You are the Captain... 02

[The Wormhole]

TOS Enterprise I don't think visited Earth of their time, just in the past.

Granted, but they had to be in the general vicinity of the Sol system in Tomorrow is Yesterday in order to end up thrown into Earth's atmosphere like they were. And one would think the Enterprise was chosen for the time travel mission in Assignment Earth because they were in the area, as presumably you choose a ship which is nearby for such a mission.

And for the purposes of this question, what do they need explorers within Federation space for?

Despite it being the supposed mission statement, very little exploration gets done in Star Trek. Indeed, most of the time in TOS and TNG they were responding to distress calls, ferrying VIPs and so on in that order.

 

[Nyotarules]

Not sure the difference between families on a starship vs. families on a starbase? In a starship, you at lease have possibilities of getting families out alive.

I would take the command, in a heartbeat.

A starbase is based in Federation territory so should be safer

 

[Trek Writers Room]

Accept the commission.

For one, to be given a ship like this with its advancements in technology, suggests a high level of trust from Starfleet that it will be used responsibly. It’s the luxury of the Ent-D with a bit more advancements than the Ent-E without the same level of pressure that comes with being the flagship.

And second, the families on board are not a big deal. They have a right to explore too, and the ship is generally a safe environment. Whatever danger they are exposed to over the multiyear mission, the families already signed up knowing the risks.

What do officers on ships not equipped for families do when they have a child? Do they just leave the ship when it pulls into the nearest Federation starbase? What if the ship is in a situation like Voyager where they can’t? Do they decide to become a generation ship? And how does having growing families on ships not equipped for that situation affect the command styles of the captains of those ships? At least the Vesta class is equipped for such a scenario and the captain is already mentally conditioned to accept the responsibility that comes with the assignment ahead of time.

I appreciate your view on life in Starfleet.

 

[Trek Writers Room]

A starbase is based in Federation territory so should be safer

Good point... I hadn't considered this angle. Bravo.

 

[Trek Writers Room]

This thread sparked a TNG story idea. One of our heroes finds themselves in an alternate reality where Picard died on the Stargazer and Jack Crusher is the Captain of the Enterprise. To make it interesting, our hero is either Bev or Wes. They're in universe with a Jack Crusher who lived. Would they want to go home? Of course this Jack is hiding the trauma and pain of losing his best friend.

Excellent! As a writer of ST Fic, this sort of thinking makes it all worthwhile. Thanks.

 

[1001001]

I appreciate your view on life in Starfleet.

Good point... I hadn't considered this angle. Bravo.

Excellent! As a writer of ST Fic, this sort of thinking makes it all worthwhile. Thanks.

Please use the multi-quote function (like I've done here) instead of posting 3 times in a row.

Thanks

 

[Xaves]

I would accept the promotion. Not only is the Vesta class highly advanced, but the families onboard would affect my decision making process only a little bit. Any chance to command a ship is a chance you have to take I feel like.

 

[Frontis]

I have no problem with children but I just think it's too dangerous to take them on a journey with a space ship. Especially after knowing what all crews and ships in Star Trek went through.

 

[Dr Helen Noel]

I feel like having children and families on the ship would hinder my ability to truly explore new situations and risk conflict when needed. Saying that, it sounds like a very prodigious position.

I voted remain in the poll as my gut instinct but I think I would want to do some research on similar ships and how they were affected, what the additional duties would be (e.g. being a role model), and how likely it is that I will be offered another big role.

 

[at Quark's]

Too many unknowns about my current posting.

Am I the captain of the USS Trashcan right now, hauling garbage, or am I the captain of some highly specialized elite vessel? Is it even a promotion in the first place? (I mean, suppose I'm a vice admiral, it would more feel like a demotion).

As for the 'kids' part, well, we've seen TNG - no impediment whatsoever for 'I've never been one to play it safe' Picard (quoting his words from A matter of time- though, to be fair, he wasn't talking about the ship there, but about the planet).

 

[Oddish]

You probably don't really need major ability with kids to captain a starship that hauls them. They would typically be in the care of their parents or other minders, after all. You would probably only spend significant time in their designated spaces if you had your own child on the ship.

Yeah, the occasional review of the troops on Captain Pickirk Day (or whatever your name is), or come in and read a story to the little ones once in awhile, or peek in on a sleeping newborn and whisper "Welcome aboard". But even someone with questionable child wrangling skills could manage.

And worst case scenario, if you get a stuffed tribble stuck to your uniform? Just nonchalently peel it off, hand it to your steward or aide, and tell him to make sure this gets back to its rightful owner.

 

[at Quark's]

Yeah, the occasional review of the troops on Captain Pickirk Day (or whatever your name is), or come in and read a story to the little ones once in awhile, or peek in on a sleeping newborn and whisper "Welcome aboard". But even someone with questionable child wrangling skills could manage.

For some reason this made me think of Picard having to answer those elementary school questions Archer's crew did in Breaking the ice:

A poop question? The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!

 

[Moonglum]

I'd be okay with the kids as they might actually serve a purpose in some instances. For example, if my ship is getting messed up in a space battle and I have to order a retreat, some of the kiddies can be jettisoned from the rear torpedo tubes and the pursuing enemies will stop to gobble up the bodies while my ship can make its getaway. Like when people on sleds were being pursued by a pack of wolves and they would toss some meat or something behind them to give them time to escape.

 

[Oddish]

I'd be okay with the kids as they might actually serve a purpose in some instances. For example, if my ship is getting messed up in a space battle and I have to order a retreat, some of the kiddies can be jettisoned from the rear torpedo tubes and the pursuing enemies will stop to gobble up the bodies while my ship can make its getaway. Like when people on sleds were being pursued by a pack of wolves and they would toss some meat or something behind them to give them time to escape.

Don't be silly. That's what redshirts are for.

 

[Moonglum]

Don't be silly. That's what redshirts are for.

If it were up to me, all kids on any Trek show should be required to wear red shirts and thus quickly spare us from being annoyed by them for too long.

 

[Moonglum]

Wesley should have worn about 7 layers of red shirts. He'd never have made it past episode 3 or 4 then.

 

[at Quark's]

I'd be okay with the kids as they might actually serve a purpose in some instances. For example, if my ship is getting messed up in a space battle and I have to order a retreat, some of the kiddies can be jettisoned from the rear torpedo tubes and the pursuing enemies will stop to gobble up the bodies while my ship can make its getaway. Like when people on sleds were being pursued by a pack of wolves and they would toss some meat or something behind them to give them time to escape.

Don't be silly. That's what redshirts are for.

< Deleted scene from BOBW. Right after the Cube chases the ent-D out of that nebula with those depth charges , the ent-D flees and the Borg cube goes into pursuit >

Picard: Wesley, I feel you have done enough to warrant a promotion from Acting Ensign to Full Ensign.
Wesley: Thank you Captain but is this really the most suitable time? Shouldn't we be concentrating on avoiding the Borg right now?
Picard: NO! Get in your regular Ensign uniform now! Quickly!

 

[kkt]

If it were up to me, all kids on any Trek show should be required to wear red shirts and thus quickly spare us from being annoyed by them for too long.

Some kids are fine. Nog and Jake, for instance. Just Wesley, before he went away to the academy, wasn't one of them.

 

[Moonglum]

Some kids are fine. Nog and Jake, for instance. Just Wesley, before he went away to the academy, wasn't one of them.

I didn't care for Jake or Nog, although Nog seemed to improve a bit over the series. But they certainly are better than Alexander or The Boy