Logan Callahan

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Logan Callahan in 2398

Logan Callahan is the current Director of Starfleet Special Investigations. A career officer who has been devoted to the service of the Federation his entire life, few people ever doubt Callahan's professionalism - but the controversy surrounding SSI means that public opinion on him is very much divided, alternating between viewing him as a hero of the Federation and guardian of its security, or a brutish thug enforcing a dictatorial regime upon the people.

Personal Details

Name: Logan Alistair Callahan

Age: 58

Species: Human

Date of Birth: 2347

Place of Birth: Eastdale, Taurus VI

Family: Father: John Callahan (deceased) | Mother: Maria O'Donnell (deceased) | Brother: James Callahan (deceased) | Son: Captain Robert Callahan, USS Perseus

Interests: Criminal Psychology, Darts, Military History, 19th Century Literature, War games, Holodeck role-plays, Crime novels, Classical Literature.

Medical Details

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 176 lbs.

Hair Colour: Grey

Eye Colour: Blue

Physical Appearance: Callahan is a tall individual, standing out in most crowds due to his great height. He is, however, not hugely broad of shoulder, and is fairly lanky in build. There is still more strength to his wiry frame than would be assumed, and it is not uncommon for him to have to call upon this strength in the course of his duty.

He always maintains a neat and presentable appearance. His uniform has probably never seen the light of day unless it was perfectly pressed and he was perfectly dressed, he is always clean shaven, and his grey hair, now only showing slight specks of brown is never anything but perfectly groomed. None of this is through vanity, however - it is notable that, during extended periods of being off-duty (though these are few and far between), Callahan has a far more laid-back appearance. But when on duty, when doing his job, he always epitomises the appearance of Starfleet discipline.

It is somewhat impossible for Callahan to enter a room and for others to not notice. His presence demands attention and respect, something he honed over the years more for his work in security and dealing with criminals than dealing with his colleagues.

Starfleet Record

Rank: Rear Admiral

Assignment: Director of Starfleet Special Investigations

Decorations:

• Sector 001 Ribbon (2373)
• Dominion War Campaign Ribbon (2376)
• Silver Star (2376)
• Purple Heart (2376)
• Distinguished Service Cross (2389)
• Defense Superior Service Medal (2398)
• Defence Distinguished Service Medal (2403)

Service Record:

• 2365 - 2369: Starfleet Academy (Cadet)
• 2369 - 2374: USS Challenger; Special Investigations Officer (Ensign)
• 2374 - 2378: USS Avenger; Special Investigations Officer (Lieutenant JG)
• 2378 - 2381: USS Ajax; Chief of Security (Lieutenant)
• 2381 - 2383: Betazed Starfleet Headquarters; Chief of Security (Lieutenant)
• 2383 - 2387: USS Tempest; Chief of Security (Lieutenant Commander)
• 2387 - 2392: Starfleet Security & Tactical; Chief of Staff (Commander)
• 2392 - 2396: Starfleet Special Investigations; Deputy Director (Captain)
• 2396 - 2398: USS Lancaster; Commanding Officer (Captain)
• 2398 - 2405: Starfleet Special Investigations; Director (Commodore)
• 2405 - Present: Starfleet Special Investigations; Director (Rear Admiral)

Background

Logan Callahan was born on the colony of Eastdale, in distant Taurus VI. The colony was one situated a long way away from any major trade routes, and, as such, the planet was quite cut off from the Federation. The people there learnt to cope by themselves, and thus have a reputation for self-sufficiency… amongst those who have heard of them.

The colony has a deep, rich heritage of independence of which it is fiercely proud, and Logan was brought up surrounded by that culture. Despite the fact that the colony was exceedingly close-knit, it seemed to be ensured that all growing children would be taught to fend for themselves.

For hundreds of years, until about 2320, young people of Taurus VI would be taken far out into the wild at the age of seventeen, given very little by way of supplies, and be expected to make their own way back to civilization. This often instilled much strength amongst the children until the Federation caught wind of the tradition and the rather high death rate – especially in the winters – and forced the people of Taurus VI to bring a halt to the custom.

