What's with The Galileo Seven?

[Captain Robert April]

I don't think it'd be out of bounds to assume that in the primary timeline, Spock never had anything to do with the Kobayashi Maru scenario, mainly because he was already out serving on the Enterprise with Pike, at the point in the altered timeline where we see Spock serving as an Academy instructor and taking part in the programming of the simulation (probably a revised version, since back in the original timeline, Kirk took the test a good five years earlier, again, while Spock was either getting ready to graduate himself, or had already shippped out with the Enterprise).

It's also possible that the KM simulation is considered extra credit towards command qualification; not required to get a command, but it looks really good on the transcript, and shows just how badly you want the center chair. Spock never took it, and never was anybody's first choice for a command opening, whereas Kirk took the thing three times, beating it once (probably more of making a statement than anything else), and he made Captain by the age of 30.

 

[Anticitizen]

I don't think it'd be out of bounds to assume that in the primary timeline, Spock never had anything to do with the Kobayashi Maru scenario, mainly because he was already out serving on the Enterprise with Pike, at the point in the altered timeline where we see Spock serving as an Academy instructor and taking part in the programming of the simulation (probably a revised version, since back in the original timeline, Kirk took the test a good five years earlier, again, while Spock was either getting ready to graduate himself, or had already shippped out with the Enterprise).

It's also possible that the KM simulation is considered extra credit towards command qualification; not required to get a command, but it looks really good on the transcript, and shows just how badly you want the center chair. Spock never took it, and never was anybody's first choice for a command opening, whereas Kirk took the thing three times, beating it once (probably more of making a statement than anything else), and he made Captain by the age of 30.

I imagine anybody in command school at the academy would take the test, and that Spock, being in the science department, didn't take it, and was later given a field commission to first lieutenant.

 

[Timo]

I could see at least three possible ways to take the no-win scenario test:

1) As a cadet, shortly before graduation to command tasks. ShatKirk was said to be "the only cadet to ever beat the no-win scenario" - but does that mean that nobody else beat the scenario, or that the other champions were not cadets? I'd argue this is a non-mandatory test for cadets, but those who aim for command get extra brownie points for doing command studies before graduation.

2) As a postgraduate, when specializing in command.

3) Later in one's career, when one is pondering a career change, or perhaps going mustang. For example O'Brien might face such a test if he were commissioned to officer rank.

So even people aiming at starship command tasks might not take the test as cadets yet (see Saavik), while some people not aiming there might take the test as an optional extra. Many people not aiming at command would never take this test.

And many people in the sciences business would be valued and commended for their defiance of hierarchies, since questioning of authorities is rather necessary in research...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Basil]

McCoy was never given command of anything, a position for which is he is not at all qualified. Scotty has been seen in command, particularly after the 1st season. Before that, Sulu often had the center seat. I've never quite figured out the rationale for that.

But, again, the distinction I'm making is between taking over for a senior officer versus actually commanding a ship or some lengthy mission.

 

[Zycho32]

McCoy was never given command of anything, a position for which is he is not at all qualified. Scotty has been seen in command, particularly after the 1st season. Before that, Sulu often had the center seat. I've never quite figured out the rationale for that.

If you're questioning the change of 3rd in Command from Sulu to Scotty, the reason was because George Takei missed a lot of time in Season 2 because of The Green Berets (Also the reason for Mr. Chekov), and the Enterprise needed someone to take command of the ship whenever Kirk and Spock were off-board. Scotty, being the remaining guy with a big enough rank, would be the prime choice. Rationalizing Scotty remaining by the Engines for the first season requires you to 'twist' canon to suit your theories.

 

[RobertScorpio]

McCoy was never given command of anything, a position for which is he is not at all qualified. Scotty has been seen in command, particularly after the 1st season. Before that, Sulu often had the center seat. I've never quite figured out the rationale for that.

