How to Write a Good First Officer
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- Spacedock delves into some examples of great XO's and similar second-in-commands from various works of science fiction.
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In real life, at least on American warships, the captain and the XO almost never see each other. At sea, warships generally have a day shift and a night shift. The captain is generally in charge of the 12-hour day shift and the XO is generally in charge of the 12 hour night shift. In a crisis or if a big decision takes place while the XO is in charge, he wakes the captain up and either asks him what to do (if it’s not life threatening) or simply turns command over to him until further notice.
In a combat situation, the Captain is in charge, and the XO’s primary job is damage control: assigning repair crews, fixing leaks, putting out fires, etc. It goes without saying that they’re not hanging out in the bridge all day, looking over each other’s shoulders.
And in fact the Captain and XO are seldom on the bridge at all. The captain is in the bridge at the beginning of his shift, does whatever start-of-shift duties there are, and then turns things over to the Officer of the Day, and then runs around the ship all day doing Captain things. (THere’s not a lot of sitting involved one place involved, it’s a pretty active job). The OOD will contact the captain whenever something noteworthy happens, and the captain will check in for periodic updates. He’ll turn up again at the end of the shift to do whatever duties need to be wrapped up at the end of the shift, and hand it over to the XO, who, himself, will turn things over to the nighttime Officer of the Day, and then go do basically the same thing the Captain does during the day.
Arguably none of this has *ever* been done on a ship-based science fiction show.
I think it's because it would inflate the character count, or so the writers/show runners view it. By compressing the roles into two people, they don't need to find twice as many good acting talents.
It was something of the sort in the beginning of Battlestar Galactica, when they were constantly running, calculating jumps to stay ahead of the enemy, so the captain and the XO worked in shifts for many days.
@@Sorain1well we also don’t really witness the mundane day-to-day operations of the ships. We see them when the crazy stuff happens so all the senior staff is summoned to the bridge.
There are also styles of CO/XO that will vary on platform. Bubbleheads versus Carrier leadership is a prime example.
Our CO was good dad and XO was mean dad. It worked for them (until XO was too mean and got fired).
Closest thing I saw to it was in New Frontier where Shelby was the first officer while another character was the Executive Officer who was only duty when Captain Calhoun and Commander Shelby were not.
The commanding officer is ashore. XO Pressly has the deck.
Ah I see that's burned into your brain as much as it is mine.
- hoojiwana from Spacedock
Logged: the commanding officer is aboard. XO Pressly stands relieved.
RIP Pressly
I like how they did away with this in 2 since they technically aren’t military in that game(even tho it is mentioned that Miranda is second in command). But then in ME3 they’re back in the military and we still don’t get this back. Who even is XO in 3? Liara is using the XOs office, but she’s not Alliance so it can’t be her.
@@PaulXPZ There's actually a mod for ME3 which gives you a lot of small additions, including the ability to pick an XO. But as far as the main game goes, at the start it would likely be Ashley/Kaidan. After their injury, the only other Alliance ranking officers would be Joker and Vega, so either one of them could be the XO. And again Ashley/Kaidan if they later rejoin the crew.
This is something that every military sci-fi author needs to see. Too often, an author has no idea what to do with the XO.
well...let's be honest, none of them have any idea how any part of the military works. Officers repairing equipment, officers conducting assaults, officers leading initial landings...pffft. In 30 years of service I never saw an officer of ANY rank perform ANY labor that was in ANY way manual labor. That is what Privates are for. And NCOs exist to supervise Privates, lead squads on missions, handle the administration of the organization, repair equipment, shoot at the enemy, etc.
So until I see a sci-fi franchise that has officers actually performing officer jobs, I'm done with it all. Hell, officers don't even perform most of the work on the bridge of a ship...remember folks, officers decide WHAT should be done. NCOs decide HOW to do it.
@@nco_gets_it Well, It depends on the situation. If they are guerrillas officers might be leading charges and doing manual stuff.
@@nco_gets_it There are some Sci-Fi books ive read that do that fairly well imho, but then again i dont have a clue myself. The Honor Harrington books come to mind, and ive just started Empire Rising that seems to do it that way too.
The Terran Privateer books also did something like that iirc.
@@nco_gets_it Since interstellar space vessels don't really need much crew only really a need a CO as a backup captain in the case of emergency. Of course highly automated ships are boring.
@@nco_gets_it This seems service dependent, and trade dependent as well. Most of the infantry captains I know are usually right there in the shit with the lads; I know some highly technical officers who both advise, and perform technical analysis; I know some pilots (nuff said on that one).
That being said, once you start getting into OCs, COs, and OCCs, having the clear division between the officer side of the house, and the NCM side is far more important. Orders become less 'hasty', and more deliberate; and the sgt maj type is more about high level morale/deportment, vice the platoon WO who ensures discipline and the like.
So really, it all comes down to 'setting dependent' lol
For my money, the best Sci Fi XO-Captain relationship I've seen put to screen is the relationship between Camina Drummer and Klaus Ashford aboard Behemoth in The Expanse TV Show. Both actors absolutely steal the show with their dynamic, but in my opinion he exemplefies how to be an XO, he always puts his opinions aside and builds up Drummer. He starts the chant during her speech, riling up the crowd. He dresses down his own men for disrespecting her, he brings his every disagreement in private or not at all. He stays on top of the work being done aboard ship and counterbalances Drummer with a deft hand, despite clear animosity personally between them.
Love how both of those characters are just dramatically better in the TV show than the books, to the point of practically stealing the show!
- hoojiwana from Spacedock
@@hoojiwana Indeed! Its my opinion that the show benefited a great deal from essentially being a second draft of the story. There's some elements that don't have as much room to breathe as in the books, but on balance I think the show is a net improvement. Especially those two.
@@hoojiwanaI agree! The expanse has to be the one show I’ve watched where every change to the story actually works in the writers favour and just makes us even more captivated with the show
As time goes on, the animosity they started with, dissipated, replaced by mutual respect and possibly even friendship as they got to know one another and trust one another. In some things, he also acted as a mentor figure for Drummer.
"he brings his every disagreement in private or not at all"
While I do agree that nearly all disagreement should be brought up alone with the captain, I don't think it's good to not bring them up at all. Being a counter-balance to the captain is the point of an XO, so one must talk about it, otherwise they aren't doing their job all that well. But then again, maybe it's done for the show.
I serve the captain; but I stand for the crew.
-Worf
... or when he got chewed out by Data (acting captain) for disrepcting his decisions on the Bridge
@@boxhead6177 that was an amazing moment between those two.
@@boxhead6177 Which is a lesson he learned before he made that statement.
