- This article is about Ro Laren in the First Splinter timeline ended by the Devidian temporal apocalypse. You may be looking for Ro Laren in the prime timeline.
Ro Laren was a Bajoran woman in the 24th century, born on January 17, 2340 on Cardassian-occupied Bajor to Ro Talia and Ro Gale. She later joined Starfleet and served aboard the USS Wellington and the USS Enterprise-D, before joining the Maquis. Following the Dominion War, she returned to Bajor and joined the Bajoran Militia, serving at starbase Deep Space 9. After the Bajoran people joined the Federation, Ro rejoined Starfleet and eventually rose to the rank of captain.
Biography[]
In the year 2373, the Maquis received information about a secret Dominion plan to construct a second artificial wormhole, in the heart of Cardassian territory, which would allow the Dominion to bring fresh reinforcements in from the Gamma Quadrant and bypass the Bajoran wormhole, which had been mined. Making contact with the crew of the Enterprise-E, a joint mission between her cell and Enterprise personnel brought about the end of the project. (TNG - The Dominion War novels: Behind Enemy Lines, Tunnel Through the Stars)
Later that year, before the near-eradication of the Maquis by Cardassia's new allies, Ro found herself injured and alone on the planet Sindorin. She was nursed back to health by a tribe of Ingavi that had colonized the planet, after escaping the Cardassian occupation of their own world. (DS9 - Section 31 novel: Abyss)
On stardate 58370.4 (in 2380), Ro turned herself into Starfleet custody. She pled guilty to desertion charges and was sent to Earth to spend time in a penal colony. In 2382 she completed her sentence and was granted a commission in the Bajoran Militia. She was assigned to Deep Space 9 as chief of security. (STO website: The Path to 2409)
Soon after Cardassia's entry into the Dominion, the Maquis were hunted down almost to the last man by the Jem'Hadar, as a favor to their new subjects. Although the Maquis were dead for all intents and purposes, this did not deter Ro and a few survivors from waging their own private war against the Dominion and its allies. After the war ended several years later, Ro returned to Bajor, where she was given the rank of Lieutenant in the Bajoran Militia. Starfleet had originally wanted to have her arrested; however, she was not, due to the behind-the-scenes urging of Jean-Luc Picard. (DS9 novels: Avatar, Book One, Avatar, Book Two)
Ro in 2376.
Upon receiving her commission in the Militia, her new superiors ordered her to Deep Space 9, under the command of Colonel Kira Nerys. In late February of 2376, she was assigned as the station's new chief of security.
In April of that year, Istani Reyla and Gamon Vell were found dead on the Promenade. In the course of the murder investigation, Ro discovered a book of prophecies that had been written by the heretic Ohalu, some 20,000 years previously, which had been removed from the ruins of the city of B'hala by Istani.
Shortly after the discovery, Ro was injured falling from the stairs in Quark's when the station shook, as DS9 was attacked by a group of rogue Jem'Hadar, hoping to restart the Dominion War. Fortunately, Quark witnessed her fall and took her to the infirmary, later sending her a bouquet of Argelian flowers.
Recovering quickly, she got back to work, discovering that Reyla was killed because several members of the Vedek Assembly, led by Vedek Yevir Linjarin, wanted the book suppressed. Stating the book was evidence in Istani's murder investigation, Ro refused to turn it over. Kira interceded by giving the book back to the Vedek Assembly, but uploaded its contents to the Bajoran comnet, making them public. (DS9 novel: Avatar, Book One)
A few weeks later, she then returned to Sindorin, when it was discovered that a rogue agent of the independent intelligence agency Section 31, named Ethan Locken, had refurbished a Dominion Jem'Hadar factory and was creating his own army. Traveling with Dr. Julian Bashir, Ezri Dax and the Jem'Hadar observer Taran'atar, they put a stop to Locken's plans and rescued the Ingavi tribe from Locken's Jem'Hadar troops. (DS9 - Section 31 novel: Abyss)
Soon after, Ro went undercover as a Dabo girl when Quark found himself in over his head with the Orion Syndicate on the world of Farius Prime, managing to bring down the entire organization of the Orion crimelord Malic. She also freed an Orion slave girl named Treir from servitude. (DS9 - Gateways novel: Demons of Air and Darkness)
Ro in 2376
When it was announced that the documentation admitting Bajor into the United Federation of Planets would be signed on the Promenade of Deep Space 9, Ro was put in charge of the security arrangements.
