The back history on James Mitchell is sporadic. Originally believed to have been born on Bajor in 2345 during the Cardassian Occupation, it has recently been determined that his alleged parents - a Holly Mitchell, now Dean of the Tactical and Strategic Division of Starfleet Academy's Mars Campus, and an un-named government official on Bajor - have been debunked as facts. The only memory James retains from that time is one of a bright flash, and a face of indistinguishable features.

Holly Mitchell discovered the James as a toddler in an escape pod that had drifted into orbit around a lunar station in a nearby system she was supervising in 2348. The outpost was established to monitor the Bajoran system prior to the Cardassian Occupation, but remained to bear witness to the holocaust throughout. It was later abandoned and dismantled when the Federation established its presence on Deep Space Nine.

For reasons she has not released, Admiral Mitchell created a fictional story of having escaped the Cardassian Occupation with James through use of bribery and means as a Federation official on a smuggler ship, to be carried into Federation territory by the S.S. Athena, an independent cargo freighter that at this time has been recorded as lost in the Beta Quadrant.

Admiral Mitchell had in fact, adopted James as her own, having him assume her name and giving him one of his own, as the earring he'd been discovered with had no markings she could interpret.

Being that the Federation hadn't formally established relations with Bajor, they had no way of determining his familial sigil crested on the piece of jewelry. When Bajor had thrown off the reigns of the Cardassians and allowed Federation officials entry into Bajoran space, it was sadly discovered that most historical and medical records had been destroyed, which precluded any attempt to sift through them for any clues to his true identity. It was only in 2380, through an amplification of memories brought on by an unknown factor, that James was able to determine his name (Talin Li) by locating a relative who recognized the sigil. Even so, he prefers the use of his human name.

So they settled on Mars after the adoption when she transferred to Earth to take on a job as an instructor.

At age 14, James unilaterally decided to take up the fight on Bajor. Desperately he had needed to find out who he was, feeling he couldn't relate with other kids his age. He arrived on the planet in 2359 to take up arms with the Shakaar resistance unit. Within a year's time, he was captured. A member of his resistance cell betrayed the raiding party as it re-supplied at a waypoint station. The betrayer had been someone he'd gone through hell and back with. It was unfathomable that someone that had been so loyal let alone an extension of ones self to and from each other, would even happen. His psychiatric evaluations transcribed from his sessions described the point in time as 'feeling impaled on a pig stick when he'd turned to his partner and found her aiming a phase-rifle at his head'.

As a result of the betrayal, dozens of men, women, and children were killed. He vowed he would never trust any single individual with his or others lives again. It was his responsibility to lead the party, but instead he lead it and all his friends and comrades to death. The vision of the conspirator standing up as he was captured, and turning her back on him, remained the stuff of nightmares for years.

From 2360-63, he remained incarcerated in Cardassian labor camps. He was initially assigned as a worker on Terok Nor, a fairly less brutal assignment. Considered a low-level risk at the time and given some of the more favorable tasks that brought him within close proximity of the stations commander. He took advantage of a rare opportunity and attempted to assassinate a high-ranking Gul on the station, but was stopped by Shinta Navarre, who at that time was also on a mission to kill the Gul. His subsequent capture had him sent to the camps on Bajor where he endured unspeakable horrors.

Through interrogation of the Chief Cardassian Scientist, Cenna, when she later came aboard the USS Miranda in 2378, it can be confirmed that she (Cenna) was aware of James personally and able to follow his movements, while he was on Terok Nor. For what purpose, has not been determined.

The method of his escape from Cardassia is unconfirmed at this time. It is believed he was beaten, his body dumped with other murdered Bajorans. His human half must have developed an immunity to whatever poison the Cardassians introduced, for he survived, badly pummeled and bruised, according to psychological records gleaned from sessions. It is also believed he managed to book passage on a blockade runner, after which there is no recorded history of James until his application to Starfleet Academy in 2365, at age 20, two years later.

For reasons he has shared, James elected to pursue subjects in the Medical and Sciences branches. Perhaps it was his internal failure to save the sick and dying? What good was it saving a being if they only died in pain later? Likely it was so that he wouldn't have to rely on anyone else. Or perhaps he felt guns were only half the answer. Either way, whatever desire burned inside him, it helped him excel past expectations.

