J.P. Hanson

Vice Admiral J.P. Hanson was a flag officer attached to Starfleet Tactical in the 24th century, and friend to Jean-Luc Picard, commanding officer of the USS Enterprise-D.

Biography

Hanson first made the acquaintance of Picard upon witnessing him win the Starfleet Academy marathon in April 2323 on the planet Danula II, the only freshman cadet to do so. Extremely impressed, he made a point of meeting the cadet, later commenting "I've never known anyone with more drive, determination, or more courage, than Jean-Luc Picard."

Years later, after Picard and his crew learned of the threat posed by the Borg, Hanson oversaw efforts to develop defensive strategies and new technologies with which to combat the extremely powerful race. Their efforts met with frustration, however; limited information regarding the Borg led to conflicting ideas as how best to proceed. This situation was rectified, however, with the arrival of Lieutenant Commander Elizabeth Shelby, who was successfully able to put the project on a productive track. Thereafter, Hanson worked extremely closely with Shelby, thr two spearheading all efforts to develop defenses against the Borg.

In 2366, subsequent to the destruction of the New Providence colony on Jouret IV, Hanson and Shelby traveled to the Enterprise-D together to consult with Picard and his crew, the only Starfleet personnel known then to have survived an encounter with the Borg. Hanson admitted that, if the Borg were responsible for the attack, despite the best efforts of himself and his project, the Federation was woefully unprepared to deal with them. After confirming that the Borg were, indeed, responsible for the destruction of the colony, Hanson returned to Starbase 324 to discuss strategy with Starfleet Command, leaving Shelby behind on the Enterprise to continue tactical preparations.

Shortly thereafter, the Enterprise engaged in combat with a Borg cube, and Picard was captured and assimilated, his leadership and knowledge added to the collective against his will. Aware of the odds of success against an implacable enemy, Hanson nonetheless mobilized and led an armada of forty starships to intercept the cube at Wolf 359, in an attempt to prevent it from reaching Earth.

Speaking to Shelby shortly before the fateful engagement there, Hanson bluntly asserted that the captured Picard would never willingly assist the Borg, before issuing Riker a battlefield commission to captain. He concluded by declaring Picard a casualty of the battle— something which Hanson himself would subsequently become, along with more than eleven thousand Federation personnel and civilians, as Picard, re-christened Locutus, led the Borg cube to absolute victory over Hanson's armada. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds", "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II", "The Drumhead")

By 2401, the Starfleet vessel USS Hanson shared a name with him. (PIC: "Võx")

Appendices

Background information

Hanson was played by actor George Murdock.

He was described in the script for "The Best of Both Worlds" as "fifties, high ranking, hard driving". [1]

Although the script called for Hanson to appear on a Galaxy-class bridge, the battle bridge set was used instead during filming.

Hanson was to be mentioned by Benjamin Sisko in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine first season episode "Emissary" as having "deployed the USS Gage, the USS Kyushu, and the USS Melbourne". The scene was deleted or not filmed, although the reference remained in the novelization of Emissary.

Apocrypha

In the Marvel Comics Voyager comic book "Ghosts", Hanson was a close acquaintance of the Paris family, to the point that Tom Paris claimed Hanson was "like an uncle" to him.

In the Star Trek Online PVE mission "The Battle of Wolf 359", Hanson appears in a voice-only role, voiced by an unknown actor, leading the iconic battle. When things are starting to go wrong for the battle, he attempts to parley with Locutus to discuss terms of surrender, which the Borg refuses outright. His last words are the same line he tells the crew of the Enterprise.

In The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard, Hanson is the first captain of the Enterprise-C on its launch in 2323.

External link

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