@@boxhead6177 What really elevates that scene is the nominally combative Worf. After the initial exchange of words, he realizes during his dressing down from acting Captain Data that he has failed in his duty as first officer. When given the option to quietly go back to his usual station without a write up, he instead requests to remain at his post so he can prove capable in the role, and lets Data know that their friendship was never in question while taking full responsibility for the whole dynamic.
Just a brilliant piece of writing that was compelling without needless drama.
Captain Vasili Borodin from The Hunt for Red October is also a good example of a good XO. During the scene when Captain Ramius tells his crew about the letter he sent revealing his intentions, Vasili backs Ramius in front of the crew. Then after the officers are dismissed he stays behind and tells Ramius he thinks he made a bad decision.
Supported his Captain in front of the other officers, spoke of his misgivings in private, followed his Captain's orders regardless, and in the end gave his life to save him. One of the best examples of a XO in films.
"Vasili you have the conn!"
James Holden does something similar in the first episode of The Expanse when the captain of the Canterbury orders the crew to scrub the Scopuli's distress call from the log (then immediately turns around and does the exact opposite behind everyone's back, because he's James Fucking Holden and can't leave well enough the hell alone).
He just wants to see Montana.
@@jaffarebellion292 he saw a button and pushed it
The way Spock and McCoy acted as opposite sides to balance Kirk is why Trek became such a classic.
To make a comparison to the 5 Man Band trope, the XO is almost always the Lancer, a direct foil to the commander.
Picard is a gentleman, but Riker is a bold gentleman.
Boldly coming? 😉
@@IAmTheAce5 Boldly coming--I mean, boldly going where no one has gone before
Kirk is fly by the seat while Spock was by the book. You get that often... but in military you both would be by the book. But it is the oddest part in SciFi how extraordinary the Captain/Leaders gets into those roles. B5 the captains are "chosen" unique personas and not appointed.
I'm kind of amazed he didn't mention the chemistry between Kirk and Spock from the modern movies
@@boxhead6177 though I think in Star Trek for example, we mostly see their explorer ships, that probably have far more autonomy and are meant to work on their own more or less. Like you can't even really work by any book, when you deal with the unknown, like for sure there can be vague guidelines, but in the end a predefined set of rules simply can't accommodate stuff nobody knew about while writing it. So stuff like Spock as the first officer, dealing mostly with the internal affairs of the ship, which are a known, so you can work by the books perfectly fine. And the captain mostly dealing with the external affairs of the ship which can be totally unique, requiring a whole lot of flexibility to deal with, makes sense, I think.
I already love this. Susan Ivanova is one of the best and badass characters in Sci-fi. I love her character and her actor. She did a great job portraying her.
Good ol’ Claudia Christian
Her "ambassador" episodes were the freaking best.
The Drazi one, and the weird old guy sex one. 😂
Just starting with Ivanova is an automatic thumbs up
@@GoingRampant92 BOOM SHAKA LACKA BOOM SHAKA LACKA!!
Her “Ivanova is God” lecture is my favorite scene in B5 lol
I personally find Riker's fumble with Barclay to be very humanizing. He comes across as a very affable, popular person, but those kinds of people can sometimes try to hard to please their friends and colleagues. That whole episode can be looked at as the anatomy of a high school bully who finally gets to sit down with the Dean - Picard.
Its very real. There are some people that just rub you the wrong way, and that's going to color your treatment of them, even if you try to remain professional.
Barclay represents the future of most of humanity to much time talking with AI, which typically serves as the ultimate Yes man and completely awkward talking with real humans
Riker can be a real jerk but he's not there to make friends and is usually pretty good at his role. Ivonova is like the Kira Nerys of B5, a hard woman but also with high intelligence, adaptability and the personality to inspire loyalty while also backing up the captain
to be fair, Wesley Crusher started the nickname, but Riker should have stamped it out rather than spreading it round, even to Picard.
@@susanscott8653 Wasn't that also after finding things like Barclay's holodeck programs using them
this pretty much sums up how we train first officers in the airlines. well done. we usually see them as "captains-in-training"
however, there are actually alot of first officers who do not want to upgrade to captain irl. these career first officers stay where they are for various reasons, some lack command potential while others simply don't want the responsibility. it's a job afterall, like some people don't want to be managers or shouldn't be managers.
That's also something that gets done in fiction with things.
While he's technically the captain, Pelleon in the Heir to the Empire series is, functionally, the XO under Thrawn who is teaching him over the course of it
I suppose it’s also why they like taking on pilots with previous Flight Instructional Experience?
Not just for the hour minimums, but because as you say, any pilot they take onboard is expected to eventually become a Captain (Well most of them anyway) and part of their job as Captain is going to be teaching, coaching and developing the next First Officers that come after them to become Captains themselves.
Every flight deck needs two pilots, and they can't both sit in the left hand seat.
Tigh was such a great character and brilliantly acted.
Loved the Bulldog episode, man that one scene hit close to home.
"So how do you put that bottle away, Saul?"
"I don't know.... One day you just decide to get up and walk out of your room."
I like how they reference the OG BSG episode Fire In Space, when Tigh was in charge of damage control after a nuke hit Galactica. Tigh made the hard call to vent the air and put out the fire, losing possibly 100 lives vs losing the ship.
@@thatHARVguy Yep, Tigh was an asshole, but you knew he was in it with you.
My USN Dad is brought to mind by this. He turns 84 this year so his times as XO were a few decades back. I remember it being told that at least on CO, ship captain, told Dad that if the Captain wasn't bored then the XO wasn't doing his job. There was a time on one deployment where Dad the XO was temporarily assigned to be captain of a ship where the Captain had a medical emergency and had to be airlifted for surgery, thereby leaving intact that ship's existing relationship between XO and crew. Riker's First officer advancement - I remember Dad saying outright that he had no problems with being passed over for promotion from Commander to Captain since he quote, "signed up to drive ships, not to play politics".
➡Also, it helps a bunch for the XO to develop a good working relationship with the senior Chiefs.
"Chiefs get shit done"- pretty much every chief. (Or substitute senior nco of choice)
@@blackc1479 My brother retired from US Army as W4, he lived that experience. Said he very much enjoyed being a Warrant Officer; wasn't enlisted and didn't get yanked around here there and everywhere; wasn't a commissioned officer and didn't have to play politics; people told him what they wanted him to accomplish by when, and then most importantly, left him alone to go do it! My own health was a bit too messy for me to join the service, so I've only been an observer of those who lived it.
@@scottfw7169 I think they meant Chief Petty Officers. The Army equivalent would be Sergeant First Class, E-7, generally the platoon sergeant in responsibilities. For those unaware, Warrant Officers are like non-command officer-adjacent. They're typically in very technical roles. I was privileged to do a job where even enlisted personnel had a lot of voice, and we had a lot of WOs around. Definitely some funny stories with the unique rank structure, like that freedom being good for "Oh, the ruck march was at 5am? I thought it was 6am like usual, oops!"
