How do I know Trip Had a Graduate Degree?

[justTripn]

f(x) = sin^2(X) + cos^2(x) - 1

Oh Transwarp, that's hilarious. Here's another good one:

(2x + 3Y)/ O

<--That's my *disparately trying to fit in smilie*

[Misplaced]

But there is an unpleasent side effect to this thread. I am now convinced that I could never write a good fic about Trip doing his actual job...

Here's a tip then: A great deal of what you see on screen about Trip doing his job is total bunk. You see him with his hands on the engines getting down and dirty, like he's rebuilding a motor boat engine in his garage, or something. You never see him doing the administrative tasks related to his job, which in the real world would account for 90% of a Chief Engineer's time: training schedules and daily plans, maintenance logs, supply requisitions, personnel evaluations, readiness inspections, reports, paperwork, etc... He is the head of Engineering Department, and charged with its smooth and efficient operation. Time spent crawling around the bowels of the engine room is time away from his main job.

As for the few occasions where Trip has a legitimate reason to grab a hyperspanner and put his hands on the machinery, all you need to do is master the fine art of technobabble! (Who knows what the hell a hyperspanner is, anyway?)

I've been thinking about this too, how unrealistic it is for the Chief Engineer to always be doing the dirty work. Again, this wasn't something that I considered until my husband joined the Army and I learned better about proper hierarchy... I know that Starfleet isn't exactly military, but the administrative duties have to fall to someone. It's something that I'm working into one of my fics... the idea that Trip has way more administrative tasks than we saw onscreen (especially since in this fic, he also has the dual role of first officer). I don't think I could get it anywhere near what is actually realistic for those positions -- this is Trek after all. But I want to touch on it.

[WarpGirl]

It seems to me that most of the "paperwork" in Trek happens off duty. Usually a character (unless writing a report for an away mission) does all that stuff when they get insomnia.

[justTripn]

Personally, I would rather see Trip getting greasy than doing paperwork.

[WarpGirl]

Agreed. How do you make "paperwork" interesting? Unless something interrupts "paperwork..."

[aadarshinah]

Ah, and then there are the personel issues. My dad was the senior enlisted for a brigade for a while, and the number of times he had to drive back down to the base to deal with people's off duty activities. Bailing people out of jail and forcing another to actually talk to his lawyer about divorce proceedings are those that stick out to me, all these years later. Now, granted, there's probably less oppertunity for some of that stuff on a ship, but shore leave... That would make an interesting fic, I can imagine.

[WarpGirl]

Well, Trip did do some personel management in Dear Doctor when the guy was burned. And in Bound he was breaking up fights over the Orian Slave Babes.

[Misplaced]

Yeah, paperwork is boring... which is why we never see it in Trek. I mean, in TNG, Riker was solely first officer. He didn't hold another position, like a science officer (for instance: Spock or T'Pol)... but we didn't really see him do "paperwork" either.

I was thinking of other administrative duties, not just the paperwork. I don't know how to adequately explain. You'll just have to read the fic when I'm finished.

[WarpGirl]

TEASE!!!!!!!!!! Actually we did see Riker do stuff. Supplies, crew evals, and such. But I think the fact that there is no paper really in Trek and everything happens pretty fast with admin stuff is another reason why we don't see it.

[aadarshinah]

Well, they are "weekly" series, and we only get to see the exciting stuff that happened that "week." The other 6 days are probably filled with things like paperwork...

[WarpGirl]

True, but they don't space the timing every week. Somtimes just days, sometimes weeks or months skip around.

[aadarshinah]

prooving that boring stuff, like paperwork, happens in between.

[WarpGirl]

Agreed.

[Alelou]

It has always bothered me that the man doesn't have an office with at least some pretence of privacy. He's managing a staff; he has reports to write, etc. ,etc. etc. How can he do that on that teeny little bench where everyone can overhear? Does he do all his admin work in the mess hall??? That doesn't make sense to me at all. I doubt it does to most other fanfic writers either, since they often write him an office that we never see on the show.

[WarpGirl]

Honestly I always thought he did that stuff in his quarters. I'm toying with making that his study when he gets other bunk arrangements in my fic.