From: ruderg@aix.rpi.edu (Gregory Allen Ruderman)
Subject: Re: The Official Dorm-Rec Review of "Chain of Command -1" (spoil
Followup-To: rec.arts.startrek.current
Summary: is starfleet military?  (again)
Keywords: military, starfleet, trek
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 05:45:31 GMT

In article <1h5e24INN4cn@menudo.uh.edu> HADCRJAM@admin.uh.edu (MILLER, JIMMY A.) writes:
>In <21DEC92.14854873.0073@VM1.MCGILL.CA> CXMP@MUSICA.MCGILL.CA writes:
>
>> >
>> >  As far as the implications of this episode are concerned, this should prove,
>> >beyond a doubt, that Star Fleet is a military organization.  Not a very good
>> >one, but military nonetheless.  Of course, the tree huggers out there who
>> >happen to like startrek will remain unconvinced, but who cares.  Proof is
>> >proof.
>> >
>> In "Tomorrow is Yesterday", Kirk described Star Fleet as a "combined
>> service".  Meanwhile, Gene Roddenberry insisted that Star Fleet was not
>> military and gave the example of a Cruise Line for comparison.  In
>> conclusion then, Star Fleet can be considered a Navy, Coast Guard and
>> Cruise Line combined in which both explorers/diplomats like Picard and
>> kick ass military men like Jelico or Kirk can feel at home.
>
>  I basically agree with the latter poster.  The non-canon FASA ST role-playing
>game posited a Star Fleet with several arms, including a Colonial, Merchant
>Marine, Military, and Exploration branches.  While no such hard and fast org
>chart has shown up on TNG to my knowledge, it makes a lot sense to me to do it
>this way, and explains why the big E spends a lot of time looking at gas clouds
>*and* getting shot at -- all the explorer vessels would be placed under the 
>military branch whenever things got hot.
>
>  And one nit-pick:  In "Tommorow", Kirk mentioned Starfleet of something, and
>the Air Force pilot asked "Fleet?  Did the Navy...?"  To which Kirk replied: 
>"We're a combined service now."  This does not get you away from military
>type things, though it does fit in well with the rest of your theory.
>
>
>semper fi,
>
	Just tagging on to this thread to get my $0.02 in.  The answer to this
question, and the discrepancy between the military-looking originar series,
and the layed-back, let's explore the universe in our living room new series,
is, I think, provided for in STVI.  In the meeting in StarFleet HQ, a question
is raised as to whether peace with the Klingons would result in the mothballing
of the Fleet.  The answer, if I remember correctly is something along the lines
of:  the exploratory aspect of starfleet will be unaffected.  i.e., with
sudden peace breaking out, the military organization of Starfleet, over
the course of 70 years or so, becomes the happy-go-lucky, ask questions first
and shoot later (if at all), Next Generation that we know and love.
	I think that this statement is provided in the movie to answer just
this type of question...

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		Another useless piece of useless gobbeldy-gook from:
			ruderg@rpi.edu
		A.K.A Dooley.the.Mauve

"It's death, Jim, but not as we know it....."
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