The best first officer in the Fleet?

[Holopat]

McCoy once called Spock "the best first officer in the fleet". Assuming this is not just hyberbole -- and it's not likely McCoy would attribute that to him himself without some objective evaluation -- what does that mean? Take aside his Science Officer duties, which is another position entirely. Spock's presumably only been first since Kirk took command, so he's just been a year or two in the position at the time McCoy said that.

If a first officer is the equivalent of an Exec, that might mean the departments report to him, and its his job to make sure the Enterprise is in readiness for whatever mission the Captain is tasked with, with the Captain focusing on the mission and the Exec focusing on the day to day running of ship operations. Of course the Captain is ultimately responsible, and Kirk at times seems a bit hands on the day to day stuff for it to be solely in the First Officer's hands. So what does a First Officer or exec do on a Starship?

We've seen Spock going around with a netpad or electronic clipboard inspecting and getting status reports (Balance of Terror, if I remember right). I could see Spock would be excellent at that. Is he focused on the internal ship operations while Kirk's eyes are looking outward to the mission? And how would Spock be considered the best First Officer in the Fleet? Just idle speculation...

 

[Warped9]

I would imagine just being the ship’s exec would be a very involved job. And Spock manages to do it on top of being the ship’s Science Officer with most of the science departments reporting to him. The Medical Sciences most likely report to McCoy.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

It's pretty standard for TV shows about police, doctors, lawyers and such, to compress and simplify the profession so they can focus on dramatic scenes. Same thing here. Spock's administrative work was never going to be the focus of Star Trek. In a typical episode, the ship runs itself. Kirk and Spock don't have to give it a thought, so they can focus on the plot.

 

[Metryq]

I believe an XO, or "first officer" is "eyes-in," while the captain is "eyes-out." There may be areas of overlap with the captain in overall command. But to keep him focused, the XO insures that everything below decks runs smoothly and "invisibly."

Considering the character, I suspect Spock might have implemented changes in procedure to attain greater efficiency, methods that might have been implemented fleet-wide. That alone might win him such recognition.

 

[blssdwlf]

McCoy calls Spock "the best first officer in the fleet" in "Operation Annihilate" (Season 1) and a few episodes later in "Amok Time" (Season 2) Kirk repeats the line. It isn't mentioned anytime later.

Some possibilities:
1. McCoy is using hyperbole to compliment Spock. Kirk repeats it a few episodes later to knowing Spock heard McCoy saying that as a way of expressing how much of an asset Spock is to him.
2. McCoy is being factual and Spock scored the highest among the fleet for first officers on some performance review. Kirk corroborates by repeating that fact to Spock.

 

[Nerys Myk]

McCoy calls Spock "the best first officer in the fleet" in "Operation Annihilate" (Season 1) and a few episodes later in "Amok Time" (Season 2) Kirk repeats the line. It isn't mentioned anytime later.

Some possibilities:
1. McCoy is using hyperbole to compliment Spock. Kirk repeats it a few episodes later to knowing Spock heard McCoy saying that as a way of expressing how much of an asset Spock is to him.
2. McCoy is being factual and Spock scored the highest among the fleet for first officers on some performance review. Kirk corroborates by repeating that fact to Spock.

Number 1, I think.

 

[Holopat]

McCoy calls Spock "the best first officer in the fleet" in "Operation Annihilate" (Season 1) and a few episodes later in "Amok Time" (Season 2) Kirk repeats the line. It isn't mentioned anytime later.

Some possibilities:
1. McCoy is using hyperbole to compliment Spock. Kirk repeats it a few episodes later to knowing Spock heard McCoy saying that as a way of expressing how much of an asset Spock is to him.
2. McCoy is being factual and Spock scored the highest among the fleet for first officers on some performance review. Kirk corroborates by repeating that fact to Spock.

Spock wasn’t in earshot when McCoy said that to Kirk and it was a serious situation. Not a time for hyperbole

 

[blssdwlf]

Spock wasn’t in earshot when McCoy said that to Kirk and it was a serious situation. Not a time for hyperbole

At the end of "Operation Annihilate"...

KIRK: What's that Doctor?
MCCOY: I said, please don't tell Spock I said he was the best first officer in the fleet.
SPOCK: Why, thank you, Doctor.​

It could go either way. At the end of the episode Spock thanked McCoy for recognizing his achievement. Or McCoy was trying to take back his hyperbole compliment and got caught by Spock.

 

[Poltargyst]

As a Vulcan, Spock's physical abilities are superior to any other First Officer's with the possible exception of the First Officer of the Intrepid, also a Vulcan. Spock's mental processing is so much faster and more accurate, he probably gets a lot more done than others are even capable of. Then if you take the deeds of his that we see in TOS, it's not surprising he is the best.