A member of the Trill contingent named Hiziki Gard was assigned to assist Ro and she gave him full access to her security plans. When Gard assassinated Bajoran First Minister Shakaar Edon before the documents could be signed, there was nothing Ro could do to stop him. (DS9 novel: Cathedral)
Ro eventually brought Gard into custody, only to find out that the creature that Gard had killed wasn't Shakaar at all, but an alien Parasite that had consumed his psyche. Shakaar had already been long dead. (DS9 novel: Lesser Evil)
Return to Starfleet[]
After the resolution of the parasite crisis, Ro was prepared to resign her commission and leave DS9 with Quark, with whom she had developed a friendship. Neither of them felt that there would be a place for them in the Bajoran sector, after the planet's admittance to the Federation. It was only after the persuasion of Captain Picard, that Ro stayed with the Bajoran Militia, as it was integrated into Starfleet, with Ro once again being given the rank of lieutenant. (DS9 novel: Unity)
Later, she accompanied Quark and his nephew Nog to Ferenginar, helping them maintain the rule of Grand Nagus Rom from a takeover attempt by Congressman Brunt. (DS9 novella: Ferenginar: Satisfaction is Not Guaranteed)
On 31 December 2376, Ro was attacked and critically injured by the Jem'Hadar observer Taran'atar, suffering spinal injuries and for a brief time, facing the possibility of spending the rest of her life confined to a wheelchair. Fortunately, Dr. Simon Tarses, a doctor in the station's infirmary, had developed an innovative technique that combined several experimental medical theories, which allowed her to return to duty in a matter of weeks. (DS9 novellas: The Dominion: Olympus Descending, Warpath)
Despite her injuries, Ro led an investigation into Iliana Ghemor. (DS9 novel: Fearful Symmetry)
By December of 2377, she was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander. (DS9 novel: Ascendance)
In the year 2378, Elias Vaughn was promoted to the position of commanding officer of Deep Space 9 and invited Ro to become his executive officer, which she accepted. When Captain Vaughn moved on, to command the starship USS James T. Kirk on an exploration mission, Ro was assigned to the position of commanding officer of the station. Ro was the commanding officer of the USS Defiant in 2379 and in 2382. She was officially promoted to the rank of Captain in 2382. Shortly afterward, she authorized Doctor Bashir to accept a mission from Starfleet Intelligence to destroy a prototype Breen slipstream vessel. Ro was in a romantic relationship with Quark. (ST novels: Zero Sum Game, Rough Beasts of Empire)
The following year would prove to be eventful in the life of Captain Ro and the rest of the Federation, as they all adapted to the threats proposed by the Typhon Pact. While Ro was able to maintain relationships with many of her friends, she was constantly challenged by Prynn Tenmei and her new Security Chief Jefferson Blackmer, whom she did not trust. Further, Ro had to contend with threats levied against the station by the Andorians and the decision to allow Typhon Pact vessels access to the wormhole. The threats came to a head when the Typhon Pact launched an unprovoked attack against the station, to hide the theft of Dominion equipment in the Gamma Quadrant. As the Defiant was attacked, several charges were detonated in the fusion core of the station causing severe structural damage and running the risk of reactor breaches, as the ejection systems were offline. Ro remained in Ops, directing the battle and trying to save her station. (ST novel: Plagues of Night)
Mere moments later, the station was confirmed to be destroyed, having been largely evacuated before the reactors went critical. The new Deep Space 9 became partially habitable and operational in September 2384, with Ro taking command. (ST - Typhon Pact novel: Raise the Dawn)
Deep Space 9 was due to be fully operational and officially opened on August 27th, 2385. When President Bacco was assassinated, Ro immediately ordered a lockdown and communications blackout of Deep Space 9. She attempted to find the one responsible for the president's death within the allotted time of three days, at which time she was to directed to lift the lockdown and let the other delegates (who had arrived for the dedication ceremony) to leave. Her security chief determined the assassin was still at large and not the individual who was left behind at the scene. Before they had come to that conclusion however, the lockdown had been lifted and the assassin disappeared. (ST - The Fall novel: Revelation and Dust)
