Olivia Sellards

A holo-image of Olivia Sellards taken on Theta Zibal III in early 2395

Professor Olivia Eleanor Sellards is the 39 year old Director of Research and de facto leader of Dehner Base, a Federation-run civilian science station on Delta Vega I in the distant Sagittarius Reach. A xenoanthropologist focusing on studying effects the nearby Galactic Barrier upon the region, she has also been assigned to work closely with the crew of the USS Columbia, the long range explorer assigned to the region by Starfleet. Resentful and distrustful of Starfleet’s presence she has clashed a number of times with Captain Theo Whittaker, Columbia’s commanding officer.

Early Life

Olivia Eleanor Sellards was born on July 8th 2362 to parents Finn and Marie Sellards. Just before her 7th birthday, Olivia's parents were told that her maternal uncle had not died during a routine survey mission but in the course of an illegal Federation plot to create a working inter phasic cloaking device. The deception and the reveal of the truth, store Olivia's family apart. Her mother split from her father and turned to drugs- eventually passing away before her daughter's 12th birthday. This fostered a lifelong distrust of Starfleet, who she views as dangerous.

From an early age, Olivia showed an aptitude for science, eventually deciding shortly after her eleventh birthday that she wished to become a xenoanthropologist. Preferring not to enlist in Starfleet, she instead obtained a degree from Cambridge University before receiving her doctoral dissertation from the University of Tomobiki on Theta Zibal III. After teaching tenure at the latter she was made Professor, the youngest person to awarded the title in fifty years at UoT.

Dehner Base

During the course of her studies, Olivia became fascinated by stories of the Galactic Barrier and in particular the dangerous effects that it displayed in people with high ESP ratings. When the Quadros XII probe transmitted telemetry in 2394 that the barrier’s energy output and mass had decreased, she petitioned the Federation Science Council to allow her to lead a team of scientists to explore the region and to understand the nature of the barrier. The Science Council agreed and established Dehner Base, which was brought online in late 2395 after being constructed by the Starfleet Corps of Engineers. Olivia strenuously objected to the presence of defensive weapons emplacements and asked for them to be removed but was overruled. Because of her distrust of Starfleet, she ordered Professor Jev chim Glev, the base's lead archeologist, to conceal the truth behind the discovery of several relics of the Tkon Empire from the Columbia crew, fearing that they would attempt to weaponise them.

Appearances

Missing In Action: While aboard Columbia to assume her post on Dehner Base, Olivia approaches Captain Whittaker and demands that he recommend that the Federation Science Council order the removal of the weapons emplacements viewing them as needlessly provocative to local species. Whittaker, who sees them as a necessary evil, cites Khan Singh’s attack on Regula I as an example of why. This causes an argument which ends when Olivia storms from the Ready Room. A short while later she attempts to convince Lieutenant Krindo Pandorn to do the same, but he refuses and she clashes with Whittaker again. Shortly after, she departs Columbia to take up her post.

The Battle of New Year's Day: Olivia reluctantly offers Captain Whittaker, Jarred Thoran and several members of the senior staff a guided tour of Dehner Base but displays little interest. A short while afterwards, she clashes with Professor Jev crim Glev, an archaeologist assigned alongside her, over a recent discovery on a nearby planet that she had kept hidden from the Columbia’s crew. She threatens to ruin his career if he goes over her head. When Dehner Base is attacked by Losarian mercenaries a shortwhile later, she is present when their leader- Kaironn- absconds with the artefacts having been looking for them after detecting them. She and Jev make their way to the Science Centre and speak with Captain Whittaker, informing him that ‘samples’ have been taken from the base. She and Jev have another disagreement about the nature of the artefacts and whether to reveal their true nature to Whittaker, with Sellards once again refusing to let Jev do so. However, Jev reveals the information anyway- that he had uncovered relics of the Tkon Empire- which further inflames her tension with Whittaker, who resents her keeping the discovery to herself. In a conversation with the Columbia's CO she reveals that has distrusted Starfleet after the details of her uncle's death came to light, resenting the effect it had on her mother. She becomes withdrawn after this revelation, although she does agree to allow Whittaker and his crew to attempt to retrieve the stolen artefacts. During the ship's second confrontation with Kaironn- she is injured and suffers a concussion. Brought to sickbay, she at first refuses treatment from Doctor Anath G'Renn because she is a Starfleet officer, but soon relents.