I would assume the chance is always there. I'm sure the militaries of the world have just as many cowboys as any other professional workplace or industry. As to how they get into these positions...well people have touched on it, demand for able bodies during wartime, people with influences and connections, even simple gift of the gab.
As for Klingons in particular they are a well disciplined lot, but I can see them relaxing protocol when the need arises too. In the height of war with everyone including the Federation I reckon the powers that be just want to field as much fire power as possible.
Quinn pretty much explains that exact same reason when you first meet him after the tutorial:
Under normal circumstances, it would take you years of work to get your own command.
But these are not normal circumstances. We're at war with the Klingon Empire. The Borg have returned. I'm losing more trained officers and ships than I can spare. Ships we can build, but leaders with courage and honor ... those are harder to find.
It's time to try something different. I need someone who can handle themselves in a crisis and get the best out of their crew. Even though you're young, I think you're that person.
I hereby promote you to the rank of Lieutenant and give you command of the U.S.S. <shipname>.
Don't disappoint me.
If someone could jump straight into a Captain's chair just for keeping a cool head in a crisis, I can believe someone who has barely acknowledged the basics can find themselves in a minor role onboard a ship.
This is actually surprisingly common in real life. When you have guys who are basically running amok with limited coordination, the guys who run down that corridor and get killed don't actually report back in to warn anyone that there's an ambush there.
It's an open question why exactly they chose to run amok on the Promenade, an area that lacks military significance, however. I dunno about you, but when planning a boarding action, I don't think the Promenade is a high-priority place for landing troops into. I'm sure it looked cool having a bunch of guys running amok there, but I'm not sure what they were trying to accomplish.
Well Odo's office is on the promenade and it has access to major security features like forcefields and the like so it would make a decent target.
Plus the Klingons probably wanted to rattle the defenders by boarding them and running amok.
The fact that the training is more demanding does not preclude individuals who just barely qualify.
Does a military get more or less picky about personnel in a state of war? I don't have an answer for that.
My experiences, in a military that was not involved in any real military conflicts at the time, was that they were more concerned about weeding out the discipline problems in Basic. If a person was able to conform to military behavior and pass their physical fitness tests, they got in. Only people who demonstrate that they are unfit for duty are dismissed.
Alexander was apparently able to complete his basic training without his instructor or fellow recruits killing him, so he clearly was not a discipline problem. Martok's comments certainly suggested that the KDF had an issue with a personnel shortage and somebody certified Alexander as fit for duty.
One would presume that he was not required to qualify with a bat'leth. Shoot a disruptor in the general direction of his target, and basic familiarity with ship systems and damage control -- Pass, next recruit.
From what I remembef of my active duty army enlistment. We needed to train and retrain the replacement force so they would be brought online and combat ready as soon as possibly. My own experience with basic and later advanced training. You were conditioned to follow orders. Taught and tested with multiple weapon systems (ie. M16/a2 rifle. Varius grenades. Clamore was a pain butthat as well. AIT advanced indevidual training, i was taught and tested on my primary job class (MLRS crewmember). When I arrived at my first permanent party. I began to realize just how much that I did not know.
E
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I was Klingon before Klingon was cool.
This, basically. Klingons are a rough bunch, but they are not fools nor orcs. And in the end, not all Klingons are warriors. Alexander wasn't a warrior and never wanted to be one. He might be more on the tech ors cience side of things. It's true that the KDF is a militay first and foremost and other operations are secondary (other than Starfleet whre the priorities are reversed, no matter how much some people want it to be otherwise) but they still need personell that just can handle other things than fighting. Also, the Klingon Empire is a feudal society. I think the whole draft process isn't from a very high quality - he is a commoner who probably was shown that the pointy end hurts and was sent off to his ship.
Klingons respect competence and determination. Alexander might have been weak as a fighter - his colleagues blaming his human upbringing, no doubt - but if he was basically competent as a technician and willing to risk his life, that's probably enough for a Bekk. Given his "lucky charm" status I suspect that, in a Klingon way, his crewmates felt sorry for this poor soul forced to suffer a federation upbringing, yet determined to embrace his heritage.