As electives, he picked up credits in Planetary Survival and general Security procedures and applied for Military Operations Command Training, in the hopes of a career in Intelligence or Field Operations as a Combat Medic.

Instead, he was assigned to the USS Hood as a Xenobiology student for his Cadet Cruise. His commanding officer recommended him as a promising Department Head, and so he was transferred to the USS Farragut as its Chief of Xenobiology after completing his cruise, and amongst the youngest to attain such a position so early in their career, due to his diligence and determination. It was simply a Department Head reporting to the Assistant Chief Science Officer, but to James, it was something he was mentally unprepared for. His fear of responsibility and death of those that depended on him on Bajor haunted him still. He was 25 years old at this time, a mere seven years since he last stepped off Bajor.

While he was on the Farragut, he crossed paths with Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and this changed something in the Ensign. The Farragut was one of the ships assigned to the clean-up effort on Veridian III after the Enterprise-D's destruction. James had been reporting for beam-down as the Captain of the Enterprise was arriving. He never had the chance to be introduced due to the nature of the tasks the Farragut had been given, but just standing in the same room as him for even just a fleeting moment, James felt the desire to *be* something. Or someone. The power, influence, and status a commanding officer brings to the table. He wanted it. He began to feel the hunger again.

This brought renewed desire and hope to James, and within the year, he had been transferred to a Galaxy class starship not unlike the Enterprise-D, and was its Chief Science Officer by year's end.

The candle that burns twice as bright, burns half as long, as the saying goes. In James' case, perhaps it was the meteoric rise through the ranks, or maybe he'd thought his troubles were behind him, but it was not to be. He snapped due to a mission he had presided over and could not save dozens from a lonely death in a violent past history a majority of the crew had been transported to. Everything came to a crashing halt, and his world was shattered.

He was relieved of duty and transferred to Starfleet Medical on Earth to undergo counseling and psychological testing as a result of manic depression and a post-traumatic stress.

At the completion of his rehabilitation near the end of 2374, Mr. Mitchell was deemed fit to return to active duty on a limited basis, so he was assigned to the Starfleet Sciences Division on Earth, specializing in Xenobiology. With the outbreak of the Dominion War, the Breen raid on San Francisco, and subsequent closure of hostilities, Starfleet was then able to focus on utilizing the advanced technologies created from the war on the Borg threat once again, and began sending out many of its Earth-based officers to starships to serve as specialists in their areas and assist the Science teams in their efforts.

Mr. Mitchell was one of these officers, and assigned to his previous vessel, the USS Galaxy, in 2377.

At the end of 2377, James was put in for a promotion by his department head, Commander Peterson. James was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and formerly made the Galaxy's Assistant Chief Science Officer for his excellent work and "team player" attitude upon returning to the starship he formerly served as CSO on. In a rather unexpected turn of events, Commander Peterson was relieved of his duties on board the USS Galaxy and reassigned by Starfleet Command along with several other officers (including Captain Price). James was promoted to Chief Science Officer by the new CO, Captain John Bhrode.

James went AWOL shortly thereafter, and the file pertaining to that matter has recently been unsealed after the investigation into his actions had closed. Lt. Commander Mitchell had gone to Cardassia with Cenna in order to gain her agreement to remove an organism from Navarre Shinata's frontal lobe. Forced to legally marry and create a child with the Cardassian, they were later imprisoned for war crimes and sent to life labor in off-world mining.

The prison came under attack by unknown forces, allowing Cenna and James to escape into Federation space and picked up by the USS Miranda, where James was given a field commission by Captain Elaithin to Assistant Chief Science Officer when the position had recently become vacant. Cenna lived up to her end of the bargain and removed the organism from Navarre Shinta.

Almost immediately following the surgery, a psychological change came over James. He grew more aggressive, instigating fights and keeping his shipmates at a further arms-length. Navarre Shinta, Captain Elaithin Jii, Lt. Ariss Edon, Jordan Elaithin, and many others had filed grievance reports in their personal logs during this time, but none came to fruition, exhibiting the level of friendship and loyalty his shipmates had towards him even if he had shut himself off to it.

Regardless of James' personal problems, he was promoted to Chief Science Officer of the Miranda, and in early 2379, to the rank of Commander.

