Where have all the yeomen gone?

[J.T.B.]

I do like the suggestion that a modernised version of the yeoman should be a mixture of a naval yeoman and an army batman, so in addition to admin, they would accompany their boss on diplomatic missions as a personal pilot or bodyguard.

A batman was the army version of a maid or valet. Nothing to do with security or anything else. It was a side job, in addition to a soldier's normal duties, and was paid from the officer's own funds.

I only like it from a story perspective becauseit adds greater depth than please sign this.

I don't think "Here are your best polished boots" would be any better.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

On a smaller ship, new young crewmen (command candidates, maybe?) could shadow their captain for a week each, performing such duties, to get to know each other.

 

[J.T.B.]

On a smaller ship, new young crewmen (command candidates, maybe?) could shadow their captain for a week each, performing such duties, to get to know each other.

And maybe a new intern at a corporation could shadow the CEO for a week so they could get to know each other. But I don't see either one happening.

 

[Pauln6]

A batman was the army version of a maid or valet. Nothing to do with security or anything else. It was a side job, in addition to a soldier's normal duties, and was paid from the officer's own funds.



I don't think "Here are your best polished boots" would be any better.

A batman was a senior officer's dogsbody but I don't see any merit in taking a historical concept and porting it across into a futuristic setting without adjustment for the story. A personal driver translating to a personal shuttle pilot is no sillier than the same senior crew beaming down on away missions every week. Someone has to fly the shuttle after all. In many ways, the Captain taking their yeoman on a diplomatic mission makes more sense than taking the chief science officer or chief medical officer or ship's counselor.

It's a bit like taking a look at TOS Chapel and saying the nurse character is rubbish and just hands out hypo sprays compared to the SNW version being central to a number of stories. Being the Captain's dogsbody can be a versatile story hook if it includes accompanying them on landing parties (or more properly, diplomatic landing parties).

I think removal of the yeomen had more to do with excising the non-commissioned crew from later Trek in favour of an officer heavy crew.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Having watched Commodore be erased by TMP all the way through to TNG, DS9 and VOY only for PIC to bring it back and pretend it never left, I fully expect the same to happen with yeoman some time soon.

 

[Pauln6]

"The Last Yeoman" sounds like an episode title.

Here she is from TOS season 3, Wink of an Eye doing what she does best:

Jeannie Malone is often manning the engineering station, so she has the honour of being the first onscreen female engineer. Maybe she is Scotty's yeoman?

Having watched Commodore be erased by TMP all the way through to TNG, DS9 and VOY only for PIC to bring it back and pretend it never left, I fully expect the same to happen with yeoman some time soon.

Yeomen in TOS were space secretaries. A sexist way to include female characters, even though yeomen should not be exclusively female.

Given that the sisters are now doing it for themselves, unless they are looking to revamp one of the existing yeomen like Colt, Rand, etc, I would expect any new yeomen we see to be male.

 

[somebuddyX]

Early Voyages had Dermot Cusack as Pike's dead yeoman from "The Cage" who was shish kabobbed by the Kalar. I think you only see their relationship for three issues but he was a fun dude.

 

[J.T.B.]

A batman was a senior officer's dogsbody but I don't see any merit in taking a historical concept and porting it across into a futuristic setting without adjustment for the story. A personal driver translating to a personal shuttle pilot is no sillier than the same senior crew beaming down on away missions every week.

You've singled out the historic position of batman, but you're talking something totally different. A batman was not a driver. If a unit had motor transport, it had drivers; driving and maintaining the vehicles was their army job. A batman was a domestic servant, period, and it was their side job, not their army job.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Yeomen in TOS were space secretaries. A sexist way to include female characters, even though yeomen should not be exclusively female.

How many times did we ever see male characters hand Kirk/Pike, etc, a tablet?

