Samuel Bishop-Se'Lai
Updated: Apr 21
Dr Samuel Alexander Bishop-Se'Lai
ASSIGNMENT |
RANK |
 RDML |
POST |
XO | 38th Fleet |
SERVICE NUMBER |
AK-985-1400 ZXA |
DEMOGRAPHICS |
SPECIES |
Human |
GENDER |
Male |
DATE OF BIRTH |
56364.4 (14 May 2379) |
PLACE OF BIRTH |
Lancaster, United Kingdom, Earth |
HEIGHT |
6'3" |
WEIGHT |
102kg |
EYE COLOUR |
Green |
HAIR COLOUR |
Black |
SERVICE JACKET
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CAREER MILESTONES
2395| Joined Starfleet Academy.
2399| Graduated Starfleet Academy with honours in the Tactical Track, history, and philosophy.
- Commissioned as Ensign on the USS Endurance as a security officer.
2401| Promoted to Lieutenant (Junior Grade).
- Assigned as a tactical bridge officer.
2405| Promoted to Lieutenant.
Transferred to USS Thunderbird as Head of Security.
2408|Completed an extensive survey of Bajoran archaelogy and Bajoran history.
2409| Promoted to Lieutenant Commander.
Reassigned as Chief Tactical Officer.
Discharged from duty and re-enrolled in Starfleet Academy.
2412|Re-Graduated from Starfleet Academy and Starfleet Command School with majors in Archaeology and Military Command.
Promoted to Commander.
Offered a post as First Officer by Captain Jenny Cartwright on the USS Endeavour (NCC 1777).
2413| Awarded the Starfleet Cross for his actions during the siege of Kobali Prime.
2414| Made acting Captain of the USS Endeavour.
Awarded the Starfleet Silver Star.
2415| Awarded the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor.
Promoted to Captain.
Given permanent command of the USS Endeavour.
Transferred to the 38th Fleet, Task Force Argo, Deep Space 13.
2416| Awarded the Starfleet Bronze Star.
Awarded the Prentares Ribbon of Commendation (x2)
Achieved a PhD in Archaeology
Suspended from active duty for Obstruction of Justice
Awarded the Starfleet Bronze Star
Awarded the Starfleet Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry
Awarded the Starfleet Decoration for Gallantry
Awarded the Starfleet Medal of Commendation (x2)
2417| 4 Jan - Returned to active duty following his suspension
4 Feb - Declared MIA after being taken hostage. After Action Report
24 Feb - Rescued from the Icarus. After Action Report
11 April - Cleared for active duty. Communication
1 May - Retakes Command of the USS Endeavour.
14 May - Takes command of the USS Endeavour (NCC 98500)
21 May - Awarded the Starfleet Medal of Commendation
Officially changes his surname to Bishop-Se'Lai.
2419| December - Relieved of command of the U.S.S. Endeavour
- Is made the Executive Officer of the 38th Fleet
2420| May - Promoted to Rear Admiral, Lower Half
BIOGRAPHICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Samuel grew up in a privileged household, slightly spoilt, where he grew up without rules or regulations. He studied at Eton from the age of 11 to the age of 18, where he boarded. He constantly broke the rules here but he was academically gifted enough to not have to try to pass. He did so with ease. He was excellent athletically and captained various teams such as the Football, Rugby, Cricket and Rowing. When he graduated, he enrolled at the academy, more due to tradition rather than his own wish. His first two years at the academy were ones of recklessness and of loitering around, similar to his time at Eton. Threatened with expulsion, Sam was visited by his brother, then a Vice Admiral, who gave him a long lecture about what being a Starfleet officer was about. We do not know what Sebastian told Sam but some people say that Sebastian talked about his time as a cadet on the Endeavour during the Battle of Wolf 359, something Sebastian was not known to talk about. Whatever happened, Sam changed and reapplied himself to his studies, eventually graduating Starfleet in 2399 and passing the Advanced Tactical Training with the recommendation of his brother.
Following his graduation, he was assigned to the USS Endurance as an Ensign. His tactical prowess due to his extensive reading of military history distinguished him from other officers. During this time he served both on the Klingon and Romulan borders. In 2405 he was promoted to Lieutenant and reassigned to the USS Thunderbird, posted in the Alpha Quadrant. During this time, he helped to compile an extensive survey of Bajor, putting his historical knowledge to use. In 2409 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and was made Head of Security but when there was a reshuffle in the crew, Sam fell out with the new First Officer and was discharged soon after. Sam returned to Earth and decided to go into further education, his time in Starfleet changing his outlook on life and work. In 2412, Sam graduated again with a Primary Distinction in Archaeology, History and Philosophy as well as graduating from Starfleet Command School. To journey back into the Delta Quadrant, Starfleet requisitioned a new line of starships, one of these being the Concorde class. Due to his service record, Sam was handpicked by Captain Jenny Cartwright to serve as First Officer on one of these new ships, the USS Endeavour, a post which Sam happily assumed. The Endeavour served in the Delta Quadrant during the war in the Solanae Dyson Sphere and during the siege of Kobali Prime, Sam was posted on the front lines, where he formed the famed "Kobali Cobras." Following this, the Endeavour played a key part in the Iconian War and when Captain Jenny Cartwright was killed during one of the Herald attacks, Sam was made acting Captain and then later promoted to Captain, being offered the Endeavour and winning the "Christopher Pike Medal of Valor" when the war had come to a conclusion.
