Foolish Janeway

[Meste17]

Okay so someone explain this:

In the season 2 finale "Basics, Part 1," Voyager is literally almost NONSTOP attacked by the Kazon on the EXACT same spot - starboard ventral - where the Secondary Command Processors are right? But yet the whole crew - INCLUDING JANEWAY HERSELF - are clueless as to why that specific spot is being hit. Then, later on in the episode during the battle, Janeway tries to activate the self destruct sequence - which happens to not happen due to damage from the aforementioned SCPs. She asks like she had NO CLUE, right?

Yet, in the season 5 episode, "Relativity," during the flashback back in 2371 shortly before Voyager's launch, she tells Admiral Patterson how, "she has been studying Voyager's schematics for 3 months, she could walk the corridors blindfolded."

Now, this is the point in question:

If this is true, how come Janeway did NOT know about the SCPs and what they did?! To quote Sarris from Galaxy Quest, "do they think we're such fools, that the commander would not know EVERY BOLT, EVERY WELD on his or her ship?!

[IanKennedy]

I fully believe that the commander of a ship would not know every system on board. They would likely know of the existence and their purpose, what problems that could be caused. In other words the strategic value of the systems. However, would they know every little scientific fact about them, no I don't believe that. They would be a very bad manager if they tried to be more of an expert in everything on the ship that those they delegate those roles to.

[Meste17]

I fully believe that the commander of a ship would not know every system on board. They would likely know of the existence and their purpose, what problems that could be caused. In other words the strategic value of the systems. However, would they know every little scientific fact about them, no I don't believe that. They would be a very bad manager if they tried to be more of an expert in everything on the ship that those they delegate those roles to.

Fair enough. The only reason I ask this is because my uncle was a former engineer at NASA and he also pointed out that the self destruct should actually in the PRIMARY command processers, not the secondary, as he pointed out that if the self Destruct WAS in any way an important system as they play it as, they would be sure to put it in as a high priority system. The events of Basics had proven that as, without the self destruct, Voyager was in fact taken.

[McAvoy]

I fully believe that the commander of a ship would not know every system on board. They would likely know of the existence and their purpose, what problems that could be caused. In other words the strategic value of the systems. However, would they know every little scientific fact about them, no I don't believe that. They would be a very bad manager if they tried to be more of an expert in everything on the ship that those they delegate those roles to.

Fair enough. The only reason I ask this is because my uncle was a former engineer at NASA and he also pointed out that the self destruct should actually in the PRIMARY command processers, not the secondary, as he pointed out that if the self Destruct WAS in any way an important system as they play it as, they would be sure to put it in as a high priority system. The events of Basics had proven that as, without the self destruct, Voyager was in fact taken.

Self destruct should have had multiple redundancies so it should have been in both. Plus a separate perhaps manual/analog emergency one.

I expect not even the Chief Engineer to know the inside and out of a Starship of every system on board. These are super complicated vessels with so many working and interconnected, seperate, different systems that one person should and could not know it all.

Even on something far smaller and less complicated, you don't have experts on airplanes that would know every working system on board and all it's quirks and how to fix it. Smaller you go then sure. Your average single piston engine plane isn't that complicated, your average new car is more complicated nowadays.

[IanKennedy]

Nobody knew the whole of the space shuttle system, it was the most complex machine ever built at the time. Something like Voyager would be far more complex.

[McAvoy]

Nobody knew the whole of the space shuttle system, it was the most complex machine ever built at the time. Something like Voyager would be far more complex.

That's a better comparison.

Hell even a nuclear aircraft carrier. Similar size wise to Voyager and I guarantee no one knows that whole ship.