Chris Hemsworth

Portrait of a Character – Kelsey Haber

Portrait of a Character – Kelsey Haber

Kelsey Haber is a tragic figure.

Origins

In response to a prompt about memory, I wrote a Star Trek fan fiction story about a crew member whose suicide sparks his fellow crew members to wonder if they ever knew him at all. Once again, I got some mileage out of being a bit of a contrarian. In Memory of Kelsey Haber put forth the premise that the only person who knew him at all, albeit just barely, was Deb Haddon.

Portrayal

Kelsey is played by Chris Hemsworth.

Barking Up the Must Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Chris Hemsworth as Kelsey Haber (image is for educational purposes only)

Chris Hemsworth as Kelsey Haber (image is for educational purposes only)

I like this handsome actor. I particularly wanted a good-looking guy to be playing lonely Kelsey. After all, even handsome and pretty people can sometimes find themselves alone.

This actor also has Star Trek credentials, having played Kirk’ father, George, in the 2009 film.

Personality

A little quirky and very, very private, Kelsey’s got a secret. An IDIC-type secret. While he’s probably heterosexual (the truth is, I haven’t decided yet whether he’s actually bi), he is a cross-dresser.

Relationships

Lemnestra

This Ikaaran Science Officer is passed over by a lot of the men, during the events of Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, because she was a part of a plot to steal necessary medications. As the penultimate woman chosen, she and Kelsey are probably both settling, but the details are never provided. However, when that version of the NX-01 meets the people of the prime timeline, no children are mentioned, indicating that they likely never had any.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Kelsey Haber There are no impediments to Kelsey existing in the Mirror Universe. However, a secret such a his would be less a topic for ridicule and, more likely, a bit of leverage for an ambitious blackmailer.

He might even behave ultra-macho, in order to counteract such an image-breaker. For him to fall in love with anyone, of either gender, it would be a major trust issue. Would he be able to? It’s hard to say. He might just end up as even more of a ruthless killer than Doug is in his early years, as a cover up for his inner life which, in the Mirror, would be a definite Sign of Weakness.

Quote

“This is the part where I’m supposed to say that I’m keeping this for a friend. Where there’s this beautiful girl who’s gonna be given this gift and I haven’t wrapped it yet so it’s in the back of my closet.”

Upshot

Just like the other characters, I barely know Kelsey. And maybe that’s how it should be.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Portrait, 1 comment

Review – In Memory of Kelsey Haber

Review – In Memory of Kelsey Haber

Memory matters.

Background

For a monthly prompt about remembering, I decided to go with the story of the death of a crewman who nobody really remembered that clearly. After all, this could very well be a common occurrence on a large ship. It’s much like a large school or a large company. There is no way you can possibly know everyone. As a result, some people are just “that guy”.

Plot

Review – In Memory of Kelsey Haber

Chris Hemsworth as Kelsey Haber

It’s the post-Fortune time period, on acting Captain Malcolm Reed‘s ship, the Zefram Cochrane. Chip comes over to Deb and tells her that Kelsey killed himself. Shocked, Deb and Chip realize that she knew Kelsey better than anyone, even the man’s new boss, Aidan. As Malcolm confers with Dr. Morgan about Haber’s death (he swallowed a tricoulamine capsule, same as the future Melissa Madden), Deb recalls an incident with Kelsey, where he ended up revealing something rather private to her.

Story Postings

Rating

The story has a K rating.

Upshot

I have no reason to believe that suicide will go away in the future; instead, people will just find different ways to do the deed.  Further, I’ve always been troubled by Star Trek not giving below decks characters their due. While I understand the constraints of a one-hour-long television format, it still feels wrong for seven or so characters to be the only people who anyone really knows. This was touched upon a bit in the Star Trek: Enterprise canon episode, The Forgotten. I just wanted to be sure that no one would forget Kelsey, either.


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Posted by jespah in In Between Days series, Review, 8 comments