Application

[starcharter]

Player Information:
Name: Ellie
Age: 25
Contact: remolacha
Game Cast: Dick Grayson | DC: Young Justice | July 2013 AC

Character Information:
Name: Pavel Chekov
Canon: Star Trek: Into Darkness
Canon Point: End of the movie
Age: 19
Reference: Chekov @ Memory Beta • Chekov @ Memory Alpha

Setting:

This incarnation of Star Trek takes place in the late 2250s. So this is going to take awhile.

Lifestyle and technology

In the 2250s, Earth has been transformed into a world devoid of want and war. Everyone has access to food, shelter, clothing, education. Although money is still used, it's primarily used more for luxury items (i.e. in one of the prequel novels, Kirk pays the bartender with "credits"). The focus has shifted from material wealth to the betterment of humanity. Of course, that doesn't mean that there's no such thing as crime or selfishness. Chekov has taken down Russian scam artists using computer viruses (The Gemini Agent).

Technology has advanced quite a lot. You want hovercars? You've got hovercars. If you really want to travel in style, you can hop onto a ship with a warp core that can traverse entire solar systems in minutes. Effective, non-lethal weaponry has also advanced: guns have been replaced by phasers that can be set to stun or to kill. Advancements in medical technology include devices that can regenerate skin and heal severe burns nearly instantaneously, as well as devices that can mend bones instantly. There are even tri-coders that do whatever the plot needs them to do.

Alien Races

The universe has a lot of aliens. But the ones most important to this timeline are:

• Vulcans: a race of people originating from the planet Vulcan. They're known for their superior control over their emotions, their reserved natures, and their emphasis on logic. By Into Darkness, Vulcan has been destroyed, but New Vulcan has been created for the survivors.


• Romulans: the Federation has long had tensions with the Romulans; Earth and the Romulan Empire had a long, violent war roughly a hundred years ago (The Gemini Agent). In the alternate timeline that runs parallel to this one, the planet Romulus was destroyed and Nero, a merchant, blamed Spock for not saving it in time. Nero fired on a Federation starship, which I doubt helped tensions, particularly when it was later (way later) discovered to be a Romulan.


• Klingons: the Klingons are another non-Federation race and seen by some as a threat to the Federation. From the little we see of Klingons in this universe, they seem to be warlike but also warriors that supposedly value honor (though this seems to be contradicted by Into Darkness).

The Federation

The Federation was founded roughly a hundred years before the current timeline; Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites came together to defend against the Romulan Empire, which had been waging a devastating war with Earth (The Delta Anomaly). The Federation grew to be more: its current purpose still includes defense, but also includes exploration and scientific advancement. It also grew in population: member races can petition to join the Federation; no world or race is coerced to join. The Federation also has the equivalent of constitutional rights-- for instance, in Into Darkness, Kirk decided to apprehend Kahn because it was more in the spirit of Starfleet-- and the Federation-- to do so.

Starfleet

Starfleet is pretty much like Fight Club: the first rule of Starfleet is don't talk about Starfleet. That's basically the Prime Directive.

More specifically, the Prime Directive is a strict order not to attempt to alter the natural course of a society's development; this is applied to any society that has not yet invented warp core technology (thus allowing for deep-space travel).

The Prime Directive is important as Starfleet is the exploration and defense organization for the Federation. Considered the top organization out of all of Starfleet's organizations, getting in is highly competitive and staying in is even more difficult. Graduating and landing a spot on a major starship like the Enterprise means someone is the best of the best. The general structure of Starfleet is akin to a modern military structure with ranks such as lieutenant, captain, admiral, etc. The Academy also has strict rules and regulations, almost like a hybrid boarding school and military school (The Delta Anomaly). However, Starfleet is primarily meant to be an organization for scientific exploration, defense, and diplomacy. The five-year mission given to the Enterprise's crew at the end of Into Darkness is essentially carrying out these three ideals by boldly going where no one has gone before. Of course, there are factions who believe that Starfleet should become a military organization.

Starfleet has existed for roughly 100 years in this timeline and is based in San Francisco. Although the base is on Earth, all alien species are welcome to join as long as they pass the appropriate aptitude tests.

The Enterprise

The USS Enterprise is the Constitution-class Federation flagship. Which basically means it's big and important and full of the best and brightest Starfleet has to offer. It, like other starships, has a warp core, which means it can traverse great distances in a short amount of time. The hierarchy on Federation starships, the Enterprise included, follows the same military hierarchy of Starfleet. An Ensign, like Chekov, is the lowest-ranking officer on the ship. The staffs brought up the most are security personnel, the medical team, and the engineering staff; however, these are far from the only organizations on the ship. Important people include: Captain James T. Kirk, linguist Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, science officer Commander Spock, Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, Chief Medical Officer Leonard "Bones" McCoy, and helmsman Lieutanant Hikaru Sulu.

