Number One

First Lieutenant Morgan Robbins is Captain Pike’s first officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, a sensible, efficient, and intelligent woman whom Pike considers the most experienced officer on the bridge. She is typically quiet, but confident and decisive, stepping smoothly into a position of unquestionable authority in her captain’s absence. In many ways, she is more familiar with the technical details and day-to-day operations of the ship than Pike is, a knowledge that serves her well as his advisor and helps her keep the trust of the crew.

She is all too aware that she’s a woman in a man’s world--although she does not make a conscious effort to downplay her feminine side, she does find that her habitual neutrality works against it-- which she finds immensely troubling, as when Pike murmurs that he “can’t get used to having a woman on the bridge,” and then assures her that it’s different with her. However, being respected as an officer is more important to her, and all in all she feels there’s some good to be found in a quiet struggle for equality-- so, she is competent first and a woman second. Usually, she’s all right with that. Sometimes it feels like a cop out.

Robbins is more than a little enamored with Pike, but would never act on her attraction for any one of a thousand reasons. Her unemotional exterior exists in part to mask that dangerous softer side. She rationalizes her inaction with reminders that it would be professionally inappropriate; that it would compromise their working relationship and as such could endanger the ship; that her qualifications as first officer would be called into question if it ever became public. On a more personal level, she resents the fact that Pike doesn’t seem to view her as a potential partner; it speaks, she thinks, of a deep-seated if perhaps unconscious lack of respect for women. As much as she respects him and likes him, she can’t overlook that.

At some point after the events depicted in The Cage, Robbins is offered command of a less prestigious vessel, and chooses to leave the Enterprise and her uncertain relationship with Captain Pike to advance her career. Her whereabouts thereafter are anyone’s guess, really. After her departure, Spock becomes first officer, a position he retains when command of the Enterprise is given to Kirk (perhaps because Starfleet is as reluctant to give the ship to a Vulcan as to a woman).

For roleplaying purposes: Robbins is set nebulously after her lonely episode, but before her decision to leave the ship. The makeup of the crew at this point remains as it was in that episode. If your character is from a compatible universe (i.e., non-reboot TOS characters or main-timeline characters who would have detailed knowledge of Starfleet records,) feel free to assume any relevant knowledge your character would have: her name, her tenure, etc. Please don’t say anything too specific about her post-Enterprise career without checking with me, though!

After Captain Pike’s promotion and departure from the Enterprise, command of the ship is given to James T. Kirk-- a fact which leaves Commander Robbins (whose promotion is part restructuring of the ranks, part consolation prize) quietly fuming that she’s been passed over. Spock remains the second officer, but otherwise the crew changes are generally in line with TOS canon.

A bit older, a bit wiser, a bit more cynical, Number One is slightly less reserved with Kirk; her devotion to reason and forethought doesn’t change, but she’s a bit likelier to argue her point (particularly because Kirk needs to be argued with a good bit more than his predecessor.) Her dry, arch sense of humor is more pronounced, and at least among friends she’s a bit less quiet.

In time, she does grow to like Kirk well enough and to respect him; he’s more genuinely accepting of “women on the bridge” and lacks the deep reserves of inexplicable anger she always perceived in Pike. Though initially she finds him troublingly flirtatious, the fact that he doesn’t discount her intelligence, her experience, or her femininity helps endear her new Captain to her. They have no small amount of chemistry, and indeed their will-they-won’t banter starts a few rumors-- less harmful than they might have been with Pike, since she’s been aboard the ship so much longer. (These prurient suspicions, perhaps, keep those aboard from noticing how often the doctor stops by her cabin when they’re both off-duty, and how often he stays until one of them is on duty again.)

And the inevitable note: though people often remark on the resemblance between them, she and Nurse Chapel don’t see it. Not a bit. Feel free to remark upon it to Number One, she will probably just roll her eyes.

For roleplaying purposes: Set at some non-specific point during The Original Series, Robbins will be generally familiar with individuals from the show, to the extent that a fellow crewman would be, but of course I do not expect reciprocation. Both Number One and I are comfortable fudging things and chalking it up to dimensional differences. If you have concerns about CR / handwaving / etc, please feel free to contact me!

I am also happy to arrange things with anyone who wants to play along in her AU, or to come up with specific details regarding specific ToS episodes-- just ping me and we’ll chat. Eventually I intend to come up with a basic gist of how things played out differently through the seasons, but I need to work myself up to watching the show through first. (Bleh.)

TK (if I can motivate myself to watch that movie again)

Regarding Reboot compatibility: I absolutely do not expect any recognition from reboot casts, but am open to it if you would like to go that route. To my knowledge there is nothing to contradict the existence of a female FO under Pike at some point before the films begin. If you’d like to go this route, assume the same privileges as TOS characters from above, and feel free to contact me with questions / details / whatever and we can hash things out.

Thread with Ensign Chekov
Thread with "Khan Noonien Singh"
Thread with Leonard McCoy
Thread with Geordi LaForge
Thread with Harry Kim