Crusher taking command of enterprise was big mistake
- Thread starter Baba101
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Spock did tell McCoy that he was the highest rankin' officer on the ship, since Kirk was in the shuttle and Spock was turnin' himself in.
That was before they bumped Scotty up the ladder, of course.
And TNG 'Thine Own Self' showed how folks in the medical field could gain a place in the chain of command. Obviously it was a test Crusher had taken at some point prior to her bein' placed in command.
Spock did tell McCoy that he was the highest rankin' officer on the ship, since Kirk was in the shuttle and Spock was turnin' himself in.
That was before they bumped Scotty up the ladder, of course.
And TNG 'Thine Own Self' showed how folks in the medical field could gain a place in the chain of command. Obviously it was a test Crusher had taken at some point prior to her bein' placed in command.
Crusher was basically the last senior officer left on the Enterprise.
At some point, seniority and rank overrule other considerations - like when Troi was in command. The Lieutenant who got killed was initially the bridge commander, leaving Ensign Ro, Miles O'Brien, who is a comissioned officer, and Troi, who had Lieutenant Commander rank and was a member of the senior staff. Though Troi was a Lt. Commander the luckless Lieutenant was in command until dead, at which point Troi's seniority and rank was sufficent to outweigh the remaining officers.
Likewise, almost the entirety of the Ent-D crew, including the whole senior staff, were down on the planet. Except Crusher.
At some point, seniority and rank overrule other considerations - like when Troi was in command. The Lieutenant who got killed was initially the bridge commander, leaving Ensign Ro, Miles O'Brien, who is a comissioned officer, and Troi, who had Lieutenant Commander rank and was a member of the senior staff. Though Troi was a Lt. Commander the luckless Lieutenant was in command until dead, at which point Troi's seniority and rank was sufficent to outweigh the remaining officers.
Likewise, almost the entirety of the Ent-D crew, including the whole senior staff, were down on the planet. Except Crusher.
The last ensign in the command department would have taken command of the ship before the fucking dancing doctor. They're the ones with the training, the ones whose careers, experience and knowledge are aligned toward commanding a ship. The doctor should no more be allowed to command the ship than the first offcier should be allowed to do brain surgery.
Can anyone cite any example of a medical officer taking command of a real naval vessel?
Can anyone cite any example of a medical officer taking command of a real naval vessel?
Even in the United States Navy, medical officers have to undergo leadership and command training before they can advance in rank to Commander or Captain. Navy doctors will have to attend the Naval War College and Joint Forces Staff College before they can achieve senior officer rank. They'll also undergo training like the Senior Officer Leadership Course.
I'm guessing Starfleet does the same, as we saw that Troi had to undergo what some would say was the Starfleet version of a Senior Officer Leadership Course before she could be promoted. She also had to demonstrate knowledge and proficiency of the ship's basic systems.
I'm guessing Starfleet does the same, as we saw that Troi had to undergo what some would say was the Starfleet version of a Senior Officer Leadership Course before she could be promoted. She also had to demonstrate knowledge and proficiency of the ship's basic systems.
Miles O'Brien is a non-commissioned officer, or NCO.
Starfleet's command structure has never struck me as so rigid about line officers as the US military is. I'm not even sure Starfleet has "line" officers by the time of TNG. I believe it was established that any officer who passes their "Bridge Officer's Test" is eligible to sit in the center seat. Beverly passed it and later Troi. For that universe, end of story.
Right, Starfleet isn't 100% the same as how todays Navies operate (which makes perfect sense). In fact I think it was stated in DS9 that now all officers, regardless of division, are given combat and command training meaning that all officers are Line Officers by the TNG era.
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Crusher IS a "line" officer. As she told Troi when she was debating taking the same test, Crusher wanted to command the ship once a while, so she took the course and the test required to become the equivalent of a "line" officer.
If he wasn't trained to perform brain surgery, indeed, if he was though. Crusher is the same; she's trained to command the ship.
It all goes back to the difference between Starfleet and the real navy of today. Sure, Starfleet observes and maintains many traditions and protocols, but there are plenty of instances in which Starfleet diverges sharply from how the real navy operates, and one of them is in its overall chain of command which is far more flexible and allows a commanding officer more leeway in establishing his command crew regardless of rank at times.
Yeah, sorry for that error. I meant non-commissioned, but I'm not all that good on the technicalities of ranks.
And I think that pretty much covers the real world objections. The Starfleet was never really meant to be all that like today's military, just contain some broad outlines and resemblances. The qualifications for command are an obvious example of this.
Agreed. Star Trek is fiction, so there is a line that divides them and a real navy.
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