Personality:

Chekov is basically the Russian Kim Possible. Or the Russian Bob the Builder. He can do that, he can fix that, he can hack that, he can navigate that. Or he'll at least try to. Kirk doesn't believe in no-win scenarios; Chekov doesn't believe in non-fixable situations. He's a problem-solver: instead of panicking or focusing on how overwhelming the odds are, he tries to figure out some way of using his particular skillset to even the odds. Trying to take down a crazy ship full of crazy Romulans? Chekov can figure out how to use physics to the Enterprise's advantage, keeping the ship out of sight so as to give them the element of surprise. However, although he's not daunted by the odds, he is realistic about them. He is still a physicist: ignoring the odds is asking for catastrophe, especially when he's responsible for making sure the ship goes where it needs to without, you know, accidentally warping into the molten core of a planet. He'd be on the optimistic side of realism.

Chekov is typically good-natured and friendly. Although put in an extremely difficult situation in Into Darkness in which he had to lead Engineering during a very difficult time, he didn't complain or get snappish. He works well under extreme pressure, capable of focusing even in the most trying of circumstances. However, that's not to say he doesn't get overwhelmed-- you can see moments in Into Darkness where he seems a little frazzled. He continues to work, but it's not as though he has an impenetrable barrier of ultimate cool.

One of Chekov's defining characteristics is that he's full of youthful energy and enthusiasm. He's completely enthusiastic about his work and truly loves what he's doing. Navigating the stars was a childhood dream of his (The Gemini Project). Get him started on constellations and astrophysics, and he'll go on and on whether or not you can keep up. He can explain physics in layman's terms, but sometimes someone might have to remind him to. But he's neither the insufferable know-it-all nor the lazy genius-- he doesn't hold himself above others (in fact, he highly respects rank) and he clearly takes his work seriously. In fact, being a prodigy doesn't guarantee that you'll make it through Starfleet Academy's grueling curriculum; the workload is heavy, the physical and mental demands are overwhelming (The Edge).

Starfleet cadets are taught to respect rank and act accordingly (The Edge). Chekov is no exception; his relative formality, therefore, isn't out of any sense of dislike or a desire for distance. A Starship's crew pretty easily becomes like family, particularly aboard a ship like the Enterprise where Kirk tends to be rather informal and democratic when it comes to his crew. He appreciates this, in fact: being the smartest but always the youngest guy in the room can be frustrating. Although he likes the informality and doesn't mind being treated like a little brother in interpersonal relationships, he does want to be taken seriously as a member of Starfleet (The Gemini Agent, The Assassination Game). It helps that he takes his job very seriously: he's often in deep concentration while working and does his job thoroughly. So one of the things that will make him pretty annoyed (maybe angry, depending on the person and the context) is being treated like a child while in a capacity as an officer. (For instance, when giving professional recommendations.)

Failure sits badly with Chekov. As someone who is used to being able to do nearly anything, failing-- especially in a situation of great importance-- is a huge blow. In the first movie, he manages to save a free-falling Sulu and Kirk by beaming them aboard when the computer couldn't. However, he failed to save Spock's mother as she fell during the destruction of Vulcan. He felt absolutely terrible and guilty. Having limitations is frustrating. Losing someone because of your limitations is hearbreaking. It's something he has-- and likely still does-- carry with him. He encounters failure again in Into Darkness when he fails to repair the Enterprise and can't even find the actual problem. Although there were extenuating circumstances, nearly losing the Enterprise and everyone on board because of his inability to solve a problem was be another huge failure for him. He accepts responsibility for anything that happens under his watch (as seen when he accepts responsibility for the state of Engineering even though he had just barely gotten to the Engineering deck). Thus, he accepts responsibility for these failures. They're motivation to do better in addition to a grim reminder that failure in his line of work can-- and often is-- catastrophic.

As for Tu Vishan, Chekov will probably quietly freak out about the Prime Directive because that is the One Rule you never, ever break in Starfleet. So he'll try to lay low and try not to stick out too much, putting priority on getting new clothes and finding his bearings. Of course, once he realizes that Jim gracefully threw the Prime Directive out of the window, he'll happily mingle with the foreigners and kedan, particularly scientists. He'll also find the physics of Tu Vishan completely fascinating and spend a lot of time trying to untangle the "how did we get here"? Even though it's not officially part of the five-year mission, he might treat it as such. After all, he's boldly going and encountering new races and saving the world, right? The life/death/dreaming stuff would take a little convincing though: he's most likely to assume it's something within the realm of his experience at first (i.e. an actual planet rather than a metaphysical sort of place).

Appearance: Yes hello

Abilities:

Prodigy
You know those bumper stickers that say something like "my corgi is smarter than your honor student"? Well you'd need an army of genius corgis to muster up 1% of Chekov's genius. He showed amazing proficiency for math at age 4, enrolled in the highly-competitive Starfleet Academy at 14 and spent much of the time at the top of his class, and landed the post of navigator on the flagship USS Enterprise at age 17 (The Gemini Project; 2009 film). He can beam up people as they're falling when the computer couldn't. In The Assassination Game he even teleports three people to the Argos telescope without incident using eleven platforms in rapid succession. Long story short, he's really freaking smart.

