In that instance, Data was being borrowed for a mission under someone else's command, which looks like that Lt. Maybe that's the reason?
Moving up in rank
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In that instance, Data was being borrowed for a mission under someone else's command, which looks like that Lt. Maybe that's the reason?
Exactly. Chain of command is not about rank, per se. A person with a rank of Lt Cmdr doesn't automatically have authority over every LT, LTjg and ENS in the fleet. They will only have authority over those Starfleet members who have placed under their command (typically, by virtue of the position (billet) they have been assigned too.) If Data is filling a billet that typically filled by a junior officer in Insurrection, he is still required to follow the orders even if the operational commander is his junior by rank. Of course usually the billets and ranks match up better than that but make no mistake, authority to give orders is mostly derived from the position you have been assigned. Unfortunately, the writers didn't always get that.
And Data outranks Geordi but you have this exchange in Deja Q:
LAFORGE: Q, get to the controls or get the hell out of here. Data, you're my liaison to the Bridge. I'll need you with me.
Q: Who does he think he is, giving me orders.
DATA: Geordi thinks he is in command here, and he is correct.
Q: Who does he think he is, giving me orders.
DATA: Geordi thinks he is in command here, and he is correct.
Actually, Data could give Geordi orders since not only is he Second Officer of the entire ship, but he has been a Lt. Cmdr. for much longer than Geordi. (Paris can order Torres in "DISPLACED" for exactly those reasons, "I'm a Bridge Officer and I have seniority.")
Data was referring to being able to order Q around in Engineering, and normally Data is fine with doing whatever Geordi says in Engineering because not only is it his department but Geordi's a pretty level headed guy. Never mind the fact they are best friends.
Data was referring to being able to order Q around in Engineering, and normally Data is fine with doing whatever Geordi says in Engineering because not only is it his department but Geordi's a pretty level headed guy. Never mind the fact they are best friends.
It's even messier on DS9. O'Brien is frequently ordering Lieutenants around, then they establish that Ensign Nog outranks him, but then Nog needs O'Brien's access code because it allows him to do more things than he can with his own code, including removing Sisk's desk from the station.
That definitely is a case of the person in charge because of the position, not the rank. Probably the best example of this in the franchise is O'Brien on DS9.
If he is operating in the capacity of Second Officer, yes. But he is not doing that here. (aside: I'm trying to recall examples where Data actually assumes that greater command scope other than when Picard and/or Riker are off the ship. Most of the time he seems to be just another department head. Second officer might not be in the direct hierarchy unless one of those two are absent.)
Regardless, "Data, you're my liaison to the Bridge. I'll need you with me" sounds like a politely worded command. Don't think so? Try it with "Captain" in place of "Data".
As I said earlier, sometimes the writers just don't get it. Besides, IIRC, Paris was just saying things to irk a Torres that was succumbing to the cold. I notice that she ignored the bridge officer part.
They keep talking about the privileges of rank, but what are these privileges. Janeway had a personal mess ut it was taken from her by Neelix. It seems like it doesn't change a lot and it adds a lot of responsibilities.
Bigger quarters, the right to boss more people around.
At that point, he's rogue and disobeying orders. If the Chief of Police starts assaulting other cops seemingly for no reason (or even depending on the reason), a BEAT COP could order him to stand down because, at that point, he's a criminal and a threat. She's not ordering him as a superior officer but as a legal authority telling a violent felon to comply OR ELSE.
That Data was RIGHT doesn't enter into it - if reviewed later, Starfleet would find that the Lieutenant acted properly on the information she had.
She should still be placed on administrative leave until a proper review has been done.
And likely was. The argument was whether she could issue a superior officer an order AT THAT TIME.
We really should do a genomewide association study on TBBS members to see if we can pin down the pedantry locus/loci.
I was making a joke. You don't have to go all eugenicist on me.
Sorry, I have the "can't always correctly spot jokers from genuine prats on the internet" allele. Homozygous.
Many veterans would assume it was the same as in their service. In the Navy, each year, qualifications and training are verified and they take an advancement exam. If they do well enough and there is room for advancement in their field, they rank up. In war time, field promotions can happen in short order, due to impressive work that stands out to the Captain.
Of course Star Trek was meant to depart from the military in many ways, and that can always be a ready explanation for any departure. I know ENS Harry Kim comes to mind often. People can joke or take offense to why he stayed in his rank for so long in spite of all kinds of great work. It seems most likely, people running the show just really loved calling him Ensign Kim. They'll say, somebody had to be the Ensign, or say he didn't really perform well. I really think they were unjustly keeping him down though. Of course in the Original series most of them stayed the same rank for 5 years. But in Voyager, other people were getting promoted all around Kim.
Most Trek characters either received promotions when appropriate, or weren't around long enough for it to matter much (TOS only went three years). The big three who were otherwise:
1. Travis Mayweather: Extremely knowledgeable, and quite competent. Deserved to make lieutenant.
2. Data: Should have made commander for saving Earth. If Beverly and Deanna could serve on Enterprise with ○○○ on collar, so could he.
1. Harry Kim. Janeway may have destroyed his career: no other starship captain is going to look at a guy who spend 7 years at ensign.
1. Travis Mayweather: Extremely knowledgeable, and quite competent. Deserved to make lieutenant.
2. Data: Should have made commander for saving Earth. If Beverly and Deanna could serve on Enterprise with ○○○ on collar, so could he.
1. Harry Kim. Janeway may have destroyed his career: no other starship captain is going to look at a guy who spend 7 years at ensign.
What's funny is the night shift... I mean why would it be any less eventful than the day shift!! Or do they think that all the ships and aliens around are also in nightshift mode!!! Silly, isn't it?
