The Galileo....why Seven crewmembers?

[MarsWeeps]

With all the talk of the shuttle Galileo being located and hopefully restored, I've been thinking about that episode.

I know the mission was to explore "Murasaki 312 - a quasar like formation" but I have to wonder why send seven people? What exactly where they planning to do?

You send the First Officer, Chief Engineer and Chief Medical Officer along with some throw-aways (can't call them red shirts) for what? Couldn't they have just sent a probe?

I'm just wondering what responsibility each person was supposed to have and I can't come up with anything that makes any sense.

 

[Maurice]

The reason for that particular crew complement was never explained. It would have been easier to buy it if the Galileo was on its way back from another mission, was ordered to have a pass near the quasar, and was lost that way.

 

[MarsWeeps]

Yeah and what's the first thing they do when the shuttle goes missing? They send another to search for it!

 

[Delta Vega]

The Gallileo Seven sounds so much cooler than eg The Galileo Five

 

[Jose Tyler]

Maybe this:

Spock - Mission Commander
Scott - Engineer (quasar-like phenomena seems to mess up electronics)
McCoy - Medical Officer
Boma - Astrophysics
Latimer - Pilot
Gaetano - Radiation Specialist (per Memory Alpha)
Mears - Yeoman for record keeping and making coffee

 

[GSchnitzer]

Maybe this:

Spock - Mission Commander
Scott - Engineer (quasar-like phenomena seems to mess up electronics)
McCoy - Medical Officer
Boma - Astrophysics
Latimer - Pilot
Gaetano - Radiation Specialist (per Memory Alpha)
Mears - Yeoman for record keeping and making coffee

The actual shooting script for "The Galileo Seven" describes the crewmembers as: Mister Spock ("in the Pilot's seat"); McCoy; Scott; Navigator Latimer; "fresh-faced" Yeoman Mears; Astro-Physicist Boma ("a strong Negro"); and Radiation Specialist Gaetano.

 

[Captain Robert April]

Okay, to be fair, we'll call Latimer the co-pilot.

 

[scotpens]

Maybe the mission actually required only three or four people and the rest were seat-fillers. You know, like on Oscar night.

 

[T'Girl]

Maybe this:

Spock - Mission Commander
Scott - Engineer (quasar-like phenomena seems to mess up electronics)
McCoy - Medical Officer
Boma - Astrophysics
Latimer - Pilot
Gaetano - Radiation Specialist (per Memory Alpha)
Mears - Yeoman for record keeping and making coffee

McCoy - There because Spock couldn't get the hatch closed fast enough, McCoy simply climbed on board, sat down and wouldn't leave.

Boma - Needed experience being aboard a silver spacecraft, that crash lands on a strange planet, full of giant creatures. So that later he could be aboard a red spacecraft, that crash lands on a strange planet, full of giant Humans.

(Land of the Giants)

 

[Gov Kodos]

Spock, Scotty, and McCoy: too much part of the show by now to die in 60's TV The Yeoman: Women have a high survival rate on 60's TV, unlikely to die. Boma: Foil for the main character, unlikely to die needs to learn Spock isn't a machine. The story needs to set up logic versus emotion: bodies, funerals, good stuff a couple of red shirts should do.

 

[FormerLurker]

Why seven crewmembers? Because that's how many seats there were.

 

[SchwEnt]

Maybe like the space shuttle, which could typically transport seven astronauts. Almost every STS mission had seven astronauts. Did they need exactly seven astronauts for every varied mission? Or just fill the seats to orbit anyway? Galileo 7 had seven seats... fill 'em up?

 

[A.V.I.A.F.]

Spock, Scotty, and McCoy: too much part of the show by now to die in 60's TV The Yeoman: Women have a high survival rate on 60's TV, unlikely to die. Boma: Foil for the main character, unlikely to die needs to learn Spock isn't a machine. The story needs to set up logic versus emotion: bodies, funerals, good stuff a couple of red shirts should do.

Right, that explains it from a practical real-world point of view, but within the context of the universe of TOS it seems odd to send all those crewpeople.

 

[MarsWeeps]

Spock, Scotty, and McCoy: too much part of the show by now to die in 60's TV The Yeoman: Women have a high survival rate on 60's TV, unlikely to die. Boma: Foil for the main character, unlikely to die needs to learn Spock isn't a machine. The story needs to set up logic versus emotion: bodies, funerals, good stuff a couple of red shirts should do.

Right, that explains it from a practical real-world point of view, but within the context of the universe of TOS it seems odd to send all those crewpeople.

Yes, they had all those people with nothing to do. Where was all of their equipment for their assigned functions?

The shuttle seemed more suited for...well...a shuttle than an information gathering device that required 7 people.

Why not just fire off a probe or two or even drop off the medicine first and then return?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Because that's not what the plot called for.

 

[MarsWeeps]

Because that's not what the plot called for.

You are missing the point.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Because that's not what the plot called for.

You are missing the point.

No, I'm making a joke.

 

[Uxi]

Always thought it was silly to have the Chief Engineer, the Chief Medical Officer, and the head Science Officer. Don't these guys delegate? Even if it was something very weird, Scotty should have had an assistant in his place, and McCoy should have sent M'Benga

 

[Nerys Myk]

Always thought it was silly to have the Chief Engineer, the Chief Medical Officer, and the head Science Officer. Don't these guys delegate? Even if it was something very weird, Scotty should have had an assistant in his place, and McCoy should have sent M'Benga

Sometimes you have to remember its a TV and roll with that. How many times have Kirk, Spock and McCoy been on landing parties at the same time? Sometimes with Scotty in tow as well!!!!! All three senor officers off the ship at the time???? Gotta be a reg against that!!!

 

[Uxi]

Always thought it was silly to have the Chief Engineer, the Chief Medical Officer, and the head Science Officer. Don't these guys delegate? Even if it was something very weird, Scotty should have had an assistant in his place, and McCoy should have sent M'Benga

Sometimes you have to remember its a TV and roll with that. How many times have Kirk, Spock and McCoy been on landing parties at the same time? Sometimes with Scotty in tow as well!!!!! All three senor officers off the ship at the time???? Gotta be a reg against that!!!

lol yeah, but I mean there's suspension of disbelief and then there's plain absurd.

I'm not saying I expect most landing parties to be nothing but red shirts and the oddball junior science officer or medical type. At least showing a semblance of Spock and McCoy delegating instead of doing it themselves.