Enterprise: stuff of legends, or ship of fools?

USS Enterprise: stuff of legends, or ship of fools?

After considering various arguments in other threads, I formed the following hypothesis. First, I add the disclaimer that I am a dyed-in-the-wool ST fan, and have been since TOS. I offer these ideas for illuminated discussion, as a thought-provoking, alternative "what if" scenario for the TNG we know and love...

I submit: Commanding the Enterprise-D was not designed to be a reward for an exceptional captain. The project was largely deemed a failure from the start. The history that unfolded in TNG defied the odds and was a dark horse in the annals of Starfleet. Allow me to elaborate.

First, the name "Enterprise" had long since lost any meaning in Starfleet. The 1701-C disappeared over 20 years prior to the christening of the vessel, with no obvious pivotal role in history. The 1701-B likewise had no apparent record of note. And the rich history of Kirk's escapades was almost a century beforehand. What significance did "Enterprise" have, particularly as a "flagship"? This was a trial run of a largely untested piece of hardware running untested software. Perhaps it should have been called the 1701-Beta...

Second, the person chosen as Captain -- one Jean Luc-Picard, a reckless twit who almost got himself killed at the academy -- had spent over 25 years serving on a single, unremarkable ship: the Stargazer. He haphazardly rose to command by pure coincidence -- everyone was killed -- and captained the ship for almost a decade more. Although perhaps "seasoned", he was hardly the type one would expect to helm the leading ship of the Federation. What about Captain Tryla Scott, the youngest ever in Starfleet history to achieve the rank? Why not give her the premiere assignment in the fleet? Why relegate it to a proverbially washed-up one-hit wonder?

Third: we are introduced to the mission (in Encounter at Farpoint) by Picard's personal log: i.e. his impression of the importance of his assignment. Hardly an unbiased position!

Furthermore, assigning Riker as the XO. Here's an officer who desires nothing more than second best: the command of the Enterprise. Sure, he can use this podunk assignment as a much needed stepping stone to launch his illustrious and legendary Starfleet career and venture into uncharted space, but instead he's content to be second fiddle to Captain Once-Was for almost two decades.

Lastly: families on board. How many flagships and exploratory vessels going into uncharted territories have families on board? Face it: Picard was duped by top brass due to his desire to be anywhere else but in the center seat of the Stargazer. The Enterprise wasn't the flagship of the Federation -- it was a weather balloon to test the climate of Starfleet tech and relations, ultimately to yield new designs and commanded by competent staff. Picard et al. succeeded wildly against all odds.

Discuss!!

 

I'd certainly agree that Picard's opening log presents a somewhat different take on the E-D's mission and profile compared to what came later. Also, he claims in EAF to have have aa first officer assigned to him, one he's never met. Years later, he claimed to have selected Riker personally (I can't recall the exact episode)

The rest of your premise is certainly interesting food for thought!

 

I'd argue the sheer size of Picard's command makes it important, regardless of other considerations. It may not hold the specific importance the ship's officers assign to her missions, but it still is something Starfleet would be foolish to trust on failures and has-beens - if the E-D failed, this would reflect really badly on Starfleet, quite regardless of where, how and in which this great ship failed.

Why Picard was given the command is still valid grounds for speculation. Given that the task would be prestigious, perhaps factions within Starfleet wanted to see an utter failure, something to justify a complete U-turn more to their liking? More probably, there'd be nuances: perhaps factions wanted to see a hard-nosed frontier explorer in command (and were disappointed to find they had voted for a diplomat); perhaps factions wanted somebody who had been out of all the political loops for decades (and got a man with secret connections everywhere); perhaps Picard was Nechayev's man and the SF Intel mole inside the operational wing of Starfleet (but undermined all shady deals by his boy scout honesty and religious adherence to the PD).

What we can probably count out would be the following:

1) Picard was chosen for a specific mission. After all, "Encounter at Farpoint" seemed to redefine the mission Picard thought he was tasked with, yet he wasn't replaced, not even when decisions made by himself were the reason for the redefining.

2) Picard's position was tenuous. There were dozens of times where he could have been challenged and replaced. He never went. And several times he was in a position to dictate his own terms on career progression, surely a rare thing in a military organization.

3) Picard's command was of no significance in interstellar terms. Every opponent seemed in awe of both the ship and her CO, after all.

4) Picard's command was of no significance in galactic terms. After all, Q zeroed in on that command and that CO...

Timo Saloniemi

 

I think Riker summed the situation up pretty nicely in Contagion: "Fate: Protects fools, little children and ships named Enterprise."

 

Which has always struck me as an odd thing to say, given the history of previous Enterprises:
E-nil: destroyed in combat
E-A: shot half to pieces then decommissioned after only a few years' service.
E-B: unknown
E-C: Destroyed in combat

Fate sure is a cruel mistress...

 

Even Ms. Fortuna needs a holiday.

 

Interesting interpretation to say the least, how would the show have come off as a workplace sitcom? Perhaps a Fawlty Towers in space?

 

^^

Allow me to introduce you to Commander Adam Quark.

The OP's thesis is a disturbingly plausible interpretation of TNG. Jean-Luc Picard: Unreliable Narrator.

"Flagship of the Federation," indeed.

 

The points are all correct but you forget one important thing!

