Lieutenant JG Wakeham Paul Alasia
Name Wakeham Paul Alasia PhD
Position Federation Diplomatic Liaison
Rank Lieutenant JG
Character Information
| Nickname | Paul | |
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Human | |
| Age | 39 | |
| Date of Birth | January 26th 2359 | |
| Place of Birth | Bangor, Maine, Earth |
Starfleet Identification
| Data Access Level | Level 5 | |
| Security Access | Level 5 | |
| Serial Number | QN-728-5268 | |
| Duty Shift | Alpha Shift |
Station Assignments
Family
| Relationship Status | Single | |
| Father | Trevor Alasia (66) | |
| Mother | Ann Noleen Wakeham-Alasia (61) | |
| Brother(s) | Benjamin Alasia (44) | |
| Sister(s) | Jessica Ann Caulton (36) Noleen Alasia (35) |
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| Other Family | Sarah Turin (Aunt, 55) Horace Alasia (Uncle, 62) Jeremy Alasia (Uncle, 64) |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 6'2" | |
| Weight | 206 | |
| Hair Color | Sandy Brown | |
| Eye Color | Brown | |
| Physical Description | Paul is tall with a hearty build; he generally keeps his sandy brown hair short and a cropped beard with scattered gray patches. His gait and posture belie his size causing him to sometimes appear smaller than he is. Paul has soft, angled eyes and wide smile. He has neither the crisp uniform nor the brash body language of a typical Starfleet officer. |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Paul is an extrovert and a gregarious soul, quick to laugh and self-effacing. Paul was invited to join Officer Candidacy School by Commodore Sandy Highland of Starfleet Intelligence after his time serving for the Federation Inspector General. He has no particular military or combat training and never attended Starfleet Academy. He does, however, have an engineering background from his undergraduate studies and has a hobbyist's understanding of ship operations. An academic by training, Paul nonetheless prides himself on his practical outlook and his ability to communicate effectively with specialist and lay audiences alike. He does not talking around or over those with less schooling and does his best to avoid arguments from authority. One of his primary philosophies is the genuine belief in the democratic notion that all people have the wherewithal and intelligence to make meaningful contributions when given the opportunity. He believes this to be particularly true of Starfleet officers. Paul is proud of—and confident in—his training but he does not think of himself as exceptionally or unusually intelligent. Paul is loud and demonstrative though this is often for comic effect. He is especially effusive during games and other social situations. He can be impolitic and needlessly harsh with his phrasing, especially about himself. Though not a strict pacifist, Paul believes some of the more bellicose actions undertaken by the Federation in the last 50 years were avoidable. He secretly questions the logic of having Starship Captains and Admirals conduct first contact and ongoing diplomatic missions (occasional success notwithstanding). He is sometimes prone to homesickness which may be perceived by other Starfleet officers as a lack of commitment. Unlike many other officers, Starfleet is not Paul's whole life nor does it represent a central facet of his identity. As such, moving up the ranks in Starfleet is not a particular priority for Paul. |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | Paul is a pragmatist with an abiding respect for how culture shapes the different creatures view the universe. Despite his academic background he does not carry himself like a typical ivory tower professor, nor does he suffer well the pretensions and smug superiority of other scholars. While there are many who are more intelligent or mathematically savant-like, there are few people in Starfleet or elsewhere that can convey complex ideas more clearly than Paul. He is a natural teacher. Paul's greatest strength is his ability to both read his circumstances and other people while maintaining the humility to know when there is not enough information to make a positive determination one way or the other. He is very impatient with those who would turn diplomatic negotiations, scholarly study, intelligence matters, or even day-to-day conversation into an intellectual game of one-upsmanship. It is his belief that wisdom is demonstrated when one has the courage to take action knowing he may be wrong and he has no patience for those (even for military leadership reasons) who act overly arrogant or cocksure. He is quick to point out, for example, that even a Betazoid communicating via