A thought has just struck me. On E2, how come the 'other' Enterprise didn't have any kind of uniform? I know that after a century the original uniforms wouldn't be usable, but surely they could have procured or manufactured something so as to maintain the Starfleet decorum.
For a couple generations? That would mean they were breeding starfleet personnel. I think they would have ditched that idea and concentrated on being a functioning community.
Agreed. I think once the crew had resigned themselves to their fate and started having babies, they kind of relaxed the rules a bit.
It would be a little relaxed, but after being flung back they became a generational ship, with each generation being trained and readied for the mission--which was still of top priority for them--so in a sense everyone born onboard was to become a crewmember at some point. I just thinking that some form of uniformity might have been needed for the operational crew, whilst the 'civilians' could wear what they liked. It was just a stray thought I had this morning.
So everyone born on the ship should be Starfleet? They'd give uniforms to the babies and kids? What rank would they get?
I'm not saying that they'd all be enlistees/cadets from the moment they were born, but everything about their lives and development would be focused on how to crew and maintain the ship, the mission that their ancestors were on and the importance that they succeed. They would get lessons in warp field geometry and sensor maintenance rather than the formation of clouds and what not. It would be practical and makes sense given the situation: they are a generational starship with finite crew and resources, waiting for a specific date in order to save Earth. Wouldn't it make sense to drill that into each and everyone of them from the beginning? To prepare them for what is expected of them and the part they have to play?
^ And I'm sure they did. But if you want to talk protocol, it's entirely conceivable that Archer had no authority to induct civilians into Starfleet, as it were.
That is a point. But on VOY the Maquis were given field commissions and expected to be in uniform and comply with Starfleet regs, and most of them hadn't gone through the Academy.
My above post was referring to Bry's above it. Looking at the time stamps we posted at the same time.
^ Ah. Quite. Archer:"You know, Polly, E2 may be the first quasi-Starfleet ship out there, but it may not be the last. Maybe someday, a few hundred years from now, another ship composed of Starfleet and others will have to cross an expanse of their own. And maybe by then, captains will have authority to give field commissions and enlistments, so that these... voyagers may harmoniously and boringly blend together as they set a course... for home." T'Pol: "Oh, shut up, J-Dog."
Judging by precedent with T'Pol, dress codes weren't too strict even without the generational bit. Unless you think pink catsuits are standard issue.
She was a civilian though. In S4 when she joined Starfleet they should have putten her into uniform, keeping her in the catsuits was pointless and obviously a case of "look at the BOOBS". Its not like the uniforms aren't figure-hugging.
The Maquis also weren't recruited while still in the cradle. At some point, semi-normal child rearing and education turns into officer training and fight training. Somebody up and decides he or she wants to be the ship's doctor. But there's no medical school on board. The database doesn't hold everything; Phlox doesn't know everything and, even if he does, he can't be lecturing and working on crew members (suddenly OB-GYN is really key) at the same time. One thing I figure the E2 crowd did was listen to Earth broadcasts and the like. Some are going to be horribly depressing (they are kicked back during WWIII, after all), but other stuff would be educational.
Exactly... if they don't even enforce uniform standards with people IN Starfleet, why should they suddenly decide to enforce them with people not in Starfleet?