Formerly the Operations officer of the USS Invincible, an Intrepid class starship that was totally assimilated by the Borg. Lieutenant Commander Dana Foster is the highest ranking officer that survived the Borg infestation of the Invincible, leading a surviving crew of seven to destroy the Borg and the ship as well.

Nicknamed "Dusthole" in her early career in Star Fleet when as a helmsman, Ensign Foster engaged the warp drive of the USS Excalibur and ripped a hole in one of Saturn's rings. That became a permanent astrological phenomenon called "Dana's Dusthole."

Dana has a reputation for dedication to Star Fleet, and is rumoured to have bedded a high-ranking Klingon admiral in order to expedite the return of the Invincible survivors to Federation Space. Dana is a person of more or less average ability and talent, but one who makes herself exceptional through hard work rather than any natural gifts. She suffers from PTSD and survivor's guilt from the Borg capture and destruction of her former ship.