J.T.B. wrote:
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I don't think it's unreasonable at all for Starfleet to assign a Constitution-class ship to one of its most capable up and coming officers, especially if that officer has proven himself/herself as a leader ever since graduating from the Academy.
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But where would he have proven himself a leader? |
As an officer aboard other ships, especially one that distinguishes himself by lots of commendations and even some medals.
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What would he have commanded?
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Landing parties, special assignments, and even bridge shifts aboard the vessels he served on. If several of them involved incidents of extreme significance or of importance to Starfleet/the Federation, that would bring attention to him as an officer with command capability. Enough of them strung together could also be looked at as command experience.
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Kirk may have leapfrogged over some more experienced people, but such things happen in every occupation.
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It doesn't happen too often in military organizations.
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But we do know that leapfrogging does happen in Starfleet.
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I agree that there's nothing onscreen that confirms either way, but I think an educated guess weighs toward Kirk having commanded a vessel before Enterprise.
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An educated guess could also be that Kirk was fairly young when he became a captain and that the
Enterprise was his first command.
I don't believe the possibility should just be dismissed as unlikely any more than I think the possibility that he did command an earlier ship should.