If you want the straight dope around here, you contact Radio Rollins. Might even save your life. -Rollins upon his first meeting with Colonel Blair
Ted Rollins was the comunications officer on board the TCS Victory.
History[]
Lieutenant Ted Rollins is a citizen of the Terran Confederation who graduated from the Terran Space Academy in 2669. During that year at the rank of Lieutenant, he was assigned to the TCS Victory as the vessel's communications officer.
When Colonel Christopher Blair was assigned to serve as the Wing Commander of the Victory flight wing, Rollins was among the staff assigned to help Blair through his combat assignments. He always was the officer to give Blair clearance to either take off or land on the Victory's flight deck, and when necessary gave him in-flight updates from Captain William Eisen.
His pessimism gained him unwanted attention from Colonel Blair, who feared that Rollins' free opinions would have a negative impact on the morale of the crew. The Colonel went so far as to threaten to reassign Rollins if he did not stow his theories on the War's outcome. Despite the dangers of his views, Rollins continued to serve the pilots in every possible way to ensure their survival on the frontlines.
Rollins served on the Victory throughout the entire course of 2669, and he served the pilots well in their last-ditch efforts to defeat the Kilrathi. Rollins was present at some of the most important battles of the War, including the attempted liberation of the Locanda System, the Fall of Blackmane, the Ariel Offensive, and the Flight of the Behemoth. He often commended Colonel Blair for his victories against the enemy. During the Ariel Offensive, Rollins informed Blair that the Kilrathi had closed off the Victorys escape route to the Caliban System by shutting down the jump point. This incident disturbed the crew of the Victory after they did escape, as such an ability could possibly trap entire fleets. Rollins also helped monitor the progression of the TCS Behemoth and her first flight, as it was intended that the warship would destroy Kilrah. Rollins had a hand in saving Blair's life in the Loki System after the '"Behemoth was lost in combat. When Kilrathi Crown Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka challenged Blair to a one-on-one space duel, Rollins urged Blair to return to the Victory immediately, as the ship was in retreat and could not wait to reclaim lingering pilots. Blair eventually conceded defeat and returned to the vessel.
After the loss of the Behemoth, Rollins worked alongside Lt. Laurel "Cobra" Buckley to figure out if Blair's Kilrathi friend Hobbes had leaked the Behemoth's weak points to the Kilrathi fleet. Blair discovered this and reprimanded the two, as he trusted Hobbes while Cobra and Rollins did not. Sadly, Hobbes' treachery proved true when Rollins informed Blair that Hobbes and Cobra had fought on the flight deck. Cobra was mortally wounded and died shortly after Hobbes escaped. Later, Rollins monitored the testing of the Temblor Bomb in the Hyperion System and the invasion of Freya prior to the T-Bomb attack on Kilrah. Finally, Rollins was present at Colonel Blair's final briefing before he led the Lancelot Flight that would use the T-Bomb to destroy Kilrah. He was last seen given Blair one final salute as the latter departed for his final mission.
Despite Rollins' fears of losing the War, Colonel Blair succeeded in destroying Kilrah and ensuring victory for humanity. It is unknown what has become of Rollins as the Victory was retired from service within a year after the War's end. He could still be serving as a comms officer elsewhere.
Character[]
He kept the crew and pilots informed of upcoming assignments and any significant activities on board the Victory. He was known to openly voice out his opinions to the crew and often peeked into data from the Confed High Command that was not meant for him to view. His tendency to use the ship's intercom by his own free use on a frequent basis earned him the callsign "Radio Rollins".
Rollins was normally a cheerful character with little regard for ship regulations or even his superior officers. He often questioned the intent of his officers and never hesitated to share classified data to those who needed it the most. His eagerness to voice his views made him somewhat of a nuisance to the rest of the crew, but he was never waivered by their complaints. He was always in for a good laugh and had a strong dedication to his job.
Rollins was also known to be paranoid and somewhat of a pessimist. He knew full well that humanity was losing the Kilrathi War and was sickened by High Command's attempts to deny it. The poor progress of the war effort was another reason for his tendency to hoard classified data, so that he could give pilots the knowledge needed to advance their efforts to end the War.
Behind the Scenes[]
- In the FMVs, Ted Rollins was portrayed by American actor Courtney Gains.