Ensign Gili Katz

Character Information

Gender		Female
Species		Human
Age		24

Physical Appearance

Height		152
Weight		47
Hair Color		Brown
Eye Color		Blue-Green
Physical Description		Petite and slender build. She keeps her hair long, usually to mid-back, but when on duty, she'll have it in a braid, oftentimes up against her skull so it is out of the way.

Family

Spouse		unmarried
Children		none
Father		Dr Noam Katz Earth Atmospheric Science Institute
Mother		Dr Chava Katz MD Deep Space Long Term Effects Specialist - Star Fleet
Brother(s)		Lt Cmdr Saar Katz Lt Gal Katz
Sister(s)		none
Other Family		various aunts and uncles

Personality & Traits

General Overview		Gili isn't exactly the black sheep of the family. More like "white with black polka dots". Her brothers are considerably older, self confident, and know what they're supposed to be. Gili... Not so much. She's easily the brightest child of the three, but lacks self confidence and sometimes focus. She's rather quiet and shy, though she can get bubbly with friends she trusts. She doesn't go seeking friends. They'll have to find her, buried behind a book, or a technical manual - she's definitely an introvert. Despite her extreme interest in Warp technology, she wouldn't have gotten into Starfleet had it not been for her parents. IF you can get to know her well enough to get her to open up, she has big dreams, and huge ideas. Ideas that someone at Starfleet probably ought to listen to, but she hasn't been ready to present. She's not like her idol, Zefram. She's just... Gili. That's not to say that she doesn't fantasize about building a ship that would make him proud! A ship so fast that would make Vulcans green with envy! She doesn't tell people her fantasies. She writes down notes though, lots and lots of notes. The NX design is good, and she believes, with a little modification, it IS capable of Warp 6. Just watch. She's going to prove it. Some day. One thing she hasn't really told anyone, except one really, really close friend she made at the Academy, is the fact that she is Bi. Her family is Jewish, still practicing in the 22nd century and still rather biased about such things, at least within their own family. Other people? No problem! Their sons, or their Daughter? It wouldn't be pretty at home, she's sure of it. She's convinced that her parents finding out would involve an unmarked grave, in a desert.
Strengths & Weaknesses		Hyper focused by certain things Driven by Science and Engineering, particularly Warp Technology Can recite, from memory, the entire life history of Zefram Cochrane, and the Warp 5 program. This may or may not be a good thing. She used to talk about this so much, and so often that her mother would say that "her ears were bleeding." - This caused some trauma, so now, she doesn't talk as much. She's kinda afraid to. But the spark is still there, waiting to come to life. - Very self conscious; she's worried about how she looks, her height, her weight, everything. So she wears a somewhat baggy uniform, and tries Very Hard, to blend in with her shipmates. - Not overly confident in her own ability. She's smart. Really smart. Her Warp 6 theories and calculations? Someone really should take a long look at them. But she's never shown them to anybody to date. - Worries about upsetting people. - Afraid of Snakes (near phobia) She was bitten by a venomous snake as a child, so she has good reason to be. But if startled by, say, a cable, she may well take a good swing with a wrench before realizing it's just a cable, not a snake. On a Starship. Yah...
Ambitions		To build the first Warp 6 Starship for Starfleet. Yah. Right. Who is she kidding? She'll just strap Warp engines to a paper airplane. Never mind. Maybe, maybe she could just turn in her paper? No, no definitely a Bad idea. How about inventing a better tea pot for deep space? Yah, probably could do that. Maybe. Never mind. Or a toaster that Men can't stick a Fork into and electrocute themselves! Eureka! Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Sorry. I didn't mean it. That was mean. I'm so sorry. But, seriously. This ship, this beautiful ship. It could handle Warp 6. Honest. The structure is strong enough, I've run the calculations a thousand times. But the engines need a rework. I'm on Atlantis. I, ah, just have to wait for the right time. She'll do Warp 6. I know it in my heart - and in my calculations.
Hobbies & Interests		Reading. She reads everything she can coming out of Starfleet about advances on Warp technology. Everything. Or she used to. Now, she makes it her personal mission to gather data from new races if possible. Or at least urge someone to, if she isn't going. it's very important after all. She's also not above Thinking about hacking an alien network for information about their warp technology. After all, she can't get in trouble for thinking about it, can she? Maybe she shouldn't do that. It makes her stomach hurt. Fish. She has some small tanks she carefully brought on board (some might say "smuggled"). They are a miniature betta, which became popular late in the 21st century as they thrive in a liter of water, and can live happily in even less. Her setup has a male and two females in spill-proof liter bottles. She keeps some spares in case they get frisky and indicate they want to spawn. More Reading: Romance Novels. The ships archives have a seemingly endless supply, and she has to face it; while she'd like to find a partner, that, in and of its self, is a fantasy. She's a geeky engineer, lost in space with a bunch of Bold Space Adventurers. So she reads, and does her job. And hopes and prays that she doesn't screw up.

