The best first officer in the Fleet?

[blssdwlf]

Finney was passed over for promotion (probably several times), so, he was maxed out at Lt. Commander (even though he wore two solid strips which I believe only indicate a division head on a ship.) In addition, there's the chance that his line officer qualifications were revoked by Kirk/Starfleet Command, so, he could not take command of the ship.

I'm pretty sure that Finney still had command qualifications but felt that he would never get a ship of his own which apparently broke him.

Ann Mulhall is titled "Doctor" with Lt. Cmd strips indicating she is a specialist with several years of seniority in Starfleet. Again, she doesn't have line officer qualifications. Strange that astro-biology is in Engineering and not Sciences. (Maybe she looked bad in blue on camera.) In universe, she could be in astro-biology engineering specializing in ship-born equipment and sensors. Odd that Kirk doesn't know all the Lt. Cmd's on his ship...especially the pretty ones. Maybe she was on temporary assignment to the Enterprise to upgrade some astro-biology equipment and sensors.

Yeah, Mulhal on temporary assignment seems to be the most likely explanation given Kirk not even knowing who she is.

 

[Holopat]

Kirk would certainly get notifications of transfers and appointments. And its hard to believe he would not have new crew, particularly officers, report to him on joining the ship's complement. Not necessarily the moment they step aboard but within a certain timeframe. This is one of those things where the scriptwriters just screwed up. Or she was a very recent acquisition and Kirk has a bad memory for crew names on his transfer notifications.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Ann Mulhall is titled "Doctor" with Lt. Cmd strips indicating she is a specialist with several years of seniority in Starfleet. Again, she doesn't have line officer qualifications. Strange that astro-biology is in Engineering and not Sciences. (Maybe she looked bad in blue on camera.)

Exactly. With her complexion, the red dress made her pop, and the blue did nothing for her. It may also have been the available costume that fit the best.

In universe, she could be in astro-biology engineering specializing in ship-born equipment and sensors.

Maybe. But simpler: in-universe, Starfleet is not strict about uniform colors, especially for those above a certain grade. Starfleet has some of NASA's vestigial DNA, which allowed ISS astronauts a certain freedom in their choice of outfits. Engineer Charlene Masters thought she looked better in blue, so she wore it. Historian Marla McGivers and astrobiologist Ann Mulhall, with their light brown hair and rosy complexions, wanted to wear the red dress and did so. The latter two would both have defaulted to blue uniforms, but it was up to them.

 

[Holopat]

Exactly. With her complexion, the red dress made her pop, and the blue did nothing for her. It may also have been the available costume that fit the best.



Maybe. But simpler: in-universe, Starfleet is not strict about uniform colors, especially for those above a certain grade. Starfleet has some of NASA's vestigial DNA, which allowed ISS astronauts a certain freedom in their choice of outfits. Engineer Charlene Masters thought she looked better in blue, so she wore it. Historian Marla McGivers and astrobiologist Ann Mulhall, with their light brown hair and rosy complexions, wanted to wear the red dress and did so. The latter two would both have defaulted to blue uniforms, but it was up to them.

Maybe their specialty or assignment was more in ships services than in science.

 

[blssdwlf]

Kirk would certainly get notifications of transfers and appointments. And its hard to believe he would not have new crew, particularly officers, report to him on joining the ship's complement. Not necessarily the moment they step aboard but within a certain timeframe. This is one of those things where the scriptwriters just screwed up. Or she was a very recent acquisition and Kirk has a bad memory for crew names on his transfer notifications.

It is probably he hadn't met the new crew yet. The writers played to Kirk not knowing everyone also in "Trials and Tribbleations" which copied the scene from "Mirror, Mirror". In Trials, Kirk didn't know who Sisko was and in Mirror he wasn't expecting to see Marlena and both had responded that they both were new or temporary.

 

[blssdwlf]

Only in CATSPAW. They only promoted DeSalle and made him red that week. Too convenient a coincidence to believe.

Oddly, DeSalle didn't need to be promoted or changed at all. He had the same rank and uniform color Sulu had in "This Side of Paradise" and he would've looked alright having the conn in "Catspaw". I checked and Chekov was also present on the bridge in "Catspaw" so if anything, the writers didn't want Chekov or Uhura in charge for the episode.

 

[STEPhon IT]

I would imagine just being the ship’s exec would be a very involved job. And Spock manages to do it on top of being the ship’s Science Officer with most of the science departments reporting to him. The Medical Sciences most likely report to McCoy.

I understand McCoy was not in the 2nd pilot episode, "Where No Man Has Gone Before", from what I saw it appeared there was some history with that version of the Enterprise crew. Kirk, Spock, Gary Mitchell didn't appear that ep was their first rodeo and maybe it may have been just an Earth year but Spock may have gained a lot of 1st officer experience during that time and accelerated by the time McCoy gave such a compliment.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I understand McCoy was not in the 2nd pilot episode, "Where No Man Has Gone Before", from what I saw it appeared there was some history with that version of the Enterprise crew. Kirk, Spock, Gary Mitchell didn't appear that ep was their first rodeo and maybe it may have been just an Earth year but Spock may have gained a lot of 1st officer experience during that time and accelerated by the time McCoy gave such a compliment.