Picard spoke Latin (which I always considered the most important subject to train the personal of space exploration in the 24th century), so you don't need more proof that he was best student ever. He was such a good student that there were former teachers and Professors stalking him (like Prof. Galen). Maybe his promotion was a scheme by Prof. Galen, who thought he might need a starship some time in the future...

 

Very tongue in cheek; kinda what I was going for with my thread.

Go back and re-watch "Time Squared". The scene in the briefing room after they've watched the logs from the future shuttlecraft; Worf has the line: "You (Picard) would never leave the bridge of the Enterprise at a critical moment". Then look at Picard's reaction! He squeamishly nods and says that he wouldn't but does so in a "Yeah, sure, I would never leave you guys to die (Except I so would)" kinda way.

There are quite a few TNG edits on Youtube that kind of play on the "Ship of fools" idea. And I would love to see a Star Trek workplace sitcom, only with more action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWrTRoZpSXM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlNa1CsUeQg

 

Videos linked above were laugh out loud funny =)

 

Maybe the Galaxy class was just too fancy and expensive, so they assigned an unremarkable Okay-Captain and gave the first few Ships boring missions, hoping, the whole class would be seen as a failure and a waste of time and the ships would be mothballed.

 

Would have made for a nice finale, where it is finally revealed that the Ent-D was never anything more than a 'weather balloon' commanded by a someone they had to move out of harm's way. I suppose a lot of TNG fans would have been p*ssed off

 

Picard seemed burnt out for the majority of the mission. He seemed to hit his peak, sure it was a high peak, but he knew that he couldn't top it afterward. Especially when he got the newer Enterprise, he seemed to be getting ready for his inevitable retirement.

As such, a lot of his actions and speeches show a man holding dearly to what he thinks the Federation stands for and the purpose of the Enterprise. His own ideals, without allowing other opinions enter. He is, of course, charismatic, which is how the crew would follow him through some of his poorer decisions.

 

I always assume the Enterprise D was commissioned because of several reasons:

1) The rising tension with both the Cardassians and Romulans. The Enterprise held a long legacy and while the Enterprise C was destroyed, we can assume the ship and its crew did plenty of good to contribute to the legacy of the name Enterprise.

2) Commissioning coinciding with that for the first time in over 50 years Starfleet had built a capital ship that outperformed any previous vessels. Having an Enterprise out there after some minor wars/skirmishes was good morale for the Federation. Finally exploration was a priority again and having an Enterprise out there was good morale.

3) The Enterprise C was the first Enterprise to be destroyed with tremendous loss of crew, out of respect they chose to wait for a new flagship rather than pulling the most recent Ambassador class out of spacedock just to stick an Enterprise sticker on the saucer. Sure, 1701 went up in flames too, but that ship had only a skeleton crew that also survived.


On choosing Jean-Luc Picard:

1) Picard had probably shown before that he'd make a good diplomat as well as a disciplined man. Galaxy-class vessels have a large crew.

2) Picard probably had a long list of succesful missions to go with his name. Losing the Stargazer was largely deemed not his direct fault and how he pulled a Picard Maneuvre to fight while outgunned and outmatched was evidence of strategic insight or skill.

3) Picard was a model captain, he was curious, diplomatic, polite and professional.

4) Picard had friends amongst the Admirality. Your name has to be out there for the people in charge to choose you. Many admirals knew Picard.


Faults of the show:

1) A frontline exploration vessel should not have families onboard. The Federation isn't as naive as they were 100 years ago. I was very out of character in my opinion and more of a wishful future Roddenberry had rather than being a realistic future. I wonder how many infants incurred shaken baby syndrome with all those near hull-breaches and the weekly torpedo turbulence. Jabbing your children with a painstick is probably less traumatizing than having them worry about if the borg are hiding under their bed. Captain Picard day was never the same again after stardate 44002.3.

2) For the sake of television, the crew had a lot of freedom and informal moments on the ship. A military vessel would be more formal and more strict.

3) The first seasons pictured an ideal, peaceful, galactic future. After that, we saw what dark things lurk in the very same galaxy also and how easily one starts a war. This contrast is confusing.

 

So, exactly the opposite of every premise put forth in the OP.

 

E-nil: destroyed in combat after a 40-year service career including saving the Federation on numerous occasions.

E-A: decommissioned after participating in an engagement that led to the saving of the Klingon Chancellor and thwarting a major plot to start a war with the Klingon Empire.

E-B: unknown onscreen. The Technical Manual indicates that she was a key vessel in exploring a significant new portion of space and mapped over 100 star systems and made first contact with 17 new species.

E-C: lost in combat while defending the Klingon outpost at Narendra III, an act of honor that sealed a peace treaty between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.

Not a bad record for the name Enterprise.

 

Indeed, her name is legendary. But does that mean that Fate protects her?

 

^Hmmmm...good question. I'd argue yes, based on just how many impossible situations the first and fifth versions of the ship managed to get out of.

 

Re: USS Enterprise: stuff of legends, or ship of fools?

Wasn't there an episode somewhere that suggested 1701-B was pivotal in the first contact with many alien species? I'm sure it was mentioned off-hand, maybe in DS9 or VOY. The way I recall it there was some suggestion that, after the rocky start we saw in GENS, she came good.