So I was wondering about why we are Commander and not Captain ...
- Thread starter Alien
- Start date
.....you're kidding, right?
Slopey
Volunteer Moderator
Maybe because in aviation parlance, the person in control of the aircraft/spacecraft is the "Commander". That's because they are the "Pilot In Command" or PIC.
The term "Captain" doesn't actually appear in the UK Air Navigation Order (i.e da rulez). They use Commander.
The term "Captain" doesn't actually appear in the UK Air Navigation Order (i.e da rulez). They use Commander.
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It's the NASA thing.
True, AC is a slot on the aircraft, but the boss is normally referred to by rank, or "pilot", or "Skipper", "boss", etc. Or, something else.
Navy does things it's own way, but LCDR/CDR are formal ranks.
"Post" in front of the rank is a revert to the age of sail for the RN.
I would have to search the FAR's to see if ""captain" was used.
Ralph, CPT, USAF.
Yes, but they are still addressed to as "Captain" anyway, at least in the french navy. Also, remember that "rank X" mught not be at exactly the same layer depending on armies or even in different branches.
AFAIK in the french navy you call the commanding officer "captain" unless he's an admiral.
Also, note that contrary to what could be supposed, lots of science fiction settings use the navy as an analogy for space fleets, not air force ones, starting with Star Wars.
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I can assure you the term Captain along with Senior Captain & training Captain is alive and well in British & global aviation (at least with all the big commercial carriers), nobody refers to the PF as Commander. Pilot in Command is always the captain, doesn't matter if he is the pilot flying or not.
Standard SOP is to refer to guy in the left hand seat as 'Captain' if not, expect a trip to OPS to get ripped to shreds.
It seems most like ED's use of CMDR is just a reference to the name used for mission commanders during space flight
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So much speculation in this thread and all of it wrong, lol! Commander as used in ED is an aviation term that was subsequently adopted by NASA and other space programs. The Commander of a mission/craft is the pilot in charge.
But not all Captains are "skippers"
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This is Elite.
It is I
.Well - if you look at the list of space shuttle crews, the commander and the pilot is never the same person.
I wouldn't Interpret too much into the whole matter - loking at imperial ranks, it's mostly a wild mix of noble titles sometimes designating the same actual rank in different languages.
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Because we are commanders. This is not star trek. It's elite.
I prefer to apply the Royal Navy explanation, from what I know of Napoleanic wars and prior a lieutenant could command a sloop of war which could be a vessel from a sloop on up to a brig or corvette, and he would be elevated to Commander, or "Master and Commander" of that vessel, though he would be referred to as Captain by courtesy and commander was not an official rank. He could not command a a "Post" ship however, such as a Frigate or Ship of the Line, those required a Captain's rank.
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In Elite, we command the sloops of war, so we are Commanders regardless of our actual rank. The "Post" ships (Farragut, Interdictor, etc) these are for the Captains to command.
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In Elite, we command the sloops of war, so we are Commanders regardless of our actual rank. The "Post" ships (Farragut, Interdictor, etc) these are for the Captains to command.
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I'm already a Captain...
As noted, it's the NASA thing.
As noted, it's the NASA thing.
we were all Commander Jameson in the original Elite. So that dates back to 1984. Just to give a better time reference for where it comes from.
Now was the NASA thing current in 1984 (in terms of using Commander)? If not then most likely it was based on either a young David or Ian's personal preference at the time, what they thought sounded coolest (as they were just kids with a ground breaking game and very excited about all that i suspect!). Was 'Commander' doing the rounds in the latest sci-fi comics of that era? Like in Commander Dan Dare, or Commander Flash Gordon etc? There was no wikipedia (or internet) back then, so i doubt they (David and Ian) did huge accurate exhaustive research into what the correct term should be, and they were not military in training as far as i know either. That's my hunch
Now was the NASA thing current in 1984 (in terms of using Commander)? If not then most likely it was based on either a young David or Ian's personal preference at the time, what they thought sounded coolest (as they were just kids with a ground breaking game and very excited about all that i suspect!). Was 'Commander' doing the rounds in the latest sci-fi comics of that era? Like in Commander Dan Dare, or Commander Flash Gordon etc? There was no wikipedia (or internet) back then, so i doubt they (David and Ian) did huge accurate exhaustive research into what the correct term should be, and they were not military in training as far as i know either. That's my hunch
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Well it's a designation unique to members of the Pilot's Federation, so I'd imagine there's some sort of testing involved in becoming a "Starship Commander" under their rules. Presumably "Commander" refers specifically to a PF-qualified pilot as opposed to any civilian or navy ship captain, who may operate under different rules and guidelines. Either that or they like Battlestar Galactica.
And I did get a telling off from one Commander when I referred to him as "Captain **** *******" 'cos I watched all those pirate films and thought that he was always "Captain"...
Just to be pedantic, the original Elite allowed you to save your Commander name - Jameson was simply the default.
Mind you, at times it seems like the tape version loaded quicker ��
Just to be pedantic, the original Elite allowed you to save your Commander name - Jameson was simply the default.
Mind you, at times it seems like the tape version loaded quicker ��