Not Scotty. He's got his hands full in Engineering teaching all those kids.
Chekov's not even on the ship -- he's on the Reliant!
That leaves us ... Uhura? Very cool.
***
Prior to Star Trek VI, who was Kirk's First Officer? Spock's off negotiating a treaty with the Klingons. Honestly, I got the impression that Spock had left the crew a few months prior to the ep. His, "this will be my last voyage as a member of her crew" kinda confirms this for me.
Who was Kirk's XO? Not Scotty, he's way down in the bowels. Not Sulu -- he's got the Excelsior. That leaves Chekov or Uhura ...
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Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 7.64 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux (with six eps posted)
***
"Oh, yes, screw logic, let's go for a theory with no evidence!"
-Omega 11:48am, Jan. 19th, 2001
****
And homeschooling also turns you into a socially well-adjusted person, capable of talking to people without them wanting to ram a f***ing chair down your throat! - PsyLiam, 3/11/01
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"Second star to the right, and then straight on till morning."
Besides, Saavik didn't board Enterprise until just after the Kobyashi Maru. Since that was more than likely her final "test" before going into space, it's unlikely that she would've been first officer before that.
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Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 7.64 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux (with six eps posted)
***
"Oh, yes, screw logic, let's go for a theory with no evidence!"
-Omega 11:48am, Jan. 19th, 2001
****
And homeschooling also turns you into a socially well-adjusted person, capable of talking to people without them wanting to ram a f***ing chair down your throat! - PsyLiam, 3/11/01
For STV and VI Chekov would be the best choice as 2nd officer. Anyone remember 'Keptin' Chekov when Kirk & party were on Nimbus III?
Still, most things in Star Trek are all open to interpretation by the fans.
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"There will be a substantial reward for the one who finds the Millennium Falcon. You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want them alive. No disintegrations."
-Lord Darth Vader (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back)
Chekov as second officer might make sense -- but might not. Sulu is a senior officer to Chekov (and gets promoted to Captain after V). Sulu would be my bet for Second Officer in V
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Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 7.64 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux (with six eps posted)
***
"Oh, yes, screw logic, let's go for a theory with no evidence!"
-Omega 11:48am, Jan. 19th, 2001
****
And homeschooling also turns you into a socially well-adjusted person, capable of talking to people without them wanting to ram a f***ing chair down your throat! - PsyLiam, 3/11/01
------------------
"...I know this board in secret, intimate ways which are beyond your comprehension.... Let's just say that people should *not* be telling me what to do; it should always be the other way around."
-"Red Quacker", conspiracy theorist and contemporary lunatic
When the ship was in training use, I guess she had some no-names filling most of the positions. Probably no science officer was assigned, due to the limited mission. And the regular XO probably simply took shore leave when he/she/it heard that Sulu was coming aboard for the duration of the cruise.
Scotty was of course the regular CEO - he wouldn't have left the ship even if she was reassigned as an otherwise unmanned lightship orbiting Pluto. McCoy *sounded* like a regular CMO, although it beats me why he'd want to stay. Perhaps there was a different CMO, but McCoy gently ousted him for the duration of the cruise because he wanted to personally see to it that Kirk followed his advice and properly enjoyed his medicative little cruise.
Uhura might very well have ousted the regular comm officer the way Sulu ousted the XO - after all, the orders for the inspection cruise probably came from the exalted Kirk himself, so getting the regulars off the ship for a short while wouldn't have been a serious adminstrative problem. When Kirk wants to play with his friends, other kids gracefully leave the sandbox.
Timo Saloniemi