Direct Commissions in Starfleet?

[lstyer]

Does anyone know if there's any on-screen mention of Starfleet granting "direct commissions"? The U.S. military does this, exemplified in my mind by Navy JAG Corps officers or Army physicians as in MASH who do not attend an Academy but do not have the full authority of unrestricted line officers. I think there's been reference to Crusher and Bashir attending the Academy, but prior to the new movie, that's not the sense I got about McCoy, though I don't think there was necessarily any on-screen statement one way or the other. I guess you might interpret Troi's taking that bridge officer's exam in that Next Generation episode to indicate that she might have been a direct commission who wanted to move to unrestricted line officer status, but her Academy days may have been mentioned at some point and I just don't recall that.

For RPG purposes (and really dramatic purposes in general), I prefer the idea that Starfleet offers direct commissions because it opens the door for different sorts of characters, which should make for more varied interaction. So if I were running a game or writing a fanfic I guess I'd probably go with that idea whether it's canon or not, but I'm curious whether it's ever been addressed and, for that matter, what other folks think about the question.

 

[Kaziarl]

Does anyone know if there's any on-screen mention of Starfleet granting "direct commissions"? The U.S. military does this, exemplified in my mind by Navy JAG Corps officers or Army physicians as in MASH who do not attend an Academy but do not have the full authority of unrestricted line officers. I think there's been reference to Crusher and Bashir attending the Academy, but prior to the new movie, that's not the sense I got about McCoy, though I don't think there was necessarily any on-screen statement one way or the other. I guess you might interpret Troi's taking that bridge officer's exam in that Next Generation episode to indicate that she might have been a direct commission who wanted to move to unrestricted line officer status, but her Academy days may have been mentioned at some point and I just don't recall that.

For RPG purposes (and really dramatic purposes in general), I prefer the idea that Starfleet offers direct commissions because it opens the door for different sorts of characters, which should make for more varied interaction. So if I were running a game or writing a fanfic I guess I'd probably go with that idea whether it's canon or not, but I'm curious whether it's ever been addressed and, for that matter, what other folks think about the question.

I don't think it was specifically mentioned, but I also don't really remember anything lower then an ensign on the show. (Exception might be O'brien and the MACO's) I agree that it makes sense for them to have direct commisions. In my story, one of the characters gets a transfer commision from the Romulan Military into Starfleet, where she is now a commander.

As I look at it, Ensign is the lowest commissioned rank in Starfleet. But in your own story or rpg, you can really do whatever you want.

 

[nx1701g]

I've, personally, always felt that these were the provisional officers we heard about every so often.

 

[Maestro]

Starfleet, as well as its Academy, seem to be set-up much differently than the US Military.

No officer in the US Military is required to attend his/her branch's Academy. In fact, it's damn hard to get in to the Academy. I believe most require a letter of endorsement from at least one of your CongresCritters, if not more, and I believe a Senator is preferred. Officers in the US go through OCS, or ROTC, and I believe they all need to possess a college degree to be formally commissioned.

Now, it stands to reason that Academy graduates would get better assignments right out of the Academy, and continue to do so until they screw something up majorly.

I don't know about Army doctors, but I believe all three JAG Corps require Basic of their Officers, and while they're not commissioned as Line Officers, they do have full authority over lower ranked officers based on assignment ranks. Certainly any non-Flag Officer should be addressing JAG's good ol' Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden as "Sir," even if they be a Line Officer. But, his authority over a lower ranked officer not in the JAG would be limited.

As for Starfleet, there were several "crewmen" and NCOs who established an enlisted, non-Academy program. Simon Tarsus, along with O'Brien's reconned backstory established this.

There has never been any indication of a Reserve or National Guard type commissioning.

It seems like the Academy is a four year college as well as an OCS.

 

[Kaziarl]

It seems like the Academy is a four year college as well as an OCS.

thats kind of the impression I got as well. Which makes me think there is a "basic" for starfleet as well. It could also combined to an extent, having everyone go through basic and the ones in officer training stay longer to take OCS courses.

In Weasly's case, I think they may have taken his life on the Enterprise into account. He was involved in many things, learning regs and whatnot, before he entered the academy. So they may have put him through an accelerated course. That could explain why he seemed to get back from the academy as quick as he did.

 

[nx1701g]

I don't know about Army doctors, but I believe all three JAG Corps require Basic of their Officers, and while they're not commissioned as Line Officers, they do have full authority over lower ranked officers based on assignment ranks. Certainly any non-Flag Officer should be addressing JAG's good ol' Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden as "Sir," even if they be a Line Officer. But, his authority over a lower ranked officer not in the JAG would be limited.

Admiral Chegwidden was always an interesting character. I do know that, on the show at least, he was a graduate of Annapolis and had been a Navy SEAL prior to his transfer to JAG. Much like Rabb was a Lieutenant Commander in the Fighter Wing. Though your point is still very valid.

