Erica Ortegas

Lieutenant Erica Ortegas was a female Human Starfleet operations division officer who lived during the mid-23rd century. 
== Early life ==
Ortegas was born in the city of Barranquilla, Colombia, on Earth, on May 23rd, 2233. She had one sibling, Fabola. () She attended a middle school with a gym named for legendary pilot Travis Mayweather of the , and considered herself a fan of his. ()
== Starfleet career ==
=== Starfleet Academy ===
During her time at Starfleet Academy, Ortegas would brag that she was going to be the best pilot ever to graduate the academy, a sentiment that would come to be heard by Captain Christopher Pike. She would also invent her own maneuvers, like "evasive pattern Ortegas Gamma Three". ()
=== Early postings and assignments ===
Sometime after graduating from the Academy, Ortegas would go on to serve aboard the . For Starfleet Remembrance Day in 2259, she wore a pin memorializing the crewmates she had lost from this ship. ()
During the Klingon War, Ortegas served with distinction on the front. She was stationed near the Prospero system. ()
=== Service aboard the USS Enterprise ===
By 2259, Ortegas was serving as the alpha shift pilot aboard the under Captain Christopher Pike. 
Ortegas' quarters were located on Deck 6, Section G, Room 629. () 
Ortegas also took command of the Enterprise when Pike, Una, Spock, and La'an were not on the bridge. () As the Enterprises most skilled pilot, Ortegas was not often deployed on away missions. ()
Ortegas' deft piloting skills were called upon when Enterprise was attacked by the s, their vessel proving to be far more powerful and well-armed. Ortegas was able to evade incoming fire, and maneuver the ship between the Shepherds and M'hanit, an ancient asteroid that they considered sacred and would not risk harm to. ()
When Enterprise was ambushed by the Gorn near Finibus III, Ortegas was required to take the Enterprise into the atmosphere of a brown dwarf which was itself orbiting a black hole. Ortegas would later execute a dangerous high-speed maneuver around the black hole that allowed the Enterprise to escape, using gravitational redshift and an ejected atmospheric processor to trick the Gorn into thinking they had perished in the attempt. ()
She was close friends with Christine Chapel, and would accompany her during shore leave on Starbase 1. ()
When an alien consciousness from the Jonisian Nebula brought the fairy tale The Kingdom of Elysian to life on the Enterprise, Ortegas was used for the character of Sir Adya. Ortegas didn't remember the events after the ship was returned to normal. ()
Ortegas was a willing participant in acting Captain Spock's plan to steal the Enterprise from Starbase 1 to answer a distress call from La'an Noonien Singh, which warned of an anti-Federation threat on Cajitar IV. ()
Along with the rest of the crew, Ortegas lost her memories during a survey mission to Rigel VII. However, Ortegas was able to learn her name and role with the help of the main computer, and used her instinctive piloting ability to navigate the Enterprise to safety through a dangerous asteroid field. ()
Ortegas finally got her wish to join a landing party by piloting a disguised shuttle through a debris field to evade a Gorn attack ship over Parnassus Beta. In order to trick the Gorn into believing them to be space debris, Ortegas waited until the freefalling shuttle had descended to within 1500 meters of the planet's surface before restarting the shuttle's engines, a maneuver she had completed many times during the Klingon War. Ortegas was amused by Captain Pike's discomfort, as he had once been a test pilot himself. ()
== Legacy ==
Bradward Boimler considered her to be a "war hero". ()
== Relationships ==
Ortegas warned Christine Chapel once not to get in the middle of a Vulcan relationship because they would force her to fight them with a lirpa – and she had the scars to prove it. ()
== Alternate timelines ==
=== Neutral Zone incursion ===
In an alternate timeline version of the 2266 Romulan Neutral Zone Incursion experienced by Captain Pike, Ortegas remained the chief pilot of the Enterprise and was promoted to Lt. Commander. She was notable in this timeline for her anti-Romulan sentiments, and her vocal willingness to hunt down and destroy the Bird of Prey responsible for destroying several Neutral Zone outposts. ()
=== UEF Enterprise ===
In an alternate timeline created where Khan Noonien Singh was killed by the Romulan Sera and United Earth was at war with the Romulan Star Empire, Ortegas joined the United Earth Fleet and by 2259 was assigned to the navigation console aboard the under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. ()
== Key dates ==
* 2233: Born in Barranquilla, Colombia, Earth on May 22nd. 
* 2256–2257: Participated in the 
* 2259: Assigned to the 
== Appendices ==
=== Appearances ===
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=== Background information ===
Lt. Erica Ortegas was played by Melissa Navia. 
Ortegas was named for the navigator José Ortegas, one of the original characters named in the original Star Trek is... pitch. 
The Navigator. José Ortegas, born in South America, is tall, handsome, about twenty-five and brilliant, but still in the process of maturing. He is full of both humor and Latin temperament. He fights a perpetual and highly personal battle with his instruments and calculators, suspecting that space, and probably God, too, are engaged in a giant conspiracy to make his professional and personal life as difficult and uncomfortable as possible. José is painfully aware of the historical repute of Latins as lovers – and is in danger of failing this challenge on a cosmic scale.
This character later morphed into that of José Tyler, who appeared the original pilot, , played by Peter Duryea. Tyler has not appeared since his debut.
=== External link ===
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Category:Humans
Category:Starfleet operations personnel
Category:USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) personnel