Robert April

Commodore Robert April was the first commanding officer of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) in the late 2240s.

Early Life and Career
Robert April was born in Coventry, England on Earth on October 14, 2194 (TOS novel: Final Frontier). April entered Starfleet Academy aged 17 in 2211 and graduated in 2216. Over the next ten years, April quickly rose through the ranks, and was made captain of the USS Tiberius in 2226. He commanded the Tiberius on three five-year missions, before returning to Earth in 2243. (TEV comic: "Flesh of My Flesh").

Captain of the Enterprise
In 2243, Commodore Van Anling placed April in charge of construction of the Constitution-class, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), at the San Francisco Fleet Yards.

Six months into construction, April is ordered to take the empty shell of the Enterprise on a mission into the Romulan Neutral Zone to retrieve the lost colony vessel, SS Rosenberg. April handpicks a crew he can rely upon, including his oldest friend George Samuel Kirk Sr. and his future wife, Sarah Poole. With his eldest friends at his side, and with some assistant from the Romulans, the colonists are saved. (TOS novel: Final Frontier).

In 2244, April married his long-time friend and vet, Sarah Poole, and she agreed to sign aboard the Enterprise as chief medical officer.

In July 2245, construction of the Enterprise was completed and she was launched on shakedown cruises by Federation President Samuel Solomon Qasr. The shakedowns were successful, and the Enterprise began her first five-year mission of exploration in 2246, with April in command. (TAS novelization: "The Counter-Clock Incident", Log 7).

In 2251, following completion of the Enterprises first five-year mission, April addressed the Federation Council on the continued success of the Starship Program, and the need to continue the program to further science and exploration. April also announced that he was stepping down as captain of the Enterprise and that Captain Christopher Pike, currently commanding the USS Yorktown (NCC-1704), was to assume command for the second five-year mission. (TOS novel: Final Frontier).

Later that year, newly-promoted Commodore April (with the help of Admiral Mallory) ensured that James T. Kirk was admitted into Starfleet Academy. (TOS novel: Best Destiny).

Ambassador at Large
After several years as a Starfleet Commodore, April retired from Starfleet, but still worked for the Federation as an ambassador-at-large. (FASA RPG).

In 2269, Robert and Sarah boarded the Enterprise, commanded by Kirk, enroute to Babel. Enroute, the Enterprise seemingly entered a antimatter universe and the crew begin to get younger. While the Enterprise crew regresses to infants, Robert was in his prime and once again assumed command of the Enterprise. April discovered that it was an illusion created by telepathic beings who were testing the Federation and Klingons. (TAS novelization: "The Counter-Clock Incident", Log 7).