Max Duncan-Court

Biography

Early Life

Max was born in 2365 to Captain Nathan Harrison and Lieutenant Commander Lianne Harrison on board the Federation starship USS Roehampton (NCC-60221). Being born to a ship’s captain and its chief medical officer meant that Max did not see a lot of his parents by the time he started his full-time education. For most of his childhood, he was looked after by his teachers or friends’ parents when his parents were on duty. He became extremely close to his father’s first officer, Commander Luke Duncan, and chief science officer, Lieutenant Commander Nicola Sand. As a result of this, the young couple eventually became his godparents. Luke and Max would spend much time together on the holodeck or playing various sports.

Max would have to deal with tragedy at an early age when his mother was killed in a shuttlecraft accident during an away team. His mother’s death caused his father to become depressed and unfit for duty. As a result, his father asked if his first officer would take care of Max once he had dealt with his own issues. Max moved in with Luke while his father was off the ship for two months and would be looked after by the young commander in between shifts. Nicola would also help out where she could too.

When his father did return to command, the relationship between son and father was highly strained as Max had grown a close bond with Luke (unintentionally, of course). Both he and his father would spend many weeks and months in therapy with the ship’s El-Aurian counsellor, Lieutenant Commander Tashanti.

Max was pretty upset after Luke left the Roehampton to join the Galaxy. Tragedy would hit the poor boy again when the ship was on patrol in the Beta Quadrant and attacked by mercenaries. Fortunately, the Galaxy arrived to fight off the attackers and save the ship from destruction. Sadly, though, Captain Harrison was killed by a boarding party. Immediately, Duncan took the young boy with him under his wing, and Max became part of  Duncan’s family. He was the page boy at his wedding to Nicola, and both of them eventually adopted him. The family were displaced into a temporal subspace node for a short time; however, they lived almost four years within the node. Once they were rescued, Luke and Nicole moved to Deep Space 19. At the station, Max found his new life and was able to start to deal with the trauma from his childhood. He worked hard at school, made good friends, and regularly played basketball. Luke would always make time to see his games, even though he was now an admiral and running a fleet.

Starfleet Career

Starfleet Academy

By the time Max was seventeen, he had already applied to Starfleet Academy. Completing his entrance exam on Kovar, he decided he would honour his birth parents and adoptive parents by following in their footsteps. Leaving Deep Space 19 was a challenge for him as it had become his home, and Max was part of the close community that had formed on the station. He was fortunate enough to start his training on Earth. 

His first year at the Academy went exceptionally well; he was strong in all areas of his studies and training. Many of his instructors and professors thought he would follow Luke’s career path of becoming a pilot or Nicola’s interest in science. He excelled well in both areas and had interests in them, too. However, when it came to the crunch, and he had to declare what he wanted to major in, Max surprised everyone and decided to become a counsellor. 

The rigorous learning journey he would undertake over the next eight years opened his eyes to many possibilities. In his sixth and seventh years, he moved from Earth and studied on the orbital campus at Mellstoxx III. The intense experience did not deter him from completing and becoming a fully-fledged qualified counsellor and bridge officer. 

USS Vendetta (NCC-79047)

Graduating in 2383, he gained his first posting on the USS Vendetta as the ship’s assistant chief counsellor. Thankfully for him, he had been assigned to the ship before this to complete his final year with on-the-job training. 

Being on the Vendetta, a Nebula-class ship, gave Max a wide range of people to interact with and engage with. He worked hard and formed strong bonds with many on the crew. The ship’s counsellor (who was also the chief diplomatic officer) became a mentor to him. 

Offered the opportunity to receive further training from the ship’s captain, Max agreed to attend the advanced diplomatic training. An intense course that he could undertake while still serving on the ship. He stepped up to the challenge and passed the course.

Deep Space 5

Wanting to flex his wings a bit, Max moved on from the Vendetta and joined the crew of Deep Space 5 for half a year as the station’s chief counsellor and assisted the captain with diplomatic matters when required. The whole station’s mental health was a test, too, for the young officer. For the first time, he was more involved not just with the Starfleet personnel but with the civilian population as well. Thinking that his time on Deep Space 5 may be like his time growing up on Deep Space 19, he eventually found this was not the case. 

After a while, he found that remaining in one place was not as exhilarating as he was led to believe and requested a transfer to a ship-based assignment. The station saw little ‘action,’ and daily life became quite reliable, dull, and lacked energy. Max requested a transfer because he felt he was hurting his career by remaining on the station. 

