On August 13, 2366, Commander Bruce Maddox began developing an android based on the work of Noonian Soong. After the trial in 2365, Maddox used all of the available notes and information, along with tests he had run on Lt. Commander Data, to begin his work. After the trial, Maddox' desire to make an army of androids had been nearly extinguished--instead, he wanted to create a life.

On May 24, 2368, after nearly fifty failures over the course of the previous couple years, Bruce Maddox found success. Using one of many slight variations on the Soongian Positronic Model, Maddox finally created a stable android. He created a self-aware, intelligent, conscious lifeform. Sam was born.

Modeled on a friend from the Academy, Sam appeared to be a good-looking, human male. When Maddox created Sam, he decided not to give him the unusual gold coloration of Data or Lore. Sam has  enhanced strength like Data and the other Soong androids, as well as enhanced dexterity, full audio reproduction and duplication, Starlight and thermographic imaging, Kevlar2000 Dermal Sheathing, and a self-repairing/self-diagnostic mode. Sam does not have the need for sleep, nor does he need any type of nourishment.

The first two years of Sam's life were spent learning--going through Federation databases and adding the information to his own memory stores. It became apparent over the course of those two years that Sam's social interation skills were severely lacking.  Commander Maddox developed several programs so that Sam could learn to interact with others and function as a member of society.  Maddox found that taking care of Sam was similar to parenting.

In 2370, Commander Maddox enrolled Sam into Starfleet Academy. Sam scored quite high on the entrance exams and was admitted into the next starting class. Sam excelled in the Science, Math, and Engineering courses, as well as the tactical and security related courses. He did not score as well in the medical and counselling courses. When it became the time to choose a major, Sam decided on Operations. As an operations manager, it would give him the opportunity to further enhance the efficiency of ship's operations--an area Sam had taken an interest in from early in his development cycle.

Socially, Sam's experiences in the Academy were somewhat deficient. Even with Maddox' training, Sam still lacked the skills necessary for interacting on a social level. He spent his time out of the Academy classrooms deep in his studies, rarely engaging in activities that seemed irrelevant, such as the frequent visits to the Constitution Pub or dating. Most of the Vulcans at the Academy found Sam to be adequate company.

During the Borg incursion of 2372, Cadet Third-class Sam was assigned to the USS Ticonderoga to assist in fending off the Borg cube. Sam was damaged as an explosion ripped open a section of the hull while he was repairing a multi-phasic induction grid. Sam was unable to complete the repair in time. As he raced against the clock, the vacuum of space and his own injuries were too great for him to finish. Just as he neared completion of the repairs, Sam's systems went into shutdown mode. When he returned to the Academy, Cmdr. Maddox made the necessary repairs. Sam spent the next two weeks re-evaluating his performance during the Ticonderoga episode. After two weeks, he realized there was nothing he could have done to avert the outcome. He approached Cmdr. Maddox about enhancing his performance in hard environmental conditions such as a vacuum. Maddox told Sam it would be in a future enhancement, but for the time being his studies required the greatest amount of concern.

In 2374, Sam joined his fellow cadets in graduation from Starfleet Academy. Sam was commissioned as an Ensign and assigned to Deep Space 12 in the Operations department. Sam spent six months on DS12 as he adjusted to life as on officer in Starfleet. Sam successfully assisted in defending the station from a Jem'Hadar boarding party during an attack on the Starbase.

Commander Maddox was upset that Sam had been assigned to a starbase. He claimed that the android should be on a starship where his talents could be more fully utilized. Maddox put in a request to have Sam transferred to either the USS Enterprise, the USS Sovereign, or the USS Saratoga. Starfleet Command felt that to post Sam on one of the premiere ships in the fleet would be showing him preferential treatment. Not wanting a scandal, the unanimous decision was made by Starfleet Command to assign Sam to a starship that was not quite so prominent. Within three weeks of Maddox' original request and six months after his posting to Deep Space 12, Ensign Sam was transferred to the USS Osiris.

In 2379, Sam was posted to the USS Sulu as Operations Manager. Shortly after the Sulu's journey into the Gamma Quadrant for a six month survey mission, Sam was promoted from lieutenant to lieutenant commander.

Sam still lacks the necessary skills required for successful social interaction. He was designed as an efficient being, and interaction at a level beyond basic communication was not a primary concern. Sam is the epitome of efficiency and logic. He has no sense of humor as he is unable to grasp the intricacies of humor. He currently has no emotions. Maddox noted the unsuccessful integration of the emotion chip in Lt. Commander Data and felt that emotions would hinder Sam's efficiency.

Sam is naturally inquisitive, always seeking to learn more about the universe. He finds observing human interaction to be a fascinating study, though he still fails to grasp many of the subtle nuances.

Sam looks like an attractive human male. He has dark hair and golden eyes. His physiological structure is that of a very fit gymnast.

Sam is very skilled in the following areas: Biology, Exo-Biology, Xeno-Biology, Geology, Botany, Zoology, Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Physics, Astrophysics, Mathematics, and Warp Theory. He has a strong understanding of Starfleet ship design and damage control and repair procedures.

Sam is skilled in Karate, Aikido, Hapkido, and various other martial arts techniques. He is quick and agile and quite capable of handling himself in a fight. While he has never fought a Jem'Hadar warrior in hand-to-hand combat, the rumor is that Sam would win the fight. Contrary to popular belief, the fight would be fairly evenly balanced.