Bones in charge - Page 2

Shawnster · February 11 2013, 02:36 PM

The Mirrorball Man wrote:

I don't care if it makes complete sense and I don't care about what happens in the US Navy. I think it would have fun and interesting to see McCoy in command.

I just watched "This Side of Paradise." When Kirk leaves to track down Spock, he leaves McCoy in charge of the landing party.

Of course, we see no scenes of McCoy giving any commands. All we see is DeSalle bring the spore plants to McCoy. Next thing we know, our good doctor is more concerned about being in charge of Mint Julips.

MacLeod · February 11 2013, 02:40 PM

^^if memory serves, that was because McCoy wasn't at least a Captain.

J.T.B. · February 11 2013, 02:41 PM

The Mirrorball Man wrote:

J.T.B. wrote:

Military realism or not, TOS Starfleet apparently does have rules whereby rank alone does not qualify an officer to take command, and McCoy is not qualified. It was stated in "A Taste of Armageddon," when McCoy tells Scotty what he might do if he was "an officer of the line."

That can be corrected with only one line of dialogue.

Could be, but it would be an inconsistency, so better it wasn't.

The Mirrorball Man · February 11 2013, 02:55 PM

J.T.B. wrote:

Could be, but it would be an inconsistency, so better it wasn't.

It would have been interesting to watch, so to hell with consistency.

J.T.B. · February 11 2013, 03:12 PM

The Mirrorball Man wrote:

J.T.B. wrote:

Could be, but it would be an inconsistency, so better it wasn't.

It would have been interesting to watch, so to hell with consistency.

That's the attitude of some; I would say it should be possible to write stories that fit within a show's established rules yet still be interesting to watch. The more a show contradicts its internal consistency, the harder it is for the audience to suspend disbelief.

The Mirrorball Man · February 11 2013, 03:29 PM

J.T.B. wrote:

That's the attitude of some; I would say it should be possible to write stories that fit within a show's established rules yet still be interesting to watch. The more a show contradicts its internal consistency, the harder it is for the audience to suspend disbelief.

Star Trek is probably the worst example one could use, actually. The show kept contradicting itself and was constantly creative and interesting to watch.

Pavonis · February 11 2013, 03:59 PM

Why would McCoy be so interesting to watch in command? Either he'd be incompetent, which would just highlight Kirk's strength or he'd be competent, and it wouldn't matter that it was McCoy in command because any other character would be able to deliver the same lines. So, what could possibly be interesting to watch? McCoy might swear more, I suppose....

J.T.B. · February 11 2013, 04:11 PM

The Mirrorball Man wrote:

Star Trek is probably the worst example one could use, actually. The show kept contradicting itself and was constantly creative and interesting to watch.

Well, the more it contradicts itself, the less I like it. YMMV. At any rate, this is not pertinent to the OP; McCoy was not eligible to command a ship and that was never contradicted.

The Mirrorball Man · February 11 2013, 04:11 PM

Pavonis wrote:

Why would McCoy be so interesting to watch in command? Either he'd be incompetent, which would just highlight Kirk's strength or he'd be competent, and it wouldn't matter that it was McCoy in command because any other character would be able to deliver the same lines. So, what could possibly be interesting to watch? McCoy might swear more, I suppose...

I think it's obvious. "The Galileo Seven" is an episode about what happens when Spock is in command, how he uses logic and what he does when logic fails him. It was interesting. McCoy is the other side of the coin, an episode based on a similar premise may have been interesting as well.

If you think McCoy is just a generic character whose swearing is the only identifiable trait, I'd say that you probably haven't watched enough Star Trek.

Pavonis · February 11 2013, 05:26 PM

Hey, now, there's no need to impugn my experience watching Trek. I've seen it all. What I'm saying is that McCoy in command would be either something like Commodore Stocker's experience in the chair, or it would be like Scott's or Sulu's. Scott and Sulu are trained and experienced in command, and so either watching McCoy in a "Galileo"-type would be like watching Scott or Sulu do the same, because they're all passionate, volatile humans, or it'd be like watching Stocker try to command - awkward and scary.

Besides, McCoy is not a line officer. Doctors don't command ships. If somehow he ended up in command, then there must not be any experienced officers around, so who would he be commanding? The computer?

