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Robert April
Star Trek character
First appearanceas Animated character:
"The Counter-Clock Incident" (1974)
(The Animated Series)
Live-action appearance:
"Strange New Worlds" (2022)
(Strange New Worlds)
Created byJohn Culver
Portrayed byAdrian Holmes (2022)
Voiced byJames Doohan (Star Trek: The Animated Series)
In-universe information
SpeciesHuman
GenderMale
AffiliationStarfleet
SpouseSarah April

Robert April is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. April was the USS Enterprise's first commanding officer, preceding Captain Christopher Pike.

The character first appeared in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "The Counter-Clock Incident" (1974), in which he is voiced by James Doohan. April's first live-action appearance was in the pilot episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022), in which he is portrayed by Adrian Holmes.

Development and casting

[edit]

A prison chaplain named "Robert April" appears in two episodes of Have Gun – Will Travel (1957–63), for which Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry wrote.[1] The name stuck with Roddenberry, and "Robert M. April" commanded the starship Yorktown in his 1964 Star Trek proposal to CBS.[1] The captain's name was changed to "Christopher Pike" when NBC accepted the Star Trek project later that year.[2]

Fred Bronson (writing as John Culver) came up with the idea of the Enterprise having a captain who preceded Pike for "The Counter-Clock Incident". He selected the name "Robert April" from Roddenberry's original list of possible Enterprise captain names.

During the development of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Adrian Holmes submitted two taped auditions for the role.[3] Producer Henry Alonso Myers said Holmes had the gravitas to play April, who is "mythic" by virtue of being the first captain of the Enterprise.[4]

Depiction

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Television

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Star Trek: The Animated Series (1974)

[edit]

In "The Counter-Clock Incident", the Enterprise crew begins to rapidly age in reverse. The old age of Commodore April and his wife Sarah (voiced by Nichelle Nichols) affords them more time at maturity, allowing them to save the crew and undo the reverse aging process.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)

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In the pilot episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, April (now an Admiral) orders Captain Pike, in command of the Enterprise, on a rescue mission. Although Pike violates General Order 1 on the mission, April uses his influence with Starfleet Command to keep Pike from being charged.

References

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April is listed as one of Starfleet's most decorated officers in the Star Trek: Discovery episode "Choose Your Pain" (2017), along with Jonathan Archer, Matthew Decker ("The Doomsday Machine"), Philippa Georgiou, and Christopher Pike. In the second season's "Brother" (2019), Pike states that he was April's first officer aboard the Enterprise.

Literature

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April appears in the novels Final Frontier (1988) and Best Destiny (1992) by Diane Carey as the captain of the Enterprise. Carey's version of April comes from Coventry, and he wears cardigan sweaters over his uniform due to a blood disorder that causes him to feel slightly chilly most of the time. Lacking a "live action" image of April, designer and author Michael Okuda created a collage of Roddenberry's head on William Shatner's body to illustrate April in The Star Trek Encyclopedia (1994). April is militaristic in the Star Trek: Early Voyages comics (1997–1998), and another timeline's version of April appears in a comic prologue to Star Trek Into Darkness, "Countdown to Darkness" (2013).

Reception

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Timothy Donohoo, writing for CBR.com, said Robert April "had elements of both Kirk and Pike", noting that he was heroic but also faced with self-doubt about his leadership. He said the character concept was "revolutionary in many ways" because "the idea of the hero doubting himself and questioning his own actions" was rare in that era's movie and television scripts.[5]

"The Counter-Clock Incident" writer Fred Bronson thanked Adrian Holmes for "bring[ing April] to life" in Strange New Worlds.[6] Michael Okuda, who created the photo-collage depiction of April for The Star Trek Encyclopedia, also commended Holmes's casting.[6] Keith DeCandido said outcry over casting a dark-skinned actor as April, having been previously depicted with light skin in animation and print, "has served as a nice way of revealing the racists among Trek fans".[7] Screen Rant said April's re-envisioning "does not disappoint" and is "part of the fun" of Strange New Worlds reiterating on 1960s-era Star Trek characters.[8]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Robert April

