Kamnach was a Denebian male in Starfleet in the 23rd century. He did not attend Starfleet Academy, but instead worked his way up through the enlisted and officer ranks, eventually reaching the rank of Captain.
As of 2245, he commanded the USS Aldrin. At sometime prior to that date, Kamnach and the Aldrin engaged a Klingon vessel in Federation space, near Jeris II.
As a captain, Kamnach had a reputation as a good commander who never made mistakes in combat situations, and had earned the loyalty of his crew. However, by 2246, some in Starfleet Command — in particular, Admiral Straczeskie — suspected he was taking the law into his own hands on the frontier. For this reason, Lieutenant Commander Christopher Pike was temporarily assigned as Kamnach's first officer during a mission to the Vestian border. In the course of this mission, Kamnach ordered an unprovoked attack on a Vestian vessel, and had the official logs altered to provide justification. Kamnach was then relieved of duty by Pike.
A court martial followed, and as a result, Kamnach left Starfleet with an early retirement, with honors. (TOS novel: Burning Dreams)
- "Kamnach" is an anagram of "Hackman," apparently a "tip of the hat" to Gene Hackman, who played a similar ship commander in the film Crimson Tide.
| USS Aldrin personnel | ||
|---|---|---|
| USS Aldrin (23rd century) | Banarjee • Chee Wee Chua • Flowers • Hanley • Kamnach • Chas. Pike • Chris. Pike • Renkova • Wesley |  
|
| USS Aldrin (NCC-398, Oberth-class) | Balbuena • Chan Pak • chuLor • Cuirle • DeBacco • Janzen • Mattacks • Melnyk • Ordoñez • Schechter • Shimura • Soleta • Sookdeo • T'a'a'y'r • Tobias • Wheeler • Worf | |