Starfleet is the U.S. Coast Guard

Discussion in 'General Trek Discussion' started by The Green Mushroom, Dec 18, 2012.

  1. Star Wolf

    Star Wolf Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    The USCG has a strange history as a miltary force as the revenue cutters where part of the Treasury and then the newer Transportation cabinet secretaries before Homeland Security Department was added after 9/11.
     
  2. Praetor

    Praetor Vice Admiral Admiral

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    The fine line between continuity and fanwank.
    I think as a "combined service" Starfleet would draw whatever it thought was good from those services into its own practices.

    IMO, the OP's notion of new pre-officers touring before going to an Academy and getting to choose what they want to specialize in not only fits with the Starfleet notion of the ranks of crewman and yeoman, but is also just plain cool.

    Does that make Starfleet the Coast Guard? Nah. "Combined service."
     
  3. 2takesfrakes

    2takesfrakes Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    What does the Real Life Coast Guard do, though? I thought they broke ice floes in the shipping lanes and harassed drug dealers and that was pretty much it. I don't see any STARFLEET metaphor in that ...
     
  4. Star Wolf

    Star Wolf Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I guess you can read the rest of the thread :vulcan:

    They started off as a rescue service being merged with the anti smuggling revenue protection service and becomes part of the USN during wartime. from those three legs they have branched off into all kinds of work

    The metaphor comes because while the ships are capable of adding to wartime fleets, war fighting is not the primary mission. Like Starfleet in the primary universe as opposed to Starfleet in the alternate universes.
     
  5. Phanton

    Phanton Lieutenant Junior Grade Red Shirt

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    (TNG) Nth Degree - The Cytherians – “Emotive electrochemical stimulus response with a cranial plate, bi-pedal locomotion, endoskeleton and contiguous external integument”

    (nodding his floaty head and grinning) “A hierarchical collective command structure.”

    Military or Civilian sectors all operate hierarchical collectives too, in a sense they all wield their own weapons.

    The capacity to grow beyond the collective is I think what Starfleet is really all about, finding new life and new civilisations is the first step the Traveller recognised in Wesley his ability to ascend to a new plain of existence where thought and energy combine. Definition of a Q?

    That’s where I want to be tbh, carried there by a hierarchical collective command structure or not.
     
  6. T'Girl

    T'Girl Vice Admiral Admiral

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    You mean one of Earth's nations loaned a squad of their special forces to Starfleet?

    I kind of like that, and it would explain Archer's first reaction to be told about the MACOs.

    :devil:
     
  7. Shawnster

    Shawnster Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    If Starfleet= US Coast Guard,then what = US military?
     
  8. MANT!

    MANT! Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Starfleet = US Coast Guard?..not entirely, heck one could make an argument that Starfleet = the USAF, after all the USAF is used to patrol and safeguard the nation (in fact the Air Force is the North American continent's PRIMARY line of defence from an attacker), patrols fishing grounds, patrols offshore oil fields, conducts experimental research (sometimes into exotic propulsion systems) and even undertakes search and rescue missions. Nahh as was mentioned upthread, it's a COMBINED service, more like US STRATCOM than the Coast Guard..think USAF+Navy+Army+Coast Guard..
     
  9. BigJake

    BigJake Vice Admiral Admiral

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    No matter where you go, there you are.
    At least initially, Starfleet was very clearly conceived as a Space Navy and the original Enterprise as the equivalent of an American missile cruiser, with a dash of old-timey Royal Navy adventure thrown in for good measure*. The writer's bible for the original series made this very clear, and AFAICT the shows bear it out.

    (* In some ways the Enterpise is actually reminiscent of a ship like the H.M.S. Beagle -- whose famous surveying voyage with Charles Darwin aboard was, incidentally, five years long --with a combined mission of surveying, naturalism and chipping in to put down the occasional revolt at ports of call. The inspiration for the command officers perpetually beaming down to planets was almost certainly the practices of the Royal Navy, where the captain and ship's surgeon often had to go landside to direct efforts, meet with dignitaries, carry out research and so on.)
     
  10. 2takesfrakes

    2takesfrakes Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Perhaps, but ... I do want to thank you for responding!
    An interesting post, indeed ...
     
  11. Quahom1

    Quahom1 Cadet Newbie

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    In 1986, I spoke with Gene Roddenberry. I asked him where he got his idea for Star Trek... (as in whom the fleet represented). He laughed and said "Josh, don't you know?"

    Guess so.

    v/r

    Josh H.
    USCG
     
  12. EmperorTiberius

    EmperorTiberius Captain Captain

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    Starfleet is Age of Sail. It comes close to US Navy when it was created, not today's US Navy.

    Original US Navy was an extension of politics where they didn't interfere in other affairs, it was there to protect US territory and shipping.

    Six heavy frigates (heavy cruisers in ST universe) were built to help accomplish this goal, US had no Ships of the Line (Battleships) like British Empire.

    Very similar philosophies between early US and Federation.
     
  13. Shaka Zulu

    Shaka Zulu Commodore Commodore

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    When you do find that floppy, could you post it?

    Love your avatar, by the way.
     
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2014
  14. jmampilly

    jmampilly Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    It would seem the OP has been completely contradicted by... everyone.