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Kirk on first name basis with (almost) every Commodore

Shockingly, I've heard that in the United States military subordinates sometimes call superior officers by their first names too.
When I was a USCG Seaman (E-3), I was stationed in a five-person Marine Safety Detachment. My shipmates were a Petty Officer Third Class (E-4), two Petty Officers First Class (E-6), and our commander, who was a Lieutenant (O-3). Since we were such a small team, the LT gave everyone permission to call each other by first names (except the LT. He was always referred to as Lieutenant or Sir.). This was when we were working together, just us.

If we participated in operations with other units, we would use ranks and courtesies.
 
When I was a USCG Seaman (E-3), I was stationed in a five-person Marine Safety Detachment. My shipmates were a Petty Officer Third Class (E-4), two Petty Officers First Class (E-6), and our commander, who was a Lieutenant (O-3). Since we were such a small team, the LT gave everyone permission to call each other by first names (except the LT. He was always referred to as Lieutenant or Sir.). This was when we were working together, just us.

If we participated in operations with other units, we would use ranks and courtesies.

Thanks so much for your service. That story lines up perfectly, not surprisingly. And as you get higher up in rank, an O-6 addressing an O-7 by the latter's first name if the two know each other personally isn't at all shocking.
 
How is Kirk on a first name basis with nearly every Commodore seen in TOS all of them are clearly more seasoned and older but somehow this young Captain doesn't refer to them with any military courtesy save for Commodore Stone and Barstow.

He pretty much crapped all over Commodore Stocker. He never called him by his first name and either addressed him by rank or referred to him by his last name.
 
How is Kirk on a first name basis with nearly every Commodore seen in TOS all of them are clearly more seasoned and older but somehow this young Captain doesn't refer to them with any military courtesy save for Commodore Stone and Barstow.
Because the series wanted to show that Kirk was both well-liked throughout the fleet and friendly with those particular Commodores, and them being on a first-name basis was the easiest & most efficient way to show that.
 
Khan: "Of course, we are one big happy fleet."

How many Commadores in the human part of starfleet? A couple of dozen maybe, Kirk knew and was friend with them coming up through the ranks, served with them In the junior ranks, even been in the academy with some.
 
How many Commadores in the human part of starfleet? A couple of dozen maybe, Kirk knew and was friend with them coming up through the ranks, served with them In the junior ranks, even been in the academy with some.
As upperclassmen, maybe. As TOS generally implied that Kirk rose through the ranks fairly quickly to become Captain at a young age, and I can't recall ever seeing a Commodore who was a contemporary of Kirk's, I would imagine that most every Commodore we saw on TOS has been in Starfleet for longer than Kirk.
 
In the "real military", officers OFTEN call each other by their first names when talking to each other, especially in the higher ranks. In "formal" situations, then it's "Sir" and "Captain Jones".

Officers are just military gentry, after all. They are all members of the same "social club".
 
Khan: "Of course, we are one big happy fleet."

How many Commadores in the human part of starfleet? A couple of dozen maybe, Kirk knew and was friend with them coming up through the ranks, served with them In the junior ranks, even been in the academy with some.

The human part of Starfleet?
 
He pretty much crapped all over Commodore Stocker. He never called him by his first name and either addressed him by rank or referred to him by his last name.
I never got the impression that Stocker knew anyone from the Enterprise crew before the events of "The Deadly Years." So what we're seeing is just professional respect, but no particular personal relationship. But considering how that episode ended, I'm sure that Kirk and Stocker were friendlier with each other after that.
 
Also- Starfleet isn’t identical in function or tradition to the Earth militaries of 300 years
identical no, but as seen many of the customs and courtesies are on the british/american naval model.
The human part of Starfleet?
the part with mostly humans, english language, naval traditions. the enterprise d's conferance room had only human historical ship models on the wall.
 
Kirk called Captain Pike Chris so I wonder how they knew each other. Perhaps if I watched Discovery I will find out.
Well Kirk didn't know Captain Garth.
Spock, McCoy and Kirk all seemed to know the guy in charge of Cestus-3, commodore Travers and Spock also knew Commodore Wesley. Perhaps they all met at other 'War Games'
 
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