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From: kayuucee@cvl.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Final Say
Message-ID: <1140@cvl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 22-Jan-86 09:58:21 EST
Article-I.D.: cvl.1140
Posted: Wed Jan 22 09:58:21 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 23-Jan-86 22:05:00 EST
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Organization: Computer Vision Lab, U. of Maryland, College Park
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> 	I realize that this discussion had a reasonable start
> (although it has been so long that I don't recall what it was),
> but, what does this have to do with Star Trek?
> -- 
> Drew Lawson
> 
	As the person who started this discussion (yes, I admit it!), let
me say that I'm not sure. My innocent question quickly degenerated into an
argument about whether the U.S. Navy had the rank of Commodore or not.
	My original question was: Since Kirk was unhappy as an Admiral why
didn't they make him a Commodore after the events of STAR TREK-THE MOTION
PICTURE instead of busting him down to Captain? Many people responded that
a Commodore commanded a group of heavy cruisers not one. (See Commodore Wesley
in THE ULTIMATE COMPUTER).
	Well, I think that is not a very good answer for two reasons. First,
Commodore Matt Decker in THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE was in charge of one ship, the
U.S.S. Constellation. There was no task force or anything else. Maybe this
was a mistake by the writer's, BUT it does set a precedent.
	Secondly, hopefully the Federation is not in the practice of keeping
four heavy crusiers together all the time! There were only 12 or 13 (I keep
getting conflicting information) when they first came out and as the biggest
ships in the Federation they were very important. They basic purpose of these
ships was exploration and defense at the edges of Federation space. With such
a large area to defend and/or explore keeping four in one area would greatly
increase the area one single ship would be expected to be in charge of. This
does not seem like intelligent practice. Just think, what would have happened
if the Klingons or Romulans had found out that FIVE heavy crusiers were in
one place for "wargames". With close to half of the heavy crusiers in one 
area, the Federation defenses were spread pretty thin. I know they have
scouts and other ships, but the heavy cruisers were the ships which kept the
balance tilted slightly in the favor of the Federation.
	Of course, that part of ST history will never change. Kirk was busted
down to Captain when the Enterprise went out for its second five year mission
and returned only to become an Admiral again. Star Fleet never learns.

						Star-Lord

They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Naturally they became heroes.