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Robert April is a fictional character in the Star Trek science fiction media franchise, portrayed as a distinguished Starfleet officer who served as the first captain of the Constitution-class starship USS Enterprise NCC-1701 prior to Christopher Pike.
Introduced in the 1974 episode "The Counter-Clock Incident" of Star Trek: The Animated Series, where he appears as a retired commodore voiced by James Doohan, April assists the Enterprise crew in reversing a time-dilation anomaly alongside his wife Sarah, demonstrating his expertise in crisis resolution.
The character was later canonized in live-action as an admiral played by Adrian Holmes in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (premiering 2022), including a guest role in the episode "Strange New Worlds," and referenced as a decorated captain in Star Trek: Discovery.
In-universe lore positions April's command tenure in the mid-23rd century, emphasizing his diplomatic skills, tactical acumen, and status among Starfleet's elite, though precise chronological details vary across franchise depictions.

Origins and Development

Early Conceptualization

The name Robert April originated in Gene Roddenberry's foundational pitch for the Star Trek television series, drafted on March 11, 1964, under the working title "Star Trek is...". In this 16-page document, Roddenberry introduced Captain Robert M. April as the 34-year-old protagonist and "skipper" of the S.S. Yorktown, a cruiser-class United Space Ship assigned to a five-year mission of deep-space exploration and investigation of class-M planets suitable for human colonization. April was characterized as a Starfleet Academy graduate—lean, mentally and physically capable, and embodying a "space-age Captain Horatio Hornblower"—positioned as the central leading man who would confront ethical dilemmas, alien encounters, and command decisions amid a backdrop of advanced technology like warp drive and phasers. This early conception emphasized April's role in advancing human knowledge and federation ideals through a diverse crew, including a Vulcan science officer (precursor to Spock) and other specialists, aboard a vessel focused on peaceful survey rather than militaristic conflict. The pitch highlighted episodic structures blending adventure, philosophy, and Western-genre influences, with April navigating crises that tested Federation principles. However, as production advanced, Roddenberry shifted the captain's identity: the Yorktown became the Enterprise, and April's name was replaced by Christopher Pike for the unsold pilot "The Cage" (filmed September 1964) before finalizing James T. Kirk for the series launch in 1966. The April moniker, dormant for a , informed later franchise lore by retrofitting him as the Enterprise NCC-1701's inaugural captain in non-pilot contexts, though its initial conceptualization remained tied to Roddenberry's vision of a resolute explorer-captain unbound by the serialized constraints that evolved the series. This foundational sketch established core tropes of command—decisiveness under uncertainty and prioritization of discovery over conquest—that persisted across iterations, even as the character's specifics were adapted.

Introduction in Star Trek: The Animated Series

Robert April first appeared in Star Trek: The Animated Series in the episode "The Counter-Clock Incident," the 22nd episode of its second season, which originally aired on October 12, 1974. In this story, set during Captain James T. Kirk's command of the USS Enterprise, April is depicted as an elderly Commodore aboard the ship with his wife, Dr. Sarah April, while en route to the Babel Conference for his retirement. The episode establishes April as the Enterprise's inaugural commanding officer, predating Christopher Pike and Kirk in the vessel's operational history. The plot centers on the Enterprise pursuing a vessel into a spatial anomaly leading to a negative-energy , where thermodynamic processes reverse, causing the crew to de-age rapidly toward nonexistence. , benefiting from his advanced age, progressively rejuvenates—first to , then to —allowing him to analyze the anomaly and propose a tactical solution: accelerating the Enterprise to warp speeds exceeding the reversed time flow to escape and neutralize the threat. His wife, a former on the Enterprise, supports these efforts, highlighting their shared history aboard the ship during April's captaincy. This introduction canonized April's role in Star Trek lore, drawing from early franchise concepts while integrating him into the established timeline without contradicting prior live-action depictions. Voiced by , who also provided multiple roles in the series, April's characterization emphasizes seasoned competence and quick thinking under duress, traits that underscore his foundational command of the starship. The episode's resolution restores normal aging, with April and his wife left slightly younger, affirming his post-captaincy prominence in .

