Provisional ranks

[Unicron]

I was curious about something recently. In "Caretaker" Paris received a field commission of lieutenant when he was assigned as the helm/conn officer, yet the Maquis officers all had provisional rank insignia. Wouldn't it have made more sense (at least later on in the series) to give them similar field commissions since it was obvious the ship would take a long time to get back home?

I realize the main point of this originally was to distinguish Maquis from Starfleet, but since this distinction disappeared pretty quickly anyway it wouldn't matter.

 

[serdogthehound]

I think this was because Paris was an ancdemy grad and had held a Starfleet commision before his crime.That only leve we did Chcoata have pips?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Chakotay was also a graduate.

The real issue is that Tom had his sentence commuted for helping Janeway hunt down these dirty maquis criminals, but the Dirty Maquis Criminals had jail time waiting for them for there various crimes against the Federation including mass murder.

 

[Unicron]

True, but did any of that make a huge difference in terms of Voyager's mission to get home, and the fact that the merged crew was to be treated as a Starfleet one? Ultimately any reflections on the past actions of the Maquis would be meaningless until the ship returned to the AQ.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Lon Suder.

Tuvok was annoyed that no one told him the Maquis were a bunch of crazies who needed constant supervision.

In Before and After when Kathryn died and Chuckles became captain. He had straight out pips.

 

[Kegek]

The Provisional Ranks were a compromise. They couldn't let the Maquis wear their own clothes, but they needed to wear something to distinguish themselves. Unfortunately, it was something nobody but uniform nerds would ever notice, I never picked up on the difference while watching Voyager until it was pointed out to me.

In-universe, though, Paris had already formally regained his Starfleet comission when he got out of jail. It's quite possible that comissioning the Maquis as full officers was beyond Janeway's privileges as captain.

 

[Guy Gardener]

O, a Captain can so do anything they want on the... Acting Ensign Weasley Crusher had a real Pip, and Icheb was taking Starfleet Extension Classes to become an officer... Did his future self in Shattered have pips or a rank badge?

I loved it when John Sheridan called himself a "Military Governer" because it said everything about his complete control over the civilian issues of his command... But in Voyager, it never really came up? Voyager was a tiny city on space, and essentially a Federation colony therefore... if Janeway had taken on those responsibilities baring any democratic issues, she would have had absolute power... That is unless, because of democratic issues that she lost the election to become the Mayor of Voyager?

 

[Sisu]

Icheb of the "future" had Pips.

http://images.wikia.com/memoryalpha/en/images/thumb/1/19/Icheb2394.jpg/200px-Icheb2394.jpg

Sisu, please don't hotlink images.

 

[Nebusj]

Kegek said:
The Provisional Ranks were a compromise. They couldn't let the Maquis wear their own clothes, but they needed to wear something to distinguish themselves.

Why couldn't they wear their own clothes?

 

[Kegek]

^
Conflict with UPN.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Eddington said... "the federation is worse than the borg, at least they tell you that you're being assimilated."

common denominator. Harmony.

Neelix looked wierd in his Uniform during year of Hell.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Guy Gardener said:
O, a Captain can so do anything they want on the... Acting Ensign Weasley Crusher had a real Pip

Wesley got a standard uniform and pip because he was given a field promotion to full Ensign by Picard in "Menage a Trois." (A behind-the-scenes decision based on the fact that Wil Wheaton looked good in the standard uniform in "Yesterday's Enterprise;" the same logic that went into giving Troi a uniform.) By all rights, Wesley should've kept his promotion and only had to go to the academy for additional training and circumventing any need for him to be reduced to a cadet/midshipman.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Am i thinking of something else? Maybe from Disaster when Picard was handing out pips in that broken turbolift to those science fair winners, but I used to be more certain that I recall Picard taking a Pip off his collar and giving it to Wesley near the beginning of season one?

Remember the crew of the Valiant? Nog should have pulled rank of those kids play acting ast Star ships.

 

[Unicron]

He definitely took his pips off during "Disaster," but I can't recall an ep where he gave one to Wesley. At least not right at the moment.

The cadets in "Valiant" seemed to have similar field commissions.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I'm starting to think I made it up.

Originally I thought the classes Tuvok was teaching were going to get some of the Maquis properly qualified to if not get pips, then at least become enlisted personal with real what ever that lot use to distinguis their ranks.

Bah Humbug.

 

[Sisu]

^ I have the same vague memory of Picard doing that to Wesley too Guy.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Well, if it did ha;pen, it happened in Where No Man has been before after Picard was told to keep Wesley warm for his boyfriend the traveler.

 

[Sisu]

Yep. When he was in his big faggy sweater that no teenager would EVER be caught wearing, and gushes to Picard, "No sir. I'll tell her later!"

 

[Guy Gardener]

The funny thing is that most every one in the 80s were unknowingly supercamp, and what they had Wesley wearing was hardly a lampoon on the modern sense of taste back then.

 

[Sisu]

Well, definately Gates McFadden's were. Was she a doctor or an American footballer? With those shoulder pads, it was hard to distinguish.