Roger Merriman was the captain of the Herakles and one of the Dominion Renegades who sided with Valerian Mengsk. After Valerian and his Dominion Renegades escaped Char, Merriman found that his ship had been far too damaged to continue warping with the rest of the fleet. He was evacuated with the rest of his crew to the Hyperion, and contacted Emperor Arcturus Mengsk from Valerian's personal suite, telling the Emperor he was going to ram his ship, White Star, on a suicide run in an attempt to slow him. The ruse was successful, and an adjutant guided the collision, buying time for the renegades to further warp away.