Captain McDowell has been commissioned by the Pur'n'Kleen Water Company as the commanding officer of the Canterbury.
He is likely the senior member of the crew. He has been there, and seen it, and now just takes a relaxed "let's get this done so we can go home" attitude.
He has a collection of glass cats in a cabinet next to his desk that he refers to as "collectibles" which he likes to pet when he thinks no one will see.
Beyond that, he is risk averse and doesn't want to make waves with the company regarding the poor state of his ship.
He refuses to investigate the distress call from the Scopuli.
McDowell has a collection of porcelain cats in his cabin, which he claims he keeps because they are valuable antiques. Naomi says she once saw him petting them.
