Lawrence Styles


 * For the mirror universe counterpart, see Styles (mirror).

Lawrence H. Styles was a Starfleet officer in the 23rd century. Throughout his career he became known for his pompous and self-righteous attitude. He also became known for the swagger stick that he once took from a Klingon in personal combat. 

By the mid-2250s, Styles was serving aboard the USS Farragut (NCC-1647) under the command of Captain Garrovick. Also serving aboard at the same time was Ensign James T. Kirk, and the two had a very keen dislike of each other. When the Farragut was attacked by the dikironium cloud creature in orbit of Tycho IV in 2257, Styles was one of two hundred crewman who survived. 

By 2269, Lieutenant Styles was serving aboard the USS Monitor (NCC-1713), when he was reassigned to take temporary command of the USS Enterprise to oversee the refit of her engines following the Talin IV disaster. He became an annoyance to Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott and attempted to wreck Kirk's chance at clearing his name. However, once Kirk regained command, Styles was sent back to the Monitor. 

By 2285, Styles had risen to the rank of captain and was assigned command of the prototype transwarp vessel, USS Excelsior (NCC-2000). He took great pride in his command and was determined that he would break the speed records of the USS Enterprise and all other starships. He even managed to poach Captain Scott as his chief engineer as the Excelsior was getting prepared for trials.

However the triumph was short lived, when Admiral Kirk and his command staff plotted to hijack the Enterprise from Spacedock in order to retrieve the body of Captain Spock. Knowing that the Excelsior would be the only threat to the Enterprise, Kirk had Scott sabotage the Excelsior' transwarp engine so they could not pursue. 

Styles was humiliated by the Excelsior's engine failure, which was magnified by others in the fleet who had taken to calling the man "Styles Without Substance."

A few weeks later, the Excelsior was ordered to the Regula 1 Space Laboratory to collect Admiral Kirk and his command staff and bring them and their stolen Klingon bird-of-prey back to Earth to face trial for their actions. Styles relished marching Kirk through the corridors of the Excelsior clapped in irons and certainly exercised his active dislike of Kirk. However, enroute back to Earth, the Excelsior was ambushed by the, which had crossed over from the Mirror Universe. The mirror $𝜇$ and his crew were able to take over the Excelsior and place her command crew in the brig. However, the primary Kirk was able to engineer and escape and began an attempt to recapture the ship, his first action was to place Styles in an escape pod so that he could warn Starfleet Command of the incursion from the Mirror Universe.

While his assignment was successful, he was given command of a Starfleet armada, with at least four refit Constitution-class and at least three vessels, ready to repel invades from the mirror universe with the Refit Constitution-class starship USS Christopher Pike (NCC-1709) as his flagship. Starfleet were able to repel an invasion from the Mirror Universe, the assignment also cost Styles his command. In response to his efforts to once again save the Federation, Kirk was assigned command of the Excelsior. 

By 2287, Styles was in command of the Constitution-class starship, USS Exeter. Admiral Karl Tomlinson ordered Styles and the crew of the Exeter to test the interdimensional gateway device, that had brought the Worthy into the 23rd century when the Enterprise tested it. 

Styles was killed in 2289 during a peace conference at Korvat Colony in an attack by the Albino. 


 * Styles was not given a first name on screen. He is named Lawrence in FASA's Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update and in Forged in Fire, while Decipher's Starships gives his name given as Robert.