MIKEYVERSE: Season’s Greetings.

[jemhouston]

The glare that freeze hydrogen solid

It was more the voice. I read Mike’s lines for Admiral Cleavely in the voice Meryl Streep used for Miranda Priestly, because the cadence fit.

Either way, it's the last thing you want to hear.

[Johnnie Lyle]

The glare that freeze hydrogen solid

It was more the voice. I read Mike’s lines for Admiral Cleavely in the voice Meryl Streep used for Miranda Priestly, because the cadence fit.

Either way, it's the last thing you want to hear.

Yeah. She might promote you!

[jemhouston]

It was more the voice. I read Mike’s lines for Admiral Cleavely in the voice Meryl Streep used for Miranda Priestly, because the cadence fit.

Either way, it's the last thing you want to hear.

Yeah. She might promote you!

I'm at the level the Peter Principle put me at.

[MikeKozlowski]

Also, Fleet Admiral Cleavely in civvies:
IMG_4278.jpeg

John,

Give her red hair and it's PERFECT.

A little backstory - I met FADM Cleavely's inspiration in the fall of 1977, and was immediately smitten.

Her, not so much.

But we tried a couple times and finally figured out that we were better off as friends. Which, 46 years downrange, we still are. She is smart, tough, precise, and utterly intolerant of anything vaguely resembling stupidity or incompetence. (She's also the only person I know with stick time in a Spitfire, but that's another story.) Also swears in a sufficiently powerful and inventive fashion that the Senior Chief might be reduced to simply applauding while a single tear runs down his cheek.

Mike

[Johnnie Lyle]

Also, Fleet Admiral Cleavely in civvies:
IMG_4278.jpeg

John,

Give her red hair and it's PERFECT.

A little backstory - I met FADM Cleavely's inspiration in the fall of 1977, and was immediately smitten.

Her, not so much.

But we tried a couple times and finally figured out that we were better off as friends. Which, 46 years downrange, we still are. She is smart, tough, precise, and utterly intolerant of anything vaguely resembling stupidity or incompetence. (She's also the only person I know with stick time in a Spitfire, but that's another story.) Also swears in a sufficiently powerful and inventive fashion that the Senior Chief might be reduced to simply applauding while a single tear runs down his cheek.

Mike

Respectfully, I’m not sure a fleet admiral would have red hair for very long into her tenure, unless she dyed it. Even with 23rd Century medicine, the stress of the position would probably turn people gray or bald pretty quickly - at least if they were doing the job remotely correctly.

Coming in after the Cartwright-Chang conspiracy and Simile’s resignation/sacking would put enormous strain on the C-in-C, even with (or perhaps because of) her experience as the IG. She has to do the following:

1. Root out the conspirators
2. Replace all the experience lost to the conspirators
3. Restore confidence and trust within the Star Fleet
4. Shift from a tense combat posture with five decades of distrust, animosity and hostility toward a budding alliance
5. Fight off mothballing the Star Fleet/poorly planned peace dividend
6. Oversee the renewing of the Fleet as new ship types (EXCELSIOR, CONSTELLATION, possibly the AKULAs and APOLLOs) finally come on line in force, and older types (especially the CONSTITUTIONs and probably the various frigates and older war era destroyers) are stood down and scrapped
7. Any of the millions of crises that arise (especially with the Romulans and other folks)

Her plate is going to be full.

[MikeKozlowski]

Also, Fleet Admiral Cleavely in civvies:
IMG_4278.jpeg

John,

Give her red hair and it's PERFECT.

A little backstory - I met FADM Cleavely's inspiration in the fall of 1977, and was immediately smitten.

Her, not so much.

But we tried a couple times and finally figured out that we were better off as friends. Which, 46 years downrange, we still are. She is smart, tough, precise, and utterly intolerant of anything vaguely resembling stupidity or incompetence. (She's also the only person I know with stick time in a Spitfire, but that's another story.) Also swears in a sufficiently powerful and inventive fashion that the Senior Chief might be reduced to simply applauding while a single tear runs down his cheek.

Mike

Respectfully, I’m not sure a fleet admiral would have red hair for very long into her tenure, unless she dyed it. Even with 23rd Century medicine, the stress of the position would probably turn people gray or bald pretty quickly - at least if they were doing the job remotely correctly.

Coming in after the Cartwright-Chang conspiracy and Simile’s resignation/sacking would put enormous strain on the C-in-C, even with (or perhaps because of) her experience as the IG. She has to do the following:

1. Root out the conspirators
2. Replace all the experience lost to the conspirators
3. Restore confidence and trust within the Star Fleet
4. Shift from a tense combat posture with five decades of distrust, animosity and hostility toward a budding alliance
5. Fight off mothballing the Star Fleet/poorly planned peace dividend
6. Oversee the renewing of the Fleet as new ship types (EXCELSIOR, CONSTELLATION, possibly the AKULAs and APOLLOs) finally come on line in force, and older types (especially the CONSTITUTIONs and probably the various frigates and older war era destroyers) are stood down and scrapped
7. Any of the millions of crises that arise (especially with the Romulans and other folks)

Her plate is going to be full.

John,

Full it is, and for all the reasons you list. She also has to deal with one James T. Kirk, who she's...um...known for a while. She'll also have to lead StarFleet into the Orion War, which is going to be well and truly ugly.

Mike

[Johnnie Lyle]

James T. Kirk is only a problem if he’s not firmly ensconced in the Big Chair. Post him to a cruiser and send it somewhere out there where you know nothing.

