"He is the only student I ever had who came to all my office hours as part of a relentless--and successful--drive to master biochemistry. He was one of just ten percent in the class to receive an A."<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">(Prof. B. Lee in his letter of recommendation to support Simon's application to the Medical Academy)</span><br/><br/>"He has the best research skills of any person his age that I have ever supervised." -<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">(Dr. J. Li in his letter of recommendation to support Simon's application to the Medical Academy)</span><br/><br/>"I enthusiastically recommend Mr. Tam to your medical program. This well-rounded student will be a fine, compassionate doctor."<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">(Prof. H. Higgins in his letter of recommendation to support Simon's application to the Medical Academy)</span><br/><br/>"His clinical assessment and plan is outstanding, spontaneous, expeditious, unhesitating and prompt. He is studious and diligent."<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">(From an evaluation at the completion of Simon's surgical internship.)</span><br/><br/>"During schooling and externship in department he proved to be neat, punctual, ready to learn, hard working and caring about his patients."<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">(From a letter to support Simon's application to the Surgical residency program.)</span><br/><br/>"Dr. Tam is neat, courteous, and a very pleasant person to work with; he has excellent relationship with his colleagues and nursing staff."<br/><br/>"His medical knowledge and judgment is excellent, and he is an extremely hard worker, intelligent, responsive to teaching, happy in his work and gets along well with the faculty. Moreover, He is very considerate, charming & cheerful pleasant young man."<br/><br/>"The only fault I have encountered in him is his retiring nature. His modesty sometimes hides a young man of remarkable sensitivity and broad interests."<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">(Excerpts from evaluations conducted on his performance during Simon's surgical residency.)</span><br/><br/>(http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070301213339/firefly/images/6/66/Ep_ariel_sc297.jpg)<br/><br/><strong>Name:</strong>Simon Zachary Tam<br/><br/><strong>Age:</strong>27<br/><br/><strong>Gender:</strong>Male<br/><br/><strong>Position:</strong>"Ship's medic"<br/><br/><strong>Appearance:</strong>Simon is not what one might consider a physically imposing man. He isn't especially tall, nor muscular, though his weight is proportionate to his height. Some of the girls consider him quite handsome, while he has been described as "pretty" on occasion, usually by men with reason to be jealous of him. It was by no means a just description. They were referring more to his polite mannerisms and impeccable dress rather than his, let's say it, chiseled jaw. No, he was manly enough. His problem was that he was out of his element, and it showed in his demeanor. On Serenity, Simon feels he is seen as a non-entity by everyone but River and Kaylee. Determined to hold on to whatever vestiges of civilization he could, Simon always dressed as a gentleman, usually with waistcoat and tie.. clothes neat, shoes shined, impeccably groomed. Lately, though, whether because of Kaylee's influence or the simple fact that he can't easily replace worn clothing, he has started to dress down somewhat. Despite what he's wearing, a single glance will tell anyone they're dealing with a gentleman of some influence. If only they knew.<br/><br/><strong>Personality:</strong>Kaylee once admonished Simon for always being "so proper" saying that "out here, it don't mean a thing." She was wrong. Out here, it means even more. All his months on Serenity hadn't diminished the fact that he is in a brutal, barbaric setting, and the only thing that will help him hold on to his identity is to not allow himself to sink to that level. He has culture, breeding, education, and he's going to retain it. It isn't so that he can feel superior to everyone, it's because he is determined to remain who he is. He's "lost in the woods" to quote Ms Serra, and he's determined to find his way home. Wherever home is. Perhaps the most frustrating part is that he's devoted his life to excellence in his chosen profession, and now he's in a place where his talents are totally unappreciated. "Ship's medic" is what the Captain called him. Granted, the captain probably had no idea the sort of effort that went into becoming a trauma surgeon, but it was considerably more than the average "medic" on a pirate ship. He craved intelligent conversation, and in the past, he'd had three people on the ship with whom he could converse in an intelligent fashion. There was Inara, the companion, who's sense of style and culture outshone even his and was conversant on as great a variety of issues. There was Shepherd Book, an educated man who tried to hide his mysterious past, but couldn't hide the fact he, too, was highly conversant on a variety of subjects. And, there was "Wash", or Hoban Washburn, the ship's pilot who had been killed by reavers. Though Wash had tried to cover it up with comedy, Simon could tell he was.. well.. somewhat more cultured than the norm. And now, they were all gone. Though the loss of each of them would affect someone else more deeply than it effected Simon, the loss of all three of them in a short period of time was somewhat devastating to him in particular. Of course there was the emotional bond he felt with Kaylee, about which much more could be written. But Kaylee couldn't fill the "intellectual" void he felt. It's a very lonely feeling.<br/><br/><strong>Background:</strong>It's still all about protecting his little sister.  Exposing the Miranda cover up was a step in the right direction, but River's status (and Simon's) is still in a gray area. Technically, she's still missing from the Academy and certain people want her back. And for Simon, there are still several warrants issued for his arrest. Kidnapping. Impersonating a government official. Trespassing. Destruction of government property. After all, except for the kidnapping, he actually did all those things. One thing working in Simon's favor is that no one is especially anxious to go trying to arrest him knowing it all has something to do with Miranda, and they're waiting to see how it all plays out. Simon is in contact with a prominent law firm on Osiris (classmate who went on to law school working for the firm in which his father is senior partner, of course.) Simon is trying to get the warrants rescinded.(<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">"That will happen, eventually, but it's not going to be as easy as you think it should be."</span>) Simon is trying to get the Alliance to "unfreeze" his accounts. (<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">"That's going to be a bit trickier, so don't start spending that money just yet."</span>) Simon is trying to have himself named as River's guardian. (<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">"I think you're the crazy one, Simon, do you have any idea how difficult ...... "</span>)<br/><br/>In addition to all his other problems, he thinks he's in love with Kaylee. No, he's pretty sure he's in love with Kaylee, and that's a big problem. Simon doesn't belong in this element, and hopes someday to return to "civilization" and start rebuilding his life. If Kaylee comes with him, then she will be the one out of her element. Kaylee won't want to leave Serenity, Simon won't want to leave Kaylee, and Simon doesn't belong on Serenity.<br/><br/><div align="center">(http://www.memoriesofmystical.com/images/tumblr/072609/001wb17a.gif)</div>