Horatio Nelson (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a Human who lived on Earth during the 18th and 19th centuries. A citizen of the United Kingdom, he began a career in the Royal Navy at the age of 12, and rose to become one of the most famous Admirals in British naval history.
Biography[]
Under Nelson's command, a British force defeated a larger combined French/Spanish force in the Battle of Trafalgar, however he died during the course of the battle on the deck of his ship, the HMS Victory. (TNG episode: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part I")
Legacy[]
Centuries later, Starfleet Captain Jean-Luc Picard would recall to Guinan the tradition of captain's touring their ships just before a major battle. She replied that it was usually done before a hopeless battle, and Captain Picard offered Nelson touring his ship just before Trafalgar as an example of a battle that was won after the Captain toured the ship. Guinan recalled that Nelson had died in the battle. (TNG episode: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part I")
Starfleet later honored Nelson's flagship by commissioning the Constellation-class USS Victory. Lieutenant Geordi La Forge once built a scale model of the HMS Victory as a gift for Captain Zimbata. (TNG episode: "Elementary, Dear Data")
In 2275, as he considered the future of his career Admiral James T. Kirk wondered if he would die honorably in battle as Nelson had or ignominiously like John Paul Jones. (TOS novel: Timetrap)
In 2277, Kirk compared meeting Starfleet Fleet Admiral Karis Tatenen to meeting Nelson or Francis Drake. Later on, Kirk compared Tatenen's story of the Battle of Vonra to be a kin to how Nelson might have spoke about the Battle of Trafalgar. (TOS - Star Trek II Short Stories short story: "The Blaze of Glory")
Captain Benjamin Sisko considered Nelson to be one of the greatest explorers of Earth, as well as Vulcan and Antares. (DS9 novelization: Trials and Tribble-ations)
When Admiral William Ross wished him good luck prior to the Battle of Cardassia, Captain Sisko recalled Admiral Nelson's words before the Battle of Trafalgar. (DS9 novelization: What You Leave Behind)
Appendices[]
References[]
- TNG episode: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part I"
- TNG episode: "Elementary, Dear Data"
- TOS novel: Timetrap
- TOS - Star Trek II Short Stories short story: "The Blaze of Glory"
- DS9 novelization: Trials and Tribble-ations
- DS9 novelization: What You Leave Behind
External links[]
- Horatio Nelson article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.