Relatives/Parents in Starfleet

[The_Emperor]

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that this is a sign of lazy writing? "We can't think of what so-and-so's father does, so let's just say they're in Starfleet. Even better, let's say they're an Admiral." It says to me that this happens a lot. A Star Trek show introduces a relative of a main character and, rather than come up with something creative about that relative, they just say this relative also works for Starfleet in some capacity and leave it at that. And for the most part, that doesn't really add a whole lot to the story. Troi's father didn't need to be a Starfleet officer for her backstory to work. Janeway's father didn't need to be a Starfleet admiral. Neither did Tom Paris's father have to be a Starfleet admiral, either.

This, incidentally, is one of the things I liked about DS9, particularly the Sisko's. Ben Sisko is in Starfleet, but his father is a chef while his son is a writer. Three generations of the same family, and they each did something completely different. Picard's family working a vineyard and disapproving of his joining Starfleet was also a nice addition to his character. Can you imagine how bland Picard's background would be if his father was also an admiral in Starfleet like Janeway/Paris/etc?

So I don't know. What do you all think of the tendency amongst Star Trek writers to make relatives of main cast members part of Starfleet, too?

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Dude everyone wants to be in Starfleet! It's the bestest job in the whole galaxy! There are no other REAL jobs out there in the future.

 

[WillsBabe]

It seems a pretty even spit to me between parents who are and who aren't. On the other hand it doesn't bother me where their parents are in SF, or lazy writing. Career military is a tradition among families.

 

[Timo]

It might even be in the genes: only those who are particularly restless and reckless by birth will ever consider Starfleet as a career option, and/or only those will make it through the screenings.

But yeah, a fairly even split - as far as the leads are concerned. Otherwise, it's no contest. Kirk, Janeway, LaForge and Paris had Starfleet parents, Sulu had a Starfleet child. Others at most married from within Starfleet. Two out of four hero skippers, yet only two out of dozens of "second-rank" characters, were established as having been born to a family where one of the parents would (eventually?) be employed by Starfleet.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[The Green Mushroom]

Yeah, like he said, several generations of a family in the military is common.

I also had a thought--nepotism. Now I don't mean the unquestionably bad kind of nepotism where Admiral Incompetent gets to appoint all of his children to command the ships in his sector. What I mean is that we have been told over and over again that getting into Starfleet is hard and they want only the best of the best. Even Wesley Crusher had trouble getting in. Though considering that Nog had an easier time, maybe that just says something about the Wesley. If two people are in competition for the last slot in the incoming class at the academy--which of the two would have, at least in theory, an easier time of it, if all else is equal: the kid who grew up around Starfleet and has probably absorbed at least a little of how it works or the kid from Shatner VIII who has never been on a starship in his life?

Just look at the kids who were on the shows: Wesley always wanted to join, Jake's father assumed he wanted to join. Nog wanted in as soon as figured out what the fleet was really about, Alexander wanted nothing to do with the military until the war broke out, and whatshername on Voyager acted like she was a member of the crew.

In other words being a Starfleet brat gives you a high probability of wanting to join and, perhaps, a leg up on getting in.

 

[Timo]

Even Wesley Crusher had trouble getting in.

Well, it's more like "only Wesley Crusher". All others just sort of waltzed in.

And there's a rather obvious reason for Wesley having trouble: he was underage for his species. The aptitude tests would probably be much harder on him for that reason alone, plus there could be a quota for underage entrants, resulting in competition that doesn't exist for other entrant categories.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Skywalker]

It's actually not as common among the main characters as it seems. Kyle Riker worked with Starfleet for a time, but as a civilian contractor. Tasha Yar's family weren't in Starfleet. Bashir's parents were civilians living on Earth, as was O'Brien's father. Ezri's family were civilians and owned a mining business. Chakotay's father was a civilian colonist, while B'Elanna's was a civilian living on Earth, and Harry Kim's parents were also civilians. None of Tuvok's family were in Starfleet, as far as we know. So it's really just Geordi, Crusher, Deanna, Janeway, and Paris who had family in Starfleet at some point.

I agree with you that some of them didn't need to be in Starfleet. Ian Troi didn't need to be, nor did Janeway's father. Though I disagree with you about Eugene Paris. I liked the idea that Tom was the son of a high-ranking, powerful figure in the upper echelons of Starfleet. It fit his rebellious nature (though if he wanted to rebel against his father, trying to join Starfleet at all seems rather odd).

 

[7thsealord]

Though I disagree with you about Eugene Paris. I liked the idea that Tom was the son of a high-ranking, powerful figure in the upper echelons of Starfleet. It fit his rebellious nature (though if he wanted to rebel against his father, trying to join Starfleet at all seems rather odd).

