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Dane Simri: In "The Drumhead" TNG, Crewman Tarsus said that he went through something like "Starfleet's program for Enlisted Personel".
However, in "Trials and Tribbleations" DS9 (I think it was in this episode) Bashir asks O'Brien if he had studied something or other while he was at the Academy. I don't remember what his response was, but it wasn't "I didn't go to the bloody Academy, I'm an enlistedman dammit!" Now while I think that was a mistake on the part of the writers, you can take it as you like.
I also remember a scene in DS9 where O'Brien was talking to Jake about whether or not Sisko would be mad at him for not wanting to be a Starfleet guy. He told Jake that he went into town and joined up one day against his father's wishes. It doesn't sound like he went through the Academy at all. So my guess is that Enlisted personel never set foot on the Academy grounds unless their training courses take place at the Academy (which is possible). If they do, they are only there for a few months at most.
------------------ "A gathering of Angels appeared above my head. They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said..." -Styx
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I'm sure Sisko meant that he joined the Academy against his father's wishes. Somehow, I can't see Sisko as a non-com...
------------------ "The Earl of Sandwich invented the sandwich. Samuel Morse invented the Morse Code. Plato invented the plate." -Holly, Red Dwarf: "Parallel Universe"
posted
I think Aban meant that *O'Brien* joined Starfleet against his father's wishes.
Since O'Brien is so cool with people saying that he attended the Academy, and even speaks of it himself, it would seem logical to assume that enlisteds in the 24th century Starfleet call their place of initial study an Academy as well. Perhaps because the training programs take place in facilities shared by the officer Academy? Perhaps because even enlisteds have to study a bit of Temporal Mechanics, and it really doesn't pay to hire TWO mad scientists to teach it, one to the cadets and one to the enlisteds.
So O'Brien could easily say something like "As I just told to my old Academy pal, it was a good thing neither of us ever went to the bloody Academy! So how was your trip to the Academy, Julian? Did you meet any of my old instructors? Or those uppity Academy teachers of yours?"...
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Actually, in today's US military, the schools that train junior enlisted personnel to be sergeants or petty officers (also called non-commissioned officers or NCO's) are referred "NCO Academies." When I was on active duty and spoke to an NCO about "the academy," it was understood that the academy I was speaking of was the NCO academy, not West Point (the United States Military Academy). Perhaps Starfleet has something analogous.
------------------ Dane
"...and there was war in heaven..." The Bible, Revelation 12:7
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