Kosinski - rank pins and combadge mystery

[CoveTom]

The communicators were, unfortunately, a victim of the inconsistent Trek technology. There was never a consistency to whether or not intra-ship communication was handled by comm badge, comm panel, or just used the same interface that they use to talk to the computer. In one episode, a character will hit their comm badge to signal the bridge. In another, they'll go to a computer panel in the corridor. In another, they just announce who they want to talk to and the computer seems to understand and route it.

So who knows if a comm badge would be necessary or not on a starbase?

 

[sbk1234]

I always thought of him as a civilian with some sort of honorary Starfleet status. However, Starfleet still wanted to keep him somewhat restricted, so he wasn't given a combadge. Perhaps that would limit him from top secret areas, or whatnot.
Of course, other security breeches, like that Klingon in The Drumhead had a communicator, so I guess there's some inconsistency in my explanaition.
Oh, well. So it goes.

 

[Vanyel]

Indeed: "Starfleet expert on propulsion" and "expert on Starfleet propulsion" would be two different things, but perhaps both would be expressed by "Starfleet propulsion expert"?

The thing is, Starfleet would have very little need for "warrant officers" or other such civilian helpers who get a "play rank" so that they can interact with the military and lift military pay. It seems that Starfleet's own officers are highly trained academicians all (or nearly all), and they choose to dedicate themselves to a military career instead of just doing contract work for a defined or undefined period of time. If somebody warrants a, well, warrant, then he or she must be really special...

On the other hand, civilian geniuses seem to do work for Starfleet without having to play costume games: e.g. Daystrom never integrated into the Fleet organization, even if he wore Starfleet-looking coveralls (over a nonstandard shirt) for the mission in "The Ultimate Computer". Kosinski's assistant is in civvies, too. All the stranger, then, that Kosinski would wear a uniform.

Timo Saloniemi

Don't forget Leah Brahms who was Senior Design Engineer of the Theoretical Propulsion Group in Galaxy's child. She never wore a Starfleet uniform of any kind. Granted she only "realy" appeared in one episode; and was Geodrie's altered version in Booby Trap.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

The producers had no clear idea what they were doing with Starfleet rank or the military/civilian status of its members during production of at least the first dozen episodes of TNG.