Chief Rand in TMP

[Basill]

Well, it was always part of the movie's original script, too - the scenes with this dialogue were even filmed IIRC. Several novels subsequently tackled this story twist, including the novelizations and the separate novel The Pandora Principle.

At least one scene with the Romulan info has been viewed by more than a few people and there is even a copy of it on Youtube last I knew.

Personally, I don't like the idea that the person in STIII was Janice Rand, as the career development of the character would almost make sense if we ignored that cameo.

Also, it doesn't make much sense to think that this person had been aboard the Enterprise in STII and then boarded the Firenze for a ride home. The sorry state of the ship wouldn't come as such a shock to her, then. Sure, there was some extra damage there vs. what we saw in STII - but the scene tries to show her shocked over very fact that the ship is damaged in the first place.

While I don't mind Rand being the one in Spacedock, (Her wry expression as she shakes her head works best if she is Rand) I do have to agree that her reaction would seem strange had she witnessed the events of STII.

"Flashback" inexplicably promotes her by three steps vs. what was shown in ST6:TUC. If we say that this promotion was all in Tuvok's feverish mind, then Rand's promotions are pretty logical: from noncom yeoman to noncom transporter specialist to noncom SF HQ specialist, she'd gather experience and brownie points, and eventually jump to "mustang", i.e. get her officer commission to Ensign and then a quick promotion to Lt (jg) as shown in ST:TUC, without Academy attendance. Now that would show her annoying big sister who always had to brag about being a full Commander!

I prefer to think of most of "Flashback" as being in Tuvok's feverish mind! Especially the implied death of Valtane.

I also thought perhaps the cadet jumpsuit was interchangeable with the monster maroon jacket for officers

Could well be. The original ideas on the use of those uniforms have been contradicted by later movies and episodes, and it's entirely possible that the jumpsuit could be decorated with the proper colors and pins and whatnot to denote that an officer is wearing it.

Timo Saloniemi

Other than promotional images and the like, did we ever get a good look at Rand's rank pins during her extremely short cameo(s) in ST:IV? Without on screen confirmation, I'd be happy to accept her as a hard working jumpsuit officer. I would rather retcon that appearance than her ST:III cameo.

Unless I was just going to be a command barking figure head, I personally would prefer the idea of getting to wear more casual attire when I am performing duties (officer or not) that demanded I not soil my uniform. That way I can be all prim and proper when the Klingons come to visit.

 

[Therin of Andor]

If memory serves, in the DC Comics Star Trek story arc that dealt with Sulu's assuming command of the Excelsior, it was established that Janice Rand was indeed Sulu's first officer. Obviously, that's non-canonical, but the story was very good....

Yep: DC Comics' mini-series, The Tabukan Syndrome, posits Rand as first officer. Omnibus: "Tests of Courage".

The TOS novel, The Fearful Summons, by Denny Martin Flinn, gives the departing Valtane the first name of Masoud. (Wasn't he also the first officer?)

Peter David's novel The Captain's Daughter states that Dmitri Valtane was the Excelsior's first officer. Also the novelization of Star Trek VI. Maybe "Flashback" seemingly suggesting twins works?

 

[GodThingFormerly]

Well, it was always part of the movie's original script, too - the scenes with this dialogue were even filmed IIRC.

http://www.russianhillrussiancosmist.com/stuff/ST_II_ShoWestTrailer.zip

TGT

 

[guardian]

Wow, no, 'she can't act worth a damn' comments so far.

 

[Praetor]

Ah, 'The Tabukan Syndrome' was where I got the Rand as XO from.

Wasn't Valtane a Lt. Cmdr.? Were Rand's TUC pins Lt. Cmdr. pins too?

Out of curiosity, does anyone know what the origin of the surname 'Valtane' is? I haven't been able to discover it.

 

[cardinal biggles]

In TUC, Valtane was a Lieutenant Commander, and Rand was a Lieutenant (junior grade). Rand got an accidental promotion in "Flashback."

 

[Praetor]

Ahhh. That explains that then. I bet the writers of 'The Tabukan Syndrome' were basing their notion off of her appearance in TSFS.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Ahhh. That explains that then. I bet the writers of 'The Tabukan Syndrome' were basing their notion off of her appearance in TSFS.

No, IIRC, it was explained at the time that being first officer gave opportunities for better Sulu/Rand scenes and dialogue. Discussed in the lettercol, IIRC.

Most people don't realise that Rand's uniform has command colours and pins in ST III. But I do know the GLW's very proud of that scene, and they tried to recreate tearful Rand in ST VI, as she watches Kirk's sentencing to Rura Penthe.