Both pilots and the series start in medias res. They are crews who have been together awhile and know each other quite well.

 

[Warped9]

^^ Yeah. And with every series after that (well, after TAS) they had to make a point of bringing everyone together at the beginning.

 

[Henoch]

They are crews who have been together awhile and know each other quite well.

I not so sure about WNMHGB, I see Kirk as a new captain of the Enterprise and only Gary Mitchell is his old, best friend. During the chess game at the opening of the show, it seems like Kirk is still "feeling out" Spock. He doesn't even know the name of his Yeoman (Smith, or is it Jones). Scotty is brown nosing to make a good first impression on Kirk (which works). After the episode, Kirk goes on a whirlwind of personnel changes to bring more of "his" people onto the ship like Uhura, and McCoy, and being impressed by Sulu while under pressure, he encourages Sulu to switch to Command Division and get his command qualifications (remember, Kirk lost both his helm and nav officers and needed replacements). He quickly learns to trust Spock and Scott and keeps them on. YMMV .

 

[Warped9]

The impression I get is the group in WNMHGB haven’t been together that long, maybe a few months. Some of that feeling is carried over into the early first season episodes. Kirk and Mitchell are clearly long standing friends. The fact Kirk calls Dr. Piper and Lee Kelso by their first names suggests a degree of familiarity. Never throughout TOS did Kirk ever refer to anyone under his command by their first names. He addressed them by their last name, or in McCoy and Scott’s case by their nicknames. We never heard Kirk call McCoy Leonard or call Scotty Montgomery.

 

[Henoch]

As a kid, my closest cousin was named Scott (who introduced me to Star Trek in 1968); to this day, I regret never calling him Scotty. Oddly, when we played Star Trek, I was always Scotty. He was a Spock guy. Go figure.

 

[Mres_was_framed!]

Strange that astro-biology is in Engineering and not Sciences. (Maybe she looked bad in blue on camera.)

Perhaps some sciences are seen as "technical" in nature, although it still seems like she would have had to join the ship recently, since with her rank being equal to Scotty's there might have been reason to being her to staff meetings in prior episodes. Or perhaps Kirk has very little contact with her, as he apparently had with McGivers, and just cannot recall her name because she has only been at a few meetings.

two solid strips which I believe only indicate a division head on a ship

Two stripes being a division head makes sense, but it seems like the show could not have had a red w/2 stripes and gold w/2 stripes person on board all the time. If there were such people on the ship, who would outrank Scotty Sulu, even if they were not in line to take command, their input would be a necessity and they would have to have been present at staff meetings.

TOS, and all the series, with a few exceptions, seem to be shows about the top-ranked crew on the ship. If someone were to imply that there are 2-3 officers in the leadership of the crew who are there but who are rarely shown in the action would be to try to make TOS into a different show than what it was (not that anyone has suggested that). That could mean that Scotty and Sulu have another person they report to who is not seen, and that would change the implied dynamic between them and Kirk (that in the episodes "emergency" Kirk comes to them directly instead of waiting for CMDR Gold to tell Sulu what to do and CMDR Red to tell Scotty what to do). That might make an interesting show, but I do not think that it is waht we see in TOS (again, not that anyone suggested that).

After the episode, Kirk goes on a whirlwind of personnel changes to bring more of "his" people onto the ship like Uhura, and McCoy, and being impressed by Sulu while under pressure, he encourages Sulu to switch to Command Division and get his command qualifications (remember, Kirk lost both his helm and nav officers and needed replacements).

I have had the theory for a time that Dr. Dehner was ship's counselor, but that Kirk never directly replaced her, there being other psychologists onboard and Kirk feeling that one of them, in a position significantly lower than McCoy instead of a near-equal, would suffice. If captains did have this kind of latitude to an extent, then it could explain why no "Chief of Security" is specifically named in TOS like it is in the TNG-era, and why the TNG-era does not have a communications officer in the command crew.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

It comes down to command style and what suits the mission.

Some captains want a particular person handling a certain task always/often, particularly if the crew is small and say, has a larger compliment of officers belonging to other departments, due to its mission parameters.

Some captains feel that certain positions are excellent places to gain valuable experience, perhaps with minimal risk to self, crew, or the mission, perhaps with a wide variety of possible duties/interactions.

Some crew members are generalists, not sure where they want or ought to land, or wanting to have a broad range of experiences so they can pitch in where needed.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I not so sure about WNMHGB, I see Kirk as a new captain of the Enterprise and only Gary Mitchell is his old, best friend. During the chess game at the opening of the show, it seems like Kirk is still "feeling out" Spock. He doesn't even know the name of his Yeoman (Smith, or is it Jones). Scotty is brown nosing to make a good first impression on Kirk (which works). After the episode, Kirk goes on a whirlwind of personnel changes to bring more of "his" people onto the ship like Uhura, and McCoy, and being impressed by Sulu while under pressure, he encourages Sulu to switch to Command Division and get his command qualifications (remember, Kirk lost both his helm and nav officers and needed replacements). He quickly learns to trust Spock and Scott and keeps them on. YMMV .