If you're questioning the change of 3rd in Command from Sulu to Scotty, the reason was because George Takei missed a lot of time in Season 2 because of The Green Berets (Also the reason for Mr. Chekov), and the Enterprise needed someone to take command of the ship whenever Kirk and Spock were off-board. Scotty, being the remaining guy with a big enough rank, would be the prime choice. Rationalizing Scotty remaining by the Engines for the first season requires you to 'twist' canon to suit your theories.

I have often wondered where SULU was when he was gone. We know in real life Takei was filming Berets. But I wonder what the 'in story' reason was?

Rob

 

[Neopeius]

It would be interesting if Sulu was officially 2nd Officer for a while, and then Scotty changed designations or whatever to be official 2nd officer.

Of course, we see another Engineering Crossover to Command in Catspaw...

 

[Nerys Myk]

McCoy was never given command of anything, a position for which is he is not at all qualified. Scotty has been seen in command, particularly after the 1st season. Before that, Sulu often had the center seat. I've never quite figured out the rationale for that.

If you're questioning the change of 3rd in Command from Sulu to Scotty, the reason was because George Takei missed a lot of time in Season 2 because of The Green Berets (Also the reason for Mr. Chekov), and the Enterprise needed someone to take command of the ship whenever Kirk and Spock were off-board. Scotty, being the remaining guy with a big enough rank, would be the prime choice. Rationalizing Scotty remaining by the Engines for the first season requires you to 'twist' canon to suit your theories.

I have often wondered where SULU was when he was gone. We know in real life Takei was filming Berets. But I wonder what the 'in story' reason was?

Rob

Demoted to the night shift after he suprised Kirk in the sonic shower.

 

[Timo]

Let's remember that in TOS, whenever Yellow Alert or Red Alert was sounded, nobody ever scrambled from the lower decks and rushed to his or her bridge station. The alerts were always handled by the personnel present when the alerts were sounded. Apparently, if a junior officer was sitting at Navigation, he handled it, not the Chief Navigator.

So if Sulu happened to be belowdecks when a situation arose, he'd probably be expected to remain there and not disrupt the good work of his colleague.

Now, it's a bit of a coincidence that Sulu indeed was present during so many crises, or that Uhura was, when the navigators or engineers were more randomly distributed. But one might argue that the ship usually entered danger zones with an "A Team" on the bridge, while "B Team" or "C Team" seldom ran into adventures during dull interstellar transit or the like.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Skywalker]

Having just watched this episode for the first time last night, I was more perplexed by the tone of the ending. Two people died, along with nearly the rest of those on the Galileo, as well, and everyone on the bridge is cracking jokes and yukking it up?

 

[Neopeius]

Having just watched this episode for the first time last night, I was more perplexed by the tone of the ending. Two people died, along with nearly the rest of those on the Galileo, as well, and everyone on the bridge is cracking jokes and yukking it up?

Well, it wasn't anyone that anybody liked.

 

[Therin of Andor]

some random Yeoman

Grace Lee Whitney describes this, and "Dagger of the Mind", as the two episodes she can't watch, due to her own missed opportunities. The initial treatments for both episodes originally included fairly good roles for Janice Rand. Rand become Mears in this one, and Dr Helen Noel in the other.

 

[RobertScorpio]

some random Yeoman

Grace Lee Whitney describes this, and "Dagger of the Mind", as the two episodes she can't watch, due to her own missed opportunities. The initial treatments for both episodes originally included fairly good roles for Janice Rand. Rand become Mears in this one, and Dr Helen Noel in the other.

Why wasn't she in them?

Rob

 

[Shieldsdown]

some random Yeoman

Grace Lee Whitney describes this, and "Dagger of the Mind", as the two episodes she can't watch, due to her own missed opportunities. The initial treatments for both episodes originally included fairly good roles for Janice Rand. Rand become Mears in this one, and Dr Helen Noel in the other.

Much as I feel sorry for GLW here, the world of Star trek would have been rather the poorer for lack of Dr Helen Noel, and the BBS boards much the shorter for the lack of endless Helen Noel appreciation threads! (Hint.....we are way overdue another!...........)

