Stone (Commodore)

File:CommodoreStone.jpg

Portmaster Stone in 2267.

Commodore Stone was a Human officer of the Federation Starfleet in the mid-23rd Century. A former starship captain, he served as Portmaster of Starbase 11 in 2267.

The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), badly damaged from a recent encounter with a severe ion storm and reporting the death of an officer, arrived at Starbase 11 on stardate 2947.3, forcing Stone to delay scheduled repairs on the USS Intrepid (NCC-1831).

That disruption to his Starbase's routine was quickly eclipsed after Stone found a discrepancy between Captain James T. Kirk's deposition regarding the death of Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Finney, and a significantly different computer record of the incident. Stone entertained a number of reasons why Kirk might have killed Finney, from negligence to malice. For a moment, Stone was willing to sweep the incident aside for the good of the service, by offering Kirk a permanent ground assignment. Incensed by the accusation, Kirk maintained the error was in the logs and demanded his name be cleared.

Stone convened and served as the President of the Court in the first general court martial of a Starfleet Captain in the history of the service. The trial proceeded smoothly until the investigation of Spock suggested tampering on the Enterprise computers. Stone accepted defense attorney Cogley's suggestion that the court re-convene aboard the Enterprise. Confirmation of Spock's suspicions led to the revelation that Finney was indeed alive and still aboard the ship.

After Finney sabotaged the Enterprise and she began to lose orbit, Stone refused to adjourn to the Starbase, and shared the risks the starship's crew faced. From the bridge, Stone and the court officers heard the "testimony" of Finney, by monitoring his confrontation with Kirk. Once Kirk had defeated Finney and restored the ship's orbit, Stone dismissed the court. (TOS: "Court Martial")

Background

Stone was played by actor Percy Rodriguez. The character of Commodore Stone was the highest ranking black Starfleet officer depicted in the original Star Trek.

According to the Star Trek Concordance by Bjo Trimble, Stone's first and middle initials are L.T. This information is most likely from an early draft of the script.

Apocrypha

In the novel Vulcan! by author Kathleen Sky, we Stone's first name is established as David.