Captain Robert Burke
Name Robert Burke
Position Commanding Officer
Rank Captain
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Human (Titan) | |
| Age | 42 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 6’3” | |
| Weight | 160lbs | |
| Hair Color | Shaved, greying | |
| Eye Color | Grey | |
| Physical Description | Taller than most, Burke has the physical bulk to match, making for an imposing figure in the center chair. He rarely emotes, preferring to fix subordinates with the stare of his intense grey eyes when annoyed or disappointed. He sprawls in his Captain’s chair giving off an easy air of command and confidence, something he thinks vital to the crew around him. When moving about his ship he is purposeful. Although a larger man, he keeps himself fit via boxing, weightlifting and velodrome cycling when the facility is available. On the rare occasions he laughs it is loud and booming, carrying as well as his low bass voice does. |
Family
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Burke is soft-voiced and prefers to let his height and piercing eyes carry his authority when he can. Putting the crew at ease in his presence is of paramount concern, and he tries to build a rapport by remembering myriad details he hears from them. This has won him a fair few acquaintances. As a competitive man, however, Burke considers himself as having few friends, preferring the close company of those that push him forwards and better his life. This can often lead him to cut a solitary figure, though he does think that best for a Starfleet Captain. |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | - - Competitive: Beneath the easygoing and calm exterior lies a burning need to win against others, whether at sports, games or his career. He measures himself against others in his Academy class and other new friendly rivalries with colleagues across the service. + - Calm: Through his Academy and career training Burke has cultivated a steady calmness which has helped him immensely over the years. This zen-like patience has a finite limit, however. + - Veteran: as with many commanding officers his age, Burke is a twenty-year veteran of Starfleet and has a wealth of knowledge to draw upon, allowing him to take a breath and make optimal decisions. + - Tactical Understanding: As an officer with a background and earlier career in in the Security and Tactical department, Burke can grasp the tactical aspects of a situation as needed and divide resources to where they are most required. +/- Hard Worker: Having dedicated his life to Starfleet and its ideals, Burke drives himself hard to fulfil his tasks and duties. Frequently over the years this has led him to have medically mandated leave periods. It can also be a burden on those |
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| Ambitions | Burke’s first and foremost ambition was captaincy, and he has now achieved that. After a period of jubilation he has begun to think what he would like after this five year mission, whether it go well or ill. Perhaps a second tour, retirement to Titan or pushing forward to becoming the first Titanian flag officer, who knows. |
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| Hobbies & Interests | An athletic man, Burke enjoys keeping himself trim and fit, considering it a competition against age. He also refuses to allow proximity to a desk job to let him get soft. When not in the gym, Burke enjoys reading novels and other books. Usually nothing heavy, he prefers noir mysteries and popular history books to anything too technical during his off hours. |
| Personal History | Born on Titan in the year 2252, Robert Burke was the first of four children to Arthur and Sasha Burke, descendants of some of the earliest colonists to have erected the domed cities that dot the Titanian moon. By the mid-23rd Century Titan was one of the premier starship manufacturing hubs in the Federation, providing parts to both the United Earth Space Probe Agency and Starfleet itself. Though the bulk of the colony was involved in the industry, the Burke family had long been schoolteachers and bureaucrats. In the managed economy of mid-to-late 23rd Century Titan, this afforded the Burkes a comfortable upbringing. With their father a local teacher, he often hosted local intellectuals from local political parties in Christopher’s Landing, meaning that Robert Burke was immersed in the peaceful struggle for Titan’s independence within the Federation from a young age. Robert Burke, named for his great-grandfather, was an energetic and precocious child, rarely letting anything get in his way. Growing up he was good at sports and developed excellent hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness whilst playing gridiron football. He was no slouch at school either, regularly in the top twenty percent of his school year for achievement. He expected that he would grow up and join a local industry or become a teacher like his father. A visit by the USS Icarus in 2268 changed that. The Constitution-class vessel orbited the moon for several days as it received a cargo of new components for testing as part of a mooted upgrade of the Constitution frame. Burke’s school was visited several times by senior staff from the Icarus, and he became inspired to join their ranks. At the same