Starfleet is a Space Navy (military fleet)

[fireproof78]

Without the rules of the universe, Star Trek may as well be Generic Sci-Fi Universe #314.

Great! I've got the title for my next book.

I actually made this exact point five (six? seven?) pages ago. It works very well for TOS at least, where you ca conclude that all the guys in the yellow shirts are military while the reds are non-military government agencies and the blues are from NGOs or science specialists. It doesn't work as nicely for TNG since they alot of officers switch colors when they change specialties or get promoted, and because the red/command colors of TNG don't appear to be focussed on the military aspect (the yellow shirts do, because they do most of the combat and tactical planning, e.g. Yar and Worf). So there's a lot of overlap in the spinoffs that makes that differentiation tricky.

Possibly due to field promotions? Inserting a non-military/command officer in to the chain of command?

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

A sentence which defines the Navy as separate to the military please note.

naval
neɪ.vəl / neɪ.vəl
adjective

belonging to a country's navy, or relating to military ships.

 

[BillJ]

Actually, quite the opposite:

So you really think that they would send a scientist to decide whether or not the galaxy would go to war?

RAND: We finally received an answer from Command base, sir. They say they'll support whatever decision you have to make.

Do you also believe they would send scientist/explorers on espionage missions into enemy territory?

I wouldn't put too much stock into that writer's bible. It also says a Captain wouldn't be snuggling his Yeoman during a tense battle, but it happens in "Balance of Terror".

 

[GabyBee]

So you really think that they would send a scientist to decide whether or not the galaxy would go to war?

Perhaps fewer wars would occur if such a thing were to take place.

 

[Prax]

conscript

[verb kuh n-skript; noun, adjective kon-skript]
verb (used with object)

to draft for military or naval service.

Interesting. Does Picard or Gene or any writer ever state that Starfleet is not a Naval Service?

As for the Reserve reactivation clause, that is something taken directly from the military. You people are being intellectually dishonest by trying to fit it elsewhere.

 

[GabyBee]

Interesting. Does Picard or Gene or any writer ever state that Starfleet is not a Naval Service?

"Starfleet is not a military organization" ~ Jean-Luc Picard

 

[fireproof78]

Perhaps fewer wars would occur if such a thing were to take place.

Based upon what?

 

[BillJ]

"Starfleet is not a military organization" ~ Jean-Luc Picard

If Picard said Earth's daytime sky was always black, would we then have to concede it is black even though we've seen Earth and know that isn't the case?

 

[Prax]

"Starfleet is not a military organization" ~ Jean-Luc Picard

Are you just assuming a naval service is the military? The US Navy existed for 150+ years as separate from the military, as with every other power

 

[GabyBee]

If Picard said Earth's daytime sky was always black, would we then have to concede it is black even though we've seen Earth and know that isn't the case?

If Sisko said that Earth's nighttime sky was always blue, would we then have to concede it is blue even though we've seen Earth and know that isn't the case?

 

[BillJ]

If Sisko said that Earth's nighttime sky was always blue, would we then have to concede it is blue even though we've seen Earth and know that isn't the case?

Always nice to watch people dance away from a question.

 

[GabyBee]

Are you just assuming a naval service is the military? The US Navy existed for 150+ years as separate from the military, as with every other power

So you are saying that Starfleet is a non-military navy organization?

Always nice to watch people dance away from a question.

No, I'm just pointing out a ridiculous straw-man fallacy.

 

[Prax]

"Military" comes from the Latin "Miles" or "Militia" and refers to soldier(army) marching. It's where we get "miles" as in marching for miles. The Roman Army built the roads and place mile markers. They used the roads to march great distances quickly.

 

[Prax]

I am willing to forgo "Military" and use "Naval Service" or "SciFiSpaceNavy" as an alternative descriptor.

 

[GabyBee]

How about just use "Starfleet" as the most accurate descriptor?

 

[fireproof78]

A combined service, filling both exploration and combat roles.

 

[GabyBee]

A combined service, filling both exploration and combat roles.

Starfleet

 

[fireproof78]

'Tis what I said. I was defining my terms.

 

[Tallguy]

A military's primary purpose is to fight a war, whether real or theoretical.

If that is Starfleet's secondary or even tertiary purpose (it's in there somewhere, they arm for it, they train for it), would that make it not a military?

If Starfleet's primary purpose is exploration then why is that primary purpose subsumed into it's lesser purpose EVERY time? (They never say "We can't fight this war now, we have strange new worlds to go to!")

Yes, Roddenberry, Pegg, etc. have said Starfleet isn't a military. But that not-a-military will kick your ass and kill your friends and family if you cross them better than any organization in space.

Nobody objects to the behavior. They object to the word.

Given this, we should arm NASA to the freaking teeth. But call it exploratory.

 

[GabyBee]

Starfleet still conducts quite extensive exploration missions during times of conflict. This was seen in the Cardassian, Tzenkethi, and yes, even the Dominion War.