" if the Captain wasn't bored then the XO wasn't doing his job." - I heard this saying a few times from my navy friends ( go army beat navy)
@@blackc1479 Unfortunately they also have a tendency to limit information going up and down the chain of command to things they personally believe to be necessary. This usually ends up with Junior officers and First classes alike not getting the information they need to do their jobs.
Fraternity mindsets always lead to failure in this regard at best, and the coverup of crimes at worst. Police Unions, Frat Houses, the Chief's Mess, its all the same issues.
Ivanova is such a fun character and is absolutely hilarious all while being a good officer
Her character is a great example of how good writing (and great casting helps too) can add some levity to a serious story without getting "jokey" and being inconsistent with the tone.
"And now, I am the expanding Russian Frontier!" - Susan Ivanova, Babylon 5, (the second season episode in which Dr Steven decided to use Garibaldi's recovery from being shot in the previous season's finalie to force all the senior staff on diets...)
@@shlomokallner3180 "But with very nice borders!"
The thing about military sci-fi is that it at least tries to adhere to something like a command structure.
You really hit the nail on the head about ST though. Riker may have stepped up to ‘Best of Both Worlds’ but don’t forget He needed prodding by Guinan (a civilian bartender, who could just walk into the bridge?).
Ivanova joining the Starfuries when they were about to secede from the Earth Alliance really made my jaw drop. THAT right there, proved me to me how mature B5 was compared to other contemporary shows.
As for execs (or 2nd captains) who step up and disagree or countermand the Captain? Look up Vasili Arkhipov, who served on a Soviet attack submarine during the Cuban Missile Crisis. While being submerged and having depth charges sent around them to force them to force them to surface, the Captain and one other officer wanted to launch a nuclear tipped torpedo (thinking that WW3 had already started). It had to be all three officers to agree, but Arkhipov said ‘No’. Because of that, they finally did surface and found that war hadn’t been declared. One officer stopped nuclear war in ‘62.
The thing about Guinan is that she is essentially a chaplain. She didn't end up on Enterprise by accident and it certainly isn't because she's a good barkeep, although she is. Her job is a pretense for Picard to have his ancient alien mystic confidant on staff.
From a narrative perspective it probably should have been Troi, both the ship's counseller and Riker's past and future paramour who advised him in that episode. But Guinan's bond with Picard won out in the writing room, I suppose.
@@Azraiel213 Its also that Troy was a massive writting problem to begin with and then the actress didn't help writting anything for her either.
She went from Vulcan empath stand in to crew feelings officer real fast.
Guinan was a very special character, though. She wasn't a regular cast member, so they didn't have to bring her up in every episode, and only used her when they needed/wanted her. She also has a deep relationship with Picard, to the extent that she can basically tell Picard what he needs to do, regardless of consequences -- whether it's ignoring regulations and joining an away-mission, or outright sacrificing two major starships.
She will also not try to do this for petty reasons. If she wants to talk to Picard, he's willing to listen -- which is also why she can come on the bridge when she feels it's necessary. She would never go to the bridge just for a change of scenery.
@@Azraiel213 I’m only going from what u saw in the show, and in that show she seemed to be something like Wesley Crusher 2.0 (someone who knows the answer to solve issues of the week)
@@padawanmage71 She appeared relatively rarely throughout the series, and when she did appear and give advice (to Picard for example), it was just that. She never resolved the plot or gave an answer. She only ever gave her opinion as she usually insisted that Picard should make his own choices. That's totally different from what Wesly was early on, as he would literally solve the plot by himself. The most active we ever see her is Yesterday's Enterprise, because it that episode she's the only one aware that time has changed, and subsequently the episode is partially told from her point of view.
It's funny, that an episode of Spacedock not focused on ships, tech, or Sci-fi tropes - turns out to be one of their best episodes. I totally enjoyed this one.
The Equinox episodes of Star Trek Voyager were a great exploration of the impact a first officer can have. The first officer of the Equinox was the real villain of the story and his influence is what turned that crew to the dark side. This was contrasted by Chakotay the first officer of Voyager who gets relieved of duty by Janeway because he objected to her pushing the boundaries of morality. It's a major sub-plot (or sub theme?) of those episodes.
Guess having captain named Ransom might have been a giveaway as well. It like imagine if a ship was powered by galactic space whales, kind of like the good old days
There’s a theory floating around that Max was actually a Section 31 operative.
But it’s just a theory, a Star Trek theory.
One of the greatest crimes against humanity is Ivanova consistently being left out of lists of strong female characters done correctly.
Ivonova was a human being (her illegal use of comms to talk to her dying father), yet could be an absolute terror. Woe to the person who crossed her.
@@immikeurnot Oh lets not forget Gerabaldy, or his reaction when he finally caught her.
And woe to any who trifle with her coffee plant.
@@Krahazik Gerabaldy and Jeff are the only teo brave enough to pull a prank on her.
Prank is when Ivanova was really tired, the two wait for her to fall asleep at the breakfast table, then they sway their dish with dirty one and woke her up, making her believe she overslept and was late for work. Jeff quickly and smartly flee the scene.😂
THANK YOU. Such a great flawed strong lovable character. The women in B5 were written really well, just amazing character depth generally
Cold opening with Commander Ivanova gets the insta-like.
Im glad you touch on the "problem of the week" writing style that was the norm back then. Sometimes a guest writer would blow it and unintentionally "retcon" previously established characterisation. This happens with Riker and Janeway especially
You forgot one of, if not the MAIN responsability of the XO aboard a ship.
They have the duty to reiterate to the Captain the procedures, in case he has a situation ahead and a decision has to be made. And, if they do not have time, give the orders directly, apologies to the captain later.
If there is a procedure to be followed, the captain becomes second in comand, Ofc. Protocol takes the bridge.
One example of this is Saavik, from "The Wrath of Khan", when she remembers Kirk about raising the shields, according to the procedure, in the first battle.
BTW, she is an example of what happens when the XO is out of his/hers dept.
She should have overidden Kirk, and directly ordered to raise shields. She lacked decisiveness, and the crew paid the price.
But, in her defense, that scene also demonstrates the dangers of familiarity overtaking rank.
The OG bridge crew snarked when she mentioned the protocol, so she ended up doubting her actions, despite beying absolutelly correct.
They saw her as an outsider, and a rookie, and the captain did nothing to remedy the situation. He even made it worse, TBH.
Even if Kirk disagreed with her, he was wrong, and he should have thanked her for her reminder, and followed suit.
Both because the crew would start to grow respect for Saavik, and because IT WAS THE F@K!Ng PROCEDURE!
