Donna O'Neill

For other uses, see O'Neill.

Donna O'Neill
Nickname(s):	D.O.
Species:	Human
Gender:	female
Birthplace:	a freighter in space
Affiliation:	United Earth, Earth Starfleet, United Federation of Planets, Federation Starfleet
Career
Occupation:	officer, Federation Starfleet
Previous Assignment:	gamma shift officer of the watch, Enterprise (NX-01)
Assignment:	commanding officer, Federation starship
Rank:	captain
Insignia:

Donna O'Neill, or "D.O.", was a Human female who served as an officer in the United Earth Starfleet during the historic first mission of the Enterprise under Captain Jonathan Archer, and later serving in the Federation Starfleet. With red hair and a short stature, D.O. served as gamma shift commander on the Enterprise until 2160. Eventually she rose to command her own vessel in the Federation Starfleet.

Biography

D.O., like Enterprise shipmate Travis Mayweather, was a space boomer, born on a freighter on a long-haul run. She eventually realized, that she wanted more than a freight-haulers life, and found her calling with Starfleet.

Starfleet career

Earth Starfleet

She graduated from flight school in 2139 and had posings on two Daedalus-class starships, first the USS Essex and later the USS Archon. Eventually, Captain Jonathan Archer of the Enterprise (NX-01) took notice of her and had her transferred to his vessel, but to O'Neill's surprise not as a pilot but as a gamma shift watch commander.

According to ENT novel: Last Full Measure she was posted to Enterprise at the end of 2152, however this is contradicted by ENT novel: What Price Honor? as she is already present on the ship at the beginning of 2152.

In January 2152, she was on watch on the bridge, when Commodore Roan S'acree of the Sarkassian Empire sent out a distress call to his people. She alerted and briefed the on the situation the senior staff, how decided that they helped the Commodore. (ENT novel: What Price Honor?)

She went on her first away mission with Captain Archer to the planet Kaletoo during the Xindi mission in the Delphic Expanse in 2153, after several members of the crew fell into comas after an encounter with one of the Expanse's Orassin distortion fields.

She later provided the captain and several other crewmembers an escape from a Xindi trap while piloting Shuttlepod 2. (ENT novel: Last Full Measure)

In July 2155, she took over the tactical station shortly before the Battle of Draylax when Lieutenant Malcolm Reed called in sick to cover his unauthorized departure from Enterprise. (ENT novel: Kobayashi Maru)

In March 2156, O'Neill and Reed devised a tactic, that showed how Romulan ships were able to bypass the Vulcan early warning system installed around Coalition star systems, and commanded Enterprise during the war game that tested the theory.

She briefly served as acting executive officer, during Commander T'Pol's assignment to Vulcan, in mid-2156, and manned the science station during the Second Battle of Berengaria. (ENT - The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)

In late 2156, she along with Malcolm Reed and Mike Burch, was promoted to lieutenant commander. O'Neill served on Enterprise in its remaining years in service. She present on the bridge during the Battle of Cheron, and helped decipher the software key provided by Lazarus that allowed the Earth forces to send commands to the control consoles of the Romulan ships. (ENT - The Romulan War novel: To Brave the Storm)

Federation Starfleet

By 2165, O'Neill had been promoted to captain and given command of a starship in the Federation Starfleet. Admiral Archer considered her among the captains he trusted out in the field. (ENT novel: Live by the Code)

Career

location	assignment/event	dates	rank or rate	assignment insignia	rank insignia
Flight School	student	2139
USS Essex	pilot
USS Archon
Enterprise (NX-01)	gamma shift officer of the watch	by 2152-2155	lieutenant
	acting first officer	2156
	gamma shift officer of the watch	2156-2160	lieutenant commander
unnamed starship	commanding officer	by 2165	captain

Appendices

Background

She was created as a homage to a real-life Pocket Books staffer named Donna O'Neill. Series editor Margaret Clark has stated that the character as described in the books is the description of the real-life Donna O'Neill.

Donna O'Neill has the distinction of being the first recurring book-only character to appear in the Enterprise novels.

Appearances

2152 ENT novel: What Price Honor? (first appearance) 2153 ENT novel: Daedalus ENT novel: Daedalus's Children ENT novel: Last Full Measure 2155 ENT novel: Rosetta ENT novel: The Good That Men Do ENT novel: Kobayashi Maru ENT - The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing 2156 ENT - The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing ENT - The Romulan War novel: To Brave the Storm 2160 ENT - The Romulan War novel: To Brave the Storm 2165 ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: Live by the Code (mentioned only)