Interesting how people can view the same thing differently. But that's art. I see Kirk, Spock, Mitchell, and Kelso as friends with an easygoing familiarity that comes with time together. Coupled with Dehner's statement about Mitchell and Spock serving together for years makes me think that group at least has been together for a while. I think the Smith-Jones thing might have been intended as a recurring gag. Or perhaps a holdover from Colt being new in the previous pilot.
I might even go against conventional thinking and propose that Kirk has spent a couple of years on the Enterprise at that point and at the start of season one they are two years in.

 

[Warped9]

So many interpret Dehner's remark as referring to Spock and Mitchell knowing each other for years. I have never taken it that way. I always took it as Dehner telling Spock he's advocating that Kirk abandon or kill Mitchell, someone he has known for years.

 

[Henoch]

There's a lot of history packed into these few lines:

SPOCK: Our subject is not Gary Mitchell. Our concern is, rather, what he is mutating into.
DEHNER: I know those from your planet aren't suppose to have feelings like we do, Mister Spock, but to talk that way about a man you've worked next to for years is worse than
KIRK: That's enough, Doctor.
DEHNER: I don't think so. I understand you least of all. Gary told me that you've been friends since he joined the service, that you asked for him aboard your first command.

Firstly, I think it more likely that Dehner's statement about working with Gary for years is targeted against Spock, not Kirk nor a general "you". Secondly, Kirk has been friends since Gary joined the service indicating many more years than Spock working with Gary. Thirdly, Kirk asked for Gary for Kirk's first command, but I don't see the Enterprise as Kirk's first command since I doubt that Starfleet would give anyone their "first" command on the most important ship in the fleet, rather, they should have proved themselves on other command(s).

My scenario for WNMHGB:

< circa April 2265> Kirk is newly promoted to Captain rank, takes a little time to catch up to the Enterprise since she's in deep space, then arrives on board at a starbase (I have Kirk's arrival less than two weeks before the episode based on stardates on the tombstone; but stardates are another topic). Kirk takes over command of the Enterprise because Pike is promoted to Fleet Captain. The Enterprise is sent on a mapping mission to go beyond the on the edge. It is not on a five year mission. (I sometimes think that in-universe, there is no such thing as a five year mission, rather, Starfleet's practice to refit it's Starships every five years, but again, that's another topic.)

Kirk inherits all personnel we see in WNMHGB from Pike; Lt. Cmd. Spock is first officer (and not dueled with the Science Division Head position; Number One has moved on probably years before the episode), and by chance, Kirk's old friend Lt. Cmd. Gary Mitchell on the helm and already on the ship for 2+ years at this time serving with Spock. Spock must have "liked" Mitchell since he felt for him when he died.

Kirk's past friendship with Mitchell predates Starfleet Academy. Once back together at Starfleet Academy, their relationship seems to involve high adventures together that includes womanizing. There's a good chance that they both served together for a while on another ship (perhaps on then Cmd. Kirk's first command on some lesser ship) when Michell took the poisoned darts for him. It's Mitchell and not Kirk who seems familiar with Kelso. I get nothing from Kirk about long term working and familiarity with Kelso. Same with Sulu.

As for how long has Kirk and Spock known each other? It seems they may have been on the peace mission to Axanar together when Kirk was a cadet (we see cadets serving on starships in the Cage, so, there's a chance that cadet Kirk and Ensign/Lt. Spock were on the same ship), and/or maybe they met during the Vulcanian Expedition. There can be some fond old memories of Spock. Maybe they got together several times through the adjoining years while at Earth or on occasional Starbases to foster a closer friendship, perhaps over their love of chess and other intellectual matters. Kirk is happy to have Spock as first officer and enjoys getting reacquainted with him over chess.​

< circa May 2265> Shortly after WNMHGB, UE's Starfleet Command moves under the UFP to take over joint Space Command of all members (possible reason for Pike's promotion): issues new uniforms; resets the Stardate clock cycle; plans a new age of 5YMs if it really is a thing). Details of the transition of UFP members’ ships/starbases/assets are still in committee.

< circa Sept 2265> Enterprise is ordered back to Spacedock for refit for a 5YM. Kirk/Spock/Scott oversee the refit. McCoy, Chapel, Uhura and Rand join during the refit. Sulu returns in time for its relaunch.

< circa Sept 2266> The refit Enterprise is launched for the regular series. YMMV .

 

[Holopat]

For a five year mission to "seek out new life" which would seem to me to imply going past the boundaries of known Federation space, the Enterprise seems to spend a lot of the TOS episodes on routine duties inside Federation space. As if it were a patrol ship within known Federation boundaries/space stations.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Remember that when colonizing and non-Starfleet science missions occur, they may head for a designated location and not explore the areas around it. So a colony ship goes to planet 5 in a system, bypassing the others in and around the area, and remain ignorant of what's out there. That's where the new civilizations Starfleet finds are.

The Federation claims space in advance, then goes out to explore it.

 

[Holopat]

I never understood why they would put colonies right on the edge of the Neutral zone. Talk about sitting ducks for the next hostility or invasion.