History
__________________
It's not his story. It's Your story. That's
right! Your own personal story that (almost) no-one can argue with.
I say 'almost' because sometimes, when histories are terribly unrealistic,
captains (and crew members) tend to argue. This can, of course, be avoided by
NOT making your character the top student in every class and NOT making your
character a hero in every situation s/he has come across. It can also be avoided
by CHECKING YOUR FACTS (i.e. timeline), KNOWING WHAT YOUR CHARACTER KNOWS (don't
try be a doctor when you've never even been to hospital) and giving your
character some FAULTS. That's right, not even Star Trek characters are perfect.
That said, let's begin.
Now, History is usually divided into two sections. Personal History and Service History. Even when it doesn't come into your bio, it will be useful to know this stuff for future reference.
Personal History
This is really Yourstory. Where were you born? What are your parents like? What personal failings and triumphs have you had to cope with? Did your father die? Does your mother hate you? Do you have an out-of-control brother... or a dedicated sister? Were you an only child spoiled from birth? Sometimes I write the parent's story first to get an idea of why they treat my character the way they do
For example: Mother and Father meet in Starfleet and serve on same crew. Father dies on away mission just before mother discovers she's pregnant. She gives birth to a son who she spoils rotten because he's the only part of her husband she has.
What effect does this have?: He grows up arrogant. She pushes him into Starfleet to be like his father. He doesn't like Starfleet but doesn't want to upset his mother.
Once you've got the early life down, you can move on to personal disasters, first loves or any big event that causes your character to be who s/he is today.
To carry on with the same example: Character becomes a security officer because he enjoys physical work. While working on a ship during the Dominion war, the ship is invaded by Changelings and he fails to protect his crew. He is one of fifty survivors from a crew of 200 and blames himself for the death of all the others. He becomes driven and starts putting effort into his work, causing him to become promoted.
Now you have to test your story for flaws.
Is this story possible considering
a) What security officers are responsible for
b) Does my story fit in with the established Star Trek timeline?
c) Do changelings invade ships?
d) Is it possible to have a crew of 200 on a ship?
e) is it possible he gets promoted or does he have to be a certain rank?
Once I've checked I might need to change a few things. The Dominion war might have to cange to the Wolf war and the changelings might have to change to Borg. The ship might have to change to hold a crew 150 and the surviving crew to 40. If I have to have the rank of ensign, I can still say "Well, he was promoted but then demoted again when he disobeyed orders." and make up a whole soppy story. This site has a variety of resources to help you check the facts.
Now I have the personal stuff filled in, all I have to do is put the technical stuff between the lines. What did my character study at the academy? What age was my character? What ships did he serve on? etc.