Character

Lieutenant

Hickman

vulnerable observant family-oriented competent determined dutiful

Hickman serves Starfleet as a lieutenant and shuttlecraft pilot aboard the USS Enterprise-D. He brings experience from prior missions to Tarchannen Three alongside Geordi La Forge and Susanna Leijten. Competent in flight operations, he supports bridge-directed maneuvers and investigations. His close ties to fellow officers like Riker, Worf, Data, and Graham position him within the ship's tactical and exploratory core. The Tarchannen phenomenon exposes his vulnerability to alien compulsion, overriding duty with an irresistible planetary pull.

12 appearances

Starfleet shuttlecraft operations

Also known as: Hickman

Hickman's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

12 moments

S4E18 · Identity Crisis

Tarchannen Outpost’s Vanished Crew Revealed

Tense and uneasy, his voice betraying a growing sense of dread. The discovery of the uniform challenges his attempt to rationalize the situation, leaving him unsettled and aware that something is deeply wrong.

Ensign Paul Hickman is seen in the distance holding a palm beacon, his voice tense as he calls Lieutenant Leijten to examine his discovery. He lifts the torn Starfleet uniform …

View full event

S4E18 · Identity Crisis

Torn Uniform Reveals Violent Abduction

Urgent alertness with underlying unease—his professionalism is tested by the realization that whatever happened here was not just unnatural, but potentially inescapable.

Ensign Hickman holds a palm beacon, his light cutting through the twilight as he scans the desolate landscape. He is the first to discover the torn Starfleet uniform, his voice …

View full event

S4E18 · Identity Crisis

Last Survivors Confirmed

Hauntingly absent; his recorded image evokes pity and dread, a reminder of what awaits Geordi and Susanna

Ensign Paul Hickman is referenced through the recording and Susanna's account of his unauthorized shuttle flight toward Tarchannen Three. His image on the monitor is a ghostly reminder of his …

View full event

S4E18 · Identity Crisis

Hickman’s Betrayal Confirmed

Absent but implied to be conflicted; his actions suggest internal compulsion

Paul Hickman is mentioned as having stolen a shuttle and set a course for Tarchannen Three, his actions framed as a betrayal of his family and Starfleet. His disappearance is …

View full event

S4E18 · Identity Crisis

Susanna reveals Tarchannen Three’s vanished crew

Absent but implied to be conflicted; his desertion suggests an internal struggle between his personal identity and the contagion’s influence, leaving a sense of betrayal and loss among his colleagues.

Paul Hickman is referenced through the monitor recording and Susanna’s testimony. His image shows him as a healthy, seemingly normal officer before his disappearance. Susanna reveals that he passed a …

View full event

S4E18 · Identity Crisis

Enterprise detects erratic shuttle descent

Unknown, but implied to be under the influence of the alien transformation, rendering him incapable of rational action.

Hickman is the unseen but central figure of this event, his stolen shuttle the focus of the crew’s urgent attention. The shuttle’s erratic trajectory and lack of response to hails …

View full event

S4E18 · Identity Crisis

Shuttle’s fatal descent confirmed

Desperate and resigned—his silence on the comms channels suggests he is either unable to respond or no longer in command of his actions.

Lieutenant Hickman is the unseen but central figure of this event, his fate unfolding in real-time on the viewscreen. Though he doesn’t appear on-screen, his presence is felt through the …

View full event

S4E18 · Identity Crisis

Hickman’s shuttle crashes into Tarchannen Three

Tense and focused, with a growing sense of unease as the shuttle's destruction and the abandoned shuttles confirm the severity of the threat. His shock is tempered by his Klingon discipline, but there's an undercurrent of determination to act.

Worf stands at the tactical station, his hands moving swiftly over the controls as he opens the hailing frequency for Picard and later scans for the abandoned shuttles. His voice …

View full event

S4E18 · Identity Crisis

Hickman’s shuttle crashes; abandoned wrecks discovered

Panicked and compelled, with no agency over his actions as the alien transformation overrides his survival instincts.

Hickman is not physically present on the bridge, but his actions are the focal point of the event. His stolen shuttle, piloted under the alien transformation’s compulsion, ignores Picard’s hails …

View full event

S4E18 · Identity Crisis

Hickman’s shuttle destruction triggers away team

Tense and alert, with a growing sense of determination as the away team is assembled.

Worf stands at the tactical station, his Klingon instincts sharpened by the urgency of the moment. He opens the com channel for Picard’s desperate hail to Hickman and later detects …

View full event

S4E18 · Identity Crisis

Tarchannen Outpost’s Decay Reveals Time’s Erasure

Ominous absence—his disappearance is a haunting reminder of the planet’s danger.

Ensign Paul Hickman is not physically present, but his disappearance is implied by the abandoned outpost. His fate, like Brevelle’s, is symbolically tied to the decaying facility, reinforcing the urgency …

View full event

S4E18 · Identity Crisis

Geordi isolates the shadow anomaly

Absent but implied as anxious or fearful (given his disappearance and the urgency of the situation).

Ensign Paul Hickman appears in the mission footage as part of the away team. Geordi references his dematerialization and movement in the footage as he attempts to account for all …

View full event

Affiliation

Starfleet

Federation Starship Command, Classified Intelligence, and Hierarchical Operations