Few people complained, but many insisted that a similar practice ought to come about, for those who had survived the ritual would often emerge as highly self-sufficient young people.

A group of colonists thus organised a replacement tradition, and it became compulsory for all people – who were physically capable of going through it – to be placed into small groups at the age of seventeen and to spend three months out in the wild. However, this time they were accompanied, though highly encouraged to fend for themselves during this.

The new tradition was far more popular – fewer people died, fewer people emerged alive but permanently damaged from extreme starvation and malnutrition, and the results were just as good. Better, in many ways, for being in a group encouraged the teenagers of Taurus VI to develop teamwork skills, and leadership skills.

Logan’s older brother, James, went through the custom when he was seventeen, and was one of the few tragedies of the new system. A forest fire struck the woods through which his particular group were travelling, and they were all died.

Logan, only a year younger, was subsequently insistent that he was not to go through with the tradition – not out of fear, but out of disgust for what he saw was negligence on the part of those who ran the operation. He had always shown a certain rebellious attitude throughout his youth, and after James' death this broke out in full, turning him into something of a yob and a vandal.

The colony of Taurus VI was self-sufficient, close-knit, and also very strict about its rules. Logan thus found himself forced on an endeavour similar to the one that had brought death to his brother, although this particular one was also aimed at rehabilitating young offenders, taking into account his efforts against the Taurusian tradition, and his spate of petty crimes.

With hindsight, Callahan would admit that the tradition was good for him. As he spent the first month sulking and refusing to take any part whatsoever in the exercise, he learnt a lot about being able to fend for himself, and being able to get by when totally alone… even in a group.

The group he was in was harsh, as many of his fellows were hardened criminals, even at the age of seventeen. As Logan, although a petty youth criminal but not much of a hard-nut himself, spent much time on his own, he had plenty of chances to watch those around him. He considered the other petty criminals on the trip to be beneath contempt, mentally forging himself as a 'political prisoner', wronged for his attempts at defying the system. He found himself fascinated by the way these young offenders thought, however, because he eventually realised it was not that different to how he himself considered things - and thus treating them with contempt was quite a mistake.

As he was not quite the hardened criminals they were, more a petty young offender who had raised his profile by fighting against the Taurusian system, Logan was initially labelled as something of a soft-touch, and shunned by the rest of the group. This didn’t bother him particularly as he wanted little to do with those on the trip with him. But as time went on, by the end of the first month he became accepted. He was accepted as a loner, as the one member of the group who sat quietly and watched others, often derisive of whoever approached him... but he was accepted.

However, not everyone entirely ostracised him. He struck up a friendship and vague relationship - of the types only teens can master - with Annie Driscoll, another youth on the expedition. They spent a significant portion of their time together during the trip, but did not see each other for six months once the entire outing was over.

It was only then that Logan discovered the girl to be pregnant. Doing the only thing he could do for someone who was more friend than lover, he agreed for them to be bonded - the Taurusian marriage tradition - and to fully support her and their child. Annie had emerged from the expedition changed; intent on studying to become an engineer, no longer falling down the path of crime.

She did, however, see that Logan was becoming restless in their relationship. Callahan had been significantly changed also. He was quieter than he had been in the past – even quieter than after James’ death – and seemed to be happier alone than when in a crowd. If forced into a group he would prefer to sit silently, seemingly evaluating all those around him, but if obligated to be a little more sociable seemed quite comfortable.

As such, when he briefly voiced to Annie his desire to join Starfleet, she supported him and even agreed to go to Earth with him. With his new solitude brought higher academic achievement, and thus he was accepted with few problems. Many accepted it when he went for a course in security, but the largest shock was when he simultaneously started to study Criminal Psychology in depth.

He graduated towards the middle of his class, the strain of two courses and a young family weighing him down considerably, and was assigned to the USS Challenger as a Special Investigations Officer – more detective than security work. His job was to deal more with crimes on board than fending off the attackers the Challenger was often confronted with during the Klingon-Federation war and the early months of the Dominion War. Regardless, he saw plenty of combat, including at the Battle of Sector 001 against the Borg, where he took the Tactical console at the death of the security chief.