In September of 2385, Ro was made aware of Doctor Bashir's research into the meta-genome on Bajor, after it was revealed a Breen spy attempted to destroy the building with all four of the Federation's leading scientists in genetic research. Upon arriving, Ro questioned Bashir about his reasoning and decided not to immediately inform Starfleet Command, but would tell them if or when they contacted her. When she found herself being contacted by President Pro Tem Ishan Anjar, she put together a security team and went to arrest Bashir, on orders from the president. She and the security team boxed up all information regarding the meta-genome and the research into curing the Andorian fertility crisis. Upon her attempted return to Deep Space 9 in the Defiant, Bashir made his move and escaped Federation custody, heading for Andor. The Runabout USS Tiber attempted to pursue, but Bashir had disabled it before leaving. At that, it was up to Ro to stop him in the Defiant, but even that had been disabled due to sabotage from Prynn Tenmei. (ST - The Fall novel: A Ceremony of Losses)
Ro the Bajoran[]
Ro was a Bajoran, but often stood out of the crowd, due to her determination to be herself and not just another member of the flock.
Ro believed in the Prophets as entities, and believed they were involved with the Bajoran people. However, she did not believe that beings living in a wormhole and occasionally interfering with a people was reason enough to worship them as gods. Nor did she appreciate that most Bajorans frowned upon any other Bajoran who did not follow the faith to the letter. (TNG episode: "The Next Phase")
Her father was proud to be Bajoran and in a way, so was she and to that end, she wore a Bajoran earring. She did not follow the Bajoran faith, so wore the earring on the wrong ear to discourage vedeks from trying to feel her pagh, which was normally done by squeezing the left ear. (DS9 novel: Avatar, Book One)
On the Enterprise-D, she celebrated a Bajoran holiday once, but it was a kind of national holiday commemorating a local freedom fight based on the traditions of Ro's area of origin, and not a religious/spiritual holiday. (TNG comic: "Restoration")
By 2386, Ro was comfortable enough with her religion that she had given up wearing her earring entirely. (DS9 novel: Ascendance)
Service record[]
| location | assignment | dates | rank or rate | assignment insignia | rank insignia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starfleet Academy | student officer | 2358-2362 | cadet |  |
|
| USS Wellington | junior officer | early 2360s | ensign | 
| |
| Inmate at Garon II | until 2368 | Rank and position revoked | |||
| USS Enterprise-D | flight controller | 2368–2370 | ensign | |
|
| Advanced Tactical Training | 2370 | ||||
| USS Enterprise-D | tactical officer | 2370 | lieutenant | 
| |
| AWOL (defected to Maquis) | 2370–2376 | Rank and position revoked | |||
| Deep Space 9 | security chief | 2376 | second lieutenant |  |
|
| 2376-2377 | lieutenant |  |
| ||
| 2377-2378 | lieutenant commander | 
| |||
| first officer | 2378-2379 | commander | 
| ||
| Deep Space 9/USS Defiant | commanding officer | 2379-2382 | |||
| 2382-2383 | captain | 
| |||
| Deep Space 9 (II)/USS Defiant | 2384 onwards | ||||
Appendices[]
Connections[]
| USS Wellington personnel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Caputo • Connors • Thomas Pucer • Ro Laren • Waid | 
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) flight control personnel | ||
|---|---|---|
|
|
Allenby • Anaya • Brooks • Calan • Clancy • W. Crusher • Dern • Farmer • Felton • Foch • Gates • Gawelski • Gibson • Graham • Halloran • Haskell • Jae • Karp • La Forge • Lavelle • Lin • McKnight • Monroe • O'Brien • Reel • Ro • Rager • Solis • Torres • Vasquez • Wallace • Worf • Wright |
|
| see also: engineering personnel • medical personnel • operations personnel • security & tactical personnel • sciences personnel • senior staff • unnamed | ||
Images[]
