To protect Canti from discrimination, his parents gave him the last name of his mother. They have kept a low profile in Romulan space for most of their lives. However, when the Romulan Empire started coming back to life, things became more strained on the family, causing them to leave. They hired mercenaries to transport them across the neutral zone into Federation space. Life became easier after this, and they were able to live a normal life. Canti excelled in school, and graduated from the academy, engineering being his specialty.