USS Charlton (NCC-71098)

It wasn’t long until Max was offered the position of chief counsellor and chief diplomatic officer on board the USS Charlton, a Galaxy-class ship. With it came a promotion to full lieutenant, and Max loved every moment on board the vessel. The ship’s first officer also saw Max’s command potential and started to train him further in starship operations (being the ship’s former chief engineer). Over the next two years, between missions and every other duty, Max became quite the well-rounded officer and was eventually put in as part of the chain of command. He undertook the advanced tactical training (something rare for a counsellor to do) but passed with flying colours. As part of his reward, he was placed in charge of a duty shift, running a department of a decent size and being involved in most away missions that required his diplomatic expertise. All of this made Max quite the officer. All the time while he served, he did his best to avoid anyone using his adopted surname to his advantage. Max did not want special treatment as he was the son of a renowned fleet admiral. While on the Charlton, he made some close friends but found his work kept him from forming long-lasting relationships with anyone. The counsellor had yet to find any romantic interest.

USS Odyssey (NX/NCC-80000)

Consequently, he was headhunted to join the brand-new USS Odyssey as its chief counsellor and diplomatic officer. Captain McCallister, the ship’s commanding officer, had been a friend of the Charlton’s skipper and had been impressed by what he heard about Max. Additionally, McCallister owed Max’s adopted father everything for putting him in command of his ship years ago. To repay that gratitude, McCallister wanted Max to join his senior staff and make Admiral Duncan proud. Having a ‘Duncan’ on the Odyssey seemed like the right thing. Max was initially reluctant as he had worked hard to avoid using his father’s coattails to advance his career. That said, McCallister went out of his way to persuade the counsellor to join him. As such, a loose sense of friendship started between the two men.

Joining the crew of the brand-new prototype for the Odyssey­­­-class was a complete change for Max. It was much larger, and the work he would deal with would keep him on his toes. He eventually accepted the offer from McCallister, especially when McCallister shared his own story of how Max’s adoptive father had changed his life years ago by giving him a promotion to captain after a battle that took away his captain and first officer. Max, on some level, could relate to his birth parents being killed during the line of service. Alongside this, the new ship was much larger than the Charlton, and it was assumed the ship would be out on the frontlines of Starfleet’s efforts to fly the Federation flag.

Life on the new Odyssey was great. He would find himself involved in liaising with civilians who lived on the ship and the Starfleet crew. When the ship’s first officer left to assume command of their own ship, Max was promoted to third officer along with the rank of lieutenant commander. Over the next eight years, Max’s work was more focused on his work as the ship’s diplomatic officer than as head counsellor. He advised Captain McCallister many times, and others sought his counsel, too. In between his work, he mentored his deputies. He undertook further training in developing his knowledge of starship operations with as many engineering courses as he could get his hands on. Deep down, he was preparing for one day, wanting to command his own ship, but he kept this desire to himself. By the time he had reached thirty-eight, he was made a commander. He had several offers to leave the Odyssey to take up other more senior positions, as well as an exciting offer to teach at Starfleet Academy, but for the first time in his career, he decided to turn them down as he was enjoying what he was doing on the Odyssey. The ship’s mission of working in the Beta Quadrant, especially in helping the Romulans come to terms with their relocation, was one he found worthwhile doing. 

At the start of 2399, though, he received a call from his adoptive mother, Nicola, asking him to come home as his father, Fleet Admiral Duncan, had died. The admiral’s death was of natural causes, and he had the opportunity to retire and enjoy his last few years on the colony of Kovar Prime. Thankfully, the Odyssey was already on its way to Deep Space 19 to resupply, which was in orbit of Kovar. Max took the death of the man who had become his father for most of his childhood hard and requested a few weeks of personal leave to grieve. Returning home to Kovar, Max assisted his mother with the funeral arrangements and remained with her for some time. Not wanting him to be stuck on Kovar, Nicola insisted that Max return to the Odyssey at the earliest convenience. Thankfully, his crewmates were all there on his return, ready to assist him in dealing with his loss and be there for him as much as he had been there for them. At this point, Duncan realised he had to do something more with his life besides his career. He needed to push himself beyond his safe limits, try new things and build relationships with others. He also realised he needed to consider settling down to have a family. The death of his adoptive father made him regret not doing this sooner.

