- "In the darkness beyond the Briar Patch, a monstrous evil lurks just out of sight, poised to devour all sentient life in the galaxy. On the peaceful frontier planet Serenity, caught between warring empires, Lee Carter and her Banshee Squadron are pulled into the struggle that will decide the fate of humanity!"
Overview[]
Banshee Squadron is a fan fiction series written by Richard A. Merk. The stories are illustrated by photomanipulations and CGI artwork. The series follows the adventures of Commander Lee Carter and her squadron of starfighter pilots as they tame the dangerous frontier beyond the Briar Patch, explore strange new worlds, and battle their nemesis, the Smelly Jelly.
The main characters originated in the late 1990's in several play-by-email role-playing games belonging to the now-defunct Deep Range Fleet. Over the years they evolved from minor background characters to major players until they broke away and formed the Banshee Squadron fanfic series, based in part on the old pbems.
A number of series characters left Banshee Squadron to star in their own collection of stories called The Adventures of Absalom West. Eventually, most of the remaining characters transitioned into a follow-up series entitled Eon & Eternity. All three series are still collectively referred to as "Banshee Squadron".
Main Characters[]
2370 to 2373[]
- Commander Jazz Phoenix
- Lieutenant Commander Lee Carter
- Lieutenant Maxine Vasser
- Lieutenant Samantha Beckett
- Ensign Josephine Schmidt
Jazz Phoenix killed. Lee Carter promoted to wing commander.
2373 to 2379[]
- Commander Lee Carter
- Lieutenant Commander Maxine Vasser
- Lieutenant Samantha Beckett
- Lieutenant Josephine Schmidt
Banshee Squadron disbanded. Pilots reassigned.
2380[]
- Lee – VIP shuttle pilot
- Max – LOA from Starfleet. Mercenary on frontier
- Sam – Classified mission behind Romulan border
- Jo – Deep space exploration starship
Banshee Squadron reformed as part of Starfleet R&D and sent to Briar Patch. Kim Tycho joins.
2381 to 2382[]
- Commander Lee Carter
- Lieutenant Commander Maxine Vasser
- Lieutenant Samantha Beckett
- Lieutenant Josephine Schmidt
- Ensign Kimberly Tycho
Kim gets married and leaves. Matthew Cross, Alex Dalton, Dexter gray join.
2383[]
- Captain Matthew Cross
- Commander Lee Carter
- Lieutenant Commander Maxine Vasser
- Lieutenant Samantha Beckett
- Lieutenant Josephine Schmidt
- Ensign Alexandra Dalton
- Ensign Dexter Gray
Max resigns from Starfleet. Alex and Dex leave squadron. Sam returns to Earth for medical training. Matthew Cross killed. Carter and Jo transfer to USS Eternity. The end of Banshee Squadron.
2384 to present (USS Eternity)[]
- Captain Nathan Cross (CO)
- Commander Lee Carter (XO)
- Lieutenant Commander Josephine Schmidt (Chief Science Officer)
- Lieutenant Samantha Beckett (Chief Medical Officer)
- Commander Helmut Lang (Chief Engineering Officer)
- Lieutenant M'Rowan (Chief Security Officer)
- Ensign Thule (Science Officer)
- Ensign Miki Chen (Helm)
- Ensign Ryo Tanaka (Ops)
- Ensign Jamie Piper (Captain's Yeoman)
Character Summaries[]
Lee Carter[]
Standard professional Starfleet officer. Career-minded. Her utmost concern is those under her command. Not above bending the rules, but really would rather not if possible. Often not the star of the show, Carter is the glue that holds the whole BS premise together. Based on Catherine Bell's character on JAG.
Max Vasser[]
Reckless, hot-tempered, fiercely loyal. Has esper ability that lets her 'see' a split second into the future – basically a 'Spidey-sense' – that makes her all but invincible in a fight. Dark sense of humor. Enjoys being scary, but also shows kindness in small surgical doses when required. Drinks too much when things aren't going well. Based on Claudia Christian's character on Babylon 5.
Sam Beckett[]
50% cybernetic (both legs, right arm, eyes, hearing, some internal organs, brain implants). Artificial components not outwardly apparent. Shy to the point of paralysis around strangers caused by the trauma of the accident that maimed her. Superior hand-eye coordination. Quiet, even around her friends. Reads. Infatuated with Rick the ruggedly handsome El Taco manager guy. Looks like Erin Gray from Buck Rogers.
Jo Schmidt[]
Extremely high IQ. Scientist. Was working her way through Starfleet Science Academy when Dominion War broke out and she was shanghaied into the starfighter corps because she was also a decent pilot. Big heart. Tends to think with heart rather than head in tough situations. Jovial, joker, wisecracker. Has 'blonde moments'. Similar to Amanda Tapping's character on Stargate SG-1.
Alex Dalton[]
The Rookie. Cute, perky, sunny blonde California Girl. Naïve. Loves flying more than anything. Likes Dexter Gray. Looks like Helen Slater in Supergirl.
Matthew Cross[]
Captain of Banshee Squadron's Cat's-Eye recon ship. Another standard Starfleet officer. Likes the Banshees very much but thinks they are too frivolous and don't take their jobs seriously enough. Rarely cracks his cool. His affection is demonstrated by a small smile, which the Banshees understand perfectly. Married. Younger brother of Nathan Cross. Looks like Sting.
Dexter Gray[]
Sensor specialist on board Banshee Squadron's Cat's-Eye recon ship. Bright young man. Has occasional brilliant ideas. Eager to please. Does his best to be chivalrous around the ladies. A little shy. Likes Alex Dalton. Based on Matthew Broderick's Ferris Bueller.
Jazz Phoenix[]
Hardened warrior. Gets along great with Max. Can drink any Marine under the table. Rough. Knows what she wants and takes it. A much harder character than the rest of the Banshees. Her priority is the survivability of her wingmates. Looks like Yancy Butler from Witchblade.
Kim Tycho[]
The Rookie before Alex, and basically the same character. Perky, cute. Deliberately given feminine name to offset the others' masculine names. Enjoys engineering. Grease monkey. Likes Chief Engineer of Starbase 901. Looks like Kathy Evison from SeaQuest.
Nathan Cross[]
CO of USS Eternity. Standard brave Starfleet captain type. Lost previous command to surprise Breen attack – blames himself. Older brother of Matthew Cross. Based on David James Elliott from JAG.
Continuity[]
Star Trek: Banshee Squadron adheres to the continuity of TOS, TAS, TNG, DS9, VOY, the first 10 motion pictures, and some elements of ENT. The 11th movie and ENT are largely considered a reboot by the author, so they have less affect on Banshee Squadron continuity. Since the details of Banshee Squadron were established before Enterprise was aired, there is minor divergence from official canon, specifically, the location of the Briar Patch.
In addition, some non-canon reference materials are used, including Franz Joseph's Star Fleet Technical Manual, the Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology, and Star Trek: Star Charts.
External Links[]
ST-OM[]
With Richard Merk's Permission and Input, Jay wrote about Banshee Squadron as they appear in ST-OM. Read the Story ST-OM: Banshee Squadron .