain and promptly retired with full benefits to Risa (and married his yeoman). In turn, he recommended James for his former position as commanding officer, to which Admiral Davies agreed.

After taking on replacements for those members of the crew who had rotated to other ships in the Border Patrol, Agamemnon was reassigned to the patrol the Federation-Cardassian border, to maintain the terms of the treaty. Although the cloaking device had been removed, khre'Arrain t'Aimne remained aboard the ship as part of a new officer exchange program. James appointed her as his new executive officer.

Personal life

Family

James maintained a relationship with his father, who retired as a Senior Chief Petty Officer three years prior to the Federation-Dominion War, and his mother, an active-duty rear admiral installed as the Superintendant of Starfleet Academy. His younger sister, Anne, has followed in the family business, commissioned as an ensign one month after the Treaty of Bajor was signed. He maintained monthly correspondence with her.

Summary of Service

Dates of Rank

Insignia	Rank	Date	Notes
	Ensign	June 28, 2354 (Stardate 32095.13)
	Lieutenant (jg)	December 30, 2354 (Stardate 32600.51)
	Lieutenant	April 2, 2360 (Stardate 37857.18)
	Lieutenant Commander	January 1, 2365 (Stardate 42607.57)
	Commander	November 4, 2375 (Stardate 53448.5)

Decorations and Commendations

• Starfleet Letter of Commendation (x2)

Assignments

Date	Rank(s)	Unit	Class	Notes
June 28, 2354 (Stardate 32095.13)	ENS, LTJG	USS Berlin		Junior flight controller.
June 29, 2358 (Stardate 36093.97)	LTJG, LT	USS Repulse		Flight controller.
June 30, 2362 (Stardate 40099.53)	LT, LCDR	USS Fearless		Lead flight controller.
July 2, 2366 (Stardate 44105.09)	LCDR	USS Venture		Chief Operations Officer.
June 19, 2370 (Stardate 48069.58)	LCDR	USS Fearless		Chief Operations Officer, Executive Officer.
November 2, 2375 (Stardate 53441.4)	LCDR, CDR	USS Agamemnon		Executive Officer, Commanding Officer.

External links

• Agamemnon short story
• The Sacrifice of Agamemnon novella