Clarifying the Captain's Title

[Skull132]

Do note that a title that requires clarification on a regular basis has failed its primary purpose: the distinction of personnel, their role, and authority.

[Zundy]

Head of Station.

Corporate and aligns with current title standards.

[VileFault]

Tragically, head of station resembles head of security too much. Not being able to say 'HOS' and be understood would be frustrating. It seems like people are really nonplused about the idea of incorporating another title, though. I think that, for most people, "Captain" is just too familiar a word to let go of at this point. Maybe when the new map roles around, people's opinions will be easier to change.

Also, in case anyone cares, the NSS Exodus does not orbit a planet. It supposedly floats within the so-called Romanovich Cloud. Nonetheless, I presume that it has some kind of propulsion to help it keep pace with the nearby asteroid and avoid potential collisions with larger pieces of debris.

Edited September 22, 2016 by Guest

[Guest Complete Garbage]

Tragically, head of station resembles head of security too much. Not being able to say 'HOS' and be understood would be frustrating. It seems like people are really nonplused about the idea of incorporating another title, though. I think that, for most people, "Captain" is just too familiar a word to let go of at this point. Maybe when the new map roles around, people's opinions will be easier to change.

Also, in case anyone cares, the NSS Exodus does not orbit a planet. It supposedly floats within the so-called Romanovich Cloud. Nonetheless, I presume that it has some kind of propulsion to help it keep pace with the nearby asteroid and avoid potential collisions with larger pieces of debris.

It orbits Tau Ceti, the star, at pace with the Romanivich Cloud, which is basically a big asteroid belt, iirc.

[ChevalierMalFet]

How about "Station Master," if everyone really hates Captain so much? I feel myself pushed to eschew a bland, corporate title, because the Captain, due to the realities of living dangerously in space far from immediate assistance, necessarily has to exert more control over the crew (the crew, from the bridge) than would the manager of an office tower.

[Nikov]

I don't see why we can't just have an alt-title.

People will get confused? Correct them, it takes two seconds.

And @Nikov, brig punishments exist as an alternative to firing someone.

At my walmart, we have a corporate bylaw that governs 'insubordination' , aka refusing your Managers orders or trying to subvert their command. Punishment for this can include IMMEDIATE termination. So be happy we have brig punishments and not immediate termination of disloyal employees.

The title does NOT determine loyalty. If this were true, then characters like rando engineers wouldn't amass an army of bitching tajarans and electricians whenever they got arrested. Loyalty is dependent on relationships created by playing, not role. Respect is earned, not given.

 

We also have regulations for insubordination, but Wal-Mart doesn't have bylaws against mutiny. Wal-Mart clearly isn't Nanotrasen, and a Wal-Mart in the parking lot off the highway isn't orbiting a star in an asteroid belt in a nebula. Its a free-orbiting vessel even further from "land" than orbiting a gas giant, and given the surroundings, even harder to get to. That isolation is why you need a person with the legal privileges that come from being a captain, if law 500 years in the future is in any way similar to the law 500 years in the past. The master of a vessel hasn't changed in authority since the Roll of Orleans. If you want to be "Station Manager", fine. Be my guest. I'll be asking for your supervisor.

[Zundy]

Apples and oranges. You're comparing space law (not naval) now to space law 400 years in the future. Contray to popular belief space law isn't the same as naval law. There are no captains in space. That in itself is moot as in the lore itself we do have spess captains so it's not worth arguing either way as it falls into "we'll just make shit up as and when for rule of cool and mechanical purposes".

If a Senior Manager (which the Station Manager almost certainly is) dismisses you, it's game over. You don't get to speak to a manager. You can try to complain I guess once of station as you could normally now. Since this setting is in a corporate dysotopia it stands to reason that they don't have to go through "HR" since that doesn't exist, we just have the CCIAs.

Basically having a title change doesn't change the power of the person. The captain could be called "Prime Squibbles of Neebotron" and still hold the same powers because we demand it of the setting. Appealing to real life is irrelevant as times change, especially in a world of extraterritorial megacorps who literally make their own laws and regulations and only have to follow token laws from any sector they're in (if any), and it's a game.

Hell, the Station Manager could have the powers of a traditional captain of a ship but be a manager in company terms. Otherwise think of this: What authority does the captain have in say a Mendell NT Facility? Is he/she a manager and afforded the same respect (as he/she should be since they're supposedly senior management), or is he ignored by the employees there as they're not his/her "crew" and the building isn't his/her "ship"? I assume they'd be afforded the same courtesy a manager from subsidiary A would have visting subsidiary B in a large umbrella company, that is to say they would be respected but unable to give any orders to anyone.

I think an alt-title should be available for players that want to add more of a corporate spin to their characters because frankly as is stands literally no body seems to give a shit about making money on this station. The science team does whatever the fuck with no corporate direction, no data or products get shipped off station. Cargo orders tonnes of garbage. The mining team do one or two mining runs and then stop, dicking around for the rest of the round. Medical make their mandated holy triumvirate medicines then sit and chair RP, no data or products get shipped off station. Engineering sets up the engine and shoots the shit, usually only reacting to events. They don't construct anything to be shipped off or toed off in the case of new vessels, they usually don't carry out upgrades to the station super structure or facilities. Botany makes veggies but doesn;t ship them, instead piling them into the kitchen. The Kitchen makes either no food or a fuck tonne of food but leaves it out to rot, no products get shipped off. People respect the captains authority in a security-SPESS NAVY-sense, but not a corporate sense. I can see the backlash now from the RD if the captain ordered science to manufacture weapons for shipping or some such.

The station literally hemorrhages millions of credits a shift. The Project Manager incharge of the Exodus/Aurora must be a fucking master spin doctor or bullshitter because how they haven't lost their job and this station be decommissioned I don't know.

[UnknownMurder]

While I was ignored while putting forth a very strong reference. So, I'm just going to make a sentence and say this.

There was a Captain (Benjamin Sisko) on a Space Station, Deep Space Nine. Nobody cared.

[Zundy]

There was a Captain (Benjamin Sisko) on a Space Station, Deep Space Nine. Nobody cared.

 

Apples and beef jerky m8.

[Guest Complete Garbage]

While I was ignored while putting forth a very strong reference. So, I'm just going to make a sentence and say this.

There was a Captain (Benjamin Sisko) on a Space Station, Deep Space Nine. Nobody cared.

He was a Commander, for the first three-ish seasons.

You nerd