If Jellico had stayed captain

[Mojochi]

Regarding Geordi... I have seen it mentioned here that Geordi was a whiner when he was talking to Riker about the changes.

A key thing that is forgotten... Geordi himself said he doesn't mind changes or hard work but he isn't being given the time to do the work. And this is quite likely because 1/3 of the engineering staff was transferred to security. If those people were moved over after the changes, Geordi might likely have said nothing.

But to expect major changes to ship's systems and doing it with 1/3 less of the normal staff in a matter of only of a day and a half? That is not a reasonable expectation. Geordi was right to point out that concern.

I can't call Jellico a bad captain because we don't have any other times to compare his decisions. I think he falls under the category of Nechayev... just really formal and a bit of a hard ass. (Though regarding his formalness, it's interesting to note that Jellico immediately started calling everyone by their first name, but Picard would almost always refer to everyone as Mr. or their rank.)

I actually never really took much issue with Geordi in this episode. Is he disgruntled? Certainly. Does he have reason to be? Absolutely. This is a crisis. No one is going to be enjoying themselves. However, all he ever does is raise concerns with his superiors, defend certain aspects of his own department, which are being changed or challenged, advocate for the best interest of the people under his command & appear a bit distressed about it all.

All of this is fair. Plus, he ends up delivering well under bad circumstances... and as a result, we see him become one of the new captain's more reliable senior staffers. Geordi is mint IMHO. In fact, in his place, I'd react & handle things very much the same way. Apart from Data, who is impossible to offend or stress, I think Geordi takes this change better than anyone else.

Crusher huffs a bit of her normal righteous indignation towards the new captain, at one point, Troi, undermines him with the XO pretty badly imho, & Riker acts nearly every wrong way a subordinate can, but Geordi is a champ, a champ in a bad mood, but still a champ.

 

[Oddish]

Apart from Data, who is impossible to offend or stress, I think Geordi takes this change better than anyone else.

Worf returned late, but he adjusted pretty well, too.

 

[Farscape One]

Worf would be the one most able to adapt to a change in command, aside from Data. As Sisko once said, "Worf is the only officer I know who can never get too much work."

 

[Mojochi]

Worf would be the one most able to adapt to a change in command, aside from Data. As Sisko once said, "Worf is the only officer I know who can never get too much work."

and Picard once said of him that he wouldn't complain even if he had cause. Plus, from his interactions with his own subordinates, he's a man that welcomes a tightly run outfit

 

[Macintosh]

I've been looking at SeaQuest DSV, really for the first time, and I'm looking at season 3 now, and Michael Ironside's Captain Hudson reminds me of Captain Jellico. And it got me thinking about what if for whatever reason Picard hadn't come back, and Jellico stayed captain.

How dare you, I will not stand for this absurd Hudson slander!

...Actually, you're completely right. I'm a big fan of SeaQuest DSV (the first season, anyway!), but this comparison had never occurred to me before. Bridger was a soft Picard caricature dialled up to 11 with his passion for archeology switched to marine biology; Hudson is a stricter, more by-the-book, traditional military leader. Hudson has the advantage that he's a more rounded character than Jellico, we don't just see his antagonistic side and he's not just dropped into one story as the anti-Bridger.

Also, would there have been a Shinzon clone of Jellico? Would Jellico have quit Starfleet over the Romulans?

It would surely have made more sense for a Jellico Shinzon-equivalent to be created by Cardassians rather than Romulans. But maybe a Nemesis-style plot would have worked better with Jellico. He could have seen Shinzon as closely resembling his own son, who would have been in his mid- to late-20s by 2379, adding an extra layer to their relationship. Hell, why not have Shinzon actually be Jellico's estranged adult son?

For the series, I see Will Riker leaving, but they could just bring in Tom Riker. And I could see Data being made first officer, but it would also open the door to bring in another new character to be first officer or to take Data's old job, like how Fredericks came in with Hudson on SeaQuest.

Maybe bring Shelby back? I feel like she'd work well with the more hawkish Jellico.

 

[Oddish]

Maybe bring Shelby back? I feel like she'd work well with the more hawkish Jellico.

But Shelby was a LCDR, ready for a commander's job. Jellico already had the perfect first officer in Data.

Besides, given her fondness for taking the initiative the way she did? Jellico would have her zero to brig in 6.8 seconds.

Hudson has the advantage that he's a more rounded character than Jellico, we don't just see his antagonistic side and he's not just dropped into one story as the anti-Bridger.

And besides, he's played by Sam freaking Fisher. One of the worst mistakes Ubisoft made was retiring Ironside from the series. If they wanted a new "boots on the ground" operative so they could sync motion capture, that's fine. They should have just promoted Sam to Lambert's old job, so that we'd still have him growling in our ear. Give the new guy a different name and there you go.

 

[Macintosh]

And besides, he's played by Sam freaking Fisher.

I'm afraid I have no idea who Sam freaking Fisher is.

 

[Oddish]

I'm afraid I have no idea who Sam freaking Fisher is.

He's the protagonist in the Splinter Cell games.

 

[Macintosh]

He's the protagonist in the Splinter Cell games.

Oh. To the best of my knowledge I have never played one.

 

[Paul Weaver]

Regarding Geordi... I have seen it mentioned here that Geordi was a whiner when he was talking to Riker about the changes.

A key thing that is forgotten... Geordi himself said he doesn't mind changes or hard work but he isn't being given the time to do the work. And this is quite likely because 1/3 of the engineering staff was transferred to security. If those people were moved over after the changes, Geordi might likely have said nothing.

But to expect major changes to ship's systems and doing it with 1/3 less of the normal staff in a matter of only of a day and a half? That is not a reasonable expectation. Geordi was right to point out that concern.

I can't call Jellico a bad captain because we don't have any other times to compare his decisions. I think he falls under the category of Nechayev... just really formal and a bit of a hard ass. (Though regarding his formalness, it's interesting to note that Jellico immediately started calling everyone by their first name, but Picard would almost always refer to everyone as Mr. or their rank.)

Geordi was a champ. The only people not doing their duty was Riker and Jellico.

Jellico spent most of his time relaxing in his quarters and redecorating the ready room, rather than briefing his XO on the mission so the XO could take over if the captain was incapacitated and dicks about micromanaging by transferring essential engineering crews to secondary duties rather than delegating, and shifting fully functioning working shifts to new stations and duties which will clearly be less efficient until they get used to it.

Riker's fault was not standing up to a suspected Cardassian double-agent correctly.

 

[Edward Jellico]

The ship would have been much more efficiently run.

 

[Oddish]

The ship would have been much more efficiently run.

Well, I guess you would know.

I expect that with Data as first officer, that's probably true, though. He would know how to run a tight ship.