Uraniun235 wrote:A nuclear sub might be a bad analogy; it might be more effective to return to the aircraft carrier analogy. How many of the clinical psychs that find themselves on a CVN have an understanding of how the ship's powerplant actually works?
I think if you told a psych (or anyone, really) that the reactor was about to meltdown on the carrier that they'd have a pretty good idea of what that meant.
Srelex wrote:Doubtful, as Troi's position wouldn't require knowledge of either. I mean, I don't think they teach air force personnel the workings of submarine systems. And even then, 'physics' is pretty broad--if they gave out mandatory classes in relativistic physics at the academy, than that doesn't mean that all students leave with knowledge of the consequences of an antimatter leak on a ship.
Wasn't Wesley taking classes in philosophy and poetry and shit? When he was a helmsman and science geek? From Picard's commentary, it seems they expect Starfleet personnel to know a little of everything, at least the upper ranks.
Crazedwraith wrote:I know what your point was. Now get my point; It's a line that tells the audience something the writer's felt they need to know. That's it. It really doesn't require the amount of harping on about it gets from retarded tryhards.
Troi is a Counsellor, why the fuck should she know what antimatter does? Seriously if you asked a janitor on a nuclear sub, he wouldn't b able to tell you jackshit about its reactor either. Yes, she gets that losing containment is a bad thing but she obviously doesn't know the exact result. It could be anything from 'we won't have main power' to 'ships blows up' so she asks someone who does know.
Yes, but what makes Troi look especially stupid is that she should damn well know what "containment breach" means for a starship, considering that she was on the bridge when the spectacle of the Yamato exploding in front of the Enterprise was on the big screen, in full colour. ("Contagion")
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Starfleet in general seems to go for the "jack of all trades, master of (n)one". At best - some just plain suck. Take Torres- can't identify shit WITH a tricorder.
Sure, some things make sense. The captain of a science/exploration vessel should understand science - but he can't hope to compete with specialists, so he shouldn't even try. And philosophy and latin are next to useless.
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Not true, Latin is useful, but only if you're a lawyer or doctor. Philosophy is useless though, but "Containment Breach" is something that ANYONE with over 5 points of IQ knows is not good.
If Dr. Gatling was a nerd, then his most famous invention is the fucking Revenge of the Nerd, writ large...
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Serafina wrote:Starfleet in general seems to go for the "jack of all trades, master of (n)one". At best - some just plain suck. Take Torres- can't identify shit WITH a tricorder.
I was just thinking of this today while watching First Contact (the episode, not the movie). They had Riker doing the undercover first contact mission, and I thought to myself, why the fuck is Riker doing this when you should have a specialist who's sole training and focus is to submerge themselves into another culture. It should be a long term mission that requires years of commitment. Instead we see Riker get a little cosmetic surgery and presto, instant undercover agent.
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Night_stalker wrote:Not true, Latin is useful, but only if you're a lawyer or doctor. Philosophy is useless though.
I would say that analytical philosophy would be highly useful for someone who has to deal with alien concepts and minds on a fairly regular basis. Certainly much more useful than latin.
The usefulness of Latin to medical doctors is fairly limited, since its use is even nowadays limited to anatomy and some medical conditions. I would also imagine that it would fall out increasingly out of use in the future. Already it seems to be used less in the US than in Europe with most American doctors preferring English terminology to Latin.
I could understand the Latin and philosophy being electives, but I'd think Starfleet wouldn't have a General Education Curriculum requirement for the cadets to take alongside their military specialty. Anyone here been through the Naval Academy at Annapolis (closest equivalent I can think of)? How do they work it?
