Uniform Code Not So Uniform

[Tim Thomason]

'Kay. But that isn't what was being asked. You said Riker wouldn't allow Ro to wear her earring because of her terrible attitude, and you cited her response to Picard screwing her name up as proof of her poor attitude. But, at the time when Riker snapped at her about the earring, she didn't have an opportunity to display any attitude, or correct anyone about her name. She literally just beamed aboard and introduced herself, and Riker was already shouting at her about strict uniform code.

So, I ask you again, what is so rude and obnoxious about saying "Ensign Ro Laren reporting as ordered, Commander"?

I think Riker is reacting to his perception of Ro, based on reading what she did on Garon II that led to the deaths of eight crewmembers. Maybe he was being cultural insensitive with Ro (although, I contend, he probably didn't know of the significance of the earring, and assumed it was just a personal adornment from a disobedient formerly court-martialed officer).

 

[The Wormhole]

he probably didn't know of the significance of the earring

On a semi-related note, the episode shows the Federation in general to be really ignorant of Bajoran ways, to the point it's said many Bajorans actually allow people to refer to them by their last names as though that were their family names as a means to fitting in better. Which never made sense to me. There are cultures on Earth which place the family name first, among them the Chinese, one of Earth's largest cultures. Yet Bajorans place their family names first and that's suddenly some weird alien thing which many of them abandon to fit in with the Federation?

TNG writers really didn't think through their definition of "alien" at times.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The full exchange:

RIKER [OC]: Ensign Ro Laren.
PICARD: Ro Laren? From the Wellington?
RIKER [OC]:: The same one, sir. Shall I tell her there's been some mistake?
PICARD: Stand by, Commander.
KENNELLY: I wrote the orders. I thought she might be valuable to you.
PICARD: Admiral, respectfully. I would appreciate consulting rights on the assignment of a new officer, especially one with the record of Ro Laren.
KENNELLY: She's Bajoran.
PICARD: There are other Bajorans in Starfleet. Assign one of them.
KENNELLY: I've discussed this situation with her, and I am convinced that she is the right one for this job.
PICARD: After what happened on Garon Two, she has no business serving on any starship, let alone the flagship, my ship.
KENNELLY: You're taking her, Captain. It's been arranged. I can't tell you how difficult it was to get her out of prison.
PICARD: It's that important to you?
KENNELLY: It's that important to the mission.
PICARD: Picard to Riker.
RIKER [OC]: Go ahead.
PICARD: Proceed with the transport.
RIKER [OC]: Sir?
PICARD: I'll fill you in later.
RIKER [OC]: Yes, sir.
PICARD: I hope you and I don't regret this, Admiral.
KENNELLY: You can handle her, Captain, if anyone can.

[Transporter room]

(a young woman in red uniform beams in, wearing a sullen expression and a fancy earring)
RO: Ensign Ro Laren reporting as ordered, Commander.
RIKER: You will follow Starfleet uniform code aboard this ship, Ensign.
(she removes the earring)

[Ready room]

RIKER: There will be members of this crew who will not want to serve with Ensign Laren, sir.
PICARD: They'll have to learn to live with it.
RIKER: I intend to demand the highest level of performance from her.
PICARD: I would expect nothing less. It won't be for long, Will. (doorbell) Come.
(Ro Laren enters)
PICARD: Yes, Ensign Laren, please have a seat.
RO: Ensign Ro, sir.
PICARD: I beg your pardon?
RO: The Bajoran custom has the family name first, the individual's second. I am properly addressed as Ensign Ro.
PICARD: I'm sorry, I didn't know.
RO: No, there's no reason you should. It's an old custom. Most Bajora these days accept the distortion of their names in order to assimilate. I do not.
PICARD: I wish to be candid with you, Ensign.
RO: Please.
PICARD: I'm fully aware of your Starfleet record, your problems on other ships, and the incident on Garon Two that led to your court martial. And I'm concerned about your presence on this delicate mission.
RO: I don't want to be here any more than you want me to be here, sir.
RIKER: Then why did you accept this assignment?
RO: If I may be equally candid? It's better than prison.
RIKER: Better than prison? There are officers who wait years to serve on this ship.
RO: Being called back into Starfleet was not my idea.
RIKER: Nor ours.
PICARD: Nevertheless, we will all be serving together. Commander Riker and I have expectations of you.
RO: Captain, I know the routine. You don't have to worry about me. We're stuck with each other. So let's just get this over with as quickly as possible and we can go our own separate ways, okay?
(Ro leaves)
PICARD: Dismissed.

 

[C.E. Evans]

"My ship. My rules. End of discussion."

 

[Nerys Myk]

"My ship. My rules. End of discussion."

It wasn't Riker's ship.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

I agree, but this is a tad off-topic.

Oops. My bad.

*deleted*

 

[Court_Vince]

Just rewatched Riker's and Ro's exchange in Ensign Ro, And I didnt see any attitude on the part of Ro. If anything it felt more like Riker was (for lack of a less harsh word) abusing his position as CO just to be a jerk to her.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Listen to her tone when she explains Bajoran naming customs. "I am properly addressed as Ensign Ro". You just don't talk to a superior officer like that. Ro was arrogant to the extreme, from the first time she opened her mouth. She needed to be taken down a peg.

