Benteen

Benteen was a 24th century Starfleet officer who served as adjutant to Admiral Leyton, who later granted her command of the as part of his plot to execute a military coup d'état of Earth. ()
In 2372, while serving as Leyton's adjutant and holding the rank of commander, Benteen assisted the admiral in implementing sweeping security enhancements at Starfleet and Federation Headquarters, in an attempt to combat the threat of Changeling infiltrators. ()
Later, as he was preparing to take over, Leyton promoted Benteen to captain and granted her command of the Lakota. When Leyton learned that the was en route to Earth, carrying proof that Leyton had been manufacturing evidence of a Changeling threat, he ordered Benteen to intercept and destroy them, claiming that the entire Defiant crew had been replaced by Changelings. The Lakota engaged the Defiant but was unable to disable her due to the Defiants ablative armor. Benteen subsequently contacted Leyton for further instructions and was told to utilize the Lakotas quantum torpedoes to destroy the Defiant, but ultimately chose to defy orders, upon becoming convinced by Captain Sisko's impassioned argument that Leyton had been deceiving her. Benteen ordered the Lakotas weapons deactivated and escorted the Defiant to Earth, averting Admiral Leyton's attempted takeover. ()
==Appendices==
=== Background information ===
Benteen was played by actress Susan Gibney, who also played TNG character Leah Brahms. According to the script, Benteen's first name was Erika.
Benteen's captaincy of the Lakota was an in-joke by Ira Steven Behr; there was a who was in command of a 7th Cavalry battalion under the command of Lt. Col. when Custer and his battalion of men were decimated by Lakota Sioux at the . 
=== Apocrypha ===
Erika Benteen is a playable character in the computer game Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dominion Wars and, according to her bio in the game, she was demoted to lieutenant commander for her role in Leyton's conspiracy.
The Star Trek: Starship Creator and Star Trek: Starship Creator Warp II games spell her name as Ericka. According to the game, Benteen was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 2337 to parents Monique and Beaumont Benteen. She has a brother named William. At the age of 18, she decided to enroll in Starfleet Academy and graduated in 2358 in the 94th percentile. Her first assignment out of the Academy was as flight control officer aboard the . In 2360, she was promoted to lieutenant junior grade as recognition for her devotion to duty while serving aboard the Ahwahnee. In 2361, she was promoted to full lieutenant after she took charge of an away team following the death of the ranking officer during a survey of a planet in Sector 19658. In 2363, Benteen was transferred to the . A few months later, she was promoted to lieutenant commander and was made second officer under Captain Declan Keogh's direction. She remained aboard the Odyssey until 2367, when she was made operations manager aboard Starbase 219. After a year of serving as operations manager, she was promoted to commander in 2368 and accepted the post of adjutant to Admiral Mamoru Nakamura, the commander of Starbase 219. After two years as adjutant to Admiral Nakamura, she transferred to Starfleet Command on Earth in 2370, to serve as adjutant to Admiral Leyton. Following Leyton's attempted coup, Benteen was court martialed for the attack on the Defiant and for supporting the attempted coup. While she was acquitted from most of the serious charges that were placed against her, she was demoted to commander and removed from command of the Lakota. By 2373, Benteen had regained the rank of captain, and now commanded the during the fight against the Borg at the Battle of Sector 001.
=== External link ===
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Category:Humans
Category:Starfleet personnel (24th century)
Category:Starfleet command personnel
Category:Starfleet captains