Ensign Jesse Eckles
Name Jesse Eckles
Position Chief Flight Control Officer
Rank Ensign
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Human | |
| Age | 22 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 6'0" | |
| Weight | 168 lbs | |
| Hair Color | Black | |
| Eye Color | Green | |
| Physical Description | Slightly taller than average height for a human being, Jesse has always stood out from the crowd. Years of a competative training as a member of a youth Lacrosse team have contributed to a well-toned muscle structure and it is no secret taking full advantage of his handsome, youthful appearance, has contributed greatly to Jesse's popularity amongst peers. Only recently has Jesse started to think of himself as more than his outwardly appearance. He takes great pride in wearing the Starfleet uniform but has started to favor casual simplicity over gaudy or showy attire while off duty. |
Family
| Father | Charles Eckles, PhD [Deceased] | |
| Mother | Karen Eckles (nee Summers) [Deceased] | |
| Other Family | Olivia Summers (Aunt) |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Daredevil is one word some might use to describe Jesse. To the outside world, this young man continues to present a perfectly constructed image of success and prestige which does not necessarily reflect the insecurity and loneliness he harbors within. Jesse is a go-getter in the sense that he sets goals and works to accomplish them. No matter how daunting or dangerous a task might seem, Jess is always willing to give anything a first try. | |
| Strengths & Weaknesses | A sociable nature is perhaps Jesse's greatest strength. He has made a deliberate effort to develop the finely-tuned social skills which allow him to so easily interact with others even if he does not know them all that well. Another major contributor to Jesse's perceived success has been his ability to succeed academically. A very ambitious young man, he has been known to occasionally take on things better left alone which has led to instances of Jesse biting off more than he can chew. At the same time, however, it has made him more willing to at least take a stab at any problem. Despite what would seem like an energetic and outgoing personality, Jesse remains a conflicted individual. He continues to harbor the great insecurity and loneliness borne of his childhood experiences and still finds it difficult to express his own innermost thoughts and feelings with others. In the past, Jesse would often respond to his insecurity by devoting even more time and energy to maintaining the public persona that seemed to please his peers. Only recently has he started to seek out new, more healthy ways of working through these issues on his own as well as with the aid of a counselor. |
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| Ambitions | Jesse has slowly started to recognize his own abilities as natural gifts which, when applied appropriately, can make a true difference in the lives of the people with whom he interacts. He attributes much of this newfound revelation to his experiences serving a cadet cruise aboard the USS Pandora. Professionally, Jesse still imagines himself someday serving within the field of command, whether it be as Commanding Officer of a starship or other Federation installation. Working through his own internal conflicts has helped him better articulate more personal goals such as becoming a more authentic individual in his relationship with others as well as to someday raise the wholesome family he never experienced during his own childhood. | |
| Hobbies & Interests | Jesse's personal hobbies and interests reflect in many ways the divided nature of his own personality as well as his newfound desire to dig a little deeper into what really lies beneath the surface. He has started to take more deliberate advantage of the educational opportunities available to him as a Starfleet officer to pursue an interest in literature. Recreational activities such as Lacrosse, running, hiking, and working out offer him the opportunity to spend some time alone while maintaining his own personal wellness. Social interaction with others as well as partaking in the occasional holonovel for personal entertainment are also among some of Jesse's favorite off-duty past times. | |
| Languages | Federation Standard |
| Personal History | Jesse Eckles was born in Boston, Massachusetts to parents Charles and Karen Eckles on 21 April 2365. Charles was employed as a tenured professor at Boston University where he specialized in English language and literature. His wife, Karen, was also employed as an associate professor at Boston University where she specialized in classical theater and playwriting. They were both involved in a tragic accident while returning from a literary conference in London. Charles was pronounced dead on the scene and Karen died from extensive damage to her cardio-pulmonary system shortly after arriving at the local hospital. Formal custody of their then eight-year-old son went to his mother's sister, the boy's only living relative. However, the death of his parents had transformed Jesse from an energetic and outgoing child into a brooding monster who would do just about anything for attention, be it positive or negative. His aunt quickly found that she did not have the physical or emotional stamina to continue raising the boy on her own and soon enrolled him at St. Thomas' School for boys. Jesse would spend the rest of his childhood virtually an orphan living in residence at the regional boarding school. Jesse's attention-seeking behavior saw little improvement the first several months he attended St. Thomas' which led to several disciplinary issues involving his interactions with other students as well as his instructors. Eventually, the young boy started to carve out his own niche within the school community. He covered up feelings of insecurity and loneliness by making a deliberate effort to place himself the center of it all. Others began to notice a change in the way Jesse chose to interact with those around him and it did not take long for him to go from the isolated wallflower to the popular one with his own posse to follow him around the grounds during recreation time. He would even send himself presents around Christmas to cover up the fact he had no one to go home to for the holidays. This shift in behavior quickly spilled over into Jesse's academic performance where he quickly became what one might consider a proficient student who grasped most concepts quickly and without significant difficulty. His instructors would frequently comment on how often Jesse appeared to struggle with paying attention in class only to respond with the correct answer when called upon. Outside of academics, Jesse continued to spend a great deal of time hanging out with those he considered