Abigail Williams

Abigail was born in 2365 aboard the USS Bellerophon. Both of her parents were Starfleet officers: her mother served as a nurse and her father was a science officer. In 2367, the Bellerophon was called to Wolf 359 to defend Earth against a Borg attack. During the battle, it became apparent that the Bellerophon would be destroyed and an evacuation order was called. Abigail fled the vessel with her mother, but her father never made it to an escape pod.

Throughout her childhood, Abigail heard stories about how her father was a hero who died protecting the Federation. She idolized her father and dedicated her life to following in his footsteps. She read every science textbook she could find, and spent her time outdoors examining plant life and embracing the beauty of nature. When she was eighteen, she took the entrance exam to Starfleet Academy and achieved a near perfect score.

While at the Academy, Abigail pursued a degree in biology. She earned the opportunity to assist her professor in researching the impact of Earth’s ecosystem on various alien animal life. Despite numerous offers to serve on capital ships and deep space research vessels after graduation, Abigail decided to continue her studies and earn a masters degree in exobiology. In addition to continuing her studies, she accepted a position at the Daystrom Institute of Exobiology as a Research Fellow.

After her formal education, Abigail accepted an offer to serve as the Chief Science Officer of the Saber-class USS Aldrin. Many of her friends and colleagues said that the decision would mark the end of a promising career, but Abigail had her reasons. A smaller vessel afforded her the opportunity to lead her own department, and the Aldrin’s missions would not consume a significant amount of her time. This allowed Abigail to research and conduct experiments with little interruption. In her final three years aboard the Aldrin, Abigail authored two papers on the development of alien animals in artificial ecosystems.

Three years later, Abigail accepted a transfer to the Intrepid-class USS Adelaide. As a ship tailored towards missions of science and exploration, the Adelaide provided Abigail with the perfect opportunity to apply her knowledge and skills to real-world assignments. Despite the limited size of both the ship and her department, Abigail often coordinated several projects at once and became one of the busiest officers on the ship. The science-driven nature of the Adelaide made her a clear choice for Second Officer, and she earned the position after only a year aboard the ship. The Adelaide gave Abigail experience conducting surveys of planets, star systems, and charting entire sectors.

In 2396, Abigail was offered command of the Starfleet Science Research Station on Browder IV. Serving on Browder IV was a highly sought after posting within the scientific community; they would be the first team to study the success of Starfleet’s terraforming technology, which began transforming Browder IV in 2366. As the lead scientist, Abigail coordinated several teams of scientists who examined every facet of the planet’s ecosystem. Three years of research led to the publication of countless papers and a formal report to Starfleet Science on the future of terraforming, earning her fame and praise throughout the Federation. Commanding the outpost placed Abigail on the shortlist for command of her own starship.

Her work on Browder IV came to an end in 2399, but there were no ships available for her to command. While waiting for a ship, she had the option of returning to Earth and serving as an adjunct to Starfleet Science or taking an Executive Officer role in the fleet. Before she came to a decision, she was contacted by Admiral Baudelaire and informed of a new Commanding Officer with a questionable history. The Admiral promised that, in exchange for information on the Commanding Officer, she would take command of the vessel within a few months. She accepted the Admiral’s proposal not only because to advance her career, but also to place an experienced command officer on a ship that desperately required leadership.