In 2380, Cenna gave birth to their daughter, and fell into a coma due to complications from the birth. James had hit the peak of his aggressive tendencies, and not wanted anything to do with his genetically deficient daughter, likely due to the medical records of the child showing serious issues that would threaten her existence on a regular basis. Without Cenna's ability to share her research and notes on the methods of xenobiological genome matching between herself and James to create the child, there was no sure method of curing the child of her ailments.

Cenna died a mere months later on Earth from causes unknown, and his daughter disappeared into the family system when he refused to take her.

Over the next two years, James and Commander Arel Smith had begun a on-again, off-again relationship that was rocky at best. Psychiatric records from both parties show they were well-suited to each other, augmenting each other's strengths, and complimenting deficiencies. According to medical records of the time on the USS Miranda from Commander Felicia Khatroweena, the two combined made the most visits to her office for personal visits to set bones, nose-ridges and various other damages.

When Arel became pregnant, James summarily ended the relationship, outwardly accusing her of entrapment and adultery. It is our belief at Starfleet Medical that he feared for another sick child that would require his dependence and used the excuse to push them away. His chaotic emotionalism would dictate he was unready for fatherhood and the family life.

In 2382, James was 'killed' by a fellow Vulcan officer, whose sole defense during the investigation was 'it was logical'. Commander Mitchell had suffered a stab wound from a Klingon D'K Tahg through the heart from the back, and found floating in one of the ship's eco-tanks amongst the fish and algae.

It was discovered while an autopsy was about to performed on him, that he was alive. Medical records state he was announced dead on scene, and had been for at least three days after being brought to the ship's morgue. A cursory exam showed his heart had healed of its wound, and the surrounding tissues were also regenerating. Commander Khatroweena performed an in-depth scan of the area and detected molecular-sized nanites were repairing the damage. Their origins are unknown at this time.

When, weeks later, James finally awoke completely healed, all traces of the nanites broken down into his bloodstream and filtered out of his system.

A side-effect of this medical miracle was that James had no memory of the previous two years. His anxiousness and agression from the time period had also disappeared. It was a shock to him that his former fiancée, Navarre Shinta, had remarried, and that Arel Smith and he shared a child. He entered an intensive training regimen to bring him up to current curriculum standards, but did not re-ignite his relationship with Commander Smith, as to him, she was a complete stranger.

Feeling the pressures of Arel and her son Korvin to settle down, James applied for a transfer to the next available ship. He felt he'd been given a second chance at life, and he knew he'd feel trapped in a relationship with a woman he never knew, and a son he refused to believe was his, no matter what or how many inconclusive tests predicted he was. It made him resentful, and felt he needed a change. He wanted nothing to do with anyone depending on him, and a fresh start would uncloud his mind to his future.

The various shipyards around the Federation had now approached a surplus of positions to fill, as starship replacements were being commissioned regularly as replenishments to Starfleet after the Dominion War were launching. There were some concerns about James' history and recovery, but Captain Elaithin was able to convince Fleet Admiral's Murdock and Akaar that James would make a capable Commanding Officer. Therefore, when the order came in to take command of the newly commissioned USS Callisto, James tried to decline. Captain Elaithin, having known James for almost twenty years by this time, was the only one able to convince the commander to give it a try.

After spending several months on the Callisto, James grew bored with the Science vessel's mandate. He'd been involved in enough major conflicts over the past two decades, that mapping nebulae, making first contacts and handing them off, sitting on the sidelines while others make a difference... he yearned for that again. His break from the high-octane lifestyle of Pathfinders and Galaxy-classes done and meditated on, he itched for the adrenaline.

He'd learned and came to terms with many of his fears and personal concerns during his time on Callisto, and in his argument with Admiral Akaar when he requested a transfer, he felt he just wasn't a good fit with the science vessel and its crew if he continued to be the man he was. A lot of mistakes were made during the Dominion War, and he felt his talents would be better suited to making real soldiers out of the men, women, and beings coming out of the Academy, as well as the overwhelmed and under-educated officers of Starfleet. With no conflicts on the horizon, his skills were wasted there.

The logs of this meeting show Admiral Akaar warned Captain Mitchell that if he gave up this Captaincy, he wasn't likely to receive another one. There had been enough questions regarding his character that they had hoped giving him this command would temper him into a proper officer. He would not receive a larger or more responsible ship while he was at this questionable part in his career.

