[Kaboom]

The dude just had a hand in saving humanity and probably the entire Federation. He deserves some sort of reward, and there's no such thing as a salary anymore on 23rd-century Earth. If he can't get paid, then a promotion to Captain-hood is probably the least they should do!

[Captain Tom Coughlin]

There can only be at most a couple of weeks of time between the ceremony where he is given his medal and command of Enterprise, and the destruction of the Narada for one simple reason. The bruises and cuts on his face are not fully healed at the ceremony, so it's impossible that any significant amount of time has passed.

[Saquist]

Originally Posted by janeway72

I didn't like it because it didn't make sense. How did Kirk become a captain when he was just a cadet previously?

I concur.

[Samuel]

Sure its possible. Could just mean Kirk hadn't put his bar fighting days behind him yet.

[janeway72]

Originally Posted by Kaboom

The dude just had a hand in saving humanity and probably the entire Federation. He deserves some sort of reward, and there's no such thing as a salary anymore on 23rd-century Earth. If he can't get paid, then a promotion to Captain-hood is probably the least they should do!

So you move him up one grade. You don;t bump him up to captain. He was an immature idiot who had a flair for command. I bet the Prime Kirk didn't rise through the ranks like that.

[kevin]

Originally Posted by janeway72

So you move him up one grade. You don;t bump him up to captain. He was an immature idiot who had a flair for command. I bet the Prime Kirk didn't rise through the ranks like that.

Probably not - but he was still at times a man who made extremely questionable and often rather stupid decisions only to get out of them again because scriptwriters decided he would. But then it's that kind of stupidity that just makes it 'feel' like TOS really.

I also have two real life words - fast track.

[janeway72]

Surely Starfleet Academy is the fast track. The slow track is to join Starfleet without a commission

[kevin]

Depends, the Academy seems to operate differently at different times.

I would suspect it has a standard program and also side programs to accelerate those identified as having particular skills, or seeking particular results.

Of course, no-one has ever defined how the Academy system really works in Star Trek and no-one ever will, so there's an element of feeling around in the dark because it would still remain a fictional system that doesn't have to be bound to any real world system because it's set 300 years from now.

[janeway72]

Now there's a merchandising idea. "Starfleet Academy Prospectus"

[starwarsrcks]

did Shatner's Kirk become captain the same way just wondering or is this a silly question