Ch'dar, the longest-serving Superintendent in Starfleet Academy's history, racked up an impressive twenty years of service running the storied institution.

During his tenure, he kept SFA afloat through several crises, notably the 2288 Vanguard Incident, and greatly expanded its offworld presence.

Over the years, the Elm has become a popular spot on the grounds. It is a place to gather, to study, to reflect on the past -- or in the case of a young cadet named Jean-Luc Picard, it was the perfect canvas on which to carve the initials "A.F.", much to the ire of SFA's Head Groundskeeper, Boothby.

—it was he who, mere months later, wrote in his report a proposal to centralize and standardize the training of all current and future Star Fleet officers at a single academy, going as far as to tap the UE Naval Academy's campus, south of Sausalito, as the combined school's ideal grounds.

—of purely privatized space exploration, Stavros VII bucked the trend his old man and grandfather had started; choosing to become an auditor within the UE World Government in Lagos.

Upon the failure of Operation Handshake, it was he who formed and helmed a commission to investigate the causes, and—

Susquehanna-class destroyer, built for the UESN in 2101. 130 meters long, Warp 1.2-capable. Boasted an arsenal of 24+ spatial torpedos.

Happy to answer more questions!

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While the move was roundly criticized internally, Operation Handshake moved forward regardless. The politicians, blinded by their own ambition, were confident in their plan, and human opinion swayed in their direction.

The destruction of the U.N.S.S. Hammer changed all that.

Sitting at 130 meters in length and capable of sustained Warp 1.2 for 12 hours, Susquehannas were one of the last Earth ships built with spatial torpedo silos — over two dozen were spread dorsally along their heavily-armored prows.

All were retired by the 2150s as the UESF modernized their fleet.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, the Niarchos Commission was launched to develop a solution to the problems raised by Handshake's failure.

By the end of the year, Stavros Niarchos VII, head of the commission, would be appointed the first Commandant of the Star Fleet's new Space Academy.

To top it off, the failure of Handshake engendered a notion within the Vulcans that humans could not be trusted with their own safety and had to be held back.

In the words of V'lon, diplomatic attaché to Ambassador Soval: "If they cannot temper their own recklessness, we must temper it ourselves."

The incident brought an end to Operation Handshake almost as quickly as it had begun. With the Hammer destroyed and over a dozen other ships damaged, families and friends were left grieving.
Many UESF officials, worried that lack of cross-training would doom the whole operation, were vindicated.

While the move was roundly criticized internally, Operation Handshake moved forward regardless. The politicians, blinded by their own ambition, were confident in their plan, and human opinion swayed in their direction.

The destruction of the U.N.S.S. Hammer changed all that.

Eager to put themselves on their mettle, and vying for independence from Vulcan receivership, the UE government ordered the Star Fleet to immediately launch "Operation Handshake": a series of joint fleet exercises, with crews from both predecessor organizations operating aboard each other's vessels.

Happy to have you aboard!