B'Elanna Torres

B'Elanna Torres is a half-Klingon, half-Human Starfleet officer in the 24th century. As of 2385, she is assigned to the Invincible class Fleet Carrier-Heavy Battleship prototype USS Invincible as Assistant Chief Engineer, holding the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

Childhood
B'Elanna Torres was born in 2349 to John Torres, a Human, and Miral, a Klingon, on the Federation colony Kessik IV, where she spent much of her early life. Because hostilities existed between the Klingon Empire and the Federation at that time, Torres and her mother were the only Klingons on Kessik IV. Although none of the other colonists voiced any negative opinions of Torres, she perceived that she and her mother were different, a feeling that she did not enjoy.

While Torres was still young and living on Qo'noS, her mother took her to visit the Sea of Gatan, where she almost drowned. After her mother resuscitated her, she told Torres about the Klingon beliefs of the afterlife, Sto-vo-kor, and Gre'thor.

In 2354, when Torres was five years old, her father left the Kessik IV and traveled back to Earth, never to return again. Torres and her mother, Miral, found it hard to cope. After her parents' marriage ended, her mother pulled Torres out of the Federation school she was attending and took her to a Klingon monastery in order to teach her honor and discipline.

Starfleet Academy Life
Beginning in 2366, Torres attended Starfleet Academy where she participated on the Academy decathlon team.

During her time in the Academy, she had four disciplinary hearings and one suspension. She also had to dodge several punches in the lab. Torres also dated fellow Cadet Maxwell Burke during those times, however, their relationship did not last long.

After a brilliant but troubled two years leading toward an engineering specialty, she dropped out of the Academy at age 19.

Her teachers included Commander Zakarian and Professor Chapman. Torres and Chapman argued constantly, so she was later surprised to learn that Chapman thought she was one of the finest students he had ever taught and was disappointed when she dropped out. He had placed a note in her permanent record saying he would support her if she ever reapplied.

The Maquis
Two years after leaving the Acadamy, an angry young Torres eventually joined the Maquis in 2370, after former Starfleet officer Chakotay saved her life. From then on she formed a close friendship with Chakotay and she became one of his most trusted friends. At that point in her life, the Maquis became the closest thing to family she had ever had. Fighting Cardassians gave her the outlet she needed in dealing with her violent emotions.

To help deal with her explosive and often violent temper, Chakotay taught her many Native American and spiritual techniques to help calm her emotions, he even trained her to speak to her "animal guide".

The first time Torres took a leadership role in the Maquis, she led her people into a cave that she thought was a Cardassian military installation, but she mistook unstable mineral deposits for weapons signatures. There was a rock slide and she and her team were stuck there for three days. They finally dug themselves out with their bare hands before being rescued.

The Delta Quadrant
In 2371, when Torres' ship was being chased into the Badlands by Cardassians, their ship was mysteriously transported to the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker-entity. The newly commissioned Intrepid class USS Voyager under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway soon went in search for them and were likewise transported to that part of the galaxy.

After being subjected to a painful examination by the Caretaker, the crews of Voyager and the Maquis vessel were returned to their ships, with the exception of Torres and Ensign Harry Kim. Those two were sent by the Caretaker to an Ocampa settlement beneath the surface of a planet, where they were told that they were dying and needed medical care. Torres refused to cooperate and attempted to escape. Both Torres and Kim were rescued by the crews of Voyager and the Maquis.

The Maquis ship was later destroyed, and its crew, including Torres, joined the USS Voyager.

Chief Engineer, USS Voyager
Since the two crews were stranded together in the Delta Quadrant, they were forced to work together as a single crew. Torres was initially assigned the provisional rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade. Torres had difficulty getting along with the temporary Chief Engineer, Joe Carey. She was later recommended as a replacement Chief Engineer by the new First Officer of Voyager, Chakotay. However, Kathryn Janeway opposed this decision.

After Voyager became trapped in a quantum singularity, Torres proved her skills to Janeway and earned her respect. Janeway then gave Torres the provisional rank of full Lieutenant (giving her rank parity with Carey) and made her Chief Engineer over Carey.

Tom Paris
Torres had her first romantic flirtation in 2373 during an away mission on a shuttlecraft. Tom Paris asked her out on a date in the holodeck once he found out that she was not interested in the attentions of Ensign Freddy Bristow. Torres, aware of Paris' reputation as a ladies' man, turned him down flat.

In 2377, Torres eventually married Tom Paris. She initially thought he proposed because the Delta Flyer II was about to blow up, but he replied that he was "still alive and still asking." Soon thereafter, they had their first child, Miral, as they arrived in the Alpha Quadrant in 2378.

Return to Starfleet
A few months after giving birth, and at the instigation of newly promoted Admiral Janeway, Torres applied for and received Starfleet Academy credits by virtue of her seven-year tour as USS Voyager Chief Engineer. Her application was fully supported by Professor Chapman. Her Starfleet commission as full Lieutenant was subsequently made official and permanent.

Vanguard Command
In 2385, Torres was transferred onboard the Invincible class Fleet Carrier-Heavy Battleship prototype USS Invincible. She was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and was assigned as on of the vessel's three Assistant Chief Engineers by Rear Admiral (lower grade) Jean-Luc Picard.