| abstract | - Bates was a 23rd century male Human member of Starfleet assigned to the USS Reliant. He was bald with a brown goatee and blue eyes. Bates disliked hot weather. In 2282 Bates was wearing the gold turtleneck of the Starfleet crewman's uniform which placed him either in the engineering or helm departments. Bates accompanied Commander Pavel Chekov, Captain Clark Terrell, Doctor Bianca Wilder and Crewman Skiles on a medical mission to stop a Symbalene blood burn outbreak on Te Awamutu VII. As the shuttlecraft Kepler (NCC-1864/05) was traveling to a rendezvous with the USS Reliant the shuttle experienced an escalating plasma wave. The force blew out the power transfer conduits damaging the warp drive and communications forcing the crew to land the shuttle on a Class M planetoid. The crew of the Kepler started exploring the area around their crash site and detected approaching life signs on their tricorder. Unaware that the Gorn were using the planetoid as a training ground, Crewman Skiles accidentally tripped one of the traps and was killed in front of Bates. Believing that the party was in danger, Captain Terrell led the survivors to higher ground in an effort to gain a tactical advantage. There they spotted an approaching patrol and fired their phasers to ward them off. Since the Gorn translator only worked at short distances, Thak circled around Terrell's party to get closer. Unfortunately he surprised Crewman Bates who shot the physician. Doctor Wilder quickly discovered the mistake when she found Thak's diagnostic scanner and cellular regenerator. Upon hearing the report that the physician had been shot, and believing he had been killed, General Rellk ordered more troops to the area with orders to kill the Humans. Knowing that she could heal Thak, Doctor Wilder had the party take the wounded Gorn back to their crashed shuttle. There she hooked up the Gorn equipment to her scanners and translators and used it revive him. Thak was able to show the approaching Gorn that he was OK and to stop a possible massacre. Afterwards the crew was able to complete their efforts to set up a subspace rescue beacon. Thak had forgiven Bates for accidentally shooting him. (ST - Alien Spotlight comic: "Alien Spotlight: The Gorn")
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