Mackenzie Calhoun (Vanguard)

Rear Admiral (lower grade) Mackenzie Calhoun is a reputed Starfleet officer who was made famous during his tour as captain of the Ambassador class USS Excalibur and Galaxy class USS Excalibur-A.

Background and Early Life
Mackenzie Calhoun is a Xenexian who was born as M'k'n'zy in the village of Calhoun on the planet Xenex in 2334. M'k'n'zy grew up while his people were dominated by the Danteri and he learned early on to hate the oppression that his people were forced to live under. At the age of 13 he saw his father die of a heart attack after being beaten by Danterians. In 2353, at the age of 19, M'k'n'zy led his people's rebellion against the Danteri.

M'k'n'zy was a natural leader and he was instrumental in helping free his people from Danteri oppression. Later in 2353, the Constellation class USS Stargazer under the command of Captain Jean Luc Picard visited Xenex on a diplomatic mission. Picard and Lieutenant Jack Crusher met with M'k'n'zy and his brother D'ndai. M'k'n'zy was impressed with Picard and decided to leave Xenex for space rather than stay and lead his people into a peace with the Danteri. He spent the following year exploring the sector of space near his homeworld.

Starfleet Academy and Elizabeth Paula Shelby
While soul searching, M'k'n'zy made the decision to enter Starfleet and entered the Academy in 2354. Soon after finding that his native name was hard for most humans to pronounce, he changed it to Mackenzie Calhoun. This advise was given to him by then Starfleet Academy Superintendent Captain Edward Jellico. His passage through the Academy was not without friction. He was considered by some to be a troublemaker, but others believed his forthrightness and integrity made him one of the most promising cadets to come out of the Academy in some time. While there, he met fellow cadet who was as feisty and tenacious as he was, Elizabeth Paula Shelby, and the two later had a passionate relationship that lasted for three years. They even were engaged for a time. Calhoun later contended that he had ended the relationship, but Shelby disagreed.

Early Starfleet Career
After leaving the Academy in 2358, Ensign Calhoun was assigned to various starships where he acquired skills in every department. Rather than specialize, Calhoun decided to become good at all ship systems - always with his sights set on the center seat. During this time, he gained a reputation for tenacity and frankness. Calhoun was well liked by his peers but did not usually engender himself with those in the higher echelons of Starfleet Command. In 2368, Mackenzie Calhoun was promoted to the rank of Commander and shortly thereafter was assigned to the Excelsior class USS Grissom as the ship's First Officer. Some months later while on an important mission, the ship's captain went into a dangerous situation which resulted in the latter's death. Executive Officer Calhoun had feared the worse beforehand, but was incapable of preventing the disaster. After the incident, Calhoun was brought up on charges and a court-martial was held. He was exonerated, but the whole situation prompted Calhoun to part company with Starfleet. Calhoun stormed out of Captain Jellico's office and resigned, telling him to go to hell.

Starfleet Covert Operations
Shortly after his official departure from Starfleet, Calhoun got himself in trouble. Admiral Alynna Nechayev, one of those in Starfleet Command who recognized Calhoun's potential, intervened on his behalf. She was able to pull some strings to get him out of the trouble he was in. In return, Calhoun remained "in the field" as a clandestine deep cover operative. Officially he was on leave from Starfleet, but from time to time Calhoun would be called upon to do "special jobs" for Admiral Nechayev. These were jobs that were important to the Federation, but which could not be done officially. This arrangement went on for some years.

The USS Excalibur
In late 2373, the Thallonian Empire collapsed and a meeting was held aboard the USS Enterprise-E to discuss how Starfleet should respond to the potentially volatile situation. Present at this Thallonian Summit were Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander William T. Riker, Admirals Nechayev and Jellico, former Thallonian prince Lord Si Cwan, Danteri Ambassador Ryjaan, and the 143-year-old Ambassador Spock. It was decided to send in a lone starship, the Ambassador class USS Excalibur, into the former Thallonian Empire to render aid when necessary, to report back on the situation as it unfolded and to show the Federation flag in that unstable area. Over Admiral Jellico's objections, the command of the Excalibur was given to newly promoted Captain Calhoun. Commander Shelby was very disappointed when she heard the news, since she coveted the captaincy of the Excalibur for herself. She went to see Calhoun on the Excalibur, and after some heated discussion Calhoun gave her the job of ship's Executive Officer.

