Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dartvax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!akgua!mcnc!decvax!dartvax!markv
From: markv@dartvax.UUCP (Mark Vita)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Command Precedence
Message-ID: <1459@dartvax.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 6-May-84 00:26:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: dartvax.1459
Posted: Sun May  6 00:26:09 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 7-May-84 01:01:04 EDT
Organization: Dartmouth College
Lines: 32


   I've gotten quite a few replies from my article about the
progression of command.  Most have confirmed that it is indeed
Lt. DeSalle who appears in command in "Catspaw", but no one
seems to know the exact reason for his place in the command
chain.  One person (Bob Lynch--!decvax!wivax!lynch) said that
DeSalle was "second in command in the engineering division", 
next to Scotty.  Using this logic, McCoy would be second in the 
sciences division to Spock and Sulu second to Kirk in the Command
division.  Since the chain of command appears to go from
Command->Sciences->Engineering, it would then be logical that
the progression would go from the first person in each
division, in order, to the second person in each division, etc.
That would mean the order is: Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Sulu, McCoy,
DeSalle.  This order makes sense to me.  The reason why
McCoy never appears in command of the ship could be that there
isn't an episode where the first four are off the ship
without McCoy.  (I can't think of one offhand.)  Even if this
did happen, I'm sure that a good explanation for McCoy
not taking command would be that he is a doctor first and 
a commander second, so that if he were busy in Sickbay
he could waive his requirement to command to the ship
to DeSalle.

-- 



                            Mark Vita
                            Dartmouth College
                            {decvax,cornell,linus}!dartvax!markv