Colin was born in North Carolina but his parents moved with him to the Pacifica Undersea Mining Colony when he was five. Colin grew up there while his parents worked there. His mother was one of the research biologists and his father was the foreman of one of the mining teams. When Colin returned from his time in college he applied for a job with the Colony Security Force. He spent the next ten years there helping maintain order among the roughneck miners and working as the colony's main search and rescue force regarding mine accidents. Hawkes got a reputation as a peacemaker and was frequently sought out during confrontations to be a fair listener to the miners, but also respected by them due to the fact that he was an accomplished martial artist from years of practice that began with his years at college.

The growing enthusiasm on Earth regarding space travel and the new warp ships being built wasn't lost on Colin. He avidly kept up with the developments and when the first news of Starfleet being created reached the Colony, Hawkes knew immediately that he wanted to go into space and applied as soon as he realized he met the basic requirements for entry into the Academy.