Calhoun served as the Excalibur's captain until her destruction in early 2376. Calhoun was believed to have been killed in action during the destruction of the Excalibur. In truth however, Calhoun had mysteriously found himself on the planet Yakaba where he met a local woman named Rheela. Upon Rheela's death, Calhoun adopted her orphaned son, Moke.

The USS Excalibur-A
Calhoun returned to Starfleet just in time for the dedication of the Galaxy class USS Excalibur-A (NCC-26517), which was to be commanded by Captain Shelby. Calhoun had realized how much Shelby meant to him while on Yakaba, and immediately proposed marriage to her. Shelby accepted after verifying that this individual was, indeed, Mackenzie Calhoun. The two were married in a ceremony officiated by Captain Jean-Luc Picard. They honeymooned on Xenex.

Calhoun commanded the Excalibur-A for several years during such events as the Gateways crisis, the conflict with the entities known as the Beings, and the brief war with the Selevians and the Tholian Assembly.

By 2379, after the Selevian War and the establishment of the New Thallonian Protectorate, the Excalibur-A was attached to Space Station Bravo under Calhoun's newly-promoted wife, Rear Admiral (lower grade) Elizabeth Shelby.

During the Borg attack on Earth in 2380, Calhoun marshalled nearly a dozen starships under his flag and intercepted the Enterprise-E on its way to Earth, transferring the command of the fleet to Captain Picard before they engaged the Borg super-cube.

Several months later, a full-scale invasion by the Borg led to the decimation of several Federation and Klingon worlds. During one engagement, Calhoun and the Excalibur crew attempted to use their vessel as a projectile against a Borg cube, to no avail. However, they were nonetheless successful in destroying the cube and saving a Federation colony.

The USS Regent
In 2385, Calhoun accepted a promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral (lower grade) by Fleet Admiral Maximus Hunter. Attached to his promotion was a transfer of command from the USS Excalibur-A to the Suzerain class Fleet Carrier USS Regent and her group, Task Force Regent. His new ship and its task force were part of what constituted the Vanguard Fleet and the Vanguard Command. He was among the first Starfleet commanders to respond to the call of Admiral Hunter to shore up the manpower of the Vanguard Command.

Starfleet Performance Evaluation
Mackenzie Calhoun is an independent, passionate, instinctive, wise and plain-speaking individual. He is a man of action, with a razor sharp mind and excellent reflexes. Those who have worked with him for any length of time, know him to be a maverick who prefers to make his own rules, disregarding regulations at every turn. When solving diplomatic or tactical problems, he often pushes the envelope, coming up with innovative and creative solutions that are not even close to the procedures prescribed by Starfleet regulations. Mackenzie prefers to operate independently, and he accedes to authority only when it suits him or is absolutely necessary. The term "born leader" is a great understatement when describing Calhoun's ability to instill loyalty in those serving under him. He, in turn, is extremely loyal to his friends and crew and he will go to great lengths to serve and protect them. Even when he was a young man, Mackenzie was tough and seasoned and wise beyond his years. Calhoun is fair-minded and is frank almost to a fault. He does not feel compelled to observe rules of decorum, and he never shrinks from stepping on toes when he needs to get something done. He has never been intimidated by admirals or kings, but he greatly respects those who are tops in their chosen fields. Like many captains, Calhoun maintains himself somewhat distant personally from his crew, relying on his executive officer to provide the thumb on the pulse of the crew. Captain Calhoun is an intuitive and instinctive tactician and strategist and he is a keen judge of character. His close friends sometimes call him "Mac."