The commanding officer is Edward Matthews. Think of Gene Hackman as Captain Ramsey in Crimson Tide. The character has much in common with his character in that movie. He is a veteran of decades in Starfleet and has been a commanding officer for over 15 years (yeah, Lex Luthor Hackman as Captain?). I go with your comments below that Captain Matthews will have an ingrained distrust of Klingons from the last decade or so – especially Taal Tan and the loss of Grissom, Hood and Enterprise. He has been the commanding officer of various starships including destroyers, light cruisers and intelligence-gathering starships of Endurance and Kestrel class. When the mission to gather more information on the Klingons post-Khitomer, Matthews was one of the top names on the list. He has had numerous encounters with Klingon commanders and a reputation for a no-nonsense attitude. He is close friends with Captain ‘Achilles’ Stirling (yup, Clint Eastwood) and the two veterans are cynical of the ‘sudden attitude change’ towards the Klingons following Khitomer. The two veteran captains are very outspoken on the new Starfleet officers – especially the young captains and child-admirals that they have to deal with. Ilani, a graduate of the Class of 2292, is at the receiving end of his jibes at times; Ensign Ilani is seen as naive, overly-optimistic example of this new Starfleet officer. That said, Matthews is a first-rate captain who knows his stuff and has won many battles against the odds.
Commander Maxim Driushenko is the Ukrainian First Officer who doubles up as the Communications Officer. Maxim can speak Klingon, Romulan, Ferasan and Vulcan fluently and passable in many other languages. With the mission being heavy on intelligence-gathering, it makes sense for this guy to be on the communications station, listening in. His past assignments also include Kestrel and Endurance class, as well as Hermes class scouts.
The Emden herself was refurbished as a Miranda class refit in the 2270s (see plaque) and has a few miles on the clock (actually older than Reliant). This ship is a mirror images of the Reliant from Star Trek II and has the same bridge and corridors. She was under the command of (Robert) C.Thomas In Star Trek VI when she was in Sector 21166, later in Sector 21803. Colonel West of the Starfleet Marines even briefed that Emden would have been used in Operation Retrieve to rescue Kirk and McCoy from Rura Penthe. She has a slightly inflated crew number at 226 and was assigned in 2294 to operate out of Starbase 20 Key Stone along the new Federation-Klingon border. Liaising with Phantom, Kestrel, Trista and Endurance class ships, the Emden’s mission was to study the Klingons post-Khitomer to see what (if any) changes they make both in deployments and personal attitudes.
The Emden mission is two separate missions (2294 – 97 and 98 – 2300), both commanded by Matthews. After the conclusion of the second mission, Matthews is promoted to Rear Admiral. The assignment is to patrol the new border, visit some of the Klingon border colonies and bases on goodwill visits. Both the Federation President and Azetbur want these visits to help defuse the historic border tensions and reassign ships from previously more hostile roles. Trust is earned, not given away. The approach with the Klingons is more one of earning respect, than friendly smiles. The use of a Miranda class light cruiser is deliberate, with the design showing a more military edge than a purely scientific ship – again, to appeal to the Klingon perspective.
This ship is the first main assignment of Ilani after graduation. From Ensign Ilani to Lieutenant. This will have her act as a counterpoint from the cynical veteran Matthews against the New Starfleet attitudes of Ensign Ilani. The common debates between the two characters leads to respect and even friendship by the end of the missions. Vice Admiral Kylie Hudson was the driving force for the Miranda class missions and Ilani was one of the shining stars she wanted on the missions. The study of the Klingons was to be from a personal, technological, cultural and historical perspective – looking at how relations were and how they have developed, moving towards a predictive element. The Emden was the ground-breaker after the Argus started the aid missions.