Anyway, for what it's worth, in the novels Alexander comes good. There's a great scene in "Left Hand of Destiny" where he pulls himself, burned and battered, from the wreckage of the Rotarran, and immediately provides Martok with a clear, confident tactical analysis.
Martok: "This is the son you're always worrying about?"
Worf: "... he's got better."
In times of war, definitely yes. I had a lieutenant who couldn't orient a map, as a platoon leader. During one excersize, our tank was tagged as a mobility kill. Captain America gets on an unsecured freq giving out our location to someone he thinks is recovery. Five minutes later OPFOR retuns to finish us off. So yes, they're around, and some have enough rank to really mess things up. Remember those torpedo planes that ran out of fuel in the "Bermuda Triangle"? Flight leader couldn't find his butt with both hands.
Interesting side note (that's always missing in the "aliens got 'em" theories put forth on this incident). After the disappearance of Flight 19 ALL TBM Avengers were grounded while an investigation was conducted. SOP. The other TBM's at that same Naval Base were inspected. When they opened the hatch in back of the cockpit to pull out the big yellow life raft as part of the routine inspection they often pulled out a handful of yellow, rubbery goo. Seems that, as this was just after the end of the war, Base personnel were on a continual rotation as they were transferred in to that Base from the Pacific then mustered out. The regular schedule of inspections had been severely disrupted by this constant overturn. Those planes had been sitting, many of them, for FAR too long in the hot, Southern sun. Those rafts were made of rubber back then... end result... melted, useless life rafts. The navy never actually had any "mystery" about the disappearance although, since no actual wreckage was recovered or found, it had to be listed as unresolved. They knew what happened... just couldn't prove it. :rolleyes:
*STO*Its mission: To destroy strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations... and then kill them, to boldly annihilate what no one has annihilated before!
Guys, its a T.V. show, not a documentary. Everything they do in it is designed to be entertaining, stop trying to pick it apart with logic and just enjoy it.
If you want your logic I suggest reading some of the many books... although even a lot of those aren't bound by logic either, but certainly better than the show.
Klingons respect competence and determination. Alexander might have been weak as a fighter - his colleagues blaming his human upbringing, no doubt - but if he was basically competent as a technician and willing to risk his life, that's probably enough for a Bekk. Given his "lucky charm" status I suspect that, in a Klingon way, his crewmates felt sorry for this poor soul forced to suffer a federation upbringing, yet determined to embrace his heritage.
Anyway, for what it's worth, in the novels Alexander comes good. There's a great scene in "Left Hand of Destiny" where he pulls himself, burned and battered, from the wreckage of the Rotarran, and immediately provides Martok with a clear, confident tactical analysis.
Martok: "This is the son you're always worrying about?"
Worf: "... he's got better."
Entirely agree, good point And somehow it must have slipped my attention that the discussion went on, sorry about that
^ Memory Alpha.org is not canon. It's a open wiki with arbitrary rules. Only what can be cited from an episode is. ^
"No. Men do not roar. Women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects... and claw at you." -Worf, son of Mogh
"A filthy, mangy beast, but in its bony breast beat the heart of a warrior" - "faithful" (...) "but ever-ready to follow the call of the wild." - Martok, about a Targ
"That pig smelled horrid. A sweet-sour, extremely pungent odor. I showered and showered, and it took me a week to get rid of it!" - Robert Justman, appreciating Emmy-Lou
Guys, its a T.V. show, not a documentary. Everything they do in it is designed to be entertaining, stop trying to pick it apart with logic and just enjoy it.
If you want your logic I suggest reading some of the many books... although even a lot of those aren't bound by logic either, but certainly better than the show.
A bit incompetence is okay, it's TV like you say.
But in cases like this the incompetence is so drastic that even the characters who themsleves can be painfully stupid at times notice it.
