Galileo Seven complement--why?

[SchwEnt]

The Galileo 7 was dispatched to study the Murasaki quasar.
Why send the seven crew we saw?
Spock, Latimer, McCoy, Scott, Boma, Gaetano, Mears.

Okay, Spock as mission commander and chief science officer is a natural choice.
Latimer as command pilot.
Boma wore blue, another scientist for the mission.

Gaetano wore gold...why another command officer?
Mears as yeoman seems plausible, but perhaps unnecessary.

And I can't really figure out why the Chief Engineer and CMO would also be sent on this mission.
Some weird medical/biophysical effects to study?

So basically I'm wondering (aside from dramatic necessity) why these crew would be selected for this mission?
Anyone want to try to account for it?

 

[Mallory]

It was definitely dramatic necessity. Besides, who would play off of Spock better than McCoy and if Scotty wasn't there they'd have never taken off.

The quasar could have had some medical/biophysical effect that required McCoy and perhaps they weren't sure how it would affect the shuttle, hence Scott. That's the best I can come up with at the moment.

 

[DumbDumb2007]

There were only 7 seats in the Shuttlecraft

 

[LeadHead]

McCoy could have ben on the mission to acess possible effects the quasar would have on organic tissue, Scotty to determine the effects on technology.
And Gaetano, to generally make a nusence of himself? It was still season 1 things hadn't been completely set in stone, maybe he was Security or attached to science in some way.

 

[Timo]

I don't have a problem with the Yeoman as such - we could well be selling her and her colleagues in other episodes short, when they could in fact be efficient research assistants and the most qualified tricorder operators on board. Although I gather Scotty would know a thing or two about shuttle sensors, too, and would then be useful in maximizing the raw data gain from the mission.

McCoy is the big problem if the mission is simply to study the quasarlet. But as Kirk says, there are four solar systems in the area. Quite possibly the mission of the shuttlecraft was actually to study those, in which case a life sciences specialist (the role McCoy often fills when the show can't afford or the drama doesn't accommodate a biologist character) would make eminent sense.

I mean, the effects/interference of the quasar could easily be sensed by the ship herself. But said effects would mask the solar systems, and it would then make sense to bring some sensors and specialists closer to the systems to alleviate the quasar interference. In contrast, bringing the shuttle closer to the quasar would offer no additional advantages.

Gaetano and Latimer could both be pilots, then. Who knows how long a mission Kirk was planning? The whole three days allocated? A backup pilot would be handy, especially if the mission indeed consisted of shuttling between those clustered star systems.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Therin of Andor]

Timo said:
I don't have a problem with the Yeoman

Grace Lee Whitney recalls with regret that the original script was written for Rand. Ditto "Dagger of the Mind". She calls them her "two least favourite episodes".

 

[Timo]

I don't blame her, but I don't really lament the change, either. The role of Mears would not have added particularly to GLW's acting credit, and it would have been nonsensical (not to mention aesthetically criminal) to give Rand the Noel role.

Had that sort of script been proceeded with, though, one would wonder what Kirk really had in mind. Cramming all his closest "friends" in this little boat and shoving them off to a galactic maelstrom, at a time when Starfleet would have fully supported a decision not to send a rescue mission... I can't help but see a criminal mastermind in action.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Therin of Andor]

Timo said:
it would have been nonsensical (not to mention aesthetically criminal) to give Rand the Noel role.

"Dagger" was revised in a different direction when they realized Grace Lee Whitney wasn't coping with her numerous demons - and making Helen Noel a psychiatrist, with a background in rehabilitative therapy, really strengthened the script.

IIRC, "Galileo Seven" was the first episode shot after Whitney's 13 week contract finished up.