Max went on to command the Odyssey during the Archanis Campaign after the ship was crippled by two Klingon ships heavily damaging and boarding it. Captain McCallister, Commanders Cambil and Reyas were all incapacitated during this attack. Leading the ship to repel the Klingons from taking the ship and recovering from the attack, Max had the full support of the senior staff, which became a proud but humble moment for him. As all three senior officers above him required intense treatment, Admiral Beckett made him acting captain while the Odyssey participated in the defence of the Haydorian system. For his strong leadership and the mission’s success, he was commended for his bravery and leadership with the Christopher Pike Medal of Valour. 

In mid-2399, the ship entered the Delta Quadrant, and Max was heavily involved during its first mission to the Uxali homeworld. There, he worked closely with its leaders to repair the damage caused by Friendship One, picking up from where the Voyager crew had left it. He was instrumental in supporting the captain’s efforts to relocate the Uxali to a new planet. His work was split between helping the Uxali come to terms with the trauma they had endured for decades while at the same time leading on the ship’s diplomatic front. With his staff, Duncan successfully persuaded the Uxali leadership to sign a pledge to encourage further good relations. It opened a new doorway for further diplomatic interaction between the Uxali and the Federation, hoping a strong peace treaty would be created. 

Following this mission, Max helped McCallister’s efforts in dealing with the Omega Directive (without being informed about it). He opened a strong dialogue with a Kraylor captain who revealed to Max what their people were attempting to do and where. Furthermore, his diplomatic skills helped the ship when McCallister was not present and had left Cambil in command. When two Kraylor ships had arrived, he aided Doctor Sylvexs in making the Kraylor believe their people may be infected and it would be prudent for them to wait until the all-clear was given. After completing this mission, Commander Cambil surprisingly resigned her commission from Starfleet, leaving the Executive Officer position vacant. As Starfleet Command would not approve the promotion of Commander Reyas as she was McCallister’s wife, the captain asked Max to be his Number One instead. Max agreed on the spot; his aspirations to join the command division were now happening. 

Odyssey began exploring the Delta Hedalos Sector, a region of space in the Gradin Belt that Starfleet had not mapped before. While exploring an area called the Burbridge Cluster, the ship found an almost perfect M-class world that they named Outrè. While survey teams examined the planet, members of the crew were allowed to visit the planet for recreation and shore leave purposes. While joining his captain on a camping trip, Duncan was part of the team that found a gold obelisk with the T’Kon Empire cress on it on the surface of the planet’s ocean floor. This discovery began a new mission for the ship as it joined with every other ship in Starfleet to deal with the T’Kon crisis that was taking place on a galactic level. Though the mission lasted some time, the crew would transverse through a region of space filled with anomalies designed to slow them down. On the edge of this region, they rescued Professor Shu’varn, a Pendari scientist who had been researching the area and the Tkon for over eight years. Several days into the region, they finally reached the centre to find a Tkon outpost guarded by a Tkon sentry known as Portal 117. Portal 117 was dying and was hoping the Federation ship could help it. Duncan was ordered to lead the away team down to the planet to investigate the Tkon outpost. Unable to restore its systems in time, the away team witnessed Portal 117’s death, and the outpost’s systems started to fail further. In a bold attempt, Shu’varn volunteered to take over the guardianship of the outpost. Though the away team was injured when he did this, his actions and self-sacrifice ensured the outpost remained a secret to the rest of the galaxy, and he could use the outpost’s powers to return the Odyssey to normal space. Sadly, though, Duncan’s injuries were worse than those of anyone else on the away team. He was in a coma for over a week and ended up breaking several bones and shattering one of his knees. His recovery took some time, but it was helped with constant treatment from Doctor Slyvexs and regular exercise. Senior Chief Petty Officer Tobias Court helped with the latter, and it was after a springball match that the two started a romantic relationship.

Initially, their relationship was purely lustful until they decided they wanted to take things further and began properly dating in secrecy. Eventually, their relationship was discovered by others, and as a result, they decided to make Captain McCallister aware of it.