telepathy with another Betazoid will sometimes misinterpret intention. He staunchly believes no tell is accurate all the time and no thought is ever perfectly articulated. Paul has a deep affinity for strategy games and puzzles which, combined with his training can often give him a unique perspective on geopolitics, intelligence, and diplomatic tactics. Paul lacks formal military training, which can be—and often is—perceived as a weakness by Starfleet personnel. However, that lack of military dogma sometimes allows Paul to formulate and understand macro-level strategy in a way he might not were he fully indoctrinated into the Starfleet orthodoxy. Paul has no personal or family connection to the military and can have a difficult time connecting with staunch or over-zealous soldiers. Paul's university mentor once commented to him: "Make sure you stick with the Vorta, I'm pretty sure the Jem'Hadar would kick your ass." He laments what he perceives to be the unchecked "militarization" of Starfleet in the wake of the the Borg attacks of the 2360s/70s and the Dominion War. He looks forward to Starfleet returning to its primary mission of peaceful exploration and, when possible, nudges Starfleet in that direction in whatever small ways he can. Paul is sometimes foolishly loyal and often overly sensitive. Paul is, however, aware of his thin skin and he has been - especially since beginning his service in Starfleet - keen to keep his feelings to himself. Given the nature of Paul's Starfleet tenure and having diplomatic responsibilities somewhat incommensurate with his rank as a junior officer, Paul is hoping to forge good working relationships and even friendships with the Posiedon crew, rather than accepting the grudging tolerance he secretly fears. Guile remains one of Paul's most sorely lacking qualities. Rather than patiently discussing a matter with someone else until they come around to his point of view (a power of persuasion that Paul does possess and could employ), he is too often hectoring, meeting contrary opinions head-on until the other side acquiesces or they reach a mutually stubborn impasse. During a heated argument, Paul rarely concedes any point at all but in a later moment of clarity he will feel contrite and ashamed for his behavior. Paul's passion at various times has served him well in diplomatic circumstances helping to reach agreements and build understanding that may not have been possible with a cooler demeanor. On the other hand, however, Paul can alienate people quickly, often making a bad first impression if he isn't specifically focused on his bearing. For this reason, Paul recognizes ongoing diplomatic negotiations as a particular strong suit but he is secretly apprehensive about any first contact opportunities that may arise. Paul has no specific training in hand-to-hand combat. Thanks mostly to better than average eyesight, Paul is a reasonably competent natural marksman but disrupters, phasers and the like hold no interest for him. He, thus, has no particular desire to improve this skill. Paul is well coordinated but is rather out of shape. He enjoys games like basketball, springball and racquetball but he doesn't often work out for it's own sake. Paul zealously guards his free time. Depending on their perspective, Starfleet personnel may perceive Paul to have a healthy work/life balance (at best) or perceive him to be unambitious and perhaps even lazy (at worst). Like all officers, Paul is willing to do whatever is needed under extraordinary circumstances but "going above and beyond" is not Paul's default status. |
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| Ambitions | To serve as a high-ranking member of the Federation Diplomatic Corps; to perhaps serve on the Federation Council. | |
| Hobbies & Interests | Paul's interests include Dominion and Ferengi political history, inter-stellar relations, game theory, and constitutional law among other topics. He is an avid strategy gamer. In addtion to Paul's Starfleet commission, he is an active scholar and may very well be the foremost Federation authority on economic theory and history of both the Dominion and, in particular, the Ferengi. Other interests include basketball, poker, and music, playing both cello and percussion. |
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| Orientation | Cisgender Heterosexual | |
| Language(s) Spoken | Bajoran, Dominionese, Ferengi, Vulcan, Vulcan Cuneiform, Romulan, Chula-Romulan |
History
