Uhura demonstrated command aptitude in TAS "The Lorelei Signal".
Everyone knows TAS and books aren't canon.Uhura demonstrated command aptitude in TAS "The Lorelei Signal".
And, ahem, a certain upcoming Trek novel.![]()
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Never stopped me before . . .

Uhura demonstrated command aptitude in TAS "The Lorelei Signal".
Everyone knows TAS and books aren't canon.Uhura demonstrated command aptitude in TAS "The Lorelei Signal".
And, ahem, a certain upcoming Trek novel.![]()
![]()

She's a red shirt radio operator. Chekov's a gold shirt commander in training. Position trumps rank.Further, I can't see him not handing command over to Spock, Scotty, Sulu, or even Chekov at the first opportunity.
What about Uhura? Surely she would outrank Chekov!![]()
She's a red shirt radio operator. Chekov's a gold shirt commander in training. Position trumps rank.What about Uhura? Surely she would outrank Chekov!![]()
Uhura initially wore the gold command uniform in "The Corbomite Maneuver" and "Mudd's Women".
Not everyone is cut out for command. It's when you realize that early on.She's a red shirt radio operator. Chekov's a gold shirt commander in training. Position trumps rank.![]()
Uhura initially wore the gold command uniform in "The Corbomite Maneuver" and "Mudd's Women".
Hah! Good point!

She's a red shirt radio operator. Chekov's a gold shirt commander in training. Position trumps rank.Further, I can't see him not handing command over to Spock, Scotty, Sulu, or even Chekov at the first opportunity.
What about Uhura? Surely she would outrank Chekov!![]()
She's a red shirt radio operator. Chekov's a gold shirt commander in training. Position trumps rank.What about Uhura? Surely she would outrank Chekov!![]()
Except red vs. gold doesn't tell us anything about who can take command. Uhura could be in line in either color.
To hug? I'll go with Uhura.Ask yourself this: If the Enterprise is in deep trouble and the usual suspects are trapped down on the planet or incapacitated, who would you rather have in charge on the bridge: Uhura or Chekov?
I know who I'd feel safer with . . ..
Though it is possible Chekov knows more about running the ship than Uhura does. He is the navigator, part-time science and weapons officer and in the command divison. He might scream a bit, but he's never said "Captain, I'm frightened" in a crisis.
But Uhura has never accidentally fallen off an aircraft carrier . . . . .
To be honest, I'm not sure the uniform colors were all that codified back in that day. Charlene Masters was an engineer in "The Alternative Factor," but she wore blue.
(I just went back and forth with a copyeditor on that one. The copyeditor changed her uniform to red, to fit her duties on the ship, and I changed it back to blue to match what we saw on TV.)
She's a red shirt radio operator. Chekov's a gold shirt commander in training. Position trumps rank.Further, I can't see him not handing command over to Spock, Scotty, Sulu, or even Chekov at the first opportunity.
What about Uhura? Surely she would outrank Chekov!![]()
Do we really know that, though? I was just joking with Greg, but does a spot on the bridge, be it at helm, science, engineering or communications really mean you're qualified to take command of the ship?She's a red shirt radio operator. Chekov's a gold shirt commander in training. Position trumps rank.What about Uhura? Surely she would outrank Chekov!![]()
Horseshit. Nothing trumps rank.
She's a Lieutenant and he's an Ensign. She outranks him. She's also been on the ship longer, so she's more senior, and she's taken the helm a couple of times in dire emergencies so she's at least as - if not more than - qualified as he is to command the ship.
And before anyone says it, no this does not mean McCoy should get command. Technically he outranks Uhura, but his specialty doesn't make him a bridge officer. Chekov and Uhura are bridge officers because the bridge is where they're qualified to be. Anyone officer qualified to be on the bridge can be trusted with the "conn." That's the point of the qualification. McCoy isn't qualified.
I wonder if educational background would factor into uniform colors. Perhaps her background was in a scientific field related to dilithium crystals, leading her to be sorted into the blueshirts, but would also naturally lead her to be in engineering.

Do we really know that, though? I was just joking with Greg, but does a spot on the bridge, be it at helm, science, engineering or communications really mean you're qualified to take command of the ship?
While Uhura (for example only) may have rank and time served over Chekov, does she have the training or even the experience to command the ship in an emergency situation? IIRC, and guys who have served can correct me, if Chekov is placed in command by Kirk, he's pretty much in command even if Uhura out ranks him. To be in command you have to be in the chain of command. If, as a comm officer, Uhura is outside that chain her rank as irrelevant as McCoy's.
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