time the teen was aware in the change in the tone of the debate and campaign for Titanian independence. With the change in administration on United Earth, and a Federation Presidential Election in the same year, the issue came front and centre for Titanian society. This fired up Burke’s imagination. Always competitive he began thinking of being the first Titanian ship captain in Starfleet history – without the need to append the tag of United Earth to his Starfleet biography. The following year Burke applied to Starfleet Academy, making it through to the final cohort before being summoned to the local testing centre in San Francisco. Christopher’s Landing was the largest settlement on Titan at that time, so Burke thought he understood the meaning of busy. San Francisco hit him for six. The administrative heart of a Quadrant-wide stellar navy and exploratory organisation bore no comparison to the provincial city he was from. The differences discombobulated the seventeen-year-old and he experienced his first panic attack in the hotel room the night before his test. The morning after, Burke attended his final testing session. Still overwhelmed, Burke never understood just how he came to pass the final few tests he was required to take. Barely scraping an acceptable grade for entry he was promptly informed that he would have a good future in Starfleet Operations. Burke hadn’t even heard of them. Accepted to Starfleet Academy, Burke moved to San Francisco on a permanent basis in 2270. He found acclimatising hard, still finding the sheer size of San Francisco difficult to deal with. The lack of domed sky overhead was also discomforting for the young cadet. Thankfully he slipped into a comfortable friendship with his fellow cadets – most were off-worlders and other member species of the Federation. He grew closest to Trilax, a Denobulan medical student sponsored by the Interspecies Exchange Program. She became one of his closest confidants. With the help of his newfound friends and the Academy Counselling program, Burke soon fitted in and relaxed. During his years at the Academy he majored in Security and Tactical studies, determined not to be shunted into Starfleet Operations as his Academy mentor had suggested. His minor in History of Xenodiplomacy would stand him in good stead in the years to come as well. Following his cadet cruise Burke graduated an Ensign, and was assigned to the USS Perth, a Miranda-class vessel. Burke hid his disappointment well – with his grades he thought he could at least have earned a berth on a Constitution-class explorer. His time aboard the Perth, however, was more than uneventful. One of a handful of ships assigned to the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, the Perth saw herself serving across the Federation. One encounter stuck in his mind. The young Ensign was part of a protection detail for an Away Team sent to investigate the ruins of an ancient civilisation they eventually learned were the Chal’noth. The resulting activation of the defence drones by a haplessly curious engineer and the subsequent firefight stuck long in the memory – not least because the commendation for leadership in that action contributed to Burke’s first promotion. By the end of his tour with the Perth, Burke had been promoted to Lieutenant (Junior Grade). He relished his advancement and the trust he had earned from his fellow crewmembers across the ship, not merely in his own Security Department. Following his promotion, he was served with his transfer papers. Following shoreleave on the increasingly popular resort world of Risa, Burke was assigned to the Constitution-class USS Madison. A childhood dream was fulfilled. The Madison was recently refitted and was due to head out on a four-year cruise of the Alpha Quadrant. Burke settled in quickly, quietly and efficiently going about his business. The Security Officer quickly became known for quiet competence. Although not one of the premiere assignments in Starfleet any longer, a Constitution-class explorer still had its perks. Burke was lucky enough to have an engaging mentor in the Chief Security Officer, Commander Lera Mel’nyk, a decade his senior. Mel’nyk, as Second Officer, quickly came to see his command potential, and enrolled the young officer on a command course. Exploring the North of the Alpha Quadrant towards the Galactic Core, the Madison initiated a number of First and Second Contacts. The most memorable for Burke was being part of an honour guard for Captain Mitterand when meeting the Ss’srethhi for the first time. Though Burke counted himself a cosmopolitan man by now, he was blown away when observing the sentient tree-like people of Ss’srethhi Prime. Their elegant and organic-looking architecture and technology left a deep impression on the man. This Biography remains a work in progress |
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| Service Record | 2270-73 – Starfleet Academy 2273-76 – USS Perth, Miranda Class, Ensign, Security Officer 2276-79 – USS Madison, Constitution-class, Lieutenant (JG), Security Officer 2279-84- 2284-87- 2287-90 2290-94 – USS Templeton, Miranda-class, Commander Commanding Officer 2294-95 – Leave of Absence 2295-Present – USS Hecate, Excelsior class, Captain, Commanding Officer This service record remains a work in progress |