Summary
Despite looking like a giant Scottish bruiser, Commander D’layn McIlheny, PhD, or “Mac” as he’s often called, is in fact one of the most kind, funny, gentle people you’ll ever meet. He is a master botanist and arborist, having been obsessed with plants since he was a child, and bears a PhD in botany and a Masters in arboretum design and curation. His Starfleet career began with Officer Candidate School, leading to an assignment aboard the research vessel USS Tahiti which got caught up in the Dominion War. Reassigned to Starfleet Headquarters, he was there a number of years before taking an assignment as an instructor at the Starfleet Science Academy, earning his second degree in the process. His true work is out in the field collecting specimens, though, which he is doing as the Chief Arborist assigned to the USS Sausalito.
Appearance
D’layn is a big man. A big, intimidating-looking man. He stands around 6’3″/190.5 cm and despite his age, is still lean, solid muscle, with broad shoulders and thick arms. His hands are large, calloused from decades of working in the field, and strong. He walks with a cane these days, not because of an injury but simply due to arthritis. Very fair-skinned, a few small creases and lines cover his oval face, mostly around his mischievous blue eyes (partially concealed by the small round spectacles he wears) and his mouth (almost entirely hidden by the thick white beard he sports). His hair is mostly wavy and pure white, worn long and somewhat wild and loose past his shoulders and framing his face. With bushy dramatic-looking eyebrows, he really does look like he’d just as soon take you out back for a punch-up as talk to you.
And then he smiles, and he becomes a big, warm, funny teddy bear who’s always ready with a hug or a story.
inspired by Sir Billy Connolly
Personality
D’layn may look rather intimidating, and to some, he is. Insult the Federation or the Sausalito and you’ll find yourself on the receiving end of a brutal verbal beatdown. Despite appearances, though, D’layn is the most gentle, kind man you could ever hope to meet. He is surprisingly patient with younger shipmates, even as he’s firm with them as he guides them on the path to being quality Starfleet crewmen with persistent warmth and humor. And he’s always ready and willing to talk about his plants.
He is extremely proud of his work and extremely loyal to his commanding officer and the principles which guide the way things are done in Starfleet. Tradition is strong in him; his basic philosophy is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” And there’s nothing broken about Starfleet as far as he’s concerned. In truth, he can be just a bit too traditional, to the point of being hidebound and too set in the old ways. Stubborn and bull-headed, he’s not that accepting of change. Things are working just fine the way they are!
A fairly renown botanist and arborist back on Earth, D’layn loves plants. He has a near encyclopedic memory that has not faded much over the years; and he almost always carries a tricorder to jog that memory as needed. Despite needing a cane to walk, he loves working out in the field, identifying familiar species growing in unexpected ways and cataloging and collecting new specimens. He is extremely proud of the Arboretum he’s established aboard the Sausalito — it may be small, but it’s quality!
Positives: Loyal, warm, funny, quick-witted, fantastic storyteller, highly intelligent, plant-obsessed
Negatives: A bit hidebound, stubborn, physically broken, opinionated, a bit grumpy, intimidating
History
Early Life (2331 – 2373)
Born in Edinburgh in 2331 and raised in the Highlands of Scotland, D’layn McIlheny has always been obsessed with green growing things. He grew up helping his gardener parents with their work raising plants and designing gardens, falling in love with the native plants of the moors and mountains. Regular forays into Edinburgh gave him the chance to explore the public gardens, as well as private ones his parents worked on. Once he finished his primary education, he applied to and attended Oxford University as a botany major from 2347 to 2354, ultimately earning his PhD in Botany and securing a position as a botanist in London from 2354 to 2373 at the prestigious Kew Gardens.
Starfleet Career (2373 – 2383)
Enchanted by the displays of alien plant specimens at Kew Gardens, he decided he wanted to explore and collect these alien species in the field. To that end, he joined Starfleet, attending Officer Candidate School at Starfleet Academy in San Francisco from 2373 to 2374 and graduating as a Lieutenant (JG). His first assignment was to the research vessel USS Tahiti, where he collected plants from Betazed shortly before Dominion attack, thus saving innumerable specimens from obliteration. After his tour on the Tahiti he returned to Starfleet Headquarters and remained there as a botanist from 2375 to 2383; one of his accomplishments there was helping to establish a garden there from the specimens he collected, not only from Betazed but from other worlds damaged or destroyed during the Dominion War.
Science Academy (2383 – 2403)
D’layne decided to expand his education to become a proper arborist, getting his training partly back at Oxford and partly at Starfleet Science Academy, earning his second PhD. He stayed on at the Science Academy as a professor in exobotany until 2403, when he decided he wanted to do field work again. He was assigned to the USS Sausalito in 2403 as an arborist (instead of aboard a ship exploring the newly-opened Shackleton Expanse, which irritated him no end).
The Arboretum (2403 -)
He has soothed his irritation by establishing a small but extensive arboretum aboard the Sausalito. Occupying a quarter of Deck 3, the Arboretum has specimens partly from D’layn’s personal collection and some plants he has specifically gotten for this collection. The section he’s the most proud of is the small selection of plants collected from Cait, Capt Mruuras’s homeworld.
Service Record
| Date | Position | Posting | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2403 - Present | Botanist/Arborist | USS Sausalito |
 Commander |
| 2384 - 2403 | Botanist/Arborist, Instructor | Starfleet Academy |
Commander |
| 2376 - 2383 | Botanist | Starfleet Headquarters |
 Lieutenant Commander |
| 2374 - 2375 | Botanist | USS Tahiti |
 Lieutenant |
| 2373 - 2374 | Officer Candidate | Starfleet Academy, Officer Candidate School |
 Lieutenant Junior Grade |