However, this had been several long years with only intermittent contact with Annie and his son, Robert. The two of them were honest enough with each other to recognise that their relationship was one of convenience, not love, and Annie had enough support from her own work and her family to be able to raise Robert without forcing Logan to care for her as well. They parted on good terms, Callahan regularly taking leave to return to Taurus to visit his son, and he descended yet further into the inevitable slump of solitude.

The Challenger was destroyed at the Valley of Death, and Callahan reassigned to the USS Avenger, a veritably front-line starship. Logan saw far more action and death on that assignment than any other in his life. The Avenger played a large part in the Battle of Cardassia, and her securities officers were sent down to the planet to combat and deal with the rogue Jem’hadar groups that had refused to surrender when ordered to.

Callahan managed to single-handedly bring to a halt a group of Jem’hadar who were on the verge of destroying a large and highly populated building of the capital city. He was wounded in the endeavour, and thus decorated with both the Silver Star for his actions, and the Purple Heart for his injuries.

Logan stayed on starship duty for another five years, reaching the rank of Lieutenant, a rank he would never wish to go beyond. He was assigned to the USS Ajax in the post-war years, a fairly prestigious assignment hwere he served as Chief of Security. It was also here that he would establish his reputation for excellence in his career, finally in a position to both be noticed and to shine. His devotion to duty was recognised by the brass, and in 2381 he was offered a promotion to Lieutenant Commander. There was a small catch - the promotion came with an assignment to Earth, working in Starfleet Headquarters and away from active duty. As such, once Callahan had finished his leave of absence following the Collins case, he turned the offer down down for the more active position at the Betazed Starfleet Headquarters, refusing to be made a desk-jockey.

Throughout the following two years of his assignment on Betazed, he was offered the promotion and the position twice more. It was a non-negotiable package – if he wanted a third pip, he’d have to take the desk job on Earth. Callahan refused every single time. He was content on Betazed, working more investigative cases as he preferred.

However, the planetside assignment left him with far more free time than he would have anticipated for a starship assignment, and, as such, he decided to fill it with a worthwhile endeavour, writing and having published a book on his experiences with and opinions of the criminal psyche. It has recently been accepted on the required reading list for the Criminal Psychology course at Starfleet Academy, and the fact that Callahan has now encouraged cadets he has never even met to hate him pleases him greatly.

In 2383, the Borg War was finally erupting to a level that Callahan was deemed to be more valuable in the field than behind a desk. He had known Geran Xarr from his service on board the USS Avenger, and when the Trill's new host requested him to come on board the USS Tempest, Callahan was quick to accept the assignment. He served as the Tempest's Chief of Security, finally reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander, for four long years of the war.

It seemed, unfortunately for Callahan, that his personal expertise was something he could never hide from the eyes of his superiors. His actions during the war on the Tempest caught the attention of Starfleet Security, and he was headhunted, with little to no choice, to be brought back to Earth and assigned as the Chief of Staff for the department.

Never to be truly happy with the situation, Callahan nevertheless served dilligently and obligingly, doing his level best to do his duty even when so uninspired. But he could not deny his professional expertise; so much so that when, in 2392, then-Deputy Chief of Starfleet Security & Tactical Commodore Lloyd MacKenzie, set about opening up the new department of Starfleet Special Investigations, Callahan was the first choice as deputy.

SSI, as it was to be known as, was more of an intensive form of peace-keeping than security. With the Borg Wars raging throughout the galaxy, there were ever domestic problems to be dealt with. The Peace Brigade, pirates taking advantage of the conflict, other such criminal elements presenting a phantom menace to the Federation often overlooked. It was the duty of SSI to deal with these domestic threats.

The department was scoffed at significantly for most of its service during the Borg War, as if it were a waste of time as a department not contributing utterly to the war effort. Indeed, although Callahan was doing a job he loved, he, too, felt a little useless. In 2396, he requested a transfer, and at the rank of Captain was granted the command of the USS Lancaster. He served in that capacity for two years until the Battle of Sol, emerging as one of the very few commanders to have their ship intact at the end of the fighting.

