How does one become an officer?
- Thread starter Yevetha
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I seem to recall Chief O'Brien being asked by one of his assistants if he ever thought about going to the Academy, and his answer being something to the effect of not wanting to take the time required.
I can't see why a non-com couldn't apply to the Academy and earn some pips.
I can't see why a non-com couldn't apply to the Academy and earn some pips.
In your fourth year at the Academy, you get caught cheating, are smuggled aboard the Enterprise and then because Command officers are gradually being picked off, you sieze the opportunity to be Captain and end up saving the Earth.
Or alternatively, all those other ranks above you are strong capable people, who aren't going anywhere soon but who show you the ropes across many different ship postings - meaning you don't make Captain until your early 30's.
But seriously...
Are there two different classes of rank perhaps? Ensign through Lieutenant on a Cadet basis? Then you start again from Ensign when on active service?
Or a system where there's only one rank ladder? You end up posted to an academy training vessel for several months at a time, in the final year when you're taking the "Kobayashi Maru", go back to San Francisco and take your exams to get a promotion?
Or alternatively, all those other ranks above you are strong capable people, who aren't going anywhere soon but who show you the ropes across many different ship postings - meaning you don't make Captain until your early 30's.
But seriously...
Are there two different classes of rank perhaps? Ensign through Lieutenant on a Cadet basis? Then you start again from Ensign when on active service?
Or a system where there's only one rank ladder? You end up posted to an academy training vessel for several months at a time, in the final year when you're taking the "Kobayashi Maru", go back to San Francisco and take your exams to get a promotion?
If Starfleet had an Officer Candidate School, that would be one way for an enlisted to earn a commission (a 90-day wonder) upon being accepted into the program.
But then, not every enlisted man wants to be an officer. Not just because of the time involved, but because of all the blasted paperwork...
But then, not every enlisted man wants to be an officer. Not just because of the time involved, but because of all the blasted paperwork...
Janice Rand in TOS started off on the show as a Petty Officer, as a Yeoman, promoted to a Chief Petty Officer by TMP, Transporter Chief. In TSFS, several years after TMP, depending on what timeline you subscribe to, it's been mentioned that she went on Officer Training and after a couple of further appearances we see her on the Excelsior with Sulu as a Lieutenant/Lieutenant Commander.
I don't recall that (though I'm certainly not saying it didn't happen), but in "Trials and Tribble-ations" Julian refers to O'Brien having attended Starfleet Academy.
I thought that O'Brien TAUGHT at the academy?
Well, Kirk was apparently inspired by the exploits of famous literary Naval officer, Filacio Hornblower.
That always sounded more than a little bit suspicious to me though.
That always sounded more than a little bit suspicious to me though.
Well, Kirk was apparently inspired by the exploits of famous literary Naval officer, Filacio Hornblower.
That always sounded more than a little bit suspicious to me though.
But Mr. H. started off as an officer -- as a Midshipman. He wasn't commissioned until he tested for his lieutenancy, but he was officer enough to be given command of prize crews and the like...
It's in one of a couple of DS9 episodes with Ensign Muniz who called him jefe. And as someone else noted the Chief taught at the academy; I'm pretty sure he didn't attend.
There's also a reference to Crewman Tarses having attended the Academy in TNG "Drumhead".
We have three basic options here:
1) Accept that Trek has mistakes. Not my personal preference, because if the Trek universe can't be taken for real, then what's left?
2) Accept that characters make mistakes. That's possible even if the Trek universe is treated as real, but claiming that O'Brien was at the Academy if he wasn't would be a really weird mistake for Bashir to make. And Tarses was being interrogated when he referred to his Academy days; he would have been hanged for "mistakes".
3) Decide that Starfleet Academy, despite its name, isn't limited to giving academic training. After all, "academic" is rapidly becoming a meaningless word, what with "hamburger academies" and whatnot. (And the backslide is something of a historical constant anyway: today's MSc is basically what Student was in the medieval times.)
This is a more or less explicit part of canon anyway. What Tarses said:
Apparently, so did O'Brien...
Timo Saloniemi
We have three basic options here:
1) Accept that Trek has mistakes. Not my personal preference, because if the Trek universe can't be taken for real, then what's left?
2) Accept that characters make mistakes. That's possible even if the Trek universe is treated as real, but claiming that O'Brien was at the Academy if he wasn't would be a really weird mistake for Bashir to make. And Tarses was being interrogated when he referred to his Academy days; he would have been hanged for "mistakes".
3) Decide that Starfleet Academy, despite its name, isn't limited to giving academic training. After all, "academic" is rapidly becoming a meaningless word, what with "hamburger academies" and whatnot. (And the backslide is something of a historical constant anyway: today's MSc is basically what Student was in the medieval times.)
This is a more or less explicit part of canon anyway. What Tarses said:
Apparently, so did O'Brien...
Timo Saloniemi
We probably have to distinguish what people learn at the Acadamy. Enlisted personnel can probably take a one year course to learn astronaut training, how starships work, plus their area of specialty. No doubt they would have a level of education before attending too.
Officers are educated to at least graduate degree level plus officer training (4 years). Scientists tend to receive commissiond rank of Lt(jg) outside the chain of command. Ops and engineering personnel and science support staff seem to start as ensigns and work their way up - they probably have a greater knowledge of Starfleet protocol and techinical specs than the acadamic specialists and are placed in charged of teams of non-commissioned crew with a view to facilitating whatever their superiors require. Most security teams should be crewmen led by an ensign (although Trek, especially TNG, was often top heavy with officers).
It's also possible for some (McCoy, Chapel, Troi) to gain their academic qualification elsewhere and take a reduced stint at Starfleet Acadamy to learn the techincal and officer stuff (probably 2 years)
Officers are educated to at least graduate degree level plus officer training (4 years). Scientists tend to receive commissiond rank of Lt(jg) outside the chain of command. Ops and engineering personnel and science support staff seem to start as ensigns and work their way up - they probably have a greater knowledge of Starfleet protocol and techinical specs than the acadamic specialists and are placed in charged of teams of non-commissioned crew with a view to facilitating whatever their superiors require. Most security teams should be crewmen led by an ensign (although Trek, especially TNG, was often top heavy with officers).
It's also possible for some (McCoy, Chapel, Troi) to gain their academic qualification elsewhere and take a reduced stint at Starfleet Acadamy to learn the techincal and officer stuff (probably 2 years)
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It might also be that enlisteds not only go to the Academy to study different things from those the officers study - perhaps they only go to the Academy in the rare case they need specific academic courses. Most might never set foot on San Francisco.
Tarses studied to become a medic. Medical training could be considered academic, and the courses for that might be given exclusively at the Academy, while the bulk of Tarses' other training was at some other facility.
O'Brien apparently studied to become an infantryman or a security goon, though. And he went to Starfleet to escape the tedium of academic (musical) teaching; it doesn't sound likely that he would have opted for extra courses. Unless taking Academy courses was the only way to ensure an early off-Earth assignment and thus enable his escape from parental guidance?
Timo Saloniemi
Tarses studied to become a medic. Medical training could be considered academic, and the courses for that might be given exclusively at the Academy, while the bulk of Tarses' other training was at some other facility.
O'Brien apparently studied to become an infantryman or a security goon, though. And he went to Starfleet to escape the tedium of academic (musical) teaching; it doesn't sound likely that he would have opted for extra courses. Unless taking Academy courses was the only way to ensure an early off-Earth assignment and thus enable his escape from parental guidance?
Timo Saloniemi
Good find, works for me.
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