 

[Mres_was_framed!]

In stardate and airdate order, after "Operation: Annihilate" we have "Amok Time" as the very next episode. Kirk comes to Spock after talking to McCoy about the fact that Spock could die if he did not return to Vulcan and it is at that time that Kirk says to Spock, "You have been called 'the best first officer in the fleet,'" and then insists on an explanation. In this context, Kirk might be intentionally bringing up what was said on the last mission in order to convey to Spock the importance of that explanation, and also imply that he has talked with McCoy. Although Spock seems to be a noteworthy officer to other members of the fleet, Kirk's line may be for serving the purpose of reassuring Spock of their bond while also admitting that McCoy is a part of the discussion.

Of course, in a show made at that time, it would have made sense to put the focus on the "best" ship with the "best" officers. Would a show about the 12th best ship in the fleet, or the 47th best ship in the fleet have brought in viewers?

 

[Holopat]

At the end of "Operation Annihilate"...

KIRK: What's that Doctor?
MCCOY: I said, please don't tell Spock I said he was the best first officer in the fleet.
SPOCK: Why, thank you, Doctor.​

It could go either way. At the end of the episode Spock thanked McCoy for recognizing his achievement. Or McCoy was trying to take back his hyperbole compliment and got caught by Spock.

Kirk’s brother and sister in law had died. His nephew and Spock were close to death and a whole planet infected. Sure the tag at the end of the episode had the usual humor but when McCoy was anxious about blinding Spock it was not a time for gyperbilr or humor. Not when Spock was suffering from pin far.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I think McCoy was was giving his opinion. Kirk, too, It might very well be true, though.
I like to think any Captain would consider his ship, officers and crew to be the best.

 

[blssdwlf]

Kirk’s brother and sister in law had died. His nephew and Spock were close to death and a whole planet infected. Sure the tag at the end of the episode had the usual humor but when McCoy was anxious about blinding Spock it was not a time for gyperbilr or humor. Not when Spock was suffering from pin far.

Taken as a whole, it is still up in the air. In "Operation: Annihilate", McCoy could be using hyperbole to deter Kirk from blinding Spock. Or he could be reminding Kirk of how well he scored on his performance review against the rest of the first officers in the fleet. The humor at the end of the episode doesn't cement it either way.

In "Amok Time", Kirk is appealing to Spock to tell Kirk how to help by telling Spock how much he is valued. What is curious is that Kirk himself does not call Spock the best officer in the fleet. Is Kirk referring to McCoy's line from "Operation Annihilate"? Is he referring to some other officer calling Spock that? Why isn't Kirk, Spock's commanding officer, not stating that? Was McCoy's line hyperbole that isn't backed up by some performance review or statistic?

KIRK: You've been called the best first officer in the fleet. That's an enormous asset to me.
​

YMMV.

 

[Warped9]

It is one thing to personally think Spock is "the best First Officer in the fleet" and having it verified by others in the fleet and at Starfleet Command. It's a validation of Kirk's own assessment.

 

[Vger23]

Shut up you haters. Spock is the best.

 

[Metryq]

It is one thing to personally think Spock is "the best Furst Officer in the fleet" and having it verified by others in the fleet and at Starfleet Command. It's a validation of Kirk's own assessment.

Bingo! Kirk doesn't have to say it, except through official evaluations. It carries more weight that others know it, too. (And you don't try to flatter Vulcans.)

 

[blssdwlf]

From "Journey to Babel":

KIRK to Amanda: Spock is my best officer, and my friend.​

Kirk has an opportunity to say to Spock's mother that he is the "best officer in the fleet" but only goes as far as "Kirk's best officer". It might not have been factual that Spock was best first officer in the fleet (McCoy's hyperbole) or Spock just lost his top ranking to another first officer in the fleet.

 

[Henoch]

No doubt, Spock is the best First Officer in the Fleet...

...BUT, he is not ready for ship command nor promotion to Captain at this time. There's always a BUT.

 

[Holopat]

you know, McCoy says it in one episode, and I don't think it was hyperbole. The situation was too serious for that. And when Kirk says it in Amok Time, that isn't a time for hyperbole either. Anyone can argue that it isn't serious, but there's no evidence that it isn't based on fact. As for what Kirk said to Amanda, well, he was speaking of his personal feelings. I think arguing against two statements to the effect made in very serious situations is hyperbole in itself, splitting hairs. Naturally we can argue on all sides of it, but I can't see it not being true. How that evaluation was made though is a bit of a puzzle.

 

[Henoch]

How that evaluation was made though is a bit of a puzzle.

Ever watch Top Gun? Only the best of the best, etc. The military just loves to rank their officers from top to bottom. They fast-track the best; they fire the worst.