Fleet Admiral Thom was a cadet in the 23rd Century, assigned to U.S.S. Carlsbad. The Carlsbad was lost defending Starbase 1 against Klingon House Mo'kai aggression which resulted in a temporal anomaly that catapulted him (along with certain Mo'kai principals) into the 24th Century. Thom has served Starfleet with distinction since, rapidly rising through the ranks.

Ghonshan Thom was the son of a scoundrel. Born on the privateer vessel, Komba rik Chaava, or "Fellowship of Gold," he was essentially raised among pirates and smugglers. His father, Cuupran, took jobs with Klingons, Ferengi, Nausicaans, Sulliban - but mostly did business with the Orion Syndicate. One would think this was a dangerous environment in which to raise a child, but it wasn't.

Cuupran took great care to balance profit with low risk, even going so far as to bribe and threaten and orchestrate low risk jobs to seem riskier to drive up the price. Ghonshan even helped keep the ship in top condition. A "prodigy," her father called him. His engineering knowledge and skills far exceeded his age.

Years went by, Cuupran was successful, and Ghonshan was happy - until his father's back-dealing and double-crossing caught up with him. When a syndicate boss and a Coridan Cuupran paid to make a show had a little pre-operation conversation, things turned ugly. The syndicate tried to disable the Komba rik Chaava, capture its crew, and heavens knew what - but Starfleet intervened. Cuupran went to prison, but not before convincing Starfleet to make sure his son went to Tellarite foster parents.

For his part, Ghonshan Thom remembers being saved by Starfleet and the kindness they showed him. Even after being placed with a foster family, he was allowed to visit his incarcerated father and learned that he was being treated well. In gratitude, he took his engineering skills to Starfleet Academy.