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From: rjnoe@ihlts.UUCP (Roger Noe)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Transfer of command in "Menagerie"
Message-ID: <457@ihlts.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 8-May-84 12:53:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihlts.457
Posted: Tue May  8 12:53:56 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 9-May-84 02:33:25 EDT
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 22

In reference again to the episode "The Menagerie", Lt. Commander Spock
took command of the Enterprise without orders to do so and without a
complete crew.  The captain was just one of many missing; most of the
bridge crew is gone, with no navigator, and only Lt. Uhura at communications,
Lt. Hansen at the helm (Hagan Beggs, also in "Courtmartial"), and Lieutenant
Commanders Scott and McCoy on board but not always on the bridge.  McCoy is
on the bridge when Spock decides to have the ship come to a full stop so
that Kirk and Mendez can be beamed aboard.  Spock says, "Effective until
then, Lt. Hansen is in operational command."  A moment later Spock says to
McCoy, "Doctor, as senior officer present, I present myself to you for arrest."
When Kirk materializes in the transporter room, Hansen says to him,
"Transferring command to you, sir" which Kirk then accepts.  But Scott is
in the transporter room at the same time, so Lt. Hansen did not hand over
command to Lt. Commander Scott even though the opportunity was there.  It
could be argued that Scott was needed in Engineering rather than in the
captain's chair because of the smaller crew.  And since Spock was in mutiny,
handing over command to Hansen has questionable legality since Spock was in
violation of regulations.  Command authority seems to operate by some very
arbitrary rules and we can assume that the one with that authority can delegate
that authority to just about anyone else they choose.  However, this always
seems to happen on the bridge.
	Roger Noe		ihnp4!ihlts!rjnoe