Portrayals Across Media

Animated Voice and Depiction

In Star Trek: The Animated Series, Robert April was voiced by James Doohan, who also provided voices for multiple characters including Montgomery Scott in the original live-action series. April's sole appearance occurred in the second-season episode "The Counter-Clock Incident," which originally aired on October 12, 1974. In this installment, he is depicted as a retired Starfleet commodore—the Enterprise's inaugural commanding officer—traveling with his wife Sarah aboard their civilian ship, the S.S. Bonaventure, as he approaches the mandatory retirement age of 75. The character's animation adheres to the production style of Filmation Associates, characterized by stylized human features, limited motion, and vibrant colors typical of 1970s cel animation, with April shown as an elderly yet resourceful figure who intervenes decisively when the Enterprise crew faces rapid de-aging in a negative-energy spatial anomaly. His portrayal emphasizes competence and ingenuity, as he repurposes a medical de-aging device to restore the affected personnel and neutralize the threat.

Live-Action Casting in Strange New Worlds

Canadian actor Adrian Holmes portrayed Admiral Robert April in the live-action series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, introducing the character to live-action for the first time. The casting was announced on May 1, 2022, with Holmes depicting April as the Enterprise's predecessor captain now serving as an admiral. Holmes, born March 31, 1974, in and raised in , debuted as April in the series premiere episode "Strange New Worlds," which aired on Paramount+ on May 5, 2022. In the episode, April briefs Captain Christopher Pike on directives, emphasizing his prior command of the . Holmes reprised the role in multiple episodes across the first two seasons, including physical appearances in season 1, episode 5 (" Amok," aired June 2, 2022) and season 2, episode 1 ("The Broken Circle," aired June 15, 2023), as well as mentions or images in others such as "Children of the Comet" and "." Prior to Strange New Worlds, April had only appeared in the 1974 animated episode "The Counter-Clock Incident," voiced by Carl Bressler and depicted in a stylized manner without fixed live-action precedent.

Fictional Characterization

Command of the USS Enterprise

Robert April assumed command of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) in 2245 as its first captain, overseeing the completion of the ship's construction and its initial shakedown cruises following launch under Federation President Samuel Solomon Qasr. His tenure, spanning approximately five years until 2250, marked the vessel's early operational phase as a Constitution-class starship dedicated to Starfleet's exploratory mission. During this period, April's leadership contributed to the Enterprise's foundational role in Federation expansion, earning him recognition as one of Starfleet's most decorated captains, as later referenced in shipboard computer assessments of exemplary command traits. April's wife, Sarah April, served aboard the Enterprise in a scientific capacity, supporting the crew during these inaugural voyages. The command transition to Christopher Pike in 2250 aligned with Starfleet protocols, positioning Pike as April's successor for subsequent missions. April's experience as Enterprise captain was later invoked in crisis situations; in the 2270s, as a retired commodore, he drew upon his firsthand knowledge of anomalous phenomena encountered during his era to guide Captain James T. Kirk through a negative-energy universe where time reversed, preventing crew disintegration. This event, depicted in Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "The Counter-Clock Incident," underscored the enduring legacy of April's preparatory command in equipping the ship for long-term service.

