Typical Rank Promotion Trajectory

[Enterprise1701]

Star Trek Online isn't the greatest example of logical storytelling, but Commander. Naomi Wildman is the commanding officer of Deep Space Station K-7 in 2409/2410.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

When you think of it, Sisko was both the "Captain" of a Starbase and a ship while he was still a Commander. But he was clearly in his thirties at the time.

Although one wonders if he'd have made captain faster had his career not stalled somewhat after his wife's death. About three years passed between Wolf 359 and the events of "Emissary," during which Sisko was promoted to full commander--might he have been promoted to captain sooner had he been serving aboard a starship instead of running Utopia Planitia?

--Sran

 

[The Wormhole]

Is there any evidence, canon or otherwise of this?

Yes, there is, in "Tapestry." Q says that Picard "took charge of the Stargazer's bridge when its captain was killed." Which means he must've been aboard the ship as a junior officer at the time.

In fact, doesn't the Stargazer novel series have him as a full Captain?

Its "pilot" novel, The Valiant, depicts the event described in the above quote. Picard starts out as the second officer, but the captain and first officer are killed very early in his tenure and he's forced to take over. An ongoing thread in the novel series is Picard's conflict with an admiral who doesn't believe Picard deserves the command he's prematurely earned.

Yeah, I know all that. Disco was saying the following:

Picard commanded the Stargazer as Commander before he was made Captain.

And

He was a Captain at the end of his tenure commanding the Stargazer but not at the start.

What I'm asking is, is there any proof that when Picard first took command of the Stargazer, as its official, Starfleet assigned commanding officer, his rank was anything lower than a full captain? To my knowledge, we only know he served on the ship at a lower rank, not that he held a rank other than Captain when he was placed in permanent command.

 

[Christopher]

^No, as far as I recall, the SGZ novels didn't say that Picard officially commanded the ship at commander rank. I misread the second quote -- I took it to mean that Picard wasn't a captain at the beginning of his service aboard the Stargazer, but I see now it said he wasn't a captain at the beginning of his command tenure.

 

[cultcross]

Tryla Scott made captain younger than anyone in Starfleet history (and wasn't shy about it).

Actually, Picard's dialogue goes like this:

PICARD: Tryla Scott. It's said you made Captain faster than anyone in Starfleet history, present company included. Are you that good?

Making Captain faster than anyone else isn't necessarily the same thing as making Captain younger than anyone else.

Tryla Scott could've entered Starfleet later than most or just looked young for her age. Without more definitive information about her & her career, we don't know what age she actually made Captain, just that it took her less time than anyone else.

This is a good point - The police here in the UK have recently decided to recruit a 'fast track' programme which will accelerate joiners through the first three ranks to Inspector (equiv. to a US police Lt) in 3 years; this will mean (as the law has changed to allow it) they will definitely be the youngest in service length terms ever to hold those ranks. 'Fastest', to borrow Picard's word. However, they won't necessarily be younger in age than others in that rank.

I wonder if Starfleet has a 'fast track' programme?

 

[hux]

Doesn't studying a certain field of expertise get you promoted much quicker (in the real world too) When I was at school, some army guy came for the career day and they told me that if you qualify as a doctor within the army, you automatically receive the rank of major

I would assume it's the same for things like engineering or other sciences. With this in mind, shouldn't a lot of ex doctors and ex engineers become captains sooner than most run of the mill Starfleet academy cadets

I mean, what specifically did Picard study at the academy (how to be a captain?) what does any cadet study at Starfleet academy for that matter (while others are studying engineering, medicine etc I mean)

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

^Yes, expertise in a specific field may get you promoted faster. As far as cadets with an interest in command specifically, the Academy offers command school following the completion of the standard four-year program. It's not clear how long the graduate program lasts, but it appears to offer cadets and junior officers the chance to get promoted more quickly (and would explain why Saavik was a lieutenant while still a cadet, as she may have graduated the Academy but decided to take graduate courses through the command school).

--Sran

 

[JD]

It's also worth keeping in mind that you can turn down promotions if you want to. Riker turned down at couple promotions to stay on the Enterprise, and Kirk also told Picard not to let them promote him. So apparently if you're happy where you are, you can choose to turn down promotions and stay where you are.

 

[trekshark]

to a point at least. I remember someone saying something negative about riker always turning down the promotion

 

[Idran]

Best of Both Worlds, I believe. If I remember right, he was told that if he turned down the Melbourne, he probably wouldn't get a fourth offer.

 

[KRAD]

^ And it was 13 years before he was offered another one.

 

[cultcross]

It's also worth keeping in mind that you can turn down promotions if you want to. Riker turned down at couple promotions to stay on the Enterprise, and Kirk also told Picard not to let them promote him. So apparently if you're happy where you are, you can choose to turn down promotions and stay where you are.

And ultimately with no financial incentive, there is every possibility that this would be more common than in today's world. There are plenty of people who enjoy 'doing' more than 'managing'.

 

[JD]

I'm that way. As long as I have the option I don't want to move up in my job. I just don't want to have to deal with he extra headaches and stress of being in a higher position.

 

[Enterprise1701]

It's also worth keeping in mind that you can turn down promotions if you want to. Riker turned down at couple promotions to stay on the Enterprise, and Kirk also told Picard not to let them promote him. So apparently if you're happy where you are, you can choose to turn down promotions and stay where you are.

And Picard did just that during the ongoing post-Borg recovery in TNG - Losing the Peace.

 

[Kilana2]

Picard as deskjockey? No, no, no. Still occupying center stage of the Enterprise bridge he is able to make a difference. Who´s idea was it anyway to promote him? Akaar?

 

[Idran]

I have to say that, it being Kirk's quote aside, that quote's awfully insulting to Starfleet Command as a whole. It's not like Akaar never made a difference in the galaxy after being promoted, or Nechayev, or Nogura.

Kirk only saw things from that perspective because he likes to get in there personally; he doesn't consider telling others to help someone to be making a difference, no matter how important it was for him to have recognized the problem in the first place. You might even be able to point that to his same habit of always going on landing parties personally, that to him if he had just sent a landing party out to handle a crisis, he would've seen it as uselessness on his part. If he had recognized a problem as CSO that everyone else in the Admirality had missed and maneuvered fleet operations to protect a planet or a sector, to him his influence would've been meaningless; it would have been all the thanks of the people he'd ordered, not recognizing his own importance in the situation at all.

 

[Disco]

I have to say that, it being Kirk's quote aside, that quote's awfully insulting to Starfleet Command as a whole. It's not like Akaar never made a difference in the galaxy after being promoted, or Nechayev, or Nogura.

Kirk only saw things from that perspective because he likes to get in there personally; he doesn't consider telling others to help someone to be making a difference, no matter how important it was for him to have recognized the problem in the first place. You might even be able to point that to his same habit of always going on landing parties personally, that to him if he had just sent a landing party out to handle a crisis, he would've seen it as uselessness on his part. If he had recognized a problem as CSO that everyone else in the Admirality had missed and maneuvered fleet operations to protect a planet or a sector, to him his influence would've been meaningless; it would have been all the thanks of the people he'd ordered, not recognizing his own importance in the situation at all.

I agree with this completely.

Also with the way the books are going I can see Picard changing subtly and is more likely to take accept promotion at some point in the future.