Stephen Boone April--a descendant of Robert April, the first captain of the Constitution-class starship USS Enterprise (later commanded by James Kirk)--was born in 2335 to Lorraine and Robert Elijah April. Though from New England on Earth's North American continent, Stephen April grew up constantly on the move, gaining a love for travel and exploration at an early age. April was a bright and imaginative child, learning to read on his own before any formal education. He was also stubborn and independent, and did things "his way". His childhood was not without some tragedy: His younger brother Kevin was lost in 2352 while visiting relatives away from Earth and presumed dead, though he was later recovered.
    The history of the April lineage, a Starfleet family for generations, influenced Stephen April's decision to join Starfleet. During second-year flight training at Starfleet Academy, he deviated from a pre-ordered flight plan which led to the death of a fellow cadet and April's near-expulsion. He learned and grew from the incident, and thanks to those who saw the makings of a potential captain in him--including one Admiral T'Urla, a Vulcan woman with a strong impact on his life--he stayed in the Academy, though he lost all credits and had to repeat his second year. April almost married a cadet at the Academy, Lacy Lomupo, who conceived but lost a child by him; this tragedy ultimately drove them apart. Later, aboard the USS Michigan in 2362, April provoked an interplanetary incident by becoming romantically involved with Ilona, the daughter of a Khalindarian magnate. The matter was resolved with the stipulation that April would never set foot on the planet Khalindar. Unknown to him at the time, Ilona bore a daughter by him named Neria, whom Stephen met in 2379; Neria chose to follow in his footsteps by joining Starfleet but quit before completing Academy training. These events proved to be a learning experience for April, who gradually abandoned his "cowboy ways" to concentrate on a serious career as an officer. He graduated Command School with only average marks but later excelled in actual command, earning several merits and distinctions. In 2353, while awaiting his first deep space assignment, April saved a Rigellian ambassador from an assassination attempt, earning the Rigellian Citation for Heroism.
    Prior to Arcadia, April commanded the USS Freedom (aboard which he earned the Klingon quv tIq ("heart of honor") award, for saving a Klingon ship in distress at great personal risk) and the USS Questor, an experimental ship (like the later Arcadia) which tested a type of "wormhole propulsion". Though the Questor project was deemed a failure, it allowed April to make first contact with a new alien race and set him up to later take command of the Arcadia. Once, April was forced to activate the Questor's auto-destruct sequence to prevent the ship from falling into the wrong hands, and though its destruction was avoided, it nearly incited a mutiny led by chief engineer Damon Crowley. This incident became the basis for an ongoing enmity between the two men. The Questor continued service as a standard Starfleet vessel until its destruction during the Dominion War.
    After the Questor, April served as Admiral T'Urla's attaché and joined the Starfleet Diplomatic Corps, serving as a liaison to the Federation Council and advisor under the Federation President. He disliked the job for its political overtones and longed to command a ship again, but accepted it as a valuable learning experience, coming away with a greater understanding and appreciation for the art of interstellar diplomacy, a skill he needed later in life. Eventually he pursued and received command of a starship once again, in 2378: the new United Federation Starship Arcadia, the first working testbed for quantum slipstream drive. April participated in many historic events while commanding the Arcadia, such as peace with the Borg, but his heart has always sought the stars.
    April's life took a dramatic turn beginning with the "Usurper incident" in 2382.  The Usurpers, a mysterious race in the No'Zal Cluster, manipulated Romulan warbirds into attacking the Arcadia; April was injured and paralyzed from the neck down. He retired from space until 2385, when he underwent restorative surgery and resumed command. Not long afterwards, his daughter died along with her mother. Though he continues to command the Arcadia, April has changed drastically from the man he used to be, as a result.

    April is confident and take-charge by nature--a natural leader. He "runs the show" aboard his ship, but knows how to back off and let others do their jobs. His need for order and discipline drives him. He accepts his role as a great responsibility, and when problems arise on or off the ship, he must answer for it in the end. As Arcadia has become embedded in the intricate political weave of the galaxy, it makes his duty that much more profound. Despite this, he prefers the "simpler" thrills of exploration.
    Occasionally, April shows a brazen streak from his younger days, but as he matures he grows more modest and reserved. He is generally calm and casual, and sometimes quips with the crew. When it comes to business, however, he is all business: Fiercely driven and determined to get the job done. April believes anything is possible and denies the "no win scenario". He rarely questions whether he's putting forth his best effort; he just naturally does so, and since he does, he expects the best from those around him. April has clear-cut ideas of what Starfleet officers should and should not do, and often has difficulty reconciling this with their individual quirks. He tries to step back and let others "be themselves", but will push and challenge his crew if he feels they can do better, though he may seemingly expect the impossible.
    Loyal to his crew, April will risk much for them in life-threatening situations, even if it jeopardizes the ship. This is one of his personality "sore points": the piercing sense of loss he feels if he loses a crew-member under his command. His crew is his family. For this reason he strives to avoid such situations and proceeds cautiously, though he has been known to rush in where angels fear to tread. This also accounts for his aloof, business-like nature. He maintains a personal distance from those around him, in order to avoid becoming "too attached". Preferring the solitude of command as necessary to his objectivity, April refused to get involved in lasting romances, fearing that the potential complications might interfere with his command obligations, until the "lost Earth" incident in 2385, as a result of which he entered a relationship with Brenda Shoemaker, captain of the USS Liberty.
    April is practically always "on the go", and likes to stay busy. Even during non-duty hours he can be found working on something. He is rarely seen in his quarters--more often on the holodeck, in the gymnasium or tending matters of shipboard efficiency. Despite his lust for action, April also possesses an insightful, intellectual side, given to deep thoughts and contemplation--sometimes too deep to express. He enjoys stimulating the mind, his own as well as others, and when not wrapping his mind around the latest challenge his ship faces, he may seek outlets for his intellectual "hunger" through arts and sophisticated recreational activities. His ability to think in four dimensions gives him an instinctive grasp of directional tactics, an ability he has used towards great effect in his career.

    Sometimes April is so busy that he needs to be in two or more places at once. To make this literally possible, he created a holographic program, taking advantage of the Arcadia's onboard array of holoemitters, to generate holographic "clones" of himself anywhere he is needed.  As holograms, they can change appearance to simulate virtually anyone or anything, even appearing invisible.  The "holo-Aprils" are capable of accessing computer and command routines, and thus can act virtually as the "soul" of the ship if necessary.  They can also leave the ship via mobile holoemitters, duplicates of a device originally worn by the Emergency Medical Hologram of the USS Voyager.  Though April prefers not to utilize this program (and in fact finds it rather embarrassing), he may on occasion, on a cursory basis as needed, to help make his task in ship's operations flow smoothly.
    April once had a passion for motorcycles, which his job rarely allowed him time to indulge. His pride in this area was a custom-built Harley-Davidson Road King, "souped up" with 24th-century "extras", such as a protective forcefield, remote transporter activation, and plasma-fuel injection.