J.P. Hanson

J.P. Hanson was an admiral attached to Starfleet Tactical in the 24th century, and friend to Jean-Luc Picard, commanding officer of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D).

Biography
Hanson first made the acquaintance of Picard upon witnessing him win the Starfleet Academy marathon, the only freshman to do so. Extremely impressed, he made a point of getting to know Picard, later commenting "I've never known anyone with more drive, determination, or more courage, than Jean-Luc Picard."

Years later, after Picard and his crew learned of the threat posed by the Borg, Hanson oversaw efforts to develop defensive strategies and new technologies with which to combat the extremely powerful race. Their efforts met with frustration, however, in that the limited information regarding the Borg led to conflicting ideas as how best to proceed. This situation was rectified, however, with the arrival of Lieutenant Commander Shelby, who was successfully able to put the project on a productive track. Thereafter, Hanson worked extremely closely with Shelby, spearheading all efforts to develop defenses against the Borg.

In 2366, subsequent to the destruction of the New Providence colony on Jouret IV, Hanson and Shelby traveled to the Enterprise-D together to consult with Picard and his crew, Hanson admitting that, if the Borg were responsible, they were woefully unprepared to deal with them. After confirming that the Borg were, indeed, responsible for the destruction of the colony, Hanson returned to Starbase 324 to discuss strategy with Starfleet Command, leaving Shelby behind on the Enterprise-D to continue tactical preparations.

After the Enterprise-D's engagement of a Borg cube, and Picard's capture and assimilation, Hanson mobilized a fleet of 40 starships to intercept the cube at Wolf 359, in an attempt to prevent them from reaching Earth. Hanson was killed in the subsequent battle as the Borg easily overwhelmed the fleet, destroying his ship and 38 others. 

Background
Hanson was played by actor George Murdock.

The script called for Hanson to appear on a bridge, the battle bridge set was used instead during filming.

Hanson was to be mentioned by Benjamin Sisko in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine pilot episode as having "deployed the Gage, the USS Kyushu and the USS Melbourne''". The scene was deleted or not filmed, although the reference remained in the novelization.

Apocrypha
In the Marvel Comics Voyager comic book "Ghosts", Tom Paris claims Hanson was "like an uncle" to him.

External link


J.P. Hanson Ｊ・Ｐ・ハンソン J.P. Hanson