Captain Mitchell appeared fine with this measure and asked for a return to the Miranda. He felt he needed to see where things went with Arel Smith after numerous communiques with her. Akaar denied his request, citing no available positions for a Captain on the ship. The video shows Captain Mitchell removing his rank insignia and throwing it on his desk, responding that there were plenty of civilian options available, and departed without permission.

Within two days, he was re-assigned to the Atlantis Project as the Liaison between the civilian engineers and Starfleet, with the option of setting up his office anywhere he liked. Since the USS Miranda had made the new Atlantis station their port of call, he made his office there.

With hostilities rising against the Hydran Sovereignty and its allies, in 2382 a newly formed division in Starfleet was established to combat the highly effective Hydran fighter. One of the first tactical wings of fighters from the Starfleet Starfighter Corps was assigned to the USS Miranda. With a shortage of certified pilots, James obtained certification in basic flight reconnaissance in the Saber-class recon/fighter. When Joral Anton, the Commander Air Group (CAG) went MIA, Captain Mitchell offered his services as CAG, knowing his skills would be invaluable here as an experienced veteran of multiple combat situations.

In 2383, he assumed the rank of Colonel and took command of Rogue Group.

During the Liberation of ch'Rihan in 2383, he suffered major wounds when he was shot down by Hydran forces. He wears a prosthetic right forearm, two cybernetic fingers on his left hand, a duranium cap in his right knee and a transplanted left eye.

Later that year, the entire complement of the USS Miranda was re-assigned while it underwent a highly classified mission. James was assigned to the USS Achilles as its Strategic Operations Commander, operating out of the sector home to the Imperial Romulan State, secured by Empress Ael Donatra and her allies after seceding from the Romulan Star Empire. Their mandate was to reinforce her borders in a show of good faith to her recognized state. The Achilles, a strategic attack cruiser and its task force of Federation ships are currently under orders to assist the Empress in any way she requires them, within certain parameters.

In July, 2384, she took the Federation fleet with her to Andor, to defend the core-world from a last-ditch assault by the Hydrans in their efforts to secure the Andorian 'superweapon' and bring about an end to the war.

After the Triad War came to a close, and the Achilles out of action, Colonel Mitchell decided to transfer his office to the USS Galaxy, when he saw her docked at Utopia Planetia.

James Mitchell is what you'd call bull headed. Stubborn, determined, focused. When he sets his mind to something, there isn't much one can do to change it, and he gets the job done when required of him.

He's dedicated to the ideals of Starfleet in principle, but does not condone violence unless it's him dealing it in his method of righteousness.

He doesn't trust people at all easily, but he is loyal to those with he serves with. He doesn't show himself as one who cares about anything but himself, but in fact he cares very much about those around him. If he didn't have that, his anxieties of leading wouldn't surface. If he truly dislikes a person, he tends to ignore them as if they never existed.

If he believes in the cause, he'll fight alongside you. If he believes in the person, he'll die for them. All without question. He covers up this weakness he sees himself having by pushing people away. The more they care about him, the harder he pushes. But that doesn't mean he doesn't care.

Some of us here at Starfleet Medical debate on whether his strength of pushing is conducive to the level he cares about the person. Makes some of us wonder about his capacity for love. Would he kill at that? It's something we've been watching in his files for since he currently refuses counseling.

His desire to command is tempered by his fear of relapsing into his past experiences and failure. For this, he subconsciously chooses not to take on any position of authority, but unknowingly also seeks a role model to overcome those same obstacles in his path to command. He has shown progress in this area as his record displays.

He has an acute pleasure in antagonizing his crewmates, but does it in the hope it betters them as soldiers and officers in Starfleet. He feels Starfleet in general has gotten too soft and forgiving in their methods of defense and discipline, but does not believe in the 'Hawk' mentality of starting wars just to prove superiority.

James has a powerful charisma, blue-grey eyes that change colors with his mood. His physical appearance is Bajoran, but does not display his family heritage by wearing his family earpiece.

He also has short-cropped dark brown hair, a rugged complexion, and a goatee.

He walks with a slight limp when it's cold. His ankle had been shattered as a result of a mission on the USS Galaxy in 2377 where he'd been captured by the Hirogen and tortured before it was killed by a fellow crewperson.

Former Wife: Cenna - Deceased
Daughter (un-named): Unknown location
Son: Korvin with Arel Smith (denies paternity)