Astrophysicist

An astrophysicist was a scientist who specialized in the field of astrophysics, which combines elements of physics and astronomy.

List of astrophysicists[]

Arjin, a Trill initiate, was a highly skilled pilot, as well as a competent astrophysicist (one of his "better subjects"). His abilities in both of these areas allowed him to save the Alpha Quadrant from being destroyed by a protouniverse, which he adroitly deposited back into subspace via the Bajoran wormhole. (DS9: "Playing God")

Lieutenant Boma was an astrophysicist serving on the USS Enterprise during Captain James T. Kirk's five year exploratory mission. In 2267, he participated in the analysis of the Murasaki 312 phenomenon. (TOS: "The Galileo Seven")

In 2373, Ensign Hickman was stationed in astrophysics on the USS Voyager. (VOY: "Scorpion")

The former Borg drone Icheb demonstrated both a great love and aptitude as an inchoate astrophysicist, a subhect which he studied under Seven of Nine's supervision in the USS Voyager's astrometrics lab. In an alternate timeline, an older Icheb was a member of Starfleet working in that same lab. Using astrometric tools he developed (along with an adult Naomi Wildman), he helped Chakotay correct a temporally-fractured Voyager to a single, restored timeline. (VOY: "Child's Play", "Shattered"; et. al)

By age 23, David Marcus had earned a doctorate in the subject. His expertise was critical in Project Genesis, which by 2285 resulted in the creation of the highly powerful and dangerous Genesis Device. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan; VOY: "The Omega Directive")

Tom Paris majored in astrophysics at Starfleet Academy. While he pursued a career as a conn officer/pilot rather than as an astrophysicist, his knowledge in the subject proved useful on several occasions. For example, in 2372, he augmented a Class 2 shuttle with a transwarp drive, using a special form of dilithium. This allowed the vessel to break the warp 10 barrier, that is, "infinite speed", though with limited practical value: those aboard the craft when it "exceeded" infinite speed underwent hyper-evolution, turning into newt-like creatures. In 2374, he proved his aptitude in Advanced Subspace Geometry, suggesting a symmetrical warp field could contain any instabilities in Steth's ship's space-folding core, designed a polaric modulator to overcome the unstable particles overloading this engine, and disabled it with a chromoelectric pulse. In 2375, he combined his academic training with his piloting abilities to be the principal designer of Voyager's auxiliary craft, the Delta Flyer. Another example of his aptitude in astrophysics was his accurate prediction that the quantum slipstream drive installed on Voyager, also in 2375, would be a disastrous failure. (VOY: "Threshold", "Future's End", "Extreme Risk", "Timeless")

Rislan claimed to be an astrophysicist from Nyria III while surreptitiously infiltrating Voyager. (VOY: "Displaced")

Dr. Telek R'Mor was a Romulan astrophysicist conducting research for the Romulan Astrophysical Academy with his ship, the Romulan science vessel Talvath in 2351. He encountered the USS Voyager via a micro wormhole, which was in the Delta Quadrant as well as twenty years in the future. (VOY: "Eye of the Needle")

When Q took Jean-Luc Picard through an alternate timeline wherein he avoided the conflict with the Nausicaans who impaled his heart, Picard found himself as a lieutenant junior grade, serving as an assistant astrophysics officer on the USS Enterprise-D in 2369. (TNG: "Tapestry")

Dr. Paul Stubbs was a Human astrophysicist of great esteem. He invested himself with a near-fanatic preoccupation for 20 years designing a probe to monitor the periodic explosion of a neutron star in the Kavis Alpha system. The cycle of the star's explosion was 196 years, which afforded him only one chance to observe it. His study, which in 2366 the Enterprise-D was assigned to facilitate, nearly ended in failure: one of Wesley Crusher's science experiments accidentally created sentient nanites, who jeopardized the ship by interfering with its systems and caused it to come precipitously close to the exploding star. When Captain Picard chose to place the welfare of his ship, crew, and even the nanites ahead of the probe's launch, Dr. Stubbs became belligerent and tried to kill the nanites and force the launch. His devotion to astrophysics in general, and to this event in particular, was so great that he would rather endanger his life – and the lives aboard the Enterprise – to complete his study. He later repented and gained the cooperation of the nanites, which allowed him to launch the probe and collect the data, sealing both his renown as an astrophysicist as well as providing providing him a cathartic end to his obsessive study preparation. (TNG: "Evolution").

Dr. Vatm, was a prominent Nezu astrophysicist, whom the Voyager crew encountered in 2373, a critical time in his people's history. His research had revealed seemingly wayward asteroids that were colliding with a Nezu colony were, in fact, artificial and the vanguard of an Etanian Order invasion force. Despite the betrayal of his erstwhile colleague Sklar, he, aided by Voyager (and in particular, Lieutenant Tuvok and Neelix), managed to preserve his research and save the colony. Dr. Vatm died in the ensuing struggle. (VOY: "Rise")