It's been a while since I've seen Wrath of Khan, but was Saavik actually in the position of XO? Assuming that I'm forgetting and she actually was, that would have likely been for the training cruise under Spock, and I imagine that would have gone out the airlock when the Enterprise was assigned to investigate Regula. At that point, Kirk took command and likely Spock returned to the XO role. Saavik would have maintained her station on the bridge, but a different chain of command would have likely been established given the training wheels were unexpectedly yanked off.
This just clears Saavik of the duty to follow procedure during the first encounter with Reliant, as that would have fallen to Spock. Actually, this doubly proves your second point of the dangers of familiarity - Kirk failed to follow procedure and SPOCK, of all people, failed to correct the situation and make sure that procedure was adhered to.
Was the latter. Saavik was only in the duty of helmsman. Kirk did acknowledge his fault, urging Saavik to keep on "quoting regulations". As much as it pains me to say it, Spock really failed on his XO responsibilities in that scene, for creative licences: Kirk would never have ignored Spock at this moment of their careers, especially if no harm would be done following procedure after all.
It's always puzzled me that nobody else said anything. Some of those folks had known Kirk most of their lives AND were only alive because of the occasional raised shield. You'd think it would be reflex by now to hit the shield button, or remind someone to.
That always bugged the hell out of me. It was the hinkiest possible scenario, and they just waltzed right in.
@stevenscott2136 that scene always bugged the hell out of me. Especially after Chekov was rescued just before the intercept.
Kirk could have gotten away with following protocol then apologizing for it as a "preventitive measure against Klingon attacks" since the latter was maurading through.
A good way to describe the CO/XO relationship is that the Captain says what a ship does, the Executive Officer says how it's getting done.
At least Kira managed to get a promotion of sorts in the final season of DS9
Although Kira acted as first officer she was only the liason between Starfleet and the Bajoran Militia.
@@barbarossarotbart She was both.
I liked that she and Sisko are effectively on the same rank, since Commander - Major and Captain - Colonel are the same in different branches (Navy - Ground forces)
Big props for using the Cosmic Era Gundam shows as reference. The CO and XO dynamic in both shows and the movie are amazing
Agreed. To many pour hate onto this show for various reasons, and while I do admit it has some faults, it is still a very good show and the movie was also pretty good!
@@robertdrexel2043 It's mainly Destiny that has a LOT of nonsense mixed into it combined with the entire thing of Kira can do no wrong even when it's something stupid combined with a lot of other stupid things the characters do.
It's amazing how far these shows have progressed by now. Just 20 years ago, it was widely understood that, if a regular character left a show, it was for a reason in the real world, like the actor finding a better job somewhere else.
The idea of a regular character leaving or dying because it is part of a good story is still a young concept. There is a reason why Ed Starks decapitation was such a revolutionary moment.
Then the show outran the books and the change in quality was clear.
B5 still written better than anything today, most shows still hot garbage.
I think that's mostly due to the story line format becoming more common, than the episodic format.
Episodic is way less common today. A regular character leaving a episodic show takes away from the story, while in a serialised show, it can be done without problems.
Having served in the navy, I would say that a good XO must be at some level hated by the crew.
He is usually a disciplinarian and highly demanding of his crew.
There is method to the madness as it allows the CO to act as a father figure and quieten things down. The CO must from time to time rein in the XO without undermining him or her. That is an art form in itself.
Nothing is worse for moral long term than an XO who wants to be your friend. That is not his or her job. His or her job is to drive you hard so that everybody get home safely.
For me, the best description of an XO in Scifi is Saul Tigh in Battlestar. I will take Tuvok over Chatokay anytime of the day.
Its almost a Mom/Dad dynamic; the captain is mom- they make the decisions, but ultimately, you want to make them proud. XO is dad- they are in charge (when mom let's them be in charge), but if you fuck up, they're the one coming down on you- but hopefully in a way to make you better. (And if you're "older brothers/sisters", i.e., the people in the COC between the XO and you, didn't keep you right, welp, they're getting taken behind the woodshed too.)
Can you really have both the CO and XO as unfeeling hardasses? As a historian, most cases where both were disliked seem to end poorly for the crew. I don't think you could have a janeway and a tuvok in the situation like we see in voyager, you basically need a chakotay.
@@thelordofcringe having also briefly served in the navy, my answer is that the CO and XO need to balance each other.
can't have two hardasses, can't have two softies; the ship needs a disciplined leader and a motivated and encouraged crew.
on my ship the balance was a little too one-sided, our captain was an unprofessional ass, but our XO was amazing! friendly, charismatic and disciplined, very much the caring father of the every sailor aboard, the crew would have followed him anywhere.
@@Sephiroth144 That is exactly how it works. Everybody onboard knows the role everybody takes but it works surprisingly well.
@@julientabulazero103 And in the Army, generally the same- though 1SG's (i.e, the ranking NCO) often could be slotted into the XO position (insofar as role; at least in the units I was in, the LT(s) were not as involved in the direct activities- though that might be an artillery thing)
Susan's Grandfather had a saying:; "Good news can wait. Bad news will refuse to leave."
Shoutout to Samantha Carter, the second-in-command of SG1, who, alongside Ivanova, stands as one of the best-written female characters with authority in sci-fi and, frankly, on screen anywhere.
She wasn't second-in-command though.. she was the lowest military rank of a group of 4 -_-; She was more the tech wiz gal then anything.
@@jawstrock2215 The only members of SG-1 with military ranks were Jack and Sam, so I think that's splitting hairs.
@@Roxor128 well, so is saying she is second in command :D
Vid beginning with B5 and Ivanova? Instant like!
I once wrote an Aliens fanfic set aboard a mining starfreighter. The Captain was not a good Captain, prickly and snapping at his own crew. In fairness he was thrust into a situation far beyond his training or experience. His first officer was a former Colonial Marine, woman who acted like a stereotypical DI hardass. But deep down, she was scared. Scared that her crew of untrained civvies were going to get themselves killed. She was prepared to go on the front lines of danger, rather than risk one of her crew. Even if that crew was an expendable science android almost everyone disliked, but the Captain overruled her.
She wasn't afraid to call out the Captain's questionable decisions, but only in private. She wasn't the least bit affected by his snapping at her. However he noted she was easily qualified to be a Captain herself, and asked why? This actually touched a nerve, and she gave an evasive answer. I hinted that she'd actually be a better Captain than him, but after a traumatic experience she doesn't want that responsibility.
Yeah, that would have worked in a mainstream show.
Ticks a lot of diversity boxes.
Incompetent male character in command position who can't act under pressure or straight up evil.
Hyper competent combat experience zero character flaws Mary Sue female who is the ' better Captain '. 🙄
Yeah, right. Haven't seen that trope before at all 🙄🙄.
Guess that's why all these types have been leading combat squads to victory throughout history, eh? 🙄
Bet you loved the Emma and her two Mums propaganda video from a few years back.
@@Iron-Bridge Oh ho ho this is rich! Where to start?