The Orion War is sure to be nasty as all getout, especially given the ethical minefields of the Prime Directive crossed with with Orion culture and laws. Star Fleet probably hasn’t seen the like in quite a while.

[jemhouston]

James T. Kirk is a hammer who knows how and when to use a screwdriver, dictionary, or anything else he needs to solve a problem.

I don't think he needs a cruiser. Given him a long range scout ship and tell him, "find out what's three hills over, and sent a report back. Don't start nothing, but if someone else does, finish it."

[Johnnie Lyle]

James T. Kirk is a hammer who knows how and when to use a screwdriver, dictionary, or anything else he needs to solve a problem.

I don't think he needs a cruiser. Given him a long range scout ship and tell him, "find out what's three hills over, and sent a report back. Don't start nothing, but if someone else does, finish it."

That is what Starfleet uses cruisers for :p

[jemhouston]

James T. Kirk is a hammer who knows how and when to use a screwdriver, dictionary, or anything else he needs to solve a problem.

I don't think he needs a cruiser. Given him a long range scout ship and tell him, "find out what's three hills over, and sent a report back. Don't start nothing, but if someone else does, finish it."

That is what Starfleet uses cruisers for :p

I wanted something more low profile

[Johnnie Lyle]

James T. Kirk is a hammer who knows how and when to use a screwdriver, dictionary, or anything else he needs to solve a problem.

I don't think he needs a cruiser. Given him a long range scout ship and tell him, "find out what's three hills over, and sent a report back. Don't start nothing, but if someone else does, finish it."

That is what Starfleet uses cruisers for :p

I wanted something more low profile

That would ask too many questions. He’s way too senior for that small a ship.

Interstellar distances and communication delays mean that the Star Fleet has many of the same problems and imperatives as age of sail navies. Inevitably they will adopt much the same solutions. Independent sailing ships got the more senior captains with the most experience and trust in their judgment. I fully expect that the same would apply to starships, doubly so in the TOS era.

[Craiglxviii]

James T. Kirk is a hammer who knows how and when to use a screwdriver, dictionary, or anything else he needs to solve a problem.

I don't think he needs a cruiser. Given him a long range scout ship and tell him, "find out what's three hills over, and sent a report back. Don't start nothing, but if someone else does, finish it."

This is what the Galactic Survey Cruiser was invented for….

IMG_7286.jpeg

Strangely its design is almost exactly identical to the Strike Carrier. But it’s a survey ship, honest.

[MikeKozlowski]

James T. Kirk is a hammer who knows how and when to use a screwdriver, dictionary, or anything else he needs to solve a problem.

I don't think he needs a cruiser. Given him a long range scout ship and tell him, "find out what's three hills over, and sent a report back. Don't start nothing, but if someone else does, finish it."

This is what the Galactic Survey Cruiser was invented for….
IMG_7286.jpeg

Strangely its design is almost exactly identical to the Strike Carrier. But it’s a survey ship, honest.

Craig,

Ssssh.

In SFB, the Survey Cruisers are slotted for a wartime CVL role, which I'm sure is just a coincidence. And speaking of scouts, wait till you see the Crazy Horse class stealth scouts.

Mike

[Craiglxviii]

James T. Kirk is a hammer who knows how and when to use a screwdriver, dictionary, or anything else he needs to solve a problem.

I don't think he needs a cruiser. Given him a long range scout ship and tell him, "find out what's three hills over, and sent a report back. Don't start nothing, but if someone else does, finish it."

This is what the Galactic Survey Cruiser was invented for….
IMG_7286.jpeg

Strangely its design is almost exactly identical to the Strike Carrier. But it’s a survey ship, honest.

Craig,

Ssssh.

In SFB, the Survey Cruisers are slotted for a wartime CVL role, which I'm sure is just a coincidence. And speaking of scouts, wait till you see the Crazy Horse class stealth scouts.

Mike

Hey hey hey. It’s well known the GSC carries a squadron of 8 single-space shuttles for surveying tasks. Purely coincidentally, the externally no doubt similar CVL carries a squadron of 8 single-space fighters.

It isn’t the UFP’s fault that fighters and admin shuttles use the same ammunition, fit the same racks, in a standardised shuttle bay now is it?

[jemhouston]

Economy of scales. I don't care if it's a post scarcity Economy. They still track things

[Johnnie Lyle]

James T. Kirk is a hammer who knows how and when to use a screwdriver, dictionary, or anything else he needs to solve a problem.

I don't think he needs a cruiser. Given him a long range scout ship and tell him, "find out what's three hills over, and sent a report back. Don't start nothing, but if someone else does, finish it."

This is what the Galactic Survey Cruiser was invented for….
IMG_7286.jpeg

Strangely its design is almost exactly identical to the Strike Carrier. But it’s a survey ship, honest.

Craig,

Ssssh.

In SFB, the Survey Cruisers are slotted for a wartime CVL role, which I'm sure is just a coincidence. And speaking of scouts, wait till you see the Crazy Horse class stealth scouts.

Mike

They also probably had a lot of the specialty classes replaced and streamlined by the 2290s, especially given the needs of fleet expansion and replacing war losses/ships that were just not ready for combat.

It’s a whole lot easier just to equip a CONSTITUTION or a MIRANDA (and then the CONSTELLATIONs and EXCELSIORs) for exploration/survey mapping roles so the are fit for whatever independent cruising duties that arise. We’re clearly seeing that by 2293, where both ENTERPRISE and EXCELSIOR have extensive survey fits.

I’m working on a piece for Mike covering shipbuilding in the 2270s to address some of these.