From: rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu (Michael Rawdon)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Re: How to improve Star Trek
Date: 18 Dec 92 23:29:26 GMT
Reply-To: rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Dept., Madison, WI

In <BzFK6v.28D@acsu.buffalo.edu> v075q5fr@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Scott J Gorcey) writes:
>In article <1992Dec17.233822.16000@phx.mcd.mot.com>, rolandb@phx.mcd.mot.com (roland blackwell) writes...
>>I believe one great way to improve the quality of Star Trek is to
>>better define the talents of the bridge crew.

>     Well, a better way would be to avoid defining characters
>     by their jobs and instead define them by their... personalities.

One of TNG's greatest problems, after all, is that the characters don't have
enough personality to *be* characters.  For the most part, they're just
caricatures.

>     If you say so.  Of course, the term flunkie is misleading.  Just
>     because the officer in question isn't a member of the senior
>     staff doesn't mean they don't know how to do their job.  The
>     con officer (helmsman is another outmoded term) has never been
>     a member of Picard's senior staff (of course, the closest was
>     when Geordi had the job), so why would there be a permanent
>     major character there in the first place?  It's either an extra,
>     Ro or Rager -- to simulate a shift rotation.

No, it's not done "to simulate shift rotation".  It's done because they don't
have a regular character to fill the slot.  if they were really trying "to
simulate shift rotation" then we might see someone other than Picard, Riker or
Data in the command seat once in a while.

> It appears that bridge crew talents are required
>>everywhere except at their post.  In 'Booby trap' the captain took over the
>>helm when a skilled helmsman was needed.

>     Who said Picard wasn't a skilled navigator?  He's also the
>     one who ordered the risky maneuver and therefore the one who
>     must take responsibility.  It's an ethics question, not an
>     ability question.

>  I would of thought the captain to be 
>>a little rusty to trust with such a delicate task at the helm.

>     Why?

When was the last time we saw Picard pilot a starship (before that episode, or
since for that matter)?  When was the last time we HEARD about him acting as
helmsman?

"Booby Trap" is a good episode, but that scene was just plain stupid.  I can't
buy that Picard is a more competent helmsman or navigator than people who have
been doing it on a regular basis.  And him taking the helm there implied that
his judgment was severely impaired.

The ONLY non-navigator I might have bought as being able to pilot the ship as
well or better than someone who actually fills that position on the Enterprise
regularly is Data.

>  We all know
>>Sulu wouldn't have been ask to step aside in that instance.

>     No, but then again, that's because Kirk would have still been
>     imprisoned by the cockroaches from another galaxy on Planet
>     Cardboard at the time.  (Or fucking the queen cockroach).

Oh, yeah.  I remember when that happened in "The Naked Time".  No, wait, that
wasn't it.  "The Doomsday Machine", wasn't it?  No, wait.  Maybe it was, "The
Deadly Years".  No...  darn, I know he must have been off the ship in ONE of
those episodes just when the abilities of a top-notch helmsman were
required...

>>It seems that the main talents the bridge crew has [sic] is the ability to
>>beam somewhere and beam BACK!! The bridge flunkies have not mastered this
>>duty. Although, they are getting better at it.  Perhaps the
>>academy(Paramount) has gotten feedback on this, and beeft-up their beam back
>>training program.

>     Again, if you define the cast of characters by their jobs instead
>     of by their personalities, you don't have a cast of characters:
>     you have extras with lines (i.e., the TOS supporting players).

>     Beverly is a good doctor.  The good doctor is not Beverly.  There
>     is more to her than that.  

Though not much more, from what we've seen in TNG...

-- 
Michael Rawdon				  rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu
University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Department,  Madison, WI
( Coming soon to a Massachusetts near you! )

Be warned: I will answer flames and condescensions in kind.