I started writing this story way back in the 90s. Influences for my first officer included Vasquez, Ivanova, Ripley, Shane Vansen of Space Above and Beyond. Back then people like you were whining "Everything's too PC these days"! It was BS then, it's BS now.
Second, she dies halfway through the story. Not in glorious battle either, she was snatched by Xenos while helpless in hypersleep, for breeding stock. The main character is the aformentioned android science officer, loosely influenced by Lance Henrickson/Ian Holm. He is the one who becomes the hyper-competent hero, thanks to hidden Company upgrades and directives gone wrong. So much for your diversity boxes eh?
I neither know, nor care to know what Emma and her two Moms was all about. So you'd lose that bet.
I am very confident my story does not fit the distorted caricature you've spewed. But if the mere synopsis is enough to trigger your pearl-clutching gobbledygook, then I'm clearly doing something right. Thanks for the laugh! 🤣
@@Iron-Bridge Way to take nuanced interesting characters and bastardize them into culture war caricatures, scooter. I bet you're the type who goes after every sci-fi/action heroine bleating "women can't fight! woke woke woke!"
So how many good XO's have you written up? Where's your list of bestsellers, Shakespeare? Don't get into a battle of words with a writer, pleb.
When I first watched Gundam SEED, I wasn't a fan of Natarle Badgiruel, she seemed be against the rest of the cast. I've since grown to understand her more and really love the dynamic. She was a low-ranking officer of the original Archangel crew, but the only one with enough knowledge of the ship when the command crew were killed. Murrue Ramius was a higher rank but from a different section, while Mu LaFlaga was the only pilot remaining and couldn't stay on the Bridge. Natarle's commitment to discipline and duty lead her to allow Murrue to be acting Captain while supporting her as her XO despite the fact that she was more knowledgeable about the ship. Natarle and Murrue's contrasting personalities led to numerous conflicts, but they were both doing what they thought was right. Despite appearances, I truly believe that by the end of the series, they would have considered each other as good friends, and if she hadn't been transferred, Natarle and Murrue's command styles would have meshed together to compliment each other.
The opposing Zaft ship officers were weirdly subservient sometimes to the senior pilots. They seemed to use a Hero Unit, led by warriors style.
Very true, however Natarle wouldn't have approved much of the maverick nature of the role the Archangel would come to play after JOSH-A. That said, I would have liked to have heard her opinions on what the crew was doing in Destiny.
It was kind of awesome when during FREEDOM Murrue used a similar move to that of Natarle at the Battle of Mendel, launching missiles in proximity mode, i.e making a sort of minefield.
@@loupnuit1 A lot of that was in how things were handled in universe.
Essentially, a lot of the capships with mobile suits on them are there entirely to deliver them to the fight. Basically the CAG is the one running the operation there with the ship just being another thing under his command.
Kind of like the chopper pilots for special forces group is under the command of the head of the team rather than being the on in charge themselves.
Actually having been one of the people who worked on the archangel Murrue probably knew just as much if not more about the ship than Natarle. They did humanize Natarle in a few episodes, like when they arrived at a village that Andrew Waltfeld had burned to the ground she assisted in giving aid and calming the children.
As someone with multiple friends who were XOs on US Navy ships, the best depictions remind me massively of my friends. One was very Ivanova-like, the other very Tigh-like. (Minus being an alcoholic - basically only the parts when Tigh is actually effective.)
I think my favourite TV episode focusing on an XO is BSG's 'The Captain's Hand'. It explores the struggle of an XO trying to build a working relationship with a captain of a very different school; touches on managing talent and personalities in a crew; borrows a little from 'Crimson Tide' for stand-off with the captain (no bad thing); finally, it delivers the 'sink or swim' moment an XO taking the con in the heat of a battle.
Of course this story was one where Major Adama, the XO, 'swims' at their moment of truth. 'Sink' stories can also be very compelling; I'm thinking particularly of Lt Buckland in the Hornblower episode 'Mutiny' (adapted from the novel 'Lieutenant Hornblower').
Why would borrowing from crimson tide be a bad thing ?
@@lokay7233 I think it’s a good thing. It was in my mind that some people frown on that kind of borrowing/homage etc; hence I said it was it is”*no* bad thing”, to clarify that isn’t intended as a criticism.
@@MrDanJB85 good. Your absolved child.
Poor Garner
In interesting take on the Captain-XO is what Stargate SG-1 did with Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter. Not only they are opposites who complement each other, but the "loud secret" of both being on a forbidden love that never realizes makes an extra ingredient every aspect.
It wasn't a co/xo situation, and the particulars were very different, but the give and take, how they played off each other and general vibe always reminded me of mulder/scully.
O'Neal and Mulder were both a bit rash, improvisational, eccentric, irreverent and mostly drove things by their sheer presence.
Carter and scully were the rational, analytical, intelligent conservative ones trying to keep the wheels from coming off.
15 seconds in.. CUT ! WE ARE FINISHED! :-)
Man, whoever did those 2d roadrunner style hallway extension paintings in ds9 did a pretty good job. It took me a long time to notice those.
I guess I should be paying more attention?
The Star Trek Online devs talked about that when they were building the DS9 map.
@@thatHARVguy i know the layout and still get lost there
My personal favorite executive officer is not from science fiction. It's the XO of the USS Dallas from "The Hunt for Red October"...minimalist, all business, and maybe psychic with respect to the captain.
The film adaptation is arguably science fiction given that what makes Red October special is changed to technobabble
To this day the portrayal of Saul Tigh's alcoholism in the show makes me think twice when I am in my room alone at night and feel like getting hammered by myself just for the sake of forgetting how miserable I feel. It was so sad to see how a person who has a full trust of William Adama out of all officers could fall to such a low point from time to time. Out of every influence the show had on me perhaps the Galactica's XO is the only one who's left a visible positive impact on my daily habits.
I remember when all of the hype about Star Trek: Discovery was that it was going to focus on a ship's First Officer rather than the Captain. Yeah, we saw how that went.
the very first episode the CO and the XO went on a mission and the CO died. Well done. :D
To quote The Dude, well that's just like your opinion man.
@@Mecha82@Mecha82, based on observed phenomena, Disco(ball) focused on Michael Burnham as she bounced around from executive officer to felon to observer and finally captain. That's not an opinion.
Ivanova! First childhood crush and one of the best strong female characters ever!
I loved Colonel Tigh … his friendship and loyalty Adama is great and he showed his merit when the Cylons boarded the Galactica and when Adama was incapacitated … tough but experienced and fiercely loyal to his commander
Ooooooh, yesssss…. Started the video off with the best sci-fi first officer of all time quoting the second best line of the series. (Ivanova's "Death Incarnate, God sent me." line tops it. Delenn's "Why not?" is a *VERY* close third.)
