Heihachiro Nogura

**Heihachiro Nogura** was a human male who served in Starfleet for some six decades in the 23rd century. One of the longest-serving flag officers in fleet history, by 2270 he had earned the affectionate nickname "The Old Man."

## Early service

While a junior officer, Nogura served as yeoman to Captain Richard Robau of the USS *Kelvin*. He eventually became close friends with George and Winona Kirk. (*TOS* novel: *The Autobiography of James T. Kirk*)

Circa 2240, Commander Nogura served as first officer aboard the USS *Thermopylae*. His commanding officer recommended him for accelerated promotion. (*TOS* novel: *Elusive Salvation*)

In 2245, Nogura became Captain of the USS *Potemkin*, one of Starfleet's new *Constitution*-class starships.

A year later, the *Potemkin* was assigned to ferry Ambassador Sarek and his son Spock home to Vulcan from a diplomatic assembly on Calsaria III. However, the ship was ordered to divert Tarsus IV in response to the crisis there, arriving some time after after the USS *Narbonne* and USS *Enterprise*. While *Enterprise* remained on scene for some time, after several days *Potemkin* left to transport survivors, including a group of children led by his friend George's young son, Jimmy. While Sarek departed the ship at Lambrax Prime, Spock remained aboard. During the weeks-long journey, Nogura and his crew were impressed with the intelligence, resourcefulness, and sense of responsibility shared by both boys. He encouraged both of them to consider entering Starfleet when they were old enough. (TOS short story: "Father to the Man"; *DSC* novel: *Drastic Measures*)

By the mid-2250s, Nogura had been promoted to Rear Admiral, and was Chief of Starfleet Operations, stationed at Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco. In 2257, following the disastrous mission of the USS *Farragut* at Tycho IV and its subsequent attack by an unknown threat, Nogura met with then-Lieutenant James Kirk to discuss the incidents. (*TOS* comic: *Debt of Honor*)

In 2266, Rear Admiral Nogura was assigned to command Starbase 47 in the Taurus Rearch, following the arrest of Vanguard's previous CO, Commodore Diego Reyes. Nogura remained in that post until the station's destruction in February, 2269. (*VAN* novel: *Open Secrets*, *Storming Heaven*)

Following the Rittenhouse Scandal in 2270, Nogura returned to Earth to accept the post as Commanding Officer of Starfleet Command. However, upon the retirement of Robert Comsol that same year, Nogura was instead promoted to Fleet Admiral and Commander-in-Chief of Starfleet. His stirling reputation was seen as key to restoring the Federation's faith in Starfleet, and his formidable presence led to some officers referring to him as "God Himself."

After the *Enterprise* returned from her five-year mission, it was Nogura who forced Captain Kirk to accept promotion to the admiralty. (*TOS* novel: *The Lost Years*, *VAN* novel: *In Tempest's Wake*)

In 2273, Nogura reluctantly acceded to Kirk's request to be reinstated as Captain of the *Enterprise*. (*Star Trek: The Motion Picture*; *Star Trek: Untold Voyages*, et. al)

Fleet Admiral Nogura remained in the post of C-in-C until circa 2285, when he stepped down to allow "new blood" to lead the fleet going forward, though he remained on active duty at Starfleet Command until the turn of the 24th century. (*Star Trek III: The Search for Spock*; *TOS* comic: *The Trial of James T. Kirk*, "Where There's a Will"; *TLE* novel: *The Sundered*)

## External links

* Nogura article at ***Memory Alpha***, the canon *Star Trek* wiki.
* Heihachiro Nogura article at ***Memory Beta***, the non-canon *Star Trek* wiki.