Commander Karen Villiers   

Character Information
Name		Karen Villiers
Rank		Commander
Position		Defence Attorney
Second Position		Commander
Gender		Female
Species		Human
Age		34
Physical Appearance
Height		5’ 10”
Weight		125 lbs.
Eye Color		Brown
Hair Color		Brown
Physical Description		Tall and thin Karen appears to be rather more fragile than she actually is, she maintains her well toned body through a varied exercise regime which combines endurance sports such as distance running and rockclimbing with resistance training and tai-chi.

Personality & Traits
General Overview
If there is one experience that transformed the bookish and slightly serious Karen Villiers into a confident and fiercely independent young woman it was attending university two years ahead of her peers. It was her mother’s influence that enabled Karen to sit the entrance exams to Cambridge at fifteen and to begin to study for her law degree at sixteen; having both enjoyed this advantage and experienced the difficulties and confusions that came with being so removed from her peers at such an early age. Karen accepts the gift for what it was but resolved never to exploit such connections again – if it takes her a little longer to do it on her own that is the way she’ll choose to do it.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Outgoing and inquisitive Karen is as likely to be found propping up the bar with friends as she is reciting an obscure point of law to emphasize and support her point. She also finds the line between on and off-duty slightly blurry … Karen is not exactly a team player and has chosen a career path in which she can rely on her own skill and knowledge rather than the support of others; that is not to say that she doesn’t value the team, only that she considers her natural position to be leading it.
Ambitions
Hobbies & Interests
Having been a champion both at University and Starfleet Academy Karen retains a keen interest in debate and rhetoric, often arguing a point for its own sake rather than because of any actual belief in it. Less controversially, she enjoys languages, reading, drama, running, climbing, swimming and ballet.
Languages		Federation Standard, a working knowledge of Vulcan, Klingon and Romulan.
Family
Father		Christopher Villiers. Lawyer and former diplomatic envoy to Trill, Betazed and Romulus.
Mother		Susannah Croft, Professor of Exolingustics, University of Cambridge. Earth.
Brother(s)		Karl
Sister(s)
Spouse
Children
Other Family

Born in 2351, Karen enjoyed a comfortable if somewhat unconventional childhood split between the ancient colleges of Cambridge and the modern facilities of the Federation’s off-world civilian diplomatic services depending on where the requirements of her parent’s careers required the family to be.

Along with her brother Karl, Karen demonstrated prodigious early intelligence, something both nurtured and encouraged by their parent’s who exposed the children to every experience they could in order to stimulate their growing minds. The practice obviously worked as both children far outstripped their peers.

Having taken the entrance exams at 15, through the influence of her mother, Professor Croft, Karen secured a place at Downing College, Cambridge to study the law. She began there at 16 balancing the needs of study and college life with her family and travels. It was not the easiest time for Karen being two or three years younger than the majority of other students however she persevered and as well as graduating with First Class Honours became a national debating champion and rowing blue.

Karen remained at Downing to study for her Masters – her thesis examining the limitations on interstellar co-operation compounded by local law – she received research funding and an internship at the same time from Starfleet’s JAG Office.
Once her thesis was finalised it seemed a natural step to enrol in Starfleet Academy, in 2372 eventually graduating in 2376 the year after the Dominion war.

Her first assignment with rank of Lieutenant was as Lead Counsel on board the USS Ourania which spent the next three years in Cardassian space facilitating the smooth implementation of the Treaty of Bajor.

Karen remained with the Ourania until 2379 when she returned to the academy for a year on the recommendation of Captain Hargreaves of the USS Ourania to take some additional command training. Though she had intended to return to the USS Ourania an opening with the judiciary on Starbase 24 located near the Federation/Klingon/Romulan border became available in 2381. For Karen this opportunity was irresistible, giving her an opportunity to test in practice the subject of her thesis and to develop it to form the basis of a doctoral proposal she would write at the end of that posting.

In order to facilitate her doctorate Karen completed her research and took a post at Starfleet HQ between 2383 and 2386 which gave her the additional advantage of being able to refresh her practical experience of the federation judicial system inb a more mundane environment. The official version (Classified Level Five) is somewhat different - Karen's tenure at Starbase 24 would have lasted considerably longer but following the successful resolution of a cross-border conflict between the Federation, Romulan and Klingon empires to which she applied an interpretation of interstellar and regional law considered a little too creative by Federation authorities she found herself asked to leave under something of a cloud. Whilst her reputation in starfleet was somewhat tarnished her exceptional abiltities and the support of her mentor Admiral Peter Brailsford helped to put the shine back, indeed, it ws he who secured her new role at SF HQ imediately after this incident. An interesting and unexpected result was also a reputation in both empires as a competent legal opinion and arbiter and Karen has often been called on to advise where disputes invovling those powers have arisen.

On completion of this and on the verge of accepting a senior posting at SF HQ a friend requested that she might take a look at what had been happening in the vicinity of DS5. It was an intriguing possibility, and confident in the knowledge that her position on Earth could be covered by an interim appointment until she chose to return Karen agreed to accept the posting at DS5.

The epithet 'Desk Jockey' applied by one department head who shall remain nameless *cough* Gabriel *cough* is actually appropriate to Karen. She has never settled down at DS5 always considering the posting temporary. That means she has spent more time on her job as JAG than getting to know the crew and shown a marked disinclination to get involved in the deep space shenannigans that are the bread and butter of the many thrill seekers who choose a life beyond the stars.

She hopes that any day soon she will be recalled to Earth to take up the promised post at SG HQ.

 

(and education)
2367 – 2370: Undergraduate – Federation and Interstellar law. Downing College, Cambridge.
2370 – 2372: MA – Ethics and Exo-legalities – Examining the limitations on co-operation and common practice in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. (Combined with an internship at Starfleet’s JAG Office)
2373 – 2376: Starfleet Academy.
2376 – 2379: USS Ourania. Lead Counsel.
2381 – 2383: Starbase 24. Senior JAG/2nd Officer
2383 – 2386: JAG Office. Starfleet HQ
2386 - 2389: Executive Officer. Deep Space Five

Key Points
2376: Graduates Starfleet Academy and is assigned to the USS Ourania as Chief Diplomatic Officer with the Rank of Lieutenant.
2380: Returns to Starfleet Academy to take Command Course on recommendation of Captain Hargreaves of the USS Ourania.
2381: Accepts the position of Senior JAG/2nd Officer on Starbase 24 retaining the rank of Lieutenant.
2383: Promoted to Lieutenant Commander.
2383: Accepts position with the JAG office at Starfleet HQ.
2385: Promoted to Commander.
2385: Made Doctor of Law
2386: Following the statistically high incidence of diplomatic unrest in the area is transferred to DS5 to act as First Officer.

Please see Romulan Ambassador Isha t'Khellian my former Player Character turned NPC for Louise's full award and posting history on DS5.