Changes: Leah Brahms

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"Every time you look at this engine, you're looking at me."

– Leah Brahms (holographic recreation), 2366 ("Booby Trap")

Doctor Leah Susan Brahms was a member of the Theoretical Propulsion Group and a graduate of the Daystrom Institute of Technology. She made major contributions to the development of the Galaxy-class's warp drive system, far beyond her official role as a junior team member.

History before stardate 43205

Leah Brahms was born on September 11, 2336 in Damascus City, Alpha Delphi IX, to Theodore Brahms and Susan Brahms Beaumont.

Brahms attended the University of Alpha Centauri where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Subspace Physics and graduated cum laude. After graduation, she attended the University of Tomobiki where she wrote the masters' thesis "Subspace Processing Modes in Warp Propulsion Applications" and was awarded a Master of Cybernetics in Optical Technologies. Finally, she attended the Daystrom Institute of Technology where she wrote the doctoral thesis "Higher Order Warp Field Propulsion Applications" and was awarded a Doctor of Theoretical Physics.

Brahms started her career as a research assistant for the Daystrom Institute, developing protocols for measuring higher order subspace field distortions. During her tenure at the Daystrom Institute, she wrote articles that were published in the Scientific Tasmanian. She was later promoted to junior engineer and was assigned to Design Team 7 at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards; she was then promoted to team leader of this team. During her time with the design team, she was credited for improved dilithium crystal servo subsystems and a plasma resonance sampling device. Next, she was assigned to lead the Theoretical Propulsion Project, on which she was promoted to design engineer. During her time as a design engineer, she supervised the implementation of improved subspace field generators onto the Galaxy-class USS Enterprise-D and USS Yamato. After this, she was named a Starfleet Design Consultant.

Brahms became a Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Daystrom Institute of Technology on Mars, where she was awarded an honorary Feynman Chair. She lived at Quayle Canals Northeast, Utopia Planitia Gardens.

She wrote several engineering manuals for the Enterprise that were stored in the Engineering Systems Database. These included:

Operating Protocol - Subspace Field Generators
Operating Protocol - Subspace Harmonic Monitors
Operating Protocol - Primary Field Coils
Operating Protocol - Secondary Field Coils
Subspace Design Logs - Theoretical Propulsion
Gravmetric Power Limits (Theoretical)
Emergency Plasma Vent Procedures
Synthetic Grav Field Interaction Considerations
Emergency Field Quench Procedures
Field Maintenance Power Requirements
Secondary Harmonic Safety Requirements

(TNG: "Booby Trap", okudagram)

History

In 2366, the Enterprise-D was caught in an ancient trap which drained the energy from its engines and bombarded the crew with radiation. To learn more about the engine design and help him find a solution to the problem, Geordi La Forge created a holographic version of Dr. Brahms based on her Starfleet personality profile analysis from stardate 40056 (2363) and her public persona as recorded from her appearances at the Chaya VII Intergalactic Caucuses. The holographic Dr. Brahms was opinionated on engineering matters but still friendly, and La Forge developed an attraction to her image. Together, they were able to save the Enterprise, and La Forge shared a kiss with the hologram before ending the program. (TNG: "Booby Trap")

A year later, in 2367, the real Dr. Brahms, by that time promoted to Senior Design Engineer of the Theoretical Propulsion Group, visited the Enterprise for an inspection of the field modifications made to the ship's engines by Commander La Forge. Dr. Brahms was far different from her hologram; she was cold, all business, and without humor. Much to his dismay, she was highly critical of his work, especially his enhancements of the warp engines. La Forge and Brahms tried to work out their differences and got along until Brahms informed him that she was married, much to La Forge's shock and dismay. She later discovered the records of her hologram's somewhat romantic interactions with La Forge during his attempts to resolve the aceton assimilator crisis and strongly objected to his having programmed a holographic replica of herself. She told him that she felt violated, to which La Forge expressed his indignation of her judgmental attitude. The two engineers then pulled together in a crisis and became good friends. (TNG: "Galaxy's Child")

In 2370, Leah Brahms was the director of the Zefram Cochrane Institute for Advanced Theoretical Physics. She signed her name onto the Cochrane Medal of Excellence for Harry Kim on stardate 47302.5. (VOY: "Non Sequitur", production art [1])

In an alternate future around 2395, Dr. Brahms was married to La Forge. The couple was living on Rigel III and they had three children together: Alandra, Bret, and Sidney. During this time, Leah had become the director of the Daystrom Institute, as well as quite a gardener. (TNG: "All Good Things...")