Come to think of it I can't think of a single officer on JAG that wasn't at the Naval Academy or Westpoint.

 

[lstyer]

I've, personally, always felt that these were the provisional officers we heard about every so often.

I took "provisional officers" to be those with battlefield or brevet commissions, like Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher pre-Academy.

 

[lstyer]

Starfleet, as well as its Academy, seem to be set-up much differently than the US Military.

Definitely different, though the extent of the difference isn't always clear. My thought process is usually that it's reasonably safe to draw an analogy if what has been seen on screen doesn't invalidate the analogy, but what is seen on screen often does invalidate analogies.

No officer in the US Military is required to attend his/her branch's Academy. In fact, it's damn hard to get in to the Academy.

As far as I can recall, every officer whose background has been made explicit attended Starfleet Academy. That's always struck me as a scale problem, though, because unless Academy classes are huge, I don't see how one institution could graduate officers from a four year program in sufficient number to supply an interplanetary organization.

There has never been any indication of a Reserve or National Guard type commissioning.

I don't know of reserve commissioning, but there must be some kind of reserve in that Dr. McCoy was brought back into Starfleet for The Motion Picture by way of a "little known and seldom used reserve activation clause."

 

[Kaziarl]

That's always struck me as a scale problem, though, because unless Academy classes are huge, I don't see how one institution could graduate officers from a four year program in sufficient number to supply an interplanetary organization.

The 4 years did seem a little silly, considering the range of classes a starfleet officer might have to take. Probably a lot more demanding then anything we have today.

 

[lstyer]

Four years is fine to the extent that it's college-and-officer-training in one institution, but I don't see why that should be the only route by which to become an officer. If it takes four years to "make" every officer, that seems like a sure path to personnel shortages.

 

[USS Triumphant]

As far as I can recall, every officer whose background has been made explicit attended Starfleet Academy. That's always struck me as a scale problem, though, because unless Academy classes are huge, I don't see how one institution could graduate officers from a four year program in sufficient number to supply an interplanetary organization.

I have no real canonical basis for this, but I've always just assumed that "Starfleet Academy" is more of a program than a place, and that there would be "branches" of the Academy on almost every member world of the Federation. There is a measure of prestige to having been accepted to THE Academy - the one at SanFran - and as most of the characters we've followed have been the cream of the crop (crew of the flagship, for example), it follows that most of them would have gone there. But in casual conversation people refer to the Academy generically.

And I wouldn't take the fact that characters remember a teacher in common to be indicative that they attended the same branch of the Academy - we're using telecommunications for remote classes now, so I don't see why that would be any different then.

If they say they remember Boothby, OTOH, then I'd say they either went to SanFran, or were taught by Species 8472.

 

[JB2005]

As far as I can recall, every officer whose background has been made explicit attended Starfleet Academy. That's always struck me as a scale problem, though, because unless Academy classes are huge, I don't see how one institution could graduate officers from a four year program in sufficient number to supply an interplanetary organization.

I always assumed there was an academy campus on every planet in the Federation. They may have "gone to the academy" but not specifically the one on earth...

 

[lstyer]

That's not how I have "read" it, but it's certainly a more sensible arrangement.

 

[nx1701g]

In the novels they have been suggesting, despite not being canon, that Starfleet DOES put an academy annex on each of the member worlds. For example in (it's either Unity or Warpath) Commander Elias Vaughn is overseeing the construction of the Bajoran Annex of Starfleet Academy.

 

[clint g]

Starfleet, as well as its Academy, seem to be set-up much differently than the US Military.

No officer in the US Military is required to attend his/her branch's Academy. In fact, it's damn hard to get in to the Academy. I believe most require a letter of endorsement from at least one of your CongresCritters, if not more, and I believe a Senator is preferred. Officers in the US go through OCS, or ROTC, and I believe they all need to possess a college degree to be formally commissioned.

Now, it stands to reason that Academy graduates would get better assignments right out of the Academy, and continue to do so until they screw something up majorly.

I don't know about Army doctors, but I believe all three JAG Corps require Basic of their Officers, and while they're not commissioned as Line Officers, they do have full authority over lower ranked officers based on assignment ranks. Certainly any non-Flag Officer should be addressing JAG's good ol' Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden as "Sir," even if they be a Line Officer. But, his authority over a lower ranked officer not in the JAG would be limited.

As for Starfleet, there were several "crewmen" and NCOs who established an enlisted, non-Academy program. Simon Tarsus, along with O'Brien's reconned backstory established this.

There has never been any indication of a Reserve or National Guard type commissioning.

It seems like the Academy is a four year college as well as an OCS.

