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For the mirror universe counterpart, see William Gardner.

Samuel William Gardner (also known as Avram Gardner) was a human male who was a member of the United Earth Starfleet and later serving in the Federation Starfleet in the mid-22nd century.

Biography[]

As a commander, Gardner, like fellow Starfleet officers Jonathan Archer and A.G. Robinson, was a test pilot in the NX test program in 2143. (ENT episode: "First Flight")

By 2151, Gardner held the rank of captain, and as such was the favored candidate of the Vulcan High Command to command the Enterprise (NX-01). Gardner was passed over for command of Enterprise by Admiral Maxwell Forrest, who named Archer as commanding officer of the warp 5 ship. (ENT episode: "Shadows of P'Jem")

Gardner was promoted to the rank of admiral by 2154, and when Forrest died after the bombing of the United Earth embassy on Vulcan he succeeded Forrest as Chief of staff. (ENT episodes: "Awakening", "Kir'Shara")

In October 2155, when Archer learned that the Romulans were planning to launch a genocidal attack against Coridan III, Gardner ordered Enterprise to return to Coalition Compact and Archer can't miss the signing of the Coalition Compact. Angry with Archer for attempting to circumvent his orders, Gardner threatened to have Archer cashiered from the fleet, however he took no action when Archer went to Coridan. (ENT novel: The Good That Men Do)

In the following years, Gardner was responsible for leading Starfleet during the Earth-Romulan War. He was present at multiple meetings of the Coalition of Planets, including one at which Ambassador Soval announced that Vulcan wouldn't be assisting Earth in the war. He was also present at a meeting with Prime Minister Nathan Samuels at which the minister announced that Earth's starship production would be focusing on the Daedalus-class and temporarily discontinuing the NX-class and Intrepid-class. (ENT novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)

After the founding of the United Federation of Planets in 2161, Gardner continued his service as an admiral in the Federation Starfleet. As one of the joint chiefs of Starfleet, he headed the United Earth portion of the fleet. He worked closely with Council President Thomas Vanderbilt and regularly attended meetings with the other joint chiefs. One such meeting was in October, when Admiral Archer presented Doctor Phlox's findings regarding the long term dangers of transporter usage. (ENT novel: A Choice of Futures)

In March 2165, Admiral Archer consulted with Gardner about the emerging Ware threat, and while he wanted to send a strong show of force, but Archer advised caution and a smaller task force to which he ultimately agreed.

Later that year, in June, when Archer and Captain T'Pol were abducted during former-Administrator V'Las, Gardner became enraged and wanted to order a Federation task force to stabilize the situation on Vulcan, but T'Pau advised against it as it would only serve V'Las' agenda.

Also in 2165, Admiral Gardner decided to retire from Starfleet, and after careful deliberation, he was succeeded as Chief of Staff by Admiral Archer at the recommendation of Gardner himself among others. (ENT novel: Uncertain Logic)

Appendices[]

Background information[]

Gardner's full name was never given in any Star Trek: Enterprise episodes. The novel To Brave the Storm designated him "Samuel William Gardner". By contrast, Federation: The First 150 Years dubbed him "Avram Gardner".

Connections[]

Preceded by:
Maxwell Forrest
Chief of staff for United Earth Starfleet
21542165
Succeeded by:
Jonathan Archer

Appearances[]

External link[]

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