Gunnar Arnason

Character Information

Gender		Male
Species		Human
Date of Birth		2357
Age		30
Place of Birth		Earth, Iceland
Languages		Standard, Dosadi, Orion, Romulan, Klingon
Character origin		former SF Medical Officer (Nurse Practioner)

Physical Appearance

Height		1.93m (6'4")
Weight		82kg (180 lbs)
Hair Color		Blonde
Eye Color		Blue
Physical Description		Almost stereotypically Nordic, if Gunnar was a bit less clean-cut he'd look right at home in one of his ancestors' longboats. However, his manner is too easy-going for the impression to last. He has a short trim beard - just enough for an impression of facial fur - and a lean athletic build. He stays fit, sometimes obsessively so after a period when working out was the only therapy available to him.

Family

Father		Arne Thorgilsson
Mother		Geira Gunnarsdóttir
Brother(s)		Thorgil Arnason

Personality & Traits

General Overview		Easy-going, seems quiet at first, but he enjoys being around people; he just likes listening more than talking. Xenophilic - loves learning about other species/cultures. He is an avid reader in this area, almost as addicted to books on the subject as he is to the sort of coffee that ought be stirred with a trowel. He is very good at being calm, and confident in a non-threatening way, which are valuable traits for a medic. Along with his childhood experience at his father's vet practice, it also makes him good with animals, although it helps that he is very fond of them - one of the few things that can provoke a show of temper is cruelty to an animal. Otherwise he has a strong inclination toward pacifism and is pretty difficult to provoke. Even the annoying people who wonder if he's a NP because he wasn't good enough to become a doctor will generally only get an eyeroll.
Strengths & Weaknesses		+ Dedicated nurse practioner; has taken enough psych as part of PhD in patient care that he could almost qualify as a counselor + Kind, willing to go out of his way to help nearly anyone + calm and good at keeping his head in a crisis +/- Xenophile - fascinated by other species/cultures. Generally a plus, but can make him less wary than he should be since he's a quart low on most peoples' inherent fear of outsiders. +/- Unfortunate tendency to run toward trouble w/o thinking first if someone is hurt - Inclined toward pacifism. If Aikido hadn't been an option he never would have passed hand-to-hand in the Academy - Sensitivity/negative reaction to telepathy due to prior traumatic experience - Claustrophobia developed as a result of experiences in captivity - Terrible patient - very good at caring for others; really bad at accepting care from others
Ambitions		Though he resigned his commission in protest when the Romulan rescue effort was abandoned, Gunnar would say that Starfleet had him at “seek out new life and new civilizations” and seeing the universe and its various species and cultures is a major driving ambition. However, whether he consciously recognizes it or not, being a caregiver is a big part of his identity, and he can’t be content without a way to satisfy that impulse.
Hobbies & Interests		reading, rock-climbing, swimming, basketball His maternal grandparents own a horse farm (which is how his parents met), so Gunnar, while a bit out of practice now, is an experienced rider and loves horses.

Personal History

Gunnar grew up in a rural area of Iceland and first learned about medicine assisting his father, a large animal vet, when he made rounds to neighboring farms. However he took an interest in sociology and was torn between pursuing that or medicine. While studying a unit on community health care he followed a nurse practitioner and decided that represented the best of both worlds. In the modern era doctors rarely got to take the time to interact with patients and get to know them the way old country doctors used to - the people who made house calls were generally NPs, who can write prescriptions and handle most medical care short of surgery. He might have settled down to a practice like his father's, but with human clients, except for a strong xenophilic streak. As a direct descendent of the Vikings who settled Iceland, by comparison to most of earth’s largely intermixed population Gunnar is almost ridiculously purebred, but he has a genuine fascination with different peoples and cultures. He’d gotten a basic nursing degree and was working part time at a hospital in Reykjavík while studying toward an NP when a chance meeting with Andorian from Starfleet set him on a different path. Starfleet was quite happy to recruit an experienced nurse – especially one physically strong enough to handle certain types of patients and unlikely to be intimidated by them. Gunnar was thrilled by the environment and opportunities at the Academy and completed graduate degrees in Advanced Nursing Practice while taking the regular Starfleet courses there. In the course of his service he became close to a Dosadi exchange officer, LT T’Ango. Initially he became a support system of sorts for her in coping with recovery from extensive injuries and recurring PTSD and survivor's guilt. Later, after an attempt to shield a wounded man during a surprise attack on a conference lead to his capture and months of brutal captivity by a rogue faction of Klingons, those roles were reversed as he struggled with recurring bouts of PTSD, made worse by a requirement for a deep telepathic scan due to suspicions that he may have been turned or conditioned by his captors. Among the other friends who helped were a family of Romulan ex-pats, including 3 little girls that he became something of a de facto babysitter for, so when Picard announced his rescue mission, Gunnar immediately volunteered. T'Ango did as well. When Stafleet abandoned it, he resigned in protest and went with T'Ango to join the somewhat smaller but still active efforts the Dosadi were pursuing.