Personal History		Gili grew up, the youngest of 3 children by 10 years near Tel Aviv. Her parents were both well known, and her brothers saw themselves as future officers with this new "Starfleet" that was being formed. They had served on the lower speed earth ships, seeking adventure and experience, while she was still in school and too young. When she was very little, only 6, she was bitten by a snake. Ironically, it wasn't in her homeland, but while she and her parents were visiting friends at a conference in the North American South West. She survived the ordeal, but was left very traumatized by it. Sadly, at least in her opinion, the snake got away. Being tiny for her class, and reclusive, Gili got bullied a lot in school, which only made her more shy. She did well in spite of this, skipping a grade and graduating with honors from high school. She got a degree in Astro Engineering before working on a Master's at Star Fleet Academy In Warp Technology. In college, in her freshman year, her roommate was an experienced practitioner of Aikido. It was with her encouragement that she took it up as a sport and for self-defense, the first sport she'd really taken an interest in. This has done great things for not only her strength and physical health, but her self confidence and mental health as well. She continued training all through college and after, until being assigned to and leaving aboard Atlantis. She has a few pads, and a shinai to work out with if she gets the chance. The Atlantis Interview After graduating, she worked a college internship, not exactly sure what to do next. She wanted to apply her knowledge of warp to ships, to the NX ships specifically. But, well, how? Then she got a notice that she was being interviewed for an Engineering position on Atlantis. Her mother, and several people her mother introduced as "friends" coached her for hours the day before her interview. Grilled. That was Gili's word for it. Her mother wouldn't let her pick her uniform for the interview, either. Her mother picked it. It was too tight, and made her nervous. Mother said it was "perfect". She was stiff as a board as she walked in, her hair up in a tight bun, as if it was a cadet barracks inspection. Questions. Questions about Warp Drives. She could hear the people from yesterday, scolding her when she told them too much. She gave carefully managed answers, hoping it wasn't too little. That she didn't sound dumb or unqualified. This was her only chance! She was sweating. She could feel a bead sliding down the side of her face. What should she do?! One of the interviewers handed her a tissue. She gulped as she patted it away, and tried not to pass out. More questions. More answers. Rigid. Breath. Try. To. Breath. More questions. More answers. Dismissed. Wait outside. Wait. Wait. I feel sick. I should go to the, no, I can't, what if they call me back in? Someone... calling for me? Stiff. Can't breathe. They don't let people like me on Starships. Something, highly qualified. Launches... huh? Welcome aboa... Thud! Truth be told, Dr. Chava Katz was very well known around Starfleet, and she had many connections. She pulled a lot strings. Gili was talented, but on her own? Chava was certain her daughter was going to wind up on a freighter with some low-life riffraff, making questionable deals anyplace that Warp 2 ships could reach and exploit. No, unthinkable! She hadn't been able to talk Gili into a nice, safe, ground-based position, designing ships, so she'd set about getting her into an NX. The ships had proven themselves reasonably reliable and safe. Her only daughter would be fine, until she got this "space bug" out of her system. Then she could come home to earth, to engineer the next prototype, like a good girl. Hopefully, she'd also settle down, and have some children too, since her brothers were off zooming around the galaxy and couldn't be bothered. Oy Vey! She was never so much trouble for her mother.
Service Record		Nx-05 Atlantis (first assignment)