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Specs/History

Crew Manifest
Specs/History

McKnight, Douglas J.



Service Record

2364: Enlists with the Star Fleet Marine Corps.
2376: Returns to Earth and switches to reserve duty
2380: Returns to active duty; enters Officer’s Candidate School, promoted to 2nd Lieutenant
2381: Joins crew of U.S.S. Cervantes
2382: Transfers to U.S.S. Atlantis, promoted to 1st Lieutenant
2383: Promoted to Captain
2385: Promoted to Major
2387: Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel
2388: Awarded Presidential Unit Citation, USS Atlantis Marine Detachment
2393: Promoted to Colonel, transferred to SFHQ
2396: Promoted to Brigadier General

Family and Personal History

Marital Status: Married, Persephone Busard
Mother: Heather McKnight
Father: Robert McKnight
Siblings: William (Brother); Shannon (Sister)
Pets: Cat, Hobbes, a striped American short-hair. Getting on in years, but still going strong!

Douglas McKnight was born on September 22, 2346 in Springfield Massachusetts to Robert and Shannon McKnight, both parents of Scottish ancestry. Both of them were careful to make sure that none of their 3 children ever hurt for attention of affection, but at the same time, they worked hard to foster a sense of self-reliance and independence. Both parents were out-doors types who believed that even if being tough and always able to look after oneself weren’t necessarily the most important values of present-day society, there was no reason why they couldn’t be counter-cultural.

Though all the McKnight children adopted this self-reliant attitude to some extent, it was probably Douglas who worked the hardest to mold himself into the kind of man he imagined his parents would be most proud of. From the age of 8, he was taking boxing lessons. At age 10, he joined the Boy Scouts, where he gained what he has since always viewed as valuable formative experience. Though these skills were not fully honed until later in life, it was during that time that he began to learn the basics of wilderness survival and first aid. And as the Boy Scouts have always been, to some extent at least, a military type organization at heart, the time leading up to his attainment of Eagle Scout rank might realistically be considered one of the factors leading to his decision to enlist in the Star Fleet marines at 18.

Certainly, this gave him more than sufficient opportunity to develop those virtues valued by his parents, probably to an even greater extent than they would have had in mind. By age 20, he had already seen combat, having enlisted during the last 2 years prior to the establishment of the treaty that finally decisively ended the Federation’s conflict with the Cardassian Union. After 6 years of relative peace, he was once again called to war, this time following the Klingon withdrawal from the Khitomer Accords and the beginning of open incursions against Federation interests. This time the combat did not stop until 3 years later, with the conclusion of the Dominion War. After that, he stayed on Cardassia Prime for another 6 months with the occupying Federation Peace Keeper force, but once that tour of duty was up, he promptly returned to Earth and switched to the Reserves. Though still a dedicated military man, he had for the time had his fill of active combat duty. This is not surprising, considering that he had spent the last few months of the war in a POW camp on Cardassia following the Dominion re-capture of the Chintoka system late in the conflict.

Before finally deciding that soldiering, despite the inherint risks involved, was what he knew and would stick with, he’d managed to earn a degree in History from UMass Amherst. This degree was instrumental in establishing his eligibility for Officer’s Candidate School. Though promotion to officer status was one he would normally have pursued with any great gusto, he found it necessary to be considered for participation in the Federation exploration initiative Operation Rinacita.

As of this point in his career, McKnight has just returned to the Alpha Quadrant following a year spent at the very edge of Federation explored space, helping to push that edge outward as part of the crew of the long-range scout ship Cervantes. However, out of a desire to return from the boonies so that he could be closer to his young son (By far his most interesting souvenir from his time in deep space.), he has recently taken the opportunity of a transfer to the U.S.S. Atlantis.

Medical History

In terms of overall health, it must be noted that whatever importance Mr. McKnight places on military discipline, it definitely does not extend to his eating habits. At my request, he recently kept a rather detailed log of the food consumed over a period of several weeks, and against my recommendations, he has shown a decided fondness for a variety of foods whose nutritional value is dubious at best. Foods high in fat and cholesterol, such as fried foods were far from uncommon. Also, he has a sweet tooth like you might expect to find on a child a third his age. Clearly, these issues will warrant further consideration as he ages, but for the moment they are not adversely affecting his health. Fortunately, his e xercise regimen is more impressive, and thus far, he has been diligent in working off what he eats.

As of his last physical, he had a number of relatively minor battle scars, likely sustained from his time on the front lines in the Dominion War, but has yet to suffer any debilitating injuries, and is at this time free of any serious medical afflictions, viral or bacterial. His senses remain sharp, and his reflexes impressive. Overall, despite his frequent aforementioned dietary shortcomings, Douglas McKnight is in near perfect health for a human male of 36.

-Karen Ives, M.D.

 

Psychological Profile

During his evaluation, Mr. McKnight readily admitted with an easy grin that perhaps he’s been out of boot camp too long. Certainly, his attitude may be described as a bit more casual than that of many of his comrades in the Star Fleet Marine Corps, bordering at times on positively laid back. This is not to say he doesn’t take his job seriously. He does, and does not hesitate to point with unmasked pride to his military record as proof of his competence at said job. It’s just that I had trouble finding much else he took very seriously. He seems rather attached to the use of sarcastic humor, and though he was fairly polite throughout, it seemed clear that outside the confines of the military rank structure, his attention is prone to wandering. I regretfully admit that on the occasion of McKnight’s visit, I was a few minutes late in returning from lunch for the appointment, and when I found him waiting in my office, I discovered that he had actually broken out a yoyo to pass the time.

This relaxed, indeed even occasionally almost child-like attitude was, as indicated, present for the entirety of his visit, and though this did not prove detrimental to the evaluation, I somehow doubt that it could be totally absent from his on duty conduct. He has no notable record of insubordination, but he has certainly been around long enough, enlisting in the Star Fleet Marines at age 18, that he has learned more or less what to expect from the command structure. With such knowledge, the discomfort, and thus the rigid formality around said command structure tends to lessen considerably.

He does seem to have some anxiety-related issues regarding his infant son, Jack, currently living aboard the U.S.S. Independence. While serving aboard the long-range scout ship Cervantes, his son was conceived following his coupling with then Lt. JG Laurelle N’iaran, that coupling itself a consequence of an unclassified fertility virus. The anxiety issues began when N’iaran transferred to the Independence, taking their son with her. This separation anxiety from his son is most certainly not gone, but his subsequent transfer to the Atlantis has clearly eased it somewhat, as it allows him to be closer to his flesh and blood, and even opens up the possibility of actual face-to-face contact.

In general, it is my opinion that Douglas McKnight meets the basic criteria that would allow him to consider himself well adjusted. He is clear of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and an assortment of other afflictions common in combat veterans, and certainly, I find nothing inherently unhealthy about the idea of not taking everything too seriously. His attitudes are perhaps a bit provincial. He tends to view issues through the glass of his own experiences as a human being and as a Star Fleet officer, and if he is not mindful of this tendency, he runs the risk of being closed-minded. This one caveat aside, however, he can certainly be counted on to do his job, and I am confident his skills will make him a valued addition to any security force.

-Robert Bruce, M.D.

Additional Information

Telepathy/Empathy Level: Psi-null

Special Skills:
Piloting proficiency. Approved to fly any and all current shuttle models.
Advanced training in close quarters combat, armed and hand-to-hand
Advanced survival training
Exceptional marksmanship scores with both infantry weapons and ship based ordnance.
Field medic training

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