posted
I'd always just assumed the Oberth pylons had a sort of firemans pole in them. When the ship got back to Space-Dock after a mission, they got a big can opener, cut a hole in the bottom bit and let them all out, staring wild-eyed like new born deer.
Now, for McCoy and his quote, which was that he was: “for 27 years [he had] been Ship’s Surgeon and later Chief Medical Officer aboard the USS Enterprise”.
First of all, what does this mean? Ship's surgeon is a valid if archaic term for the person doling out medicine and so forth on a ship, dating back to the days when they were effectively warrant officers - skilled in butchering but not a gentlemen like the officers.
Chief Medical Officer in Star Trek is the head of the medical division on a ship. In the real world it refers to the government position and as far as I know is not a term used by a contemporary ships doctor or officer in charge of the department (correct me please if I am wrong), but that’s an aside.
This could therefore imply that he was on or on assignment to the Enterprise as the surgeon – i.e. the doctor specialising in surgery, before he became CMO. He could even have been a surgeon under Piper, although I can’t remember if it was ever explicitly said that he’d just come aboard. I’ve lent someone my TOS so I can’t actually check this without googling, and that could turn up rubbish.
Right, fine that's just pedantry, out of the way.
So, in TMP when Bones comes aboard, 1) it is never explicitly said that he left. Kirk does say "Well, for a man who swore he'd never return to Starfleet...", so it is implied.
2) Bones says "What happened, Captain, sir, was that your revered Admiral Nogura invoked a little known -- and seldom used -- reserve activation clause..." - so reactivation, not re-commissioning or giving him a new commission as might be expected if he hung up his blue jumper for good. However;
3) Immediately after this he says "... in simpler language, Captain, sir, they drafted me!", implying that he was obliged to stop being a civilian and go back into Starfleet. However, it’s not as if McCoy is incapable of dramatic licence or sarcasm, which is how I interpret this statement, as a whinge, not actual fact.
4) Although McCoy bitches about Chapel having her MD, he never calls her Ship’s Surgeon or CMO. She could be either acting head of department or the actual head of department, it’s never made clear.
I chose to think that point 3) is just McCoy using dramatic license. It is therefore possible that he effectively on sabbatical. He’d be on the books as CMO but in fact was doing whatever it was that led to him growing my favourite beard in all of Star Trek (including Mirror Spock).
So, theory one: Despite appearances, McCoy ‘left’ Starfleet but did not actually resign his commission and role of Enterprise CMO. He was, strictly speaking, assigned to the Enterprise in one or other of these roles for a continuous 27 years, despite doing some other stuff in the meantime. The time he spent buying jumpsuits, growing facial hair and wearing medallions was all on sabbatical or something similar.
Theory two: He was on the Enterprise as the Ship’s Surgeon about two years prior to when we first see him. Piper leaves the ship (or is eaten by an alien monster, whatever) an McCoy gets his job. He then takes a break of 2ish years after TOS and before TMP, then continues his surprisingly long assignment, totalling 27 years’ service (but 29 chronological years) by the time he is on trial.
Theory three: He’s a sixty something year old man, on trial in a strange Klingon court and under extreme stress. He’s got arthritis, he’s a bit hung over perhaps, possibly mistreated and scared to death (or even of death). Under these circumstances he forgot that he took a bit of time off to let his hair grow.
While convenient, theory three is also probably the easiest to fit in there. It’s even possible that Starfleet backdated his pay/employment record/whatever to include his time off. But in a world without economics (and therefore no pensions) why would they do that.
As an additional point to this, McCoy wears 4 pips and 3 squeaks in TUC (the round and long gold markers on the ring round the left sleeve of his uniform). Apparently the squeaks (the long ones) mark commendations. The circular ones mark either 5 years’ service (if plain) or 10 years (if they have the Starfleet arrowhead on them). Unfortunately even with Trek Core’s HD shots of TUC, it’s not quite clear. You can see them in the scene where he’s trying to save Gorkon, but not all. The front two are 10 year markers in this one:
But you can’t categorically say what the back two are. They wouldn't both be 5 year markers, unless they round up the years. They are both unlikely to be 10 year markers because that would mean he was in Starfleet from about 15 years old.
So they are likely 35 years of service markers. Which doesn't help at all.
Infact, even if we take them to be 1 year for the round ones and five or ten years for the big ones (which is wrong but often stated) then he's been in Starfleet for either 19 years (wrong) or 34 years (perhaps).
So that was no help. Bugger. Anyway, I vote three.
-------------------- I have plenty of experience in biology. I bought a Tamagotchi in 1998... And... it's still alive.
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
The pips and squeaks represent months and weeks gone without exclaiming "Damnit, Jim!". Medallions represent year markers. He was doing so well too....sad really, STVI sent him back to the start of his recovery yet again.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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The useful but not quite authoritative "Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise" states that the bars are 10 year service markers and the pips are 1 year markers.
Now someone has to check all five movies with that uniform to make sure they kept count properly.
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
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So if they can't be bothered to get it right for him I think we can dismiss them completely as evidence of years served.
-------------------- I have plenty of experience in biology. I bought a Tamagotchi in 1998... And... it's still alive.
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Maybe Kirk's bars and squeaks and such got altered when he got demoted...lack of seniority costing him that sweet San Fran apartment or something.
Really stretching here...but hey, it's what we do: covering paramount's ass with implausible in-universe explanations.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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