Post-Captaincy Career and Admiral Role

Following the completion of the USS Enterprise's initial five-year mission from 2245 to 2250, during which Robert April oversaw the starship's shakedown and early exploratory operations, he relinquished command to his first officer, Christopher Pike, and advanced through Starfleet's ranks to . By 2259, Admiral April occupied a senior command position within , authorizing high-priority missions for active vessels. In the premiere episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, he directs Captain to investigate a from the USS Peregrine, which had been destroyed by a explosion, initiating the rescue of survivors including Lt. Hemmer and Ensign . April appears in additional episodes of the series across its first two seasons, underscoring his ongoing influence in fleet operations during this period. Later in the 23rd century, during the era of Captain James T. Kirk's command of the Enterprise, April had retired from active service while retaining admiral status. In the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "The Counter-Clock Incident," retired Admiral April and his wife, Sarah April—a former Starfleet science officer—travel aboard their civilian yacht, the S.S. Bonaventure, when they are drawn into a negative-energy spatial anomaly causing rapid de-aging and reversed time flow. April intervenes decisively, employing seized alien technology from the planet Scalos to generate a counter-time warp, restoring the Enterprise crew and preventing universal temporal collapse. This event highlights April's retained expertise and resourcefulness beyond his captaincy and formal admiral duties.

Presence in Expanded Universe

Novels and Literature

Robert April features prominently in Diane Carey's 1988 novel Final Frontier, which depicts him as the captain of the USS Enterprise during its early missions, including a rescue operation involving Commander George Kirk and the establishment of diplomatic relations that shape history. The narrative culminates in April's retirement address to the assembly nine years after key events, emphasizing his role in pioneering Starfleet's exploratory ethos. In Carey's 1992 novel Best Destiny, April commands the Enterprise on a perilous voyage alongside George Kirk and a teenage , highlighting his leadership during a that tests and interstellar alliances. The story portrays April as a mentor figure imparting lessons on amid deadly threats. April appears as the Enterprise captain in Brad and Barbara Strickland's 1996 young adult novel Crisis on Vulcan, where he oversees a crew including first officer Christopher Pike during a mission disrupted by a sabotaged peace treaty on Vulcan, with young Spock aboard observing human-Vulcan dynamics. The 2016 novel Captain to Captain by Greg Cox, the first in the Legacies trilogy, references April as the originator of a classified secret tradition passed among Enterprise captains from his tenure through Pike and Kirk, framing his foundational influence on ship command protocols. These literary depictions expand on April's canonical animated series role, portraying him as a trailblazing officer whose decisions ripple into later eras, though they remain non-canon to the prime timeline.

Comics and Other Non-Canon Works

Robert April appears in ' Star Trek: Early Voyages series, published from 1997 to 1998, which depicts events predating Captain Christopher Pike's command of the USS Enterprise. In the debut issue, "Flesh of My Flesh" (February 1997), April is shown briefly as the ship's during an encounter involving a and alien , portrayed with a focus on decisive, militaristic . Subsequent issues, such as those exploring Pike's early career, reference April's tenure and later promotion to admiral, though these elements conflict with timelines in other media. In IDW Publishing's Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness miniseries (January–April 2013), set in the alternate Kelvin Timeline as a prequel to the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness, April commands an earlier USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) before being reported dead two decades prior. He reemerges in issue #4, leading a of Phaedus IV natives against the Klingon Empire, commandeering elements of the new Enterprise under , and embodying a rogue, anti-villain driven by survivalist amid timeline disruptions from Nero's incursion. This portrayal diverges sharply from his canonical diplomatic admiral role, emphasizing militarized isolationism. Beyond these, April has minor or referenced roles in other non-canon comic tie-ins, such as IDW's broader Star Trek ongoing series, but lacks prominent standalone arcs in video games, role-playing modules, or audiobooks outside licensed literature. These depictions often prioritize exploratory "what-if" narratives over fidelity to televised canon, using April to bridge pre-Enterprise history with action-oriented plots.