"Only one human captain has ever survived combat with a Mimbari fleet. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else."
@@stevenscott2136damn, was gonna nominate that one too👍
I also live the contempt she puts into "why not?" Ouch.
"Never forget what I am capable of John"
Loved that one too.
This needs to be required watching for anyone doing military sci-fi. Or military anything on a ship/boat.
The realistic option is that a XO's job is threefold: Deal directly with the crew so the Captain doesn't need to, support their captain, and learn from them how to eventually become a captain themselves. Ivana is such a great XO because she does all of these for instance. In fiction XO's should also be a good mesh with the captain (figuring they are a main character, not every show has a captain as a main character). On the flip side one of the best features of a captain is to develop their officers (XO first among those).
Thanks for including Babylon 5 its on of my favorite sci-fi shows ever and your the only one on TH-cam that talks about it.
No matter how many times I watch BSG. It always blows me away when I see episodes from the pilot series. How young and not worn down the crew and ship are compared to how they are at seasons end. The bright, well maintained corridors of the Galactica are dirty, barely lit, and showing its age and the accumulated battle damage by the end of the series. Which matches its crew. Most, if not all of the crew are civilians and families. And everyone down to janitors have seen horrors that have broken many people but these warriors, these survivors, percever until the bitter end. Just like the battered and scarred but yet still mighty vessel that bares them aloft still so they can finally get that tomorrow they have fought for so valiantly.
Gonna watch it again pretty soon here 😂
That's something I fully appreciate the effort being put in on. It's something that subtly reinforces the narrative in a meaningful way.
Some very good points have been brought up and explained pretty well
Good work.
There are two examples in "Star Trek: TNG" of COs and XOs behaving unprofessionally towards each other, even in front of the crew, which I think should've been brought up in the video.
The first being Cmdr. Hobson acting inappropiately and questioning Data's orders in front of the crew out of prejudice in "Redemption II".
And then there's the famous strained relationship between Captain Jellico and Cmdr. Riker in the 2-parter "Chain of Command", which even got to the point of the two screaming at each other in front of Counsillor Troi and Riker being relieved. Later when in private, the two of them admitted that they disliked each other and explained why.
Riker behaved inexcusably. He'd be lucky just to be relieved in real life. Hobson too. He directly countermands Data's orders and tries to use personal loyalties to undercut him. He should have ended the episode in cuffs.
I love seeing Ivanova in this, because she's absolutely brilliant.
But I also want to give a shout-out to Lieutenant Commander Alistair McKeon, who gets off on a rocky start with a certain Commander Harrington after feeling passed over, but steps into the role after they talk things out and ends up becoming one of her closest friends.
Sadly Honor Harrington receive no love on this channel and is constantly ignore.
I absolutely loved B5 and it's definitely an example of a very well written first officer/XO.
There's a certain trope I've seen in all sorts of leadership positions in all kinds of fiction and a few times in real life (and I'm not talking the military, where this sort of thing makes perfect sense).
Boss is fair, personable, charming and always nice. They are the one who tells the team what a great job they are doing and tries to inspire you.
If you are being taken into the boss's office it's to be congratulated or promoted. The only time they'd call you in for something negative is to tell you you were straight up let go and they made sure you got your full severance and a firm handshake.
The second in command is a "law as written" sort of person who wants you to toe the line. They handle minor problems as fast as possible so that the boss doesn't have to get involved. They make sure everyone toes the line and drops minor disciplinary actions on anyone who doesn't. You don't want to see them more than possible because it's probably going to be negative if they speak to you at all.
I love how badriguel from gundam seed was showed. She was competent and bad ass.
And gets an attack named after her in the FREEDOM movie.
The B5 references make me super happy. One of the best and most underrated sci-fi shows. Most considered and relevant political drama, most pertinent to cultural parallels and most believable relatively near future tech
Ironically, Col Tigh was actually a little bit similar to my XO when I served in the Navy. He was not well-liked by the crew either. Tigh is still very interesting in writing but doesn't have to reflect an XO in a story. The XO needs to be aware of crew morale, not alienate them, as it can demoralize them (ultimately leading to potential mutinies). It really just comes down to professionalism and administrative abilities under the CO. That's really what the XO is responsible for.
One approach that I use in my stories is having a trio dynamic instead of a CO/XO dynamic. You can have a CMC or Command Master Chief that serves as the third highest rank in a ship (depending on how you write your stories, type of ship, or military command structure). The CMC still holds important duties for the enlisted, even to the point that the CMC can take command if the CO and XO are indisposed. Experience can be easily argued for the role of command capability over officers with lesser experience. Again, it all depends on how you write your stories and direction. The trio dynamic can allow more versatility and a variety of personalities can work well off of one another. :)
So... CO/XO/Ranking NCO?
Ranking NCO has a whole lot of sway.
I think Tigh was aware of morale: I recall in '33' he stops to give a bit of a speech that acknowledges the situation "yes we're tired, yes there's no relief...". I think Tigh's style is to drive rather than lead; many would say that is not a good approach, but I read any issues he had dealing with morale as an issue of style and ability rather than awareness.
As a historian, I have basically never read of a ship where the XO was well liked, you either don't hear about them or they're widely disliked. Legitimately I can only think of a handful of occassions where they were liked. It's very odd. With your experience, do you have any idea why this seems to be?
@@thelordofcringe I don't really know as to why. I would almost call it the Vice President effect. VPs can have lower ratings than even the President can have. I don't think XOs are always hated or disliked because most COs have to start as an XO sometime in their beginning careers before becoming a CO. In my situation, the CO originally started as Enlisted (Literally an E-3) and eventually went through Officer training to become a Captain. He had more connection with the crew and knew what the enlisted went through while still keeping a level of professionalism. The XO, on the other hand, was never enlisted. He would often push the crew into scenarios that would have little gain in return, often frustrating the crew in the process. It really depends on the individual more than anything else.
@cmedtheuniverseofcmed8775 fascinating. I wonder if this trend of well regarded CO's and enemy XO's is just the result of having a harsher XO then. Crew need to contrast the officer who annoys them with something.
I’m a HUGE Mass Effect fan but XO Presley was grotesquely underutilized and underdeveloped. You have one conversation with *on the CIC* where you basically tell him to either keep being a space racist or to stop being a space racist and that’s it. He should have had a whole arc about stepping into the shoes of XO as the ship’s previous chief navigation officer and not really having the career path to be an XO on a hyper-modern stealth strike frigate. He should have had spats with the alien crew members, questioned your orders in private, and gradually grown into his role in a way you push him to, becoming more of a paragon of duty or a renegade pushing the limits of what’s right, while still being bound as an Alliance officer and not a SPECTRE. There absolutely positively should have been a crew led mutiny to get Shepard back off the Citadel after Normandy is locked down, and the way it happens should have been dependent on your interactions with Presley. A peaceful and stealthy “hack the system and we’re aweigh” or a loud and proud “hack into the system, power up the mass driver, and put a round over the conning tower” scenarios. Then his on-screen death at the start of Mass Effect 2 would have actually had some weight to it.
