2380: Outstanding Cadet

2383: Expert Marksman

2373:  Charles Tucker III High School, Lake Armstrong Education System

2377: Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, Earth, First Year Cadet

2378: Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, Earth, Second Year Cadet

2379: Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, Earth, Third Year Cadet

2380: Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, Earth, Fourth Year Cadet

2381: Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, Earth, First Year Command School

2382: Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, Earth, Second Year Command School

2383: Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, Earth, Advanced Tactical Training Course

2383: Assigned to Starfleet R & D, Tokyo, Japan, Analyst

2384, July: Assigned to USS Galaxy, Tactical Officer

Ryan hails from a family that knew nothing else but Starfleet. His father was a man of exploration, someone who followed in the footsteps of the great explorers of the past like Robert April and James Kirk. Ryan's father, Warren Taggart West, had served as a Science Officer aboard the once proud Ambassador Class ships. His mother, Mara, was serving as the Assistant Chief Surgeon for Starbase 11 at that time. As typically happens on deep space assignments, people on shore leave meet, and so did Warren and Mara. Love at first sight was an understatement. The wed, and both sought transfers to different assignments within the Sol System. Mara took up a job at Starfleet Medical and Warren was assigned to Starfleet's Top Secret Research Project researching Zero-Point energy releases that would eventually lead to the development of the quantum torpedo.
 
At the time, none of the officers and civilian scientists knew why they were researching ways to harness this source of energy, and thus Warren and Mara went about their lives, settling on Luna, where their first child, Ashley was born. Ashley was infatuated with Starfleet from the time she was a small child, and at her first opportunity, she told her parents of her dream to apply to the Academy. It was around that time that a second blessing was bestowed upon the Davidson family... that being their second child, Ryan.
 
Growing up on the Moon was not necessarily an easy time for Ryan or the Davidson family. Ashley was nearly 13 years old at the time of Ryan's birth, and while she was trying to lead the life of a normal teen, her family was pulling her towards a life of responsibility and duty. Mara and Warren would be off at their respective assignments on Earth and Luna, leaving Ashley to care for young Ryan. It was here that the siblings began to establish their close bond with each other, as Ashley really didn't have many other friends.
 
The Davidson's spent the next few years traveling, due to the needs of the Fleet. Their longest stop was when Ryan was 5. Warren was asked to review sensor installation components for starships at the 40 Eridani A Shipyards near Vulcan. So, the family took up residence in the Shir'Kar Province along the Fire Plains. Ryan had his first pet then, a Vulcan Sehlat It wasn't the most ideal creature to have around the house, and it became very clear when Ryan accidentally stepped on its paw and the creature swiped at him with its razor sharp claws, cutting him deeply in the face. Despite the best efforts of Vulcan surgeons, the 8 cm scar still remains.
 
When the family returned to the Sol System, Ashley enrolled in Starfleet Academy. She wanted to be a Starship Engineer. By this time Ryan was old enough to begin attending school, allowing Mara to continue her work at Starfleet Medical. Without Ashley around, little Ryan began taking up Ice Hockey as way to make friends.  It was at this point that Warren started to become disenchanted with the whole concept of Starfleet.
 
It was revealed to the staff at Luna Research Station that the work he and his colleagues had been doing on and off for the past 8 or so years was to develop the quantum torpedo, a weapon vastly more powerful than technology of that era. In Warren's mind, Starfleet was losing its way. It was becoming an instrument of policy and of force rather than peaceful exploration. By the time Ashley had graduated the Academy in 2367, LtCmdr Warren Davidson had taken "early" retirement to pursue a career in the Federation Diplomatic Corps.
 
Then it came... that fateful day in 2368 at a remote sector near Earth known as Wolf 359. Ryan was only 8 at the time and Ashley was finishing out her first year of active duty, serving as a Warp Field Specialist on the USS Melbourne. It didn't take long for word to reach Sector 001 that most of the Fleet had been eradicated.
 
Ryan was devastated at the loss of his sister. He was closer to her than anyone else, mostly because she practically raised him. Warren took this as a sign that Starfleet should be focusing more on peaceful relations rather than brute strength and turned into an outspoken pacifist. More than anything, as Ryan became a teen, he wanted to get into Starfleet. He wanted to know why his sister had died, and why Starfleet wasn't strong enough to stop the Borg. 
 
Towards the end of his high school years, Ryan, who was a talented ice hockey goalie, became fascinated with military history, specifically that of the 21st and mid 22nd centuries, the early years of Starfleet. He would go out to the weapon's range with his friends and perfect his target practicing, and even got into the game of velocity. 
 
Warren was completely opposed to the idea of having another child go into the Service. When he was not working with delegations from other species, Warren did his best to try and dissuade his son from joining Starfleet. When Ryan was accepted to Starfleet Academy, Warren was furious. 
 
The two did not speak for most of Ryan's Plebe year at the Academy. With the loss of his sister and the lack of parental support, Ryan used these as tools to motivate himself to be the best cadet he could be. Ryan showed strength in the fields of starship combat tactics and phased energy weaponry. By the time he was a junior, Ryan had received the Commandant's Letter of Commendation for his work on campus, both in and out of the classroom.