Bulthaus was a Starfleet security officer who, as of early 2381, held the rank of Ensign and served aboard the USS Enterprise-E. Following the end of the Borg Invasion of that year, Bulthaus had requested an extended psychiatric leave. This request was denied due to the ship's personnel shortage, but Bulthaus was temporarily transferred out of security to engineering, at the recommendation of Counselor Hegol Den. The counselor felt that giving Bulthaus the opportunity to help rebuild following the hostilities would serve as an effective therapy. (TNG novel: Losing the Peace)