Matthew Decker


 * For other similarly-named characters, see: Matt Decker.

Matthew Brand Decker was a dedicated Starfleet officer who served during the 23rd century. Decker was one in a line of Deckers to serve in Starfleet, and his son, Willard Decker, by Matt's wife Jane, would become one-time commander of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). (TOS episode: "The Doomsday Machine", TOS comic: Who's Who in Star Trek; and TOS movie: Star Trek: The Motion Picture, middle name from FASA RPG, Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update)

During his days at Starfleet Academy and his early career, Decker was seen as insubordinate and not command material. Admiral Fitzgerald therefore surprised many, including Decker himself, when he promoted him to the rank of captain. (novel: The Brave and the Bold)

In 2246, Decker was chief of security at Starbase 4. (novel: The Brave and the Bold)

By the early 2250s, Decker had risen to the rank of captain and assumed command of the USS Yorktown (NCC-1704) from Captain Christopher Pike, who went on to assume command of the Enterprise. After commanding the Yorktown for several years, Decker transferred to command the USS Constellation (NCC-1017), where he would spend the rest of his career. 

In 2263, while the Constellation was in the area of space known as the Taurus Reach, Decker's crew discovered what would become known to Starfleet as the Meta-genome. The Constellation was unable to investigate further due to other priorities from Starfleet Command, but Decker's report resulted in the fast-tracking of the construction of the Vanguard station in the Taurus Reach in order to secretly study the Meta-Genome. 

In 2266, Decker responded to a distress call from the Federation colony on Alpha Proxima II, along with Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). They found civil society on the verge of collapse, due to a plague caused by one of the Malkus Artifacts of the Zalkat Union. Decker and Kirk together resolved to impose martial law on the colony. (novel: The Brave and the Bold)

Decker was killed in the line of duty in 2267, in combat with the alien Planet Killer that the ancient Preservers designed to combat the Borg. (The Doomsday Machine; TNG novel Vendetta)