Character Spotlight #11-Simeon Bankowski

Meet Simeon Bankowski

Simeon Bankowski was born into a distinguished United Colonies lineage. His family had long been intertwined with the UC government and military, with every immediate family member pursuing service in some capacity. His father achieved high-ranking status during the Colony War, while his mother served as a sniper in the UC Navy. His siblings also held notable positions: Georgia worked in Interstellar Affairs' Operations Division, and Taylor in MAST’s Xenoscience branch.

Driven by a fascination with weapons, Simeon dedicated himself to DRIP, MAST's experimental weapons testing division. There, he helped engineers and gunsmiths design cutting-edge armaments and ventured to distant worlds to field-test them safely away from civilian populations. Yet, the excitement faded. After a test that “blew up in his face,” he found himself disillusioned with his role and eager for more meaningful, team-based work among starfarers. Simeon is genuinely affable, hardworking, and self-aware. He jokes about DRIP’s name being the handiwork of marketing over science, yet remains proud of his contributions . That is until those ideals no longer matched the organization's direction. He’s grounded, with a subtle confidence garnered from his family’s reputation; more than once, he quips that "you can’t go a week without hearing the Bankowski name" at MAST, yet he treats it humbly.

(You encounter Simeon at The Viewport bar, where he’s ready to sign on. Provided you're willing to pay 13,500 credits, a set fee that can’t be bartered down).

Meet Shane Salk

Shane Salk is an American actor, voice actor, and producer whose career spans theatre, television, and video games. A graduate of Chapman University with a BFA in Theatre Performance, he began on stage with a wide range of roles before stepping into the recording booth, where his voice found a lasting home.

Salk has appeared in animation (American Dad!), voiced the Joker for DC projects, and lent his voice to numerous video games. His gaming credits include Starfield (as weapons specialist Simeon Bankowski, also serving as voice director), World of Warcraft, and Call of Duty. His performances are noted for their versatility bringing humor, menace, or quiet authority as the role requires.

Beyond acting, he is a pioneer in modern audio drama. In 2009, he co-created We’re Alive: A Story of Survival, a groundbreaking zombie audio series that reached over 250 million downloads. He later co-created Carcerem, an ambitious fantasy audio drama that blends original music, immersive battles, and cinematic soundscapes.

Working from his North Hollywood studio, Salk continues to balance performance with production, guiding stories from page to voice and from voice to world. His career reflects a dedication not only to performance but to the craft of sound itself, an artist who has given life to characters across genres. From apocalypse survivors to starship crews.