How many Admiral Komacks are there in Starfleet?

[Extrocomp]

Where Time Stands Still has an Admiral Byron Komack. Open Secrets has an Admiral Franklin Komack. What Judgments Come has an Admiral James Komack. The Crucible novels have an Admiral Westervliet Komack (implying that Komack and Westervliet are the same character).

The first three books are definitely part of the Novelverse, so is this a continuity error or are they all supposed to be separate characters?

 

[DGCatAniSiri]

An 'Admiral Komack' was seen in a couple of episodes of TOS, with no first name given. In text commentary, the Okudas gave his first name as 'James,' which was referenced in Star Trek 09. The same actor later portrayed Admiral Westervliet in 'For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky,' and was intentionally given different hair and make-up when he did so, seemingly to indicate that he was a different character.

So yeah, it's probably meant to just be the same character across the continuity and just had some writers stumbling over each other in the process.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Komack was the only admiral Starfleet had in the TOS era who wasn't either incompetent or evil, so they ended up cloning him a few times.

IIRC, the "James" is named after James Komack, who directed (at least?) one TOS episode. "Byron" is from the actor who portrayed Komack, Byron Morrow. Not sure if "Franklin" comes from anything specific.

I personally never cared for the "Westervliet Komack" idea, but YMMV.

Interestingly, one of the older reference books (Star Trek Compendium maybe?) claimed that the Talos IV order in "The Menagerie" was signed by Robert L. Comack. However, Memory Alpha claims it's actually Robert L. Comsol. Even with the HD screencap, I can't tell who is right, because that area of the report is out of focus. But since they mention Comsol by name in the same episode, I'm guessing MA is correct...

 

[Extrocomp]

So yeah, it's probably meant to just be the same character across the continuity and just had some writers stumbling over each other in the process.

Actually, Where Time Stands Still, Open Secrets and What Judgments Come were all written by Dayton Ward.

 

[urbandefault]

Wouldn't that be "Admirals Komack"? I can never tell which is right.

 

[The Wormhole]

The name James Komack appears on screen in Trek XI, making that I guess the closest thing we have to official in this matter.

 

[Dukhat]

I can understand this kind of discontinuity with the older Trek novels. But if these are all newer ones, perhaps this is just an in-joke among the writers. Maybe Greg or Christopher can confirm this.

 

[Idran]

Interestingly, one of the older reference books (Star Trek Compendium maybe?) claimed that the Talos IV order in "The Menagerie" was signed by Robert L. Comack. However, Memory Alpha claims it's actually Robert L. Comsol. Even with the HD screencap, I can't tell who is right, because that area of the report is out of focus. But since they mention Comsol by name in the same episode, I'm guessing MA is correct...

It's a little blurry, but that last letter is definitely an "l", not a "k".

 

[JonnyQuest037]

The Crucible novels have an Admiral Westervliet Komack (implying that Komack and Westervliet are the same character).

It's important to remember that the Crucible trilogy is explicitly out of continuity with any of the other Trek novels, so it seems likely that David George III intentionally chose to give Admiral Komack a different first name than any of the other books did.

Of the existing names given to the TOS character, I most like "Admiral Byron Komack."

 

[Avro Arrow]

It's a little blurry, but that last letter is definitely an "l", not a "k".

It almost looks like there are seven letters, though, instead of six, in both the signature and the typed version of the name? Maybe it is still "Comsol", but spelled differently? (Or maybe I'm just reading it wrong. )

As for the many Komacks, though... there are families that seem to make Starfleet a family tradition, eg - Kirks, Sulus, Garrovicks, Romaines, and especially Parises. Maybe all the Komacks are different characters, and they all have the same last name because they are actually related. (Didn't one of the numbered TOS novels give Jose Mendez an admiral brother?)

 

[Christopher]

It almost looks like there are seven letters, though, instead of six, in both the signature and the typed version of the name? Maybe it is still "Comsol", but spelled differently? (Or maybe I'm just reading it wrong. )

Looks like Comsol to me.

(Didn't one of the numbered TOS novels give Jose Mendez an admiral brother?)

Bloodthirst by J.M. Dillard, IIRC.

 

[Extrocomp]

Strangely, Memory Beta considers Byron, James and Westervliet to be the same character, while Franklin is considered to be a separate character.

It's actually really common for a character to get different first names in different books. Alden has 4, Commodore Stone has 4, Lieutenant DeSalle has 3, Admiral Gardner has 3, Ensign Garrovick has 3, Lieutenant Commander Giotto has 3, Lieutenant Hawk has 3, Kirk's father has 3, Lieutenant Kyle has 3, Lieutenant Leslie has 3, Admiral Morrow has 3, Dr. Nichols has 3, Lieutenant Rahda has 3, Captain Styles has 3, Sulu's mother has 3, the Gorn Captain has 3, Lieutenant Commander Argyle has 2, Lieutenant Bartel has 2, Dr. Boyce has 2, Chekov's father has 2, Chekov's mother has 2, Lieutenant D'Amato has 2, Padraig Daniels has 2, Commodore Decker has 2, the captain of the Defiant has 2, Chief DiFalco has 2, Dulmur has 2, Lucsly has 2, Michael Eddington has 2, Lieutenant Eiger has 2, Gerron has 2, Captain Harris has 2, Major Hayes has 2, Kirk's mother has 2, Lieutenant Latimer has 2, Admiral Leyton has 2, Lieutenant Commander MacDougal has 2, Dr. M'Benga has 2, McCoy's father has 2, McCoy's mother has 2, McCoy's daughter has 2, Admiral Nakamura has 2, the Odyssey First Officer has 2, Pike's father has 2, Dr. Piper has 2, Pitcairn has 2, Captain Robau has 2, Scotty's mother has 2, Stevens has 2, Lieutenant Stiles has 2, Hikaru Sulu has 2, Sulu's father has 2, Lieutenant Valtane has 2, Lieutenant Washburn has 2 and Worf's adoptive brother has 2.

