Janeway's Rise to Captain

[c0rnedfr0g]

It was mentioned several times that Janeway had been a Science Officer. I assumed this meant her career mirrored Spock's, in that she was promoted to Captain while still in the Science Dept. However, she has also mentioned going to Starfleet Command School.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Starfleet_Command_School

Anyone know the whole story? Or has anyone written about it at least?

 

[-Brett-]

I seem to recall an episode establishing that her father was an admiral.

Between that and her incompetence, I'm guessing she owes her rise in rank to nepotism.

 

[Good Will Riker]

^^^

Well, so does Carlos Estevez (Charlie Sheen), the son of Ramon Estevez, Sr. (Martin Sheen).

 

[Timo]

The whole story? Exceptionally, Memory Alpha has it more or less correctly:

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Kathryn_Janeway

Apparently, Janeway started out as a junior Science Officer, much like Spock (and much like Saavik, who also wore Sciences grey in ST3 after attending what looked like Command School in ST2).

The little episode about her "first command" apparently didn't deal with command of a starship, but rather with a short-duration command of a specific mission - perhaps an away team or somesuch. She probably held a rank of Lieutenant or lower at that point, so that Tuvok could dress her down.

The bit about her being a Commander in charge of away teams aboard the Billings might indicate she had made XO, but the SO might also have that sort of responsibility. Nothing in her backstory would absolutely require one or the other.

It is implied that the Voyager was her first starship command, but AFAIK never made explicit. It also seems that the promotion to command was more or less simultaneous with the promotion to Captain rank. We just don't have the details. It's quite possible Janeway already wore red from her Billings posting, but it's equally possible she wore blue - or perhaps mirrored Spock and sat on two chairs, wearing one or the other of the colors.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[voyagerfan]

I'd say two departments as when she was stuck on the planet trying to find a cure, Tuvok said about "The captain is a very able scientist"

 

[kimc]

Anyone know the whole story? Or has anyone written about it at least?

The book "Mosaic" which was at one time canon then became de-canonized once Jeri Taylor left the show gives a complete backstory on Janeway and is referred to often in the first half of the series (father was an admiral, she played tennis, etc.)

 

[kimc]

Between that and her incompetence, I'm guessing she owes her rise in rank to nepotism.

No more "flybys". If you believe Janeway was incompetent or gained rank through nepotism then back it up. Otherwise you're trolling. Do it again and you'll get a warning.

 

[Tom]

The bigger question is how she rose to a 3 pip (vice?) admiral so fast!!

 

[McCoy]

Political.

After getting her ship home over 70K ly's in only 7 years, she would have been regarded as a hero by the average joe. The brass would keep most of the specifics classified. Especially the negative ones, since the Federation would still be rebuilding after the Dominion War. What better way to attract new recruits to a battered service than to hold up such a person as a paragon of Starfleet.

I expect that having been virtually hollowed out, and reminded how easy it is to come across people who want to kill you for no good reason, an officer like Janeway, willing to do whatever it takes for her people, would be rewarded rather than punished for her situational ethics.

Wouldn't surprise me if she were eventually approached by Section 31.

And this is coming from someone who loves Janeway, by the way.

 

[USS Excelsior]

It is also implied that she may have been promoted prior to taking command of Voyager. When she mentioned that Dr. Zimmerman used to call her Captain Jane and said he probably did that just to get on her nerves.

 

[Timo]

The bigger question is how she rose to a 3 pip (vice?) admiral so fast!!

It isn't all that out of the place in real militaries. A flag officer's rank is often dependent on his or her position - or rather, certain positions call for a certain rank, and promotion to that rank is dictated by the demands of the positions to be filled. That's where "Rear Admiral, Lower Half" comes from: these people are at the lower half of the list of people to be promoted ASAP when a real working position opens up, and such a promotion may well be by a leap over several ranks.

Janeway might well have skipped the two-pip flag rank when the position of CinCRom or whatever opened up and called for a Vice Admiral. Basically, she might yet become a two-pipper if her next assignment called for that, or a four-pipper if she got an even more prestigious appointment.

Timo Saloniemi