to be his friends or engaging in other extra-curricular activities, anything to keep himself from feeling out-of-the-loop. He experienced the sport of Lacrosse for the very first time during physical education class in fifth grade and was immediately hooked. Participating in the school's Lacrosse team only increased his popularity amongst the other students, not to mention the routine and regimen Jesse received from grade five through his graduation from St. Thomas' helped him learn how to manage his time in order to get things done. Jesse devoted so much time and effort into creating the illusion of success and popularity that, by the time he turned eighteen, it all seemed to come so naturally. It came as no surprise to anyone when Jesse declared his interest in becoming a Starfleet officer. Given that he had nothing to tie him down on Earth, the thought of exploring the stars and experiencing things few others had ever seen certainly held appeal for this adventurous young man. There were also others in his class including some of his friends who were planning to head off to Starfleet after graduation. In his junior year, Jesse took the Academy Entrance Exams. Thanks to his academic proficiency and no small amount of luck, he was able to pass the examinations and was accepted into Starfleet Academy upon graduation from St. Thomas' School for Boys. So it was that in the summer of 2383, Jesse packed up what few personal belongings he had and headed of to San Francisco to begin his studies as a Starfleet cadet. Jesse arrived at Starfleet Academy in the fall of 2383 as a Starfleet cadet pursuing studies in flight control, navigation, and starship operations. While academic proficiency allowed him to handle the course load with relative ease and his experience having been a member of the Lacrosse team meant passing the physical requirements with little difficulty, it did not take Jesse long to discover he could make the same impact on those around him as he had while attending St. Thomas'. He wasted little time setting about creating a new group of friends and smooth-talking his instructors. In fact, Jesse made sure to take every advantage of his developed charm and academic achievement to solidify his place as the center of their attention. Not everyone was impressed with Jesse's performance and there were some who managed to catch glimpses of insecurity through the young man's pretentions. One such individual in particular was the Academy groundskeeper. An elderly man, Boothby had seen many young men and women with extraordinary potential pass through Starfleet Academy. Many had gone on to serve distinguished careers as officers while others allowed themselves to drift aimlessly without much success. Boothby likely would not have mentioned anything were it not for the fact he had caught Jesse asleep while pruning a row of hedges. The two exchanged words, but Jesse seemed to brush off the old man's advice before continuing on without giving much thought. Serious concerns regarding the developing Federation-Elyshan Cold War began making themselves known in how charged with anticipation the atmosphere on campus had become. Many of Jesse's fellow cadets were eager to get out into the field despite the concerns many of them had about what sort of impact these things were going to have on their dreams. Jesse had managed to land a field assignment aboard the Luna-class USS Pandora in 2386 where it was expected he would be observing and assisting in the Command department. Instead, he found himself working under that vessel's Second Officer who also happened to be the Chief Medical Officer. His immediate reaction to such an assignment was extreme disappointment bordering on outright contempt for his assigned mentor as well as the Pandora's Commanding Officer. Assembling emergency medical kits and training in rudementary first aid care hardly seemed applicable to anything Jesse would need for a career in flight operations or starship command. Things nearly came to a head shortly after his arrival when his assigned mentor arranged a simulated medical emergency in one of the lowermost maintenance areas of the ship. The simulation was designed to test Jesse's ability to assess the situation and make the appropriate command decisions while under duress. When asked whether or not it had given him something to think about, Jesse could think of no quick-witted reply to the question. The scenario had not been easy and, whether he wanted to admit it or not, it had given him something to think about. If his mentor's simulation had given Jesse pause, witnessing the outright humiliation of a decorated flag officer was enough to shake the young man right to the very core. Ever since he'd learned the location of his field assignment, Jesse had been looking forward to serving with and learning from the Commanding Officer of the USS Pandora, a man who had been slowly gaining a reputation at Starfleet Academy. The stories of action along the Elyshan border had already begun to circulate amongst cadets, making an assignment to the Eighth Fleet one of the most sought after postings for a cadet. Even though Jesse felt as if he'd essentially been pawned off onto the ship's Second Officer and Chief Medical Officer, he still had a great respect and admiration for the admiral's accomplishments. It struck quite the crippling blow to see that same man publically stripped of his rank and position as the Eighth Fleet's Task Force 22 Commanding Officer and shuffled off to some relatively quiet corner of the fleet's patrol zone. Jesse returned to the Academy a different person than the young man who had departed only a few months prior. While he continued to demonstrate the same aptitude for academics, some began to notice the amount of time and energy he spent enjoying the San Francisco night life or just hanging out had diminished. The young man also started seeing a counselor on a regular basis. At first, they talked about his experiences aboard the Pandora and how they might have affected his views toward a Starfleet career. After awhile, though, their conversations turned to more personal topics such as Jesse's time having lived at St. Thomas' School for Boys. It was a slow process, but with the help of his counselor, Jesse started actively working to develop more healthy ways of working through his issues. Jesse graduated with honors in flight control and navigation from Starfleet Academy in the spring of 2387 and spent some time in the extended transfer pool before receiving orders to report to the Luna-class USS Iapetus as a Flight Control Officer. |
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| Service Record | *Cadet - Flight Control, Starfleet Academy (2383 - 2387) **Cadet Cruise, USS Pandora (2386 - 2387) *Ensign - Flight Control Officer, USS Iapetus (2387 - Present) |