Did Star Trek not know how to deal with Executive Officers?

[apollo1984]

I always found it strange for not only the XO to be on the bridge at the same time as the CO, but the entire senior staff were always on the same shift.

Not only that but in voyager you had ensign kim who was at ops during the day shift with the rest of the senior staff but then was included on a secondary night shift since most starfleet ships seemed to use a three shift rotation he was on for two shift out of three.

 

[Nightdiamond]

Being in retail, our structure is Manager, Assistant Manager, then Supervisor, Department Heads etc.

I couldn't help but notice how similar it is to Trek rank structure.

Quite simply, if the manager isn't there, the Ass. Manager does his or her job.

The Ass. Manager handles a lot of administration things, is pretty much like an acting manager.

Sometimes when either is there, the supervisor will act as "acting" manager.

 

[ThankQ]

Captain of the Night Shift.

That's what they call me on the strip Fridays and Saturdays.

 

[evilnate]

Just want to throw in my two cents, since I'm somewhat familiar with how the Navy works.

In modern navies, while the XO is very much an administrator, s/he is also heavily involved in ship operations. It is true that during normal day-to-day ops the CO and XO would not normally be on the Bridge at the same time. Because the CO has to sleep some time, and the XO would normally have to be up then, which means the XO would normally sleep sometime while the CO was up.
But during battle situations, they would most certainly both be on the Bridge (everyone on the ship is up and at battlestations), and the XO would often relay or parrot orders from the CO, especially if a weapon with significant controls on it was going to be used (like nuclear weapons).
And modern landing parties are often lead by the XO, or even the CO. But that's probably because most landing parties today are mostly diplomatic and not exploration or militant in nature.

Actually, the CO and XO generally just sleep at night. Neither are on a "watch section", and since they have to be up and available for all special evolutions and drills they generally just sleep during the off hours. On a cruiser or destroyer, which is the best analoge to the ships we see in Trek, the XO and CO are not up on the bridge during a battle situation. The CO is always in the Combat Information Center, directing the fight, while the XO is either on the Bridge, or directing damage control efforts. Landing Parties, like you said are generally diplomatic affairs, usually dealing with VIPs and you'd see both the XO and CO and your senior officers involved, if not the entire crew going on liberty.

The administrator aspect of the XO position is sometimes seen on Star Trek (like TNG Lower Decks), but only when it relates to the story, because it's mostly BORING.

My biggest problem with the lack of military regiment on Star Trek is the lack of an Officer of the Deck (OOD) or bridge duty officer. I know Starfleet isn't exactly like modern navies, but the lack of a clear person in charge on the Bridge bothers me. Rarely is the concept of duty officer mentioned (TNG Disaster) or a real turn-over done when relieving people on the Bridge (TNG Data's Day and Rightful Heir). Usually it's just assumed that the highest ranking person on the bridge is in charge. And the CO will often give orders directly (to the helm, etc). This style of command leaves too much on the CO's plate, really. He ends up getting too bogged down in minutia and can't keep his eye on the big picture. (Battlestar-Galactica presented a much more realistic portrait of the Deck Officer concept, but of course that was a more militant show.)

TNG actually had this more right than the rest of the series. It's not always the most senior person, it's just the person who is actually qualified Officer of the Deck onboard the ship. Typically, unless something is going on, the OOD is either an Ensign or a LTJG, and the CO and XO only come up to pay a visit and make sure everything is going ok.

 

[evilnate]

Sorry, forgot to multi-quote.

What happens if both your CO and your XO are on the bridge together and the entire bridge is destroyed?

Well, then you're most likely doomed anyway.
I mean, the Bridge is probably the most heavily protected part of the ship. Especially since I'd guess most ships don't have a second reserve bridge.

The bridge is never the most protected part of the ship any more. If anything it's the most vunerable, since even small arms can reach you in there. CIC is usually pretty well protected, since that's were the action really is, and all ships have an auxillary control area, usually called After Steering.

 

[sonak]

again, diplomatic affairs are not the same things as away teams in Trek. Away missions are often filled with potential danger and in hostile environments. IMHO, an XO is way too highly ranked to be leading away teams as often as Riker does in TNG. That would be more a Lieutenant's job or something.

 

[evilnate]

again, diplomatic affairs are not the same things as away teams in Trek. Away missions are often filled with potential danger and in hostile environments. IMHO, an XO is way too highly ranked to be leading away teams as often as Riker does in TNG. That would be more a Lieutenant's job or something.

Sure, there's just no modern counterpart to the way landing parties are shown in Trek. You'd have to go back 100 years or so for that.

 

[neozeks]

The bridge is never the most protected part of the ship any more. If anything it's the most vunerable, since even small arms can reach you in there. CIC is usually pretty well protected, since that's were the action really is, and all ships have an auxillary control area, usually called After Steering.

I figure the bridge on a Trek ship is just as much a CIC as it is a "typical" ship bridge.

 

[Birdog]

again, diplomatic affairs are not the same things as away teams in Trek. Away missions are often filled with potential danger and in hostile environments. IMHO, an XO is way too highly ranked to be leading away teams as often as Riker does in TNG. That would be more a Lieutenant's job or something.

Sure, there's just no modern counterpart to the way landing parties are shown in Trek. You'd have to go back 100 years or so for that.

Boarding parties?