Star Trek TV

[Toe]

I think TNG and DS9 are the two best Star Trek series. TOS is classic, but I find it's rather hit or miss.

[stokeriño]

Given that the majority of those are from Lieutenant Junior Grade to Lieutenant (both of which, in any dialogue, are indistinguishable in being equally addressed as simply 'Lieutenant') and happened off-screen...I in no way feel annoyed for having missed them.

[Mick]

They're still promotions! Gratned, with one exception, Starfleet uses US Naval ranks; in terms of verbiage, there is not much difference between a Lieutenant Junior Grade and a full blown Lieutenant; however, the equivalent ranks in the Air Force, Army and Marines would be going from 1st Lieutenant to Captain, so....yeah, kind of a big deal? Maybe? :\

Where I always get confused is with certain confines of the rank structure. Take TNG. TNG's chain of command is confusing as hell. Of course, I get Picard --> Riker . But then, the second officer is Data, but he's outranked by Crusher and Pulaski, and later Troi; we know he outranks both Geordi and Worf since Data had his rank from the start.

DS9 also has a problem with it, thanks to the presence of O'Brien. Rank wise, he isn't that essential on DS9, but on the Defiant, he's serving as the Chief Engineer, in spite of being enlisted. It's just one big headache to figure out.

[Toe]

They're still promotions! Gratned, with one exception, Starfleet uses US Naval ranks; in terms of verbiage, there is not much difference between a Lieutenant Junior Grade and a full blown Lieutenant; however, the equivalent ranks in the Air Force, Army and Marines would be going from 1st Lieutenant to Captain, so....yeah, kind of a big deal? Maybe? :\

Where I always get confused is with certain confines of the rank structure. Take TNG. TNG's chain of command is confusing as hell. Of course, I get Picard --> Riker . But then, the second officer is Data, but he's outranked by Crusher and Pulaski, and later Troi; we know he outranks both Geordi and Worf since Data had his rank from the start.

DS9 also has a problem with it, thanks to the presence of O'Brien. Rank wise, he isn't that essential on DS9, but on the Defiant, he's serving as the Chief Engineer, in spite of being enlisted. It's just one big headache to figure out.

With Crusher, Troi and Pulaski, its because they dont have command training. I think later in the series, you see either Troi or Crusher get command authority.

[stokeriño]

Is Chief Engineer not a post rather than a rank?

That's my attempt to rationalise it anyway.

[Toe]

Is Chief Engineer not a post rather than a rank?

That's my attempt to rationalise it anyway.

I think your right. Isn't Geordi Lt Commander and Chief Engineer? Edited April 15, 2013 by Toe

[Mick]

They're still promotions! Gratned, with one exception, Starfleet uses US Naval ranks; in terms of verbiage, there is not much difference between a Lieutenant Junior Grade and a full blown Lieutenant; however, the equivalent ranks in the Air Force, Army and Marines would be going from 1st Lieutenant to Captain, so....yeah, kind of a big deal? Maybe? :\

Where I always get confused is with certain confines of the rank structure. Take TNG. TNG's chain of command is confusing as hell. Of course, I get Picard --> Riker . But then, the second officer is Data, but he's outranked by Crusher and Pulaski, and later Troi; we know he outranks both Geordi and Worf since Data had his rank from the start.

DS9 also has a problem with it, thanks to the presence of O'Brien. Rank wise, he isn't that essential on DS9, but on the Defiant, he's serving as the Chief Engineer, in spite of being enlisted. It's just one big headache to figure out.

With Crusher, Troi and Pulaski, its because they dont have command training. I think later in the series, you see either Troi or Crusher get command authority.

Crusher's always had, since the start of the show, command training; it's how she became a Commander. Troi decided to go for it because her one command gig was horrid. It's never outright stated if Pulaski has it or not, nor is it ever implied.

[Ant]

I echo the Voyager love. It was the only Trek show i really got into but it did give me the motivation i needed to see the others. I think the following picture, and the words of Homer "Oh Captain Janeway. Your mission ended too soon!", sum my views on it perfectly.

[Nick Adams]

Well, once his predecessor got shipped off somewhere, Georgi became Chief Engineer. Geordi was at the helm for the first season.

Either way, Miles O'Brien is the ranking NCO on DS9 and Defiant, so he'd technically be the CoB. He did get promoted from Chief Petty Officer in TNG to Senior Chief Petty Officer (he's called Chief O'Brien in both, which is why I'm assuming he's at least a CPO). That actually is a role with a lot of authority, so assigning him as Chief Engineer on a backwater station that only becomes important after they find out there's a stable wormhole makes sense.

[Mick]

Well, once his predecessor got shipped off somewhere, Georgi became Chief Engineer. Geordi was at the helm for the first season.

Either way, Miles O'Brien is the ranking NCO on DS9 and Defiant, so he'd technically be the CoB. He did get promoted from Chief Petty Officer in TNG to Senior Chief Petty Officer (he's called Chief O'Brien in both, which is why I'm assuming he's at least a CPO). That actually is a role with a lot of authority, so assigning him as Chief Engineer on a backwater station that only becomes important after they find out there's a stable wormhole makes sense.

That's not why O'brien's assigned to DS9; they go to great lengths to show that he has had prior experience dealing with Cardassians, and considering how close by they are, it's a natural fit. He wouldn't just go from being the transporter chief on a ship that is quote "the best and brightest" to some jerkwater post without damn good reason.

And Chief of the Boat? Seriously? In Star Trek? My point is he's still outranked by Nog, as an officer is always superior to enlisted. His spot on Deep Space Nine was "Chief of Operations", and while that is also a spot on a starship, the difference between the two in their settings is a vast difference.

As for Geordi, the Chief Engineering spot on TNG was totally fucked up the first season; seemingly each episode they have someone else in the role, and Riker even says at one point "One of our Chief Engineers...", which...yeah. Obviously they had enough of that shit by Season 2

[Benji]

I was talking to someone about Star Trek the other day, and trying to explain why the aliens were so often humanoids. I could swear their was an episode that explained this somewhere (something about a previous species spreading DNA, and evolution taking a familiar progression across the universe), can anyone enlighten me?

[stokeriño]

In TNG season 6 there is an episode called "The Chase", which reveals that an ancient humanoid race spread their genetic material around a tonne of the galaxy's primeval worlds, meaning that all the races are very distantly related (something which disgusts the Klingons and Romulans who are present).

[Benji]

That's the bugger! Thank you.

[Mick]

In TNG season 6 there is an episode called "The Chase", which reveals that an ancient humanoid race spread their genetic material around a tonne of the galaxy's primeval worlds, meaning that all the races are very distantly related (something which disgusts the Klingons and Romulans who are present).

It disgusts the Klingons and Cardassians, not the Romulans. The Romulans are oddly cool with it, even hailing Picard to allude that there me be a shot for peace. Well, he wasn't just whistlin' Dixie, all things considered

[stokeriño]

You sir, are engaging in what some may call hair-splitting.

[9 to 5]

Picard would never be accused of doing that!

[Benji]

You say hair splitting, I hear wig splitting. I now want Mark Henry as a klingon.

[stokeriño]

It's not really that much of a stretch.

[KONGO]

Ugh. Watching the DS9 episode where Julian gets possessed by the genius psychopath. Bashir is fucking awful at "acting evil." I think Randy Orton based his character off of this.

[Lint]

Ugh. Watching the DS9 episode where Julian gets possessed by the genius psychopath. Bashir is fucking awful at "acting evil." I think Randy Orton based his character off of this.

Yea...he even makes the odd pauses when saying words