The Courageous mission is a follow-up from 2301 – 2308, leading Ilani to the Sheffield. Russell Walker was the 2301 – 4 captain and Re’Narth Jerbes is the non-Earth captain for the 2305 - 08. Walker was a British national and recent Captain with one command under his belt. His more recent experience with the Klingons made him more accommodating than Matthews had been. By the time of the Courageous missions, the Klingons were more receptive to Federation visits. Bases and facilities along the border like the ones at V’stok were now open to rare visits by Starfleet. This was one of the main Klingon bases for any aggression against the Federation and was a showcase for the current condition of the Empire. When the Emden visited, the base was home to a large fleet of mostly dilapidated warships that had seen better days; patched up with crude repairs to be deployed on deterrent patrols. Others were robbed for spares to keep the better ones operational (think ex-Soviet Pacific Fleet at Vladivostok circa 1993). By the time of the Courageous, there was a great reduction in the numbers of ships, but their material condition was substantially better.
The Bird of Prey and K’tinga class encounters need working on. With the potential Star Trek 2017 series dealing with more senior meeting, these are more the middle management levels of the Defence Force; more the Colonel and Brigadier level than Generals. The idea is that a select few Starfleet officers visit the Klingons and a select few Klingon officers return the gesture.
The senior crew for the U.S.S. Emden 2294 - 97 were:
Commanding Officer: Captain Edward Matthews
Executive Officer: Commander Maxim Driuchenko
Junior Science Officer: Ensign Ilani
Miranda class Light Cruiser specifics:
Primary Hull:
01 Main Bridge, Ready Room
02 Executive Deck - First and Second Officers offices and Briefing room.
03 Senior Crew Quarters, Junior Crew Quarters, Crew Quarters, Social Sciences Department
04 VIP lounge, Officers Quarters, Arboretum, Quartermasters office, Mathematics and statistics laboratories, aeronautics and aquanautics labs, Main Deflector, Main Impulse Drive, Deuterium Tanks, Main Engineering
05 Officers mess, Gym, Swimming pool, Crew Quarters
06 Crewman and NCO quarters, Food synthesis equipment, Primary navigational deflector, Shuttlebays
07 Main deck - Sickbay, Transporter Room
08 Docking level - Docking ports, Aux fire control, Fabrication facility, Laundry, Reclamation, Anti-matter Storage, Cargo
09 Computer laboratory, Intelligence department, Temperature regulation
Cargo
10 Circuit breaker deck Cargo
11 Main Sensor Array, Navigation dome
Length: 233 metres
Beam: 142 metres
Height: 58 metres
Crew: 223 [23 officers, 200 enlisted]
Cruising Warp 7 [OCU]
Max Warp 11 [OCU]
Maximum Speed: Warp 9.2 for 12 hours (new scale)
Armament: 6 dual type-7 phaser banks; 2 pulse phaser cannons; 4 photon torpedo launchers
Defences: Deflector shields
Author's Notes:
When was it that I really became a fan of the Miranda class? Not as you might think when the Reliant and Saratoga were seen in the feature films II and IV respectively. It was really when I saw the U.S.S. Lantree and especially the Brattain [seen here being prepared for the episode of TNG 'Night Terrors', incorrectly named the U.S.S. Brittain]. The Miranda class has shown itself in the movies, TNG and Deep Space Nine to be a versatile medium sized vessel, one that along with the Oberth class, Constellation and Saladin class I see as making up the bulk of the Starfleet. I have to concede after seeing 'Night Terrors' that I prefer the rollbar-fitted version.
One of the challenges of creating a character for yourself in a story is keeping their feet on the floor whilst developing them. Numerous times my friend Nick Cook has stopped me from getting ahead of myself and promoting my character too fast. One of the things we have agreed on is that chances are, most Starfleet personnel will actually serve on a small to medium sized starship such as a Miranda class. Hawkins will be assigned to such ships for the majority of his career, his placing on the Sheffield demonstrates this.
The Emden was mentioned on the Operation Retrieve plan from Star Trek VI. Although this suggested it was Constitution class, I am more inclined to call it Miranda class from the registry number. The Emden is an older starship, identical to the old Reliant. This starship has an operations station as this pre-Okudagram bridge set does not have labels for each station. It was a re-dress of the Enterprise bridge as the Simulator Adjustment controls testify. There is only one turbolift - a throwback to the Original Series - and the two aft stations flanking this turbolift are an educated guess.
