The rank or the position? One can be a Captain and never command a ship. You can command a ship and never hold the rank of Captain.
Why didn't Chekov ever make Captain?
- Thread starter MarsWeeps
- Start date
While I agree that it's fanfiction, Walter Koenig playing Chekov on an exact replica Enterprise bridge, surrounded by Star Trek cast members being so totally dismissed seems... bizarre.
I don't know I am not even sure how I feel about Sulu being captain of his own ship because I like how the movies made the TOS crew feel like a family and it was weird for me he wasn't with them (although I do like him drinking tea in the captain chair)
Actually come to think of it I always sort of thought of Sulu/Chekov as a team. You know with them sitting next to each other. It would have been sort of nice to see Chekov as Sulu's first officer.
Actually come to think of it I always sort of thought of Sulu/Chekov as a team. You know with them sitting next to each other. It would have been sort of nice to see Chekov as Sulu's first officer.
In the Excelsior books that's exactly what happens. War Dragons states outright that Chekov was Sulu's original choice for 1st officer but the Khan incident played on his conscience too much, so he went back to Kirk, and post Khitomer, but after Kirk died (as far as their concerned), Chekov finally steps up as 1st officer for Sulu.
Yes, that's what they should have done.
On screen? No. Though there was a Chekov episode in development for TNG's seventh season.
There are a number of novels that refer to an Admiral Chekov -- Federation, The Return, the Vulcan's Soul trilogy (where he actually appears).
Peter David's The Captain's Daughter has Harriman taunting Chekov because he won't make captain.
How does Harriman have any business taunting anyone, even if it is Chekov?
--Sran
FWIW, I don't think Chekov is command material at all. I'm firmly intrenched in the camp that believes the Ceti eel left his body not because it sensed its sibling's death or because Chekov was fighting it but because it was starving to death and needed to find another host nervous system. It didn't realize Kirk was standing over it with his phaser drawn, however.
--Sran
Why didn't Uhura make Captain? She was the older and more experienced officer, she should have made Captain before Chekov did.
Uh, in TOS women were forbidden from being Captain.
I mean, what if the ship is under attack and she's having her period or something?
There was never any evidence of Uhura being groomed for a career in command. Decades of "Hailing Frequencies Open" does not a Captain make.
Chekov had made it all the way to First Officer, the next logical step in his career should have been Captain.
^Then how do you explain the captain of the Saratoga? In any case, it's important to remember that being a starship captain is something only a small percentage of people can actually do. The idea that everyone must eventually attain the rank because they've hung around long enough goes against the idea of a merit-based promotion system. No question that Uhura was good at her job, but that doesn't mean she'd have made a good commanding officer any more than Chekov would have been.
The Enterprise chain of command was somewhat unusual during the films because of the numerous promotions and demotions that happened to various crew members, but the general pecking order aboard the ship was almost always the same:
Kirk ---> Decker (TMP only) ---> Spock ---> Sulu ---> Chekov ---> Uhura.
I've omitted Scotty in spite of his rank because his responsibilities were confined almost exclusively to engineering during this time period. He was second officer during TOS. Additionally, Saavik often took the conn during TWOK in spite of a lower rank than most of the bridge officers, but I suspect this was decided by Kirk and Spock as a way for her to gain command experience.
Given the above order, Chekov was still far-removed from the center seat. He was Terrell's first officer, but Reliant was a smaller ship with a less experienced crew: Winston Kyle was at least a Lieutenant Commander and a bridge officer despite being only a transporter operator on the Enterprise. When he transferred back to Enterprise after TWOK, he was beneath Sulu in the chain-of-command ("Mr. Sulu, you have the conn. I'll be in my quarters.").
--Sran
The Enterprise chain of command was somewhat unusual during the films because of the numerous promotions and demotions that happened to various crew members, but the general pecking order aboard the ship was almost always the same:
Kirk ---> Decker (TMP only) ---> Spock ---> Sulu ---> Chekov ---> Uhura.
I've omitted Scotty in spite of his rank because his responsibilities were confined almost exclusively to engineering during this time period. He was second officer during TOS. Additionally, Saavik often took the conn during TWOK in spite of a lower rank than most of the bridge officers, but I suspect this was decided by Kirk and Spock as a way for her to gain command experience.
Given the above order, Chekov was still far-removed from the center seat. He was Terrell's first officer, but Reliant was a smaller ship with a less experienced crew: Winston Kyle was at least a Lieutenant Commander and a bridge officer despite being only a transporter operator on the Enterprise. When he transferred back to Enterprise after TWOK, he was beneath Sulu in the chain-of-command ("Mr. Sulu, you have the conn. I'll be in my quarters.").
--Sran
Did she ever want it? While she demanded respect from her peers and subordinates, I never got the impression she desired command.
The same could be said of Chekov. Yes he was XO of the Reliant, but that was only for a short time before he took a step back--he seemed far more at home being Kirk's lackey than a leader in his own right.
Which is the reason I started this thread. Looks like we've come full circle!
Did Chekov change his mind about command or was he held back by Starfleet for some reason?
Which is the reason I started this thread. Looks like we've come full circle!
Did Chekov change his mind about command or was he held back by Starfleet for some reason?
We'll never know. Maybe having a Ceti eel chew through his eardrum discouraged him.
Another poster commented on Chekov's moments as acting captain of Enterprise in TFF and the dialogue with Sybok. Assuming Sybok is a Vulcan of some intelligence, why wouldn't he notice that Chekov ISN'T WEARING a captain's rank insignia?
Sybok isn't in Starfleet, he's a civilian. I'm a civilian too, and I would never be able to distinguish American naval rank insignia, but I would be able to for army and perhaps air force, at least for commissioned officers. I'd have less luck with rank insignia of other countries.
Even if Sybok did notice, it doesn't mean anything. Captain is both a title and a rank, and Commander Chekov would be allowed to identify himself as Captain Chekov when he's in command of the Enterprise.
