Could Scotty still give orders in Relics?

[tim0122]

Based on real world armed forces with ranks and all that, could Scotty immediately give orders in Relics after presumedly being considered dead for almost eight decades? Not that Scotty, even with his captain rank, would've started barking orders, but having just rewatched Relics, it made me wonder if a procedure would have to be done before Scotty could legitimately be considered a full-fledged officer again.

 

[fireproof78]

Based on real world armed forces with ranks and all that, could Scotty immediately give orders in Relics after presumedly being considered dead for almost eight decades? Not that Scotty, even with his captain rank, would've started barking orders, but having just rewatched Relics, it made me wonder if a procedure would have to be done before Scotty could legitimately be considered a full-fledged officer again.

In general, probably not. He likely would have been listed as "MIA" and presumed lost, especially after 80 years. He would need to be reinstated as his rank, and placed on active duty. There would likely be administrative rules for reinstatement.

 

[Uncle Sock]

Besides, he would need to be brought up to date. Just imagine the culture shock someone from the 1940s would experience if they were transported to the present day. It must be at least similar to what Scotty experienced. I would imagine that he's still a captain in name, but to be an active officer, he would have to undergo some sort of training first.

 

[Takeru]

Definitely not, he was already retired before he got stuck in the transporter and even if he wasn't retired no one would accept him as an active officer. He was decades out of date, had no idea about current politics, technology, procedures etc.

 

[UssGlenn]

Right, his inactive status (via retirement or MIA) needs to be reversed. It is likely that Picard has the authority to do that unilaterally, should the need arise.

 

[Uncle Sock]

Right, his inactive status (via retirement or MIA) needs to be reversed. It is likely that Picard has the authority to do that unilaterally, should the need arise.

I would assume that Picard could only grant a field commission to someone of a lower rank. Since Scotty is a captain, this would be tricky. Using the same logic, I would think that Picard could only temporarily allow Scotty to return to active duty, and Starfleet would still need to approve a permanent reactivation.

 

[UssGlenn]

I would assume that Picard could only grant a field commission to someone of a lower rank. Since Scotty is a captain, this would be tricky. Using the same logic, I would think that Picard could only temporarily allow Scotty to return to active duty, and Starfleet would still need to approve a permanent reactivation.

Right, but Scotty isn't getting a field commission. Starfleet has already officially promoted him to Captain, Picard just has to turn it back on. You are right Starfleet would need to weigh in to make it permanent.

 

[Uncle Sock]

Right, but Scotty isn't getting a field commission. Starfleet has already officially promoted him to Captain, Picard just has to turn it back on. You are right Starfleet would need to weigh in to make it permanent.

I know. I was just using the field commission to support my point about active duty. Of course, Scotty wouldn't need one.

 

[Takeru]

Right, his inactive status (via retirement or MIA) needs to be reversed. It is likely that Picard has the authority to do that unilaterally, should the need arise.

How would that need arise? An ensign fresh out of the academy would be more useful than Scotty during a crisis.
Imagine a WW2 era captain suddenly appearing on a modern aircraft carrier, under which circumstances would anyone decide to give him any kind of authority? He'd be so out of touch with anything that he'd be a liability in pretty much every situation.
In Relics they had to contrive a situation where Scotty and Geordi where on an old ship Scotty knew and even then the only thing the writers could come up with to make Scotty safe the day was "use the ship as a wedge to keep the door open". Alexander could have had that idea and it would have been believable.

 

[UssGlenn]

How would that need arise? An ensign fresh out of the academy would be more useful than Scotty during a crisis.

It's not Starfleet's job to remove options from their Captains just because they can't imagine a scenario where it would be useful. Remember, Scotty is uniquely out of date. Most commonly this would be a Captain reactivating an officer who hasn't been out of the field all that long. Maybe they need a officer to sit on a Court Martial board, or perhaps they are found after being lost and declared dead, or they are pressed into service after resigning like Chakotay. They wear the provisional rank bars until Starfleet approves officially.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

In an emergency, one might bend the rules, perhaps inspired by Kirk doing so.

 

[Oddish]

I think that @fireproof78 has it right. He could certainly get reinstated, but Starfleet would probably assign him to the Academy, where his knowledge would be most useful.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Wouldn't he have to be in the chain of command? He's basically a passenger.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Starfleet would probably assign him to the Academy, where his knowledge would be most useful.

As a teacher or an object of study? You'd have history students asking him about the TOS era and medical researchers studying the effects of long-term transporter stasis on the human body.

 

[Oddish]

As a teacher or an object of study? You'd have history students asking him about the TOS era and medical researchers studying the effects of long-term transporter stasis on the human body.

A teacher. Some of his classes...

HIST 2927 - Kirk's Five-Year Mission - An Eyewitness Account

ENGN 1446 - 23rd Century Warp Engine Design

TEMP 1872 - Everyday Life in the 20th Century

 

[Nerys Myk]

A teacher. Some of his classes...

HIST 2927 - Kirk's Five-Year Mission - An Eyewitness Account

ENGN 1446 - 23rd Century Warp Engine Design

TEMP 1872 - Everyday Life in the 20th Century

DISTL 101-How Make Your Own Liquor

 

[fireproof78]

Wouldn't he have to be in the chain of command? He's basically a passenger.

If we treat Starfleet similar to the US NAVY (I know, I know), Captain Picard has the operational authority to reinstate Scotty at his retired rank and insert him in to the chain of command.

 

[Nerys Myk]

If we treat Starfleet similar to the US NAVY (I know, I know), Captain Picard has the operational authority to reinstate Scotty at his retired rank and insert him in to the chain of command.

 

[publiusr]

I don’t think it would have occurred to him to do a Decker and try such a thing.

 

[Mage]

How would that need arise? An ensign fresh out of the academy would be more useful than Scotty during a crisis.
Imagine a WW2 era captain suddenly appearing on a modern aircraft carrier, under which circumstances would anyone decide to give him any kind of authority? He'd be so out of touch with anything that he'd be a liability in pretty much every situation.
In Relics they had to contrive a situation where Scotty and Geordi where on an old ship Scotty knew and even then the only thing the writers could come up with to make Scotty safe the day was "use the ship as a wedge to keep the door open". Alexander could have had that idea and it would have been believable.

So....
Hypothetically... Captains on a ship require others to do the job. Picard isn't an engineer, he relies on LaForge for that. He isn't the one saying 'do this and this and such to the engines to solve the problem'. He will ask Geordie to come up with that solution. That is being a commanding officer. So technically, being out of date with the tech, Scotty is still someone who has command experience. In a crisis situation he could certainly take the chair and without knowing the tech, ask others around him to come up with solutions to the problem.
Realistically, no institution with a command structure would immediately out Scotty back on active duty just like that. Re-training, getting used to being out of time, all of that would be required.