From: sl6wv@cc.usu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Re: Chief Miles O'Brien's Rank *SOLVED*
Date: 22 Jul 92 21:34:19 MDT
Organization: Utah State University

In article <1992Jul16.201820.24435@aatdev.uucp>, rfant@aatdev.uucp (Richard Fant) writes:
> david@xlnt.com (David Johnson) writes:
> t
> 
>>In article <1992Jul13.204604.5356@pro-freedom.cts.com>, pip@pro-freedom.cts.com (David Pipgras) writes:
>>|> At the Creation Convention, with Johnathan Frakes in Portland, OR, it was
>>|> brought up during a question and answer session with Ronald D. Moore (who
>>|> wrote the Klingon episodes, such as Sins of The Father) about Chief
>>|> O'Brien's rank.... and straight from the horses mouth came this response:
>>|> 
>>|> Chief O'Brien is a non-commisioned officer. He is not really in the chain
>>|> of command, and hold the equilivant rank of Chief Petty Officer
>>|> 
>>|> So, I guess that solves the long standing indicision about his
>>|> rank...frankly, I am a little miffed, but, that is what he said, on no
>>|> unsure ground....
> 
>>What bothers me is that O'Brien is said to be a former tactical officer
>>on one of his previous assignments.  It was an episode that seemed to
>>attempt to raise O'Brien's status in the show.  The thing that bothered
>>me about that episode is how does a former tactical officer (and supposedly
>>a good one) become a transporter chief?
> 
>>O'Brien being a non-com sounds better to me.  I will treat the episode
>>mentioned above as a mistake in the show.  He and Keiko are my least
>>favorite characters in the show.  In fact, I would prefer that they
>>just blend into the background and go unnoticed.  I hope
>>O'Brien never becomes a major character like the episode above attempted
>>to make him into.
> 
> To add more confusion to muddled waters:
> 
> two episodes come to mind:  Encounter At Farpoint where O'Brian works the
> navigation console in the battle bridge. Doesn't one have to be an ensign 
> (at a minimum) to do that?
> The episode where Worf's parents come on-board and Worf's father says to
> O'Brian that he used to be chief petty officer on such and such a ship and
>   made a reference to O'Brian rank stating how Chief Petty Officers were the
> ones who ran the ship. So this shows that O'Brian is a CPO.
 
	It is obvious that the Enterprise is in one of the largest class of
ships in Starfleet, so of course strictly officiers would be running the main
command type positions.  Each one of the bridge crew (excepting perhaps the
helm officier...and that is only an Ensign anyway) command a full staff of
their own.  I'm guessing that even Counselor Troi has a full staff of
psycologists working for her, although I've never seen anybody else do
psycoanalysis.  LaForge is the only officier that I've seen hold independent
staff meetings in a regular episode, but who's to say that Worf hasn't
assembled the security chiefs for each section of the ship and discussed some
of the difficult tasks, especially when VIPs come on board.

	What I'm getting at is that perhaps O'Brian worked as a tech "officier" 
on a much smaller ship where in a pinch non-coms were posted in those
positions.

	Another thing to consider....this time for character development.  I
know of a couple of officiers in the US military that resigned their
commission, then after a couple of years in the civilian workplace decided to
go back to the military.  Afterwards, when they tried to go back they were
denied a comission, but were offered a very high NCO rank (like Chief Petty
Officer...just as an example) for signing on.  It would be interesting if this
were to be the case of O'Brian.

		Rob "Woodchip" Horning
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current