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The Autobiography of Captain Janeway

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 3:47 am
by LordFeagans
I just started the audiobook: The Autobiography of Captain Janeway. I read 'The Autobiography of Captain Jean-Luc Picard' earlier this year and it was a great read. This one, on the other hand...it's nowhere near as good. It's a shame because the author, Una McCormick is a great writer and has written some great Trek novels. This one feels like a miss.

This book has confirmed one of my Trek theories: Janeway made it to Captain of the Voyager because of her dad. Janeway denies it, even gets pissed when a captain that she served under called her out for it, but, it's clear that it was going on.

- Her dad is a Vice Admiral and former Starfleet test pilot before she entered the Academy
- Her grandfather was a retired Starfleet officer
- She meets Tuvok while she is an ensign. Tuvok is a Lt Commander.
- She is an ensign when her father dies. She is granted an extended leave which lasts for months. When she finally contacts her commanding officer, Captain Paris, she is promoted to Lt JG even though she was away and made Chief Science Officer as soon as she returns to the ship.
- When she transfers to the USS Billing, her captain instantly doesn't like her. Later she discovers that the captain was going to put someone else in the position of Chief Science Officer but had to put Lt Janeway in that position by order from Starfleet Command, or as he referred to her: "The Vice Admiral's Daughter."
- Captain of the USS BIlling even points out that she was promoted to Lt JG and made Chief Science Officer after months on extended leave doing no actual work to earn it. Somehow we are supposed to like this captain.
- Is given the command of Voyager by her friend, a semi-retired Admiral that she met while she was at the academy. While most new captains get garbage ships (Like Picard getting the Stargazer), Janeway got a brand new state-of-the-art vessel with all the bells and whistles that was barely out of dry dock.
- Somehow, Janeway makes it from Ensign to Captain while Tuvok NEVER makes it beyond Lt Commander.

Point of note: Janeway's dad, Admiral Janeway, died testing a ship that could fly through space, go into a planetary atmosphere and submerge into an ocean. The ship suffered a catastrophic failure while under the ocean and he died. The Delta Flyer that the crew of Voyager built does the exact same thing that Admiral Ted Janeway's ship did, without the failure. So, not only does Voyager have the resources to break the Warp 10 barrier, and the crew talented to pull it off, but also the resources and talent to perfect the ships types that Starfleet tested and failed to perfect.

Re: The Autobiography of Captain Janeway

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 8:53 am
by CharlesPhipps
Eh, nepotism is something throughout Starfleet and it just emphasizes that she was supposed to be someone studying comets and astrography when she ended up on a seven year mission in another part of the galaxy, way-way over her head.

The idea she wasn't "the best of the best" was part of the original pitch.

And even if she wasn't the best of the best, Starfleet was still culled from the galaxy's best.

What do you call a person who graduates last from Starfleet Academy?

"A Starfleet officer."

Re: The Autobiography of Captain Janeway

Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 1:22 pm
by BridgeConsoleMasher
The reactionary side of Star Trek.

Re: The Autobiography of Captain Janeway

Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 4:44 am
by McAvoy
So basically alot of things were given to her. She didn't earn it.

Re: The Autobiography of Captain Janeway

Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 9:22 am
by CharlesPhipps
McAvoy wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 4:44 am So basically alot of things were given to her. She didn't earn it.
I think people honestly overstate this. She was a captain of a minor ship in the back of Starfleet.

Re: The Autobiography of Captain Janeway

Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 10:08 pm
by BridgeConsoleMasher
Are you guys talking about admiral Janeway? Is that the same one?

Re: The Autobiography of Captain Janeway

Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2021 3:47 am
by McAvoy
CharlesPhipps wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 9:22 am
McAvoy wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 4:44 am So basically alot of things were given to her. She didn't earn it.
I think people honestly overstate this. She was a captain of a minor ship in the back of Starfleet.
She had a state of the art ship that rivaled a Galaxy class. Yeah I know there is some debate whether a Intrepid is a match for the Galaxy or not.

But let's not act like ship was a run down Miranda or anything.

Re: The Autobiography of Captain Janeway

Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2021 6:17 am
by CharlesPhipps
McAvoy wrote: Sun Jul 18, 2021 3:47 amShe had a state of the art ship that rivaled a Galaxy class. Yeah I know there is some debate whether a Intrepid is a match for the Galaxy or not.

But let's not act like ship was a run down Miranda or anything.
Weird, I always thought Voyager was meant to be a minor ship in the fleet. New but a science-level class meant to be middle of the road rather than akin to the flagship or Constitution-class. Hence why it was captained by a complete noob and running down some minor criminals rather than anything important.

Re: The Autobiography of Captain Janeway

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2021 2:10 am
by McAvoy
CharlesPhipps wrote: Sun Jul 18, 2021 6:17 am
McAvoy wrote: Sun Jul 18, 2021 3:47 amShe had a state of the art ship that rivaled a Galaxy class. Yeah I know there is some debate whether a Intrepid is a match for the Galaxy or not.

But let's not act like ship was a run down Miranda or anything.
Weird, I always thought Voyager was meant to be a minor ship in the fleet. New but a science-level class meant to be middle of the road rather than akin to the flagship or Constitution-class. Hence why it was captained by a complete noob and running down some minor criminals rather than anything important.
The way that ship is designed, she was probably designed with a similar mission as a Galaxy class. Just smaller.

Re: The Autobiography of Captain Janeway

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2021 3:14 am
by BridgeConsoleMasher
It's meant to be what Enterprise was in TOS.

It's basically the same ship by terms of size and purpose with updated technology. Enterprise is always the representative flag ship of the federation for meeting new people whether in TOS or later, Voyager is just meant to go off-road yeah.