Lieutenant Nora Morrison

Character Information

Gender		Female
Species		Human
Age		38

Physical Appearance

Height		5'7"
Weight		121 lbs.
Hair Color		Blonde
Eye Color		Blue
Skin Color		White
Physical Description		Nora is of average height and build, with shoulder-length blonde hair and pale skin. She has bright blue eyes and smiles more easily than most people expect, given all she’s been through and the seriousness with which she takes her work.

Family

Spouse		N/A
Children		N/A
Father		Unknown
Mother		Col Emily Morrison, SFMC (deceased)
Brother(s)		None
Sister(s)		None
Other Family		None

Personality & Traits

General Overview		Nora is an intelligent, compassionate thinker who enjoys interacting with people from all walks of life. She hasn’t entirely shaken the insecurities from her childhood, but makes up for her perceived deficits through hard work and dedication. She accepts she is not the most athletic or tactically minded officer and she has come to appreciate the skills she brings to the table, especially now that she has been forced to move out of her mother’s shadow.
Strengths & Weaknesses		Since learning the truth of her own paternity, Nora has become even more dedicated to ease the suffering of others, in large part driven to do for others what she never could do for her in life. Learning the truth has also been a reminder not to rush to judgment of others and to do her best not to let her own biases and emotions prevent her from trying to make connections with other people, no matter the challenges. She’s a straight-forward, no-nonsense woman, and her compassion for people can sometimes blind her to the harsh realities of her job. However, these qualities have also helped her earn the respect of others, no matter what side of an issue they happen to be on. Nora doesn’t like to talk of her family, but she will, if asked. Given all that she’s learned in recent years compared to what she’s always believed, it’s a sore subject for her, and one she is still trying to comprehend.
Ambitions		Nora’s major ambition at this point in her life is to marry and have children someday, though she knows with her chosen career, this could prove difficult.
Hobbies & Interests		Nora will read anything she can get her hands on, especially anything related to her profession. She also takes any opportunity she can to surround herself with people, as she hates brooding by herself.

Character History

Personal History		Nora Blythe Morrison always believed she was the product of an illicit, but loving affair between her mother, Emily. a Starfleet Marine, and a married Starfleet Security Officer. As her mother told it, the two met during an extended shoreleave where both fantasized about being together, all the while the two of them really knowing it was not to be. By the time Emily discovered she was pregnant, the story went, the mystery man, only referred to as Alex, had returned to his post, and Emily, not wanting to ruin his marriage or make a bigger commitment that would interfere with her career, decided to raise Nora on her own aboard her current posting, the USS Hastings. Because Emily was frequently deployed on missions, Nora was primarily raised by the Hastings crew at the time, with the crew as a whole unofficially taking on the responsibility of caring for her, educating her, and keeping her from believing she was missing out on anything or less than other people because she didn’t have a father in her life. Nora didn’t know any differently, and as a child, she admired her mother’s toughness, commitment to duty, and intelligence. Of course, not everything was smooth sailing aboard the Hastings. There were times, especially when Nora became an adolescent, that she resented the fact her mother seemed to enjoy being the hero for others more than she enjoyed being a mother to Nora. In fact, there were several periods in her childhood when Nora remembered her mother getting into alcohol fueled bar brawls or even locking herself away in her bedroom for days on end without explanation. As Nora grew older, her resentment grew, but she also came to attribute this behavior to the very aggressive and destructive mentality fostered by the Starfleet Marine Corps. After all, marines like her mother weren’t often sent in to establish diplomatic relations or to render aid. Nora came to see the Marines as a blunt instrument that prioritized force and strength over all other “softer” solutions. As a consequence, Nora also saw the negative impact of such a mentality on her mother’s own mental health. Whether motivated by genetics or a conscious decision to behave in ways that were the antithesis of all Nora believed her mother represented, Nora’s interests and aspirations took her far away from strategy, battle tactics, and physical dominance. Instead, she focused on subjects like diplomacy, psychology, and law, taking an interest in alternative approaches to solving problems the ship’s missions presented. Her interest in mental health, at first simply sparked by a desire to understand the impact of her mother’s service on their relationship and her mother’s psyche, blossomed into a passion to not only understand others better, but to actually help them heal their emotional wounds. Nora’s mother was supportive of her daughter’s desires and Nora never doubted her mother loved her in her own way, but it was also true that even after Nora decided to pursue admission to Starfleet Academy, there remained a bit of distance between mother and daughter. While she was always outwardly encouraged to be herself, she always felt a bit inadequate as the daughter of a decorated Starfleet Marine who was not terribly athletic, physically strong, or tactically minded. It took her three times before she was accepted into the Academy, and even then, classes were no cake walk for her. Despite having grown up on a starship surrounded by experienced personnel in a variety of fields, it was no substitute for the intense curriculum. Nora spent most of her time studying and only hung out with a couple of close friends. Socializing with her peers was challenging at times because Nora didn’t have the typical childhood and in some cases, was more mature than her peers. Still, she was well-regarded by most, including her professors, and could be counted upon to lend an ear like any big sister might and to regale others with tales of growing up in space. She graduated from Starfleet Academy and then pursued graduate studies in emergency medicine and trauma psychiatry, having learned that so many psychological problems stem from trauma. Unfortunately, she came to understand her most intimate relationship only after experiencing her greatest personal tragedy. After her mother was killed in a firefight, Nora received word that her mother’s former commanding officer on the USS Hastings wanted to speak to her in person. It was during this meeting Nora learned her father was not a married man who’d had a brief fling with her mother, but was instead her mother’s former captor, who’d tortured and assaulted her when she was captured during a mission many years earlier. Suddenly, all of her mother’s behavior made sense, and at the same time, Nora was filled with a mix of powerful emotions. Though she accepted the Captain’s word that her mother never wanted her to know the truth, lest Nora think less of herself, Nora is still coming to terms with this revelation. Upon graduation, she was assigned as a psychiatrist and medical officer to the USS Nimoy. While Nora learned how to serve as a therapist aboard a unique ship of the line, she also learned how to manage responsibilities for two very demanding specialties. After two years with the Nimoy, her efforts got the attention of personnel with the Starfleet JAG Corps, who tapped her for the next three years to serve as a trauma therapist and victim advocate, someone charged with counseling crime survivors, advising them of their rights, and testifying about the psychological aspects of victimization as an expert witness. Seeking a faster paced assignment similar to what she had during her residency and the Nimoy, she applied and was accepted aboard the USS McCoy, as medical vessel, as Chief Psychiatrist. Morrison enjoyed the opportunity to work with other medical specialists to help the sick, injured, and traumatized, and when the ship was docked for a refit five years later, Nora requested a similar posting so she could continue to make a difference. Thus, she was assigned as the Chief Counselor aboard the USS Firebird, a Sunbird class emergency response vessel, charged with responding to those in crisis, whether from natural disasters, illness, or other types of emergencies.
Service Record		2373 – 2377: Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, Earth – Psychology Major 2377 - 2381: Starfleet Medical Academy, San Francisco, Earth – Trauma Psychiatry & Emergency Medicine 2381 - 2383: Starfleet Medical Residency 2383 – 2385: Psychiatrist/Medical Officer USS Nimoy 2385 – 2389: Counselor/Victim Advocate, Starfleet JAG Corps 2389 – 2393: Chief Psychiatrist, USS McCoy Present: Assistant Chief Counselor, USS Firebird

Player History

Past Characters on Other Sims
Current Characters on Other Sims