But as far as I can tell, Komack is the only example where the different names came from the same writer(s). Anyone know how to get in contact with Dayton Ward or Kevin Dilmore?

 

[Stevil2001]

Both are friendly and active on facebook; Dayton also has a blog.

 

[E-DUB]

Semi-humorous digression. On the forum page the post was truncated to "How many Admiral Komacks" and my immediate thought was "does it take to change a light bulb?"

 

[Idran]

Strangely, Memory Beta considers Byron, James and Westervliet to be the same character, while Franklin is considered to be a separate character.

Eh, I can understand the reasoning. They wanted to combine them all into a single "Komack" article (as MB does), but from the article on James Komack:

In addition, in Open Secrets there is another Admiral, Franklin Komack. It is possible they are meant to be the same character - but events in a later Vanguard novel, What Judgments Come, in which James Komack launches an action on the station concerning Diego Reyes, and it is not mentioned that he had sat on the court martial of Reyes, suggest otherwise (unless Dayton Ward, the author of both Open Secrets and What Judgments Come, has said otherwise?).

It's more likely he just mixed up the first name, it's happened before even for Treklit OCs, but I can see erring on the side of caution. Sometimes MA or MB make weird choices, but this one I get.

 

[Therin of Andor]

However, Memory Alpha claims it's actually Robert L. Comsol. Even with the HD screencap, I can't tell who is right, because that area of the report is out of focus. But since they mention Comsol by name in the same episode, I'm guessing MA is correct...

He became a person thanks to some recent novels, but I had always interpreted the "COMSOL" sign-off, as read out by Uhura (and written that way in a Blish adaptation, IIRC), to be like the telegraph message sign-offs in "The Caine Mutiny", which I had to read as a prescribed text in high school.

I had assumed COMSOL was shorthand for "Commander, Sol System".

 

[JonnyQuest037]

He became a person thanks to some recent novels, but I had always interpreted the "COMSOL" sign-off, as read out by Uhura (and written that way in a Blish adaptation, IIRC), to be like the telegraph message sign-offs in "The Caine Mutiny", which I had to read as a prescribed text in high school.

I had assumed COMSOL was shorthand for "Commander, Sol System".

Oh, I like that!

 

[Idran]

No, the signature was always on the Talos IV order, it just wasn't as easy to read until the remastering. He was always supposed to be a person (unless the propmaster also got it wrong). But it wasn't from the novels, no.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Oh, I like that!

UHURA [OC]: Captain Kirk is here by relieved. You are ordered to assume command of the Enterprise. Disable vessel if necessary to prevent further contact. Message signed ComSol, Starfleet Command.

It is even rendered that way here:
http://www.chakoteya.net/StarTrek/16.htm\\

Also,
"COMSOL Script is a numerical computing and programming environment..." (Wikipedia)

Oh, and from the Memory Alpha discussion page:

ComSol who??

In "The Menagerie, Part I," Uhura relayed a fleet signal to Commodore Mendez relieving Captain Kirk. The signal is signed by "ComSol, Starfleet Command." Who --and what-- is ComSol? Is this a fleet connected to Earth? If so, could Fleet Captain Pike have been the Captain of that Fleet, similar to the Royal Navy practice of having a captain of the fleet under a flag officer? --Alan del Beccio for IP 68.85.136.70.

Now to respond. The Star Trek Concordance, speculates that it is an abbreviation for "Commander, Solar Forces", but nothing else can much be said about the reference. --Alan del Beccio 18:16, 27 Aug 2005 (UTC)

The closeup of the sealed "General Order 7" shows a signature by someone called "Comsol." Speculation aside, TOS was done in a hurry, under duress (what tv show isn't?), so the details of the classified doc are, pardon the pun, probably doctored up by the propmaster. In 1967, what expectation could there have been for somone to actually read the little signature? Kojiro Vance | Talk 20:52, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Look at "Robert L. Comsol" for a discussion on the canonicity of the Admiral. (For what it's worth, I take your point; for MA purposes, though, it appears that ComSol is Comsol --and I have no good canon argument contra. --GNDN 03:25, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

No, the signature was always on the Talos IV order, it just wasn't as easy to read until the remastering. He was always supposed to be a person (unless the propmaster also got it wrong). But it wasn't from the novels, no.

I'm saying that when this issue was discussed here about a year ago, people were pointing out that it wasn't clear he was a person until a novelist clarified it in a novel. I assume the image of the sign-off was unclear until the Blu-Rays?

 

[Christopher]

I established Robert Comsol as the head of Starfleet during TOS (in Forgotten History) because that's quite clearly legible on the "Menagerie" HD screencap on Memory Alpha. The Concordance's interpretation of it as an abbreviation was an error, like its mistaken references to "Dr. Joseph Boyce" and to the Enterprise as a "Constellation-class" ship.