Fictional Character Biography
Cochrane was born in 2030 (or 2013, according to the First Contact novelization). He constructed humanity's first warp-capable vessel, the Phoenix, in Bozeman, Montana, out of an old Titan II nuclear missile. He started the project for financial gain, and found the accounts of his future accolades as told by the crew of the Enterprise-E from the future deeply disturbing.
On April 5, 2063, Cochrane made Earth's first warp flight, playing Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" during blast-off. The Phoenix's warp flight is detected by a Vulcan survey ship, the T'Plana Hath, which then makes peaceful first contact with humans, including Cochrane, at the Phoenix's launch site.
The aphorism "Don't try to be a great man, just be a man. And let history make its own judgments" is attributed to Cochrane, who is said to have uttered it in 2073. In the early 22nd century, Cochrane was present at the dedication of Earth's first Warp 5 Complex, where he stated, "This engine will let us go boldly where no man has gone before", making him the earliest known person in the fictional timeline of Trek to do so.
The Phoenix's launch facility became a historical monument. A 20-meter marble statue was erected there, depicting Cochrane heroically reaching toward the future. Cochrane's name became revered throughout the known galaxy, with entire universities, cities and planets named after him. Enterprise-E Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge, for example, attended Zefram Cochrane High School.
According to the TOS episode "Metamorphosis", Cochrane was presumed dead after disappearing from Alpha Centauri in 2117. James T. Kirk, Spock, and Leonard McCoy find Cochrane living on an asteroid with a being he calls the Companion, an ethereal presence of pure energy who rejuvenated the aged, dying Cochrane 150 years earlier, and has held him captive—and in a state of youth and vigor—ever since. Traveling with the three Starfleet officers is an ill Federation commissioner. The Companion, who loves Cochrane, merges with the commissioner, ridding her of her illness and providing the Companion with a corporeal (but now mortal) form. The combined entity no longer has power to force Cochrane to stay with her, but Cochrane chooses to stay out of love and gratitude. Before departing, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy promise not to reveal Cochrane's existence.
Read more about this topic: Zefram Cochrane
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