Joining in on the Ivanova love. Also noticed the other one in the thumbnail didn't get featured.
I once wrote a thing where the XO story role was essentially split among three characters (the ground, large spacecraft and "air wing" commanders). The most like a traditional XO was an intelligence officer/diplomatic liaison who mostly acted like a sounding board for the captain but was also a "strategic conscience" who would point out when the captain was putting off doing the strategic thing because it was a hard choice.
However, the one closest to the "captain's opposite" XO was the fighter lead. She was extremely aggressive and a bit reckless compared to the more cautious and thoughtful captain, but they had immense respect for each other's talents and insights. The captain would usually give the fighter lead slack to make decisions because she was very experienced and had a good eye on the situation, and in return, when the captain said "STOP" the fighter lead would stop, because she trusted that he wouldn't do that without a good reason (beyond "it's against procedure!"), so there must be something she wasn't seeing.
Very fun dynamics.
Army Officer who just left command here. The XO is such an essential part of any organization. While the Commander has only two jobs. Make decisions and assume risk. He is a politician, a future planner, and represents the organization to exterior units and organizations, the XO handles everything interior to the organization and is ready to step in at a momemts notice. Current Operations and Execution (hence the name), maintenance, Logistics and generally the day to day for everything excluding personnel readiness fall in the XOs lane. But often overlooked is how absolutely vital a Commander's Senior Enlisted Advisor (SEA) is. The Sergeant Major of First Sergeant, those are the ones that manage personnel issues and readiness. Scifi does a terrible job on this because they consolidate this role into the XO or Commander. But both positions are the left and right hands of the Commander. The best example is from We Were Soldiers in the role of CSM Plumley. Stoic, hard and uncompromising in standards. The SEA, is an attack dog. He is the enforcer of the organization. If an officer is shouting at people, he isn't doing his job and is generally considered undignified in the position. While I was in command, I never had to raise my voice because I had a First Sergeant to aggressively enforce discipline and allow me to show a calm, confident, vision focused demeanor in the face of difficult situations.
Scifi does terrible job with NCOs in general.
@TealJosh I one of the best examples of an NCO in scifi is Gunnery Sergeant Apone in Aliens. He enforced discipline in the Soldiers, was the backbone of the squad, and executed his Platoon Commander's orders as best as he could. I would have loved to see 2LT Gorman be more competent, but that was a plot point of the movie. In my time in the US Army as an officer, LTs are way more often like 1LT Fick in Generation Kill than they are 2LT Gorman.
Saul Tigh was a trainwreck, and therefore my favorite XO. And thank you for mentioning Crimson Tide; I have to go re-watch that!
If Mass Effect taught me anything, it’s that XO Pressley has the deck.
Only when the Co steps off the ship.
Susan Ivanova is the best First Officer. EVER.
While I love B5, anddefend that it's the best SF show ever, I do think Tigh would give her a run for her money.
@@sergioaccioly5219 No way...! 😉
@@WilhelmImperatorRex I didn't say he'd necessarily win, mind you.
It's just that Michael Hogan did just such a fantastic, nuanced, job ass Saul Tigh that need to be acknowledged.
Let's just say that they're both top of the line officers and heroes, and go for there.
I thought that Colonel Ty was a fantastically written and acted character. Good XO, not every time, but really well done.
Susan Ivanova was probably the best XO character I ever remember seeing on a SciFi show. She isn't perfect but she is very, very good and an absolutely amazing character. One of my greatest disappointments was that Claudia Christian had to leave the show, removing Ivanova from the mix for the last season. It would have been glorious seeing her step up and finally be Captain ... complete with the inevitable clashes with Sheridan. Seeing her go toe-to-toe with her former boss over something would have been EPIC.
The Black Fleet series has a great XO and Captain team. Jackson Wolf is the captain and Celeste Wright is his XO. She starts with being told by others that's he's basically a fuck-up, but comes to realize he's very skilled when the pressure is put on him. They counterbalance each other, his willingness to "think outside the box" is tempered by her "by the book attitude", and he teaches her to be a little more creative in strategy. Also, the author does a great job of showing a good command structure on a warship, including some of her early mistakes in that area.
You got a red light RIGHT THERE!
Yes, we're tired. Yes, there is no relief. Yes, the Cylons keep coming after us time after time after time. And yes, we are still expected to do our jobs!
@@Sephiroth144 One of his best speeches. But my favorite is when he declared that the Galactica was Adama's ship until he died, and that he wouldn't die in that day.
@@sergioaccioly5219 My name is Saul Tigh. I'm an officer in the Colonial Fleet. Whatever else I am, whatever else it means, that's the man I want to be. And if I die today, that's the man I'll be!
37 seconds, and Natarle appears. So perfect, thank you. :)
On behalf of all beings with ears, thank you for actually reading this yourself instead of hiring a robot.
Seaquest DSV has some interesting XO dynamics, as far as I remember. There is a relief of command in the first episode.
Especially in the first couple of seasons.
@@Krahazik aren't there only 2 or 3 seasons?
I'm a (civilian) naval architect and once I found out that my country's navy use a Captain/XO rotation for some of their ships. The Captain becomes XO, the XO goes ashore and one person ashore becomes captain, or some combination of that. This way, there is always someone knowledgeable ashore taking care of that vessel logistics, retrofits and political shenanigans.
On actual warships, even merchant ships, the XO's job is to make the Captain look really good. Riker got better at this as the show went on.
I liked the reference to Crimson Tide and would have loved to see that contrasted with Down Periscope.
😅😂😂
The XO on the first ship was an absolute demon during morning berthing and messing inspection. Literal white glove inspection. Otherwise he was one of the few officers who recognized the ship's engineering crew on the beach.
Oh, and at sea, the CO slept in his cabin or sea cabin, near the bridge. The XO's cabin was located midships. Aft of the rest of officer's country and well away from the Captain's.
Something I've always felt is that Cmdr. Shepard in Mass Effect is so close to their shipmates is because they were originally XO of *Normandy* . As such they're more use to interact personally with them then most Alliance commanding officers. More hands on.
i still think gundam seed did an amazing job with their first officer. she starts as the "by the books" counter to the capitain more emotional and motherly nature. and then, she leaves the ship, and becomes the capitain of a new ship that is basically an identical version of the one she was first officer of.
they fight each other a few times, and she is ALWAYS the superior capitain, but, its only after going through the weight of being a capitain that she starts to respect and understand her former colleague.
My head canon is that post Best of Both Worlds Riker has been secretly tasked with covertly observing Picard to ensure no 'Borg-ness' remains.
