Raw Materals used in the Galaxy Class

[Aaron]

I heard somewhere that Gene Roddenberry originally wanted everyone to be officers. Since the movie era they've at least theoretically had enlisted people, but they do seem to have trouble understanding that officers are usually just a small minority of the crew, and that not all ships are commanded by captains.

It goes back to his vision of equality and his military service.

[Sionnach Glic]

Surely his military service would help him understand that you can't have everyone as officers, right?

[Aaron]

Surely his military service would help him understand that you can't have everyone as officers, right?

IIRC he felt that having everyone be an officer would foster equality, he originally planned to have no ranks at all. This all falls apart of course when you consider that a naval service can't function without a defined hierarchy. From what I gather he didn't look very fondly at his service and how it functioned.

[Sionnach Glic]

he originally planned to have no ranks at all.

Oh for Christ's sake. Even the USSR had freaking military ranks. This idiocy goes beyond communism and into some bizzare new realm entirely.

[Captain Seafort]

Early on the Red Army tried to operate without ranks. The idea fell apart pretty quickly. Then it tried to operate with the minimum of insignia. This also fell apart. They wound up with some of the most extravagant senior officers' uniforms of the 20th century, and the stereotype of the saying "if you can't fight, wear a big hat".

[Aaron]

he originally planned to have no ranks at all.

Oh for Christ's sake. Even the USSR had freaking military ranks. This idiocy goes beyond communism and into some bizzare new realm entirely.

I think I've said before that Gene had some good ideas but little to no idea how to implement them properly. Look at season 1 of TNG FFS.

[Lt. Staplic]

Gene def had some issues with how he did it, but we should all be glad he did, otherwise we wouldn't have as much to complain about

[Mikey]

Surely his military service would help him understand that you can't have everyone as officers, right?

Remember, Gene served in the USAF - which has a huge officer:enlisted ratio, even for a US military service. (I don't know it for a fact, but the US armed forces have to have one of the highest officer:enlisted ratios in the world, especially if we factor NCO's.)

[Aaron]

Remember, Gene served in the USAF - which has a huge officer:enlisted ratio, even for a US military service. (I don't know it for a fact, but the US armed forces have to have one of the highest officer:enlisted ratios in the world, especially if we factor NCO's.)

Are you putting the NCO's in with the whistleheads or the enlisted? Anyways it's all thanks to their sillyness of insisting that anyone actually being an aircrew member must be an officer. I can't begin to imagine what their personnel costs are when you pay a guy 50K a year (plus four years of university) to do a job a 19 year old with high school does in any other branch.

[Captain Picard's Hair]

Ironic when you consider the singularly iconic status of Captain Kirk.

How the hell would a rankless starship operate? A Klingon cruiser starts firing and the crew stops to vote on whether to raise shields?

[Mikey]

Are you putting the NCO's in with the whistleheads or the enlisted? Anyways it's all thanks to their sillyness of insisting that anyone actually being an aircrew member must be an officer. I can't begin to imagine what their personnel costs are when you pay a guy 50K a year (plus four years of university) to do a job a 19 year old with high school does in any other branch.

Well, in general, I inlcude the NCO's with the brass because it further illustrates how ridiculous things can get. In the Air Force, you don't have to for precisely the reason you cited.

[Tsukiyumi]

Ironic when you consider the singularly iconic status of Captain Kirk.

How the hell would a rankless starship operate? A Klingon cruiser starts firing and the crew stops to vote on whether to raise shields?

" The Klingons are firing! What do we do!?"

" Well, I think we should use evasive maneuvers."

" I think we should close distance and return fire."

" Wait, I just got out of the sauna. What are talking abou-"

BOOM.

[Lt. Staplic]

well, if starfleet did operate that way, at least we wouldn't have to put up with it for long. It would take all of fourty eight hours to blow them to kingdom come, and that's only because plot speed has to create some drama.

[Mark]

Well, you COULD have a ship with all officers I suppose. But that means that you will field a MUCH smaller fleet, since not everyone CAN graduate from an intensive 4 year institution. Then, you'd simply have junior officers doing all of the menial, day to day admin and maintence tasks. Any rank below Lt Cmdr would be pretty much only for show, because you'd have litterally HUNDREDS of Ensigns, JGs, and LTs.

[Aaron]

Well, you COULD have a ship with all officers I suppose. But that means that you will field a MUCH smaller fleet, since not everyone CAN graduate from an intensive 4 year institution. Then, you'd simply have junior officers doing all of the menial, day to day admin and maintence tasks. Any rank below Lt Cmdr would be pretty much only for show, because you'd have litterally HUNDREDS of Ensigns, JGs, and LTs.

And you've just invented the Soviet Navy.