Commodores, Ambassadors and other Starfleet bureaucrats

[EnriqueH]

Since I've been watching TOS in production order, some of the Starfleet big wigs have stood a little more prominently to me and I've never discussed them with anybody.

I really liked Commodore Mendez from The Menagerie.

He seemed like he was tough on the rules, but also seemed to let some humanity through. I would've liked to have seen his character again.

I also liked the guy from Court Martial.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

There were a few cool Starfleet big-wigs:

*Commodore Mendez seemed cool....
*Commodore Stocker
*Commodore Stone

I'm sure there are others....

 

[Metryq]

Commodores, ambassadors and bureaucrats—oh, my!

 

[Melakon]

Federation Undersecretary in Charge of Agricultural Affairs Nilz Baris

 

[Marsden]

I thought Commodore Stocker was a dope.

Wasn't he the one that ordered the Enterprise through the Romulan Neutral Zone, potentially starting a new war, and then just sat there in his own pile of excrement when the Romulans showed up? Stupid greenhorn paperpusher.

 

[Anwar]

How the heck could you become a Commodore, an equivalent of a Brigadier General, without ever commanding a ship or anything?

 

[Melakon]

The same way we can have military officers today who have never been in combat.

 

[J.T.B.]

Wasn't he the one that ordered the Enterprise through the Romulan Neutral Zone, potentially starting a new war, and then just sat there in his own pile of excrement when the Romulans showed up? Stupid greenhorn paperpusher.

Yeah, he blew it, but it did seem like he was basically a decent guy trying to make the best of a bad situation. He didn't know his limitations and got in over his head, but the real blame should go to Starfleet regulations for allowing him to get in the situation in the first place. In a real navy, only people who have been trained to command ships can command ships, regardless of rank. The most junior qualified ensign would take command before an unqualified senior officer.

How the heck could you become a Commodore, an equivalent of a Brigadier General, without ever commanding a ship or anything?

Do well in a specialty that doesn't involve commanding ships. The US Navy has had a great many one-, two- and three-star admirals who could not take command at sea, and even a few four-stars (civil engineering, nuclear engineering and intelligence specialties).

 

[T'Girl]

Stocker might have been in the sciences branch, then he commanded one of those "pure science ships" we've heard of. After punching his command ticket he was promoted to command starbase ten.

 

[J.T.B.]

^ Maybe, but it seems more likely to me that even a science vessel would have an "officer of the line" in command. Command officers with science qualifications have certainly been seen: Spock of course, but also Will Decker and Sulu.

Based on noting more than his uniform color, I've always placed Stocker as an "engineering duty only" officer or what the US Navy used to call "construction and repair," and that his Starbase command post was mostly concerned with building, repairing or refitting ships.

 

[Last Redshirt]

How the heck could you become a Commodore, an equivalent of a Brigadier General, without ever commanding a ship or anything?

Could've been passed over for commanding a vessel and instead given command of a starbase or some kind of shore installation, or put in command of a ship but one of those sublight impulse ones that patrol solar systems.

 

[Ithekro]

Scott was promoted to Captain of Engineering, and McCoy was a retired Admiral in TNG. I'm pretty sure Bones never was in command of a ship.

 

[Melakon]

Sulu probably should have been put in command of the ship, since he was the one remaining bridge command officer with field experience.

Of course, the whole thing could have been avoided if Kirk, already feeling the effects of the disease, hadn't dismissed Stocker's offer to make his starbase's medical facilities available.

 

[Timo]

Quite so. And Stocker's course of action probably would have been the correct one if not for the apparent fact that the Romulans were already in violation of the Neutral Zone treaty and waiting in ambush inside the Zone... Beyond that point, there really wasn't much to be done except surrender and die. Unless you were Kirk and somehow could make the silly corbomite bluff work.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Avro Arrow]

Whether or not the person in question has ever commanded a ship, Starfleet shouldn't be promoting anyone to flag rank who doesn't understand the concept of "entering the Neutral Zone is an act of war, don't do it."

 

[Ithekro]

You can have plenty of flag officers that wouldn't need to know that since they are not likely to be running a ship.

This also might have been during the time some of the writers considered the Romulans to be a single star system enemy rather than a large empire and a threat.

 

[CrazyMatt]

How the heck could you become a Commodore, an equivalent of a Brigadier General, without ever commanding a ship or anything?

I would agree if you're talking about starship captains like Decker or Wesley; they must have commanded ships before attaining that rank.

But otherwise, I agree with others here that command of a ship is not essential to become a flag officer, especially for commodores in administrative posts (like Stocker). But as he proved, it certainly would have helped....

 

[Nebusj]

Whether or not the person in question has ever commanded a ship, Starfleet shouldn't be promoting anyone to flag rank who doesn't understand the concept of "entering the Neutral Zone is an act of war, don't do it."

Unless there's a track record where ships are often able to get away with short jaunts through it because either the Romulans are uninterested or because they respond too slowly. Given that they'd gone a century without a notable incident, it does suggest you could go your career figuring it's technically dangerous but you'll get away with it.

Stocker may reason that the time saved getting Kirk and company to the starbase is valuable enough and the risk of interception low enough that it's worth taking.

 

[Armored Saint]

I think Stocker was a bureaucrat, so he only had to go on a ship to move from a starbase to another. He was clearly not skilled to command the Enterprise, but at least he shown a huge sense of duty.

 

[Marsden]

Well, his intentions were good, but stupid. Good is dumb.

That's why Kirk is such great Captain, he's got that evil rapist Kirk in there, ready to kick ass when needed.


That sounded worse that it should have, I must be channeling Spock from that episode, interesting qualities...hmm.