What happened to Yeomen?

[Therin of Andor]

Yeoman is the title given to the senior communicator.

Don't forget Yeoman Diana Prince in "Wonder Woman".

 

[BillJ]

I'm pretty sure there was at least one episode where a guy served coffee or tea on the bridge in TNG.

The two men who assassinated Gorkon in TUC were Yeomen.

I think you're thinking of the first issue of the first mini-series done by DC.

 

[RandyS]

The question is why?

Probably because a yeoman is completely useless as far as the story is concerned. Holding the black thingies that Kirk signed was the only thing we ever saw of a yeoman's job on TOS, of course they were used as victims or to be in love with Kirk, but that's nothing yeoman specific, those things can be done by the guest star of the week, gives them more to do and saves the money otherwise spent on an additional chick in a short skirt.

Modern Trek would've benefited from some short skirts.

Indeed it would have, but then some moron thought it would be a good idea to put a MAN in them.

A MAN from chrissakes!

My eyes STILL hurt.....

 

[LeadHead]

I'm pretty sure there was at least one episode where a guy served coffee or tea on the bridge in TNG.

The two men who assassinated Gorkon in TUC were Yeomen.

I think you're thinking of the first issue of the first mini-series done by DC.

No, They were Specifically stated as being Yeoman in the film. After they're dead and the "Now Hear this" Statement goes out to lure in Valeris, it says "Statements to be taken from Yeoman Burke and Samno."

 

[BillJ]

I'm pretty sure there was at least one episode where a guy served coffee or tea on the bridge in TNG.

The two men who assassinated Gorkon in TUC were Yeomen.

I think you're thinking of the first issue of the first mini-series done by DC.

No, They were Specifically stated as being Yeoman in the film. After they're dead and the "Now Hear this" Statement goes out to lure in Valeris, it says "Statements to be taken from Yeoman Burke and Samno."

I should've edited the quote better. I was talking about the male yeoman serving coffee in TNG.

 

[LeadHead]

Ah, that makes more sense.

 

[tafkats]

Most administrative tasks seem to have been taken over by the computer. (For example, Troi has the computer take care of her appointment schedule in "Man of the People.")

 

[MHT1138]

Most administrative tasks seem to have been taken over by the computer. (For example, Troi has the computer take care of her appointment schedule in "Man of the People.")

True, but there will always be administrative tasks that have to be done by a person. After all a machine can take messages, but an actual person needs to listen to them to decide which are actually relevant messages or to order them in importance. It seems to me a captain and maybe some other officers would benefit from someone in that position.

 

[T'Girl]

s'funny... in the commonwealth navies, Yeoman is the title given to the senior communicator.

In the British military, there was someone called a "batman," which is what I think Rand was. A administrative assistant yes, but also they ran around and did all the things that a officer was simply too busy to do.

In addition to those duties, a batman/yeoman would have two other duties that would be interesting in a Star Trek series. They would be the Captain's personal body guard (Kirk would have hated that), say during landing parties, they would watch his back so he could concentrate on other matters. And they would be the Captain's "driver." So they would pilot the shuttlecraft if the Captain were going some place.

")

 

[nightwind1]

In the US Coast Guard (and I believe the US Navy also), Yeoman is the Rating that handles all paperwork and written communications, etc. Ie: paperpushers and desk jockeys.

 

[Therin of Andor]

In the British military, there was someone called a "batman," which is what I think Rand was. A administrative assistant yes, but also they ran around and did all the things that a officer was simply too busy to do.

When you required administrative help, you just aimed the bat signal into the sky.

 

[Pauln6]

s'funny... in the commonwealth navies, Yeoman is the title given to the senior communicator.

In the British military, there was someone called a "batman," which is what I think Rand was. A administrative assistant yes, but also they ran around and did all the things that a officer was simply too busy to do.

In addition to those duties, a batman/yeoman would have two other duties that would be interesting in a Star Trek series. They would be the Captain's personal body guard (Kirk would have hated that), say during landing parties, they would watch his back so he could concentrate on other matters. And they would be the Captain's "driver." So they would pilot the shuttlecraft if the Captain were going some place.

")

This is precisely what I think the Yeoman Rand role should represent in the reboot. It gets a female character in on the action and they can add a few jokes if the dinky blonde decks the guy that Kirk was about to rough-house with.

 

[J.T.B.]

s'funny... in the commonwealth navies, Yeoman is the title given to the senior communicator.

In the British military, there was someone called a "batman," which is what I think Rand was. A administrative assistant yes, but also they ran around and did all the things that a officer was simply too busy to do.

A couple of different things there. A batman was an army officer's personal domestic servant, who looked after his clothes, cleaned his quarters, ran errands and so on. No official clerical duties. The naval equivalent was a "steward." The captain would have his own steward and the wardroom officers would have a number to share. These more "aristocratic" perks have been largely eliminated since WW2, the US Navy's steward branch (racially segregated till 1948) was eliminated in the 1970s.

In naval parlance a "yeoman" was originally someone who was in charge of certain stores or property for their superior. There would be yeoman of the powder room, yeoman of the storeroom, yeoman of the cable tier and so on. The yeoman of signals, in charge of flags and signalling gear, eventually became the boss signalman in the Royal Navy as signalling became more developed and important.

Meanwhile the captain had a clerk, a warrant officer who handled the paperwork of running the ship. Clerk was usually the first step to becoming a purser (supply officer). Below that there was a petty officer called the "writer," who assisted the captain's clerk and helped the first lieutenant (XO) with his share of the ship's internal paperwork.

Before the Spanish-American War, the US Navy for whatever reason re-classified the various ship's yeomen under the new rate of "storekeeper," and transferred the title of "yeoman" to the "writer." The RN has kept the title of writer. So that's how the yeoman became the clerical rate in the USN.

In addition to those duties, a batman/yeoman would have two other duties that would be interesting in a Star Trek series. They would be the Captain's personal body guard (Kirk would have hated that), say during landing parties, they would watch his back so he could concentrate on other matters. And they would be the Captain's "driver." So they would pilot the shuttlecraft if the Captain were going some place.

That is more like the petty officer called the coxswain (cox'n), the petty officer in charge of the captain's boat. Bonden in the Jack Aubrey books is a good example. A good coxswain would be promoted along with his captain: a flag officer's coxswain was a higher rate, higher for a navy yard commandant and highest of all for a fleet commander-in-chief. Coxswains in the USN were eventually absorbed into the boatswain's mate rate.



Justin

 

[scotpens]

In the British military, there was someone called a "batman," which is what I think Rand was. A administrative assistant yes, but also they ran around and did all the things that a officer was simply too busy to do.

A couple of different things there. A batman was an army officer's personal domestic servant, who looked after his clothes, cleaned his quarters, ran errands and so on. No official clerical duties. The naval equivalent was a "steward."

I always wondered about the title of this old novelty tune. Now it finally makes sense . . . sort of.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQQ5sEOhbjQ[/yt]

 

[Therin of Andor]

A batman was an army officer's personal domestic servant, who looked after his clothes

Indeed, in a scene cut from Janice Rand's last TOS appearance, she was seen laying out Kirk's fresh uniform on his bed in "The Conscience of the King".

 

[Anji]

[In the British military, there was someone called a "batman," which is what I think Rand was.

What a cool title! I'd love that one!

But honestly, I think the Yeoman position disappeared when female characters were able to be given "better" and more responsible roles in Star Trek.