Sam was then assigned to the 38th Fleet, Task Force Argo, stationed at Deep Space 13. In 2415, following a message from his old mentor, Dr Kala Anjar, Sam participated in an excavation on Arcturus, where he discovered an ancient relic. On the way back to DS13 however, the Endeavour was attacked and the relic was stolen. Sam was critically injured during the fight and had to be placed in a coma. Following his coma, and having no leads to go on, Sam resumed his duties at Argo, participating in many missions and winning several awards.
In 2416, intelligence reported a ship, similar to the one that had attacked Sam a year previous, and Sam launched a secret mission to identify it. The mission was a complete disaster; somehow, the enemy knew of all the communications, including highly classified data. The only success was that a name was found; the faction who took the relic was called "The Sacred Band."
After the USS Gainsborough went missing in late 2416, Sam participated in the Search and Rescue of the survivors. During this time, he and Captain Keelah Se'Lai, who was in charge of the Gainsborough SAR, became close and the pair eventually began dating. It was at this time that Sam feared that the Endeavour had been bugged. Along with his best friend, Captain Andrej Timoreev, and Keelah, they hatched a plan to test the theory. The trap they sprung confirmed Sam's suspicions and the bugs ended up being found and removed. It was revealed that the bugs had been planted on the Endeavour by none other than Jenny Cartwright, who Sam had a relationship with before her passing in the Iconian War. Following this, Sam received news that his mother had passed away and it was after Sam and Keelah were on their way back from the funeral when Sam proposed to Keelah. Keelah accepted, much to the ire of Sam's brother, Admiral Sebastian Bishop.
In late 2416, Sam was suspended from duty, following two counts of obstruction of justice, for having lied to protect his friend, Aivala t'Aendon. Following this, Aivala was transferred. Upon his return to duty in 2417, Sam continued to aid Keelah and her taskforce in tracking down the Gainsborough survivors which they ultimately did. Sam, however, was struggling to come to terms with his stress and recent events, and although he passed the psychological examination on his return, he was deemed unable to work alongside Keelah due to his emotional attachment. On his way back from a two-week patrol, his ship was ambushed and he was taken, hostage. His capturers and torturers were the Sacred Band, who were a part of an ancient, advanced civilisation called the Senn. The Sacred Band were meant to remove anyone who learnt about them, as the Senn wanted to remain hidden in the universe until a civilisation was advanced enough to meet them. The actions of the SAR taskforce proved to the Senn that the Federation was indeed advanced enough, but Keelah argued that it was the Senn who really needed to remain hidden until they were able to meet other civilisations. They agreed and disappeared off into the far reaches of the universe, cutting ties with the Sacred Band.
When Sam returned he learnt that, in the time he was away, Keelah had given birth to their daughter, TPia, who had been born through accelerated means. T'Pia continued to grow quickly until she reached the age of 16, whereby the growth hormones that had accelerated her growth finally disappeared.
After their marriage, Sam and Keelah both changed their names to reflect their new family.
In May 2417, following months of discussions from Starfleet Command, the Concorde Class was pulled from service to be refitted and upgraded. The USS Endeavour (NCC 1777) was recalled and Sam was given a new command, the Flagship of the Endeavour class ships, the USS Endeavour (NCC 98500). With a new crew, Sam started a new chapter in the stars. On 27th October 2417, a full year after the pair got engaged, Sam and Keelah married.