 

[pookha]

as for the makeup of the mission i just guessed most of them were there to get in some time on a shuttle mission.
and for bones a chance to get out and about without dealing with the transporter.


as far as the often snarky bizarre behviour on the planet.
perhaps the planet's atmosphere was having some bizarre effect on them with scotty being the least affected since he was so busy inside the shuttle.

 

[Maurice]

Much as I feel sorry for GLW here, the world of Star trek would have been rather the poorer for lack of Dr Helen Noel, and the BBS boards much the shorter for the lack of endless Helen Noel appreciation threads! (Hint.....we are way overdue another!...........)

And yet some of us would be grateful...

 

[Therin of Andor]

Why wasn't she in them?

She'd been "let go".

GLW was contracted for a lucrative 13-week contract, whether the scripts had any lines for her or not. They thought they'd be using her every week. The production couldn't afford to have a cast member who didn't get to play every week (Nichelle Nichols was paid only for the days she worked.), and when GLW was suffering from her diet pills and alcohol problems, she was costing the production even more. She once described at a convention that she'd arrive on set looking haggard and the poor makeup people would create miracles to make her look good.

"The Galileo Seven" was episode #14 made. The Yeoman role was renamed Mears.

Rand's role in #13, "The Conscience of the King", was barely a walk-on cameo to fulfill her final week of her contract. ("Dagger of the Mind" was #11, but rewritten to remove Rand completely when the episode was reimagined.)

 

[RobertScorpio]

Why wasn't she in them?

She'd been "let go".

GLW was contracted for a lucrative 13-week contract, whether the scripts had any lines for her or not. They thought they'd be using her every week. The production couldn't afford to have a cast member who didn't get to play every week (Nichelle Nichols was paid only for the days she worked.), and when GLW was suffering from her diet pills and alcohol problems, she was costing the production even more. She once described at a convention that she'd arrive on set looking haggard and the poor makeup people would create miracles to make her look good.

"The Galileo Seven" was episode #14 made. The Yeoman role was renamed Mears.

Rand's role in #13, "The Conscience of the King", was barely a walk-on cameo to fulfill her final week of her contract. ("Dagger of the Mind" was #11, but rewritten to remove Rand completely when the episode was reimagined.)

That is interesting. Does she blame them now? Or does she understand why they went on with out her? If she sees her career as being lost due to her own mistakes, then I give her credit.

Rob

 

[Captain Robert April]

Why wasn't she in them?

She'd been "let go".

GLW was contracted for a lucrative 13-week contract, whether the scripts had any lines for her or not. They thought they'd be using her every week. The production couldn't afford to have a cast member who didn't get to play every week (Nichelle Nichols was paid only for the days she worked.), and when GLW was suffering from her diet pills and alcohol problems, she was costing the production even more. She once described at a convention that she'd arrive on set looking haggard and the poor makeup people would create miracles to make her look good.

"The Galileo Seven" was episode #14 made. The Yeoman role was renamed Mears.

Rand's role in #13, "The Conscience of the King", was barely a walk-on cameo to fulfill her final week of her contract. ("Dagger of the Mind" was #11, but rewritten to remove Rand completely when the episode was reimagined.)

There was also the matter of being raped by a studio executive and that same executive having her fired for not playing along nicely.

 

[Cakes488]

Having just watched this episode for the first time last night, I was more perplexed by the tone of the ending. Two people died, along with nearly the rest of those on the Galileo, as well, and everyone on the bridge is cracking jokes and yukking it up?

It's really not that much of a stretch to see them laughing or joking after what occurs in the episode. They see death all the time...it's part of the job of being in Starfleet...Kirk and Company take crew deaths very seriously...no matter what they do at the end of the episode doesn't negate that fact.

Also often in uncomfortable situations people will laugh and joke to help alleivate the stress. What else should they do -- really? Have a somber moment on the bridge remembering their fallen comrades with a service or something? I mean how many ep's would we have to end in that fashion then...?