Their relationship took another level when the ship encountered an alien ark vessel, and most of the crew were kidnapped. Forced to live on the alien ark (known as the Quirennal) and care for the children that it had kept in cryo stasis for a long time, Court and Duncan’s relationship became full public knowledge when the holographic AI that controlled the ship announced it everyone else. Based on the ship’s former captain, the AI had Duncan and Court take care of the captain’s teenage sons. Over the next three months, Duncan and Court’s relationship developed so much that they became a family unit with the two boys, Jorgeh and Wylem. When a rescue attempt was made by the Odyssey (with help from the USS Bellerophon), it was revealed that Jorgeh and Wylem were the only survivors on the Quirennal and that every other child that Captan Jyster (the AI hologram that had kidnapped them) had created from the ship’s impressive technology. Jorgeh and Wylem ended up joining the Odyssey, and upon their return, Duncan and Court agreed to move in with one another and their sons. While escaping from the Quirennal, the ship returned to the Alpha Quadrant through unmapped underspace corridors. The entire crew were granted R&R on Mellstoxx, where Court and Duncan took both boys camping. They knew their recovery from the trauma endured while on the Quirennal would take time. Their request for the boys to seek asylum in the Federation was approved, and both Court and Duncan began proceedings to legally adopt both of them, allowing Jorgeh and Wylem to become Federation citizens.

At the start of the 25th century, the ship rescued those trapped in the Paulson Nebula while many ion storms passed through it. When this happened, the Odyssey was hit by a chronokinetic surge, which created numerous timeframes on the ship. Once the ship was eventually free, Duncan and every other crew member involved in the various time-travelling incidents to restore the ship were debriefed by the Department of Temporal Investigations. Furthermore, they were required by the Temporal Prime Directive to keep what happened to them a secret to avoid any further temporal paradoxes from occurring.  Though he was not involved in the timeframes from the past, Duncan was briefed about what his possible future self would do and discovered that he would be instrumental in helping restore the ship to its proper timeline.

Once again, the Odyssey was repaired at Starbase Bravo. Before long, the ship was sent into the Velorum Sector to deal with another crisis. After the collapse of the remains of the Romulan Star Empire, the Federation was requested by the provisional government to aid in rebuilding efforts. Sent to help the Romulan colony of Vorash, the crew uncovered a Tal Shiar plot to destroy the colony. Thankfully, the ship had helped establish the colony over a decade ago, so they had a somewhat familiar knowledge of its inhabitants. Duncan was well-liked by the colonists due to his previous role. During this mission, he was crucial in regaining support and trust with Grand DaiMon Deliaros, a Ferengi businesswoman helping the Vorash colonists. With help from Court, Duncan was forced to be flirtatious with the Ferengi to ensure a fair deal remained with the colony.

After that, the Odyssey returned to the Delta Quadrant to resume its exploration mission in the Gradin Belt. Months later, Court asked Duncan to marry him. The two agreed and were prepared to get married sooner rather than later, as they wanted to enjoy the rest of their lives together. While in the middle of their wedding preparations, Duncan and Court had to deal with Hazari bounty hunters who wanted to kill both Jorgeh and Wylem as the last apparent remnants of the Ryslanti civilisation. With the crew’s help, they were able to deceive the Hazari by making both boys appear Human. Furthermore, Doctor Slyvexs manipulated their DNA temporarily to appear as if they were the children of both Duncan and Court. The computer records were also changed to reflect this, including changing their names to Jordan and William. Once the Hazari threat was dealt with, Duncan and Court married on the Odyssey and had their sons as their best men. 

The Odyssey’s continued diplomacy mission in the Gradin Belt resulted in the ship discovering a Brenari refugee convoy. Duncan, along with the rest of the crew, enjoyed time getting to know the Brenari after visiting their secret colony. Hiding from the Devore Imperium, the Brenari colony within the Gahery Sanctum was rocked during the Blood Dilithium crisis. The crew helped the Brenari; however, when a nearby baby telepathic pitcher plant (BTPP) was infected by the sudden arrival of Blood Diliithum from subspace, the crew reached out to the telepathic crew members to help it. Unfortunately, its actions caused those crew members to mutiny against McCallister and Duncan. During the crisis, Duncan was forced to take command of the Odyssey again, part of a ploy invented by McCallister to regain control of the ship from the mutineers. When their plan to break free from the BTPP appeared to be failing, Duncan began the ship’s auto-destruct sequence. With only minutes left, they were able to subdue the mutineers (who had no control over their actions thanks to the BTPP) and regain control of the ship. During the process, they were able to treat the BTPP and escape from its telepathic control. After rescuing many more Brenari, who the BTPP had taken control of, the ship returned the refugees to the hidden colony. 

