Star Trek Expanded Universe
Register
Advertisement

Puto was an accomplished Starfleet Captain, presumably of the near-extinct Iconian species, found alone and without memories on a distant world in 2335. He is best known for joint-commanding Unity Starbase during the late twenty-fourth century along with his best friend Captain Lewis and was known to enjoy food a great deal. (Star Trek: Unity)

History

Puto has had a long and distinguished but often difficult career and life.

Early life

Very little is known about Puto. Until the late 24th century, he had limited knowledge of his past for unknown reasons. In 2335, the USS Enterprise-C rescued him from the wreckage of an escape pod crashed on a remote planet. When questioned, Puto revealed that he had spent many years on the planet and his past before that was faded and forgotten. Although Puto had lived on a primitive planet, he was in good health (supposedly for his race) and had the appearance of a teenage humanoid man.

Career before Unity Starbase

After living in the Federation for a year, Puto decided that he wanted to explore space and find out about his past, so he attended Starfleet Academy and completed with full honors four years later. Starfleet Command was reluctant to let Puto serve on a starship, and much to his dismay, he was assigned as a research assistant at Starfleet Tactical Research and Development on Earth.

After six years, Admiral Leonard McCoy took notice of the young lieutenant and promised to find him a position on a starship. Starfleet objected, but they were no match for the Admiral's influence and Puto was promoted to full lieutenant. Assigned to the USS Potemkin, as a junior tactical officer, Puto made his big break in 2349 when the Potemkin's Chief Tactical Officer retired. Puto took his place and during the Federation-Cardassian War proved himself as a tactical genius.

Starfleet gave him a sideways promotion in 2351 when Admiral McCoy requested him as his personal tactical advisor. It is noteworthy to include that Admiral McCoy was rarely active in Starfleet and only went to work once a week. This meant that Puto could spend his considerable off-shift time traveling through the galaxy in an "unofficial" capacity of observer for the Admiral. Puto enjoyed the "duty" so much he stayed in the position for nine years before deciding that a promotion would only come with a new assignment. But to become a command officer, he had to spend time preparing, so Puto attended Starfleet Command School from 2360 to 2362.

As a freshly promoted Lt. Commander, Puto chose to see another side of Starfleet, namely starship design. Puto was a supervisor for the installation of tactical equipment on the USS Enterprise-D as it was built and then the prototype USS Defiant a few years later. In 2371, after completing the refit of the weapons systems on Deep Space 9, Puto transferred to his first solid starship assignment in over twenty years.

On the USS Arc Royal, as a senior command officer, Puto found himself with a great deal of responsibility and was initially wary but found it easier with time. It was on the Arc Royal that one of Puto's close friends from the Potemkin (now CMO) was killed in a brutal Rakelli attack. Puto was very angry and suggested that the Rakelli ship be destroyed, but the Arc Royal's commander settled with damaging the ship as it warped away. This loss to Puto mildly affected his judgment years later.

In 2374, Puto once again transferred, this time to the USS Enterprise-E under Captain Jean-Luc Picard. During the Dominion War, Puto, as a Commander, was Captain of the Beta Shift and while his captain was sleeping, destroyed many wings of Jem'Hadar fighters. During the final battle of the war, Puto was stationed on Admiral Ross's flagship as Chief Tactical Officer and was responsible for saving the Admiral from certain destruction when cornered by a group of Breen vessels.

After the war, Puto, wanting rest, returned to Earth and settled for a desk job at Starfleet Command, which was rebuilding after the Breen attack in 2375. Puto stayed on Earth until 2379, when a young Commander called Lewis, who was on Earth, looking for a replacement tactical officer for his captain on the Endeavour, knocked at Puto's San Francisco door and asked if he wanted the job. After four boring years on Earth, Puto needed a change and he accepted. Puto and Lewis became instant friends, and it was sealed when Lewis saved Puto's life during the initial mission on the Endeavour.

After spending less than a year on the Endeavour, Lewis was promoted to Captain. He decided to accept command of a ship on the sole condition that Puto be also promoted and be assigned as his Tactical/First Officer.

It was when Puto followed his best friend onto the USS Incursion, that he met Tina Nuttol, a teenage human girl who was the ship's helm officer. Although he denied it at the time, Puto had a crush on the attractive girl and eventually started a steady, close relationship. Nuttol was only twelve, but she stayed with Puto (and thus Lewis) for the next six years. Puto would follow Lewis to another vessel, the USS Hawk-A as would an increasing permanent command crew. In 2383, Tina Nuttol found that she was pregnant. Puto was the obvious candidate as the father, but he had not had sex with her. Scientists discovered that Puto's race could insert their DNA into a female body through contact and cause pregnancy. Puto was able to stop this ability and his (presumably) first son Prax was born during the last battle with the Neronians.

