Do Officers have Batman?

[Purdy Bear]

In a normal military background, anyone of a substantial rank has a Batman who preps their uniform, tidies their quarters and so on. Do they have them on board Star Fleet Ships?

Who cleans up their quarters - or do they do it themselves?

 

[GalaxyClass1701]

In a normal military background, anyone of a substantial rank has a Batman who preps their uniform, tidies their quarters and so on. Do they have them on board Star Fleet Ships?

Who cleans up their quarters - or do they do it themselves?

No they only have a Green Lantern

 

[Kirkman1987]

Wouldn't all that kind of stuff be part of a Yeoman's duties?
Rand was seen making coffee and bringing Kirk his lunch a few times.

As an Admin guy in The Army Reserve, I have been assigned these types of duties before. Once I followed a general around for a few days. Those guys must be sore from all that ass kissing, I can assure you. It was a good time, and a welcome break from my regular duties at the time.

 

[Sector 7]

In a normal military background, anyone of a substantial rank has a Batman who preps their uniform, tidies their quarters and so on. Do they have them on board Star Fleet Ships?

Who cleans up their quarters - or do they do it themselves?

No they only have a Green Lantern

I understand the OP's question, but I never heard it called that before. Maybe because I was Navy.

 

[Green Shirt]

According to Up the Long Ladder, the Enterprise-D cleans itself.

 

[WillsBabe]

According to Up the Long Ladder, the Enterprise-D cleans itself.

Good for the bloody ship.

 

[iguana_tonante]

According to Up the Long Ladder, the Enterprise-D cleans itself.

Like my cat?

 

[Therin of Andor]

In a normal military background, anyone of a substantial rank has a Batman who preps their uniform

Although her scene was savagely cut from "The Conscience of the King", Yeoman Janice Rand was scripted to be laying out Kirk's uniform.

 

[Timo]

I thought these scenes were actually shot, and then cut?

In TNG and DS9, it seemed that the top officers were helped by their close friends and nobody else when dressing up. Which might explain why they sometimes were missing a pip or three from their collars...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[GeorgeKirk]

Yeah, I wonder who zipped the officer's zip-up-the-back uniforms on TNG.

 

[KimMH]

Ent mentions a quartermaster who evidently handles uniform distribution.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

I would assume the crew clean their own quarters. In "In Theory" Data cleans up Jenna's quarters because she keeps a very messy room.

And i always thought Yeoman Rand was really for Kirk's needs only. Unless she was bringing coffee to the bridge, then she sometimes brought for everyone.

As far as the 'bathrooms' that are in the corridors (that we never saw but they MUST exist) i would think there is a non commissioned crew for that. No?

 

[Cicero]

In a normal military background, anyone of a substantial rank has a Batman who preps their uniform, tidies their quarters and so on. Do they have them on board Star Fleet Ships?

Who cleans up their quarters - or do they do it themselves?

No they only have a Green Lantern

I understand the OP's question, but I never heard it called that before. Maybe because I was Navy.

The custom hasn't been used in the United States, except for assistants (usually officers themselves) assigned to senior officers (mostly flag officers). The term "batman" is itself a britishism, but it describes a tradition that was until recently very common in Europe - an enlisted valet/bodyguard assigned every officer, originally to relieve gentleman officers from menial tasks and to reduce their risk of death.

The relationship between Sam and Frodo in The Lord of the Rings is based in an idealized batman-officer association.

 

[milo bloom]

The relationship between Sam and Frodo in The Lord of the Rings is based in an idealized batman-officer association.

Is that what they're calling it these days?








j/k

 

[The Wormhole]

If officers do have a batman, I hope they give the batman time to prepare.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I thought these scenes were actually shot, and then cut?

If i'd said it had definitely been filmed, then cut, then someone would have asked "How could you know for sure?", so I played safe and said "scripted".

 

[Myasishchev]

If officers do have a batman, I hope they give the batman time to prepare.

 

[Captain MAJ]

According to Up the Long Ladder, the Enterprise-D cleans itself.

In Soviet Russia, Starship cleans you!

 

[J.T.B.]

The custom hasn't been used in the United States, except for assistants (usually officers themselves) assigned to senior officers (mostly flag officers).

The US Navy had a well established structure of officer servants, called the "steward branch," until well after WW2. The wardroom had their own officers' cooks and waiters, and there were stewards who cleaned officers' quarters and took care of their uniforms. Even WW2 submarines always had a couple of stewards aboard. The most famous member of the branch was Mess Attendant Dorie Miller, awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the Pearl Harbor attack.

The steward branch was racially segregated, limited to non-whites. Though their pay was the same, they were not allowed to wear the same uniforms and insignia as other enlisted men till the 1950s. After the 1948 armed forces integration, the branch developed increasingly negative racial connotations. By the late '50s stewards were recruited from non-US citizens in the Philippines or Pacific islands. The branch was finally phased out in the late 1960s.

The relationship between Sam and Frodo in The Lord of the Rings is based in an idealized batman-officer association.

And let's not forget science fiction's most quintessential officer-batman duo: Dan Dare and Digby.

--Justin

 

[Sector 7]

Thanks for the education folks. By the time I served the US Navy was well-integrated. In fact our team was nicknamed the Rainbow Warriors because I trained and fought with a colorful group of men. We trusted our lives to each other many times over. I cannot imagine it any other way.

It is good to learn where we came from. It helps us appreciate what we have.