Appendices

Background information

Leah Brahms was played by Susan Gibney. For the double Brahms in "Galaxy's Child", Ron Moore worked on video sequences and photo double Griffin was hired.

According to the Star Trek Encyclopedia (3rd ed., p. 53), Dr. Brahms joined Design Team 7 in 2358.

About the character's creation, the Star Trek Encyclopedia (3rd ed., p. 53) stated, "In an early draft of "Booby Trap", Brahms was named Navid Daystrom, presumably a descendant of Dr. Richard Daystrom. Unfortunately, the casting department did not realize that this would require a Black actress to play the part until after Susan Gibney had been hired. At the suggestion of script coordinator Eric Stillwell, the character was renamed, but the Daystrom tie-in was kept by adding a line that she had graduated from the Daystrom Institute."

According to a line in the revised final draft of "Galaxy's Child", [2] Brahms' husband's name was Michael, and he was an engineer on Garran IV.

In the original script for Star Trek Nemesis, [3] Brahms and La Forge had in fact become a couple by 2379, and the two of them attended Will Riker and Deanna Troi's wedding together. However, because actress Susan Gibney was unavailable, her character was removed, and the scene with La Forge was re-written for Guinan.

Apocrypha

In the Genesis Wave series, set in 2377, Leah Brahms is the first person to discover that the Genesis Device technology has been stolen, surviving the initial destruction caused by the wave thanks to her experiments with phase-shifting technology as a suit (although her husband is killed). During the crisis, she is given command of a Klingon ship, with Maltz, one of the few survivors of the original Genesis crisis, serving as her first officer due to the respect he develops for her during their attempts to escape the Genesis Wave. Thanks to her research, the location of the source of the Genesis Wave is discovered, with Maltz destroying it on a suicide mission. In a subsequent conversation with Geordi La Forge, he admits his love for Brahms, but assures her that he expects nothing in return. La Forge only asks her to meet him at an engineering conference in a few months' time, and she agrees.

In the novel Indistinguishable from Magic, set between 2382 and 2383, Brahms is reunited with the newly-promoted Captain La Forge during the USS Challenger's assignment to investigate trans-slipstream drive. The two begin a romantic relationship, and after the Challenger is destroyed, Brahms moves in with La Forge aboard the USS Enterprise-E after he accepts his original position. She is convinced to join him when he offers her the opportunity to work on only one vessel, instead of many.

External link

Leah Brahms at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works

@@ Line 60: / Line 60: @@
 About the character's creation, the ''[[Star Trek Encyclopedia]]'' (3rd ed., p. 53) stated, "''In an early draft of {{e|Booby Trap}}, Brahms was named Navid Daystrom, presumably a descendant of [[Doctor|Dr.]] [[Richard Daystrom]]. Unfortunately, the casting department did not realize that this would require a Black actress to play the part until after [[Susan Gibney]] had been hired. At the suggestion of script coordinator [[Eric Stillwell]], the character was renamed, but the Daystrom tie-in was kept by adding a line that she had graduated from the Daystrom Institute.''"
-According to a line in the revised final draft of "Galaxy's Child", {{st-minutiae|resources/scripts/190.txt}} Brahms' husband's name was [[Michael (Leah's husband)|Michael]], and he was an engineer on [[Garran IV]].
+According to a line in the revised final draft of "Galaxy's Child", {{st-minutiae|resources/scripts/190.txt}} Brahms' husband's name was [[Michael (Engineer)|Michael]], and he was an engineer on [[Garran IV]].
 In the original script for {{film|10}}, {{st-minutiae|resources/scripts/nem.txt}} Brahms and La Forge had in fact become a couple by [[2379]], and the two of them attended [[Will Riker]] and [[Deanna Troi]]'s wedding together. However, because actress Susan Gibney was unavailable, her character was removed, and the scene with La Forge was re-written for [[Guinan]].