If I recall correctly, there was an episode (per Wiki - 'Thirty Days') where Tom stated outright that he was pushed into joining Star Fleet by Dear Old Dad. If Tom had his druthers, it was to go with his love of the ocean and join the Federation Naval Patrol (which sounds rather like the US Coast Guard in many respects).

But yeah, rebelling against a father who was highly-ranked (and apparently very over-bearing) fitted the character. Provided some reason for WHY Tom was the way he was, rather than simply having him be the Onboard D##k.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Dude everyone wants to be in Starfleet! It's the bestest job in the whole galaxy! There are no other REAL jobs out there in the future.

With no money, everything else is just a hobby.

 

[The Wormhole]

None of Tuvok's family were in Starfleet, as far as we know.

I thought Flashback established both Tuvok's parents served in Starfleet, though Memory Alpha only says he joined Starfleet due to his parents' wishes.

At the very least, his father did. In Flashback Rand tells Tuvok they received communications from the Yorktown, which included a message to Tuvok from his father.

 

[Timo]

It might of course be that the Yorktown is just relaying messages from elsewhere, but the dialogue doesn't make it sound like that. And it's also a bit of a stretch to suppose that Tuvok's father would be aboard the Yorktown yet not on Starfleet payroll.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[MacLeod]

Most of the time we are introduced to a characters parent it is for a plot element. Having them being another Starfleet Officer can be intrusting to the plot than say a school teacher. So it's more a case of the plot needing that role.

 

[FordSVT]

I agree with you that some of them didn't need to be in Starfleet. Ian Troi didn't need to be,

He didn't "need" to be, but it made sense for him to be in Starfleet or be a Federation Diplomat or something like that, in order for a human to be in a position to meet, court and marry Lwaxana.

 

[T'Girl]

I always found it interesting that to indicate that she was mixed species and that Deanna's father was Human, she said " my mother is Betazed, my father was a Starfleet officer." It was some time before she came right out and said he was Human.

From her eariler statement both of her parent could have easily been non-Human.

 

[Greg Cox]

Most of the time we are introduced to a characters parent it is for a plot element. Having them being another Starfleet Officer can be intrusting to the plot than say a school teacher. So it's more a case of the plot needing that role.

Although, of course, Spock's mother was a school teacher.

 

[bbailey861]

It seems a pretty even spit to me between parents who are and who aren't. On the other hand it doesn't bother me where their parents are in SF, or lazy writing. Career military is a tradition among families.

Exactly, a big tradition.

 

[7thsealord]

Noting also. If a script required someone's parent show up, it was probably easier (and cheaper) at times to put them in an extra Star Fleet uniform than search for suitable "futuristic" civilian garb.

 

[MHT1138]

I loved how both of Geordi's parents were in Starfleet, his mother in command and his father in the sciences. It totally shaped Geordi's character and influenced him.
According to the 2009 movie both of Kirk's parents were in Starfleet,as well, though I don't think TOS and the movies established what his mother's career was. Does anyone know if TOS established that Kirk's father was in Starfleet?

 

[Timo]

TOS stayed noncommittal on whether Kirk even had any parents. For all we know, he could have been an artificially created lifeform - or then Kodos the Executioner had executed his parents long ago. His brother was seen (even if only as a corpse), but there was no reference whatsoever to his parents. No dialogue, no props such as family photographs or Mommy or Daddy's old medals, no indication that Starfleet had a long tradition of Kirks.

In the movie, we see that Winona Kirk is onboard a starship where George Kirk Sr. serves. However, there is no indication that Winona would be working for Starfleet, directly or indirectly. She doesn't wear a uniform, isn't addressed by rank or position (or otherwise, beyond "sweetheart"), and isn't associated with any of the ship's personnel other than the medics caring for her and the husband caring for her. For all we know, she was aboard solely as a civilian passenger - certainly a possibility in all eras, and something we saw happen in ENT and TOS well before TNG made it explicit that civilian spouses and other family members can live aboard starships for extended periods of time.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[T'Girl]

TOS stayed noncommittal on whether Kirk even had any parents.

But we do know that he possessed one sibling, which implies at least one common parent, or a adjacent test tube.

In the movie, we see that Winona Kirk is onboard a starship where George Kirk Sr. serves. However, there is no indication that Winona would be working for Starfleet ...

And was George Kirk Sr. even in Starfleet is the original universe? Or did he work in sales down at the hover car dealership?

In one of the older novels, Kirk Sr. was a ambitious Iowa politician, he made young James plow a corn field using a mule, for his media imagine.