However, Callahan recognised earlier than most others that the dynamic in the galaxy was going to shift with the end of the Borg War. The threats in the future would, inevitably, become internal as the Federation attempted to rebuild. Most external threats had been eliminated by the Borg in one way or another, and with the Borg gone, it was the 'enemy within' that concerned Callahan.

As such, when news of Lloyd MacKenzie's death in the Battle of Sol reached Callahan's ears, he was first to put in a transfer back to his old job in Starfleet Special Investigations. He had not anticipated the ultimate decision by Vice-Admiral Tuvok that it be Callahan himself who be made the new Director of the SSI.

With the so-called "Jellico Doctrine" coming in strong, and the Federation rebuilding while fending off threats external and internal, Callahan found himself with far more power than he had enjoyed during the War. SSI were regularly called upon to deal with disturbances, and as new laws gave the security officers greater authority over the general populace, Callahan found the duties of peace-keeping to be increasingly easy. He has, for the last seven years, enjoyed stupendous efficiency as the Director of Starfleet Special Investigations, and has turned the department into a force to be reckoned with inside and outside the Federation.

Personality Profile

Logan Callahan regularly comes across as a rude and discourteous man when dealing with almost anyone, but he seems often so inoffensive in his impolite manner that he is rarely caught on it. If there is business at hand he cares little for the feelings of others, and is prone to abandoning all manners to get a job done.

However, he is not a man who takes glee from offending people – merely a man who believes that courtesy has a time and a place, one which rarely figures in to his timetable. If it suits him, however, and the situation calls for it he can be perfectly charming to anyone. It does tend, granted, to rarely suit only rather him.

Callahan is a notoriously self-sufficient man, following the ‘excursion’ of his youth, and will often prefer solitude above the company of others. Few people understand him, and he finds it tiresome to spend time with those who don’t. Those who can comprehend him, and accept his way of thinking, often find themselves very close to him very quickly. He is not difficult to befriend if you have a way of thinking which merges easily with his own - just those who have such a way of thinking are few and far between.

He has long been fascinated with the humanoid mind, and, in particular, what encourages members of civilization to deviate from the rules and laws society has laid out, hence his degree in Criminal Psychology and his preference to work on crimes rather than the usual fare of security officers.

However, his extensive experience and natural knack for his work make him a highly skilled leader, and he is often a harsh taskmaster, expecting the very best from those under him. He rarely accepts failure, but is far more accommodating when those under him learn from their mistakes. He considers self-blame to be a weakness, and guilt a barrier stopping people from improving and moving forwards. He does not dwell on things in his life, which can sometimes backfire when he merely locks them up inside him and allows them to fester.

Yet Callahan often places a lot of faith in his subordinates, and will do everything possible to help them improve and develop, especially if they are recovering from a failure. He highly discourages them from blaming themselves, rather expects them to grow as a result.

He is a very closed person, trusting uneasily, but those who have won his trust have it for life. He talks rarely of his past, his feelings, or his family – least of all his dead brother. Callahan is a watcher – he often sits quietly in crowds and evaluates people a silently as possible, and is uncomfortable in many sociable situations. He keeps extensive notes and diaries, most of which are filled with thoughts on and the examination of colleagues, superiors and subordinates. He has occasionally been described as counsellor with a bad attitude.

In recent years, during his tenure as the Director of SSI, Callahan's reputation has fluctuated. Some have accused him of putting security over personal freedoms, and he is a great symbol for either side of the political spectrum - more conservative individuals and medias consider him to be a hero of the Federation, whereas more liberal influences throw terms such as 'Fascist' at him. Indeed, there is much controversy behind the extensive powers of SSI itself, and were it not for the fact that the department enjoys the full backing of President Edward Jellico, it is likely that the arguments as to its legitimacy and necessity would have consumed it.

But with a power behind as dedicated and efficient as Logan Callahan, it is likely that SSI shall continue its service of the Federation in its current capacity for a great deal longer.