Who is third in command?
Posted by Ballongo@reddit | TNG | View on Reddit | 2 comments
I just rewatched The Best of Both Worlds, and Data wear golden uniform. Only Riker wears red as does the Master.
Since Roddenberry based it all on the Merchant Navy, I am curious as to whom is third in command since Data is wearing Golden uniform.
Is Troi or Data the Second Officer? Which color do Troi wear? I believe Data should wear Red and that it is a messup sort of in the production.
Is Data Second Officer and to assume command if First Officer and Master is not available or do Troi assume command?
Is Worf third Officer? And where to actually place Troi? She wasn't even an appointed Officer at first, but later episodes they magically let her take some kind of Officer test to justify her rank. I wouldn't count her as third in command.
So many questions. Any answers?
TheHYPO@reddit
Data is the second officer of the Enterprise (D and E) after Picard and Riker. Data takes command as second officer on numerous occasions and is promoted to the role of first officer a few times when Picard or Riker is absent.
Data's primary function, however, is the operations officer, which is a Gold-division. Same way that Spock was science officer and first officer and wore red, not gold.
It's not entirely clear WHY it is Data (Crusher outranks him) but nevertheless, it is Data.
Troi only takes the "bridge officer test" in the final season (which begs the question of why she was always on the bridge), but in any event, she is not qualified to command on that basis until the last season. That said, she is "in charge" only in episode "Disaster" when she is the ranking officer on the bridge with the low-ranking Ro and O"Brien. At least until season 7 when she is promoted to Commander. That said, I'm thinking that first and second officer is a matter of the Captain's choice. In Best of Both Worlds, for example, Riker chooses Shelby (Lt. Commander) as his first officer noting that Data and Worf were candidates as well - this suggests that Captain has discretion to pick first/second officers as they see fit.
Worf is similarly very rarely placed in command other than occasionally of the Saucer section. As a Lieutenant (Junior Grade in the first two seasons), he was far down the rank chain. Geordi was even put in command in the first season Arsenal of Freedom, which seems like a plot oversight to me (why is the entire senior staff on the planet again?)
Memory Alpha claims that Yar, and later Worf were third officer after Picard/Riker/Data, though I am not sure what their source for that claim is - I don't recall Yar taking the bridge at any time.
outtatime369@reddit
Troi was on the bridge to give counsel to the captain as she does state many times. Her ability to discern emotions and whether someone is telling the truth or not was very valuable on many occasions.