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Who's in charge here? (Sulu vs. Scott in the 1st season)
- Thread starter Neopeius
- Start date
I dunno -- I think Takei just had less chance to shine.
The real reason Scotty definitely got the #3 spot is because after the early episodes of Season 2, Sulu was off doing the movie with John Wayne. There were four scripts Chekov ultimately got (I know Triskelion was one of them) because George wasn't there. How Trek would have been different!
My favorite scene in the episode:
Hanson: "Sir?!"
Good post, but I think the die was cast with Scotty as third in command before S2. See "A Taste of Armageddon" and "Return of the Archons." Sulu was not in the first but he is in the second and does not relieve Scotty when he returns to duty, but vocally relieves the helmsman instead. I've always assumed that Takei did the John Wayne pic because his screen time on Star Trek had already been reduced, in part because of this decision to use Doohan so much.
Also, Star Trek was very aware of USN operations, no doubt, but the usual chestnut that a chief engineer can't be a line officer in the USN was untrue in the 60s and remains untrue now. Unusual, yes, but not at all impossible, particularly on a ship with a crew the size of the (Star Trek version, not real life) Enterprise.
Maybe, although in his auto-bio, he expected to be back in time, but weather delayed things.
That's an interesting point re: Archons--is it the only time they're on the screen together when one of them is in charge?
Ah, yes, thanks, I forgot that story - they were filming in Georgia or something? I guess I meant that I don't think he would have even taken the job if he hadn't seen a reduction in screentime already.
The only time Scott and Sulu are on screen when one of them is in charge - you mean in S1 only? There are numerous examples throughout S2 and S3 even with Sulu's sporadic attendance. "Friday's Child" and "The Tholian Web" are two prominent examples but there are others. In S1, however, I believe you're correct. Sulu even gets the center seat commanding the Enterprise as part of some huge fleet at the end of "Errand of Mercy," one of the last (but not the last) episodes in the series from which Scotty is entirely absent.
Right, come S2, it's established that Scott is 2nd Officer (although not until it's established that he's 2nd Officer -- and "Mirror, Mirror" is a possible counter example, though of course, it's a different universe).
But it does make sense that if Sulu were 2nd Officer, he's be relieving Scotty rather than nameless goldshirt.
Also, Archons is between Arena and Errand, so it's difficult to argue that Scotty became 2nd Officer after Errand. Ah well. I liked my Sulu as 2nd Officer idea, but you've blown it up.
(if Timo were here, he could make it work...)
Scotty is entirely absent from "Errand of Mercy," so it's pretty easy to assume that he was just off the ship on leave or a temporary assignment or something for those events. The same thing happens in "The Omega Glory," which isn't that surprising because it's a script from way way way back, before Scotty and Doohan were so important.
The Mirror Universe definitely shows Scotty out of the chain of command or at least below Sulu (I lean towards the former). Sulu says he's behind Spock in the command chain, twice. Different universe, as you said - he's not "our" security chief either.
Speaking of "no Scotty episodes," my favorite piece of trivia about them is that he is absent from both episodes of the Vulcan Duology, but in each (in keeping with the premise of the thread), there is explicit dialogue about turning command over to him due to issues with Kirk and Spock.
I just figured he was in Engineering doing his actual full time job. The only time I remember offhand Kirk requesting Scotty come up and take over was in "Journey to Babel." And he wasn't even in the episode.
Then, on his way out to sickbay, Kirk gave it to Chekov. Over every other senior officer on deck.
Kirk did what Kirk wanted.
Chekov taking the conn makes sense for an OOD situation. There's a difference between that and running the ship at Red Alert (which both Sulu and Scotty do).
The question is, in "Menagerie", did Mr. Hansen take over the ship as active-skipper or just as OOD? Dialogue suggests the former. Where are Sulu and Scotty then?
Scotty was in the transporter room, he beamed Kirk and Mendez up at about the same time, so Hansen got the gig for being the highest ranking command officer on deck. Sulu? Off duty and with someone appropriate there to take over, there's no reason to pull him away from fencing practice or Gertrude's feeding time.
Spock knew this was only for the amount of time between his arrest and Kirk coming aboard. Minutes. So he picked people in the room.
I think it's clear that Season One and Two has chain of command as: Kirk, Spock, Scott, Sulu, then DeSalle. I find it interesting that Sulu and DeSalle go at each other on Omicron Ceti Three, perhaps, hinting at some unspoken rivalry between them...hmm. Maybe this was one the reasons that DeSalle was transferred off the ship during Season Two. 
I think it's clear that Season One and Two has chain of command as: Kirk, Spock, Scott, Sulu, then DeSalle. I find it interesting that Sulu and DeSalle go at each other on Omicron Ceti Three, perhaps, hinting at some unspoken rivalry between them...hmm. Maybe this was one the reasons that DeSalle was transferred off the ship during Season Two.
Definitely don't think DeSalle's place in the line is at all hinted at in Season One. But it is true that we never see Sulu give DeSalle an order (or vice versa). In fact, DeSalle is definitely the man of uncertain role. Is he like Riley? Written as different characters, but since it's the same actor, given the same name?
