Curtis comes from the planet Kera, whose membership in the Federation is only 15 years old. When Curtis was 4, the Kerelian Civil War broke out against those who wished for Federation entrance and those who opposed it. Curtis was sent to Earth in a refugee shuttle pod, his parents soon followed and he grew upon Earth. Having been told stories by his father about what the Federation has done for Kera, Curtis decided at age 10 that he would join Starfleet.

Even from a young age he showed promise in the field of Engineering when he repaired a family friends shuttle that had had it's engine destroyed. Curtis often visited Starfleet Command, since his father is the Kerelian Ambassador and his home was just outside of San Francisco.

Finally, when he was 17, Curtis was admitted into Starfleet Academy. In his senior year, Curtis studied under Professor Miles O'Brien, who taught him how to make the best of any engineering situation. Curtis graduated in the top 5 percent in his class and went on to study at the Vulcan Science Academy for 2 more years to complete his second degree in Warp Field Theory.

Afterwards, he was posted to the U.S.S. Marie-Curie as an assistant engineer. He was promoted to Acting Chief Engineer briefly when the actual chief was killed in a combat situation. His calm and quick actions under the pressure of combat saved the ship and gained him the Starfleet Medal for Initiative. After a six-month tour of duty on board the Marie, Curtis was transferred to the U.S.S. Galaxy as an engineer. Curtis was soon promoted to Lieutenant junior grade while serving on board the USS Galaxy in early 2378.

After the (supposed) decommissioning of the Galaxy, Curtis accepted an offer to teach Warp Field Theory at Starfleet Academy as well as a promotion to full lieutenant. At the close of 2378, Curtis married Kiora Eastman, his girlfriend from the U.S.S. Galaxy. After two semesters of teaching, Curtis decided to head back into space and signed on as an engineering officer on board the Galaxy.

Curtis is a friendly guy, and he's always making a joke. He likes to make people laugh and is comfortable around everybody, even complete strangers. Initially, people sometimes find Curtis a little annoying, but he quickly grows on them. He makes friends very easily in this way. He is very polite and professional on the job, however, his humorous personality bleeds over into his work and it sometimes gets him in trouble, but he usually manages to charm his way out of it.

Despite his outward appearance, Curtis keeps his past to himself mostly, he does not like to think about his planet's civil war, as he lost most of his extended family in it. He is a complex man, despite his simple appearance. He is tall, standing 6 foot 1, and he has brown hair. He has a medium build and is also rather thin, as Kerelians always are.

As a Kerelian, Curtis has very accurate hearing, able to pick up sounds 5 times better than humans. He can distinguish sounds ranging from .00007 Hz to 100,000 KHz. His hearing helps him in his work as he is able to tell just by listening if there is an engine problem and exactly what the problem is.

Kerelians look human, but they have slightly different internal systems. Kerelians have a much faster metabolic rate than humans and must eat 4 times a day to remain healthy. Any Kerelian who goes more than 2 days without food will die, in stark contrast to humans, who can go almost a week.

This puts them at a disadvantage in survival situations where food is scarce, as their vital systems begin to shut down after 40 hours without food.

Kerelians have even more sensitive ears than Ferengi, and can hear much better. But they are still about the size of human ears. The fastest way to get a Kerelian mad is to pull on his ears, since it is very painful for them.

Kerelians give their children "spiritual" names consisting of musical notes. This is why Curtis had to have a humanized name on earth. Kerelians honor music above all things; it is like a deity to them. Perfection in musical performance is mandatory and so Curtis learned a slew of instruments growing up. He likes to write music himself as well.