Edward Spears is a complicated man for a Martian. He takes his role as a healer extremely seriously, with a commitment to cultural understanding coming right after. He also possesses a talent for self-deprecating humour; his main defence mechanism when placed in unfamiliar or uncomfortable territory. Ed is a personable type who gets along well with almost everyone. His openness to learning about and sharing in other cultures ingratiates him with his non-human colleagues who are often eager to share parts of their own worlds and experiences with him. He's optimistic about the future in a way unique to Martians; something developed before Mars was terraformed. Almost a distinct cultural trait on its own many Martians, including Ed, can't help but see the future as filled with the promise and possibility of something better, even as they laugh about the unfortunate circumstances that always seem to push that future a few days further along. Ed is passionate about learning and discovery, like any good scientist. He works to further his understanding both inside his field, and also across other disciplines. He is known to socialize with people from every department while off duty so that he might learn something new, whether it's about a culture, ship's system, emerging research, music, or art.
Because of this openness and eagerness to absorb the galaxy around him, Ed is unfortunately susceptible to being emotionally hurt by dishonesty, deception, or unkindness. He hates to see others in pain or suffering, and he cannot stand to see it inflicted on others. He fiercely believes that military action should only be taken as a last resort, and only in self-defence. The Federation's trend toward heavier armament and purpose-built warships is one that doesn't sit well with him at all, despite the recent events that led to those decisions being taken at the highest levels. He also has regular arguments about security orders that force him to carry a sidearm on away missions.
Since coming aboard the USS Constitution, Ed has formed close bonds with many members of the crew. His first mission included grave peril and some of those colleagues' lives had been placed in immediate danger. Ed learned a lot about the potential risks involved in being a Starfleet officer and it caused him to reflect on his humoured approach to many aspects of life. In the end, he realized that there would always be hard times no matter where he served and that a doctor's role is to heal in whatever capacity he's capable of. Sometimes that requires physical treatment, but sometimes it simply takes a quick joke or a smile to help a patient feel more at ease.
Early History and Education
Ed Spears was born to Frederick Spears, a space-habitat architect, and Bethany Lawrence-Spears, a family physician in Mariner City on Mars. Ed’s childhood was spent in the hundreds of kilometres of tunnels and dome habitats that cover the Martian surface, but his father’s work allowed for frequent trips to Luna, Io, and Ganymede. His first experience going to Earth wasn’t until Ed was 16 years old, and was selected to represent the Mariner Technical Collegiate at a Young Federation Assembly. Ed was stunned by the beauty of humanity’s homeworld, having only seen it in holographic form before. The mock assembly also put the delegates in contact with influential mentors from across the Federation with an eye to attract future leaders in the diplomatic and political fields. But Ed, ever the unconventional student, found himself wandering the campus alone. Thinking of his mother’s vocation, he decided to tour Starfleet Medical. A fateful encounter with one Doctor Karen Heartmier changed Ed’s course in life from one of engineering or diplomacy to one of medicine and discovery.
Over the next few years, Ed and Doctor Heartmier kept in touch as he finished his studies on Mars. She personally recommended him for Starfleet Academy’s pre-medicine programme, but he decided to take some time to gain experience working in the Martian Volunteer Technical Corps before making any final decisions on his final direction in life. Having given some years of work to his home planet, he finally accepted an offer to Starfleet Academy. His first years at the academy were some of the best, and most difficult of his life. Unused to the full gravity of Earth, Ed struggled with the physical training elements of Academy life; and since he wasn’t from a ‘true’ low gravity world, he wasn’t offered much assistance. It was also the longest he’d spent away from his family and he missed important milestones in their lives, including his older sister’s wedding. Despite the challenges, he managed to make it through the pre-med programme and into Starfleet Medical proper.
Fully immersed in his medical studies, Ed found himself forming firm friendships with the other medical students, but especially those who weren’t from Earth. His openness and enthusiasm towards different cultures ingratiated him to his non-human peers and propelled him toward a focus in xeno-physiology. In the end, Doctor Edward Spears finished the rigorous training at Starfleet Medical and took his oath.
USS Constitution-B
Ed's first posting was to the USS Constitution-B, and he was immediately thrown into the fire. Only a few hours aboard ship and he found himself embroiled in a classified mission for Starfleet along with his new crewmates. It was on that mission that Ed learned the depths of evil that exist out in the galaxy, but also what lengths he was willing to go to in order to save the lives of the crew. There come times in most officers' lives that a true choice must be made between personal safety and the saving of a life, but most officers don't experience such a test until much later in their careers. Ed left the experience with a more complete sense of self and found himself fully integrated into the Constitution family.
It was during his second cruise with the Constitution that Ed experienced both the wonder that comes with the discovery of a new species, but also the pain that can come when the risks of exploration aren't fully appreciated. In an encounter with an energy-based lifeform, the ship was attacked and damaged. Ed was responsible for the coordination of Sickbay's emergency response efforts. In the midst of the crisis, a crew member fell gravely ill and required immediate surgery to save her life. Ed leapt into action despite lacking the surgical background of some of the senior medical officers. He did his best to save the petty officer's life, but she ultimately succumbed to the rare disease she was afflicted with. This was the first time Ed had lost a patient outside of the simulations in medical school and the death hit him harder than he'd anticipated. If it weren't for some of his friends and colleagues onboard helping him work through the guilt associated with the loss, he might not have recovered from this event so quickly. In the end, after consultation with the captain, he decided to look into undertaking his surgical fellowship while remaining on the Constitution.
