Kirk and Starfleet. STVII
- Thread starter Dart
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Sure. In fact, most sub commanders in WWII were Lt. Commanders. Dunno about today's subs.
Well, I can understand it being a little differant in wartime, especially such a large war like the World Wars, since lots of people were getting killed all the time then and they couldn't afford to be picky in choosing COs.
But ever since, they may have changed it a bit. I still think a rank lower than Captain can command lower vessels, and Commanders can command Destroyers and Cruiser. But you have to be a Captain to command a Battleship or an Aircraft Carrier.
But ever since, they may have changed it a bit. I still think a rank lower than Captain can command lower vessels, and Commanders can command Destroyers and Cruiser. But you have to be a Captain to command a Battleship or an Aircraft Carrier.
As for whether Starfleet would give a Constitution to a Commander, we might consider the following:
-She's never established to be the biggest and baddest starship type out there. A lesser vessel sent on a demanding mission would actually be more Hornblowerish, so to speak.
-A mission of exploration might not call for the most experienced CO available. Rather, it might call for the most expendable one.
-Kirk seems to be a fairly recent addition to the Enterprise crew in "Where No Man". Perhaps he actually was an impromptu replacement for the O-6 skipper who was originally scheduled to probe beyond the rim of the galaxy?
After Kirk got promoted all the way up to a rank befitting the Starfleet Chief of Operations at a very young age, it may be that further promotions were put on hold. Mere years-at-rank or good performance would not bump him up from Rear Admiral to Vice Admiral during his tenure as instructor, not when Starfleet tried to "compensate" for his early skyrocketing - possibly a major reason for his frustration in ST2?
Timo Saloniemi
-She's never established to be the biggest and baddest starship type out there. A lesser vessel sent on a demanding mission would actually be more Hornblowerish, so to speak.
-A mission of exploration might not call for the most experienced CO available. Rather, it might call for the most expendable one.
-Kirk seems to be a fairly recent addition to the Enterprise crew in "Where No Man". Perhaps he actually was an impromptu replacement for the O-6 skipper who was originally scheduled to probe beyond the rim of the galaxy?
After Kirk got promoted all the way up to a rank befitting the Starfleet Chief of Operations at a very young age, it may be that further promotions were put on hold. Mere years-at-rank or good performance would not bump him up from Rear Admiral to Vice Admiral during his tenure as instructor, not when Starfleet tried to "compensate" for his early skyrocketing - possibly a major reason for his frustration in ST2?
Timo Saloniemi
It could also be linked to death and retirement of those above him.
In the Royal Navy you could get promoted to captain at any age (as low as 19), but once you were a captain your promotion to admiral was simply dependent on those above you in the list dying or retiring. There was no other way to advance, unless you were given the temporary rank of Commodore.
That meant in times of peace that you got a fair amount of career congestion.
In the Royal Navy you could get promoted to captain at any age (as low as 19), but once you were a captain your promotion to admiral was simply dependent on those above you in the list dying or retiring. There was no other way to advance, unless you were given the temporary rank of Commodore.
That meant in times of peace that you got a fair amount of career congestion.
Hey, here's a thought for kicking over the chess board:
The Nexus is supposed to let you live your deepest fantasies. What are Kirk's? I suggest he's happiest when he's being Torn between Duty and His Life. He falls into depressive fits about this in ``Balance of Terror'', in ``The Ultimate Computer'', in The Motion Picture, in The Wrath of Khan. There's touches of it in ``Shore Leave'', in ``The Paradise Syndrome'' ... all over the place, really.
So what does the Nexus give Kirk? The fantasy of being torn between his private life and the lover he can't ever have (note that she's never where he can even see her clearly!), versus the call of duty wanting him back. It's not Antonia he wants; it's the experience of being torn between Antonia and Enterprise!
No, I don't buy it either; honestly, all things considered, I'd rather we disregarded the ``78 Years Later'' tag for the people who do insist on working out detailed chronologies, since the chronologies work much more easily and sensibly when there's more ambiguity in the timing.
The Nexus is supposed to let you live your deepest fantasies. What are Kirk's? I suggest he's happiest when he's being Torn between Duty and His Life. He falls into depressive fits about this in ``Balance of Terror'', in ``The Ultimate Computer'', in The Motion Picture, in The Wrath of Khan. There's touches of it in ``Shore Leave'', in ``The Paradise Syndrome'' ... all over the place, really.
So what does the Nexus give Kirk? The fantasy of being torn between his private life and the lover he can't ever have (note that she's never where he can even see her clearly!), versus the call of duty wanting him back. It's not Antonia he wants; it's the experience of being torn between Antonia and Enterprise!
No, I don't buy it either; honestly, all things considered, I'd rather we disregarded the ``78 Years Later'' tag for the people who do insist on working out detailed chronologies, since the chronologies work much more easily and sensibly when there's more ambiguity in the timing.
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