Reception and Controversies

Initial Fan and Critical Response

The casting announcement of Adrian Holmes as Admiral Robert April in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on May 2, 2022, elicited polarized fan reactions. Supporters, including writer David Gerrold from Star Trek: The Animated Series, celebrated the opportunity to bring a longstanding background character into live-action prominence, viewing it as a faithful extension of Enterprise lore predating Captain Kirk. Holmes himself highlighted the role's mythic significance in interviews, noting encouragement from figures like LeVar Burton, which resonated with fans appreciative of deeper canon exploration. However, significant backlash emerged from portions of the fandom concerned with canon fidelity, particularly the shift from April's prior depiction as a white male in The Animated Series episode "The Counter-Clock Incident" (aired November 12, 1974), voiced and visually implied as Caucasian by James Doohan. Critics on platforms like Reddit and YouTube argued the recasting prioritized diversity over established continuity, labeling it "reverse whitewashing" and questioning its alignment with Gene Roddenberry's original notes, where April was conceptualized as white. These debates intensified around Holmes' first on-screen appearance in season 2's "Hegemony" (aired August 3, 2023), with some fans decrying it as emblematic of broader perceived alterations in modern Trek productions. Mainstream critical reception to April's portrayal remained muted, as reviews focused more on narratives than the character; outlets like CBR noted his without substantive , while fan-driven discourse dominated discussions of his introduction. No major review aggregators tracked isolated responses to the character, reflecting his supporting status amid SNW's generally positive season reception (87% on for season 2). The divide underscored tensions between canon purists and those favoring interpretive flexibility in Trek's evolving universe, with polls and threads showing roughly 40-60% approval splits in early post-announcement sentiment.

Debates Over Casting and Canon Fidelity

The casting of Adrian Holmes, a Black Canadian actor, as Admiral Robert April in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (SNW), announced on May 1, 2022, generated debate among fans regarding fidelity to the character's original animated depiction in Star Trek: The Animated Series (TAS). In TAS's "The Counter-Clock Incident" (aired October 12, 1974), April was voiced by James Doohan and visually depicted as a white male with light skin, inspired by the character Race Bannon from Jonny Quest. Some fans criticized the live-action choice as a racially motivated alteration, labeling it "reverse whitewashing" or an imposition of modern diversity standards disconnected from the source material, with backlash appearing on social media and forums shortly after the announcement. Showrunner Henry Alonso Myers defended the decision, stating that while 1960s Star Trek was progressive, its diversity did not meet 2022 expectations, and Holmes was selected for his acting gravitas without internal controversy. Opposing views emphasized the non-visual nature of TAS's canon for live-action adaptations, with TAS writer Fred Bronson (credited as ) expressing approval of Holmes's casting on May 2, 2022, after waiting decades for April's live-action debut. , who plays Captain Pike, addressed the fan criticism in a July 2025 interview, while co-stars publicly defended Holmes, attributing backlash to resistance against updated representations rather than substantive canon violations. Critics of the backlash argued that race was never explicitly defined in TAS dialogue, allowing flexibility, though fan sites noted the animated design's clear visual cues as establishing a baseline expectation. Debates over canon fidelity centered on SNW's expansions and potential contradictions with TAS, exacerbating longstanding questions about TAS's status in the franchise. TAS portrays April as a retired, elderly admiral (approximately 75 years old) in 2269, alongside his wife Sarah, who briefly commandeer a ship after a de-aging incident. SNW, set in the 2250s, depicts him as an active admiral and Pike's mentor and former commanding officer during the Enterprise's shakedown cruise around 2246–2250, aligning with his role as the ship's inaugural captain post-launch in 2245 but introducing new interpersonal dynamics absent from TAS. Some observers viewed this as a retcon, particularly given Gene Roddenberry's 1980s decanonization of TAS to streamline live-action continuity, though later series like Discovery (2017) referenced April to affirm select elements. Additional contention arose from perceived age inconsistencies, as Holmes (aged 48 at casting) portrayed a middle-aged April, consistent with slow human aging in Trek lore but younger-appearing than TAS's elderly version might retroactively imply for the earlier timeline. Bronson acknowledged this youthfulness but dismissed major issues, citing Trek characters' extended lifespans. Fan critiques, including articles from June 2025, argued SNW underutilized opportunities to integrate TAS lore more faithfully, such as April's family dynamics or retirement circumstances, potentially sidelining TAS to prioritize new narratives. Myers framed these changes as intentional updates to a "mythic" figure, prioritizing dramatic utility over strict adherence. Overall, while production insiders upheld the alterations as canon-compatible evolutions, detractors maintained they diluted TAS's foundational contributions, reflecting broader franchise tensions between legacy preservation and contemporary reinterpretation.

