Shahr Th'tholler

Shahr was born on Andor, to a family of scientists. His mother studies botany, tirelessly working to improve crops that, in Shahr’s mind, have been improved enough to support Andor and don’t need any more work. Shahr’s father studies astrophysics, and has dedicated his life to unlocking the secret of creating an artificial wormhole. Neither of these fields could interest Shahr any less, so when he was old enough to get a license, he took a job as a courier for materials that were too unstable for transporters. He flew cargo shuttles for a few years, before applying to the Imperial Guard.

Shahr readily signed his contract with the Imperial Guard, starstruck by the recruiter’s tales of space battles and daring starship maneuvers. As many young recruits do, he quickly realized the military sends you where the military needs you, regardless of your wants or wishes. At least, the Imperial Guard does. After general military training, Shahr was sent to formal flight school. He graduated with high marks, and was promptly sent to remotely operate repair drones for his efforts. After two years and a short border skirmish (that Shahr didn’t get to participate in), Shahr lucked into an open fighter pilot job, as the previous guardsman in that position had somehow managed to die, mid-flight, without damaging their craft. Shahr spent the next five years flying his atmospheric fighter craft, as part of the planetary defense force, during which his excitement about moving up the ranks was quickly quashed. The end of the border skirmish meant no more opportunities to rank up, unless someone aged out.

To add insult to injury, instead of earning a badass call sign like “Ice Man” or “Afterburner,” he was humiliated with the moniker “Paint Job” after he scraped the paint off his fighter on his very first flight, narrowly avoiding shearing off the starboard wing. He applied for starship duty every year, like clockwork. And, also like clockwork, the Imperial Guard denied his request every year, 1 day after his request.

After 5 years of disappointment, Shahr had had enough. Over the years, he’d scoffed at a couple friends who had left to join Starfleet, but by now they were moving up the ranks and exploring the stars. Shahr applied for Starfleet through a transfer program, and was accepted. As a condition of Starfleet’s offer, Shahr enrolled in an advanced degree program for photonics theory. He attended classes on Earth, and reluctantly completed his masters degree without a single hour in the pilot’s chair.

Upon graduating from OCS, Shahr was given orders to the USS Valkyrie. He pulled up the ship’s records and nearly fell over in shock. A sovereign class!? Shahr couldn’t have asked for a better post. He made his way to the barracks, packed his bag, and excitedly counted down the days until the Valkyrie pulled in for him to transfer onboard.