Re: 4th Season Battlestar Galactica - The Road Less Travelled - 5

John Schilling escribió:
> On Sat, 03 May 2008 18:35:40 +0100, Stephen Fairchild
> <somebody@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> 
>> cloud dreamer wrote:
>>
>>> Why oh why didn't Starbuck shoot Helo in the head!!!
>>>
>>> That would have been so poetic!
>> In any sane universe Helo ought to have been given direction by Adama
to
>> terminate Starbuck's command at any point he sees fit. Better yet,
sealed
>> orders to wave under her nose. 
> 
> Sane, perhaps, but mind-bogglingly stupid.  I know that Hollywood likes
> to work stories like this for dramatic tension, where X is in nominally
> in command but nominal subordinates Y and/or Z are secretly in command, 
> or have the explicit authority to remove X from command or something
> like that.  But no competent military service *actually* does it like
> that, and for very good reason - they absolutely cannot afford, when it
> matters, for there to be any uncertainty about who is in command.
> 

But there are alternatives.

I don't know if you have heard of Second Captain Arkhipov, that saved 
the world of a Third World War:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasiliy_Arkhipov

During the Cuba crisis, a Soviet submarine, armed with nuclear 
torpedoes, was attacked by US destroyers. Due to the difficulty to 
communicate with the Soviet command, the submarine had permission to 
launch the torpedoes without further orders, but it had to be decided 
unanimously by a committee. The captain and the political officer both 
agreed, but Second Captain Arkhipov refused and the torpedoes were not 
fired (thus saving us all).

A similar system could be implemented on the Demetrius. Any decision 
that could involve the loss of the ****p and its crew should be approved 
jointly by the captain, the XO and other member of the crew.

It doesn't require secret orders or anything of that kind.

-- 
Shevek