So in conclusion then even in DS9 Starfleet doesn't (and why would it) operate exactly like the current US Navy.
Which clears up your initial confusion why Starfleet rank structures don't appear to conform to 20th century US Navy conventions.
Why did Starfleet put Ransom in command of such a crappy ship?
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Which clears up your initial confusion why Starfleet rank structures don't appear to conform to 20th century US Navy conventions.
Exactly how do you reach that conclusion?
Cam we just agree that Starfleet is fictional and written however the writers wamt it to be? You can call it space navy, but more scientific, exploratory, and humanitarian than military.
I thought the third design from the bottom had the most potential; I the pylons aiming towards the saucer. With some modern invention I think the ship would appear state of the art. I still think these designs were better than what was on VOY.The last design was bonkers but I like the idea of the nacelles being at the front of the ship, takes some getting used to though.
Perhaps it's simply what he wanted? Perhaps he wanted to be a Captain but not of too large a ship. After all, you need people to fill up those positions, too.
Just because people could serve in a 'higher' function because they have the capabilities for it doesn't necessarily mean they should. (If they want to, themselves, that's fine, of course.) And the somewhat aggressive "up or out" principle that seems to holds sway in many organisations today, wouldn't necessarily need to be there within Starfleet.
Just because people could serve in a 'higher' function because they have the capabilities for it doesn't necessarily mean they should. (If they want to, themselves, that's fine, of course.) And the somewhat aggressive "up or out" principle that seems to holds sway in many organisations today, wouldn't necessarily need to be there within Starfleet.
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Jean-Luc Picard -- particularly in the AU of Tapestry -- makes it clear that Starfleet doesn't have such as policy, although something like a "continuous personal development policy" where you have show you're learning new skills etc isn't unlikely.
And of course, there probably is a little pressure every now and then from Starfleet put on officers to simply accept a promotion offer - and there seems to be an expectation they will, sooner or later. Think of BOBW, where admiral Hanson who seemed a bit dismayed that Riker again didn't accept a promotion offer. Or Picard's that same episode: 'Starfleet needs good captains. Particularly now.' On the other hand, perhaps they only treat officers that clearly indicated they wanted to go for the 'fast career track' that way, which profile Riker seemed to have matched until he started to refuse promotions away from the ent-D. Or think of Kirk, who never seemed particularly ambitious to become an Admiral, and when he became one after all, he came to regret it in a few years time, which might mean Starfleet pressured him into that position.
I think it probably depends on the perceived competence level of the officer in question.
Tapesty!Picard is allowed to skate for years because his performance at his job showed dedication, throughness, reliability, steadiness and punctuality, which are valuable for that job, but demonstrates the "risk-taker" nature needed to justify higher rank. Which seems a little odd to me, as though all of the above make sense as exclusions for command, he has enough time in service that he should be at least a full Lieutenant if not a Lieutenant Commander in the "blue shirts" (Neela Daren, the Head of Stellar Sciences holds the latter rank, allegedly at ~40yo).
Riker on the other hand is regarded by most as a highly skilled officer so it makes more sense that there would be a push to get him a command of his own.
Anyone think it's odd that the first officer in Lower Decks is also called Ransom and is a contact specialist
It was probably just a throwaway namedrop, but I guess Jack Ransom could be related to Rudy (like a brother or cousin), carrying on the family tradition of being Starfleet diplomats.
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Most likely a younger brother, given the year it takes place.
That's the thing why would he?
... choose a different route?
I've often wondered the same thing.
I think the explanation lies with the Equinox itself. She was almost a purely science vessel, far more so than even Voyager. It's possible Ransom found something on his sensors that Voyager missed, simply because his are a bit better. Maybe some radiation or dark matter or something that led him to think a quicker route home was in that direction... wormhole, most likely. For all we know, there WAS a wormhole in the vicinity of the Krotownan Guard, but it destabilized quickly. We have no idea how long Equinox was stranded there before Voyager got whisked there.
And something else to consider... Equinox is FAR less powerful than Voyager, so the Krotownan Guard may not have even been a blip on their radar, but was far deadlier to the Equinox. That group may simply have been just a one system empire.
I think the explanation lies with the Equinox itself. She was almost a purely science vessel, far more so than even Voyager. It's possible Ransom found something on his sensors that Voyager missed, simply because his are a bit better. Maybe some radiation or dark matter or something that led him to think a quicker route home was in that direction... wormhole, most likely. For all we know, there WAS a wormhole in the vicinity of the Krotownan Guard, but it destabilized quickly. We have no idea how long Equinox was stranded there before Voyager got whisked there.
And something else to consider... Equinox is FAR less powerful than Voyager, so the Krotownan Guard may not have even been a blip on their radar, but was far deadlier to the Equinox. That group may simply have been just a one system empire.
Route choice would no doubt be dependent on pretty random factors. I mean, Earth would be thataway, but in order to get there, Janeway wanted to refuel from a nebula the first thing off the bat. Perhaps Ransom wanted something similar, veered to starboard by two degrees instead of port and down by three, and ran into different folks altogether before returning to the supposed beeline to home?
Not that there would be any point in actually returning to the beeline. Any detour would simply define a new beeline, and Ransom could run parallel to Janeway with just a few dozen lightyears between them, completely unaware of the competition.
The Krotownan Guard might be big or small, as long as they were off to that side of the original beeline that Ransom took and Janeway didn't. The Kazon weren't exactly swarming over Ocampa, despite the alluring riches there; perhaps this was the very edge of their territorial ambitions, and the Krotownans were the ones keeping them away for the most part, but were busy that particular day (it only did appear to take a single day!) when the Caretaker died. Or were aware of his impending death and decided to steer clear of the place for that very reason.
Timo Saloniemi
Not that there would be any point in actually returning to the beeline. Any detour would simply define a new beeline, and Ransom could run parallel to Janeway with just a few dozen lightyears between them, completely unaware of the competition.
The Krotownan Guard might be big or small, as long as they were off to that side of the original beeline that Ransom took and Janeway didn't. The Kazon weren't exactly swarming over Ocampa, despite the alluring riches there; perhaps this was the very edge of their territorial ambitions, and the Krotownans were the ones keeping them away for the most part, but were busy that particular day (it only did appear to take a single day!) when the Caretaker died. Or were aware of his impending death and decided to steer clear of the place for that very reason.
Timo Saloniemi
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