What's the deal with Kelby anyway?

[The Wormhole]

Commander Kelby took over as chief engineer on the NX-01 when Trip transferred to Columbia. Over the course of the episodes, it's established Kelby was newly promoted to the position and though he is meant to be a competent engineer, he is still somewhat raw at running the department. Later, when Trip transfers back to the NX-01 permanently, Kelby remains on the ship and even still keeps his rank despite the fact Trip is running the department again.

So what is the deal that he stayed on board the ship? Since Columbia was without a chief engineer, shouldn't he have transferred over there, basically trading places with Trip.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

He stayed because you can never have too many hot pieces of ass on one ship

More seriously though, despite his rank and obvious competence enough to get Trip's job he does seem unprepared for it, so maybe his remaining onboard was similar to TNG S1 plethora of Chief Engineer's all there to get experience with the new engine, but in this case he is getting experience on the warp five engine and running his own department from Trip. Whose to say that at the end of S4 he didn't depart the ship and take up the post on the Columbia or even go to see to the finishing of the NX-03.

 

[tomalak301]

Commander Kelby took over as chief engineer on the NX-01 when Trip transferred to Columbia. Over the course of the episodes, it's established Kelby was newly promoted to the position and though he is meant to be a competent engineer, he is still somewhat raw at running the department. Later, when Trip transfers back to the NX-01 permanently, Kelby remains on the ship and even still keeps his rank despite the fact Trip is running the department again.

So what is the deal that he stayed on board the ship? Since Columbia was without a chief engineer, shouldn't he have transferred over there, basically trading places with Trip.

Maybe it was a field commission, like Riker having a field commission as Captain until Picard was rescued.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Ensign Mercer became chief engineer on Columbia NX-02 until a space vortex sucked him up and deposited him in a future very very similar, although legally distinct, from the one he came from. He married a hot blonde who cheated on him a few years later.

 

[Terok Nor]

How did he even get the job in the
first place? He was crap.

 

[The Wormhole]

Maybe it was a field commission, like Riker having a field commission as Captain until Picard was rescued.

He was assigned to the ship when Trip left while they were docked at Earth. When you're promoted an given an assignment while at home port, it is by no means a "field commission." Field Commission means exactly that, in the field, as in away from home.

 

[MacLeod]

Commander Kelby took over as chief engineer on the NX-01 when Trip transferred to Columbia. Over the course of the episodes, it's established Kelby was newly promoted to the position and though he is meant to be a competent engineer, he is still somewhat raw at running the department. Later, when Trip transfers back to the NX-01 permanently, Kelby remains on the ship and even still keeps his rank despite the fact Trip is running the department again.

So what is the deal that he stayed on board the ship? Since Columbia was without a chief engineer, shouldn't he have transferred over there, basically trading places with Trip.

Rank is different from position (unless it's a position which comes with a rank).

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Ensign Mercer became chief engineer on Columbia NX-02 until a space vortex sucked him up and deposited him in a future very very similar, although legally distinct, from the one he came from. He married a hot blonde who cheated on him a few years later.

Ah, that old chestnut. How many times have we seen it?

 

[Discofan]

How did he even get the job in the
first place? He was crap.

Well, he seemed that way when the Orion Girls came on board but he had excuses and in the mirror universe where he is the first victim of the Gorn but otherwise, we didn't get to see much of him.

 

[The Wormhole]

Rank is different from position (unless it's a position which comes with a rank).

In Bound he's apparently worried that Trip's return to the ship is going to cost him his promotion, which sounds to me like he was new to the rank and position.

 

[Timo]

But "promotion" in this context would certainly be apt for describing the position rather than the rank.

Trip returning as the Chief Engineer was one of those de facto things, with very little de jure to be seen or deduced. He was elusive about his unofficial hovering around and above Kelby until the final scene of "Bound", where he said he had asked for an official transfer back. Did he get it? We can't tell, because the next two episodes take place elsewhere, with other characters, and in "Demons"/"Terra Prime" the ship is no longer on a mission and only launches on an emergency sortie where Trip's status is ambiguous (as is that of Kelby). And that's the last of it, save for a reunion episode that tells us nothing new about Trip's status back in the relevant days.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[BillJ]

Kelby was a tool. Should have blown him out an airlock.

 

[Prax]

Kelby could always take a transfer to the d-fac. They're always looking for KP volunteers.

 

[DonIago]

Given the ultimate fate of pretty much everyone who was on Columbia, Kelby should be thanking whatever higher powers he believes in that he apparently wasn't transferred.

 

[Discofan]

Kelby was a tool. Should have blown him out an airlock.

Well, they did have him mangled by a nasty Gorn in the mirror universe though...

 

[Ethros]

He wasn't exactly the best actor either..

 

[iliescu]

No clue there is a Commander Kelby.....