Absalom West
"West" as a freelancer
Actor:	Don Johnson
Species:	Human
Gender:	Male
Born:	2341
Hair:	Brown, on the long side because he always waits too long between haircuts
Eyes:	Blue-gray, friendly, wrinkles when he smiles
Assignment(s):	former Starfleet Intelligence
Stationed:	Serenity
Occupation:	ex-Starfleet, freelance cargo runner and general do-gooder
Rank:	undisclosed
"West" in Starfleet

West flew around the trans-Briar Patch sectors in his ship the SS Rocinanté working odd jobs wherever he could get them. When he had enough money saved, he moved on to the next planet. Meanwhile, he was known to lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it, especially if it involved correcting some great injustice or thwarting some great evil. He was always full of high-flying stories of harrowing adventures he'd had in his never-ending quest to stamp out evil and right wrongs.

Physical Description

West was Caucasian, somewhat tanned, and leathery. He was moderately muscular from hard work as opposed to deliberate exercise. He usually had a 5-o'clock shadow growing on his chin. Typical attire was denim pants, a pastel shirt, and old Starfleet issue boots.

Personality

West was gregarious and exuded casual confidence while maintaining a charming boyish innocence. He had an unquenchable belief in the ultimate good of humanity and the Universe, although both were occasionally marred by pockets of great evil. He had the uncanny ability to 'fit in' with any crowd, whether surrounded by Bolian shopkeepers, Klingon warriors, or anything in between. He could be flamboyant at times. In dangerous or critical situations, he always remained cool-headed no matter how bad things got, preferring to think his way out of jams instead of using force if at all possible. Despite a tendency to travel in dangerous circles, West rarely carried a weapon.

Almost everything interested West. The universe existed for him to explore and discover, and this sometimes was the cause of trouble.

West disliked his first name, so he never told it to anyone. Even to his friends, he was always just 'West'. Only the rarest, most important individuals in his life ever got to know his first name.

History

West's background was mysterious. He never used his first name. He drifted in and out of people's lives too quickly for anyone to ever get to know very much about him. He seemed to be good at almost everything and had a comprehensive working knowledge of many subjects ranging from warp physics and xenobiology to paleo-archaeology and ancient alien languages, suggesting he had extensive schooling.

At some point in the past, West worked for Starfleet Intelligence along with his partner Claude Vasser. He had many friends in the service, some in surprisingly high places.

West's spaceship was the SS Rocinanté, an old Xenon-class runabout that was heavily modified and converted into a small cargo ship.

Relationships

West was friends with Banshee Squadron, except for Maxine Vasser initially. He and Lee Carter had some adventures and went on a date, but they never became more than good friends. West and Max eventually became very close and shared West's bed for a time.

A tribble hybrid named Gromit was West's constant companion.

Notes

• The name "Absalom West" was inspired by Indiana Jones – an absurd first name and a mundane last name.

• Originally, West was to be a very MacGyver-like character, with a tendency to travel unarmed and think rather than fight his way out of situations, and that's why he hates his first name. He quickly picked up some roguish Han Solo type attributes, though, so nowadays, he is a cross between the two.

• West was originally portrayed by a 1980s Richard Dean Anderson, but I switched to Don Johnson early on because RDA's MacGyver vibe wasn't 'rough' enough for how the character was developing.

• West was supposed to have been just a one-time guest star in "The Mind Rippers", but I liked the character so much he got his own spinoff and even stole Max away from the Banshee Squadron series.