Hence his lack of progression.
Missing details on a very important XO: Spock. I think most people just saw him as "the science officer" but he was second in command of the USS Enterprise in TOS.
In the Thrawn Ascendancy novels, Thrawn and his first officer Samakro have a nice dynamic. Thrawn is unconventional and prone to stretching military doctrine, Samakro is a more strict believer in the regulations and dislikes Thrawn playing fast and loose with them. However, he also knows that the ship needs to function for the good of the Ascendancy and their own survival as their missions take them closer to and sometimes over the line of strict adherence to Chiss policy.
Immediate like for that opening quote
Ivanova is perfect.
Ivanova & Marcus 💔
Excellent breakdown, as someone who has served as an XO in the Army, it’s always very important that the XO and Commander have a positive working relationship. Entire units live and die by the abilities of the command structure, XOs have to be the one that supports the leader and ensures that there is no confusion on the state of the team.
I've been looking for something like this for a while. Nice to see it appear.
Thank you Spacedock!!
If someone actively wants people to hate them, they have failed at their job.
*stares in Lelouch vi Britannia*
Rayner was the jewel of Discovery S5. I screamed like a child when he sits on the chair at the end of e9
Riker is a fun character, but if you actually tally up how many times his choices seriously endanger the crew and mission, it's kinda funny.
Not that picard is much better. Honestly if it weren't for the holodecks and shore leave on planet freesex, being a subordinate on the Enterprise would suck so much.
Two X-Os I feel needto be discussed are Spock (by definition - he was the first one to have an important role in a series) and Ramsey, from ST: Lower Decks. His command style is often very subtle, but effective.
1:52 - I much preferred the Tigh from the OG Battlestar Galactica, of whom Adama wrote in the novelizations that he was ready for his own command... if there'd been any battlestars left.
Best opening to a video ever
Star Trek Resurgence was interesting in that regard, as you were playing a new XO on a ship that didn't really want you there to begin with. It made for some good plot arcs and player decisions in that game.
I just finished playing that game for the first time. It's okay, but I feel like a lot of the choices are false and forced. For example, when the first officer is considering relieving the Captain of command because she suspected him of being turned, she should have spoken to the entire senior staff, not just one. For something that serious, you would need the support of the whole staff to remove the Captain, even if she was right.
Congratulations, you've also described the relationahip between the Commander and First Sergeant/Command Sergeant Major in the US military.
Kamal to Holden
Tigh to Adama.
XO is really, really important to flesh out a CO as a character. And you were 100% correct, that a properly written XO should and would call out their CO if they are stepping over the line. One of the many reason the entire character if BS Pegasus was so good. When adm. Cain shot her XO because he did his job and how the replacement enabled everything out of fear just made it feel more authentic.
The XO needs to be, essentially, the foil of the captain regarding how they interact with different issues. You wouldn't want the exact same solution from both of the people in charge of the ship because that would make the ship predictable and stagnant. You want a difference of opinion to broaden the range of possible solutions to problems.
0:00 Oh my god she's Aela the Huntress
Also Desdemona from Fallout 4
She is like 20+ female voices in Skyrim, it was annoying if you knew who she was lol.
"Who am I? I am Susan Ivanova, Commander. Daughter of Andre and Sophie Ivanov. I am the right hand of vengeance and the boot that is going to kick your sorry ass all the way back to Earth, sweetheart! I am death incarnate, and the last living thing that you will ever see. God sent me."
Beat me to it.
One of the best B5 monologues, and there were a lot to choose from!
@@MikeS_982 Absolutely. Great space battle to back her statement up as well. Love B5.
I feel like anybody that watches this guy content would really enjoy the expeditionary force book series. I highly recommend it and I also highly recommend you listen to it on Audible. it is one of the best sci-fi series I’ve ever listened to / read
I’ll try not to give any spoilers the book series followers a soldier that gets involved in an alien invasion and then it gets shipped off world. The technology used is very realistic and I feel like this channel needs to do a deep dive on the entire book series, I can’t really say anymore , not to give very big spoilers but please read the book series or listen to it on Audible. It is by far the best bit of sci-fi I have ever found.
Sorry for bad grammar, incredibly dyslexic
But overall, please listen to expeditionary force on Audible or you can read it but I truly do recommend the audiobook
Expeditionary Force was a big inspiration for my own writing. A lot of times in military fiction you have this hyper competent space navy and instead it's kind of turned on its head here. You still have competence and such but the characters are out of their depth, operating technology they aren't familiar with and struggling to survive against people who do know what they're doing. There's a lot of nailbiting moments and some great absurdist humor as well. Combine that with the author having apparently just gone out and self-publishing and it really made me feel like I could do some writing myself.
R.C. Bray should probably narrate most military fiction.
Somewhat off topic but i think TNG missed an opportunity with the William and Thomas Riker story. They should have promoted William to captain another ship, maybe as a spinoff, maybe as a recurring character. They replace his character with the new Lt. Commander THOMAS Riker, the new ops officer. Data is promoted to XO and the entire command chain vets a bit of a shakeup, all without changing the actual cast.
Someone who has actually watched all of Discovery. Props man. I couldn’t get past season two
This really just make me remember I need to say how much I love your videos!
Great episode. A refreshing change of pace.
But needs more T'pol.
Definitely true in my experience regarding the contrast between CO and XO. The best ships I have sailed on had either a hard-ass captain and a relaxed XO or vice versa... if they're the same, then strap in!
personal experience from the U.S. Navy i saw the Colonel Tigh approach used. more often the captain gets to be the moral symbol and rallying point while the X.O. gets to be the harsh micromanaging task master. where it gets awkward is the 18 month term of the two positions where the X.O. replaces the prior captain. while enlisted typically stay for 4-5 year terms onboard a single ship. senior officers at the command level get shuffled around. making it a real task to truly get attached to a particular captain/ X.O. approach to ship operations.
The Right Hand Man is always an interesting contrast to The Boss. Whether it's a bodyguard, an assistant, or the XO. And yeah, when writing, there needs to be that contrast. Trek has generally done a good job with that. I think the 2000s BSG did... okay, but went a bit too grimderp in later seasons. I remember how OG BSG had an interesting dynamic with Tigh vs Adama, very similar almost to Sisko and Kira.
In fantasy, I liked how The Two Towers basically invented an XO for Theodan, because the actor and writers said "No, the king doesn't give the orders, the king says what to do, and someone else gives the orders." So they created the character of Háma, who just with some looks and certain actions does a pretty good job as a number two.
10 points for opening with one of the greatest character ever written and acted.
Being a company XO for 3 different commanders has been an interesting experience. My last commander got their money worth out of me. Granted, I was pretty experienced by then. All 3 were great commanders in different ways. I learned a lot from them.