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Hey, I never noticed that before....

Ensign-Chekov.png

Now, the real question is: Would Chekov receive a promotion if TOS ran seven seasons? :guffaw:
Chekov's first appearance was "Catspaw". :p (Production order is more relevant in matters such as costume continuity.)
 
Yes, but…

TORMOLEN [to Lieutenant Sulu]: Get off me! You don't rank me and you don't have pointed ears, so just get off my neck!​
 
Yes, but…

TORMOLEN [to Lieutenant Sulu]: Get off me! You don't rank me and you don't have pointed ears, so just get off my neck!​

Yeah, that's one of a handful of goofy lines in the series that has always bothered me. Poor Joe was, of course, not in his right mind. Additionally, that early I don't think it was clear that Sulu was in the chain of command, so Joe might have meant that Sulu didn't have the right to give him orders. Which, if Sulu wasn't yet established as an "officer of the line," would be more or less true in the USN regardless of the one-grade difference.
 
Yeah, that's one of a handful of goofy lines in the series that has always bothered me. Poor Joe was, of course, not in his right mind. Additionally, that early I don't think it was clear that Sulu was in the chain of command, so Joe might have meant that Sulu didn't have the right to give him orders. Which, if Sulu wasn't yet established as an "officer of the line," would be more or less true in the USN regardless of the one-grade difference.

In "The Alternative Factor," Lt. Masters is addressed with respect by this guy, and he takes her orders, yet he has a stripe and she doesn't:
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x27hd/thealternativefactorhd336.jpg

It was a major costume screw-up.
 
Chekov's first appearance was "Catspaw". :p (Production order is more relevant in matters such as costume continuity.)
I was trying to be less controversial ;). I like Stardate Order, if possible. In this case, Chekov's first appearance is in Catspaw and takes place before Space Seed so that Chekov is established to be on the Enterprise to meet Khan (off screen), so 15 years later, Khan can remember him in The Wrath of Khan. :D
 
In this instance, it's especially relevant: Masters appears to be some sort of a specialist, from outside the redshirt community, who gets to sort out an extremely rare issue with dilithium, and then disappears again. Sort of like Lieutenant Commander Leland T. Lynch...

A specialist of this sort would obviously need the power to give direct orders to, well, Kirk himself in order to accomplish her mission. Making her Commodore for the purpose would not be reasonable, though, and much of the time she'd have to make herself useful at some job that would not massively detract from her special training and probably wouldn't call for high rank.

Too bad she still lacks the braid going with the explicit "Lieutenant".

Timo Saloniemi
 
Additionally, that early I don't think it was clear that Sulu was in the chain of command, so Joe might have meant that Sulu didn't have the right to give him orders.

Higher rank beats lower rank except in a some special circumstances. IIRC there are only four USN situations where a junior can legally give orders to someone of a superior grade:
  • The commanding officer aboard their command.
  • The executive officer acting on behalf of the commanding officer.
  • A sentry, guard, shore patrol etc. within the limits of their post.
  • A military judge in an official proceeding.
As it is, most commands are structured so everyone's job authority pretty much lines up with their grade, and functional areas rarely overlap enough to create possible questions of authority.

And yes, Joe was drunk at the time.

Which, if Sulu wasn't yet established as an "officer of the line," would be more or less true in the USN regardless of the one-grade difference.

But not that many episodes later ("Arena"), Sulu is in temporary command of the ship and Spock calls him an experienced combat officer. It's hard to imagine where a non-line officer would have gained that experience.

In "The Alternative Factor," Lt. Masters is addressed with respect by this guy, and he takes her orders, yet he has a stripe and she doesn't:
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x27hd/thealternativefactorhd336.jpg

It was a major costume screw-up.

And later in the episode Lt. Leslie sits in the captain's chair while there's a lieutenant commander at navigation. So yeah, nobody was paying much attention.
 
In "The Alternative Factor," Lt. Masters is addressed with respect by this guy, and he takes her orders, yet he has a stripe and she doesn't:
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x27hd/thealternativefactorhd336.jpg

It was a major costume screw-up.

Yes. Additionally, she wore blue and the guy later "helps" a fully suited firefighter by standing behind him and covering his mouth with his hand. Also annoying, except that it's one of Star Trek's worst episodes, so it's all good.

I take it that you're saying that Tormolen's dialogue is out of step with costuming, and that maybe he was supposed to be a full lieutenant? Maybe so; that happened all the time, most notably of course with Spock. It's still a bizarre line that is wrong for about three reasons.
 
In this instance, it's especially relevant: Masters appears to be some sort of a specialist, from outside the redshirt community, who gets to sort out an extremely rare issue with dilithium, and then disappears again. Sort of like Lieutenant Commander Leland T. Lynch...

A specialist of this sort would obviously need the power to give direct orders to, well, Kirk himself in order to accomplish her mission. Making her Commodore for the purpose would not be reasonable, though, and much of the time she'd have to make herself useful at some job that would not massively detract from her special training and probably wouldn't call for high rank.

Too bad she still lacks the braid going with the explicit "Lieutenant".

Timo Saloniemi
She went the same way as that small set she called "Engineering". ;)
 
Because some people believe that "chain of command" refers only to the bling on the sleeve or collar and interpret or write to that misconception.

Without the bling how do you know who's commanding whom? I've been in the Army, you adjust your attitude toward someone in relation to their rank, that is the markings on their uniform. For example, when anyone above a Captain enters a room (where the highest rank is below the rank of the person entering it) the first one to see him has to shout a precise order and everyone must straighten out until the officer entering says "At ease" or the French equivalent which is "Repos".
 
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