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Willard Decker
| BIOGRAPHY | ||
|---|---|---|
| Willard Decker | ||
| ||
| Full Name: | Willard Decker | |
| Species: | Human | |
| Gender: | Male | |
| Affiliation: | Federation Starfleet | |
| Family | ||
| Parents: | Father: Matthew Decker (died 2267) Mother: Jane Decker | |
| Marital Status: | Single | |
| Career | ||
| Final Assignment: | USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) | |
| Rank: | captain | |
| Insignia: |   
| |
- For the mirror universe counterpart, see Willard Decker (mirror).
Willard Decker (known familiarly as Will), was a Human Starfleet officer. He was the son of Jane and Matthew Decker. (TOS comic: "Who's Who in Star Trek, Issue 1", TOS episode: "The Doomsday Machine")
Early in his career, Lieutenant Commander Decker was stationed on Delta IV where he had a romantic relationship with the Deltan Ilia. (FASA RPG module: Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update) The relationship came to an end when Decker departed Delta IV without saying goodbye. (TOS movie: Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
- The timeline in Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update gives Decker's posting to Delta IV as 2267 when he held the rank of lieutenant commander.
As of 2266, Decker held the rank of commander, and was stationed to Starbase 6, where he served as adjunct to Admiral Borck. Following this assignment, he was offered the first officer position of a starship. (TOS - The Brave and the Bold, Book One novella: The First Artifact)
- The novel states only that Decker's transfer was expected in the near future; however, given what's known of Decker's career path, it's probably safe to assume this offered assignment did in fact happen as planned. The script "In Thy Image", which later became the story for The Motion Picture, states that Will was first officer of the USS Boston.
Following the end of the USS Enterprise's historic five-year mission in 2270, Decker, then a Captain, was given command of the ship, and oversaw her eighteen-month refit. (TOS comic: "The Final Voyage")
As the Enterprise neared the completion of her overhaul, the entity V'Ger was approaching Earth. The then Admiral James T. Kirk returned to the Enterprise and took command of the ship, temporarily demoting Decker to Commander and first officer. Decker resented Kirk using the emergency to retake the Enterprise and didn't believe Kirk, unfamiliar with the vastly redesigned Enterprise, was the right man to be in charge.
Decker's suspicions turned out to be true at first when the Enterprise accidentally entered a wormhole at warp speed and was almost destroyed when Kirk ordered use of the phasers (now with power channeled from the warp engines) to escape. Fortunately Decker was able to prevent this and Enterprise escaped using photon torpedoes.
This voyage of the Enterprise also saw Decker reunited with Ilia. Unfortunately it was all too short a reunion, as shortly after Ilia was digitized by V'Ger. V'Ger later replaced Ilia with its own probe in her form. The Ilia probe not only mimicked her appearance but also had Ilia's memories. Decker's previous relationship with Ilia was subsequently key to understanding V'Ger and establishing first contact. Two of his best audio/visual re-association techniques (with help from Doctors Leonard McCoy and Christine Chapel) were playing a game she almost always won on the recreation deck. The other was an ornamental headpiece Ilia wore when they first met on Delta IV.
Added by 8of5As V'Ger approached Earth it demanded to meet its creator or destroy the planet. Decker and the probe Ilia joined an away team to the heart of V'Ger where they discovered its true origins: an old Earth space probe, Voyager VI. V'Ger was hoping to evolve by merging with its creator. Having lost his love and his ship, Decker volunteered and joined with V'Ger becoming a glowing entity: a new non-corporeal lifeform.
Following the incident Kirk officially listed Decker as "missing in action". (TOS movie: Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Contents |
Decker's Service Record
Edit
| location | assignment | dates | rank or rate | assignment insignia | rank insignia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta IV | prior to 2266 | lieutenant commander | 
| ||
| Starbase 6 | adjunct to Admiral Borck | 2266 | commander |  
| |
| USS Enterprise | commanding officer | 2270-2273 | captain |
|
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| executive officer | 2273 | commander (temporary grade reduction) |  
|
TriviaEdit
William T. Riker and Deanna Troi were based upon Decker and Ilia by Gene Roddenberry, when writing the characters for Star Trek: The Next Generation.
ConnectionsEdit
| Starbase 6 personnel | ||
|---|---|---|
| Baines • Benthoven • Borck • Willard Decker • Enwright | 
|
| USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) senior staff | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| commanding officers | C. Rasmussen • R. April • Pike • D. Vlasidovich • J.T. Kirk • Zarlo • Styles • Decker • Spock | first officers | G.S. Kirk • Shundresh • Simon • Number One • Spock • Sonak • Decker • Sulu | 
|
| second officers | Mohindas • Spock • G. Mitchell • Scott | chief medical officers | S. April • Boyce • McCoy | |
| chief engineers | Brownell • Kursley • Fourrier • Pitcairn • Grace • Barry • Burnstein • Scott | security chiefs | Tuval • Hardin • Giotto • Tomson • Chekov • Matlock • Richardson | |
| science officers | Allinsky • Davies • Spock • Sonak • Decker | communications officers | Van Fleet • Dabisch • Garrison • Nano • Uhura | |
| helmsmen | Florida • Ferrara • Mohindas • G. Mitchell • Sulu | navigators | Tyler • Kelso • Chekov • DiFalco | |
| see also: administrative personnel • communications personnel • engineering personnel • medical personnel • pilots & flight control personnel • security & tactical personnel • sciences personnel • unnamed | ||||
| First officers of the starships Enterprise | ||
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise (NX-01) | Tucker • T'Pol | 
|
| USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) | Kirk • Shundresh • Simon • Pike • Number One • Spock • Decker • Sulu |
|
| USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) (alternate reality) | Spock • Kirk | 
|
| USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) | Spock | 
|
| USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B) | Dane • Sulu • Linojj | |
| USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C) | Carmona • Holmes • al-Halak • Tholav | |
| USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) | Riker • Kurn • Stone • Shelby • Data | 
|
| USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) | Riker • Madden • Worf | 
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| USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-F) (STO alternate reality) | Winters | 
|
| ISS Enterprise (NX-01) | Archer | 
|
| ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701) | Kirk • Spock • Scott • Decker • Riley | |
| ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) | Riker | |
| ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) | Riker • Lore | |
External linksEdit
- Willard Decker article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Willard Decker article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
