Kira in charge of the Defiant

[LobsterAfternoon]

There are a few episodes where we see Kira command the Defiant when Sisko isn't on board. This sorta strikes me as odd. While clearly Kira is a gifted soldier and a talented leader, shouldn't she generally be staffing DS9? I can understand having her on board for a given mission where her expertise may be needed, but the frequency of her time on the Defiant seems odd, especially once Worf showed up at the station.

 

[Caesar753]

This always struck me as strange. Her role on DS9 makes perfect sense, since the station was Bajoran territory which was run by the Federation. The Defiant, however, was a Federation starship, and one would think that Kira would have not authority there.

 

[Tosk]

She's still Sisko's 2IC though. It'd be weirder if Kira's authority evaporated the moment she stepped on board Defiant.

 

[C.E. Evans]

As XO, Kira could command DS9 and deal with Starfleet in Sisko's absence, so why not Defiant?

 

[R. Star]

Struck me as weird too. Her authority is really only present in the Bajoran system. Her job wasn't ever even described as Xo, but liaison officer. That does include dealing with allied governments regarding the station.

It would be like having a British officer commanding a US ship during world war 2 just because they're allies.

 

[C.E. Evans]

The thing is that Defiant was assigned to DS9, and as such was a part of the station's vehicle inventory. There were no problems with Kira taking out and commanding the other Starfleet-built vehicles there prior to its arrival.

 

[R. Star]

Yeah... just because the US deployed a carrier group in Australia during WW2 doesn't mean one of their officers gets to stroll onto the deck of the Enterprise and command it.

 

[T'Girl]

As XO, Kira could command DS9 and deal with Starfleet in Sisko's absence, so why not Defiant?

Commanding a starship is a position you train for, but Kira never did. Kira is a ground soldier assigned to a administration job.

 

[Roboturner913]

There is a scene somewhere mid-series where Sisko tells her he could easily get her a Starfleet commission if she wanted one; indicating that she is very trusted even by the admiralty.

Besides, Kira piloted runabouts on numerous occasions before the Defiant came along. You'd assume there was some kind of training/certification program through Starfleet at some point.

It's more believable than a 15-year-old kid flying the Federation flagship, or a noncom being chief engineer of maybe the most important station in the Federation.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Yeah... just because the US deployed a carrier group in Australia during WW2 doesn't mean one of their officers gets to stroll onto the deck of the Enterprise and command it.

Not remotely the same situation, though. With DS9, you had a facility operated jointly by Starfleet and Bajoran forces.

As XO, Kira could command DS9 and deal with Starfleet in Sisko's absence, so why not Defiant?

Commanding a starship is a position you train for, but Kira never did.

Given how easily Kira commanded the Defiant, I'd say that Kira did receive command training sometime earlier.

Kira is a ground soldier assigned to a administration job.

And Sisko was an engineer assigned to an administration job; it appeared that both had command training somewhere between those jobs (Sisko on different ships, Kira in the Bajoran Militia)

There is a scene somewhere mid-series where Sisko tells her he could easily get her a Starfleet commission if she wanted one; indicating that she is very trusted even by the admiralty.

Besides, Kira piloted runabouts on numerous occasions before the Defiant came along. You'd assume there was some kind of training/certification program through Starfleet at some point.

It's more believable than a 15-year-old kid flying the Federation flagship, or a noncom being chief engineer of maybe the most important station in the Federation.

Exactly. But I think in the case of that noncom, DS9 wasn't originally considered that important an assignment and the operations chief billet didn't warrant anyone higher (during the Dominion War, O'Brien may even have been offered an officer's commission off-screen but turned it down).

 

[MacLeod]

Well Sisko was the first officer of the USS Saratoga, so we know he had command experiance, he might have started off in Engineering though.

 

[JarodRussell]

This always struck me as strange. Her role on DS9 makes perfect sense, since the station was Bajoran territory which was run by the Federation. The Defiant, however, was a Federation starship, and one would think that Kira would have not authority there.

She has when Sisko says so.

 

[Timo]

And that's pretty much it - Sisko said so because he wanted to send a message.

Say, in "Sons of Mogh", we have "Hey, Klingons! Don't be fooled into thinking Bajor is not under Starfleet protection just because it's not an UFP member. I can give Bajorans full control of state of the art weaponry any time I so choose. And now I so choose.". The more such a thing goes against Starfleet regulations or common sense, the more powerful the message...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[wingsabre]

I think what stands out more is when the DS9 crew leaves on the Defiant, they essentially left the command structure at the station empty. I'm sure there's a secondary crew and other senior staff on the station that's not part of the main cast, but from my perspective none of the senior staff remained to deal with possible emergencies.

 

[C.E. Evans]

It could be said that when they leave on Defiant, they are dealing with an emergency situation with the station left in the hands of a competent junior staff that does have the ability to hold things together until they return.

 

[Cmdr.Druss]

Isn't there an episode where Worf wants to go and search for Sisko and Kira refuses. They have an exchange that sort of goes:
KIRA: "When Sisko's not here Im in command of DS9"
WORF: "And when Sisko's not here I am in command of the Defiant"

 

[C.E. Evans]

^^^
I don't recall Kira and Worf ever having a conversation like that.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Given that Starfleet is at DS9 by invitation of Bajor, the structure of command would be determined by diplomatic arrangement, not Starfleet standards, at least if it followed the pattern of contemporary international military forces. Being that the Defiant is a station asset, Kira should at least have the right to determine how and when it is used-whether or not it leaves on a mission--when Sisko is not around.

 

[MacLeod]

It all depends is the Defiant assigned to the station or to Sisko?

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Can Sisko have two separate commands? Wouldn't Bajor have say if a ship were regularly berthed at the station?