| Personal History | Born in Bangor, Maine in 2359 to a math teacher mother and father who worked primarily as a clammer/lobersterman in nearby Portland, Paul grew up without many of the contemporary accouterments of Federation life. Neither his family nor anyone in his community had a replicator, access to a shuttlecraft, or any other long-range transportation. Paul was 12 before the first time he set foot in a shuttlepod and 16 the first time he used a transporter. Paul's civic-minded father steeped he and his siblings in the world of local politics from a young age, though only Paul ever took to it and, even then, only in spite of that fact that he rarely agreed with his father's individualist, anti-Federation, and largely technology-skeptical views. Paul was a solid but unspectacular student throughout his primary school studies, and was far more interested in playing basketeball. He started Power Forward for his high school varsity team - a team that went 15-1 his junior year and made the Maine state finals. Upon an invitation to a summer league in Chicago on Earth that subsequent summer, Paul was quickly disabused of any notion that a slow-footed, 6'2" forward would be able to pursue basketball much beyond high school and he, thus, subsequently scrambled to forge a new path. Having abandoned hopes for a basketball scholarship Paul began to dream of attending the Daystrom Institute, though his generally academic performance would not have been sufficient to gain entry. At his mother's behest, and with no guarantee of ultimate admittance, Paul took up residence in Okinawa the summer after his senior year of high school as a non-matriculated visiting student, working odd jobs on the side. Paul's performance (and strategically selected classes) helped him to gain official admittance and a research assistanceship in his second year. Paul attained a Bachelor of Arts in Xeno-Institutional Administration with a Minor in Electrical Engineering from the Daystrom Institute in 2381. He subsequently earned a PhD in Economics from the University of Wisconsin with a focus on shared Cultural-Institutional Norms in Economic Transactions. His dissertation focused on surreptitious Ferengi-Dominion economic activity in the lead up to—and immediately following—the Federation-Dominion War of 2373-2375. Since receiving his PhD, Paul has had a number of research and strategic planning positions. Most notably, he served as a diplomatic liaison and researcher for Federation Office of the Inspector General. Indeed, that position indirectly led to Paul's commission in Starfleet. At the behest of Commodore Sandy Highland of Starfleet Intelligence and Admiral Ton (ret.) of the Office of the Inspector General, Cadet Alasia was granted special dispensation to gain commission in Starfleet after an abbreviated training program at the Starfleet Auxiliary Officer Candidacy School at La'ash University on Vulcana Regar, Vulcan. Given the nature of Paul's duties, his intensive OCS training and the fact that Paul had attained two advanced, terminal degrees, Cadet Alasia was subsequently granted a full military commission at Lieutenant Junior Grade and is considered, for all intents and purposes, to be a graduate of Starfleet Academy. |
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| Service Record | 2377-2381 - Undergraduate, Daystrom Institute - Okinawa, Earth 2380 - Visiting Scholar, Nilan Institute for Dominion-Bajoran Relations - Jalanda, Bajor 2381-2382 - Research Associate, Nilan Institute for Dominion-Bajoran Relations - Jalanda, Bajor 2382-2386 - PhD Candidate, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Earth 2386-2387 - Research Fellow, DaijGom Institute for Progress - DaijGom, Ferenginar 2387-2388 - Dominion Intelligence Attaché, Federation Diplomatic Corps - Paris, Earth 2388-2389 - Cadet Senior Grade, Starfleet Officer Candidate School - Vulcana Regar, Vulcan 2390-2391, Ensign, Interim Diplomatic Envoy - Starbase 47 2391-2394 - Lieutenant Junior Grade, Diplomatic Officer - USS Galileo 2394-2397 - Lieutenant Junior Grade, Chief Diplomatic Officer - USS Asger 2397-2398 - Lieutenant Junior Grade, Special Counselor to the Federation Diplomatic Corps Inspector General - Paris, Earth 2398-Present - Lieutenant Junior Grade, Federation Diplomatic Corps Liaison, Starbase 50, Poseidon Station |
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| Medical Notes | Paul suffers from bouts of asthma which has plagued him as a child. He finds monthly shots at the doctor for such an easily manageable affliction silly and thus carries an antiquated aerosol medicine dispenser against his doctor's stringent wishes. Paul does not enjoy working out and does not keep himself in the kind of peak physical form that characterizes many of his colleagues. |