The end of season 5 is finally here! Is the best yet to come, or are we over the hill? Is Janeway on the the road to no return or is she to be admired? Is killing even wrong? We tackle these questions and more on this week’s show. Join us in the conversation. Let us know what you think the best episode this season is. And remember… To be or not to be. That is THE question.
December 19, 2016
Guys, I have no love for this story, believe me- but I have to debate one point. I don’t think the vessel with tactical superiority is a ‘might-makes-right’ regulation. In a combat situation, it is critical for the command structure to remain stable. The ship with tactical superiority is the one likely to last longest and stay most intact in a battle situation. Thus, it makes the most sense for command to default there, because it’s captain is the one likely to stay alive longer in a battle and issue orders/hold things together for a longer time, which could make all the difference in a life-or-death situation.
Not to say seniority isn’t a good option, but really- you’re headed into battle with a galaxy class and an oberth class. Which one do you make your flagship? Sure, arguably, you could put the captain with more seniority in command OF the tactically-superior starship, but then you’re trading in the cohesion of a crew used to working as a unit and working with their particular ship, both of which can also make a life-or-death difference in battle. So I think this regulation is actually extremely logical from a pragmatic, ‘best way to keep everyone alive for the next few hours’ perspective. it wouldn’t surprise if, in peacetime, an alternate ‘seniority’ regulation may apply; and in 90% of situations, Starfleet command will probably *assign* one of the captains seniority. This is just a regulation for out-of-contact, in-hostile-situation starships, and its the one designed to place command of the makeshift-fleet on the place that, in theory, will be stable and capable of issuing orders and coordinating the battle for the longest amount of time.