Science Chief Po

Po looks much younger than he actually is, which is completely normal for a Drayan of his age. His brown hair is usually kept short and practical, although he has very little interest in vanity.

His eyes are a warm brown and are generally heavy-lidded and inquisitive, as if they're always working through some mystery the rest of the world hasn't solved yet. There's also a small patch of scales running down the middle of his forehead, a sign of his species.

Now, despite his juvenile good looks, Po has one trait that screams of his age. He has a certain patient languidity about him, and is unlikely to hurry or flutter about any particular conversation when he knows he's correct about something already.

Po is curious, patient, and stubborn in his own, quiet way.

He has an almost religious fascination with the wider universe, and in his adult life has devoted himself to studying those things his culture had once thought worthy of pursuit, but abandoned in favor of newer, shinier ideas. He does not see a conflict between scientific pursuit and spiritual yearning, and finds that the more he learns about how things work, the less he knows about why they are as they are.

Happily incurious, Po is generally quite difficult to provoke. He likes to debate, discuss, and observe before he acts, and has a particular talent for drawing out opponents by asking seemingly innocuous questions which lead to increasingly weighty topics. He is surprisingly forthcoming about things he has no interest in discussing when he feels someone has behaved in a scientifically illiterate or intellectually dishonest manner, however.

While Po does not think of himself as an adventurous type, he has led a life that would see most people settle comfortably into middle age. He sees his travels as a natural extension of his studies, if a little glamorous for the purists, and believes strongly that if something exists, he should understand it.

He is also significantly more sentimental about his homeworld than he'd ever let on.

The reason for Po's travels was that he wanted to see the galaxy, but the longer he has been away, the more he has begun to think that returning home might well be the best holiday he could take.

Strengths

Scientific curiosity: Po has a compulsive need to understand unfamiliar phenomena, cultures, technologies, and environments.

Patience: He doesn't panic and is prepared to wait for the best answer rather than taking the first one that emerges.

Observation: Po notices small details and contradictions that others miss.

Problem solving: He's especially good at finding non-scientific approaches to problems where science has failed.

Adaptability: Years of wandering outside Drayan society have enabled him to learn ways of working with species, technology, and cultures that differ widely from his home.

Calm under pressure: Po's natural temperament makes him valuable in crisis situations when others are reacting emotionally and impulsively.

Strengths

Scientific curiosity: Po has a compulsive need to understand unfamiliar phenomena, cultures, technologies, and environments.

Patience: He doesn't panic and is prepared to wait for the best answer rather than taking the first one that emerges.

Observation: Po notices small details and contradictions that others miss.

Problem solving: He's especially good at finding non-scientific approaches to problems where science has failed.

Adaptability: Years of wandering outside Drayan society have enabled him to learn ways of working with species, technology, and cultures that differ widely from his home.

Calm under pressure: Po's natural temperament makes him valuable in crisis situations when others are reacting emotionally and impulsively.

Continue to explore the galaxy.

Return home

Hobbies

Stargazing

Careful tending to one's scientific equipment

Finding and collecting exotic rocks, minerals, and organisms

Keeping detailed handwritten records

Cooking

Deciphering alien languages

Playing games of tactics and strategy

Taking long walks in unfamiliar places to see what might be there

Interests

Astrophysics

Xenobiology

Planetary sciences

Archaeology

Ancient civilizations

Stellar cartography

Pre-warp cultures

Po was born on Drayan II in 2312 to parents who both held a deep interest in education and the time-honored spiritual philosophy of the Drayan people. His father, Corin, worked within the scientific and technical field, and his mother, Elani as a priest while taking a great interest in fostering Po's inquisitive nature from an early age.

As a child, Po was fascinated by the stars. Distant and unknowable, the existence of other civilizations in the far corners of the galaxy seemed something of a dream to him. The wonder of it all inspired him to study Astronomy and Mathematics in his youth, and he quickly developed an interest in the formation of stars and the ways in which other worlds and solar systems interact with one another.

It was expected by many within his community that Po would eventually pursue a career as an educator or in some capacity of scientific research upon Drayan II. However, as he grew to maturity,y Po became increasingly restless with the idea of studying from a distance. He longed to be out among the stars firsthand.

At the age of majority, Po began to look for work in related fields, seeking any opportunity he could to travel and gain experience within foreign sciences, though at first it was difficult. The Drayan people were very insular and wary of the outside world, and Po's stances and desires were seen by many as reckless at best, selfish at worst. He did not believe that the Drayan's isolation from the rest of the galaxy was a sensible course of action, and that by severing their ties with the greater power structures of the region they had only lied to themselves.

In time Po was able to leave Drayan II behind.

His travels in the early years of his career were primarily educational, working aboard mostly civilian research vessels, survey ships, independent traders, and scientific research platforms. He took whatever jobs were available to him that allowed him to continue his studies and learn new skills, and became exceptionally adept with unfamiliar sensor technology and alternative forms of scientific hardware and software.

As his career progressed, Po found himself less and less interested in pure sciences in favor of more applied fields. He took jobs as a field surveyor, xenobiologist, and researcher of spatial phenomena, capable of identifying signs of independent life and evaluating spatial anomalies to determine whether they were natural, artificial, or of unknown origin.

The further Po traveled away from Drayan II, the more he saw other civilizations, peoples, and governments. Each had their own unique relationship with science, seeing it as a means to an end, a weapon, a tool, a gateway to higher power, or something else entirely. Po came to the conclusion that science itself was neither good nor evil, that it was only what people chose to do with it that defined its purpose.

Po found himself fascinated with the idea of pushing the boundaries of known space, and the unknown dangers that came with it. It was a thrilling prospect that intrigued him on a very fundamental level.

By the time he encountered the Dutchman, Po had drifted from the Delta Quadrant and into the Gamma Quadrant. The Dutchman represented something more exciting to him; it was not a research vessel, nor did it have a strict charter of scientific discovery.

The Dutchman was an independent civilian vessel with a crew willing to see how far they could push their travels before having to return. To Po, this meant opportunities far beyond what most in his position would ever see again.

He joined the Dutchman in 2380 as Chief Scientific Officer.

2340s - Leaves Drayan II to pursue independent scientific work and exploration.

2340-2350s - Works aboard a variety of civilian research vessels, survey ships, and independent exploration vessels throughout the Delta Quadrant.

2350s - Develops specialisations in planetary science, xenobiology, stellar cartography, and sensor analysis.

2360s - Begins conducting independent scientific surveys and exploration missions beyond known Drayan space.

2370s - Expands his work into the Gamma Quadrant

2375-2379 - Works as an independent civilian scientist and survey specialist, frequently accepting contracts aboard vessels travelling through poorly charted regions.

2380 - Present - Working as the Chief Scientific Officer on The Dutchman