Why was a Captain in command of Voyager?

[The Wormhole]

I'm not sure that has always been the case. Much of Star Trek is based on WWII rather than the post war period (because several people on the original production were WWII Navy vets).

It was that way in WWII. I read a novel series set aboard a WWII US Navy destroyer where the Captain's rank is Lt. Commander.

And it can be confusing because the CO of any ship is the Captain, regardless of rank.

It's not so confusing if you know how to recognize rank insignia.

 

[fireproof78]

It's not so confusing if you know how to recognize rank insignia.

Indeed.

 

[J.T.B.]

I read a novel series set aboard a WWII US Navy destroyer where the Captain's rank is Lt. Commander.

That was the case in one of the most famous WW2 novels (and movies) of all, The Caine Mutiny. (Though the destroyer was old and now a minesweeper.)

 

[Mres_was_framed!]

Is anyone going to listen to my repeated reminders that the Intrepid class is actually larger than the Constitution class, 344 meters long vs. 289 (305 for the refit)? That's also slightly bigger than the largest aircraft carrier in the world (the Gerald R. Ford class at 337 meters). It's not a small ship. It's actually very large. It's just not as gigantic as a Galaxy or Sovereign, or as the self-indulgently oversized designs of the modern movies and shows.

Starfleet might believe in a competency/trustworthiness exam you need before being handed the keys to a weapon of mass destruction - and that exam involves giving you the rank of Captain, for unambiguity. You can terminate entire biosystems with an Oberth if unopposed, so you really need that extra level of trust regardless of the size or exact model of your starship.

Note that while the Voyager warranted a four-pip CO, her XO was "only" a LCDR rather than a full three-pipper. Possibly the sign of a lesser vessel?

Then again, Captain Keogh in his giant starship Odyssey had a LCDR stand next to him (yes, Keogh didn't believe in comfy chairs much!).

Timo Saloniemi

Conversely, when Lt. Castillo takes command of the Enterprise-C in "Yesterday's Enterprise", he is still called Lieutenant, even though from that moment on, he should be addressed as Captain.

I have not had time to read the whole thread and see if anyone mentioned this, but my understanding from various episodes ("the Omega Directive," as a quick example,) is that it is explicitly stated that as part of reaching the rank of Captain, there is significant special training, especially with regards to procedures for the initial contact with a new species.

I assume that the reason that we often don't see the lower-ranked commanding officer called "Captain (position)" is just to be clear on actual rank for the audience, but, in-universe, it might be a subtle reminder that the person leading the mission at the moment does not have the advanced training on initial contact that a "Captain (rank)" has.

Voyager's size would thus be irrelevant to that consideration. (To a point that was discussed, I felt that "small" in reference to the ships size was more about t being lean, nimble, and not carrying as many civilians, compared with the ships we saw on other shows.) If the USS Voyager was going to eventually have a mission that involved new planets a "Captain (rank)" would be in command. The Defiant from DS9 did not have this purpose. The Defiant NCC-1764 would likely have.

 

[Phoenix219]

And less than 15% the complement of the Enterprise D. I think that despite the teaser for TNG, the original Enterprise was more like a small town in space than a vehicle for deep space exploration: it had pets, kids, schools, a bar, a barber, an arboretum, and who knows what else. Voyager, with her sleek design, minimal crew, and light armament, seems like an explorer.

The "D" is not the "original Enterprise" .....

 

[Challenger2090]

You know, this whole "small ship" thing about Voyager is really a misconception. Small compared to the Enterprise-D? Sure. But small compared to the canon size of Kirk's original Enterprise? Absolutely not. In fact, by volume (and by extension displacement) an Intrepid-class starship is nearly three times the size of an original Constitution.

This is one of the reasons I rather like DSC upscaling the Enterprise to ~450 meters. It reduces the size discrepancy between generations, and to be perfectly honest, if you take 24th century deck spacing and apply it to a Constitution-class ship you end up at about...450 meters in length.

 

[dupersuper]

You know, this whole "small ship" thing about Voyager is really a misconception. Small compared to the Enterprise-D? Sure. But small compared to the canon size of Kirk's original Enterprise? Absolutely not. In fact, by volume (and by extension displacement) an Intrepid-class starship is nearly three times the size of an original Constitution.

Well, yeah, if you compare it to the ships made well over a century before it, it's quite large. Most would compare it to contemporary ships though...

 

[Oddish]

The "D" is not the "original Enterprise" .....

True. The original ship of that name was from the days of canvas and cannons, in the early 1700's. But you know what I meant.