Schauble@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA (08/06/84)
From: Paul Schauble <Schauble@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA>
Kirk's future with Starfleet isn't necessarily as bleak as some people
suggest . Remember that in any Navy that ever has existed (and presumably,
ever will exist) rank and promotion at the command level depends in
large part on political influence.
In this case, it is quite likely that Kirk will have the Vulcans in
his corner, as welll as some of the other races he and his crew helped
at various times. Starfleet may not like it, but it is quite possible
they will find the most expedient thing to do is to gloss over the
whole incident. After all, Kirk's action kept a potentially devastating
weapon out of the hands of an implacable enemyy of the Federation.
That doesn't necessarily mean Kirk will continue to climb the
promotion ladder, however. His career had almost certianly been damaged.
However he has repeatedly shown that he he is more effective as a ship
commander than as an admiral. The logical thing to do would be to give
him a ship and send him out on a "five year mission to explore strange
new worlds. To boldly go where no man has gone before"...or something
like that. Who knows, they may even bust him back to captain.
STIV anyone?
Rick Cook (using a friend's mailbox