Captain Peterson was the Starfleet officer in command of the USS Carolina in 2377. In that year, Peterson was ordered by Admiral Paris to intercept a Ferengi Marauder which had taken position near a red giant star and which was attempting to open a geodesic fold to the Delta Quadrant. However, as the Carolina was 0.7 light years away, they were unable to reach the Ferengi vessel in time, forcing Lieutenant Reginald Barclay to improvise a way to manipulate the Ferengi into closing the fold before the crew of the USS Voyager was killed by the geodesic radiation. (VOY: "Inside Man")