Sulu didn't 'go' command track; he was already there. The same thing applies to Tom Paris (Flight Control Officer, which was the original position he held on Voyager) is also a command track position, and was the evolution of the position of Helmsman.
I realise that that's been established on the show. But in a way that's the part that makes the
least sense. A major part of command is the ability to manage and lead your crew, and the Pilot position is the one role that has absolutely no experience in that area.
Every other senior staff member is the head of a department - sciences, medical, engineering, security - and has at least some command experience in their management of junior staff. The pilot has no such experience. Why on Earth would you give a command position to someone who has only ever sat in a chair pushing buttons and has never had to actually, you know,
command anyone?
(apologies for the thread derailment.)
It's not inconceivable that, although Prynn was assigned directly to the Defiant, she couldn't have eventually been transferred to a position aboard the station directly, nor is it inconceivable that, as other characters (Geordi, Worf, Dax, Bowers) have done before her, she could have transferred to a completely different duty track as she advanced in rank.
Prynn has shown some engineering aptitude - rebuilding a smashed transporter in
Twilight for example - so yes, it's possible she could transfer. But I maintain that, once you've reached Alpha Shift Conn Officer, there's really nowhere else to go in that position
without transferring.
.
