Should George Kirk Have Been Captain?

[EnsignRicky]

Before Robau left the ship, he basically gave George a field promotion to Captain. Is or was that Starfleet policy? I may be wrong, but I don't recall that ever having been done before. The Captain usually just puts the next ranking officer in charge to hold down the fort until he gets back. Was it done because Robau knew with badass precision that he wouldn't be coming back? Was it to add dramatic effect? Was it to show how in this universe promotions are thrown around like rice at a wedding? For all I know, the answer may be somewhere above, but I certainly wouldn't mind the opinions of someone a little bit more knowledgable in this particular department of Treklore.

Come what may, rest in peace Captain Kirk Senior.

 

[miraclefan]

From what I saw, Kirk Senior should have been the C.O. from the start!

 

[archeryguy1701]

For all we know, George was already next in line, and their little walk-and-chat was just a chance for Robau to get Kirk filled in on his orders.

 

[erebus]

My argument for this would be in a meritocratic system that promoted indivudual potential and celebrated individualism as they would have in that future society, every job would become filled by the best person for it automatically (without compromising factors like nepotism, corperate politics, tradition, tribalism like today) .

Therefore the best person to judge a person for promotion would be the superior officer (because he wouldn't have become the superior officer if he didn't 'truly' merit it).

 

[JustKate]

I assumed he was either the first officer or at least the ranking officer on the bridge at that time.

 

[David cgc]

I think Robau (and later Pike) telling their first officers that they were now the captain was just their way of underscoring that they didn't expect to return from the Narada, and they expected Kirk and Spock (respectively) to use their own initiative, rather than act as though they were just keeping the seat warm.

 

[Mr. B]

Kirk may well have been XO in which case "you have the bridge" would have sufficed, but if Robau was certain he was meeting his end, he may have wanted that promotion to be one of his final acts.

 

[Sector 7]

I think by those words in both cases, they dramatically underscored that Jim was, indeed, following in his father's footsteps.

 

[buzzknox]

The first officer assumes command when the captain leaves the ship. That's just standard protocol. I believe the "you're captain now" was intended to reinforce this. When Robau was killed and Pike was captured, Kirk and Spock respectively became captains in fact and in Kirk's case in title as well.

 

[EnsignRicky]

My argument for this would be in a meritocratic system that promoted indivudual potential and celebrated individualism as they would have in that future society, every job would become filled by the best person for it automatically (without compromising factors like nepotism, corperate politics, tradition, tribalism like today) .

Therefore the best person to judge a person for promotion would be the superior officer (because he wouldn't have become the superior officer if he didn't 'truly' merit it).

Quoted because I like that idea.

Yeah, I forgot that Pike did the same thing with Spock, he even made ensign Kirk first officer. He probably remembered what happened to Robau.

I had already assumed that George was next in command I'm working on the formal promotion. I'm leaning towards the Narada being the most insanely powerful thing anyone had ever encountered at that time, and it just blew the crap out of their ship. Robau most likely didn't think he was going to survive, what with the elevated heart rate and flop sweat. Plus it was dramatic.

 

[erebus]

Thanks EnsignRicky (if only it was true today ).

Yes on second thoughts now you mention it, i can appreciate the dramatic aspect of the promotions as well for contemporary audiences. I think i felt that but didn't take it on board until now.

 

[Islander]

Before Robau left the ship, he basically gave George a field promotion to Captain. Is or was that Starfleet policy? I may be wrong, but I don't recall that ever having been done before. The Captain usually just puts the next ranking officer in charge to hold down the fort until he gets back. Was it done because Robau knew with badass precision that he wouldn't be coming back?

Robau is so badass he...oops wrong thread!

 

[EnsignRicky]

Before Robau left the ship, he basically gave George a field promotion to Captain. Is or was that Starfleet policy? I may be wrong, but I don't recall that ever having been done before. The Captain usually just puts the next ranking officer in charge to hold down the fort until he gets back. Was it done because Robau knew with badass precision that he wouldn't be coming back?

Robau is so badass he...oops wrong thread!

That's OK. The awesomeness that is Robau knows no boundaries.

 

[Phily B]

I thought he was first officer.

You don't have to be a commander to be first officer, like you don't have to be a captain to be captain. I don't think Sisko was Commander in DS9 during the Borg stuff and he was first officer.

 

[flemm]

"You're Captain now, Mister Kirk" and other lines like it in the movie are there to emphasize the significance and weighty responsibility of being the one in charge of a Starship, moreso than the literal rank (which anyway is not the important point).

What's important about being "Captain" is not the technicality of what rank you are but rather the role of being the guiding hand and the one charged with deciding the destiny of the whole crew.

"You're Captain now, Mister Kirk," meaning "You now have the privilege and the burden of command," but with the added connotation: "I'm not coming back, it's going to be your responsibility to save the lives of the crew."

This is one of the great lines from the movie, and possibly the one that will remembered the longest. In a few words it captures so much of what is great about Trek.

 

[dave_R_treker]

On TNG (I can't remember the episode, in the 1st season I think) Geordi was placed in commend of the Enterprise, he was only a LT(JG). There had to be other officers on the ship that had a higher rank. He was a senior officer.

 

[Islander]

On TNG (I can't remember the episode, in the 1st season I think) Geordi was placed in commend of the Enterprise, he was only a LT(JG). There had to be other officers on the ship that had a higher rank. He was a senior officer.

Not necessarily. There isn't that many officers on a ship. 3/4 at least are crewmen and most of the officers are Ensigns. Also, not all officers are in a command path (e.g. Doctors are usually LtCmdr/Cmdr but would never be put in a command of the ship).

 

[EnsignRicky]

You know, if you think about it, it really is a mega bum deal for poor George. Robau's like, We've been damaged and disabled by a psychotic madman, I'm going over to meet with him and don't expect to return and I thought I just heard someone say that your wife just went into labor. Oh, by the way, your captain now, your responsible for over eight hundred lives, It's your show now, I'm outta here. When he saw the disabled auto pilot, I think George must have finally gotten the joke. The only thing left was one hell of a punchline.

 

[dave_R_treker]

On TNG (I can't remember the episode, in the 1st season I think) Geordi was placed in commend of the Enterprise, he was only a LT(JG). There had to be other officers on the ship that had a higher rank. He was a senior officer.

Not necessarily. There isn't that many officers on a ship. 3/4 at least are crewmen and most of the officers are Ensigns. Also, not all officers are in a command path (e.g. Doctors are usually LtCmdr/Cmdr but would never be put in a command of the ship).

Dr. Crusher wasn't on a command path and she was put in command of the Enterprise in the episode Descent. I think even Trio was let in command.
Dax on DS9 was in command of the Defiant several times.
Harry Kim was even given command of the night watch (and other times if I remember). And he was a dam ensign.