Jhen Thelev/Personal history

Transcript from Starfleet Academy graduation interview;

"I’ll take a seat, shall I? Thankyou Sir. Well, some people pronounce it as ‘Jen’ but, more accurately, in the Terran tongue it’s ‘Yen Thelev’. I know, the universal translator does have a bit of difficulty with it. But I’m used to it by now.

Yes I grew up on Andor itself, that’s right. I have four parents, actually - two mothers and two fathers. Yes, it can get complicated! They’re all responsible for getting me here today; my first parents are both in politics, that’s how they met actually. My first mother was a diplomatic aide for the Federation ambassador to the Klingons at one point. They could be a little strict in their regime at times but they taught me discipline.

My second parents? Well, to hear my uncle tell it they were pair of tearaways! They ran an insersteller merchant business, trading shield technology I think, all over the Federation and beyond. They tell me a lot of stories about the adventures they got into, though I’m not sure which ones to believe. The way my uncle tells it they sound like a couple of Ferengi smugglers! Ha! no i don’t know how they all got together - I’ve asked, but I never get a straight answer out of any of them, they mostly just laugh. Still, I grew up with stories of distant planets and cultures, and tales of space adventures so when I was a child I’d dream about the galaxy. I was quite a keen astronomer when I was young and read up on all sorts of obscure civilisations. My first mother saw this as a fine opportunity to teach me the Klingon language. Yes, I still practice it when I can. My older sister is following my first parents - she’s already making a name for herself in local politics on Andor. I know she’s hoping for an ambassadorial position eventually. My younger sister is still in school, so I’m not sure which route she’ll be taking yet - I’ll work on her, though, try to get her to join Starfleet, too. My school days were good. Very good actually. I did well at all of my subjects and had the time to learn to fly. Yes I had my own atmospheric racer, a bit of a hobby of mine. Took part in some amateur events and did alright for myself. No, not well enough for a career, sadly! Well, I wanted to send in my application to the Academy as soon as I left school, but my fathers persuaded me otherwise, thought some extra experience would help. So I spent three years working for the Andorian Couriers. It was mostly in-system work, but I did get to visit Earth twice and Tellar once. Well I did a variety of roles; sensors, helm, navigation, communication and some engineering. It gave me a pretty broad scope, let me pick up some skills in all aspects of spacecraft, really. Yes the extra experience did do me well - I submitted my application to the Academy when I was 22 and was accepted first time. With hindsight, I don’t think I would have made it in when I was 18.

My time at the Academy? Well, as you can see from the records I did well. Top five of the class for shuttle piloting, navigation and communicator operations. I think I’m somewhere in the top ten for most of the other primary subjects, too, though I know my sciences let me down a bit. My tutors said my greatest strengths were my adaptability and perception - I know I’m not the greatest engineer in the galaxy but I can usually cope with unfamilier technology and I’m good at spotting when things aren’t right. I enjoyed sports, too. Yes it was mostly team sports but I did get the chance to take up flying again and take part in some of the solo races.

Well, I took the extra language module as I already knew Klingon pretty well so thought it’d be a good choice for some extra credits. I struggled on the Romulan section though; I understand their alphabet so I’m better at reading and writing it than at speaking, something to do with the context and inflections. I know I’ve got a good, solid selection of grades there so hopefully I’ll be able to use them as a foundation to build better achievements.

The social activities? Well, as I’m sure any of my classmates will tell you I didn’t avoid the parties! No, I wouldn’t consider myself a 'party animal' at all, I just prefer company to being alone. I must admit I don’t like the limelight too much myself. Close friends? I only had a few really close friends - the same is true of most Andorians, we’re very family and clan orientated so only have a small number of very close companions. Yes, I consider my friends from the Academy as family and I can be a bit overprotective of family.

Oh, that’s in there, is it? Well, the report did say it was the Vulcan who started it, but I know it was stupid of me. I do consider myself an open person and like to take everyone on an individual basis, but he was being typically Vulcan and arrogant and I don’t like seeing one of my friends bullied. Well that’s true, but Andorians aren’t as bad as Klingons! We do our best to reign in our aggressive tendancies. That’s right, the ritual duelling. I have a holodeck program where I practice when I can, it’s a very good way to relax and I’m very proficient with the Chaka now, that’s the Andorian duelling dagger. No, I’ve definitely matured since then and I always try to keep my emotions under control. I know it can make me a bit impulsive sometimes but I don’t think that is a bad thing - sometimes it’s good to act when others hesitate. It’s also part of being able to adapt to new situations, I think.

That’s all? Well, thank you for your time, Sir. I’m really looking forward to it, should be a challenge.”