Isn't that worthing thinking about?;)
Interesting side note (that's always missing in the "aliens got 'em" theories put forth on this incident). After the disappearance of Flight 19 ALL TBM Avengers were grounded while an investigation was conducted. SOP. The other TBM's at that same Naval Base were inspected. When they opened the hatch in back of the cockpit to pull out the big yellow life raft as part of the routine inspection they often pulled out a handful of yellow, rubbery goo. Seems that, as this was just after the end of the war, Base personnel were on a continual rotation as they were transferred in to that Base from the Pacific then mustered out. The regular schedule of inspections had been severely disrupted by this constant overturn. Those planes had been sitting, many of them, for FAR too long in the hot, Southern sun. Those rafts were made of rubber back then... end result... melted, useless life rafts. The navy never actually had any "mystery" about the disappearance although, since no actual wreckage was recovered or found, it had to be listed as unresolved. They knew what happened... just couldn't prove it. :rolleyes:
I now favor the theory that they crashed in the Everglades due to a combination of pilot error and faulty navigation instruments. There was a radar station on land that recorded a formation of 5 aircraft that size that seem to have flown over land and then dropped off the radar. While they've never been properly identified or located, it seems too much to be a coincidence.
Comments
As for Klingons in particular they are a well disciplined lot, but I can see them relaxing protocol when the need arises too. In the height of war with everyone including the Federation I reckon the powers that be just want to field as much fire power as possible.
Quinn pretty much explains that exact same reason when you first meet him after the tutorial:
If someone could jump straight into a Captain's chair just for keeping a cool head in a crisis, I can believe someone who has barely acknowledged the basics can find themselves in a minor role onboard a ship.
Well Odo's office is on the promenade and it has access to major security features like forcefields and the like so it would make a decent target.
Plus the Klingons probably wanted to rattle the defenders by boarding them and running amok.
From what I remembef of my active duty army enlistment. We needed to train and retrain the replacement force so they would be brought online and combat ready as soon as possibly. My own experience with basic and later advanced training. You were conditioned to follow orders. Taught and tested with multiple weapon systems (ie. M16/a2 rifle. Varius grenades. Clamore was a pain butthat as well. AIT advanced indevidual training, i was taught and tested on my primary job class (MLRS crewmember). When I arrived at my first permanent party. I began to realize just how much that I did not know.
E
I was Klingon before Klingon was cool.
Klingons respect competence and determination. Alexander might have been weak as a fighter - his colleagues blaming his human upbringing, no doubt - but if he was basically competent as a technician and willing to risk his life, that's probably enough for a Bekk. Given his "lucky charm" status I suspect that, in a Klingon way, his crewmates felt sorry for this poor soul forced to suffer a federation upbringing, yet determined to embrace his heritage.
Anyway, for what it's worth, in the novels Alexander comes good. There's a great scene in "Left Hand of Destiny" where he pulls himself, burned and battered, from the wreckage of the Rotarran, and immediately provides Martok with a clear, confident tactical analysis.
Martok: "This is the son you're always worrying about?"
Worf: "... he's got better."
Interesting side note (that's always missing in the "aliens got 'em" theories put forth on this incident). After the disappearance of Flight 19 ALL TBM Avengers were grounded while an investigation was conducted. SOP. The other TBM's at that same Naval Base were inspected. When they opened the hatch in back of the cockpit to pull out the big yellow life raft as part of the routine inspection they often pulled out a handful of yellow, rubbery goo. Seems that, as this was just after the end of the war, Base personnel were on a continual rotation as they were transferred in to that Base from the Pacific then mustered out. The regular schedule of inspections had been severely disrupted by this constant overturn. Those planes had been sitting, many of them, for FAR too long in the hot, Southern sun. Those rafts were made of rubber back then... end result... melted, useless life rafts. The navy never actually had any "mystery" about the disappearance although, since no actual wreckage was recovered or found, it had to be listed as unresolved. They knew what happened... just couldn't prove it. :rolleyes:
If you want your logic I suggest reading some of the many books... although even a lot of those aren't bound by logic either, but certainly better than the show.
Entirely agree, good point
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A bit incompetence is okay, it's TV like you say.
But in cases like this the incompetence is so drastic that even the characters who themsleves can be painfully stupid at times notice it.
Isn't that worthing thinking about?;)
My character Tsin'xing