Susan Bennet
From FEInfobase
Captain Susan Bennet is the Chief of Staff at Starfleet Security & Tactical. She is a strong supporter of the "Jellico Doctrine" - the informal name given to the viewpoint that security should come ahead of exploration and personal freedoms.
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Personal Details
Name: Susan Bennet
Age: 48
Date of Birth: 2355
Place of Birth: New York City, New York, Earth
Family: Father: Samuel Bennet | Mother: Kelly Waymire | Brother: Stephen Bennet | Sister: Melanie Shan
Interests: classical music (Bizet), criminal law, gymnastics, marathons,
Personality:
Bennet is well respected and looked up to in the fleet, having a somewhat 'romantic' record, as a consequence of signing up at the outbreak of war and performing excellently throughout her service. She does not tolerate fools and has little patience for those that don't know their job as they should. She is a devout professional, taking her duty to the Federation very seriously and is by any measure of the word, a patriot. Despite having proven herself on the fronts lines, she is no stranger to the mental challenges provided in the Earth offices of Starfleet due largely in part to her short lived career as a prosecutor, which also developed a keen wit and skill for debate. Not a woman to cross, she is respected by those who work under her, and intimidating to those who work with her. When with close friends or colleagues with whom she enjoys a good working relationship with, she has a dry sense of humour, though on rare occassions has been known to almost spontaneously break into laughter.
Medical Details
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 149 lbs.
Hair Colour: Auburn
Eye Colour: Light brown
Physical Appearance:
Though she could never be called beautiful, Bennet's strong jaw and cheekbones, combined with dark, deep set eyes combine for a striking and handsome appearance. Her auburn hair is worn tied tightly back, and there is the faintest hint of a cleft in her chin. Due to a heavy regimen of both running, swimming and other cardiovascular exercises, her tall figure is well toned and subtly muscled.
Starfleet Record
Rank: Captain
Assignment: Chief of Staff, Starfleet Security & Tactical
Decorations:
- Christopher Pike Medal of Valor - 2399
- Distinguished Service Medal - 2396
- Decoration for Gallantry - 2380
Service Record:
- 2382 - Applies and is accepted at Starfleet Academy
- 2385 - Assigned to USS Safina as sectac officer
- 2386 - Promoted to Lieutenant j.g.
- 2389 - Promoted to Lieutenant, Transferred to USS Hood as chief tactical officer
- 2391 - Promoted to Lieutenant Commander and Ship's XO
- 2395 - Promoted to Commander, Takes command of Defiant-class USS Paisley
- 2396 - Begins to work with Starfleet Tactical in directing fleet movements
- 2398 - Promoted to Captain
- 2399 - Transferred to Starfleet Security & Tactical
History:
Married Anthony Brooks in 2381. At the time, he was the Head Cartographer on the USS Challenger, and she served as a junior prosecutor in New York having graduated Boston University. With the outbreak of war however, she immediately applied to join Starfleet, against the wishes of Brooks.
Upon graduating the academy, she was assigned to the USS Safina and thrust quickly into combat as a Bridge tactical officer. By 2390 she had been promoted to full Lieutenant and assigned to the USS Hood as its chief tactical officer. Onboard, she was reunited with Brooks who was serving as the vessel's Operations Manager (with the rank of Lieutenant Commander), and the frequent disagreements between the departments as well as the stress of being at war led to tension between the couple. Due to the ship being involved in many tactical encounters, numerous crewmembers were lost over the next decade, with the vessel's executive officer and second executive officer both being killed in a bridge decompression during battle. Bennet was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and given the position of First Officer ahead of Brooks, causing yet more tension between the two. Brooks eventually filed for divorce and left the Hood, but the request was lost en route to Earth and as a result, the pair remain married as of 2403.
In response to the lack of experienced officers still alive in the fleet, the Hood's CO put forward Bennet as a candidate for command of one of the latest batches of Defiant-class vessels in 2395. Upon confirmation of this appointment, she was promoted to Commander and given a largely young and inexperienced crew to work with. The vessel (The USS Paisley) was sent to the front lines and despite the young crew, performed well and in one particular fleet engagement, Bennet took command of two wings of Starships after their flagship had been destroyed, eventually turning the tide of battle and earning herself the Distinguished Service Medal.
Taking note of her exceptional ability to read and manipulate a tactical situation, Starfleet Tactical used Bennet in developing counter-offensive strategies during the war. Two years later, her evident skill in this area, combined with a successful record of wartime command led to her being promoted to Captain, only thirteen years after being comissioned as a Starfleet officer.
Shortly after her promotion, she took part in the Battle of Sol, with the Paisley being assigned as a group leader in Strike Force Alpha at Bennet's stringent request. During the final day of combat, the Paisley was forced to eject its core, robbing the vessel of much of its power. Despite this, Bennet and her crew fought on for a further fourteen hours, eventually surviving through the finale of the battle. The Paisley however, was deemed unsalvageable and scrapped following the battle. Bennet was transferred to Starfleet Security & Tactical where she currently serves as Admiral Tuvok's Chief of Staff. Should Tuvok be promoted, tranferred or retire, Bennet is tipped by many to fill his position.
OOC Background
Bennet was created by Chris Murray in November '05, as the counterpart to his primary character in the new Starfleet Command simm. With his main character being capable, intelligent and a liberal member of Starfleet, it made sense to create a capable, intelligent and conservative member of Starfleet to serve as a representation of those in Starfleet who would disagree with the character. The idea of having this character being an ex-wife who hated him developed very early on.
Bennet's name was derived from a number of sources. Named Susan for Sue Henley who served as Mulgrew's stand-in on Voyager and also played "Ensign Brooks" on the same show - Brooks bunked with Seven of Nine for a time in the alternate timeline presented in "Year of Hell" and the ex-drone considered her to be untidy. The character's surname is a reference to "Captain Bennet" who served as Admiral Ross' adjucant before the position was given to Sisko in the Dominion War. Ross commented that Bennet had "a strong grasp of strategy, with an ability to see the big picture." Though this is not the same character, Murray found this character description appealing for his own Bennet - a character that would be respected in the fleet for her tactical prowess. Susan's father, Samuel Bennet was named for Sam Lavelle who featured in "Lower Decks" on The Next Generation and was presented as a promising officer similar to Will Riker and eager to be promoted. Originally, Susan was to be named Samantha Bennet in reference to this character, but the idea was quickly abandoned. Susan's mother takes her name directly from the actress who played Crewman Cutler in Enterprise and sadly passed away during the show's production. Susan's brother takes his first name from Murray's uncle, who coincidentally married someone called Susan.