Wizard-level hacker
Is it vaguely computer-y? Chekov can probably hack it. He ticked off a lot of nasty customers in the Russian criminal underground because he'd foil their dastardly schemes with massive viral attacks. MrCleanUp don't play. Oh and the guys the criminals hired to find the person behind the viral attacks? They never found him. He's just that good. (The Gemini Project).

Master mechanic
"It's not yours until you open it up." Chekov can fiddle with hotplates so that he can make borscht, pop open communicators, stabilize anti-grav drives in the Enterprise. (The Assassination Game; 2013).

Self-defense
All Starfleet Academy cadets are required to take at least some self-defense classes (The Assassination Game). He can at least hold his own in a fight, though it's unlikely he could do too much more. It's also safe to say that he likely knows how to use a phaser (the Star Trek equivalent of a gun).

Master navigator
The flagship USS Enterprise took on only the best and brightest for its maiden voyage. Chekov held the position of navigator.

Inventory:

One (1) Starfleet Ensign uniform (see appearance)

Suite:

Chekov would fit best in Metal. He's an eccentric genius who loves fiddling with technology and collaborating with other geniuses. One floor would probably be enough.

In-Character Samples:
Third Person:

It was the first night of the first day of the Enterprise's five-year-mission. Chekov had been on cloud nine since they'd gotten the mission-- flying through the stars, seeing new places, exploring. Not a lot of people can say that their childhood dream had come true and then some. A year of being grounded had been okay. It gave him time to prepare, to learn more from Mr. Scott (he'd be prepared for any more attempts at sabotage), to spend time with is parents, to watch the Enterprise and her captain come back to life.

The Enterprise flew through space with Kirk in the captain's chair. It just felt right.

Still brimming with excitement, Chekov finally convinced himself that he really needed to sleep. The navigator couldn't be an insomniac! He had to be sharp to do his job. So he kicked off his boots and leaned back in bed. He should take a shower but his bed suddenly felt so comfortable. Although the Enterprise's warp core was generally so far from Engineering, Chekov could 'hear' it. Lulled by the imaginary sounds of the Enterprise and tired from all of the excitement, Chekov drifted.

And then things started to feel wrong. His bed was suddenly cold and hard, and there were unfamiliar voices speaking in the background. The fog in his mind started to clear within a few seconds and within half a minute, he was awake enough to recognize that he wasn't on the Enterprise anymore. The next fifteen minutes were a confusing whirlwind. The unfamiliar aliens helped him to his feet and led him to a cart. Chekov, barefoot and still a little groggy, followed without resisting. But that didn't stop him from asking questions while having the clarity of mind to make sure not to bring up anything even remotely related to Starfleet. Until he knew where he was and what's going on, he's sticking as close as he can to the Prime Directive. Showing up in uniform didn't help, though.

Shaking his head as if to shake off the grogginess, he stepped onto the cart (a cart; he'd only seen those in old holos). He leaned back, trying to focus.

A mysterious world populated by people of an unknown race. His sudden and inexplicable teleportation from the ship (did that mean it was nearby? He'd have to find out). An emperor that had some kind of vested interest in him. This is one heck of a mystery. But he'd better get started-- the Enterprise shouldn't be without her navigator for too long.

"Can you tell me more about this city?"

Network:

[Most people who show up in Tu Vishan aren't exactly in a cheerful mood. Chekov isn't, not really, but he's still smiling at the camera anyway. No sense in stirring anything up unnecessarily or in being needlessly unpleasant. And there was that saying about honey and bears. Or was it flies?

In any case, he starts speaking in his signature thick Russian accent.]

I have read through many of the network posts and it seems like I'm in a very peculiar situation. I am on a giant, life-sustaining turtle that is under threat from a mysterious entity and this Emperor has brought me and many others here to fight it. Have I understood correctly?

[He seems to be taking it rather calmly, at least.

But now he seems a tad bashful.]

I would also appreciate some tips for day-to-day life here. Help finding work would be particularly appreciated.

[He pauses for a brief moment, as if sorting through a mental catalog.]

And the food. I will need some help with the food-- it's all very unfamiliar. [Another brief pause] I think that is all for now.

Thank you in advance.

[Chekov smiles again, giving a little wave before signing off.

He leans back in his chair for a moment. If the crew didn't see the messages he'd sent to their individual inboxes, maybe they'd see this, at least. Otherwise he'd better prepare for a wild-chicken chase.

Goose. Wild goose chase.]


Note: Prequel novels were used as supporting canon information for parts of this app. I put the title in parenthesis and in italics where necessary.