This is partially true. In the Army, most officers come from ROTC with about half coming from both the Academy and OCS. OCS is mostly for prior service people who started as enlisted and decide to become officers at a later date. This isnt always the case though. There are also ways for people to become officers through OCS with only 90 credits, but this is rare and there are alot of restrictions.

Now while officers aren't required to attend the Academy, in the case of the Army (and the other services as well) there is a training phase that occurs right after you get the commission. In the case of the Army, its called Basic Officer Leader Course part II and Part III. At this point you are integrated with OCS, Academy, and ROTC grads and essentially learn your job. It is in this particular area where there are alot of similarities between how Starfleet Academy works and how the US Army works

In my case, I'm becoming a signal officer so I would head to BOLC II for basic leadership and tactics/infantry stuff and then Signal BOLC III in Fort Gordon. In the case of direct commission officers, they do not have to head to Basic. As a matter of fact, the only officers who ever have to go to basic are OCS officers. It's optional for ROTC officers.

Anyways, from what we have seen of Starfleet Academy it really doesn't have any of the characteristics of OCS (in which case, every Academy graduate would have to start out being enlisted) and looks alot like you're regular old service academy merged with the post commissioning training. The only difference is that all officers are required to attend Starfleet Academy and it looks like branch specific training occurs on site as opposed to further down the line



EDIT: Something that I should mention about direct commissions is that all of the military doctors, nurses and lawyers I've met did not enter the military though direct commissioning. Most of them either commissioned into a traditional branch and then entered into a program that allowed them to get their graduate degree when they became a captain. Others commissioned directly into the JAG, Nursing, or medical corp. in the case of the doctors and lawyers they would then go on to medical school. Once they finished med school they would rejoin the Army

 

[Kaziarl]

Starfleet, as well as its Academy, seem to be set-up much differently than the US Military.

No officer in the US Military is required to attend his/her branch's Academy. In fact, it's damn hard to get in to the Academy. I believe most require a letter of endorsement from at least one of your CongresCritters, if not more, and I believe a Senator is preferred. Officers in the US go through OCS, or ROTC, and I believe they all need to possess a college degree to be formally commissioned.

Now, it stands to reason that Academy graduates would get better assignments right out of the Academy, and continue to do so until they screw something up majorly.

I don't know about Army doctors, but I believe all three JAG Corps require Basic of their Officers, and while they're not commissioned as Line Officers, they do have full authority over lower ranked officers based on assignment ranks. Certainly any non-Flag Officer should be addressing JAG's good ol' Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden as "Sir," even if they be a Line Officer. But, his authority over a lower ranked officer not in the JAG would be limited.

As for Starfleet, there were several "crewmen" and NCOs who established an enlisted, non-Academy program. Simon Tarsus, along with O'Brien's reconned backstory established this.

There has never been any indication of a Reserve or National Guard type commissioning.

It seems like the Academy is a four year college as well as an OCS.

This is partially true. In the Army, most officers come from ROTC with about half coming from both the Academy and OCS. OCS is mostly for prior service people who started as enlisted and decide to become officers at a later date. This isnt always the case though. There are also ways for people to become officers through OCS with only 90 credits, but this is rare and there are alot of restrictions.

Now while officers aren't required to attend the Academy, in the case of the Army (and the other services as well) there is a training phase that occurs right after you get the commission. In the case of the Army, its called Basic Officer Leader Course part II and Part III. At this point you are integrated with OCS, Academy, and ROTC grads and essentially learn your job. It is in this particular area where there are alot of similarities between how Starfleet Academy works and how the US Army works

In my case, I'm becoming a signal officer so I would head to BOLC II for basic leadership and tactics/infantry stuff and then Signal BOLC III in Fort Gordon. In the case of direct commission officers, they do not have to head to Basic. As a matter of fact, the only officers who ever have to go to basic are OCS officers. It's optional for ROTC officers.

Anyways, from what we have seen of Starfleet Academy it really doesn't have any of the characteristics of OCS (in which case, every Academy graduate would have to start out being enlisted) and looks alot like you're regular old service academy merged with the post commissioning training. The only difference is that all officers are required to attend Starfleet Academy and it looks like branch specific training occurs on site as opposed to further down the line



EDIT: Something that I should mention about direct commissions is that all of the military doctors, nurses and lawyers I've met did not enter the military though direct commissioning. Most of them either commissioned into a traditional branch and then entered into a program that allowed them to get their graduate degree when they became a captain. Others commissioned directly into the JAG, Nursing, or medical corp. in the case of the doctors and lawyers they would then go on to medical school. Once they finished med school they would rejoin the Army

Sorry, off topic but I gotta take note of the Fort Gordon part of your post. Thats where I was for my training as a 25B.

I miss those days. It was summer, it was hot, but is was fun and the thunderstorms were gorgeous.