After defeating the Neronians at the end of the last Border War, Puto briefly became commander of the USS Applemore, a Saber-class starship, with Commander Tina Nuttol as First Officer.

Puto was so disgusted with the nerve Starfleet had given him such a tiny vessel after all he had done to save the Federation. That when Captain Lewis asked him to return to his crew for a new mission, Puto immediately left in a shuttle, promoting his ambitious Operations Officer to Commander so he could take over. For another year, Puto served under Lewis on the USS Hawk-B, a small but more powerful ship.

Unity One starbase

The galaxy was changing, however. With all the local galactic powers more or less content with their position in the galactic community, and the Borg apparently defeated all in one go, Federation and Klingon engineers completed the construction of a massive starbase called Unity One. Located near the Romulan Neutral Zone, Unity Starbase’s highly advanced sensor array could locate cloaked ships and had a line of sight of several sectors and hundreds of light years. Starfleet needed someone they could trust to run the station. Captain Lewis was offered the job, but (as always) he accepted only on the condition that Puto and the others could come too. Although Lewis was the actual person given command, he very rapidly realised that he was (although quite experienced) not experienced enough to take on the role alone. Therefore he passed the majority of the command to Puto.

For the first proper time, Puto was the Captain, the commander of Unity Starbase and a figurehead of the Romulan Neutral Zone. Shortly after settling in on Unity, a pirate race known as the Rakelli began attacks upon the Federation and made a blatant grasp for Unity, completely failing. Puto remembered that the Rakelli had killed his previous best friend on the Arc Royal and wanted revenge. But just as Puto had told Lewis that he wasn't alone in commanding a space station, Lewis helped Puto understand that the need for revenge was not necessary. Puto became friends with a rogue Rakelli helping the Federation called Jimb'a. A few weeks after the Rakelli first attacked Unity, Puto and Lewis went to Carraya III, a Federation planet near Unity for a standard inspection. A rogue Rakelli hooked on the Earth drug Ecstasy captured Puto and tortured him for information that he could show his superiors. Despite his harsh treatment and history with the Rakelli, Puto did not get angry and, in fact, pleaded with the Rakelli to get help from the Federation. It was, however, too late, and the Rakelli died of a drug overdose. Puto escaped.

During his time at Unity, Puto had to be more formal than on a starship as he was constantly signing treaties and negotiating trade disputes. Having been a fun and active person, Puto became slightly more serious, although he didn't lose his unique core.

In mid-2385, Puto and Lewis discovered that the once-thought-dead Borg Collective was behind the Rakelli's actions. The pirates were, in fact innocent, and were being "persuaded" to attack the Federation Alliance. Puto was key in stopping the Rakelli Emperor (a Borg drone) from assimilating Unity and is considered part of the founding members of the Rakelli Democratic Republic with Jimb'a.

Shortly after this, the Borg began an assault on Unity Starbase and when they were defeated (just) by superior Federation warships, they retreated to the Azure Nebula. Losing all trace of the Borg, Puto and Lewis decided to make the trip worthwhile and shuttled down to Holocovia IV in the nebula to explore. On this mission, Puto and his away team accidentally released the trapped Iccobar, a race of parasites who take over people's minds.

The Iccobar, who were the arch-enemies of the ancient Iconians, those who had constructed the Stargates, brought new memories to the surface of Puto's mind. He now remembered that thousands of years before, he had led an Iconian battalion against the Iccobar in a war and had failed to kill the Iccobar leader Andras. It is still unknown if Puto is actually an Iconian, but it seems a plausible explanation.

Current Assignment

Puto is currently the joint-commanding officer of the USS Odyssey-A, along with Captain Lewis.

Service Jacket

Recent Previous Assignments

Current Assignment

Memorable Quotes

"WOW! ALIEN CONTROLS!"
— Puto to Lewis on many occasions
"Lets kick some Rakelli butt!"
— Puto to his fighter wing

Chronology

  • 2335: Rescued by the USS Enterprise-C
  • 2336: Enrolls in Starfleet Academy
  • 2346: Assigned to the USS Potemkin by the influence of Admiral McCoy.
  • 2349: Became the USS Potemkin's Chief Tactical Officer.

See also

Advertisement