IMMEDIATE FAMILY
MATERNAL Natalia Bishop (née Rowan) Housewife, Earth. (Deceased 2330 - 2416)
PATERNAL Alexander Michael Bishop Commander in Chief, United Federation of Planets (ret.).(Deceased 2324 - 2380)
SIBLING Sebastian Alexander Bishop Starfleet Commander, Head of Borg Operations, United Federation of Planets. (Deceased 2349 - 2417)Sister in Law: Rachael Bishop (née Alexis) Professor (Political Theory), Starfleet Academy. (Deceased 2360 - 2417)
SPOUSE Keelah Bishop-Se'Lai Captain, U.S.S. Valley Forge.(2381-)
DAUGHTER T'Pia Bishop-Se'Lai Civilian, U.S.S. Valley Forge. (2417-)
FAMILY HISTORY
The Bishop family is an ancient English family. They can be traced back to Greek and Latin origins. It is unknown when the Greek word "episkopos" was first used as a name for the family, although there are records of a soldier in the army named Flavius Julius Octavius Valerius being called "episcopus" or overseer. Valerius served in the Roman army during the Roman invasion of Britain which began in 42 AD. Interestingly Valerius' great-grandfather was killed during Caesar's invasion of Britain in 55 BC. Valerius' son, Quintus Valerius was born in Britain at the time in the invasion and by the end of Agricola's expansion in 84 AD, Quintus was himself leading legions in Britain. He built the Roman garrison at Calunium (modern day Lancaster) and when Quintus retired from the army, he was given a plot of land just outside Calunium. He built a villa on one of the nearby hills. Time moved on and when the last of the Romans withdrew from Britain in 410 AD, the family remained on their plot of land. It was after this withdrawal when the name "Byssop" became more prominent; when the Roman Empire converted to Christianity in 312 AD, the family played a clerical role and the distinction between "episcopus" as a title and a name became blurred. Eventually, the language conversion to Old English changed to the name to Byssop and the surname stuck.
The family fell into obscurity during the next 700 years of post Roman rule. It is to be noted that they still held large swathes of land in the North West of England and that Lancaster was the centre of the rule but they were overshadowed by other notable people in the era. It was only after 1066 when they again rose to prominence. William the Conqueror gifted Lancaster to Roger de Poitou after his invasion and although the lands fell under his dominance, the real owners of the land were the Bishops, paying off Roger so they could rule in his stead.
From 1066 onwards, the Bishop became loyalists to the crown. Through every rebellion, the Bishops supported the crown and they were rewarded handsomely, growing into a large and very influential family. They were firm supporters of the Church of England and the family grew even richer as they mercilessly persecuted Catholics after the English Reformation. The English Civil War was a tough time for the family but their wealth and influence they had gained managed to stave off repeated encroachments by Cromwell during the Interregnum and they were repaid well when Charles II returned to the throne.
As industry developed, the family cashed in on the new technology, further increasing their wealth and influence. It was at this point where the family became highly political and often used their contacts to re-elect Bishop family members to Parliament where they were heavily Conservative. They were also often elected as Prime Ministers. In the next few centuries, they would play a big part in the shaping of Britain and her Empire, often blocking progressive reforms to retain the status quo. They also played a big role in the military, buying higher commissions for their family members.
The Bishops fought for the British in many wars including the American War of Independence, The French Revolutionary Wars, The Napoleonic Wars and the First and Second World Wars.
Though the family was strictly conservative, as times changed, as did their views. After the founding of the Federation, the Bishops adopted their views of toleration, fairness and equality. However, the conservative tradition runs deep in the family and although generally and outwardly they promote Federation views, there are still archaic laws and traditions in the family which can sometimes cause contention.
Historically the Bishops were linked to the Church. As industry took off, the Bishops married into another influential family that had undertaker ties. With this marriage, the Bishops had, in essence, a monopoly on death. The family words come from the amalgamation of their role in the church and their role in business; the Bishops remember where they came from and eventually where they will end.
Family was central to Bishops and failure to follow the strict rules and traditions could eventually lead to the family disowning the person involved, a fate that was worse than death to many Bishops.
In 2417, following the death of Sebastian Bishop, Sam decided to end the Bishop line, closing the door on a direct family line that could be traced back for centuries. This wasn't the end for the Bishops, but a new beginning as the family became known as the Bishop-Se'Lai's from that point onwards.
FAMILY TRADITIONS
Birth and Education
Following the age-old tradition, the primary purpose of marriage for a Bishop was to continue the family line. Thus births were important, with males preferred to females. The early genealogy shows that Bishops, after the Roman withdrawal from Britain, married off only to other Roman families, to keep the bloodline Roman, before finally allowing certain, carefully selected, Briton and then Anglo Saxon families. It was at this time where the family predominantly married off into the family, to second cousins or distant preferring to keep the blood pure. This was carefully managed by the elders to the extent that often the child's marriage had been decided even before the child was born.
Following the Norman conquest, the family relaxed slightly in who they married; status and privilege dominated family choice, marriages being political and to further Bishop interests. Though males were preferred, the Bishops quickly, rather surprisingly, accepted the equal status of females and it was not uncommon to see a female heiress to the Bishop Estate. This was not due to any philosophical reason, rather political; instead of the core family line breaking through lands passing to other descendants, the acceptance of female heirs ensured the continued longevity of the line, which continued even into the 25th Century, with Sebastian and Samuel Bishops able to track their direct ancestors straight to Valerius and beyond.