By the start of 2401, the Odyssey expanded its exploration efforts with the arrival of the three other ships to join it. Duncan spent more time in command of the vessel while McCallister dealt with other matters involving the squadron he now led after his promotion to fleet captain. After rescuing a group of Borg drones, who had lost their connection to the Collective almost twenty-five years ago, the Odyssey headed into the Swallow Nebula region. While in the Kataba Expanse, the ship developed strong ties with the Benthans. During an away mission to an abandoned Hirogen communication relay, an internal defence mechanism made Duncan and others unconscious. While Odyssey was dealing with another matter, a passing Kobali trader believed the entire away team was dead and attempted to take them back to his homeworld to turn them into Kobali. Thankfully, with the help of the Benthans, Duncan and the others were rescued by Court and others from the Kobali. 

When the entire squadron was ordered back to the Alpha Quadrant, Duncan, like everyone else, was dismayed at Starfleet’s decision to pull them away from their exploration and diplomatic efforts. The need to have the Odyssey and others back for the upcoming 250th anniversary of Frontier Day seemed trivial to them all. However, they followed orders. Back in the Alpha Quadrant, the crew was ordered to patrol areas of the Black Cluster near the Deneb Sector. While in the middle of their patrol, new orders were sent to all ships in the Fourth Fleet to proceed to areas of the Deneb Sector and repeal an invasion from the fleet that the Dominion lost in the Bajoran wormhole during the opening stages of the Dominion War. The Lost Fleet had somehow been released and had launched a mass-scale attack on Federation targets. While en route to Starbase 514, the Odyssey received a distress call from the Federation colony on Divinium Four. Leading its squadron, the Odyssey altered course to defend the colony. With help from ships from the Cardassian’s Third Order, the Odyssey was able to unravel why the colonists on Divinium Four had disappeared and stopped the Dominion from using a new mutagenic weapon against the Federation. During this, Duncan was promoted by McCallister to the rank of captain. He did this to give Duncan the authority to command the Odyssey in his absence while he was on other ships in their squadron. After saving the colonists and defeating the remnants of the Lost Fleet in orbit of Deneb, the Odyssey was ordered to Earth ahead of the Frontier Day celebrations. 

Though Frontier Day was meant to be a joyous occasion, especially with them celebrating the two-hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Starfleet, things didn’t go as planned. While participating in the new fleet formation display in orbit of Earth, the Odyssey crew were engulfed by the Borg’s Jupiter Signal, which transformed most of the crew’s younger members into drones. On the bridge of the Odyssey, Duncan had to stun Jordan (now a Starfleet cadet) to prevent him and other younger members from killing the crew. The Odyssey was heavily damaged during this disaster, but Duncan and Court were able to save their son.

While the ship was repaired in Earth orbit, Duncan was informed that his father, Fleet Admiral Luke Duncan, was recovered among the many Starfleet officers that rogue Changeling infiltrators had replaced. His father had not died two years ago. Instead, the Changeling that had replaced him had made it look like he had died of natural causes while it moved onto a new assignment to cause further disruption to the Federation ahead of the combined plans instigated by the desperate actions of the Borg Queen. Happy to have his father back, Max spent time with his father and his mother, reconnecting and introducing his family to his father.

Eventually, the Odyssey returned to the Delta Quadrant and continued its efforts in the Swallow Nebula region. While there, it discovered the remains of a Borg transwarp hub being repaired and finished by a Borg ship. Additionally, a Malon salvage group wanted to take over the hub to use as a method of dumping theta radiation in far reaches across the galaxy. The Odyssey attacked the hub to prevent it from being completed or taken by the Malon. Duncan led the assault teams onto the hub to destroy the shield generators. The mission was a success, and the Borg and Malon forces in the region retreated to their own territory.   

After several months of re-establishing contact with some species, the ship discovered the aperture of an underspace corridor that took them back to the far edges of Federation space near the Typhon Expanse. The Odyssey had been heavily damaged during a recent engagement, so the decision was made to use the underspace corridor to return home, make repairs, and return. While back in Federation space, it turned out this corridor wasn’t the only one that had opened up. Recalled to Deep Space Nineteen, the Odyssey Squadron found itself adding to its numbers and preparing to lead an exploration force into an underspace aperture that had appeared close to the station. When McCallister was made a commodore, McCallister decided that it was time he made Duncan the Odyssey’s commanding officer. After a brief ceremony, command of the ship was completely transferred to Duncan. The Odyssey returned to the Swallow Nebula region to discover Cardassian ships. Though they could not stop the Cardassians from closing the apertures, Duncan and his new crew could pick up from where they left the Delta Quadrant and resume their mission of exploration.