Sikel has an interresting heritage made evident by his un-Vulcanian shock of blonde hair. His mother was a Vulcan scientist stationed on Rigel 4. She met his father, a Human ensign of German ancestry serving aboard the USS Inhibitor, during a rescue operation involving Klingon infiltration. The logic involved in their union was never fully explained to Sikel and he eyes it with quiet disdain.

He was named by his father, apparently fluent in the tongue by the time Sikel was born, as a last act of defiance before the child was immersed in the "oppressive culture" he saw as Vulcan. The controversial name translates to Federation Standard as "Outer Structure," implying that while Sikel's anatomy may be Vulcan, his choices and humanity were his own to do with what he would. While the name's meaning and background are obvious to those who know the Vulcan language, to the less informed it is simply another typical Vulcan name that starts with S.

As a child, he was refered to by his peers as "Yailaik." It is a word so uncommonly used that his father did not understand. Niether Sikel nor his mother would enlighten the Human. The nick-name turns up occassionally when Sikel reencounters a Vulcan with whom he grew up.