Births were therefore vitally important and females were treated with far more respect and consideration than males. As soon as the couple received news of the pregnancy, a feast was prepared and thrown to announce the news. Two names would be chosen, a male and female name, which would be carved into a piece of bark from the ancient Bishop tree that was said to be there when the first foundations of the Bishop Mansion were first laid. A name would be carved on either side and the family then awaited the birth. Upon birth, as soon as the gender was known, the piece of bark would be burnt, the name that had been chosen, on facing up. The father would then take the burnt ashes of the bark and draw a small cross on the child's forehead, saying the family words. He would then craft the child the Bishop Ring. A week after the birth, the family would host a naming feast for the local population and the child would be baptised.
Children were taken care of by the mothers most often, rather than a nurse. At a young age, they were taught Latin, Ancient Greek and English, a tradition that has continued to this day. By the age of five, children were expected to be fluent in all three. Through the child's primary education, literacy, numeracy, and the history and geography of Britain were taught, with subjects such as natural sciences, rhetoric and philosophy beginning to be taught aged 10. Before schooling, these would fall to a learned tutor until the child came of age at 18, before following in their father, or mother's footsteps. Girls were given equal opportunities as boys until they came of age. When schools developed, the child's education was often transferred to schools, once again, boys and girls being given equal opportunities. Every Bishop, regardless of natural ability, was forced to enter college and then university. Most Bishops achieved this and studied at top British schools such as Eton and Oxford.
Children were also encouraged to take up new disciplines such as music and sports. Each child had to be proficient in the piano and another instrument of their choosing as well as at least one sport.
Following the foundation of Starfleet Academy, any Bishop who wished to enter the famous branch would study at the academy. Rather surprisingly, given how planned and structured Bishop education was, children were not pushed in a certain directional vocation after college, rather, they were encouraged to do "as they felt would benefit the family" and were expected to reach the highest levels of that institution, whether that was in politics, law, military, athletics, the church e.t.c. The only limitation was that if a Bishop joined the military, they would.
A. Must serve for King/Queen and country; no Bishop was allowed to serve in any other military that wasn't the English/British army. This was modernised upon the founding of the Federation whereby Bishops were allowed to serve for the Federation.
B. A Bishop had to serve as a commissioned officer. No Bishop would be allowed to serve as an enlisted officer - Bishops were meant to lead, not serve.
Failure to follow these limitations would result in the family disowning you, a fate, as mentioned before, that was worse than death.
Sam received the same education as numerous generations of Bishops; the aim was to leave the child, and the family, in a good stead for later life and future generations
Rings
When a Bishop is born, the father handcrafts a family ring which are all made in the same way, using the same materials and at the same forge. The ring's strands represent family and the way they are entwined reminds people that family always stick together. The uniformity of the ring in the design and materials shows that every Bishop is equal. The only thing that separates the rings are the engraving underneath which shows the name of the owner. They are gifted the ring when they come of age at 18. Most Bishops use the ring as a proposal; the giving away a part of their family heritage symbolises that the receiver is a part of that family.
Sam used the ring to propose to Keelah. She keeps the ring on her finger most of the time but when she is on duty, she places the ring on her necklace and wears it around her neck.
Marriage
Marriage was a sacred bond between a man and a woman (later begrudgingly accepted to be between same sexes too unless the Bishop was the heir to the Estate; should the Bishop wish to do so, they would have to forgo their inheritance). Sex before marriage was often frowned upon although this was in reality not practised and divorces were frowned upon, as was the marriage to someone who had been divorced, similar to the British Royal Family. Surprisingly, however, cross-faith and cross-racial marriages were not frowned upon. The only limitation here began when humans realised that they were not alone in the universe. An heir to the Bishop estate was not allowed to marry anyone who was not human, a rule that Sam had to deal with upon his engagement with Keelah.
Marriages historically took place in the Cathedral in Lancaster. The service tended to be a traditional Christian service (although a second service was performed to accommodate other faiths and cultures). After the vows were taken, the rings would be placed in an envelope before being burnt. The ash from the envelope was then thrown over the couple after they placed the rings on the other. The family words were said before the couple kissed.
A Roman tradition that has been carried through until the 25th Century was that the husband carries his new wife over the threshold of the family estate. After this, the couple would begin their new life together. Marriages were often consummated on the wedding night.
Death
An essential part of life, death was seen as natural for a Bishop as births. Following the death of a family member, the flag on the house would be lowered to half-mast and the deceased would rest in state for at least a day. The service was typically held in the Cathedral in Lancaster before they would be buried in the family cemetery. The grave would be dug by hand by the next of kin and after the coffin is lowered, each of the closest family members would throw in a lump of dirt, reciting the family words. After this, the grave is then filled in by hand, once again by the next of kin.
Family Song
