Cmdr. Ellen McCord

Ellen McCord served as the First Officer on the USS Orpheus. In 2379 she was killed in the line of duty

Psychological Profile

Some officers excel at their work as a junior or even senior officer but when the are given the reigns of command they struggle dearly. It requires a different mindset to think first about the team before an individual. McCord is the opposite of that. Her record shows a constant struggle to advance because she was too busy being a team player and helping out those around her that she would neglect her own duties. However, once given a taste of command her true skills became apparent prompting a meteoric rise through Starfleet after a bit of a rough start. She is a natural leader able to bring out the best in those around her and get them to believe in their work. A lot of this is due to the fact that she prefers to lead from the front, rolling up her sleeves and pitching in on the really unpleasant jobs and this willingness to pitch in to help junior or even enlisted crew fosters deep levels of respect between her and the crew that serves under her. It is Starfleet's recommendation that she be fast tracked to Galaxy-class captain ASAP.
NOTE: Despite being married it appears that McCord is having a romantic entanglement with Lt.JG Bishop. Given that she is a superior officer this kind of fraternization is not allowed. Cpt. Eradas has been notified and has agreed to take disciplinary measures.
ADDENDUM: Due to McCord's demise Starfleet is revising this recommendation and recommending that no disciplinary action be taken against Lt. JG Bishop nor any formal complaint to be registered.

Biographical Overview

McCord's mother was the commander for Starbase 458 in the Andoria sector. McCord grew up surrounded by Andorians and often seemed to act like they were more her species than other humans. She grew up having the run of the station, watching her mother run things and fascinated by the ships going in and out of the ports. She joined Starfleet Academy in 2364 but struggled her first year nearly flunking out. She was viewed as too busy fraternizing with the other cadets rather than focusing on her academics but the following year she pulled her scores up and while she took an extra year to resolve some failed credits she ended up graduating in 2369 in the top half of her class.
She was assigned to Starbase 458 just as her mother retired from Starfleet. Given her first-hand knowledge of the station she proved quite capable, albeit a bit of a disciplinary issue for her commanding officers and swiftly rose through the ranks. She was one of the youngest humans in starfleet to become a Commander. In 2374 she was assigned as First Officer on the Orpheus in order to give he more direct command expreience and shadowing Cpt. Eradas.
In 2379 she gave the order for Lt. JG Mestro to attempt to navigate the Hellsmouth Nebula to find an alternative path into the Typhon Expanse. Lt. JG Mestro attempted to follow the trail of Ferengi merchents but a failure in one of the plasma manifolds caused the Orpheus to drift out of the safe path. McCord tried to conduct repairs on the manifold but a plasma discharge from the nebula electrified the entire compartment she was in, killing her instantly.

2379 Update - Captain Eradas

I know there have been some concerns among the engineering team but Lt. Cmdr. Duhl performed a complete security check and nothing suspicious was found. McCord disabled the safeties in order to speed up repairs. She made a judgement call to put the safety of the crew above her own and sometimes despite our best precautions accidents happen and casualties happen. McCord was a great officer and her absence will surely be felt across the entire ship.

Starfleet Academy
2369, 54th percentile
Martial Status
Married (Lucas Sinter)
Current Assignment
N/A
Previous Assignments
USS Orpheus (2374-2379)
Starbase 458 (2369-2374)

Current Status

Deceased

Species

Human

Date of Birth

October 20th, 2346

Life

2345 2379 34 years old

Circumstances of Death

Accident during repairs

Birthplace

Andoria

Place of Death

Hellsmouth Nebula

Gender

Female

Aligned Organization

Federation

Other Affiliations

• Commander