 

[Pauln6]

You've singled out the historic position of batman, but you're talking something totally different. A batman was not a driver. If a unit had motor transport, it had drivers; driving and maintaining the vehicles was their army job. A batman was a domestic servant, period, and it was their side job, not their army job.

Sure, you can split hairs over the exact historical role but as we were discussing, we aren't talking about directly copying a historical concept, just using it for inspiration. Wikipedia lists the following:
A batman's duties often include:

• acting as a "runner" to convey orders from the officer to subordinates
• maintaining the officer's uniform and personal equipment as a valet
• driving the officer's vehicle, sometimes under combat conditions
• acting as the officer's bodyguard in combat
• digging the officer's foxhole in combat, giving the officer time to direct his unit[3]
• other miscellaneous tasks the officer does not have time or inclination to do

Rand was already seen doing some of that. It sounds more fun storywise that the more administrative duties of TOS. More to the point, Pike's yeoman was killed doing his job in the Cage and Colt confirms she has the same training when asking to join the search.

How many times did we ever see male characters hand Kirk/Pike, etc, a tablet?

I think there might have been one or two male yeomen in the TOS movies. I don't recall if we saw any yeomen in SNW though.

 

[mb22]

How many times did we ever see male characters hand Kirk/Pike, etc, a tablet?

Not a tablet, but...

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Or possible yeomen handing them anything else for that matter?

 

[Pauln6]

Or possible yeomen handing them anything else for that matter?

Rand Dishes out scientific reports at a briefing in one episode. It's also possible that she reviewed them beforehand but, predictably, she leaves to fetch coffee lol.

 

[mb22]

Sorry about my earlier post with the very female Colt handing Pike the clipboard. However, we don't know exactly who the clipboard guy on Pike's right side is.

 

[Henoch]

Sorry about my earlier post with the very female Colt handing Pike the clipboard. However, we don't know exactly who the clipboard guy on Pike's right side is.

He was another cadet. Same as the guy standing next to the turbolift door.
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x00hd/thecagehd0131.jpg

PIKE: What are we running here, a cadet ship, Number One? Are we ready or not?

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Even non-yeoman might bring their reports personally, or do their crewmate a favor by running a report to the captain, since they're headed that way anyway.

 

[TheAdmiralty]

I was hoping we'd get Yeoman Colt when SNW was announced but it looks like it really is retired as a position. Which is a shame since it is a real naval rank and not just a "space geisha". It makes sense that they'd exist, the captain and important people like the chief engineer or chief of security aren't going to waste hours writing reports or fiddling with the duty roster like they were always doing on TNG. Like in Chain of Command for one example Geordi clearly needed someone to re arrange the duty roster for him whole he focused Jellico's engine modifications.

Probably the same place all the commodores went.

I'm thinking either hanging out in that fuzzy black hole with Future Guy (who is perhaps a former yeoman who was later promoted to commodore) or exploring the astral plane with The Traveler.

25th century ships should have holographic yeoman.

Maybe a mischievous section chief programs his to be a 23rd century style yeoman in a miniskirt, but the captain finds out and thinks it's inappropriate and then has it reprogramed to look like a 90 year old.

 

[The Wormhole]

I was hoping we'd get Yeoman Colt when SNW was announced

She was on Disco, though they turned her into a spiky faced alien for some reason.

 

[JoseNoodles]

She was on Disco, though they turned her into a spiky faced alien for some reason.

I know the character is named Colt in the credits, and is a yeomen, but I never believed she's supposed the same human Colt from, "The Cage". Just more of a tongue-in-cheek reference.

 

[The Wormhole]

I know the character is named Colt in the credits, and is a yeomen, but I never believed she's supposed the same human Colt from, "The Cage". Just more of a tongue-in-cheek reference.

Michelle Paradise actually stated it's supposed to be the same character. The matter is considered so nebulous that the Disco novel set aboard the Enterprise avoided describing Colt in any manner and just left a vague mention to how she had "changed a great deal since the Talos mission."