The Mirrorball Man · February 11 2013, 05:41 PM

Pavonis wrote:

Hey, now, there's no need to impugn my experience watching Trek. I've seen it all. What I'm saying is that McCoy in command would be either something like Commodore Stocker's experience in the chair, or it would be like Scott's or Sulu's. Scott and Sulu are trained and experienced in command, and so either watching McCoy in a "Galileo"-type would be like watching Scott or Sulu do the same, because they're all passionate, volatile humans, or it'd be like watching Stocker try to command - awkward and scary.

Besides, McCoy is not a line officer. Doctors don't command ships. If somehow he ended up in command, then there must not be any experienced officers around, so who would he be commanding? The computer?

You're seeing things from an 'in-universe' perspective, I'm seeing things from a dramatic perspective, where everything is possible if it serves the plot or the characters.

Pavonis · February 11 2013, 05:59 PM

Then you come up with a scenario where McCoy ends up in command. Maybe Kirk could send McCoy out in a shuttle craft with a bunch of Vulcans, and then the Vulcans could continually question McCoy's authority and competence to command until his final desperate decision to save them is the one logical choice that is most probable to save them.

The Mirrorball Man · February 11 2013, 06:01 PM

Pavonis wrote:

Then you come up with a scenario where McCoy ends up in command.

You just did.

Pavonis · February 11 2013, 06:05 PM

Yes, and it's a very original one, too. Do you watch "The Galileo Seven" on an endless loop, or do you watch the other episodes, sometimes, too?

Are you interested specifically in seeing McCoy in command, or just in a fish-out-of-water scenario?

The Mirrorball Man · February 11 2013, 06:07 PM

Pavonis wrote:

Yes, and it's a very original one, too. Do you watch "The Galileo Seven" on an endless loop, or do you watch the other episodes, sometimes, too?

Are you interested specifically in seeing McCoy in command, or just in a fish-out-of-water scenario?

The dream of watching McCoy in command is pretty much the only thought that's keeping me alive.

February 11 2013, 02:40 PM	#17
MacLeod Vice Admiral Location: Great Britain	Re: Bones in charge ^^if memory serves, that was because McCoy wasn't at least a Captain. __________________ On the continent of wild endeavour in the mountains of solace and solitude there stood the citadel of the time lords, the oldest and most mighty race in the universe looking down on the galaxies below sworn never to interfere only to watch.

February 11 2013, 03:59 PM	#22
Pavonis Commodore Location: South Dakota	Re: Bones in charge Why would McCoy be so interesting to watch in command? Either he'd be incompetent, which would just highlight Kirk's strength or he'd be competent, and it wouldn't matter that it was McCoy in command because any other character would be able to deliver the same lines. So, what could possibly be interesting to watch? McCoy might swear more, I suppose....

February 11 2013, 05:26 PM	#25
Pavonis Commodore Location: South Dakota	Re: Bones in charge Hey, now, there's no need to impugn my experience watching Trek. I've seen it all. What I'm saying is that McCoy in command would be either something like Commodore Stocker's experience in the chair, or it would be like Scott's or Sulu's. Scott and Sulu are trained and experienced in command, and so either watching McCoy in a "Galileo"-type would be like watching Scott or Sulu do the same, because they're all passionate, volatile humans, or it'd be like watching Stocker try to command - awkward and scary. Besides, McCoy is not a line officer. Doctors don't command ships. If somehow he ended up in command, then there must not be any experienced officers around, so who would he be commanding? The computer?

February 11 2013, 05:59 PM	#27
Pavonis Commodore Location: South Dakota	Re: Bones in charge Then you come up with a scenario where McCoy ends up in command. Maybe Kirk could send McCoy out in a shuttle craft with a bunch of Vulcans, and then the Vulcans could continually question McCoy's authority and competence to command until his final desperate decision to save them is the one logical choice that is most probable to save them.

February 11 2013, 06:05 PM	#29
Pavonis Commodore Location: South Dakota	Re: Bones in charge Yes, and it's a very original one, too. Do you watch "The Galileo Seven" on an endless loop, or do you watch the other episodes, sometimes, too? Are you interested specifically in seeing McCoy in command, or just in a fish-out-of-water scenario?

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