Brian Childers was a Starfleet officer in the Federation science corps. Childers was the communications officer of the science vessel USS Grissom (NCC-638). (Star Trek: Grissom) He was born and raised in New York City on Earth, to an Irish father and German mother; due to this, he was fluent in both English and German. His university major was communications at the University of Hamburg. Childers entered Starfleet Academy later in life, having first pursued a career in communications. Subsequently, he was in his 20s before being accepted to Starfleet Academy.