I think her ST III scene works very well, even if she was aboard Enterprise for ST II. If she and Chapel left on on Firenze before ST III, and were busy with seriously injured cadets, then she'd be seeing damaged Enterprise from the outside for the first time. (And, if you recall the post-ST II DC Comics stories, it had additional battlescars before returning home.)

 

[Timo]

No, IIRC, it was explained at the time that being first officer gave opportunities for better Sulu/Rand scenes and dialogue. Discussed in the lettercol, IIRC.

OTOH, they also chose to portray Valtane as a junior officer buddying up with Tuvok. Why not have Rand in this bunch of low-ranks, too? Lots of possibilities for interaction that were now missed, in favor of what, two bits of dialogue between Rand and Sulu. Hell, Tuvok and Rand could have been bunkmates and Valtane their high-ranking boss, and the story would still have worked well - there was no requirement for Valtane to be a junior officer in order to make Tuvok feel guilty about his preventable death.

Sigh. It's really, really nice that it was all a dream.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Therin of Andor]

Why not have Rand in this bunch of low-ranks, too? Lots of possibilities for interaction that were now missed, in favor of what, two bits of dialogue between Rand and Sulu.

Well, Rand was in her 60s in ST VI, and her comradeship with Sulu was established in Season One of TOS.

 

[Praetor]

Yeah, I think it's kind of a bum rap she wasn't intended to be XO in the first place. Twenty-five years seems long enough for a sufficiently ambitious someone to make the climb from Yeoman to Commander (or Lt. Commander) and First Officer of a ship, at least in Starfleet.

I know the novels place Chekov as Sulu's XO post TUC, but I'd always thought after doing his due diligence on the Reliant, he (and all of the other Enterprise senior staff) would be prime for command if it was desired.

 

[BenRoethig]

I always figured Rand completed Officer Candidate School somewhere along the line.

There's, what, 15 years between TMP and TWOK? Lots of time for her to make full Commander by the time TSFS rolls around.

I always figured Rand was an O-2E. Limited Duty Officers are former senior enlisted personal (PO1 and higher) given commissions in specific technical areas. It is essentially an extension of the warrant officer program, but with higher authority.

 

[Praetor]

^Interesting. I've never heard of that.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I know the novels place Chekov as Sulu's XO post TUC, but I'd always thought after doing his due diligence on the Reliant, he (and all of the other Enterprise senior staff) would be prime for command if it was desired.

One of the reporters in ST:GEN does refer to him as CAPTAIN Chekov...

 

[Kryton]

Probably a specialized Captaincy and not a ship command...similar to the way Scotty was a "Captain of Engineering".

Chekov was probably "Captain of Screaming Like a Girl" or one of the other things he was good at.

 

[Praetor]

I know the novels place Chekov as Sulu's XO post TUC, but I'd always thought after doing his due diligence on the Reliant, he (and all of the other Enterprise senior staff) would be prime for command if it was desired.

One of the reporters in ST:GEN does refer to him as CAPTAIN Chekov...

That is true, even though IIRC he still war a Commander's bars. Dude needs to stay up to date with his wardrobe if he's going to be Captain of Screaming Like A Girl.

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

She obviously didn't deserve to be there since she scrambled that Vulcan 1st Officer and some other poor sap. She probably stumbled in there on accident

 

[Praetor]

According to the novelization, the other poor sap was Kirk's wife, a fellow Admiral.

 

[Mysterion]

I know the novels place Chekov as Sulu's XO post TUC, but I'd always thought after doing his due diligence on the Reliant, he (and all of the other Enterprise senior staff) would be prime for command if it was desired.

One of the reporters in ST:GEN does refer to him as CAPTAIN Chekov...

That is true, even though IIRC he still war a Commander's bars. Dude needs to stay up to date with his wardrobe if he's going to be Captain of Screaming Like A Girl.

Or the reporter needs to learn how to read the rank pins on a Starfleet uniform...

 

[USS Triumphant]

Or the reporter needs to learn how to read the rank pins on a Starfleet uniform...

It isn't totally uncommon for people to go ahead and start referring to someone by their new rank when it is known they are getting a promotion, even if the promotion hasn't technically come through yet.

If Chekov had already been issued orders that said, "on Stardate 90210, report aboard U.S.S. Chekov's Ship, where you will assume the rank of Captain and the responsibilities of Captain aboard that vessel" or whatever, then any good newsies would know that as part of their prep for the -B's launch when they found out he would be aboard.

As for Rand, clearly she was an agent in the Temporal Cold War. Her fluctuating rank was a casualty of the time changes.