- See Peterson for other articles with titles that contain, either by relationship or by coincidence, this character's surname.
Peterson was a 23rd century Human man who had a career as a Starfleet officer. Peterson held the rank of lieutenant and served aboard the Federation starship USS Enterprise in the mid-2260s, as the ship's recreation officer.
History[]

Peterson with Grang.
He was athletic and of average height. In 2267, he was in his late 20s.
Peterson taught sports and games for the crew, becoming its champion in wrestling and boxing. After Grang of the Wolves, a visitor from Neolithia, easily felled him twice on a wrestling mat, Peterson joked that he should transfer to be a steward. Doctor Leonard McCoy asked Peterson to help him alleviate the crew's symptoms of space cafard by holding sporting competitions, but Peterson felt that the crew lacked enough enthusiasm to compete. (TOS novel: Mission to Horatius)
- Peterson was mentioned as being a lieutenant, but since Peterson's rank insignia was not seen, it is not certain whether this refers to a full lieutenant or a lieutenant junior grade, since both ranks are frequently properly referred to by the simpler name. For the purposes of this wiki, a full lieutenant's insignia is shown.
Later that year, he was recovering from an injury on a biobed. An attack by Commander Sorkon's D7-class Klingon battlecruiser knocked McCoy unconscious, leaving Peterson alone in sickbay, where he was killed by a non-corporeal Cereonian. The intruder then inhabited his body and used it to attempt to sabotage engineering and destroy the Enterprise. (TOS comic: "The Saboteur Within")
- The Peterson in the novel was not associated with the Peterson in the comic. In the absence of contradictory information, they are assumed to be the same person for purposes of this wiki.