References

  1. https://www.slashfilm.com/843101/the-enterprises-first-captain-admiral-robert-april-explained/
  2. https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/star-trek-tas-robert-april-strange-new-worlds
  3. https://collectingtrek.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/0ac9a-star-trek-is....pdf
  4. https://trekmovie.com/2011/02/05/gene-roddenberrys-1964-star-trek-pitch-online/
  5. https://www.facebook.com/StarTrek/posts/the-iconic-star-trek-the-animated-series-episode-the-counter-clock-incident-prem/1101601307992299/
  6. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0827627/
  7. https://screenrant.com/star-trek-captain-enterprise-original-robert-april-explained/
  8. https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Star-Trek-The-Animated-Series/Robert-April/
  9. https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Star-Trek-The-Animated-Series/
  10. https://trekmovie.com/2022/05/02/star-trek-the-animated-series-writer-welcomes-new-robert-april-on-strange-new-worlds/
  11. https://screenrant.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-robert-april-adrian-holmes/
  12. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-adrian-holmes-role-levar-burton-note-1235145565/
  13. https://www.joblo.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-adrian-holmes-robert-april/
  14. https://www.tvmaze.com/characters/986674/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-admiral-robert-april
  15. https://www.startrek.com/news/in-the-year-2255
  16. https://trekipedia.com/file/Robert_April
  17. https://www.startrek.com/news/celebrating-the-ships-of-the-line-enterprise-ncc-1701
  18. https://screenrant.com/star-trek-enterprise-captain-robert-april-before-pike/
  19. https://redshirtsalwaysdie.com/posts/could-we-still-see-captain-robert-april-at-the-helm-of-the-enterprise-01hn5kt7qy8v
  20. https://trekcentral.net/meet-the-enterprises-first-captain/
  21. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Final-Frontier/Diane-Carey/Star-Trek-The-Next-Generation/9780743454261
  22. https://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Destiny-Diane-Carey/dp/B0015DJ2PK
  23. https://warpfactortrek.com/humble-servant-leadership-a-reflection-on-best-destinys-captain-april/
  24. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/310926.Crisis_on_Vulcan
  25. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Legacies-Book-1-Captain-to-Captain/Greg-Cox/Star-Trek-The-Original-Series/9781501125294
  26. https://www.startrekcomics.info/marvel2ev.html
  27. https://www.wixiban.com/comics/idw-39-countdown-darkness.htm
  28. https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/81667/robert-april-in-the-alternate-timeline
  29. https://leagueofcomicgeeks.com/character/58371/robert-april
  30. https://whatculture.com/trekculture/10-most-controversial-star-trek-episodes-2
  31. https://www.reddit.com/r/startrek/comments/jgq6kg/robert_april_does_not_need_to_be_a_white_guy/
  32. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWpsIvTy3XQ
  33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VOuTLasSug
  34. https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-admiral-robert-april/
  35. https://www.quora.com/How-can-Strange-New-Worlds-be-a-prequel-to-the-original-Star-Trek-when-Admiral-Robert-April-is-African-American-not-Caucasian-and-Chief-Kyle-is-Asian-not-English
  36. https://redshirtsalwaysdie.com/2022/05/05/star-trek-animated-series-canon/
  37. https://parade.com/news/star-trek-star-comes-to-castmates-defense-following-criticism
  38. https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/strange-new-worlds-showrunner-canon-spock-kirk-robert-april
  39. https://fandomwire.com/i-will-never-forgive-strange-new-worlds-for-missing-out-on-making-a-star-trek-gem-canon/
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