View source for Maria O'Brian

{{Character
|department = Civilian
|firstname= Maria
|lastname= O'Brian
|image=
|Homeworld= Earth
|Species= Human
|Gender= Male
|Birth=2356
|Death=
|Height= 6' 3"
|Weight= 185 lbs
|Hair= Black
|Eyes= Brown
|Affiliation= United Federation of Planets
|Posting= USS Vision
|Position= Chef
|Rank=
|Played By= 
}} [[Category:Characters|O'Brian Maria]]

"''Why waste the space on coffee beans when you have the ship's replicator for coffee?"
:- '''Maria O'Brian''', 2382.

'''Maria Karina O'Brian''', Ph.D, currently serving on the USS Vision is a gifted chef with a doctorate in mathematics. She taught for several years at Starfleet Academy as a civilian instructor before transferring to the [[USS Pacifica]] to serve as a chef. She served on the Pacifica for close to six months before taking up a more senior position on the starship Vision. 

==General Information==
'''Name:''' Maria Karina O'Brian

'''Position:''' Chef

'''Posting:''' USS Vision

'''Species:''' Human 

'''Gender:''' Female 

'''Age:''' 26

==Family==
'''Spouse:''' 2nd Lt. Patrick O'Brian, SFMC (deceased)

'''Father:''' Armando Fuentes

'''Mother:''' Dr. Neolia Fuentes, PhD

'''Brothers:''' Fernando, Clemente, Arturo, Gregorio, Iuceph, Macario, Tomas

'''Sisters:''' Isabella, Genoveva, Herminia, Teresa

'''Other Family:''' Sister-in-Law Lieutenant. Caitlin O'Brian, Starfleet Fighter Pilot

==Physical Appearance== 
'''Height:''' 5' 2" 

'''Weight:''' 98 lbs

'''Eye Colour:''' Brown 

'''Hair Colour:''' Black 

'''Description:'''

Maria is a petite, curvaceous young Hispanic woman whose body echoes her vibrant personality. She usually wears her long (to the middle of her back) straight hair in a pony tail, and has a ready smile which seems to literally light a room.

==Personality & Traits==
'''General Overview:''' 

Maria is bubbly, lively and has an infectious good humor. She has a drive which, when focused, allows her to succeed at almost at any task she puts her mind to. Maria is affable to everyone she meets, and though she has a pleasant, gentle demeanor, is not easily intimidated.

'''Strengths and Weaknesses:'''

Maria has a sweet disposition and a gentle personality that allows her to make friends easily. There is, however, a tint of sadness which she sometimes fails to hide.

Maria has a tendency to wear "rose-colored" glasses where others are concerned, trying to see the best in them. On the other hand, once faced with the undeniable facts of reality, Maria has no problem dealing with them.

Maria has a lively and energetic intellect which, once focused on a subject, allows her to master it readily. Considering her eclectic interests and near-insatiable curiosity, had made Maria an expert on a diverse (and occasionally surprising) number of subjects.

'''Ambitions:'''

Maria has no long range ambitions, as her husband's death is still the prominent event in her life.

'''Hobbies and Interests:'''

* Mathematics, particularly algebraic topology
* Cooking and food from different cultures
* Celtic Music and History
* SFMC History
* Earth Baseball
* Reading a wide variety of subjects
* Exobotany

'''Languages:''' 

Standard, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Arabic (Just to name a few)

==History== 
Maria was born in Santa Elena de Uairen, Venezuela, the third oldest child (and oldest daughter) in a family of eleven children. Her father is presently chief administrator of the Gran Sabana preserve, while her mother holds the Villanueva Chair of Architecture at the Universidad Central de Venezuela. The Fuentes family was (and is) a happy one, with the older children chipping in to help their parents raise the younger ones. (Maria became quite an accomplished cook during this time, learning and experimenting with new recipes for her brothers and sisters).