I can get where Ro is coming from, people frequently get both my name and the name of where I come from wrong and so there are times I find myself getting snappy about it, especially if it happens over and over again.

Plus the fact that she'd disobeyed orders and gotten eight people killed, did not exactly help matters.

How many times has Riker and the E-D crew disobeyed the rules and gotten away with it?

 

[J.T.B.]

That's probably up to the commanding officer's individual preference.

Unlikely. There are laws and regulations that specify what a superior can require of a subordinate, including uniform regulations. Whether Ro was within the regulations or not, I have no way of knowing, but armed forces today have specific regulations and policies regarding religious or culturally significant items of wear. The idea that Starfleet would not have something like that, and leave gray areas open to interpretation by different officers, is not really believable to me.

Some apparent leeway in the uniform regulations goes back to TOS, when Scotty wore a kilt with his dress uniform.

 

[fireproof78]

I wonder if cultural variation requires approval by a higher authority. Given the relative inexperience of Riker and Picard with Bajorans it may simply be such a variant had not made it before a Uniform Code review board.

I would think that discretion would be allowed for senior officers as to whether or not to allow such things without being concerned about the specific regulation, i.e. recognizing that it is culturally significant, even if unrecognized by regulation.

 

[J.T.B.]

^I would expect that an organization drawing on such diversity would have a well-established system for such things, and that the relevant regulations would be updated smoothly as part of the process that allowed Bajorans to serve.

 

[fireproof78]

^I would expect that an organization drawing on such diversity would have a well-established system for such things, and that the relevant regulations would be updated smoothly as part of the process that allowed Bajorans to serve.

I would expect Starfleet to have been security than it does too. But, given Picard's ignorance of Bajoran naming conventions I am leaning in to the idea that such regulations had not been updated beyond allowing for service in Starfleet.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Unlikely. There are laws and regulations that specify what a superior can require of a subordinate, including uniform regulations. Whether Ro was within the regulations or not, I have no way of knowing, but armed forces today have specific regulations and policies regarding religious or culturally significant items of wear. The idea that Starfleet would not have something like that, and leave gray areas open to interpretation by different officers, is not really believable to me.

Some apparent leeway in the uniform regulations goes back to TOS, when Scotty wore a kilt with his dress uniform.

And Spock sporting the IDIC for that one episode.

 

[Tenacity]

Riker (my take) didn't know it was a piece of religious symbolism, and thought it was just a fashion accessory.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Makes sense. I don't think he or Picard were fully up to date on Bajorans. To them, Ro was just someone who screwed up.

 

[Kor]

Riker already had preconceived notions about Ro before she beamed aboard, based on her record. That's why he snapped at her.

I think it's also possible that Riker had no idea that the earring was an item of cultural/religious significance, and he assumed it was just a fashion statement. Picard and Riker's unfamiliarity with Bajoran naming conventions reflects a general ignorance of Bajoran culture on the part of Starfleet... which kinda makes sense, since Bajor was still under Cardassia's colonialist thumb within the domain of the Cardassian Union/Empire/whatever it's called. Bajor was not a member of the Federation, and certainly would not have been a well-known player on the galactic scene.

Look at the real-life history of colonialism, and how colonized peoples struggled to get the outside world to even acknowledge their existence. So it was probably rare for Starfleet people to have any dealings with Bajorans. Picard's familiarity with the Bajorans was a footnote-level recollection of reading about their ancient civilization in grade school, which doesn't necessarily have a whole lot to do with their plight in the "here and now" at the time of the episode.

Of course it's rather daft to assume that all alien civilizations would follow the same naming conventions as Earth's western European cultural sphere. There are plenty of cultures right here on Earth that put the surname and/or other designators before the given name!

Kor

 

[Timo]

And plenty that remain indecisive on that one - Japan has recently rejoined the club, say.

In practical terms, Ro's earring is a potential hazard, a vulnerability that may snag onto something like no turban or sash ever would. Possibly people who insist on wearing religious symbols are told in no uncertain terms to choose another type - a holographic imitation if nothing else will suffice.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[C.E. Evans]

It wasn't Riker's ship.

That wasn't Riker speaking there. But in regards to Riker, I guess it would depend on how much latitude Picard gave him. Ideally, the XO deals with ship and crew matters, allowing the Captain to focus squarely on the ship's mission and related issues. If Picard trusted Riker enough to give him a free hand (if not a blank check) in handling the crew, then Riker's attitude towards Ro could really just be a case of Riker not being quite the perfect, non-judgmental, always fair 24th-Century Human.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Riker (my take) didn't know it was a piece of religious symbolism, and thought it was just a fashion accessory.

Makes sense. I don't think he or Picard were fully up to date on Bajorans. To them, Ro was just someone who screwed up.

Picard and Riker shoud've been sent for some retraining after that. Imagine if someone demanded you remove a headdress or whatever today.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Picard and Riker shoud've been sent for some retraining after that. Imagine if someone demanded you remove a headdress or whatever today.

"Jean-Luc and Will, please report to HR"