Robert April
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Robert T. April | |
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| Species: | Human |
| Gender: | Male |
| Home planet: | Earth |
| Affiliation: | Starfleet |
| Position: | USS Enterprise commanding officer |
| Rank: | Captain Commodore |
Robert T. April is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe who appears as a commodore in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "The Counter-Clock Incident",[1] in which he is voiced by James Doohan and portrayed as the first captain of the USS Enterprise.[2]
Although the character has not appeared or been mentioned in any live-action Trek works, April is listed in the Star Trek Chronology and The Star Trek Encyclopedia as the Enterprise's first commanding officer.[3][2] A photograph accompanying these entries depicts Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry wearing a Starfleet uniform.[2] Additionally, April appears in the novels Final Frontier[4] and Best Destiny[5] by Diane Carey as the captain of the Enterprise.
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[edit] Pilot development
When Roddenberry submitted his first proposal for Star Trek to MGM Studios in 1964, his name for the starship commander was "Robert M. April" (another name, Captain Winter, was also considered).[citation needed] The proposal was rejected, and Star Trek did not become a television reality until later that year when NBC accepted the premise, by which time the captain was changed to "Christopher Pike".
[edit] Character history
[edit] "The Counter-Clock Incident"
The animated series' writers included Commodore Robert April in "The Counter-Clock Incident", making the character's middle initial T and not M as in Roddenberry's original proposal.[2] In the episode, the Enterprise crew begins to rapidly age in reverse.[1] Commodore April's and his wife's, Sarah, old age affords them more time at maturity, allowing them to save the crew and undo the reverse aging process.[1] The episode establishes that Sarah was the chief medical officer of the Enterprise during Robert April's time as the ship's commanding officer.[1]
[edit] In print
Carey's books indicate that April hails from Coventry in England.[4] He wears various cardigan sweaters over his uniform due to a rare blood disorder that causes him to feel slightly chilly most of the time.[4] Commander George Kirk, father of future Enterprise commanding officer James T. Kirk, serves as April's executive officer.[4][5] Carey's books also feature Sarah as the ship's chief medical officer.[4][5] However, Crisis on Vulcan[6] by Brad and Barbara Strickland portrays Pike as first officer under April when Spock visits the ship.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "The Counter-Clock Incident". Star Trek: The Animated Series.
- ^ a b c d Okuda, Mike and Denise Okuda, with Debbie Mirek (1999). The Star Trek Encyclopedia. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-53609-5.
- ^ Okuda, Michael and Denise Okuda (1996). Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-53610-9.
- ^ a b c d e Carey, Diane (1989). Final Frontier. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-69655-6.
- ^ a b c Carey, Diane (1993). Best Destiny. Pocket Books. ISBN 0671795880.
- ^ Strickland, Brad and Barbara Strickland (1996). Crisis on Vulcan, Starfleet Academy. Alladin. ISBN 0671000780.
[edit] External links
| Captains of Star Trek vessels named Enterprise | ||||||||||
| Jonathan Archer | Robert April | Christopher Pike | James T. Kirk | Willard Decker | Spock | John Harriman | Rachel Garrett | Jean-Luc Picard | William Riker | Edward Jellico |