It was discovered at an early age that Maria was a mathematical progidy. At the age of sixteen, she solved one of the Clay Institute's Seven Millenium Problems for the 24th Century (specifically, the Gotbaum/T'pir Topology Postulation). This was quite an accomplishment in that at the time Maria was majorly crushing on her oldest brother's friend and roommate from the Academy, Patrick O'Brian. 

By the time that Patrick and Maria's brother Fernando graduated from Starfleet Academy and received their commission as second lieutenants in the SFMC, three things happened to Maria: she turned eighteen, she received her doctorate in mathematics and her and Patrick were officially engaged. The couple was married in Shannon, Ireland in front of the O'Brien and Fuentes clans. Maria's maid of honor was Patrick's twin sister, Caitlin, who had also just graduated from the Academy and had been accepted into flight school.

One year later, Lt. Patrick O'Brian was killed in action. 

The Fuentes and O'Brian families rallied around young Maria, but she remained inconsolable and remained in seclusion for six months.

When Ensign Caitlin O'Brian came home on leave, she dragged Maria to a secluded cabin on the Gran Sabana, where the two remained for a week. When the two returned, Maria was ready to return to the world of the living. When Caitlin returned to duty, Maria headed to San Francisco, where she applied to become an instructor. Starfleet Academy was more than happy to have Dr. Maria O'Brian on their staff.

Maria used her time at the academy to work with some of the most renowned mathematicians and physicists in the Federation, as well as indulge her appetite on learning about a wide variety of subjects. More than a few potential suitors tried to start up a romance with Maria, but the young widow was happy with her life of academia and platonic friendships.

It was on the occasion of her twenty-fifth birthday that Maria's civilian career in Starfleet took an odd turn. Maria was having a party at the small house she shared with two other young female professionals living in San Francisco. One of the guests, Commander Wayne Hampton, a fellow instructor at the Academy, was asking about one of the dishes she had made.

"It's called Mole Negro Oaxaqueno, from southern Mexico. I serve it over an okara and wheat gluten mixture. I discovered quite by accident that it's an instant hit with any Vulcan guests that attend one of my soirees."

"Not just the Vulcans," replied Commander Hampton around a bite. "If you ever get tired of teaching advanced mathematics at the academy and writing papers on Topological Quantum Computing, I'm sure you could make a career as a Special Events Chef on a starship. They could always use someone to do the catering for the V.I.P.'s they get on board."

Maria didn't dwell on the Commander's words until later that night, when she was looking at a picture of her Patrick. She'd often wondered about his life beyond the atmosphere of Earth. Maria had never even been to the Moon. What might be out there waiting for her?

Maria could take any of the dozens of offers from universities across the Federation and its allies as a visiting professor on their campus. But Maria had decided exchanging one academic venue for another wasn't what she needed. And although some of the people she loved most in the world wore a Starfleet uniform, Maria knew herself well enough that Starfleet discipline just wasn't her. 

So civilian contractor seemed to be the best of both worlds. Of course, Maria was a a civilian contractor now. It just wasn't letting her get beyond the atmosphere.

But if her mastery of topology wouldn't let her go out among the stars, maybe her mastery of creme anglaise would.

It wasn't an easy sell. The Academy Commandant and her Department Head were both big fans of Maria's cooking, but were bigger fans of one of the Federation's rising stars of mathematics on their staff. Maria was insistent, though. She wanted a job as a chef on a starship. She sold the idea as a sabbatical from teaching. She would use her 'down time' as a chef to work on a few ideas and have them ready for publication at the end of her two year 'sabbatical.'

So the Commandant used his connections to get Maria a posting as a chef on the Pacifica, making sure the Pacifica's Commanding Officer knew he was getting one of the Federation's best mathematical minds as a resource for his ship.

As well as a woman who made the best barbecued brisket the Commandant had ever eaten.

==Service Record== 
[[Image:B-blank.png]] Civilian Instructor | Starfleet Academy | 2377-2382 <br>
[[Image:B-blank.png]] Chef | [[USS Pacifica]] | 2382 <br>
[[Image:B-blank.png]] Head Chef | USS Vision | 2382-present <br>